Chloe woke to the gentle sunlight brightening her room. She stretched her body out and immediately grabbed her phone off the bedside table to check for messages. The excitement to learn what Beca had planned quickly reminded her of all the things that made the cute little brunette irresistible.
Her heart sank when she didn't see any messages from Beca, but oddly, three more were waiting from Aubrey.
From Aubrey: ?
From Aubrey: Did you make it home?
From Aubrey: I'm worried
The redhead was totally confused because she distinctly remembered messaging Aubrey what an awesome time she had. Chloe sat up and propped herself up against the wall and began to look at her texts. Sure enough, there was no message to Aubrey after she got home. A sinking feeling grew in her stomach as she switched to the only other conversation she had in the past few days.
To Adorable Red Panda Lover: Bree, I had an awful time! I don't know what to do. Let's talk tomorrow.
That sinking feeling in her stomach immediately turned to nausea. Chloe lurched out of bed and barely made it to the toilet before the queasiness turned to bile emptying into the sink. Her hand was wrapped tightly around her phone as she slid down the wall of her bathroom and sat on the floor. She looked at the message again, her mind running a hundred miles an hour.
"How could I be so stupid?" Chloe pressed the cool surface of her phone against her heated forehead as tears began to fall. As she read and re-read the text, she realized that first she had sent the message to Beca and not Aubrey and more importantly, her damned phone had auto-corrected that one damned word which totally changed the meaning and absolutely ruined her world. She'd been so exhausted but did want Aubrey she'd had an remarkable time. Her phone had changed that one word awesome to awful. And now, she was right back to where she was on Saturday night probably erasing all the progress she and Beca had made in the past three days.
The redhead started to call Beca but decided to wait and to work things out in her own mind before trying to decide what to do to rebuild Beca's trust yet again. Instead, she called Aubrey.
When Beca woke up, her entire body ached from crying; her muscles were stiff, and her head was pounding. She was curled up in the center of her bed hugging the stuffed red panda she'd bought the day before at the zoo. It had meant to be a present for Chloe, but she didn't give it to her last night. She sniffled as she thought about the last message Chloe had sent.
The project manager looked at the stuffed animal. "You know Lil Red. I don't know why I am surprised. I should have known something like this was coming after Saturday. … No, I'm not going to let her explain. There can't be a reasonable explanation for this. … Lil Red, she didn't have a good time, or even an okay time, she had an AWFUL time."
Beca gave another sniff as she talked to the stuffed animal. "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." The brunette sighed as she sat up and swung her legs off the bed. She tucked Lil Red next to Toad and pulled the covers up around them. Despite the painful reminders of Chloe, seeing the two stuffed animals gave her a small modicum of comfort.
After washing the crusted tears from her face and brushing her teeth, Beca padded into the kitchen for some coffee. She also snagged some of the cut-up fruit leftover from the pot roast meal and made her way to the couch. Tucking her legs beside her, she sipped on her coffee as she popped pieces of fruit into her mouth. She texted Stacie asking if she had classes.
To Shorty: Yup. Two morning and two afternoon
To Shorty: What's up?
To Legs: Nada
To Legs: Call me if you can during lunch
The project manager was at a loss as to what to do for the day. She'd been so excited to spending the entire week with Chloe that she'd put no thought into what to do otherwise. When Beca saw her camera sitting on the bar, she gave a deep sigh. She knew the fresh memories would be painful, but she had to at least dump her memory card so the pictures wouldn't get accidentally corrupted.
She slid her laptop into its docking station and turned on her second monitor. After hooking up an auxiliary hard drive, the memory card was slipped into place. Beca poured herself another cup of coffee and settled down to start working on her photographs. The first order of business was to transfer them all from the SD card to her hard drive. She also moved them into Cloud storage, leaving no chance to losing any of the great images. The rest of the morning was spent just sorting the pictures into categories of animals then separating out her favorites.
The pleasing memories of the day before almost made her forget the crushing last message received from Chloe. As Beca realized mid-day was upon her, she was certainly surprised Chloe had not tried to call or message to talk her way out of this particular mess. This went a little bit further to convince Beca she needed to write Chloe out of her life.
The project manger's phone showed an incoming call from Stacie. "Hey Legs. What's up?"
"I should be asking you that Shorty. I thought certainly you'd be out with Chloe."
Beca paused, not knowing what to say. She then rolled her eyes and said, "naw, I don't think it's going to work out Stace." She explained about their day and how everything was going well, right up to the last text. "At least I learned the truth. I was opening up way too fast, and – that's not my style. You know that. Before we went into the zoo, she called me 'baby' even. I don't think she realized I heard her. That's a little fast for me, especially for someone who had a shitty time."
From the camera angle, Stacie could see the large monitor on which her friend was processing pictures. She realized that if Beca was able to do this after having her heart smashed – again – that she was starting to shut down her emotions, separating what she was feeling from reality. It's how she often dealt with things. And she knew by experience that once Beca did this, she was quite difficult to reach psychologically.
She wasn't quite what to do to help her friend, but she knew she had to act. Something more was going on here, and Stacie was going to get to the bottom of the situation. They decided Stacie would come over with dinner after her last class. The friends would eat, get drunk, and talk trash about women.
"God, I thought you'd been kidnapped. Or that you two had gotten a little friendly last night." Aubrey smiled at her friend. "How did things go yesterday?"
"Yesterday was amazing. Right up until the end." Chloe dropped the smile on her face. "Bree, I screwed up again." Chloe was upset but not as panicked as the last time she called Aubrey about Beca. This time she knew exactly what she had done but had absolutely no idea on how to fix it. She started at the beginning and told Aubrey everything, ending with the mistaken text message with the horrifying autocorrect fail.
Aubrey knew her friend was devastated and recognized the scared look on her face. "Have you tried calling her Chloe? Explaining?"
The redhead rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands. "Nope. She's not going to believe me Bree. The woman is so guarded, and now I've breached her trust twice in four days. Hell, I wouldn't talk to me either."
Aubrey wasn't exactly sure what to say but seeing her friend hurt was devastating. "How about I call Stacie? They seem to have an unwavering friendship." She convinced Chloe that a shower and breakfast would make her feel better and promised to get back with her as soon as possible.
Aubrey sent Stacie a message asking her to call when she got a chance.
To Limber Blonde: You got it
To Limber Blonde: Beca wants me to call her during lunch, but I should have time to call you too
To Pilates Queen: Thanks
Knowing that Stacie would have a baseline of this issue before she called comforted Aubrey. She hates airing other people's dirty laundry, but in this case, she needed help. Both their friends did.
When Stacie finally called, she and Aubrey quickly shared what all they knew with each other.
"You mean all this is over a fucking autocorrect error. Geesh, can't Beca catch a break. I'd be laughing if I didn't know how upset my little friend is." Stacie's heart was breaking for her best friend as she and Aubrey tried to figure out a solution for the situation. "I'm sorry Aubrey. Beca's shutting down emotionally. Once she crosses that threshold, she's going to be hard to get back. It's hard to explain… it's just… Beca."
Eventually Stacie came up with a possible plan. "She may end up hating me for this, but I think it's worth a shot. My little short stack friend needs someone other than me in her life telling her that's she's worthy. And I strongly feel that person should be Chloe."
Aubrey FaceTime'd Chloe again, surprised to see her friend still in bed – not having moved from where she'd been when they had talked earlier. "I thought we agreed you'd take a shower and eat breakfast Chlo."
"No you wanted me to do that. I want to lay her and wallow. Why am I such a loser Bree? Everything I touch falls apart."
"That's not true Chloe, and you know it."
"Beca is the sweetest, most kind, cutest, most adorable person I've met in ages. She's never going to trust me. Ever. And I don't blame her. I wouldn't trust me either. When I come back to work next week, may I be assigned to another floor?"
Rather than feeling sorry for her redheaded friend, Aubrey was getting angry. "Chloe Beale! How many times have I told you that this pity party does not look good on you? You are an amazing, wonderful, intelligent woman and any woman would be lucky to have you in her life. We will work through this. And no, you can't be assigned to another floor."
The friends talked for a while longer then Aubrey shared Stacie's plans. Chloe's first concern was Beca being angry at Stacie. Then she feared Beca becoming even madder at her. "There are too many things that can backfire with this plan."
"And your solution is?" When the redhead couldn't come up with anything, Aubrey told her this was the best thing for them to try. "Now get your ass out of bed and shower."
Chloe quietly sat down in the hallway outside Beca's appointment. She reached into her satchel and pulled out a textbook to do some reading she needed to finish over the break. She had decided the wait could be dual purpose and allow her nerves to settle some before she faced the brunette again. Knowing Beca was right on the other side of the door made her stomach queasy, but she fought through that and began reading.
Not too long after Chloe arrived, a delivery boy came out of the elevator and strode to Beca's door. When he stretched out his hand to ring the doorbell. Chloe stopped him. She paid for the order, giving him a tip generous enough so he wouldn't question why she was sitting outside.
She sat the order beside her like she and Aubrey had discussed. And waited. Sure enough, when the odor of the Chinese food had permeated beneath the door, Beca opened her apartment looking for her friend. "Stacie, did you lose your key again?" She stopped abruptly as she looked down and saw Chloe sitting there. The project manager's demeanor completely changed as she went to slam the door.
Chloe leapt to her feet. "Wait!" She held out the bag of take out. "Your food. Stacie's not coming." The redhead just dangled the sack in front of her, making no effort to move towards the door. Beca reached out to take the food and shut the door. Chloe's heart sank as she grabbed her book, stuffed it in her satchel and turned towards the elevator.
She heard the door open behind her. "I don't know what kind of games you are playing this time, but now you have my best friend involved. Come in." Beca's words stung Chloe, but she accepted the feeling and stepped over the threshold, dropping her bag right inside the door.
Tears welled up as soon as she saw Beca, and Chloe was at a loss. So, the redhead did what she always did best and reached towards the tiny brunette for a hug. Beca quickly jerked back, not even allowing the briefest of contact. Chloe's heart sank even further as she wondered why she was even tried to come to salvage this.
As Beca was pulling out plates and drinks, Chloe looked over to Beca's computer and saw the pictures from the previous day. "Did you get good some good shots?" Beca nodded. "I'd love to see them. Someday." When the project manager didn't respond, Chloe knew that line of conversation was dead.
"If you are wondering why I'm getting out plates for Chinese, it's because I always out order Stacie, and she refuses to eat from the same container. I figured we could share if you wanted."
Chloe climbed up on a barstool and scooped some rice and food onto her plate. The women ate in silence for a while before Chloe tried to speak. "Bec…"
Beca held up her chopsticks and stopped Chloe mid-thought. "I don't mean to be rude Chloe, but I'm not interested in what you have to say. I believe you said enough in your last text." Chloe remained quiet. The brunette wasn't sure if the silence made her upset or angry that the woman across from her wouldn't even defend herself. She was here for a reason, wasn't she? But Beca wasn't going to press and just let that silence sit between them and fester.
Chloe refused to make eye contact with Beca. She finished eating, took her plate to the sink then went to grab her bag to leave. Beca jumped up. "NO!" She yelled startling Chloe. "No damn it. You don't get to jack with me like this. You said last night, after I had the best day of my life, that you had an awful time. What's even worse is that you said it to Aubrey. I would have never known if you hadn't made that mistake."
The redhead's shoulders were slumped down with her chin nearly resting on her chest and her fiery hair falling over her face, yet there were no hiding her tears. Her voice had again grown barely audible as it had on Sunday. "You said you weren't interested in what I have to say." She reached up with her arm and brushed away the tears as she looked up at Beca. Her eyes were rimmed red and more blue than the sky had ever been because of her emotional state.
Despite her being upset, this look made her even more beautiful than Beca had seen her. Vulnerable. Beca was trying to not wrap her arms around Chloe to comfort her, to stop the crying. She could see the anguish deep within her which confused the brunette to no end. "Did you really have that bad of a time Chloe? I thought we both had a great day."
This made the tears fall even more. "Oh Beca, I can not imagine a better day than yesterday. Then I went and pulled a stunt like that. Things like this is exactly why I told you Sunday that don't deserve you; you are so far out of my league."
The project manager couldn't handle the torment anymore. Despite her personal pain and confusion over the situation, she could not stand to see Chloe like this. She stepped towards the redhead, gently removed her bag from her hand and wrapped her arms around Chloe. She had so wanted to avoid the redhead's touch when she'd come in earlier, but now it was Beca initiating contact. They stood this way for quite some time. Then Beca guided the other woman to the couch. Chloe kicked off her shoes so she could put her feet up on the couch and snuggle into the project manager's embrace.
"I'm sorry Beca. I hate my phone, absolutely despise it. The developers can suck it." This almost made Beca laugh except she knew Chloe was still upset. "That text you got. Yeah it was meant to go to Bree. But it was also meant to say AWESOME. That I had an awesome time. I think autocorrect thought it would be funny to change the word." She went on to explain how she fell asleep immediately afterwards and didn't realize her mistake until the next morning.
After hearing the explanation, Beca felt slightly better but she still didn't have that same warm feeling as she sat with her arms around the redhead. She wanted to have the magical sensation – the one that wiped her mind of nothing – but Chloe. However… that feeling was simply missing. She squinched her eyes shut as she fought her own emotions not quite sure what she was going to do about the situation.
"We haven't heard from either of them yet." Stacie lifted up her wine glass in a toast. "Cheers to hoping our friends are still alive."
Aubrey chuckled. "Here's to hoping you still have a friend. I know how much Beca means to you Stacie. I hope you haven't risked your friendship to the point beyond repair." Stacie assured her that nothing could tear her and Beca apart. Nothing.
"Thanks for meeting me out this evening Aubrey. Beca's not the only one smitten, you know." Aubrey blushed at the Pilates instructor's smooth words. Stacie gently lifted the blonde's hand to her lips and softly kissed her skin. "Even if those two don't work out, I hope you and I can continue to date."
Aubrey raised her eye brows in surprise. "Date? Is this what we are doing?"
Stacie murmured a positive sound and leaned forward to place her lips on the corner of the blonde's mouth. "I certainly hope so."
The fluttering sensation in Aubrey's stomach was too strong for her to control her actions. She turned her head slightly and returned Stacie's soft kiss but directly on her lips. She opened her eyes and looked into Stacie's. "Than it shall be."
Despite her own internal discomfort, Beca kept her arms wrapped around Chloe as they sat on the couch. The redhead seemed so small and scared that she couldn't bear to move away despite her need to recapture some personal space. Finally, the project manager felt she was going to suffocate and got up like she needed to take a trip to the bathroom.
When Beca returned, she brought Chloe's gift from the zoo yesterday. She held it behind her back as she spread a blanket over the couch and settled down at the other end. Their feet could still be touching so she wouldn't seem stand-offish, but she'd still have room to breathe.
"Close your eyes." When Chloe complied, Beca tucked the stuffed animal beneath the blanket next to Chloe's chest. "Okay." As predicted, Chloe's reaction was to squeal in delight declaring the red panda the cutest thing she'd ever seen. "Her name… is Lil' Red."
"Of course it is!" This was the first time Chloe had shown any delight all evening. Her eyes were even sparkling. "Oh Beca thank you. I love her. Oh, did I tell you? I have some red susPANDAs. I should have worn them tonight to help keep my pants from slipping down."
Beca thought about it for a moment then laughed. "Always a kidder Beale. Always a kidder."
As if she suddenly remembered something, Chloe leapt up, holding her pants like they were falling down, trying to make Beca laugh. She dug something out of her bag which was still sitting by the door. She handed the brunette a sack then snuggled back under the blanket with Lil' Red. Beca pulled out a shirt which sported a picture of a red panda. It said: Prospect Park's Cutest Resident – Tails Down. Beca gave a sideways grin as she thanked Chloe.
The two women sat on the couch for the longest time visiting about some of the most random things. When Chloe got a far-away look in her eyes, Beca simply watched and wondered what the redhead could be thinking.
Chloe took in a deep breath and held up three fingers. "Third thing you didn't know about me. I'm not very good at relationships or dating even. I've been in some challenging situations in the past which are probably the reason I am how I am today. Self-fulfilling prophecy and all. I know I'm a smart person, and I'd like to think I have a great deal to offer someone. But I always seem to be messing things up." She motioned the space between herself and Beca. "Case in point." She breathed in and let her air out with a whoosh. "I guess what I'm trying to say is please be patient with me. I really like you Beca, and I'd like to see where this goes. I'd like to think the feeling is mutual."
The pair sat in silence for a bit before Beca spoke up. "I was thinking Chelsea Market tomorrow." She flashed a shy smile at the redhead who nodded her head. "I have some more work to do on these pictures tonight, but how does seven sound?" Chloe agreed to be at Beca's by seven for their trek to the market. "Maybe a smooth calm day without all the PANDAmonium?" Beca waved her shirt for emphasis.
"Good one Mitchell. You are learning."
When Beca stood to walk Chloe to the door, she braced herself for the inevitable hug she knew was coming. The redhead stood at the door, trying to read the expression on Beca's face. Finally she gave a shy wave as she left without trying to make physical contact with the brunette.
Beca closed the door and ran her fingers through her hair. Her heart really wanted to trust Chloe but her mind was sending out all sorts of warning signals. Now she just had to decide which to listen to.