Beca felt a warmth against her back, a light breath caressing her bare shoulder blades. She opened her eyes and looked down to see a pale-skinned, freckled arm tucked around her waist. Confusion wracked her sleep addled brain as she slowly turned over. Not only was Chloe was snuggled tightly against her, their legs were intertwined, locking their bodies together. Beca didn't know whether to enjoy the comfort of the feeling of another person's touch or to be angry at how the two got there. Something in the back of her mind told her she was supposed to be upset with the redhead despite their obvious compromising position.
Beca jolted into a sitting position as her phone's alarm loudly blared from the bedside table. She fumbled for the offending device and turned off the noise. Looking to her right, she saw only an empty bed. Her dreams had again been playing tricks on her mind as she had woken up alone, the same way she had fallen asleep. Where the dreams tricks or were they showing her heart wht it really wanted?
After sitting up and pondering her feelings about her dream, she made the decision to crawl out of bed so she could be ready when Chloe arrived. Sometime during the night, Toad had leapt to the floor and crawled under the bed. Beca retrieved him as she made her bed and snuggled him between the pillows. She felt silly kowtowing to a stuffed frog. But he was a cute reminder of the redhead.
After starting a pot of coffee and showering, Beca stared at her closet trying to figure out what to wear. They would be inside for the better part of the chilled morning, so she picked out a pair of skinny jeans, without rips to keep the wind out thank-you-very-much, a short-sleeved tee, a three-quarter length sleeved jersey, and a blue plaid flannel. She had another closet which was virtually all shoes. Picking those took longer than her clothes. Eventually she settled on a pair of light powder blue Converse.
The entire time she was getting dressed, she was replaying the events of the previous day in her mind. Beca was listing positive things as well as the negative. Obviously, Stacie believed the redhead or she wouldn't have played swap-a-roo with the Chinese food date. Chloe seemed remorseful enough. She didn't exactly exude deception vibes. She does happen to be her boss' best friend. (Beca hoped that was a positive.) This all pointed Beca's heart to wanting to trust the redhead.
Yet Beca's mind was not so trusting. Why did the project manager feel different when hugging Chloe yesterday? There hadn't been any spark. And Beca didn't want it to feel different. She wanted that tingly feeling, the one from all the times before. The one that caught her off guard. Maybe today she could convince her mind to back off and let her heart take back over. Just maybe.
When Beca heard a knock on her door, she checked the time on her phone. She opened the door to an exuberant, bright face that could only belong to Chloe Beale. "What do you do, stand outside and wait for the exact time before knocking?" Beca stood aside to give Chloe room to enter.
The redhead slipped inside, careful to not invade the project manager's personal space. Something about this caused a twinge in Beca's chest. Maybe she wanted her space invaded this morning. Chloe looked at the coffee the smaller woman offered and gasped. "Oh no! You didn't make breakfast, did you?"
The brunette laughed. "No Chlo. I think there will be plenty of food where we are going." Relief flooded Chloe's face as she topped off her thermos with hot coffee. "Let's go."
When Chloe hung back a little, Beca stopped and asked her what was wrong. Chloe's voice was barely audible as she asked, "can Toad come?" Beca laughed as she motioned for Chloe to retrieve the stuffed animal from the bedroom. When she came out, her smile stretched from ear to ear. "Lil Red is a little bit rambunctious for these types of outings. But Toad – he's just right." She tucked the stuffed frog into Beca's coat pocket so he could see where they were headed.
The pair found one of the end entrances to Chelsea Market and immediately were caught up in all the sights and smells. The stalls of foods and wares were endless, stretching as far as the pair could see. Both women's stomachs were growling so their first order of business was to find breakfast foods. They decided to share a blueberry bagel which would stave off their hunger as they nibbled their way through the market.
Most of the vendors had food samples displayed at the front of their stores. Beca and Chloe made an agreement that if the sample looked good, they'd walk around the entire shop. If it tasted good, they'd make at least one purchase from the store. "That way I won't feel guilty about filling up on all this free food." Chloe seemed concerned about cheating people out of their wares. But apparently, she wasn't too concerned because soon, she and the brunette were lugging cloth bags full of goods they had purchased.
At some point during the morning, Chloe had latched onto Beca's hand, slipping her arm through her elbow. By the time Beca realized this, she found she had settled back into that warm, comfortable feeling, the buzz was back. Their fingers were meshed as natural of a gesture they had shared on Tuesday. Beca didn't know at what point her body had allowed her to enjoy Chloe's touch again, but she certainly wasn't questioning it.
As the two wandered around the market booths adding to their bags of goodies, they would stop to peruse additional items of interest as well as to take selfies with Toad or pictures of Toad in compromising positions. When they reached the other end of the market, Chloe checked her phone. "You do realize that we just ate our way through Chelsea Market and it took us almost four hours to do so."
Beca moaned as she rubbed her stomach. "I know I certainly stuffed my face. Must. Have. Rest."
The two walked away from the market a bit until they were in the midst of Chelsea Park. The grasses of the rolling hills were starting to turn green as winter turned into spring. They found a patch of that green behind some benches and stretched out. "Sorry I didn't bring a blanket." Beca was leaning back, weight on her elbows with Chloe's head laying in her lap. "At least the sun came out." She had shed her layers down to her tee shirt. Chloe's bottom layer had still been long sleeved so Beca rolled up the sleeves to her flannel and made Chloe change into it. As they relaxed in the sun, Beca was playing with the curls in Chloe's hair thinking how adorable the redhead looked wearing her clothes. Conversation had gone back to being easy, neither of them cautious or guarded.
"How do you do this Chloe?" The redhead looked at her unsure of what Beca was asking. "This… make me feel at ease. Then again you could probably make a caged lion feel comfortable."
"Are you calling yourself the king of the jungle?" Chloe giggled as Beca rolled her eyes. The redhead shrugged her shoulders. "I'm just me."
"Most people easily get under my skin and irritate the hell out of me. I crave space. But you… you I want next to me, touching me. It's so foreign." When Chloe looked concerned, Beca quickly added, "but it's a good thing Chlo. I like it. I like you."
Chloe pulled the project manager down beside her and snuggled close. "Yes, that is a good thing. I kind of like you, too."
"So Junior Olympics national champ in floor exercise, huh?" Chloe loved to tease just because she knew Beca would blush. "You are still so tiny. I bet you still have the moves." Now the redhead's tone had turned to challenging. "You know, can't vault me for trying."
"Oh my gawd Chloe, these are getting bad. But yeah, I still got the moves." Beca scoffed. She honestly wasn't sure, but she wasn't going to back down from a challenge. "Once a champ, always a champ."
Chloe only had to say two words to get Beca on her feet. "Prove it." Beca quickly dumped the redhead out of her lap and scrambled to her feet, looking around for the flattest, smoothest patch of grass in the area. Chloe flipped over to her stomach and propped herself up on her elbows.
First Beca ran out a bit and did a cartwheel. "What are you? Twelve?" The redhead was taunting. Beca teasingly stuck her tongue out as she tried to think about what other moves she could still do.
"I got it," the brunette announced. "Round off, back handspring, ending with a back tuck." Beca called out her combination as she backed way up. "Don't blink!" She took off running with her tongue sticking out in concentration. She completed her round off and back handspring and was just just about to stick her back tuck landing. Then it happened. In slow motion. Beca's feet hit a slick spot in the grass and her legs went flying out from under her. In slow motion. By the time Chloe realized what had happened, Beca was flat on her back.
When she reached Beca, the brunette's breathes were shallow and her eyes squished shut. The redhead was horrified. "Beca. Beca?" She was afraid to touch the smaller woman. "Oh god, please be okay."
After what seemed like forever, Beca finally opened her eyes. "Crushed it!" Her announcement was triumphant as she tried to giggle, but apparently the pain made that not so possible. "Wheeee that was fun." Beca had gotten her breath back but was in a fair amount of pain.
"I am so sorry Becs. I should have never challenged you like that."
"I should have never tried that move." She struggled to sit up. "I'm not twelve anymore.
Chloe held her down. "No! Not until I check you out first."
"Chlo, you've been checking me out all day. Don't deny it." She wiggled her eyebrows because laughing was painful.
"Seriously Beca. I'm not a doctor. Yet. But remember I kinda know a lot about joints and soft tissue injuries. Either let me do this or I'm calling Stacie. We'll end up going to the hospital." Chloe muttered something else under her breath.
"What was that? Did you just threaten me with my best friend AND my boss?"
"Whatever it takes Mitchell."
After a cursory exam, Chloe determined nothing was broken but Beca was probably going to be sore for a few days. She allowed Beca to sit up and helped the brunette struggle to her feet. With Chloe's help she hobbled over to a tree to use to help stabilize her back some as she decided exactly how much pain was going to be involved in walking.
"I really think the sooner we ice your back, the better Becs. My place is close to here. It's a dungeon compared to your apartment, but we need to get some ice on your muscles or you won't be walking tomorrow." Beca didn't care if Chloe lived in the sewer as long as she didn't have to make the trek all the way back to her own apartment.
Chloe gathered up their purchases in one hand and used the other arm to support the brunette as she stumbled along. Beca could only make a few dozen yards at a time before she had to take a rest. Chloe spied a pharmacy and made Beca promise to stay seated as she ran to get some ibuprofen. She gave the project manager a few pills to help ease some of the ache while they hobbled along.
At one point, Beca was near crying as her mid-back was spasming. "Can't we just catch an Uber?" Her pitiful voice nearly brought tears to Chloe's eyes.
"Becs, it's not much further. One block, I promise." Sweat was dripping down the redhead's back despite her changing into Beca's lighter shirt. Relief was evident for both women when Chloe announced they were home. "Well at my home. I'm going to let you catch your breath while I take these packages up." She bound up the stairs to her apartment and grabbed a few ice packs before going back down.
She eased down next to Beca and placed two ice pack across her mid-back and strapped them in place with an ice pack. "Let's sit here for a bit." Chloe kept one hand on the ice packs to make sure they weren't becoming too cold. "Damn it!" Beca looked over in confusion. "I'm so sorry Beca. I just remembered; I live in a second-floor walk-up."
Beca's shoulders slumped. "I guess that's better than a third-floor. It's okay Chlo. Let's get this show on the road. I think I need to lie down." The ibuprofen had started to kick in and the ice was numbing her back a bit, so getting Beca up the stairs wasn't as painful as they thought. As soon as they pushed through the door, Beca collapsed face first on the couch. "FUCK this hurts."
Chloe immediately rolled Beca to her side, instructed her to bend her knees and tucked a small pillow between them. "That should ease the stress on the muscles." Beca was exhausted from the effort taken to get to Chloe's place. Once she found a position she could tolerate, she fell fast asleep.
When she opened her eyes, Beca found herself in an unfamiliar room. She tried to sit up but was immediately hit with nauseating pain. "Damn it," she mumbled. As she tried to clear the cobwebs from her head, she tried to make sense of where she was and why she hurt so bad. "Chlo?"
The redhead was instantly by the side of the couch with a wooden spoon in her hand. "How are you feeling Beca?" Beca tried to convince Chloe that she was better to no avail. Chloe announced it was time for another dose of ibuprofen and more ice packs. "You've been asleep for a while. But that's a good thing."
"Yeah it kinda hurts." She took the pills offered by the redhead and helped situate her body to position another set of packs on her back. "Thanks." Beca took a whiff and realized something smelled incredibly good. "Are you cooking?"
Chloe nodded. "I can hold my own sometimes. Freshly made tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches sound okay?" Beca couldn't believe she was already hungry after all they had eaten at the market but agreed that food sounded good.
The food was soon ready, and Chloe sat a plate with half of a large grilled cheese down and a huge mug of tomato soup. The pain had eased up enough for Beca to sit up while eating. "My god Chloe. This looks amazing." The brunette took a long drink from the mug and sat her soup down on the tray. "I can't believe you made that from scratch." She picked up the sandwich and examined it.
"Do you always investigate your food before you eat it?" Chloe giggled. For that question, the redhead received a playful frown. "We bought everything for the grilled cheese today at the market. Of course, I don't think we were thinking of this combination, but I bet it works."
Beca pulled apart the sourdough bread pieces and peered at the white melted cheese. She poked at the gooey non-cheese substance and tasted her finger. After contemplating her taste buds, she took a tentative bite of the sandwich. Her eyes widened as she chewed and swallowed then took a huge bite. "Waftd iv bis? No bember mm m'kit."
Chloe chuckled. "Don't talk with your mouth full Becs. I'm glad you like it. It's the white Cheddar from the cheese monger by the Italian guy. And the bread was fresh from the baker."
The project manger swallowed and took a gulp of air. "No Chlo, this!" She pointed to the brown goopy stuff.
"Oh, that's bacon jam. You like? We got that from the corner place where Toad sat on the vendor's lap. They let us sample it on crackers."
"I don't care where we got it. That shit is dope." Beca took another huge bite but this time chewed and swallowed. "Wait, I do care where we got it. That's going on my permanent shopping list. Who would have thought – bacon jam on a grilled cheese sandwich?" Beca quickly finished her soup and sandwich before Chloe could even consider stealing a bite.
Chloe became shy as Beca looked around her painfully tiny flat. There was a small bed against the back wall where Lil' Red proudly sat, a minuscule kitchen without room even for a small table and chairs. The doctorate student's books seemed to be piled on the coffee table which served as her both desk and study area. The project manager assumed the door by the bed led to the bathroom.
Chloe watched her looking around the study. "I know it's teeny. I don't even have a TV. There's no place to put it even if I wanted to watch." Her meek voice revealed her discomfort with Beca seeing how she lived. She was sitting on the far end of the couch with her knees drawn up around her chest, arms wrapped around her legs.
After watching the redhead for a bit, Beca whispered, "hey. C'mere." She motioned for Chloe to move closer, raised up her arm and allowed Chloe to snuggle into her embrace. Between the two of them, they found a position that wasn't putting too much of a strain on Beca's back. "I don't care where you live or what your apartment looks like."
She brushed Chloe's hair with her fingers and tucked it behind her ears. "I care about you." Beca tapped on Chloe's chest to emphasis this. The pair sat in silence for a while. "I may have finally figured out what's been going on the past few days. We have some commonalities – ones that make us feel threatened, insecure even. And you know what? That's okay. We can work through those."
Although it didn't seem possible, Chloe snuggled yet closer to Beca.
"Beca Mitchell. You ARE staying here tonight." Chloe announced this in a way that the petite brunette knew she had no choice in the matter. "There's no way you can make it to your apartment without stopping like a bajillion times. And why be in that much pain? You will feel better tomorrow." Beca finally agreed to stay the night and head home in the morning.
"Sorry this has been a jacked-up Spring Break Chloe." Beca pulled herself off the couch, using a lot more energy than she realized it would due to the spasms. She rested with her hands leaning against the edge of the couch to let the pain subside. As she headed to the bathroom, she called over her shoulder. "May I borrow something to sleep in?"
When Beca emerged, Chloe had a shit-eating grin on her face and stretched out her arm. "Here you go," she chirped.
"No! No way, no sir, no how." Beca stumbled backwards a step to get away from the light blue jammies with little yellow ducks printed on them.
"Oh, come on Beca Weca. Ms. Ducky says you'd be so cute in her outfit."
"Ha, ha. You quack me up Beale. I'll sleep in my clothes, thanks. I'm NOT putting those on. One picture of me in that," her hands fluttered to the ducks, "and Stacie has blackmail for life!"
Chloe brought her other hand from behind her back and offered Beca a clean shirt and sleep pants. "Lucky those are MY pj's or I might be offended!" She flashed her bright smile at Beca and disappeared into the bathroom to change.
While the redhead was in the other room, Beca managed to wriggle out of her jeans and T-shirt and into the soft clothes she'd been left. She then stretched out on the couch and looked around the apartment. Yes, it was small, even by New York standards. The only thing Beca could see that screamed Chloe was the coffee grinder and French press she had given her when she returned from Guam and tons of medical textbooks. Several things came to the project manager's mind that she could do to inject some vibrancy into this otherwise small apartment.
When Chloe emerged, Beca couldn't help but stare. The blue in Chloe's ducky pajamas brought out her eyes. Beca kicked herself. Who thinks this shit? Her smile could just melt the largest Artic iceberg. Mitchell you are losing it. The brunette realized in a matter of hours, if even that, Chloe Beale had managed to slip back under Beca's walls. She was gorgeous, intelligent, and sexy as hell. Moreover, she liked Beca.
Before Beca realized it, Chloe was sitting on the edge of the couch. "Mitchell, I don't want you to think you are sleeping here. Over to the bed missy." Chloe grabbed her hand and began to tug Beca towards the small bed on the back wall. "You are injured and sleeping on this lumpy couch will only make your back worse. Plus, I changed the sheets when you were asleep earlier." After a considerable amount of back and forth, Beca relented and moved to the bed.
Chloe puttered around a bit, putting things on her nightstand and readying her house for the night. Beca lay on her stomach with her face buried in one of the pillows. Knowing the redhead was close at hand comforted Beca because she had honestly feared going home with nobody to help her if one of the horrid back spasms hit.
She heard a short snick and smelled a light sulphur odor before the scent of peppermint wafted towards her nostrils. Beca turned her head towards where she knew Chloe stood and saw the redhead had lit a large candle. "Such a romantic Red... seduce me when I can't run?" Beca kept her voice light and playful.
"That's me Mitchell. No, I am going to try a few things, with your permission, of course. The first," she waved her hand towards the candle, "is smell. To help you relax." She lay a gentle hand on Beca's back. "May I touch you?"
Before Beca could catch herself, she sucked in a deep breath. She hadn't been expecting that question. "Errrrrr..."
"Purely in a therapeutic way Becs. Remember... physical therapist here. We just finished a seminar on massage and the benefits for soft tissue injuries." Chloe's voice went soft, cautious. "But it's ok if you don't..."
"Yes. Yes please." Beca had to figure out how to keep from bringing meek Chloe out. "I was just caught off guard. I'd love you to touch me." Fuck. What did I just say? "Ummm I mean... sounds good Chlo. Do your thing." Sometimes Beca rattled herself more than others rattled her.
The physical therapist eased herself onto the edge of the bed, careful not to jostle Beca. Dipping her hands into a tin, Chloe rubbed her hands together to ensure the salve was warm. "I'm going to touch you now, okay?" She then eased her hands beneath Beca's shirt and spread the concoction over her mid-back where most of the pain was. As Chloe began to softly press her fingers into Beca's muscles, the project manager couldn't help but to groan with relief.
"My gawd Chloe, not that your hands don't feel delightful, but what is that stuff you are using?"
Chloe described the massage lubricant which also served as a warming agent. "This should relax your muscles and let you sleep better."
When Chloe asked if Beca was okay with her shirt being moved up some to bear more skin and didn't get a response, she took a chance and did so anyway. The smaller woman had taken her surprise by not flinching when Chloe had first started rubbing her back. Beca seemed so relaxed and out of it that she wanted to give her a proper massage to lessen Beca's morning pain.
As she rubbed, the brunette seemed to scoot closer towards Chloe and was relaxing into the manipulations. Chloe knew her job was done when Beca started softly snoring. The redhead pulled the covers around the project manager, tucked Lil Red into bed with her, and smiled as she kissed Beca's forehead.