The next Saturday had been deemed tattoo day. Ashley and Jessica had provided recommendation for two of the artists at that studio, so Beca researched them and made an appointment with Steph, the person who seemed to be the best. She sent out a group text to let everyone know the address and what time to show up.
Chloe had been utterly excited the entire week and had been looking at hundreds of photos and drawings online to try to decide exactly what she wanted her tattoo to look like. She made Beca sit right beside her on the couch so they could properly debate the ins and outs of ladybugs. When Beca would chuckle and shake her head, Chloe would remind her this will be on my body the rest of my life.
When the day finally arrived, Chloe was nervous as her mind raced around things. She realized didn't quite know what to expect and if it would hurt as badly as many people said it would. Beca assured her she'd survive and to just enjoy the experience. As they left for the tattoo parlor, Beca shoved one of her smaller sketch books into her back pocket without Chloe seeing.
Jessica, Ashley, Aubrey and even Stacie were waiting outside when Beca and Chloe arrived. The redhead had put on a brave face for her friends because she didn't want anyone thinking she was getting cold feet. Beca led the way into the building and approached the counter. "Mitchell, we have two appointments with Steph." The woman nodded in acknowledgement and went to the back.
"Two?" Chloe was confused. "Why two appointments?"
Beca grinned. "If you don't mind me horning in on your plans, I thought I'd get a tat, too. Get it? Tattoo!" The project manager laughed at her own joke.
"Yes, yes, yes!" Chloe squealed and began to jump up and down. "What are you getting?" The redhead's curiosity was killing her.
"Well, if you are getting a ladybug, I want a grasshopper. Here," she pointed, "on my forearm. Probably larger than the one you want though."
Stacie clapped her hand on her friend's back. "Way to go munchkin."
"What's it going to look like?" Chloe was all kinds of curious now, probably trying to ease her own discomforts. She knew how long she'd looked at ladybugs and still didn't know exactly what she wanted.
Beca winked at Aubrey and pulled the sketchbook out of her back pocket. She flipped a few pages in and said, "I have it narrowed down to one of these two. I thought maybe you'd help me decide."
Chloe sucked in a breath of air with a whoosh. Tears immediately formed as she lightly touched the perfectly drawn insects. The project manager had even used pencils to color in the exact shades of green she wanted. "Becs, those are perfect."
Despite having a good idea of why her girlfriend was upset, Beca put her arm around Chloe's shoulder and asked, "why are you upset Chloe? This is an extension of your birthday week. You are supposed to be happy!" Chloe's friends crowded around to comfort her as well.
"B-b-be-because I didn't even think of asking you to draw my ladybug." The tears actually started to fall. "Your grasshopper is amazing, and it's even more special because you drew it. Personalized. Nobody will ever have the same ink on their body. Ever."
The project manager couldn't stand to see Chloe distressed any longer. She flipped a few pages further in the book and showed her girlfriend a myriad of lady bugs – cartoon ladybugs, realistic ladybugs, the works. She'd drawn them in different sizes and had even used a page to display shades of red that could be used for coloring.
Chloe threw her arms around Beca. "Oh my goodness, Beca. You are the most incredible woman. These are amazing, much better than the ones I had found online."
Beca turned to one more page which pictured a small bug, colored and about the size of a dime. "You can obviously choose the one you want, but this particular one is my favorite." She backed up to give Aubrey, Ashley, and Jessica room to flip through the pages to help Chloe decide on a design. They determined that Beca's favorite was their favorite, too.
The artist took the sketch book back to make the stencil. The other worker explained the paperwork to both Chloe and Beca and had them sign to the agreements required by the studio.
"I'm sorry I didn't ask you to draw my lady bug Becs." Chloe was hanging on her girlfriend with her head buried in Beca's hair. "But thank you for doing it anyway."
"All is forgiven Chlo. After I decided to get my own tat, I started playing with my design. When I asked Aubrey how you would feel if I did the same for you, she said you'd love it. And here we are."
Once the artist was done with the stencil, she returned the book to Beca and had Chloe sit in the chair while she readied the rest of her supplies. She showed Chloe the sterilized needles as she assembled the machine and filled tiny containers with black ink and red ink. Beca checked and double-checked the shade of red to ensure it matched the drawing.
Chloe's first tattoo experience went well, and the lady bug came out exactly as Beca had drawn it. Despite knowing the tat would look better after healing, Chloe made her friends take pictures before it was covered.
While Steph was cleaning her area and preparing for her second appointment, the girls stuck their heads together and selected Beca's grasshopper from the drawings in her book. This one would be a bit more complicated because of the shading on the insect's body and wings, but Beca had seen Steph's work online and had confidence she'd do an excellent job.
A few weeks later
Stacie felt someone watching her and turned to find her best friend leaning against the door jamb. The taller brunette started then walked towards her pal. "Damn, you scared me there Mitchell. Don't you know not to sneak up on people taller than you?" She assumed a mock karate pose before going to hug Beca whose arms were crossed – very closed off. Stacie backed off and shot a confused look at her friend.
"I went by your apartment today Stace." Beca locked eyes with her friend who immediately got a chagrined look on her face. "Imagine my surprise to find out you had moved out. Almost three weeks ago!" Stacie started to speak but Beca held up her hand, stopping the woman from explaining. "Three weeks Stacie? Seriously? Does Chloe know?"
"I don't think so." Stacie was wringing her hands anxiously, not knowing what reaction to expect.
"You know this is going to crush her. Not that you moved in with Aubrey – and I presume that's where you are living – but that she didn't know. Frankly, my feelings are hurt, too. You used to tell me everything."
"I'm sorry Becs. We decided the weekend before Chloe's birthday week. If it counts for anything, I wanted to tell you that day we all got together for lunch right after you and Chloe made up."
"It only counts if you actually told us."
"Well," Stacie continued, "so much was going on. Like I said, you two had just reconciled then we wanted Chloe's birthday celebrations to go well and her special time to be about her, not about us."
"You do understand Aubrey is her best friend, right?" Beca ran her hand through her hair. "Chloe is a wreck – nervous about her residency starting next week. She doesn't need this on top of things. Fix this Stacie. Not tomorrow, not the next day. Today."
Beca's words and attitude were colder than Stacie had ever experienced. She knew that her best friend adored the redhead. Maybe she wasn't aware of just how fiercely protective she was of Chloe. Stacie remembered a time when Beca would have defended her like that. She only hoped she and Aubrey hadn't done irreparable harm to their relationships with their best friends.
When Aubrey answered the phone and discovered her girlfriend on the other line, she was tickled. Stacie calling her during the day was a treat since they both worked so much. However, when she found out why Stacie was calling her heart dropped. "No, I didn't tell her. Stace, I hate to admit this out loud, but I honestly forgot. She's going to kill me." Aubrey listened for a moment. "Beca was pretty angry then?" Aubrey listened. "Give me a few minutes to think. I'll text you. Love you."
Aubrey hung up and began to berate herself for not having told Chloe sooner. After thinking things through, she messaged Chloe to see if she was available the next day. Her residency started soon, so Aubrey had been meaning to do this anyway. Not too long after Aubrey sent her text, her phone rang. Chloe.
"Hey Bree. I'm making cookies, so it was easier to call. I don't have any plans for tomorrow. What's up?"
"I thought maybe you'd like to do a girls' day out. Spa day, my treat."
Chloe squealed. "Yes, yes, yes! I'd love that. I miss you guys."
"Not all of us. Just you and me." Aubrey thought for a moment. "I feel like I've been neglecting you lately and you are about to be extremely busy with your residency. That okay?"
"I will never complain about time just with us Bree. See you tomorrow."
Aubrey would not tell her best friend what all spa treatments they were getting. They simply moved from treatment to treatment. The friends started out with a half hour body scrub followed by a full hour body wrap. Chloe was beginning to get totally relaxed and stress free which is what her friend wanted.
The Swedish massage was an hour and a half. Aubrey had contemplated talking to Chloe during the massage but decided the tension might ruin their experience. She kept the conversation light and non-confrontational. Once their hour facial was over, they finished the day in the sauna allowing the steam to open their pores.
"Ahhhhh," Chloe sighed. "Today has been exactly what I needed. I feel so spoiled, especially after everything I just got for my birthday. Thanks Bree."
The guilt rose within Aubrey as she knew she had to spill the beans before things got any further along. "You know I love you Chlo, right?" Despite having imagined the conversation over and over in her head, Aubrey wasn't quite sure how to bring up that Stacie had moved in with her the weekend Chloe and Beca had gotten their tattoos.
"Of course Bree. You've been my best friend forever." Chloe reached over to grasp her pal's hand as she leaned back against the wooden wall slats.
"You know I'd never knowingly hurt you?"
Chloe slid her mask up off her eyes to find Aubrey looking at her. "What's going on Bree?"
"I have something to tell you." Aubrey knew that her best friend would be understanding and forgive her, but she didn't want to hurt her to begin with. "May I start by saying that I never meant to keep anything from you? This happened when you and Beca were struggling; then it was your birthday; the right time to tell you never seemed to come along."
The redhead tilted her head sideways to look at her friend. "What are you hiding?" She didn't know if she should be nervous, if she was about to get blown out of the water or what.
"You know the weekend you and Beca got your tats?"
Chloe squealed as she showed Aubrey her wrist. "Look, it's pretty much healed. I love it… and Becs grasshopper, too."
Aubrey's smile was week. "Stacie moved in with me."
"What?" Chloe's voice was quiet and meek as she did the calculations in her head. "Why are you just now telling me?"
"Chlo you had enough going on with Beca. And then we didn't want to overshadow your birthday. That was your time, not time for Stacie and I to make a big deal about living together." She couldn't tell what Chloe was thinking – was she upset, angry, or shocked?
"Oh." Chloe stood up and wrapped her towel around herself and made her way to the sauna door without saying anything else. Aubrey watched her exit the steam bath as she tried to process the redhead's reaction.
After some time had passed, Aubrey left as well and went to the lockers where their clothes had been stored. Chloe was almost completely dressed and did not say a word to her best friend. Aubrey stopped Chloe from leaving with a hand on her arm.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you Chloe. I mean it when I tell you why. If it makes you feel better, Beca is angry, too."
Anger flashed in the blue eyes of her best friend. "Beca knows?"
"Hey now, she only found out yesterday. She went by Stacie's work and read her the riot act. Stacie called me, and I asked you here today to talk to you about it."
"So that's all this was? Today? Bribery for not telling me you had your girlfriend move in?" Chloe made a gruff noise as she huffed out her breath. "Today was nice Bree. Thanks. But now I feel used. A day at the spa is not enough to make up for this." With that, Chloe gathered her belongings and left.
Chloe was waiting at Beca's when she came home from work. "Ummm how was your day at the spa?" Beca asked cautiously.
"Fabulous," Chloe responded. "Until I found out it was a kickback to get me to forgive her."
Beca had time to process finding out Stacie and Aubrey were living together and tried to defuse the situation a bit. "Bribery? I don't feel Aubrey was trying to do that; I think she didn't know how to tell you. She knew how stressed you are about your residency starting and wanted to do something to soften the blow." Chloe didn't look as though she completely believed that excuse.
"How about I cook dinner so you can relax and not ruin the relaxation you experienced today?"
"Can we order in? I am feeling a little clingy and want you next to me."
"Of course, Beca chuckled as she retrieved the delivery menus and took a seat next to Chloe so they could decide what to order.
By the time Chloe's residency began, she had all but forgiven her best friend for her lapse in judgement regarding not letting her know about Stacie moving in. Beca was so relieved that Chloe's stress levels were manageable again that she held no ill will towards her best friend either.
The first weekend after Chloe's first full week, Aubrey and Stacie invited them over for dinner to not only celebrate Chloe's new adventure but to also share their new living arrangements. Neither Beca nor Chloe had been to the apartment since their best friends had started living together.
By now, Stacie had already been moved in for almost a month, and the evidence of boxes and clutter was gone. Chloe and Beca were both amazed at their friends having split up kitchen duties to prepare what effectively was a gourmet meal.
"I'm impressed Legs. I never knew you could cook like this."
Stacie admitted to only being the sous chef with the brains of kitchen being her girlfriend. "But I didn't exactly have the best digs for cooking before. I can hold my own though."
All throughout dinner, Chloe shared stories about her first week of residency. The decision to work with children had been perfect, and she absolutely loved the practice she'd chosen for the next year of her life. Her life seemed to definitely be falling into place.
Once all four women had eaten their fill, Beca and Chloe had insisted they clean up while their friends relaxed since they had done all the work preparing the meal. Nothing had been mentioned about the brief time Chloe and even Beca had ignored their friends for not telling them about their move-in.
A few weeks later, Beca got a call from Stacie's work colleague, the other women who pulled a lot of shifts at the Pilates center. Despite being the limber person Beca knew, Stacie had somehow managed to injure herself. Stacie's work buddy didn't want her trying to get home on her own.
Beca was also under strict orders to not let Aubrey know. Stacie was terrified her girlfriend would panic. Beca worried about this but decided her best friend trumped her boss right now. It may not have been the wisest idea, but it was what Beca chose. Stacie had said to not let Aubrey know where she was going but didn't say anything about after Beca got there or after she found out how badly Stacie was hurt.
The project manager cleared half a personal day with Jessica who agreed to not mention her absence to the boss unless Aubrey specifically asked. She then headed to Stacie's work. When she arrived, she headed to the rear office to find her best friend on the floor, curled up on her side. Huge ice packs were strapped to her back with compression bandages.
Beca couldn't resist gently nudging her with her foot. "What's up slick?"
Her best friend groaned as she tried to fight back a chuckle. "You'll never believe." She continued to explain what happened. She'd been retrieving boxes from a high shelf in the store room. "They were heavier than I thought, and well, I didn't keep proper form. I think I pulled some back muscles. I feel so foolish."
After talking a bit longer, the two decided the best place for Stacie would be at her and Aubrey's house. When Stacie tried to stand, Beca realized precisely how much pain her friend was in. The struggle to get the taller brunette home was going to be rough.
Without telling her friend, Beca texted Aubrey and asked her to meet them at home. She didn't provide a lot of details, but the incident with Chloe taught her to not keep secrets among friends. Besides, Aubrey would find out when she got home after work anyhow.
After Beca finally got Stacie to her house and comfortable, she messaged Chloe asking her for suggestions on what to do. By this time, Aubrey had shown up and was fretting over her girlfriend's injury. While Stacie was a little perturbed that Beca had texted Aubrey but soon got over it when every need was instantly handled.
A few weeks later, Chloe called Beca from the Newark train asking if she could come over. The couple had settled into a routine which allowed for the redhead to concentrate on learning the intricacies of pediatric therapy during the week while Beca finished all her work to leave weekends free for her girlfriend. This was not a normal night they spent together, but Beca was never one to say no to Chloe.
Chloe opened the door to Beca's apartment with such force that it slammed against the wall and bounced back, nearly hitting her in the face. "Aaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh." Beca could see that her girlfriend was livid about something and thought it best for her to remain quiet and let her work through telling her on her own. Chloe was muttering as she walked around the apartment. "I can't believe this. I can't believe her. She did this to me again." With this, Beca surmised that her girlfriend was talking about Aubrey. "Did you know?"
Beca shrugged. "Ummm did I know what?"
"Bree! She asked me for help with Stacie; you knew that, right?"
"I know she was going to ask you if you knew anyone who did sports injury therapy and could help Stacie off the books since she doesn't have insurance."
Chloe snorted as she rolled her eyes. "She didn't have insurance."
"No Chloe, Stacie doesn't have insurance. She's an independent contractor for the Pilates company, and insurance is too expensive."
"Well she has insurance now." Chloe crossed her arms and challenged her girlfriend who was clueless at why the redhead was so angry. After some more pacing, Chloe seemed to run out of fire and collapsed on the couch, and Beca immediately sat next to her.
"Talk to me Chlo. What has you so upset?"
"Bree put Stacie on her insurance Becs."
"Ummm she can't Chloe; it's not open enrollment. And domestic partners have to wait for open enrollment."
Chloe looked at Beca like she wasn't listening to what she was saying. "She didn't add her as a domestic partner Beca. They got married. Aubrey and Stacie got married."