Magnolias and Speyburn

by lespetitesmorts

Beca and Chloe have been best friends since childhood. Almost twenty years later, Chloe's getting married and Beca's having a hard time dealing with it. Angst warning, but it's also cute. Updates are small, but frequent. They occur during natural breaks in the story instead of via word counts. Recommended listening: "Marry Me" by Thomas Rhett. Also, "Happier" by Ed Sheeran.

2. Chapter 2

It's hard to breathe. That's the first thought to cross Beca's mind when she pulls out the embossed card. They've gotten worse at keeping in touch as days go by, but still, whenever Beca's asked in an interview or by a friend about whom her best friend is, Beca still states "Chloe" without pause or stutter.

They talk maybe twice a week now.

When Beca first moved out to L.A., they called everyday, if not twice a day. It was both harder and easier than living with Chloe had been. Harder, of course, because every mundane thing was hard when Chloe wasn't around. But easier, too, because Beca can breathe a little easier without the constant heaviness in her lungs that accompanies the almost unwavering anxiety of keeping a secret from Chloe.

At least, Beca hopes it's still a secret, considering everyone who's heard Beca discuss her best friend seems to know automatically that Beca's in love with Chloe.

Beca hates being transparent.

She plays with the card in her fingers, keys still in the palm of her hand, door still slightly ajar. As soon as Beca saw the fancy calligraphy on the envelope, what felt like a concrete house made its home in her gut. She just... knew. Several years after high school and she still just knew Chloe and could feel her in the air all around her.

It didn't hurt that the envelope smelled like Chloe's preferred perfume: vanilla citrus.

Part of her wanted to rip it up. Rip it up, go into her bedroom, and try to forget that this day had ever come. Another part of her wanted to run. She could feel the energy in her feet already, this buzzing like no matter how fast she ran, she'd never be fast enough. And yet a third part wanted her to just suck it up, accept she'd lost by never giving it a try or telling Chloe how she felt, and do her best to be there for her..

It's what she was supposed to do. If Chloe was still her best friend, and Beca swore up and down to anyone who would listen that she was, then she had to do this.

So she hangs her keys up on the hook by the door, slips out of her shoes, throws her jacket on a chair, and sits down at her desk. Her hesitation is brief, as she reads the card again, before she pulls aside the RSVP card and puts an 'x' through the "Attending" box and a strike through the "Plus One" box.

Her one would already be there.