I was too excited to not update. The song used in this chapter is Circle Backwards – Mark Provart. I wish I owned this song but sadly I do not, so NO COPYRIGHT INFRIGMENT WAS INTENDED
Moving swiftly on. All about the Angst roller coaster!
Beca Mitchell was never a nervous person. Socially awkward, yes. But never nervous. She had come to accept who she was; the quiet, "couldn't-give-a-shit" alt-girl who nobody really cared to interact with. But those who really knew her – people like Chloe – could see that she wore the badass attitude as a mask. The Beca that Chloe had come to love was kind and considerate. Her passion for music dominated her entire being. Chloe had picked up on her every little quirk. The way she taps an unknown beat on her thighs while studying, the way that, when she's nervous, she plays with her earrings or rubs her fingers over her headphones tattoo, as if she could feel the music radiating from the ink. It was the small things that wove an intricate pattern that was the tiny DJ, so tightly strung that it took someone with patience and willpower to unravel who she really was. Chloe just hoped that she was that person.
As the two girls made their way over campus, Chloe couldn't help but notice the slight limp that Beca had in her right leg. It was subtle, but Chloe could definitely see that walking was uncomfortable for the younger girl. She was about to say so when Beca spoke up.
"My car is parked at my dad's house. Technically it's not even my car, but I have a key and he doesn't care when I take it. Whatever, it may as well be my car-"Chloe cut off her rambling by linking their hands together lightly. The redhead could feel the tension in her fingers.
"Relax. It's just me." the redhead, drawing small circles on the back of Beca's hand with her thumb.
God, Beca thought, if she only knew what she was doing to me.
It took 15 minutes, but they were finally on the road. Chloe couldn't keep the amused smile off of her face as she took in the sight of Beca driving. If there was any doubt that Beca was small, it was completely washed away now. The brunette's dad owned a four-by-four monster of a truck. It was spacious inside - absolutely dwarfing the DJ - and had a lingering "new car" smell. The centre console was decked out with expensive looking in-car entertainment, and there were strip lights along the doors and curves all around the interior, transitioning from blue to purple to green and so on. The soft lighting was doing amazing things to Beca's features, Chloe realised. The deep blue that was no surrounding the car was making the brunettes cheekbones stand out and her jawline sharp. It accentuated the deep blue of her eyes. A burning had begun deep in Chloe's chest, igniting the butterflies that resided in her stomach. To distract herself, the redhead started connecting her phone to the car and choosing a song. Once she found the one, she settled back in the seat. From the corner of her eye, she could see Beca smirking as the opening melody of "Titanium" resonated around the car.
"Is this a good idea Beale? I know how much this song means to you." Beca quipped. Chloe just pushed her shoulder playfully, both girls fully aware that the song was Chloe's guilty pleasure.
"Get your head out of the gutter Mitchell, and focus on…" Chloe glanced around, only now realising that they were surrounded by trees. Despite it being early evening and the sun setting over the horizon when they had left, no light could penetrate the dense foliage that surrounded them. An uneasy feeling started to creep up Chloe's spine until she felt a warm hand on her knee. She glanced over to Beca, who was half smiling at her.
"I'll wake you up when we get there. Go to sleep." The brunette turned back to the road. Chloe agreed on the premise that Beca woke her as soon as they had arrived. As the redheads eyes started to droop, she could faintly hear Beca singing along to titanium, harmonizing perfectly, lulling her to sleep.
The sound of paper being torn woke Chloe from her slumber. She sighed and stretched, feeling her muscles pop in a satisfyingly painful way. She turned to see Beca – her feet sticking out the open window – writing in a navy blue leather notebook.
"Whatcha got there?" Beca jumped at the redheads voice, not realising she had woken up. The brunette quickly shut the notebook and put it in her open backpack, which sat at her feet.
"Nothing. You know you snore right?" Beca smirked, seeing the shocked expression cross Chloe's face.
"I do not!"
"Dude. For serious you do. It's like you were at one with nature are you were calling to it or something." Beca ducked her head away from Chloe's hands.
"Dude okay stop I was joking. But I'm gonna need you to close your eyes now." the sudden serious tone of the DJ startled Chloe for a moment, but she obliged. She had trust in Beca, and if the look in her eyes said anything, it was that all she had was good intentions.
Chloe could hear Beca's door open and close, followed by the passenger side door. Warm, gentle hands found their way into the redheads, tugging her slightly. Once she was safely out the car, one hand was pulled out of her grip. Chloe was about to protest when the same hand made an appearance on the small of her back, guiding her to stand in a specific spot.
"Are you ready?" the brunette's voice all but whispered in her ear. All Chloe could do was nod.
"Okay, open your eyes." Chloe did, but she wasn't prepared for what she saw.
The sky was alive. Billions of stars shined brightly against the dark sky; vibrant colours from distant galaxies and unknown depths. This formed the backdrop of the picturesque sight that they were standing on. A clear river reflected the skies above, twisting and turning through dense clusters of trees. Chloe was speechless, transfixed on the scene before her. She hadn't realised she was crying until she felt Beca's thumbs brush under her eyes.
"Chloe, are you okay?" there was a deep concern in the freshman's eyes that Chloe couldn't help but chuckle at.
"I'm fine. I'm just… Jesus Becs, how did you find this place?"
Beca sighed, running her hands through her hair. Before Chloe could say anything more, the brunette was going back to the car, taking control of the music. She then led Chloe to sit in the bed of the truck, pulling down the tailgate and offering her hand to the ginger. Once they were settled opposite each other, Beca spoke up.
"This is the Chattahoochee River. My parents used to bring me here all the time when I was young. We used to come to this exact spot and go swimming in the river, camp, have picnics. It was perfect." Chloe watched Beca smile fondly out to the river, memories dancing in her eyes. But then her smile faltered, and a look that Chloe could described as utter heartbreak pulled her mouth into a deep frown, her eyebrows furrowed. When Beca turned her eyes to Chloe once more, there was something new. Neither girl knew what it was. Before they could question it, a sob escaped the brunette's lips. It shocked them both, but Chloe was quick to react.
Pulling the smaller girl into her chest, she whispered sweet nothings into her ear. Chloe knew this wasn't the time to question it, opting instead to just hold Beca, being her mask for a while.
Chloe didn't know how long they sat there, but eventually Beca lifted her head up, sniffling slightly.
"Chlo… I" her words were cut off by a new song floating through the air. Beca's eyes widened, knowing that this was somewhat accurate. As the guitar intro finished, Beca harmonised with the voice softly but perfectly;
On the outside, looking in,
On where I used to belong,
Find the shelter to begin,
Begin again…
Chloe's eyes widened at the emotion that was pouring from the younger girl as the song progressed, and she couldn't help feel like Beca was trying to tell her something.
Another storyline at the end,
Or maybe another song,
On the outside, looking in.
And I'm…
Free, to be lonely,
It's not so bad my friends,
Free, to be lonely.
The song continued, but the two girls were staring at each other, the stars reflected in both of their eyes. It was as if the gravity of the moon and the unspoken truth were bringing them closer, leaning in. a soft hand was caressing Chloe's face, and their eyes were closing and holy shit what was happening she's about to kiss Beca Mitchell! They were mere inches apart when Beca half gasped, half screamed, falling away from Chloe.
A/N – R&R? pretty please?