Hey! I've had major writer's block lately so that's why this chapter is out quite late. But I'm happy with this now, hope you enjoy.
Chapter 14
Beca and Chloe had sat down while they were listening to the blonde talk about all the legal information that each of them would need for their court cases, Aubrey said that they should be within the next two weeks so they should try and prepare what they what to say. They had finished everything by around 2 o'clock. All of Beca's meetings and recording sessions had been cancelled for the day and she had decided to send everyone home, with the police turning up taking Tom away to the station, it had caused quite the scene meaning that the inevitable happened. The press had arrived.
Beca's security team had been out there most of the morning trying to hold back the reporters but as the day went on they only seemed to keep coming, you could hear the shouts from Beca's office.
"Okay, so are you two all up to date with everything?" Aubrey questioned packing up her folders and files.
"Yeah," the girls said in unison. Chloe had visibly calmed down and was a lot less shaky which pleased Beca, it seemed to make her nervous when she saw the redhead nervous.
Beca stood up and walked over to Aubrey putting a hand out in front of her, "Thank you, Aubrey, I don't know what I would do without you," she said genuinely. Aubrey shook the girl's hand and said, "No you wouldn't would you Mitchell. I'll schedule another meeting a few days before the case or before if I receive any updates it will be earlier."
"Okay Posen, I'll see you in a few days," she said walking the blonde out. After Aubrey had left an idea sparked in the producer's mind, a smile appeared on her face and she just sat down on the sofa next to the redhead who looked over her face trying to figure out why the brunette was smiling weirdly at her.
"What?" she said curiously.
"How do you feel about an impromptu adventure?" Beca said with a smile.
"An impromptu adventure?" Chloe questioned.
"Yep!"
"Okay…"Chloe said sceptically.
"Right well let's get moving," Beca said jumping to her feet holding her hand out for Chloe, which she happily took, however, she was still curious about what the brunette was planning.
"Wait, what about the reporters?" Chloe asked as the two walked through the now empty halls.
"Beale, you forgot that I own this building. I have my ways," Beca said mysteriously. She led them through a series of small corridors which Chloe had no idea even existed. Chloe was still confused as to where the small brunette was leading her but went along with it anyway.
After about 5 minutes they came to a small metal door, Beca punched in a few numbers on the small keypad on the wall, and the light lit up green signalling it was unlocked. She pulled the redhead through the door and down multiple flights of steps. Both girls were out of breath from going down the stairs, Beca had challenged Chloe to a race down the stairs, being the childish person she was, and it ended up being an almost tie but Chloe had won by just one step.
Unfortunately, Beca had made a deal with the redhead that if she beat her she could have anything she wanted as her prize, this now resulted in Chloe wearing a smug smile on her face, and Beca wearing an annoyed but happy smile. Chloe was laughing and joking as if everything that had happened today had never taken place, and that made Beca smile. She knew the girl would still be shaken up, she had been through something really traumatic and it had been hard on her to tell her story fully for the first time, but Beca just tried to be there for her, make her laugh and see her beautiful smile.
They ended up in a small underground car park, it had a black Audi R8 sitting proudly in one of the few parking spots. Beca just held up the keys and waved them in front of Chloe's face who seemed to be frozen in place.
Chloe had always loved cars, just the intricate way each one was different, the curves across the body of the car and the speed and power of the engines as they raced down the freeway just gave her a thrill and seeing such a beautiful car just sitting in front of her had made her stand frozen in her place.
Chloe was broken out of her gaze as she saw Beca's keys jingling in her face, she snapped her head forward and just saw Beca laughing at her.
"What?" she asked confused as to why the brunette was laughing at her.
"You," she said simply with a smirk, that seemed to make Chloe weak at the knees. There was something so mysterious about this girl that just drew Chloe in, something that made her want to spend as much time as possible as she could with her and want to know who Beca Mitchell was. Not the DJ and producer that everyone knew, but Beca Mitchell.
Beca had already made her way to the car, and Chloe quickly rushed over and joined her sliding into the passenger seat. The leather was firm yet soft to the touch, it was, of course, all black inside, very Beca Chloe thought. It was immaculate not a speck of dirt or dust on the dashboard, or across any of the controls. Beca pulled down a pair of black ray bans and slid them onto her face. It made Beca look more badass than she already did and they seemed to be doing things to Chloe, that even she couldn't explain.
Beca pushed the keys into the ignition and the engine instantly roared to life. She rested her hands on the wheel, put the car into reverse and stepped on the gas. Beca exited the small car park and seemed to come out across the road to the studio. This is why Beca wanted to go this way, Chloe thought, she smiled at how smart the girl was, she knew they'd both want to avoid the media and all the budding press questions so she'd decided to take the back way out.
Beca drove smoothly through the LA traffic, they had the windows down and the wind seemed to catch in both the girls' hair making them both look breathtakingly beautiful, something both girls had noticed and had big smiles on both their faces.
As they continued driving, Beca still not revealing where they were going, she turned on the radio. It just so happened to be one of Chloe's favourite songs, "She looks so perfect," by 5SOS, and by instinct, she started humming along.
Beca heard this and was instantly captivated, d the smallest of things make realise how much she cared for this girl, it was a weird feeling, one she wasn't exactly intact with.
Chloe had begun singing subconsciously to the song making Beca turn her head to look at her.
"You can sing?" She asked surprised.
"Oh..um..yeah," Chloe said a blush forming on her face, she was so used to singing she hadn't even realised she had been doing it, "I was in an acapella group when I was in college," she said smiling at the memory.
"Well from the little I heard you are very good," Beca said, for some reason, she wasn't surprised Chloe had been in a singing group she seemed like the girl who would be in one of those clubs. Beca wanted to hear the redhead sing more so she decided to sing along in hopes Chloe would join her.
She looks so perfect [5SOS]
Beca:
You look so perfect standing there
In my American Apparel underwear
And I know now, that I'm so down
I made a mix-tape straight out of '94
I've got your ripped skinny jeans lying on the floor
And I know now, that I'm so down
Chloe listened with a smile on her face, she knew Beca could sing but Beca could really sing, and the redhead couldn't help but sing along.
Both:
Hey! Hey, hey, hey hey
Hey, hey, hey, hey
You look so perfect standing there
In my American Apparel underwear
And I know now, that I'm so down
Your lipstick stain is a work of art
I got your name tattooed in an arrow heart
And I know now, that I'm so down
Their voices moulded perfectly, in perfect harmony, and both girls noticed it. They were both rocking out in the car as they sang along, everyone knew Beca loved to sing but she was hesitant about putting her own album out, she just wanted to focus on producing and getting the new branch up and running before she made any decisions.
Chloe:
Hey! Hey, hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey
Both:
You look so perfect standing there
In my American Apparel underwear
And I know now, that I'm so down (hey!)
Your lipstick stain is a work of art
I got your name tattooed in an arrow heart
And I know now, that I'm so down
They finished the song with smiles on their faces, they were both laughing by the end of it.
Chloe couldn't have been happier than she was at that moment, despite everything that had happened that day, she was happy. With Beca. She felt safe and happier than she had ever been before with Tom.
But then she saw it. She tapped Beca's arm and smiled sweetly at her.
"Hey Becs," she said in her sweetest voice which made Beca instantly confused, "I think I know what I want as my prize," she said. She pointed to a sign that read 'The Waffle Bowl' Beca just rolled her eyes, smiled and pulled off at the next turning, Chloe smiled triumphantly.
Beca saw there was a drive-thru and pulled up, she asked what the redhead wanted, "Cookie dough, with extra pink sprinkles," she asked making Beca laugh.
"Hi can we have one rocky road and one cookie dough with extra pink sprinkles, please?" she said into the virtual speaker. The women spoke through the machine and told them to drive through. They pulled round to the window where Beca paid and was given the two ice-creams.
"One cookie dough with extra pink sprinkles, my lady," Beca said in a posh accent making Chloe giggle, which Beca swears was the most adorable thing she'd ever seen.
"Thank you," Chloe said taking the tub from Beca, "So are we nearly there?"
"Almost, I'd say about 10 minutes more," Beca replied beginning to drive again getting back onto the freeway. They talked about Beca's past experience with one, particularly bad client.
"So you're telling me she threw the glass of water at you," Chloe said bursting out with laughter.
"Honestly, she was so angry she picked up the nearest thing and threw it at me," Beca said laughing at the memory.
"Oh god," Chloe said struggling to breathe from laughing too much.
Beca had turned off the freeway and was currently driving through a very secluded area, going up what looked like a hill of some sort. After a while, Beca pulled up to an opening by a cliff edge.
"You've not brought me here to kill me, have you?" Chloe joked.
"Far from it, Beale," she shot back with her killer smirk.
Chloe just shook her head with a laugh as Beca got out of the car, and she followed suit. When she stepped out her breath was taken away. They were standing on the side of a cliff, there was a small clearing which was where Beca was standing, she looked beautiful. The sun was beginning to set and the burning orange sun creates a dark shadow behind her. She looked so calm. Chloe just stood by the hood of the car, she was looking at the view, mainly Beca but the view as well.
Beca had always loved this spot. It made her feel calm, she could sit out here all day and never get bored. It allowed her to take herself away from the buzz and hype of LA. It was always very 'on-the-go' at work and she rarely got time to have a proper break and just appreciate the smaller things in life, so being here just made her feel free and relaxed her. Why she brought Chloe here she wasn't exactly sure, but it felt right. She wanted to experience this with her, something she wasn't particularly used to doing.
She turned around and saw the redhead staring at her, she blushed, luckily it was hidden by her shadow. She waved Chloe over, and she stood next to her, they both were quite just looking at the LA city skyline. There was no noise up here, you could only hear the faint drone of cars as they sat in the downtown Los Angeles traffic.
"This is really beautiful, Becs," Chloe said looking over at Beca. "How did you find it?" She asked sitting down. Beca followed and sat down next to her, their legs almost brushing against each other.
"Well I was just driving around one day and ended up taking a wrong turn, I decided to keep driving until I found this place, I've never taken anyone here before," she confessed, suddenly feeling stupid that she decided to take her here.
But Chloe once again surprised her, "Well, I'm glad I could be the first one you shared this place with," Chloe said with a genuine smile. Beca had no idea how someone couldn't love Chloe, she was kind, smart, funny and beautiful, Tom had been wrong to never love her. She was one of a kind and Beca was never going to let her go.
Beca got up and went to the car, she remembered they still had ice-cream in the car, which she prayed hadn't melted. She opened the door and saw in the back that it was still there, the air con must have kept them cold. She grabbed both tubs and walked back over to Chloe. She handed the tub over, Chloe thanked her and they both dug in, Beca had to admit that it was really good ice-cream.
Chloe was really enjoying herself, just relaxing by the cliff looking out at the slow sunset across the city's skyline, eating ice cream and sitting with Beca it was perfect.
"Hey Beca," she said. The brunette turned and faced Chloe, but was met with a face of ice-cream and Chloe's not so guilty face. Beca took a deep breath, wiped her eyes in fake annoyance, Chloe was in tears laughing by this point.
"Beale, you just made the biggest mistake of your life," Beca said in a fake threatening voice, which just made Chloe laugh even more. But, before she knew it a handful of ice-cream was dripping down her face and she was met with Beca holding her sides in laughter, she was just pointing at her in fits.
"Oh..Oh...Oh my god, you're face!" Beca said struggling to breathe, Chloe wiped the ice-cream from her eyes trying to suppress a laugh herself.
"I can't believe you did that!"
"I told you that made you worst mistake of your life,"
"Well be warned I'll get you back, watch yourself, Mitchell,"
"Ohh..I'm so scared," Beca said pretending to hide.
"Oh. Trust me. You will be." Chloe said, ideas already springing to mind.
"Okay...Okay, Beale, I believe you."
They both calmed down a bit, and they cleaned themselves up.
"Hey, you want to hear something?" Beca asked a surge of courage washing over her.
"Sure," Chloe said curiously as to what the producer wanted to show her. Beca walked round to the boot of the car and picked up the acoustic guitar that was sitting in the back.
"You just have that casually in the boot of your car?" Chloe asked with a laugh.
"Hey! I'm a music producer, I'm always prepared for when inspiration strikes,"
"Okay, then Ms Mitchell, what do you want me to hear?"
"This," Beca said simply. She sat down next to Chloe again, she held the guitar and began strumming, looking into Chloe's eyes as she began singing.
Warrior [Demi Lovato]
This is a story that I have never told
I gotta get this off my chest to let it go
I need to take back the light inside you stole
You're a criminal
And you steal like you're a pro
All the pain and the truth
I wear like a battle wound
So ashamed, so confused
I was broken and bruised
Now I'm a warrior
Now I've got thicker skin
I'm a warrior
I'm stronger than I've ever been
And my armor, is made of steel, you can't get in
I'm a warrior
And you can never hurt me again
Chloe sat in silence, Beca was playing flawlessly. The lyrics seemed to relate so much to what she was going through and tears were threatening to fall.
Out of the ashes, I'm burning like a fire
You can save your apologies, you're nothing but a liar
I've got shame, I've got scars
That I will never show
I'm a survivor
In more ways than you know
'Cause all the pain and the truth
I wear like a battle wound
So ashamed, so confused
I'm not broken or bruised
'Cause now I'm a warrior
Now I've got thicker skin
I'm a warrior
I'm stronger than I've ever been
And my armor, is made of steel, you can't get in
I'm a warrior
And you can never hurt me
By this point, Chloe was crying. She couldn't help it, Beca sang with such emotion, it was truly an incredible song, and Chloe found herself closing her eyes and just listening to Beca's pure and angelic voice.
There's a part of me I can't get back
A little girl grew up too fast
All it took was once, I'll never be the same
Now I'm taking back my life today
Nothing left that you can say
'Cause you were never gonna take the blame anyway
Now I'm a warrior
I've got thicker skin
I'm a warrior
I'm stronger than I've ever been
And my armor, is made of steel, you can't get in
I'm a warrior
And you can never hurt me again
No oh yeah yeah
You can never hurt me again
Beca finished the song and saw Chloe crying, she held her close and the redhead rested her head on her shoulder, they just sat there. In each other's company, not saying anything but understanding what each other needed. After a while, Chloe spoke up. "Did you write that?"
"Yeah. Yeah I did," Beca said a blush creeping up on her cheeks.
"It was beautiful," Chloe said simply still not moving her head from the brunette shoulder.
"Thank you, I've never shared that with anyone, but I'm glad you were the first," Beca admitted.
"So am I," Chloe replied softly.
"Hey, do you wanna get back? It's getting quite late," Beca asked. Chloe just nodded in response. They dusted themselves off and got back into Beca's car. The drive back was silent, until a realization hit Beca.
"Hey Chloe, where are you staying tonight?"
"I'm just going to stay in a hotel for a bit," Chloe answered.
Beca just picked up her phone and dialled Jesse's number, she knew he'd still be at work, despite her telling him to go home, she knew he'd still be there.
"Hey, Jess,"
"Hey, Beca, what can I do for you?"
"Can you please find James and ask him for my keys, then get Chloe's stuff out and bring in round to mine, bring the keys, but leave the car there," Beca asked
"Sure Beca, I'll be there in about 30 in that okay?"
"That's great Jess thank you,"
"Okay, see you, bye," Jesse hung up and went to go find James.
"Beca, why is Jesse bringing my clothes back to yours?"
"Because you are staying with me,"
"I can't ask you to do that!" Chloe said.
"Well good, because you're not asking, I'm doing,"
"I can just stay-"
"Nope. You are staying with me and that's final." Beca said.
Chloe knew she wasn't going to get a word in edgeways so she agreed. She was really grateful that Beca had offered up her home for her, she couldn't believe how kind she was being to her.
Soon after they arrived back at Beca's penthouse they rode the lift up until they reached the top floor. Beca took her keys out and opened the door.
"Welcome to your new home," Beca said with a laugh.
Thoughts? Let me know.