Enjoy this one guys, maybe one of my favourite chapters to write!
Chapter 25
It was Valentine's day and Beca and Chloe had flown out to Portland, Maine overnight so they could visit Beca's parents. It had been a last minute decision but Beca was able to secure a private jet so they could get there before sunrise.
Chloe couldn't even begin to imagine what Beca had been through, she had had such an incredible upbringing, both her parents had supported her, her entire life and having her older brother who was one of her best friends growing up. Her heart hurt for her girlfriend who had lost two of the most important people in her life, at only 14, she had no idea what she would have done without her parents in her life. But, she did now understand the sisterly bond between Beca and Stacie and she was beyond grateful that the small brunette had people around her during that time and that she wasn't completely alone.
The plane was just about to touchdown, Chloe looked over and saw Beca's knee bouncing up and down and her eyes were cast away. She had been like this most of the flight, quite. Stuck in her own little word, her headphones trapped over her ears and her laptop resting in her lap. Chloe would be concerned but she knew how hard this must be for Beca. Today of all days. She just knew that she had to be there for her, be whatever Beca needed her to be. No matter what.
The plane finally landed, Beca took her headphones off and stretched her hands high above her head. She was feeling a whirlwind of emotions right now, happy, sad, scared, nervous. It was the main reason that she had been quite closed off during the flight. She needed time to just think, everything that she had felt over the years she'd pushed away. It hurt too much to think about it, to put herself through the pain she had endured all those years ago. So she engulfed herself into her music. All her life music had been her escape, her hideaway. When her parents died it was like the world stood still, or more like the world kept turning but she hadn't moved on. She couldn't cope, her world had shattered that night, she would always remember the phone call that changed her life. The phone call that tore her world apart.
Beca was suddenly jolted from her thoughts, she looked up and saw Chloe looking at her. She looked sad or concerned, maybe sympathy, she couldn't tell. She gave her a small smile, pushed down her emotions and stood up to grab her duffle bag. She took Chloe's hand and gave it a small squeeze letting her know she was alright. She didn't want the redhead to worry too much.
Neither of them spoke to one another until they reached the car, Beca had decided to think about the plans she had for Chloe later on, she didn't want her to think that taking her to a graveyard was all they were going to do so she planned a little something just to say how thankful she was that Chloe had been so supportive and helped her as much as she could throughout the few hours that she'd known.
Beca had planned the date to be simple, nothing to over the top, but at the same time, it was romantic. It would be their first valentine's day together and she wanted it to be special, something Chloe would remember.
She'd phoned Stacie just before they'd left on their flight to see what the girl thought of her plan, she'd readily agreed and wished her luck. Stacie had also given her some wise words and talked to her about a few things regarding Beca's parents' which seemed to ease Beca's mind a little bit about going today. She hadn't been in a while and she wasn't sure how she'd react, and that scared her the most. She didn't want to be as vulnerable as she had last night in front of Chloe, she wanted to be strong, hold it together, for her own sake.
Stacie seemed to be the only one who could talk to Beca about her parents without her getting angry or mad, it was a major trigger topic for the girl so she did try and avoid it, but sometimes she would check up on the smaller brunette and make sure she was doing okay, especially when it came closer to valentines. That day was always the worst for her, for everyone really but Beca would just shut herself, it was almost like clockwork. A week before the 14th the drinking and late nights would begin, her moods would change significantly and she would refuse to talk, only when absolutely necessary would she communicate with anyone.
So when Beca had told Stacie that she'd told Chloe about her parents she had been a little shocked because Beca didn't tell anyone. Period. It was one of the many parts of her life that she kept locked away. She hadn't told any of her ex-girlfriends about them, sure they'd asked when they would meet her parents but the relationship always seemed to fizzle out by the point.
Stacie had had a feeling that Beca may have told Chloe, she'd seen them together and she knew that there was something there. Something Beca had never had in any of her past relationships, love. They both cared for each other on an entirely new level, anyone could see the love between the two of them, their eyes would light up when the other entered the room, it was undeniably adorable and Stacie was happy that Beca had finally found someone whom she trusted enough to tell her story to.
The two girls were finally in the car and were on their way to the hotel, where they would unpack and then go and visit Beca's family. Beca had gone back to bouncing her knee, whilst looking out the window. It was still early morning so there was barely any traffic out. Chloe reached over and rested her hand on top of Beca's knee causing it to stop bouncing. She then laced her fingers with Beca's and rested them in the girl's lap.
"I love you," Beca said looking at their hands and then at Chloe.
"I love you too," Chloe replied leaning to give Beca chaste kiss on the lips.
Beca smiled lovingly at Chloe before resting her head on to the redhead's shoulder, breathing a sigh as she felt instantly more relaxed.
They stayed like that for the rest of the drive, hand in hand, Beca's head against Chloe's shoulder. When they finally pulled up to their hotel it was just turning 8 o'clock and the sun had risen. They stepped out into the crisp cool air, it wasn't too cold but enough to wake them up a bit. They grabbed their bags from the boot and walked into the hotel, the driver/bodyguard following them closely.
They both checked in without a problem, they had booked a suite for the both of them and Beca had paid for another big room for the driver. Their flight was quite early the next morning so she offered him somewhere to stay overnight so they would all be in one place when they needed to leave. Beca and Chloe quickly unpacked their bags, hanging up their outfits for later tonight. Beca had told Chloe to just bring something casual for what they'd be doing later but hadn't told her what she'd planned.
"You ready Chlo?" Beca called from their room, Chloe had been in the bathroom for the past 10 minutes and Beca had no idea what was taking her girlfriend so long.
"Coming," Chloe called back, Beca sighed loudly, they were only staying for one night, what could she be unpacking. She had been in and out within 2 minutes.
Finally, Chloe came out of the bathroom, and they set off. The graveyard wasn't that far away probably 15 minutes. Chloe looked over at Beca, but she was distant, looking out the window or nervously tapping her knuckle against her knee something Chloe had grown to learn as a tell that Beca was extremely nervous about something or that she was stressed out, and she had a feeling that it might be both. So she lay a comforting hand on Beca's forearm, to which Beca took and held in her own hand, caressing the top of her it with the pad of her thumb.
"Hey, Chlo are you thirsty?" Beca asked turning to her.
"Yeah a bit," Chloe answered. She could die for some coffee, she was pretty sure she could fall asleep at any minute, after the flight to Portland overnight which she hadn't slept on, and a full day's work yesterday she was exhausted.
"Hey, Matthew do you mind pulling over at the nearest Starbucks, please?" Beca asked the driver.
"Of course Miss. Mitchell, we should be nearing one any minute now," he informed them.
"It's Beca, please," Beca said kindly, she hated when people called her Miss Mitchell, it was too professional for her liking, however some people, especially some of the interns or people that don't interact with her on a daily basis called her.
They soon pulled into a Starbucks and Beca quickly hopped out telling Chloe to wait in the car while she ordered.
Chloe decided to scroll through her phone, she had a few texts from her family wishing her the best and to phone them soon.
The car door opened again and Beca slid in with a tray of steaming hot coffees.
"One caramel Latte with two espresso shots, you looked like you needed it," Beca said with a wink to Chloe handing her the cup.
"Cappuccino," Beca said handing one over to Matthew.
"Thank you Beca, there was no need," Matthew said with a smile.
"And an Americano for me," Beca said to herself, she wrapped her fingers around the coffee and allowed it to warm her hands up, before taking a sip and feeling her body relax. The same feeling was reciprocated across all three people.
5 minutes later Matthew pulled up to the entrance of the graveyard, he wanted to give the brunette space so she could do this herself without anyone watching over her like a hawk.
"Whenever you want to leave, just let me know," He said to Beca with a comforting smile, he didn't know exactly what she was here for but what she did know was that it must have been awfully hard for her to deal with.
"Ready?" Chloe asked, taking Beca's hand.
"Ready," Beca said, opening the door and leading the two of them towards where he parents lay.
It didn't take too long to find them but when they did, Beca's hand instantly grabbed tighter onto Chloe's.
"Emma Mitchell, a loving Mother and Wife,"
"Noah Mitchell, Father and Husband."
Beca could feel tears welling in her eyes but she pushed them back, she didn't want to cry. Not now. So she did what she used to do as a kid, in the first few months without her parents. She sat down and began talking to them as if they were just having a conversation over the phone.
"Hey Mum, hey Dad. I wanted to bring someone special with me today, to visit. Mum, Dad, this is Chloe," Beca looked hopefully up at the redhead who sat down next to Beca and talked alongside her.
"It's nice to meet you, Mrs and Mr Mitchell," Chloe said, Beca smiled.
"Chloe is my girlfriend, and one of the only people who I have trusted enough to come to meet you guys. She's really special to me, she's been amazing and she's helped me so much."
"I think it's the other way round. You've been there for me through so much, with the whole Tom thing, and helping me in court, you've been incredible Becs. Honestly, I don't know what I would've done without you," Chloe said, tears coming to her eyes.
"I love you so much Chlo," Beca said reaching for the redhead's hand.
"I love you too Becs. And so do they," Chloe said gesturing towards where Beca's parents were. "They'd be so proud of you. Of what you've achieved."
"You think?" Beca said tears now freely streaming down her face.
"I know so Becs," Chloe said honestly kissing the knuckles of Beca's hand.
The two continued talking to Beca's parents for another hour or so, they talked about everything. Christmas, Chloe's family, Stacie, Beca's Aunt and Uncle, BM Atlantic and the story of how they met as well. It made Beca feel a lot lighter when she'd said goodbye, promising to come back soon and not wait as long as before. It made her realise that she had people who truly cared about her in her life and how lucky she was to have them. She just wished her parents' were here to witness what she was doing. See how happy she was with Chloe, the success of her company and the passion she still had for music. But she knew they were watching, from where ever they were, she knew they were there.
The two were back in the car heading back to the hotel for a few hours, where Chloe had forgotten that they had a meeting scheduled. She had apologised profusely for it, but Beca just waved her off and told her that she could easily video chat with them and get it over and done with, then it wouldn't put them behind schedule and it would all be sorted.
Beca hadn't planned to leave until around 3 o'clock, so she set up a small lunch for the two of them to have in the fancy restaurant next door and then go on Beca's surprise outing.
As soon as they reached the hotel Beca flopped down face first onto the bed and didn't move, she just lay there, content. It didn't last long though as Chloe nudged her with her foot and told her to go and get ready for the meeting so she wouldn't be rushing around 5 minutes before.
"But I'm comfy," Beca complained.
"Tough, get up," Chloe said giving Beca another nudge.
"No," Beca whined. Chloe hated when Beca got like this, however it was normally quite amusing for her when she would finally give in.
"You are going to be late," Chloe warned in a singsong voice,
"It's my company, I can do what I want," Beca said back with a smirk.
"Touché," Chloe replied.
All of a sudden a loud ringing sound echoed throughout the room and Chloe had never seen Beca move so quick. She rushed to the laptop and jumped into the chair nearly falling off it, she quickly brushed through her hair which had been messed up from where she'd been laying on the bed.
Chloe was sat on the bed still a smug look in her face.
"Not a word Beale."
Chloe pretended to zip her lips, a laugh threatening to spill out,
"Miss Mitchell, so good to see you again," A man's voice said.
"Nice to see you to Clark, how's my building coming along?" Clark was the main supervisor on the new branch out in New York, he was currently in Los Angeles meeting with a few new contractors and had wanted a meeting with Beca but she had gone so they'd said they'd do it anyway.
"Nearly finished, I'd say that it will be done within the next two months. It's looking amazing, exactly how we planned it. From what I can see the rooms look great. Fully functional and are top-quality, my guess is that BM Atlantic is going to be one of the biggest record labels in the business," He said kindly. Beca had always liked the man, he'd done a few smaller jobs for her around the LA branch, extensions, refurbishments and such. So she knew that when she had the idea to branch the company out, he was the man for the job.
"Great! I'll make sure to come down and visit soon, double check everything is in order before the grand opening." Beca was planning on heading down to New York soon to get some work done with a few newer artists and had thought instead of going twice she could just go and do it all in one go.
They continued their conversation for about another hour discussing more about the opening, the building and any other minor problems that Clark wanted to run by Beca. It was now close to 1.30 by the time Beca had finished their meeting, she needed the call with a press of a button and slouched back into her chair.
"That went on forever!" Beca complained, looking round to Chloe who was still on the bed. This time, however, she had a book in her hand and hadn't fully registered what she had said as she only replied with,
"That's nice, Becs," her eyes never leaving the page.
"You're not even listening," Beca said walking over to the bed.
"Yeah I am, long meeting," Chloe said.
Beca sat close to Chloe so their arms were almost touching, "What are you reading?"
"The Great Gatsby," Chloe replied.
"Hmm, well we need to leave in 30 minutes and knowing you, you will take forever to change so…" Beca plucked the book from Chloe's hands and held it behind her back.
"Can I finish please?" Chloe asked, trying to reach for the book.
"Nope. Change, now, otherwise we will be late," Beca said.
"Fine. I'm going." Chloe said getting up and walking into the bathroom.
Beca smiled to herself thinking just how lucky she was that Chloe was her girlfriend. She meant every word that she said back when they were with her parents, she didn't deserve someone as amazing as Chloe who accepted her for her and had never asked her to change but to just be herself. Who supported her dreams and was always there for her whenever she needed her. She had no idea what she'd done in her life to have Chloe Beale walk into her life.
It had been 15 minutes and Chloe still hadn't come out, Beca had managed to change into a Nirvana shirt and her leather jacket paired with some all black skater vans. She'd done some light make-up, tidied up and completed 5 levels of Candy Crush, and Chloe still hadn't come out.
"Chlo, come on. What's taking you so long?" She called standing next to the bathroom door.
"I can't find anything to wear!" Was the stressed answer that Beca got. She groaned...she knew this was going to happen.
"You will look great in anything, I told you it's just really casual."
"That's not the point Beca!" Chloe answered.
Beca leant her forehead up against the door, at this rate it would be dark before they left.
"If you don't come out within 30 seconds I'm coming in!" Beca warned. There was no answer.
Beca watched the clock after 30 seconds was up she walked into the bathroom and stopped in her tracks. Chloe was dressed in a pair of blue skinny jeans, brown boots a plain white t-shirt and a burgundy bomber jacket. Her hair was straightened and light makeup had been applied which let her natural beauty shine through, especially her blue eyes.
"Wow." Was all Beca said.
"Do I look alright?" Chloe asked nervously, "I didn't want to go overboard or anything."
"You look beautiful," Beca said, giving her a kiss.
"Now, we are going to be late, so let's go," Beca said grabbing Chloe's hand and walking out of the hotel.
Luckily none of the paparazzi had heard of their trip and they were left alone, not a photographer or reporter in sight, something that was a rarity in their lives now. People seemed to be doing infatuated with their relationship, giving them ship names and commenting on all their pictures about how cute they were. Pictures were splayed across gossip magazines. They had never officially announced their relationship to the public but had just been themselves and let everyone else think what they wanted.
They hopped into the car and Matthew began driving.
"So where are we going exactly?" Chloe asked.
"It's a surprise," Beca said teasingly knowing how bad her girlfriend wanted to know.
Chloe huffed and tried to pout which normally got Beca to agree to whatever she wanted when she did that, but Neca had mentally prepared herself and didn't give in.
"Nope, you'll just have to wait."
The drive was about 40 minutes away, it was a place that was close to where she would go when she was younger, her safe place.
They were about 5 minutes away and they headed into a more secluded area.
"This looks safe," Chloe said sarcastically, as they drove over a rather large bump causing them to jump up in the air.
"Nearly there," Beca promise, she was feeling nostalgic coming back here, a place she hadn't visited in a good few years.
She looked out the window recognising the sights from when she was a young girl, a place she went quite frequently with her parents.
When they finally arrived, she heard Chloe quietly gasp.
"Wow," Chloe said amazed at the sight in front of her.
They were on top of a hill, much like the one Beca had taken her to back in LA except 100x more beautiful. There was a lone tree a few metres away from the edge and it had the perfect view of the city below them. The sun was beginning to set and it caused the clouds to a mirage of pinks, oranges and blues, it was stunning. The simplicity of it, making the moment that little bit more special, and the fact that the brunette had decided to share this place with her made her feel a bit emotional.
She was so happy that the producer has opened up to her on this trip, it may not have been in exact words but taking her to the graveyard to see her parents and taking her here, Chloe knew it all had a meaning.
"Come on, let's go," Beca said, opening the door.
When Chloe stepped out she was able to truly appreciate the area around her, it was breathtaking. But it was when she looked over again at the tree that her hands flew to her mouth in shock. A picnic had been laid out and in the tree branches fairy lights hung, it was like something out of a fairytale. Beca stood a little bit behind Chloe, watching her reaction. She had made sure everything was set up before they arrived, meaning she had to call in a favour from one of her friends who was luckily in the area, they'd done an amazing job.
Chloe turned around and Beca could see her eyes were a little watery.
"You did this?"
"Yeah," she replied sheepishly scratching the back of her neck.
"It's beautiful," Chloe said walking up to Beca and giving her a passionate kiss. Beca wrapped her arms around Chloe's waist while hers rest over the shorter girls shoulders. Beca moaned into the kiss as Chloe's tongue swept over her bottom lip requesting entrance which she readily allowed. Tongues fought for dominance but this time Beca won rather than Chloe who always seemed to. But they were broken apart by Matthew driving away, Beca's phone buzzed.
Matthew: Thought you'd want to be alone ;)
Beca smiled down at the text and showed Chloe who laughed. Beca took Chloe's hand and led her under the tree where a few of Chloe's favourite foods were, she'd had some restaurants cook them up for her considering her cooking level still wasn't up to par, yet. She was working on it.
They sat down and enjoyed eating the food that was set out and Beca had even gone and bought some chocolate covered strawberries which were a big favourite of Chloe's but it was what was happening next that she was most nervous about. She stood up which confused Chloe, steeping round the back of the tree and returning with a guitar, she'd had it put there as a special surprise for Chloe. She'd had this planned out for a while, and was thinking of singing it to her today anyway but she thought it would be the perfect opportunity to play it here.
"What you doing Becs?" Chloe asked.
"Just a little something I've been working on," Beca said. She sat down in front of Chloe, rested the guitar in her lap and began to sing, making sure to look at Chloe as she sang.
James TW - Please keep loving me
I know I have my moments
And at times I'm hard to be around
I get impatient when you're getting dressed
It's just I thought the first one looked the best
Beca smirked at this line remembering laughing when she wrote it down, it was very true. Chloe seemed to go through her entire wardrobe before deciding on an outfit which normally ended up being the first one anyway. Chloe just shook her head with a laugh, knowing it was true.
You're beautiful
More than I deserve
So listen close
To these one, two, three, four words
So please keep loving me
Because our hearts speak fluently
Wherever I go, whatever I do
The map on my heart leads to you
So baby, please keep loving me
Loving me, loving me, yeah
Beca could see the tears already welling in Chloe's eyes, and smiled, it made her happy knowing that her girlfriend seemed to like the song.
Your lips on my smile
Are like bees 'round a honeycomb
You see through my heart's misty window
And out of all the fingerprints, only yours will show
Chloe was speechless, no-one had ever written her a song like this. It was beautiful and she could clearly see how much this meant to Beca and the emotion that had gone into this song.
You're beautiful
Before the make-up's on
And out of all the girls
You're the one I want
So please keep loving me
Because our hearts speak fluently
Wherever I go, whatever I do
The map on my heart leads to you
So baby, please keep loving me
Loving me, loving me, yeah
For all the mistakes
I'm making, I don't mean
(I don't mean them, I don't mean them)
For all the little things
That I fail to see
My heart is on my sleeve
Please keep loving me
Because our hearts speak fluently
Wherever I go, whatever I do
The map on my heart leads to you
So baby, please keep loving me
Loving, loving me
Oh, ooh
Please keep loving me
"That was beautiful Beca,"
"You're beautiful," Beca replied, not missing a beat.
"Cheesy, Mitchell," Chloe said moving in closer to Beca.
"You love it," Beca said with a smirk, moving the guitar out of the way so Chloe could straddle her waist.
"I love you," was all Chloe said, giving Beca a passionate kiss.
Let me know what you guys thought! Until next time!