Chapter 23: Chloe's Birthday

"Wake up, special girl!" Patrick said, sitting on his daughter's bed and gently nudging her. "It's your birthday!" He said with a smile on his face. "You're eighteen!"

The redhead sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes, tucking some stray pieces of hair behind her ear. "I feel the same as I did yesterday," she mumbled in a tired voice, although there was a smile on her face as well.

"Well, since it's your eighteenth birthday, and you're an adult now, I figured you could have the day off from school," Patrick said, tucking back some more stray pieces of her hair. "I talked to Beca's parents and they said that she could skip with you. You two can do whatever you want today, and then you can come back for your birthday dinner," he told her. "How does that sound?"

Chloe perked up immediately when her father said this. "Really? That's awesome! Thanks, Dad," she said, leaning over and giving her father a big hug.

"You're welcome, sweetheart," Patrick replied, hugging her back. "Beca's already here and your mother is making a big birthday breakfast, so get dressed and then head downstairs," he said, kissing her forehead before standing up and leaving her room.

Chloe didn't have to be told twice. The redhead instantly got up and started getting ready for the day. Once she was dressed, she went downstairs and smiled when she saw her mom in the kitchen. "Hey, Mom," Chloe said, a big smile on her face.

"Hey, birthday girl!" Cindy said as she turned around from the stove to give her daughter a hug and kiss on the cheek. "Happy eighteenth birthday, Darling."

"Thanks, Mom," Chloe said, smiling as they pulled back from the hug.

Beca then walked up and gave Chloe a nice birthday hug. "Happy birthday, Beale," she said, a soft smile on her face.

"Thanks, Becs," Chloe said, smiling and hugging the brunette back for a few moments. "So, what are we going to do today?" The redhead asked when they pulled away from the embrace.

"I mean, it is your birthday," Beca said, chuckling. "We can do whatever you want to do."

"As long as it's not drugs," Cindy interjected, making both of the girls laugh.

"Darn, there goes the one idea I had," Beca joked, making both Chloe and her mother laugh. "I'm just kidding. Don't worry, Mrs. Beale. I've never understood the appeal of drugs," Beca stated before she and Chloe sat down to start eating breakfast. "This looks great, by the way. Thanks for having me over for Chloe's birthday breakfast, Mrs. Beale."

Cindy shook her head. "It's always a pleasure to have you over, Beca," the older woman told the brunette in a genuine voice. "You're almost always over here anyways, so it would've been rude to not invite you," she added with a chuckle.

It was true―Beca and Chloe had been spending a lot of time together the last couple of weeks. If they weren't at Chloe's, then they were at Beca's. Chloe would come to watch Beca play basketball no matter where her games were. The state championship game was in a week, and the Hartford Hawks had earned a spot in the title game after cruising through the regional playoff bracket and the state semifinal round. Needless to say, the two girls were always around each other. And somewhat surprisingly, they had managed to keep it friendly the entire time. It was nice, being able to build their friendship without having to worry about getting romantic.

"Well, I'm glad that I was invited nonetheless. I always enjoy coming over here," Beca told Cindy with a smile before taking a bite out of one of her waffles and washing it down with a sip of orange juice.

"It wouldn't be right without you here, Becs," Chloe said, sipping some coffee and then taking a bite of her hash browns.

The two girls ate their breakfast and then got ready to head out. "Make sure that you're back by six. That's when I'll be serving your birthday dinner," Cindy called out to them as they walked out of front door.

Chloe turned around after she walked out the door, smiling and waving at her parents. "Will do! Love you guys!" She said before closing the door behind her.

"So, since it's your birthday, why don't I drive and you tell me where you want to go? We're lucky that we live in a place that has a lot of things to do," Beca said as they walked over to her green Subaru Outback. "What would you like to do first?"

"Hmm," Chloe said, scrunching up her face in a cute way as she thought. "I don't really know what I want to do first, actually. Let's just be spontaneous," she replied. "I do want to go see the Space Needle some time today, though. I still haven't seen it yet for some reason," the redhead added.

"Well then, let's go to the Space Needle," Beca said, unlocking her car and holding the passenger's side door open for Chloe. "It shouldn't be too busy since it's a school day," she mentioned as Chloe got into the passenger's seat. She then went over to the other side and got in the driver's seat before starting the car. "You can pick the music we listen to," she stated, handing her phone to Chloe before pulling the car out of the driveway.

Chloe took the brunette's phone and started scrolling through her music, instantly clicking on her Beatles playlist when she saw it. The redhead hit the shuffle button and then looked over at Beca. "How long is it gonna take to get to the Space Needle?" She asked curiously.

This question made the brunette chuckle. "You sound like Henry and Hailee," she joked, earning a playful nudge from the redhead. "It should only take us about twenty minutes to get there. It takes longer when there's traffic, but I don't think many people will be going to the Space Needle at this time of day."

"I'm glad I have my best friend with me today, thanks for skipping school for my birthday," Chloe said, smiling at Beca as they got onto the freeway.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm always happy to skip school. It's just a coincidence that I wanted to skip school and today was your birthday," Beca replied, chuckling some more. "Just kidding, Red. Thanks for letting me skip school with you for your birthday."

Just like Beca had predicted, they made to the Space Needle in about twenty minutes. There wasn't a huge line either, so they got their tickets relatively quickly and were now waiting in line for the elevator that would take them to the top. While Chloe was excited, she was also a little bit nervous. The girl had a fear of heights, but she had been wanting to conquer said fear for awhile now because she'd heard amazing things about the view from the top of the Space Needle. The redhead bit her lip as she watched people get in the elevator, which slowly rose to the top. She also started tapping her foot on the ground, which didn't go unnoticed by Beca.

"It's gonna be okay, Chlo," Beca said, taking one of the redhead's hands and squeezing it gently to reassure her. "We're not gonna fall from the top or anything. They wouldn't let people go up there if it wasn't safe." She noticed that her words didn't seem to help the other girl, so she spoke again. "Trust me on this one, Chlo. It's gonna be okay. If you get scared while we're up there, just squeeze my hand, okay?"

Chloe looked at their hands and then up into Beca's eyes, nodding to acknowledge her friend. "I will. Thank you," she said softly, squeezing Beca's hand. "Just, don't let go of my hand, okay?"

"Don't worry, Chlo. I won't," Beca said, squeezing the redhead's hand again and then intertwining their fingers.

The redhead took a deep breath and smiled before the two of them got into the elevator. As they started to go up, Chloe's grip on Beca's hand tightened slightly. However, having Beca there did make her significantly calmer than she would have been had she been with anyone else.

A couple minutes later, the elevator had reached the top floor. The doors opened and everyone inside walked out onto the observation deck. Beca and Chloe were some of the last people to get out of the elevator, as the brunette had to give the redhead some more words of reassurance before she agreed to go out onto the observation deck.

Chloe looked around at the view around her once they got to the windows. "You know, this isn't too bad," she said, a smile slowly spreading across her face. "The view is beautiful."

"Isn't it? I've been up here a couple times before, but this view always manages to take my breath away," Beca said with a smile as she leaned against the railing.

The redhead walked up beside Beca and looked out at the skyline. "This really is an amazing city," she said, gazing at the many tall buildings. "I'm really glad that my family moved here."

"Me too. If you guys hadn't moved here, I wouldn't have met you," Beca said, watching as Chloe looked out in awe at the city.

Chloe took Beca's hand again and squeezed it, but this time it wasn't because she was squeezed Beca's hand because she hadn't felt so close to someone before, and she wanted to let Beca know that. Even if they were just friends right now, Chloe couldn't be more thankful to have Beca in her life.

Beca looked over at Chloe and smiled, squeezing her hand back as well. Then, she took her phone out of her pocket. "I'm gonna take some pictures of the view before we go back down."

"Good idea," Chloe said. "I brought my polaroid camera so we could make some eternal memories," she added, opening her purse and pulling out a light blue polaroid camera. As soon as Beca finished taking some pictures with her phone, Chloe asked a friendly stranger to take their photo. Beca put her arm around Chloe's waist and they both smiled widely for the picture. After their picture was taken, Chloe got her camera back and the two girls waited for the picture to print. "How do you think the picture will turn out?" The brunette asked.

"I think it'll be awesome," Chloe said as she flapped the picture back and forth to help the picture print. "I mean, it's a photo of two hotties at the top of the Space Needle. How could it not look good?" She asked, making Beca shrug her shoulders and chuckle a little.

"You do have a point," Beca stated as she turned to look at the view again. "Tell me when it's done so I can see." As soon as she said that, Chloe handed the picture to her so she could look at it. "Well, you were right. It's an awesome picture. It's of two hotties at the top of the Space Needle, after all."

Chloe giggle for a moment before she put the picture in a photo case before putting the camera back in her bag. "Alright, what do you think we should do next? You're the Seattle native. What's the most fun thing to do here?"

"Well, we could go to a museum if you wanted. There's lots of museums in Seattle. We could also go for a walk on the pier," Beca suggested. "I also can't forget to mention the paint balloon park down by Lake Union. We could also go pedal-boating on the lake if you wanted."

"Let's go throw paint balloons at each other at the paint balloon park and then go pedal-boating on the lake," Chloe said, smiling as they walked back towards the elevator.

"Alright, sounds good," Beca said, smiling back at Chloe. They went down the elevator and then Beca drove them to the paint balloon park. "I've actually never been here before; I've only heard of it. I imagine that paint balloons probably hurt less than paintballs, though."

"That's my guess too. It looks like a lot of fun," Chloe said as they got out of the car. They paid for about twenty-five minutes in the small arena they had set up. The two girls then put on their paint suits and grabbed their goggles. Chloe put her hair up in a bun and so did Beca. They then went in the arena and, after a countdown, they began throwing paint balloons at each other.

Beca grabbed a paint balloon and threw it at Chloe's head, narrowly missing her. The brunette then ducked behind a wall as Chloe threw a paint balloon at her. She laughed as she watched the paint balloon fly through the air and explode when it hit the ground. "Nice aim, Beale!" Beca called out, hit in the chest by the next balloon that Chloe threw, which was a blue one.

"Bring it on, Mitchell!" Chloe said with a smirk before diving behind a fire hydrant to avoid the next balloon that Beca threw at her.

Beca slowly crept to the other side of the wall, making sure she moved quietly so Chloe didn't hear her. The brunette saw the redhead crouching behind the fire hydrant and quickly threw another balloon at her, splattering her shoulder with neon green paint. "Gotcha!" She yelled triumphantly before ducking back behind the wall.

Chloe felt some paint from the balloon splatter on her cheek, so she wiped it off. The redhead then grabbed another balloon and climbed onto a ledge that was out of Beca's sight, waiting for the brunette to move again so she could get a good shot at her.

Beca knew that Chloe was waiting for her next move, so she stayed put behind the wall and listened to see if the redhead was moving. All she heard was silence, however, so the brunette figured that the other girl was doing the same thing she was. Five minutes went by and nothing had happened, so Beca decided to briefly peek around the wall.

That's when Chloe threw a yellow balloon Beca's way. It ended up hitting the wall instead of Beca, but some yellow paint did get on her face and neck. "Really?" Beca said, chuckling and wiping the paint of her goggles.

Chloe shrugged her shoulders, a smirk spreading across her face. "What? Was I not supposed to throw a balloon at you?" She asked innocently. Beca playfully flipped her off before they continued to throw balloons at each other, each of them getting splattered all over by paint.

Afterwards, they went to wash themselves off and change back into their clothes. Beca got done first and waited outside for Chloe, smiling at the polaroid picture they had taken after their paint balloon fight. "Whatcha looking at?" Chloe asked as she walked up to Beca after she showered and changed back into her clothes.

Beca turned and smiled at the redhead before showing her the picture they had taken. "The photo turned out great," she said, giving the picture to Chloe so she could look at it.

Chloe took the picture from Beca and smiled. "Yeah, it did," she said, opening her purse and putting the picture with the others that they had taken that day. The redhead then looked back to Beca. "The next item on the agenda is pedal-boating on the lake, right?"

"Yup. We can just walk over there since the pedal-boating place isn't too far away from here. It's a five minute walk at most," Beca informed her. The two girls then began walking towards the pedal-boating shack. "Are having fun on your birthday so far?"

Chloe smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I am," she replied. "What about you? Are you having fun on my birthday so far?" She asked, giggling a little.

"There's no place I'd rather be," Beca said, smiling at Chloe's adorable giggle. When they made it to the pedal-boating shack, Beca paid for their boat and got a life jacket for each of them. "This is part of my present to you," she told the other girl. "Plus, it's your birthday, so you shouldn't have to pay for everything."

Chloe blushed at Beca's words. "Thanks, Becs. I appreciate it," she said softly. The redhead spoke again as they walked over to their boat. "So, there's another part of your present to me?"

"Yup," Beca said. They then put on their life jackets and climbed into the boat, slowly pedaling out onto the lake. "But it's a surprise, so you'll have to wait."

"Fine, if you say so," Chloe said, smiling as the boat slowly began to move. "Will I get any hints, at least?"

"It's something that you told me you wanted to get at some point before going to New York," Beca said, smiling.

Chloe scratched the back of her head as she tried to figure out what the present was. She kept thinking, but didn't come up with anything. "I'm stumped," she said, the boat moving forward each time they pedaled. They were almost to the middle of the lake when Chloe suddenly figured out what the second part of the present was. "No way! Are you serious?"

"Serious about what?" Beca asked, chuckling at Chloe's sudden realization. "I haven't even said what the present is yet."

"You can't get me a tattoo, Becs. They're really expensive, and you've already done so much for me today," Chloe said.

"Your parents said it was okay, and I just got my paycheck for this month. I've already made us an appointment. There's no going back on this, Beale," Beca said with a smile. "Don't worry, I can afford it: I worked extra last month so we could do this. You're getting one, and I'm getting one too."

Chloe was still hesitant, however. "I don't know, Becs. Are you sure my parents are okay with it?"

"Your mom said earlier that we could do whatever you wanted to as long as it wasn't drugs," Beca pointed out, chuckling. "But I actually did talk to your parents about it and they said it was okay, so don't worry about it."

"Thanks, Beca. This really means a lot to me," Chloe said, smiling at the girl next to her in the boat.

"We'll have to go in about an hour to make our appointment on time," Beca told her as they continued to pedal the boat around the beautiful lake. "The appointment is at noon, so we'll get some lunch afterwards."

"Where are we going to go for lunch?" Chloe asked. "And don't say Taco Bell. It's my birthday, so I get to pick where we go," the redhead added with a chuckle.

"But there's a Taco Bell right by the tattoo parlor," Beca whined, making a pouty face as well. She then sighed sarcastically. "Fine, I guess we can go where you want, but I'm only agreeing to this because it's your birthday."

"Why don't we go to Cal's Zone? I'm kinda in the mood for some pizza," Chloe said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Cal's Zone sounds good. Not as good as Taco Bell, but it'll do," Beca said with a chuckle, making Chloe chuckle as well.

"I'm really excited to get my tattoo," Chloe said as she pedaled on her side. "I don't know what I'm gonna get, though," she added.

"I've always wanted to get a bug tattoo, and I think that grasshoppers are pretty cool, so that's probably what I'll end up getting," Beca said. "Maybe you could get a bug tattoo too."

"Yeah, maybe," Chloe said, thinking for a few moments. "I've always thought that ladybugs are cute. Maybe that's what I'll get."

"I think that'll suit you," Beca said, smiling. "You're beautiful and graceful like a ladybug, and you love to climb all over people when you cuddle with them," she explained, getting a playful slap on the arm from Chloe.

"You're not like a grasshopper at all. Grasshoppers are pretty big bugs and they can jump really high, but you're small and can't jump very high," Chloe teased with a smirk on her face.

"Who said that my tattoo had to mean anything? This isn't my first tattoo," Beca said, chuckling. "It just so happens that I really like grasshoppers. I just figured since it's your first tattoo, you'd want to get something that has meaning."

Chloe shrugged her shoulders. "I don't think mine is gonna have a specific meaning. It will remind me of you, though, because we'll both have bug tattoos."

"It'll be our little sacred bond," Beca said. "Something that'll connect us even when we head our separate ways," she added as they started to pedal towards the dock.

Chloe nodded and smiled. "Where should we get our tattoos? I was thinking it would be kinda cute if we got them in the same place," she said, blushing a little.

"I'll let you choose since it's your birthday, but just so you know, they're usually less painful on the forearm," Beca said as they got back to the dock. They tied the pedal-boat to the dock and then walked to Beca's car. They drove to the tattoo parlor where Beca always went to get her tattoos and then sat in the parking lot for a little while. "You ready?" Beca asked.

Chloe took a deep breath and then nodded. "Yeah, I'm ready. I'm as ready as I'll ever be," she replied.

"I'll get mine done first so you can watch and see how it's done," Beca said, taking her hand and giving it a soft squeeze before they got out of the car and headed inside. Beca held the door for Chloe and then closed it behind her once she walked inside. The brunette smiled when she saw Tony, the guy who had given her all of her previous tattoos. "Hey Tony!" She called out, waving at him.

"Beca, welcome back!" Tony said. "You're right on time for your appointment. Is this your friend Chloe?" He asked, smiling as he walked up to the brunette and gave her a hug.

"Yeah, this is Chloe. Chloe, this is Tony. He's done all of my other tattoos. I pretty much trust him with my life now," Beca said with a chuckle. "So I figured he'd be the perfect person to give you your first tattoo."

"It's nice to meet you, Tony," Chloe said, smiling and shaking his hand before taking a brief look around the parlor. "I am a bit nervous, but I'm mostly excited."

"Well, that's good. I'm glad you're excited," Tony replied. "Getting a tattoo does hurt, but the amount of pain depends on where the tattoo is and how big it is. Do you know what you're going to get today?"

"I want to get a small ladybug on my arm," Chloe said, pointing to her the spot where she wanted it. "Beca said she would go first so I could see how it's done," she added.

"Then we'll get started right away. You know the drill, Beca," Tony said, leading the brunette over to a chair. "Do you know what you're going to get today?"

Beca nodded her head. "I'm gonna get a grasshopper on my arm in the same spot that Chloe's getting her tattoo," she answered.

Tony then took out a piece of paper and started sketching a grasshopper so he could get an idea of what Beca wanted. After he was done, he showed it to the two girls. "How does that look?" He asked.

Beca looked at the sketch and then at Chloe. Both girls smiled at each other, and then the brunette turned back to Tony. "That looks great. You must be able to read my mind or something, because you always know exactly what I want."

"Great minds think alike," Tony said with a smile. He took the sketch over to his stencil machine and made a stencil to use as an outline for the tattoo before getting started. Tony finished Beca's tattoo in about forty-five minutes and then moved away for a few moments so the girls could see it.

"Wow," Chloe said, amazed by the immense detail that Tony had put into the tattoo. "That looks really cool."

"Yeah, it does. Thanks, Tony," Beca said, smiling at the tattoo artist. Tony then put some ointment on the tattoo and wrapped it in a bandage. After that was done, it was Chloe's turn.

Chloe took a deep breath and then switched places with Beca, laying down in the chair while Tony did a quick sketch of the ladybug. "Do you want this to be colored?" He asked, showing the sketch of the cute little ladybug to Chloe.

Chloe looked at the sketch and then over at Beca. "What do you think, Becs?" She asked. "Should I get it colored?"

"Oh yeah, for sure," Beca said, smiling. "Ladybugs are colorful, so let's keep it that way for the tattoo."

"Sounds good to me," Chloe said, turning to Tony and nodding at him. "I'll get it colored."

"Alright. Let's do this," Tony said with a smile. Just as he had done with Beca's, the tattoo artist made a stencil of the tattoo and outlined it on the redhead's arm before getting started. The redhead used her free hand to reach over and link it with Beca's, squeezing it tightly. Whenever Chloe was feeling nervous, squeezing Beca's hand helped her relax.

Chloe's tattoo took a bit longer, since it was colored. Once he had finished the tattoo, Tony stepped back so Beca and Chloe could look at it. "What do you think?" He asked.

When the redhead saw the final product, a huge smile appeared on her face. "I love it!" She exclaimed, smiling widely. "It looks so good. Thank you, Tony!" She said ecstatically. "Do you like it, Becs?" She asked, showing her friend her tattoo.

Beca smiled and nodded. "I love it, Chlo. It looks great. I told you that it would suit you," the brunette replied. Tony then put some ointment on the tattoo and bandaged it like he had done with Beca's. After that, the brunette paid for their tattoos. "Thanks again, Tony. I really appreciate it."

"It's always my pleasure, Beca. I'm glad that I was able to be of service to you today," Tony said, smiling back at the brunette. "I know you're going off to LA in a couple months, but you better come back once in awhile. Not having you around here is going to be weird."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure to visit. This is the only place where I'll ever get a tattoo," Beca told him genuinely. "Thanks again, man," she said, giving him another hug.

"Any time. You two have a great rest of your day," Tony called after Beca and Chloe as they walked out of the tattoo parlor.

"So? That wasn't as bad as you thought it would be, right?" Beca asked as she and Chloe walked out to her car.

"It was really fun. I can't wait to show everyone our tattoos at dinner," Chloe said, smiling as they got into the car. "Thanks, Beca. This really has been a great birthday so far. I couldn't have asked for a better day."

"It's no big deal," Beca said, shaking her head. "You only turn eighteen once, and I wanted to make sure that this was a birthday you'd never forget."

"Well, I know that I'll never forget this birthday," Chloe said genuinely. "It's been amazing, and I couldn't think of anyone else to spend it with."

"I'm glad that you're having such a great time. I'm having a great time too," Beca said with a smile. "Now, let's go to Cal's Zone. It's almost two, and I'm starving."

When they got to Cal's Zone, one of the hosts lead them to a table. "Your server will be right with you," he told them before walking back to the host stand. The two girls sat down at the table and made small talk until their server arrived.

"Hi, my name is Ryan and I'll be serving you this afternoon. What would you two ladies like to drink?" The server asked, opening his notebook and taking out a pen.

"I'll have a water with lemon, please," Beca replied politely.

"And I'll also have a water with lemon, please," Chloe said, looking over at Beca and winking at her.

"Alright, I'll make sure to get you those waters right away. Do you guys know what you'd like to eat, or do you need a few minutes to look at the menu?" Ryan asked.

"I think we'll wait a couple minutes," Chloe answered, opening up her menu as she said that.

"Sounds great. I'll be right back with your waters," Ryan said before walking away from their table.

"So, what are you thinking of getting? I'm probably gonna go with the chicken alfredo pizza," Beca said as she flipped through the menu.

"You know, I was actually thinking the same thing," Chloe said, chuckling a little. "Why don't we share a large chicken alfredo pizza and get some salads from the salad bar?" She suggested. "How does that sound?"

"That sounds good to me if it sounds good to you," Beca replied, smiling at the redhead across the table from her. "You know, if you were just gonna order the same thing as me, we could've ordered our food and drinks at the same time," the brunette pointed out with a chuckle.

"Maybe, but I wasn't sure until you said it. I remember how good that was last time we were here, so I thought it would be a good choice for today as well," Chloe said with a giggle.

Beca chuckled again and then shook her head. "You're so damn adorable. I don't know how it's possible, but you just are."

"I honestly don't get why you think I'm so adorable," Chloe said, shrugging her shoulders. "My giggle sounds kinda annoying to me."

"Well, your giggle sounds cute to me," Beca replied. "As for why I think you're adorable, I could go on and on about that for hours."

"Okay, now you're just trying to make me blush," Chloe said, looking away to hide her reddened cheeks. "What are some things that make me so adorable?"

"Okay, hold up. Do you want me to tell you why I think you're adorable or not? First, you say that I'm just trying to make you blush, but now you want to know why I think you're adorable. What's the deal, Beale?" Beca asked.

"Nice rhyming there, Becs," Chloe said, laughing at her friend. "I never said I wasn't curious to learn what you find cute about me; I just said that you made me blush."

"Oh, gotcha," Beca said, chuckling a little. "Well, one of the reasons why I think you're so adorable is that you insist on not being adorable. You're so oblivious to your adorableness that you become even more adorable, if that makes any sense."

"I guess it does," Chloe said smiling at Beca. "I have to say, I've never heard the word 'adorable' be used that many times in a sentence."

"Is that a problem, Red?" Beca asked, raising an eyebrow at Chloe.

"Did I say it was problem?" Chloe asked. When Beca shook her head, Chloe smiled and continued to talk. "You're so weird, Beca Mitchell."

Beca scoffed a laugh at these words. "Me? Weird? You must've mistaken me for a mirror, Chloe Beale, because you're the weird one."

Suddenly, they were interrupted by someone clearing their throat, and the two girls turned to see Ryan standing there with their waters. "I hate to interrupt your banter," He said cheekily. "Here are your waters. Have you guys figured out what you would like to order?"

"Yes, we have. We're going to share a large chicken alfredo pizza and then get a couple salads from the salad bar," Chloe told him, handing their menus to him once he wrote the order down in his notebook.

"Perfect. I'll get that pizza going for you two lovebirds right away," Ryan said in a friendly tone before putting his notebook away. "The salad bar is self-serve, so go ahead and fill your plates when you're ready."

"Thanks," Chloe said before standing up. "Let's go get our salads, Becs." She turned to the brunette and saw that her face was as red as a rose. "What's wrong with you?" She asked with a concerned voice.

"Did you not hear him? He called us lovebirds!" Beca whisper-yelled, her face getting redder and redder as she spoke.

"So? What's wrong with that?" Chloe asked with a chuckle. "It was just an incorrect assumption on his part."

Beca opened her mouth to say something and then closed it. "Let's go get our salads," she grumbled, furrowing her eyebrows as she headed for the salad bar with an amused Chloe following her.

Chloe decided to tease Beca a little and snuck up behind her, linking her hand with the brunette's and bringing it hand up to kiss it. "You good, Becs?" She asked, leaning over and kissing the girl's cheek after kissing her hand.

As hard as she tried, Beca was unable to keep a smile off of her face. She didn't want Chloe to see, though, so she looked in the other direction and pulled her hand away. "I can't take you anywhere, can I?" She said, using the same grumbly voice from before.

"Oh come on. He made a mistake. It's not a big deal," Chloe said, grabbing a salad plate and chuckling at Grumpy Beca. They got their salads and then returned to their table, Beca still wearing a frown on her face.

When Ryan came back a little while later with their pizza, Beca looked away from him and took a sip of her water. "I hope you two enjoy your pizza," Ryan said before walking away.

"Thank you," Chloe said happily, a big smile on her face.

"Yeah, thank you," Beca said, taking another sip of her water. She took a bite of her salad before grabbing a slice of pizza. She then saw Chloe smirking at her with one of her eyebrows raised. "What?" She asked, her mouth full of pizza.

"Oh, nothing," Chloe said, taking a bite of pizza and then washing it down with a sip of water. She was still smirking, however, and Beca wanted to know what she was smirking about.

"Why are you smirking?" The brunette asked, furrowing her eyebrows at the redhead.

"I just don't get why you're getting all flustered by his one comment," Chloe said. "I mean, I know we're not together, but what's so bad about getting mistaken for being a couple? You're hot, I'm hot, and we're constantly teasing each other. I'm surprised more people haven't mistaken us for a couple before."

"Look, I was just surprised by his comment and got embarrassed, that's all. There's nothing more to it than that, okay?" Beca said, taking another bite of pizza.

"I thought that him saying that was pretty cute, but if being in a 'relationship' with me is too embarrassing for you, I'll stop talking," Chloe said, smiling a little too sweetly at Beca before biting into her pizza again.

Beca rolled her eyes at Chloe, but she was smiling as well. "Just focus on eating your food, which I'm paying for," the brunette said, smirking back at the redhead.

After lunch, Chloe somehow convinced Beca to go see a movie with her the theater. She had wanted to see Black Panther ever since it came out, and she couldn't think of a better time to see it. She ended up having to promise Beca that she'd buy her Taco Bell at some point, which was a promise that the redhead was more than happy to make. The two girls paid for their own tickets and sat towards the back of the theater for the movie.

The movie ended around 5:25, so it was time to head back to Chloe's house for the dinner that her mother was making for her. "That movie was awesome," Chloe said, smiling as they pulled out of the parking lot and started driving back to her house.

"It really was. I don't usually enjoy movies, but I have to admit that one was pretty badass," Beca said as she pulled onto the interstate. "So, what does your mom usually make for your birthday dinner?"

Chloe chuckled. "The question should be: what doesn't my mom make for my birthday dinner?" The redhead corrected. "She never tells me what she's making, but there's always a lot of food. One time she made a shit ton of Chinese food. There were dumplings, rangoons, fried rice, egg rolls, spring rolls, sweet and sour chicken, beef and broccoli, and we had sticky rice and mangos for desert."

"Holy shit, that's a lot of food. It sounds delicious, though. I wonder what she has planned this time," Beca said as she drove down the busy Seattle highway.

"I wish I had any guesses. She really does surprise me every year. I have no idea what will be waiting for us when we walk through the front door," Chloe said, smiling and looking out of the window as Beca drove.

"Well, we'll find out in about ten minutes," Beca said as she took their exit. They pulled into Beca's driveway and then walked over to Chloe's house. "Wow. Whatever it is that your mom made, it smells really fucking good."

"Yeah, it does. I wonder what it is," Chloe thought aloud as she and Beca walked up the front steps of her porch and then into her house.

"Welcome home you two!" Cindy and Patrick called from the kitchen.

The two girls walked into the kitchen and their mouths dropped. There before them was a Mexican feast. Chloe's mother had made street tacos, tamales, mini burritos, tortilla chips, rice, beans, and guacamole. It looked amazing.

"So this is why my mouth was watering as soon as I got out of my car," Beca said, continuing to look in awe at all the food on the table. "How did you manage to make all this in such a short amount of time?" She asked, turning to Cindy.

"I started doing the prep a few days ago," Cindy stated, pouring virgin sangrias for Beca and Chloe. "We're having Tres Leches cake for dessert, so you two better eat up," she added said as she and Patrick sat down.

Chloe and Beca sat across from each other at the table and started digging into the food. They all took part in delightful conversation during the meal. After dinner, Patrick and Cindy surprised Chloe and Beca with two tickets to see Tori Kelly, one of their favorite artists. They then had the Tres Leches cake for dessert, and it was safe to say that everyone was stuffed.

After the meal, Beca and Chloe helped with the dishes before going upstairs to the redhead's room. "Your mom and dad are so awesome. It was really nice of them to get us tickets to see Tori Kelly. She and Beyoncé are my celebrity crushes," Beca said.

"She is pretty amazing," Chloe said, smiling and fiddling with her hands a little bit. "Can I ask you something, Beca?"

"Yeah, of course," Beca replied. "What's up?"

"I'm not trying to beat a dead horse or anything," Chloe said before looking down at her hands. "Were you really that embarrassed when that guy mistook us for a couple?" She asked, sounding a little hurt by the whole situation.

"I mean, kinda," Beca said, scratching the back of her neck. She then saw the look on the redhead's face. "What's wrong, Chlo?" She asked with a concerned voice.

"I just-" Chloe started, trying to find the right words to say. "I don't understand why, I guess. Would you be embarrassed to actually be with me?"

"Of course I wouldn't be embarrassed if I was actually with you, Chlo," Beca said, taking one of Chloe's hands and squeezing it softly. "Being with you would be an honor for me," she added.

A smile slowly spread across Chloe's face, and the girl began to blush as well. "I also have one more question for you," she said, looking down again.

"Okay, and what's that question?" Beca asked, chuckling a little.

"You've already done so much for me today, so I understand if this is too much," Chloe said, biting her lip again. "Will you kiss me?"

Beca blinked a couple times as Chloe's words repeated in her head. "Y-you want me to kiss you?" She stuttered. "Why, if I may ask?"

"I don't know, maybe just because I want you to," Chloe said with a shrug. She noticed that Beca seemed hesitant, so she turned away. "Nevermind, it was a stupid thing to ask anyway," she muttered, getting up and walking over to her dresser to pick out some pajamas.

"Chloe, wait," Beca said, getting up and following the redhead over to her dresser. "I never said that I didn't want to kiss you. I just asked why you wanted me to."

"Do I need a reason?" Chloe asked, closing the drawer once she had picked out her pajamas.

"No, I just-" Beca started. She then stopped, for she didn't have a good answer to Chloe's question. You know what? Screw it, the brunette thought to herself. As Chloe started walking back over to her bed, Beca grabbed her hand and pulled her into a kiss.

The redhead was taken by surprise when Beca kissed her lips, but recovered quickly and kissed Beca back. A warm, fuzzy feeling spread throughout her body when Beca put her arms around her waist. Chloe wrapped her arms around Beca's shoulders and Beca moved her hands down to Chloe's hips as the two girls shared one of the best kisses that either of them had experienced.

Beca slowly pulled away from the kiss a few moments later, needing to catch her breath. She looked into Chloe's eyes and smiled softly. "How was that?" She asked.

Chloe smiled and bit her lip, looking deeply into Beca's eyes. "It was perfect. Thank you," she murmured.

Beca's smile grew when Chloe said this. "Good. I'm glad," she murmured, still gazing into the redhead's eyes. A few moments of silence passed before the brunette spoke again. "Would you be opposed to possibly doing that again?"

"Do you really have to ask that question?" Chloe said, cupping Beca's cheeks and initiating the second kiss. She smiled when Beca gently pushed her back against the dresser, deepening the kiss at the same time.

The second kiss was slower than the first one, the two girls taking their time. Beca broke the kiss for a brief moment and leaned her forehead against Chloe's. "I shouldn't be doing this," she murmured softly. "But I can't help myself."

"Then don't help yourself," Chloe whispered breathlessly. "This can be just for tonight," she said, gazing into Beca's eyes. "I know we can't be together right now, but I also know that I really want to kiss you right now."

"But I don't want this to be just for tonight," Beca whispered back, looking down for a moment. "Kissing you makes me want you more and more."

Silence fell over them once again, the only sound being their heavy breath. "So, what are we going to do?" Chloe said, finally breaking the silence between them.

"I don't know, Chlo," Beca said softly. "What do you think we should do?" She asked.

"Well, the first thing we should do is stop kissing," Chloe said, slowly moving away from Beca. "I wish we could just be together. I hate not being able to be with you."

"I hate it too," Beca said, putting her hands in her pockets and then looking down. "It would just be too hard, you know? You're going to New York and I'm going to LA. We're gonna be on opposite sides of the country. I don't know how we'd make it work."

Chloe went and sat down on her bed, sighing heavily. "I hate this," she said, looking down at her feet. "I want you, Beca, but I can't have you," she stated, running her fingers through her hair. "Of course the one thing I want more than anything is the one thing that I can't have."

Beca went and sat down next to Chloe on the bed. The brunette looked down too and then took one of Chloe's hands in her own, squeezing it gently. "We'll figure it out, Chlo. I know we will," she said in a soft voice, looking over at the redhead sitting next to her.

Chloe just leaned her head on Beca's shoulder, taking a couple deep breaths before speaking again. "Will you stay with me tonight?" She asked, running her thumb along the palm of Beca's hand.

"There's no place I'd rather be," Beca replied, squeezing the redhead's hand again and then leaning over to give her a kiss on the cheek. "We'll have our time, Chloe. I know we will."

Beca and Chloe with have their time, that much is for sure. What was your favorite part of this chapter? Let us know!

Until Next time