New York, Same Love

Beca was suddenly putting one foot in front of the other at a speed she wasn't use, sprinting down the sidewalk. After less than a couple minutes she could feel her chest heaving, unable to take the needed amount of air into her lungs to actually breathe.

But she didn't stop. No, nothing was stopping Beca Mitchell tonight, because she had a real urgency to get back home and tell the woman camped out on the sofa something extremely important. If her feet could move any faster they would, and if Beca had actually stuck to the cardio workouts she tried when she was younger, she would probably be able to move them quicker...

Why didn't she just hail a cab? Running almost twelve blocks seemed really crucial and significant the moment she had set off – boy, was she feeling regretful.

Finally, she made it to her apartment building. Beca wishes she could have pulled the heavy door open with a strong force and continue to race up the three flights of stairs, but in reality she just collapsed in the hallway, whilst waiting for the elevator. Once the doors were opening, she decided she would just keep this between her and the lift if she ever told the story at a dinner party or something in years to come.

Her breath was slowly starting to even out and Beca felt less like she was having a stroke paired with a severe asthma attack.

XXX

"No, you go, I'll just stay in" Chloe sniffled, flicking through the channels on the television.

"I'm not leaving you when you're sick, Chlo."

As if on cue, the redhead sneezed loudly into a tissue.

"Beca, it's just a cold – honestly I'll be fine. GO. At least one of us can have fun on a Friday night."

She smiled at the woman pacing in front of her. Chloe knew Beca wanted to go to the party, after all it was her best friend's Birthday, and the way she was chewing her bottom lip was the only evidence Chloe needed to know she had already decided she was going to go.

She stopped abruptly, smack bang in the centre of the Keeping up with the Kardashians episode Chloe was actually trying to watch...

"OK, I'll go, but just so you know everyone is going to be super disappointed when I walk in without you..."

She leaned down to place a kiss on her temple and suddenly Chloe couldn't even think about her show anymore.

"I'm sure they'll get over it" she laughed softly. Beca was about to say something, before the older woman cut her off, "Yeah, I know if I feel any worse I'll call, OK?"

Beca simply laughed in response, before nodding her head.

"Alright, I promise when I come home drunk not to wake you..." she joked, picking up her phone from the couch cushion next to her girlfriend.

She made her way to the door, with Chloe calling out after her, "Becs, it's Stacie's party; I'll be surprised if you even remember how to get home."

Beca rolled her eyes, but laughed at how true that statement was. Stacie had always been the bad influence on her when it came to alcohol, but she wouldn't change it for the world.

"Love you!" she yelled before leaving the apartment.

A couple hours into the party and a few bottles of beer later, Beca was bored. She was really happy to be back in her old home, celebrating her best friend's Birthday with her apartment party tradition, but somehow once she'd experienced three with Chloe's presence, not having her girlfriend there made her realise how much better she made the party.

There was no making out on the stairwell before they walked in; no inside jokes about Stacie's work friend's drama; no random concoctions of shots in the kitchen, but most importantly there would be no stumbling out of a cab at the end of the night and having awesome drunk sex together.

Basically, Chloe made any party better, and she was at home, ill and sober, while Beca nursed her beer and tried to look like she was having fun.

Stacie stumbled over, a half empty drink of some bright blue liquid in her glass, slurring at Beca to "Lighten the fuck up, it's my Birthday, you bitch!" The DJ couldn't do anything to stop the smile that broke out, taking over her entire face, because even when her best friend is completely wasted, she still knows how to cheer her up.

"I just realised how shit your Birthday is without my girlfriend" she joked.

Stacie threw her head back laughing, before taking a sip of her drink. "I miss her too, Becs, she makes you more fun to be around."

Before Beca could form a sarcastic retort, a blonde woman walking in through the apartment door caught her attention. Stacie must have noticed the change in her demeanour, following her gaze to the new comer who was now joining a group of guys by the fridge in the kitchen.

"Hey, is that Casey?!"

Stacie's drunken shout caused Beca to shove her hand upwards, covering her mouth, "Dude, shut up, she'll hear you!"

XXX

Beca was quietly closing her apartment door behind her and walking into the dim light thrown out by the tall lamp in the corner. The television was still on, the sound muted and Chloe lying in a blanket on the sofa right where Beca had left her.

A quick press of the remote and the TV went blank, as she kneeled beside her sleeping girlfriend.

"Babe?" she spoke softly, nudging an arm sticking out of the blanket. Chloe eyes slowly fluttered open, a sleepy smile forming on her lips.

"Hey, you" she whispered, happy to be woken up by her notably sober girlfriend.

"I need to tell you something..." she said, sitting beside her.

Wait, Beca was sober. She looked at the time, realising she had been gone for less than three hours. The serious look in her eye was beginning to worry her, as she pushed off her elbows to sit up straight.

"Beca, what's going on? Is everything OK?"

A hand was quickly resting atop hers, "Yeah, everything's fine. I just really needed to talk to you..."

Chloe offered her a small smile, hinting her to continue, before the brunette cleared her throat.

"So, do you remember that girl Casey I told you about, the one that worked at that restaurant up on fifth?"

Chloe wiped the sleep out of her eyes, before nodding.

Casey was a waitress at a restaurant she and Stacie always use to dine at. It had this really homely atmosphere that was rare in New York City. Casey worked five shifts a week and Beca may or may not have found out her work hours, in order to synchronise their schedules...

So the three nights out of five, Beca and Stacie would book a table and eat dinner together; Casey being their waitress for the night. The woman had blonde hair and brown eyes, and for some reason, Beca thought she was the most beautiful woman she'd ever seen, but of course intimidated by her beauty, Beca was incapable of saying her dinner order smoothly, never mind ask her out.

"Well, turns out she knows some guys Stacie does and she came to the party tonight."

Chloe knew the (lack of) history with Casey, as Beca humoured her with stories about her misfortunes when trying to ask her out on numerous occasions, all while Stacie sat at the table trying not to crack up.

"Yeah?" she asked confused.

"Well, she finally talked to me, like actually taking an interest in me, and I didn't trip over my words once." Beca smiled, looking proud of herself.

Chloe chuckled, "Well done. I think I'm finally rubbing off on you" she joked. "But what's your point?"

"Dude, she asked me to walk her home."

There was a pause before she continued.

"Turns out she lived right down the street from my old apartment the whole damn time - typical, right? Anyways, I'm walking her to her door and she's giving me this look and then she's asking me if I want to come inside."

Chloe felt a twinge of something in her gut, but it wasn't worry.

"So, she's stood there, door ajar, bedroom eyes, and all I can keep thinking is "Wow, I dreamt about this every night for six months and its finally happening" but all I can picture is you curled up on the sofa, wrapped in this rag of a blanket..." she stopped to tug at the only corner of it not wrapped around the redhead, earning a chuckle "... and how much I want to come home and see you!"

Beca was grinning now, her eyes sparkling with something Chloe was unsure of. Her heart was swelling with love, as she realised how romantic her girlfriend was being right now.

"I think you've caught my fever..." Chloe mumbled, before squeezing Beca's hand.

"Shut up, I'm trying to tell you something right now."

Chloe merely smiled and nodded her head, flashing an apologetic look and then shaking her head in amusement.

"But, the point is, Casey made me realise something tonight. You're it for me, Chloe. Like, you're the one, my soul mate, my significant other, the love of my life, whatever, I only want to be with you for the rest of my life."

Beca's voice was frantic, her words unrehearsed, and Chloe suddenly realised she had totally misread this situation. From the moment Beca had started talking, Chloe was sure it was going to be a joke or a funny story - she most definitely was not anticipating, well, this.

Before she could respond, Beca was on her feet and lowering herself down on one knee in front of a bewildered redhead. She squeezed at her hand again, before wetting her lips.

"Beca, I-"

The brunette made a quiet shushing noise, before continuing on.

"I'm not proposing right now, chill out" she laughed quietly, "but I am telling you that I want to, some day. I don't know if we're ready yet, but I just need you to know that I want that for us."

Chloe sniffled; it wasn't because of her cold; and wiped away a tear that was slowly making its way down her cheek. Beca's words, her tone, the look in her eye, everything was so honest and perfect right now that she didn't know whether to smile or cry; in the end she did both.

"I've known you were the one when I started falling in love with you on our second date, even if it was in a coffee shop" she laughed, causing Beca to stand up on her knees.

"Hey, I paid for that coffee" she defended.

"Just shut up and kiss me, weirdo."

"God, you're so needy..." she breathed before closing the distance.

XXX

A/N: If anyone has read my first fic "New York, New Love" you might have noticed this one shot was a sort of continuation of it, a year or two down the line. So if anyone was ever curious about how that ended up, you might have enjoyed this chapter. If not, let me know...