I leaned on the frame of my door waiting for Beca. A few seconds later, she came up the stairs and her face broke into that unfamiliar smile.
"Can we take a walk? I want to talk more. I'm really enjoying this. I've never had anyone but Jesse to talk to and he's either heard it or seen it before. Plus, I think you are absolutely beautiful in the moonlight." she held out her hand. I took it and our fingers laced together.
We walked through campus for a while, in a comfortable silence. Finally Beca looked at me and started talking.
"Look, I like you. I want this to last in some way, shape or form. There's something I need to tell you. When Jesse and I were sixteen, his biological sister got raped. It was pretty violent and gruesome. Jesse and I were doing a lot of drugs, and our reasoning skills weren't too sharp. We grabbed our weapons and headed out to find the guy. When we found him we beat him shitless. He couldn't even stand up by the time it was done. Jesse wasn't satisfied. He took my blade and cut his chest and arm a bit. Then he jammed it into the guy's throat, and left him for dead. I'm not proud of it, but we did right by her. I thought you should know what I'm capable of doing before you made any decisions about me. I spent almost a decade living on the streets. I'm not… Normal. I'm a criminal. Also, I sell weed. That can be stopped if it bothers you though." she stopped at a bench and plopped down. The way she stared at her sneakers told me that she was terrified of my next move.
"You going to kill anyone again anytime soon?" I asked sitting beside her. She shook her head, and continued examining the apparently fascinating black canvas on her shoes. "Then we are okay. People do crazy things to protect their family. As for the drug dealing… I'm not as innocent as you seem to assume. I get high too Mitchell. I don't care if you sell pot." she looked up at me stunned.
"You can be my bad girl Beca Mitchell." I whispered, resting my forehead against hers.
"You can be my Snowflake." She whispered back. "Do you uh, want to maybe come back to my place tonight? Don't feel obligated, if it's too fast for you, but the offer is there."
"I would have to stop at my place and get a few things, but I could stay the night. You aren't allowed to seduce me though." I winked.
That ocean blue flashed and I felt the warm feeling in my stomach that I had come to associate with those eyes. "Fine, I won't try anything. Truthfully, I just want to hold you tonight. If that's okay with you." she bit her lip nervously.
I blushed. Who was this girl? I couldn't believe this was the Beca Mitchell that everyone knew did too many drugs and fucked around with any girl she could get. This was a completely different girl. She was soft and sweet. Patient and gentle. Attentive. I felt like I was getting a glimpse of what no one else knew was there.
"Yeah Beca. That sounds really nice. Do you wanna get going though? It's kind of chilly out here."
She took my hand. We walked back to the dorms in that comfortable silence. She sat on my bed while I packed an overnight bag.
Beca headed off campus. It was only about a five minute ride to her place. She walked in, me on her heels.
"JESSE! You up?" she hollered.
Jesse walked out of a side room. He was smaller than I would have expected, but I had seen him with her before.
"I am now. Oh hey, I'm Jesse." he said as he noticed me. "You must be Chloe. Nice to meet you. Beca wasn't kidding. You are beautiful." he shook my hand.
I blushed. So did Beca.
"So Chloe, what is it about Beca here that has a beautiful girl like you out on a date?"
"It's mostly just the fact that she's Beca. I like her; she listens to me and has things to say. What's it about you that has you home alone on a Friday night?" I jabbed.
Beca laughed at Jesse so hard that she had to lean against the wall to stay up.
"Well played. I like her Beck, she's quick. I'm heading back to bed though. This face needs beauty rest. Good night ladies. Behave!" he went back into his room and closed the door.
"Do you, uh, wanna see my room? I mean, if you want to we can hang out in the living room but my room is comfier." I giggled as she rambled. She was nervous and it was adorable. "Look, I'm really out of my element. Usually when I bring a girl back they serve their purpose and leave. This is different; you're different. Everything about you. Everything."
"Different how? Like I'm not peeling my panties off after one date?" I snapped, feeling angry for some reason at the mention of other girls. Beca wasn't my girlfriend. I had no reason to be jealous.
"No like, I don't want you to be. No one before has done to me what you have." she reached for my hand. "You made me care. Did you know that I started going to that corner of the Quad waiting for the right time to come talk to you? I had a class with you last semester and the first time you spoke I knew I had to meet you. You're deadly smart. You're funny. People listen when you talk. They respect what you have to say. People either want me for pussy, money or weed. And as hip-hop and bad ass as that sounds, this DJ just wanted someone to care about. You became that for me because you all but demanded it from me."
"Beca, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap like that. I just… Didn't like hearing about the other girls. It made me jealous." I admitted.
"I don't think I'll ever notice another girl as long as you're around Snowflake." she smiled.
"I know I won't. Now." I yawned, "What was this about a comfy bed and cuddles?" she led me across the hall and into her room.
I changed and crawled into bed. A few minutes later, she joined me. Her arms wrapped around me and she buried her face in my hair. Our fingers entwined as she held my hand. This was perfection. Our breath became a slow pattern as we fell asleep.