A/N: did Ya miss me!? Haha I know this took forever, I've been working on it in between my job and summer classes. It all wraps up in the next chapter, you all will love the ending I have in store for you. Thanks for all the support and reviews and kind words about my friend passing, the bechloe fandom is the best xo = )
The day has finally arrived. The girls were off to the ICCA's and there was still a weird tension between Beca and Chloe which the rest of the girls definitely had noticed but didn't speak on. Everyone had enough on their plate with their upcoming performance and the pressure to take home the trophy.
Their flight arrived at JFK International at 3:15pm the day before their performance, giving the girls enough time to get a little settled and do some sightseeing before going into full on performance mode. Aubrey had made it clear that there would be NO partying until after they had won because everyone had to 100% focused.
"Alright girls, listen up! We have 6 rooms so everyone find a room buddy and grab your key cards. You're free to do whatever after that but you must be back in the hotel by 10pm and if any of you even think about drinking, so help me god, I'll..." Aubrey had gone from instructing to breathing deeply and trying to control her gagging. Was aubrey's stress level ever not at a 10? Chloe put her arm around Aubrey's shoulder and took over her speech. "Just behave guys, we have some serious ass kicking to do tomorrow and we all need to be on point!" The girls cheered and began to go their separate ways.
"What's up, DJ-roomie!" Stacie said as she put her arm around the tiny brunette. Beca just grinned as Stacie pulled her into the elevator with a few of the other girls.
"Should I feel scared or special that you've selected me to room with?" Beca questioned.
"Definitely special. Plus, I know you won't take long in the bathroom in the morning and that makes you my new best friend!" Stacie said happily. Beca just rolled her eyes but wasn't bothered about rooming with Stacie.
'It could've been a lot worse' she thought to herself as she envisioned having Lilly as her roommate. She liked the girl but was still honestly a little creeped out by her sometimes.
The ding of the elevator rescued her from her thoughts and she followed Stacie down the hall and to their room.
"Wow, this is actually pretty nice." Stacie said as she plopped her stuff down on the far bed and began pulling her stuff out. Beca set her stuff down and went over to the desk with her laptop and turned it on.
"Okay short stuff, what the hell is going on with you and cinnamon?" Stacie asked.
"Cinnamon?" Beca asked as she looked at the taller girl with a confused expression.
"You know, fiery red head also known as Chloe." Stacie replied as she sat on the bed and began filing her nails.
"Interesting nickname." Beca commented as she opened iTunes and put in some music.
"Nicknames help me remember people better. Plus they're way more fun than real names. So anyways, why haven't you two been buddy-buddy these past few days?" Stacie questioned. Beca shrugged.
"Things have changed. And not for the better."
"Is she still jealous of your girlfriend?"
"Ex-girlfriend." Beca corrected as she sat down at the desk.
"Ouch. Sorry DJ." Stacie told her sympathetically.
"It's fine. It is what it is. But Chloe definitely had a place in all of it, including talking to Catherine about me, and I just haven't confronted her about it with all of this going on." Beca said, resting her headphones on her neck and turning towards her laptop. Just then there was a knock at the door and Stacie got up to see who it was.
"Looks like that's about to change" Stacie sing songed as she pulled away from the peephole and opened the door to reveal Chloe.
"Cinnamon! What brings you here?" Stacie asked the older girl with a wink. Chloe just raised an eyebrow and chuckled at her. "I'm here to see Beca, Stace. Is she here?"
Stacie moved out of the way and immediately Beca was in Chloe's viewpoint. The brunette was dressed casually in her ripped black skinny jeans, boots, and a knock off white Kirt Cobain v-neck that said "corporate magazines still suck. Her black and white checkered flannel was tied around her waste and her hair was down and straightened. Beca was truly the definition of a punk rock princess, and Chloe loved it.
Beca couldn't deny that Chloe was beautiful in every single way. Even as she stood before Beca in a seemingly ordinary outfit of black leggings, a red tunic, and caramel colored boots; she looked like she belonged in a magazine.
Chloe made her way over to Beca and the DJ stood up quickly, almost ripping her headphones out of her computer and causing Chloe to giggle.
"I'm just gonna...go see what Fat Amy is up to, yeah." Stacie said before quickly disappearing from the room.
"Hey Becs." Chloe said simply, her tone cautious, like she expected Beca to blow up at her. Beca had wanted to, she had all these angry conversations with Chloe in her head and though they had fought before, Catherine's words rang in her head.
"Hey Chlo." The DJ said with a little wave. Yup, an awkard little wave. She internally face palmed herself. It was like she couldn't be more weird if she tried sometimes.
"Wanna go grab some dinner? The girls are going exploring but I kinda just wanted to hang, me and you. I haven't heard from you these past few days and..."
"With good reason." Beca interjected. She didn't want to be mad at Chloe but the girl felt completely betrayed at this point. Chloe sighed and sat on the edge of the bed.
"I know I fucked up...again." The ginger admitted. "But I never meant to hurt you, honestly. I just...needed to talk to someone about it."
"We never mean to hurt each other, but I feel like that's all we've been doing. Did it occur to you that it wasn't your business? That me not talking about it is how I deal with some things?" Beca questioned, keeping a level voice. She didn't want to yell at Chloe, but she was definitely upset.
"We feel hurt because we care about each other, Beca. A lot. And you...how you feel...how you deal...it is my business. I love you." Chloe said, looking Beca dead in the eye.
Beca ran her hands through her hair and sighed. She definitely didn't expect to hear that right now.
"I love when you do that. It means you're overwhelmed and you don't know what to say." Chloe added with a smile. Beca couldn't help but smile back. Chloe had definitely picked up on her mannerisms.
"I'm actually starving." Beca said. It was all she could really articulate with Chloe looking at her like that. She was her best friend and no matter what happened, she always would be.
"Good. Help me up and we'll go get pizza. Apparently New York makes it better than anyone, or so I've heard." Chloe told her, holding her arms out. Beca shook her head and laughed as she grabbed Chloe's hands and pulled her up from the bed.
The pair was a sight to see on the streets of NYC. Beca had always been a city girl but Chloe was definitely new to the fast pace and kept stopping to look at everything and Beca kept having to pull her out of the crowd's way, laughing everytime she did. It was super cute how excited the ginger was to be in the city. They settled at a small pizza joint a few blocks from their hotel and ordered their usual.
"Being mad at you is really hard." Beca admitted after the waitress had left.
"I know." Chloe said matter of factly with a smile.
"And you say I'm cocky?" Beca asked with a smirk. Chloe just giggled.
The girls chatted about little things like the weather and music while they waited for their pizza to arrive. Both wanted to have a deeper conversation but they were having a good time and didn't want anything to spoil it.
Beca moaned in satisfaction after taking a bite of her pizza. "Based on this pizza alone," she said before pausing to swallow, "I would move here."
"It is really amazing. The pizza and this city." Chloe added as she too indulged in another bite. "I'm excited to live here with Bree and experience everything it has to offer."
"Just remember to move with the crowd and you'll be fine." Beca teased.
"Did you ever consider moving here? I mean, before you settled on LA? this is a huge city for music too." Chloe asked her. The brunette just shrugged. She had considered it briefly but for the most part she had her heart set on LA. The weather, the attitude, the atmosphere, they were all important factors of what drew her towards the left coast. Not to mention, all her favorite labels were based out there.
"I've always been more attracted to LA. I've had it planned since I was 14. I couldn't imagine changing my plan." Beca told her with a certainty. Chloe nodded slowly with a pensive look on her face. Had Chloe just suggested subtly that Beca should move to New York? No. That's ridiculous. Chloe was straight forward, she wouldn't drop hints like that...would she?
"I know it's all going to work out for you. You're amazing. And if we win tomorrow, there's going to be a lot of attention coming your way." Chloe said.
"My way? Why?" Beca questioned.
"You put together our set. And I'm very sure that no one has ever done what we're going to tomorrow night. First time in a capella history!" Chloe informed her.
"No pressure or anything, right?" Beca asked in a sarcastic tone.
Chloe paid for their dinner (against Beca's fierce objections) and they headed back to their hotel.
"We should probably call it a night, since tomorrow is the big day and all." Chloe said as the two walked down the hotel hallway toward their rooms.
"Probably.." Beca replied with hesitation. She knew her alone time with Chloe would be limited from here on out and she'd be lying if she said she didn't want to spend every waking moment with her best friend who was leaving soon, and that's big for Beca because she's such an introvert.
"...OR.." Chloe began, stopping suddenly and turning to face Beca.
"Or...what, Chlo?" Beca asked with a raised eyebrow as she tried to read the redhead's face. She was sporting a sly smile that hinted of mischief and excitement.
"That flight and all the extra practice wreaked havoc on my body." Chloe said as she rubbed the back of her neck before continuing,
"I was thinking about checking out the hot tub for a bit, what do you think?"
Beca grinned and shook her head. "Are you trying to make Aubrey puke?" She asked. Chloe just shrugged non-chalantly.
"I'm co-captain. I'm approving this excursion." She stated simply "Besides, I won't tell if you won't tell" she added with a wink.
"I'm down." Beca said without giving it a second thought.
The girls changed into their bathing suits quickly, trying to avoid running into the other girls who would probably be back soon. It was still relatively early, only 8'oclock, and both girls were content with spending time with each other and only each other. They took the stairs from their floor down to the first floor and headed to the pool and hot tub, both surprised to find it empty. Throwing their towels to the side, the girls entered the steaming water and sighed in relief at how good the warm water felt.
"I so needed this." Chloe moaned as she sunk further and rested her neck in front of one of the jets. Beca mumbled something in agreement and focused her gaze upon the older girl. She was met with familiar piercing blue eyes and a genuine smile that she had grown to love. She let out a soft chuckle at a small realization she had come to.
"What?" Chloe asked in response to Beca's muffled laughter. The DJ shook her head as she bit back a grin and Chloe splashed a small amount of water at her playfully. "Tell meee!" She whined as Beca kept the playful smirk on her face.
"It's nothing, really. I just realized I like you better when you're smiling at me versus when you're mad and short with me." Beca told her.
"I could make a short joke, but I'm not going to, because I'm enjoying this." Chloe told her. Beca rolled her eyes, their typical dynamic.
"I prefer not being mad at you too, though. And I like it better when you're not mad at me and getting drunk and avoiding me." The ginger added. "Though you're pretty cute when you're mad.."
"I'm not cute! Stop saying that!" Beca protested.
"You are though! It's adorable. I know you can be intimidating but I just find it precious."
"Precious!? You better fear me, Beale." Beca playfully warned her. Chloe sat up and moved closer to Beca, who was directly across from her.
"I DO fear you. But not for the reasons you might think." Chloe told her.
"I'm scared to even ask why." Beca replied, still assuming their banter was playful until she realized the sudden change in Chloe's demeanor.
"Because I know I have your heart right now, but I'm scared in 2 years after grad school, I'm not going to have it anymore..." Chloe began, trailing off.
"Chloe. Please. I can't handle another one of these conversations." Beca pleaded.
"I know. I know. I feel so fucking selfish, Becs." Chloe replied softly.
"You're not." Beca protested
"And I'm not. It's just...timing. It's everything, especially with us Chloe."
Chloe nodded with a sad expression and it was then that Beca realized how close they were now.
"I'm sorry." Chloe told her. Beca wasn't even sure exactly why she was sorry, their situation wasn't anybody's fault, except maybe the universe's.
"I thought we agreed no more apologizing?" Beca asked her.
"Right. You're right." Chloe said. Beca reached over and tucked Chloe's slightly damp hair behind her ear and let her hand graze the senior's cheek.
"I think it's safe to say you're always going to have my heart, Chlo. I wouldn't worry about that if I were you."
Chloe responded with a beaming smile and rested her head on Beca's shoulder. If it hadn't been for the ridiculously hot water, the brunette would've felt chills at the close contact with her best friend. The girls remained rather quiet, content with just being in each other's presence before deciding it was time to call it a night about an hour later.
"We're gonna kick ass tomorrow." Chloe said confidently as she threw Beca a towel after climbing out of the hot tub.
"Don't jinx us, Beale." Beca playfully warned.
"No, I'm serious! Your arrangement is DOPE. There's no way we're not taking home the title." Chloe insisted.
"I hope so. I think you believe in me a little too much." Beca told her as she wrapped the towel around herself after drying off.
"That's impossible." Chloe replied simply as she gave Beca a quick peck on the cheek. "There's no such thing as believing in someone too much. You either do whole heartedly or you don't at all."
Beca blushed furiously at the kiss because she didn't see it coming. And she was convinced Chloe did it just to see her lose her shit and take more bad ass points away from her. The two returned upstairs and headed for their rooms.
"Goodnight Bec, sweet dreams!" Chloe said giving Beca a hug outside of her room.
"Oh after that little hot tub fun, I'm going to have the best dreams." She teased the older girl with a wink. Chloe just laughed and swayed her hips more as she walked away. "See you in the AM, DJ."
"You too, Cinnamon!" Beca called sarcastically. Chloe just threw up the middle finger without even turning around and Beca chuckled as she opened the door to her room more than ready for bed.