It had only been a handful of minutes since she hung up with Jesse when she heard a knock at the attic door.
"Come in!" she shouted, closing her laptop. She stood, returning the device to her desk, as she heard the door creak open followed by soft footfalls ascending the steps.
When she turned around, there was Chloe, dressed in a deep purple, v-neck t-shirt and a pair of gray sweatpants with the "PINK" logo in black, block letters down her left thigh, her red curls a wild mane, her eyes somehow an even more brilliant blue than Beca remembered. She was an absolute vision. It's the rare woman who genuinely looks just as good dressed down as she does dressed up, but Chloe Beale was certainly one of those women. Beca felt her heart stop, just for a moment, as the redhead smiled, something bubbly and delightful, at her.
"Hey, Beca!" she said cheerfully, before taking two bouncing steps forward. The closer proximity, though, removed the giddy shimmer from those crystal blue eyes. Chloe looked suddenly crestfallen as she, presumably, noted Beca's ruddy, tear-stained cheeks. "Ohmigosh, Becs! You okay?" she rushed.
"Yeah. It's, um, it's cool," she said, trying to sound like the word she uttered.
"Are you sure? What happened?" Chloe's voice verged on frantic. Beca really didn't want to talk about this with her, and hopefully she wouldn't have to, but it was unfair to Chloe to refuse to even acknowledge her state.
Beca folded her arms across her chest with a sigh. "Nothing, it's fine," she started, on the defensive, but it only took one direct look into Chloe's eyes to convince her to tell the truth. "I just got off the phone with Jesse. That's all."
"Oh," was the redhead's quiet, surprised response. "Jesse?" asked Chloe, and the brunette nodded, a stupid smile plastering her face as her eyes shifted so she could stare at anything but the woman in front of her. She really didn't want to talk about this. "Oh," Chloe repeated. "Um, what… what about?"
Beca was afraid to have this talk. She didn't want to relive the conversation she had with Jesse. She didn't want to cry again, but she could feel Chloe's eyes on her, loving and patient and kind… and she knew she couldn't just shut her down. The problem was that Beca had never told Chloe about her plans to reunite with the Treblemaker. She hadn't told that to anyone. Well, except to Aubrey when all the fear and uncertainty surrounding Jesse came tumbling out of her mouth as she tried to explain what it was about Chloe that scared her. She took a deep breath, knowing that was where she'd have to start.
"Well, when Jesse and I broke up it was mostly because of the distance." She waited for Chloe to acknowledge having understood her, and hoped the redhead wouldn't further press for details on their break-up. When Chloe silently nodded, Beca continued: "So we had sort of talked about the possibility of getting back together. After graduation. After Worlds."
She watched Chloe carefully, tried to assess how she was receiving this information, but she just couldn't read her. Chloe was looking at her intently, but her face was somehow blank. She made no movement to speak, and so Beca continued awkwardly.
"You know, because I was planning to move to LA anyway…"
As soon as those words hit Chloe's ears, she pounced, quick and deliberate. "Was?" she asked.
Beca faltered. This was exactly why she didn't want to talk about this, because this was inevitably going to turn into a conversation about her feelings. She never wanted to talk about her feelings, but this particular conversation – the one in which Beca would have to admit that she, you know, had feelings – was the one she dreaded most of all.
She did her best to side step. "Yes, was… so that's—"
But Chloe wasn't having it. "Was? Why was?" she asked, cutting Beca off.
"What?" Beca was still trying to deflect, even though she knew this wasn't a battle she was going to win. Chloe was going to get what she wanted. After all, with Beca, she always did.
Chloe took a measured step and leaned in toward her, her voice low and her eyes piercing. "Why aren't you planning to move to LA anymore?"
Because you're not there. The thought raced through Beca's mind quicker than a speeding bullet. She couldn't help but silently scold herself for it. It was cheesy. And disgusting. And stupid. And a thought that was distinctly unlike Beca Mitchell. She swallowed hard before stuttering out her reply. "Be-because. Things have… changed."
The redhead took another step forward. She was so close now that Beca could feel the warmth radiating off her body, her breath hot against the shell of Beca's left ear. "What sort of things?"
Chloe was playing with her now, like a cat with a toy mouse. It infuriated her, and yet… she sank deeply into the feeling, even reveled in it. It felt like she was being swallowed by something warm and wet and undeniably comforting, like sliding into a hot bath after a long day. She felt her own eyes close as an audible breath escaped her nose. She could feel Chloe's lips hovering over her neck and could sense the older girl's smirk.
And it was that cocky, self-satisfied smile that snapped Beca back to reality. Her eyes flashed open as she grabbed onto Chloe's shoulders, forcing her to take a step back, a confused look on her face.
"Oh, you know… Things like whatever that just was," she quipped, her tone teasing, but the sentiment sincere.
Chloe adopted a more relaxed stance, folding her arms across her chest. "What are you saying, Beca?"
The question was genuine and Beca was met with another look that she couldn't quite read. Chloe looked expectant, but not impatient, and other than that Beca didn't have a clue what was going through the redhead's mind right now. She knew she had to answer, but didn't know how. She didn't know what Chloe was expecting her to say.
Beca crossed to the bed, exhaling as she sat, elbows on her knees as her gaze fell to the floor beneath her. Her hands hung before her, loose and defeated. She raised her head slowly to look up at Chloe. "I don't know," she said as plainly as she could, but even she could hear the fear that crept into her tone. She sounded like an idiot. She was an idiot. She was an idiot who couldn't manage to spare an honest thought for her best friend right now.
Chloe said nothing. She just continued to stare down at Beca, that same look on her face, no more impatient than she was a moment ago, despite Beca's pathetic response. The redhead had the patience of a saint. Chloe had waited so long for Beca to open up at all. She never pushed, just waited. And she was still waiting right now, 4 years later. It was unfair how guilty that made Beca feel. It made her want to try harder. It made her want to be better, for Chloe, but she was terrified and that paralyzed her. She looked back down to the floor and said nothing. Like a coward.
She heard the shuffle of feet before she felt the other woman sink into the bed beside her. Then there was a hand on her knee, and she lolled her head to the side so she could look at Chloe. The expression on her face remained the same, but in closer proximity, Beca could see the compassion twinkling in her eyes. It made Beca look away again. She felt embarrassed by it. Her face flushed as she squirmed uncomfortably, shaking her head. She could still feel Chloe's stare and she felt so wholly unworthy of that look that she wanted to cry, but she didn't. No, instead, for once in her miserable life, she did the courageous thing. She looked back at her friend and spoke.
"I'm saying that this, well… it means something to me."
Chloe's eyes shimmered and Beca watched as her bottom lip dropped just enough for her to inhale sharply. Her mouth then slowly formed a gentle smile that warmed Beca's heart. The redhead looked almost grateful for her words. The longer she waited for Chloe to respond, though, the more anxious she became about what she had said. She was scared, and hoped that it didn't show.
"That's good," Chloe replied, and Beca shot her a worried, questioning look because she wasn't sure exactly what that meant. Chloe's voice was quiet and sincere as she soothed Beca's fears. "Because this means something to me, too."
Beca's stomach flipped, and the sensation propelled her forward, her lips connecting with Chloe's in a sweet kiss. She felt soft hands raise, the heels of which pressed lightly against her jaw as fingers massaged the tender flesh behind her ears before tangling into her hair.
Beca sighed at the contact. It was steady and reassuring and filled with love. She was certain she could lose herself in this feeling forever. It felt like she was leisurely falling into infinity and the sensation somehow gave her a rush of excitement while simultaneously calming her. She didn't take the time to consider how, exactly, that was even possible, but instead leaned into the feeling. She wrapped her arms around Chloe's neck, lacing her own fingers together, and kissed her friend with a level of passion that far exceeded any of their previous encounters. She parted her lips, intending to brush her tongue across Chloe's, but the other woman mirrored her movement, and so, without hesitation, Beca instead licked deeply into Chloe's mouth and was rewarded with a low groan that rumbled through her, flipping her stomach again as heat pooled low in her belly.
One of Chloe's hands drifted down her neck, fingertips grazing ever so gently. Beca wanted to whimper, and maybe she did. She was so intoxicated by the feeling that she couldn't be sure what sound she may or may not have made in response. Chloe's fingers curled around Beca's shoulder as she pressed her palm lightly against her. Beca obliged the silent request, breaking the kiss for a moment, to lay back on the bed and shimmy up a bit awkwardly, so that her legs weren't dangling over the edge.
She watched with an eager, hawk-like stare as the redhead shifted to straddle her. Chloe placed a hand on Beca's chest and pushed upward to momentarily grip the base of Beca's throat, before forcing the brunette to turn her head to the side. She continued to watch, now out of the corner of her eye, as Chloe leaned down to press open-mouthed kisses in the crook of her neck.
The whine that escaped Beca was accompanied by a desperate shift in her hips, pinned down firmly by Chloe's. The movement provided her fleeting, but much needed, pressure against her center, and a distinct groan cut through that whine. Her breath hitched as she felt Chloe's tongue drag up her neck, before sucking at the flesh below her right ear.
It was in that moment that Beca remembered that she had hands. She moved the left one to grip tightly to Chloe's hip while the other reached to grab and knead Chloe's breast. She heard a gasp upon first contact, but then the redhead was sitting up, pulling away. Beca's eyes flashed open, unsure of what she had done wrong, but certain she must have done something. What she saw, though, suggested quite the opposite. Chloe's fingers were wrapped underneath the hem of her purple shirt; she pulled the garment up and over her head in one nimble movement, tossing it aside. Beca's eyes danced over the vision in black lace before her. She bit her bottom lip, her head spinning, before her eyes flicked up to meet Chloe's stare. A lascivious grin graced the older girl's face, her brilliant blue eyes pleading for something.
That look was Beca's undoing. Any doubts she had fell by the wayside the moment she saw Chloe looking at her that way. She sat upward, removing her own shirt, before wrapping her arms around Chloe to grip tightly at the back of her neck, pulling the girl downward, her body reconnecting with the bed as Chloe's mouth merged with her own.
The kiss was hungry with desire, and Beca was very aware of the way Chloe's hips were rocking against hers as if the act of kissing her suddenly became a full body undertaking. She let her fingers drag roughly down Chloe's back until they were met with the line of fabric securing her breasts. Beca fumbled awkwardly with the clasp. She'd never done this before, unhooked another woman's bra. Sure, she'd done it herself a million times, but the task was mirrored this way. Her head was swimming and it took her what felt like an embarrassingly long moment to figure it out. When she finally succeeded in unfastening the thing, she spared a humorous thought to deserving some sort of medal or reward for the accomplishment
But, if she was being honest, the sight of Chloe Beale bare-breasted astride her was reward enough. Beca leaned them both upward, hands gripping at Chloe's spine, as she wrapped her mouth around a pert nipple. She felt fingers tangle into her own hair, pressing her further into Chloe's chest while simultaneously tugging just hard enough for her scalp to lightly sting. That sensation, mixed with the sounds of Chloe's sighing, spurred her to gently bite down. The noise that escaped the redhead then could only be described as animalistic, and the wave of heat that crashed over Beca as she registered that thought made her groan something raw and animal-like as well.
Chloe unhooked her bra faster than Beca's brain could actually comprehend. She released the girl's breast with a pop, allowing the clothing to be stripped from her form. Chloe leaned down and kissed her passionately while tweaking a nipple. Beca could feel the wetness pooling at her center. She shifted her hips, sort of uncomfortably, as that fact became fully realized in her brain. The brunette needed more, so much more, and she needed it soon.
Then Chloe was standing, and Beca watched as she slithered out of her sweatpants, revealing bright pink panties garnished with black polka dots and lace. As Beca looked at the only item of clothing left covering Chloe, she couldn't help but silently acknowledge how very Chloe they were, both sexy and adorable all at once in the most intoxicating combination.
She watched as Chloe crawled back onto the bed, but then allowed her head to fall back as Chloe made quick work of the button and zipper on her jeans. Chloe's fingers curled beneath the hem of the pants, but then suddenly stopped. Beca snapped her head forward again to look at Chloe, who had crept between Beca's legs. She was on her knees, her hands gripping either side of her jeans. She was looking down at Beca, staring, it seemed, at the button of jeans. Chloe's expression was voracious and needing. When her eyes flashed up to meet Beca's, they seemed almost ablaze. The look would have been frightening, Beca thought, had it not been laced with warmth and kindness… and genuine concern for the younger girl. They begged, truly begged, a silent question.
Beca nodded in what she knew was a rushed and energetic gesture. She hoped her own eyes were conveying her sincerity, somehow showcasing everything that she was feeling right now for Chloe to see, so she would know just how badly Beca wanted this.
In a flash, her jeans, panties taken with them, had been discarded and she lay entirely bare before Chloe, who was slowly taking in the sight before her. Awestruck was the only word Beca could think to describe the way the redheaded woman was looking her over, and it made Beca terribly uncomfortable, like she wanted to somehow disappear into the bed beneath her. And yet, it also made her feel strangely proud to have Chloe looking at her that way. The feeling was the very definition of ambivalence. It was the embodiment of contradiction. Beca felt pulled between the need to run, and the desire for this moment to last forever. She did her best to ignore the former and hold fast to the latter.
Chloe was moving again, slowly gliding up the length of Beca's form before settling her body flush against Beca's right side. She had her head propped up on her left hand as she leaned down to kiss Beca again, her right hand drifting lazily across the brunette's stomach and causing her to shiver. She felt Chloe's knuckles graze the underside of her breast and Beca moaned in response. She was desperate for the redhead now, and these soft, teasing touches just weren't going to cut it. She pulled Chloe's face down into her own, hoping the older girl would get the message. But Chloe's hand continued its delicate exploration of the space between Beca's boobs, sliding up and down twice before Beca broke the kiss.
"Please," she breathed.
A crooked smile spread across Chloe's face as Beca pawed at her neck. The older girl was clearly enjoying this moment of power, delighting in watching her squirming and desperate. That realization sent another rush of heat through Beca. Her body ached. She needed to feel Chloe's hands on her, inside her.
"Please, Chlo," she begged again.
The redhead moved to nip at her earlobe and she dragged her nails along Beca's chest until they were met with puckered flesh. Beca breathed heavily in anticipation. Chloe's hand shifted to pinch and twist with her thumb and forefinger. Beca released a frustrated sound as the remaining three fingers roughly massaged the underside of her breast.
Chloe shifted again, latching her mouth to Beca's neck. She spared a brief moment, worrying about how she might explain a mark, should one be left behind, but let it go as a satisfied whimper escaped her, forcing Chloe to smile against her. The sensation was just too powerful for her thoughts to wander anywhere else. She refocused on Chloe. Beca felt like she was melting into every breath, every movement, every sound.
Chloe released her breast and slowly trailed her fingers down the plane of Beca's stomach.
"Yes… please…" she pleaded breathlessly.
The hand suddenly disappeared; it reached up to turn Beca's head. Chloe's burning eyes searched her face, desperate and wanting, and then her lips crashed against Beca's own. The hand left her chin and continued its journey, stopping just before it reached the point where Beca needed her most. She whimpered into Chloe's mouth, her hips shifting upward, begging for the redhead to touch her. Fingers wandered to the inside of one of Beca's thighs, then to the other, and then back again. Beca broke the kiss and grunted, trying to make her frustration clear. She couldn't stand one more second of this tender teasing.
But right at the moment she thought she was going to burst, she felt Chloe's fingers move through her, up to the most sensitive point where she stopped to place a bit of pressure, her mouth reconnecting with Beca's as she swallowed the brunette's surprised and throaty moan.
Chloe's fingers moved back down, the tip of one dipping just inside her. The redhead pulled away from the kiss, pressing their foreheads together. "Fuck, Beca," she groaned. "You're so wet."
Beca wanted to respond to that, to make a comment about how badly she needed the other girl, but the way Chloe's voice sounded absolutely silenced her, except for a low 'mmm' of acknowledgement.
One of Chloe's fingers pressed slowly inside her, curling ever so slightly before pulling back out. She repeated the movement a few times before a second finger joined, pumping a little harder and a little faster with each stroke.
"I want to taste you," the redhead husked. "Please, baby, can I taste you?"
The pet name would have made Beca cringe if it weren't so goddamn hot. She opened her eyes, allowing Chloe to see just how weak she was for her, and biting on her bottom lip, she gave a pathetically needy nod of her head.
As Chloe climbed down the bed, Beca couldn't help but think just how crazy this was. She couldn't believe she was doing this. She couldn't believe they were doing this. And she couldn't believe just how badly she wanted it, no, needed it. That nagging voice in the back of her mind telling her to stop had been completely overpowered by burning, aching desire.
She looked down at Chloe, now settling between her legs. Blue eyes met for a moment, but then Chloe's flickered down as she began to lower herself. It seemed to happen in slow motion, and she forced herself to watch until Chloe's mouth wrapped around her, the girl's tongue pressing against her. Then, her eyes snapped shut, and her head fell back. She felt Chloe's moan reverberate against her, and couldn't suppress the whining groan that fell effortlessly from her mouth.
Chloe licked and sucked and nipped until Beca could feel herself nearing the edge, desperate for that little extra push she so badly needed. "Please…I-I need you to fuck me," she managed to say between moans.
The redhead immediately obliged, pushing two fingers deep inside Beca without letting up on her tongue's ministrations. Something resembling a soft scream ripped through Beca as Chloe's fingers curled inside her.
Chloe's rhythmic pumping had her close, so very, very close. Her body writhed outside of her own control, but Chloe's free hand was gripping tightly to her side, her thumb pressing just below her lowest rib. It kept her grounded and steady as another groan from Chloe rumbled against her and sent Beca falling hard and fast over the edge, her body quaking erratically.
It must have taken a long time for Beca to regain proper use of her senses, because Chloe was rather suddenly lying next to her, her head once again propped up on her arm, the other arm draped casually across Beca's middle. For a moment, Beca thought the whole thing might have been a dream, but as Chloe placed a wet kiss to her temple, she noted the sound of her own labored breathing, felt the way her chest was heaving. It wasn't a dream.
"Just…" she said, panting, "Give me…a minute..."
Beside her Chloe giggled, and Beca covered her eyes with her palm, embarrassed, before lifting it just enough to peer at Chloe from the corner of her eye, her smile winsome and her face practically glowing.
"Jesus," she muttered, covering her eyes once more.
Chloe grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand away. "Don't cover your pretty eyes, Becs."
"I look like an idiot!" Beca shot back.
"No," Chloe said, "You're wrong. You've never looked more beautiful."
Beca outwardly scoffed at the comment, but her insides warmed at the compliment, her stomach flipping and her chest tightening. She hoped it wasn't visible to Chloe and knew she had to deflect attention away from herself as expeditiously as possible.
She rolled onto her side to face Chloe, grasping one of her hands in her own and lacing their fingers together. "So…" she said, looking into Chloe's eyes before allowing her gaze to drift lower, "when do I get to do that to you?"
When she flicked her eyes back up to meet Chloe's, she couldn't stop her grin. The redhead's jaw had gone slack and Beca swore she'd never seen those big eyes so wide. Chloe looked like she was trying to speak, but said nothing. Beca raised a querying eyebrow to accompany her now playful smirk, then released Chloe's hand to push the girl onto her back, snaring her bottom lip between her own.
A/N: And to answer the question preemptively, yes, there will be a part 2...