Chapter 7

Beca POV

The morning of the Regionals competition, I got dressed in my dumb Bellas' uniform and couldn't decide if I was dreading climbing onto the rented bus, or really excited. It was the same feeling I was starting to get before every Bellas' rehearsal. Over the last few weeks, something had changed. I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was, but every rehearsal had become both the highlight of my day and the thing I dreaded the most. Chloe had become so much touchier, always finding excuses to correct my choreography. She always let her hands linger longer than necessary which I loved. I even realized that I sometimes, messed up the choreography on purpose when she was watching, just to feel her soft touch. As soon, as those fingers left my small frame, I yearned for them to return and then I'd hate myself for the desire that seemed to grow stronger each day.

To make matters worse, Aubrey had also started coming down on me harder than ever. Every time she snapped out my name, I got all hot and bothered. I tried to hide my reaction with a sneer and sarcasm, but the look in her eyes after every verbal sparring match made me wonder if she really knew what she did to me. I had a feeling she did. I sometimes wondered if she made up excuses to yell at me, just so I would snap back at her. And I would snap, every time. I was like a moth to the flame that was Aubrey's tight-ass control. I found her irresistible and absolutely loved needling her, trying to get a rise out of her.

Cold showers had become a habit after rehearsals. Kimmie Jin was always in our room when I got home, so the cold water was my only respite from the raging desire. Somehow I knew that tonight would be no different. I would end the night with another freezing shower, hoping against all signs to the contrary that it would freeze the emotions that I was struggling to continue denying. If I were honest with myself, I was already crazy, stupid in love with both girls. But, no. Just, no. I wouldn't admit that to myself, even though the truth of it stayed in the back of my mind and struggled to break through to the surface.

I straightened my scarf one last time and sighed. I had to go. If I was going to make it through the idiotic set at performances, I couldn't be late. The second I stepped onto the bus, I was aware of both seniors watching me. I resolutely shoved ear buds in and blasted my more recent mixes.

We were halfway to the competition and I couldn't sit still. Every few minutes, I could feel the weight of eyes on my back. To make matters worse, I realized that all of the mixes in this playlist were inspired by Aubrey and Chloe. I groaned inwardly and switched to a different playlist, forcing my eyes out the window, so I wouldn't be tempted to look at either girl.

Chloe POV

We did it! We made it to the semi-finals. I was so relieved. I knew that Aubrey was frustrated with Fat Amy for the liberties she had taken during our set, but I loved the enthusiasm with which the Aussie did everything. As we were headed back to the bus, the girls in front of us stopped on the steps leading into the lobby. I looked past them to see the Trebles causing a scene with a group of older men.

Before I could stop her, Beca muttered, "I'm just going to go check on them." And she waded down into the group on the floor of the lobby.

Fat Amy said, "The kraken has been unleashed" and she rushed down after Beca.

I could only watch as Beca moved over to where Jesse was trying to talk his way out of a fight. She grabbed the older guy's shoulder and punched him. I didn't know what to do. Part of me was really turned on by her aggression and the other part just wanted to grab her and carry her away from the dangerous situation. I felt Aubrey stiffen beside me, but I couldn't even turn to look at her as Beca tried to stop Fat Amy from pummeling the guy. Before I could decide what to do, the Treble's first place trophy went flying through the glass door leading outside. I gasped and watched as the brawling crowd dissipated, leaving Beca standing alone in the lobby of the building. She looked so lost in that moment that I was finally able to move. I rushed down to her. It was as though my movement broke Aubrey from her own stationary position.

We reached Beca at the same time a police officer stepped through the broken glass door. He had one hand reaching towards her in what was supposed to be a calming gesture with the other hand resting on the butt of his gun.

"Don't move." The officer said to Beca. She didn't move, she didn't even acknowledge that Aubrey and I were now standing next to her. When it became apparent that none of us were going to say anything, he asked. "What happened?"

I opened my mouth to explain the situation, but Beca's surprisingly calm voice cut me off. "I threw the trophy through the door." I was shocked, that wasn't at all what happened, but the officer didn't give me a chance to explain.

"Well, then, I'm afraid you're going to have to come with me." He said and pulled out handcuffs.

Beca didn't say anything, she just turned to face us. While he cuffed her, she pleaded with her eyes, for us to stay silent. Not knowing what else to do, I gave her a small nod and a brave smile. And then Beca was gone. The officer was leading her to his patrol car reciting her Miranda rights.

I turned to Aubrey. "What are we going to do?" I asked, feeling tears welling up in my eyes.

She pulled me into a hug and whispered, "I don't know, Chloe. I don't know."

A voice cleared his throat behind us and we broke apart guiltily. When I turned away from Aubrey, Jesse was standing there, looking slightly awkward.

"I'm sorry about that. I should have stopped her."

I felt more than saw Aubrey's sneer. "Yeah, well you didn't. Now you better fix this. Beca doesn't deserve what just happened. Especially since she was trying to protect you!"

Jesse looked ashamed. "You're right. I'll take care of it. I'll get her out, tonight."

Aubrey huffed. "Good. Tell her we'll be waiting for her back at campus." She said and then turned on her heal and headed for the bus.

I offered Jesse an appreciative smile. "Thanks. You're a good friend." I said, emphasizing the friend part probably more than necessary.

He grinned obviously catching the possessive tone in my voice. "Yeah, I'm lucky to have her as a friend. Too bad she's gay."

My breath caught. Hearing the confirmation I hadn't realized that I was craving lifted a weight of doubt off my shoulders which I didn't even know I was carrying. I grinned. I liked Jesse. He seemed like a nice guy and I wanted to talk to him some more. I just had to know what else Beca had admitted to him. I sighed as I realized that now wasn't the time. Aubrey would skin me alive if I wasn't back at the bus by the time all the other Bellas were ready to leave.

I winked at Jesse, "Yeah, that's too bad for you. I'll talk to you later." I knew Jesse caught my meaning when he suddenly looked alarmed. I chuckled and followed Aubrey to the bus. I couldn't wait to tell her this new development.

Unfortunately, when I got back to the bus, Aubrey and the other girls were already there, sitting quietly and waiting for me. As soon as I stepped onto the bus, Aubrey shot a glare at me and asked, "Where were you?"

I shrugged. "Talking to Jesse."

Aubrey's frown deepened and she snapped. "Well, sit down! I think it's time we got out of here."

"Of course, Bre." I said apologetically and slumped down into the seat that Beca had occupied on the drive down here.

Fat Amy quickly shut the door and got the bus on the road. The hour long drive was agonizingly quiet. No one wanted to say anything and piss Aubrey off. The only good part of the drive was that Aubrey had time to calm down. By the time we were pulling off the highway and heading back towards campus, she spoke up.

"Alright, ladies. That Treble Jesse said that he would get Beca out tonight, so I think we should all wait for her at her dorm. I think it would be a good way to thank her for protecting us in this situation."

I looked around at the other girls and had to hide a smile at the astonishment on their faces. I knew that most of them thought that Aubrey hated Beca, and they weren't really sure how to respond to this new side of Aubrey. The girls hurriedly agreed and started discussing ways to express their gratitude. As I watched, I saw Cynthia Rose look at Aubrey suspiciously, before shooting a glance at me. I quickly diverted my gaze and bit my lip. Somehow, I didn't think the other lesbian missed much and I wondered how much of the situation she had already guessed.

Fat Amy pulled the bus up in front of Baker Hall and turned it off. We all piled off the bus and I looked for an opportunity to pull Aubrey aside and share Jesse's revelation with her. But the change never arrived. The girls were all hovering around Aubrey as we piled into the elevator and crowded down the hallway to Beca's dorm room. Aubrey was closest to her door and gave it a couple of short knocks. After a minute, Kimmie Jin opened the door and scowled when she saw us.

"Beca's not here." She said shortly before trying to close the door in our faces.

"We know, " Aubrey said pushing her way into the room. "She should be back soon, so we'll just wait for her. Kimmie Jin's scowl deepened, but she just moved back over to her desk and started typing furiously on her computer. Aubrey glanced back at the girls and smirked. I grinned and we all piled into the room, finding seats wherever we could, but being careful to stay on Beca's side of the room.

The Bellas started chatting and I finally managed to catch Aubrey's eyes. I silently told her I had some very exciting news. She nodded and we both smiled at each other. Fat Amy asked Aubrey a question about the semi-finals and we both let ourselves get absorbed in the conversations around us.

Hours later, the door finally opened and Beca walked in. I sat forward wanting to get up and pull the girl into a hug. I was so relieved to see her. I only just barely managed to stop myself.

"You guys waited up for me?" Beca asked, surprised.

"Of course we waited up for you." I assured.

When Beca turned to her rude roommate, I glanced over at Aubrey and saw the same desire to touch the brunette reflected in her eyes. She noticed my gaze and gave me a rueful smile before pulling herself together.

Aubrey stood from Beca's desk chair and stated, "Beca, I'm glad you're here. I'm calling and emergency Bella meeting." This was met with grumbles from the other girls. "First up, our score sheets revealed that the sock-a-pellas almost beat us. Fat Amy, you have to do it exactly how we rehearsed it, ok? No surprises."

Beca cut off Aubrey's next thought. "We should be taking risks. It's not enough to be good. We need to put ourselves out there. Be different."

"Beca's right. The Trebles never sing the same thing twice." Cynthia Rose agreed.

"The audience loved the Trebles. They tolerate us. We could change the face of acapella, if we—" Beca continued before cutting herself off. "Oh my God, that sounded so queer balls. What's happening to me? Um, let me show you this arrangement I've been working on." She finished, crossing to her desk and turning on the equipment.

I couldn't resist getting closer to her, so I moved up behind her and leaned over her shoulder. "I didn't know you were into this stuff."

"Yeah" She muttered distractedly as she opened a program on her computer.

Aubrey cleared her throat. "Ok, I have the pitch pipe and I say that we focus on the set list as planned. From now on, there will be no more wasting time with school, or boyfriends, or partners. Sorry, Cynthia Rose." She added with a glance over at the girl.

"But Aubrey, this is pretty cool—" I started.

"Ok, everyone, rehearsal tomorrow eight AM sharp." Aubrey said speaking over me with forced cheer. Aubrey then clapped her hands and shot me a look before walking out of the room. That look told me to stay and make sure Beca was ok. I knew that she wanted to be there, but didn't feel like she could. I only had time to give her the briefest of nods before she was gone.

Neither Beca nor I moved as everyone else got up and headed for the door. We all exchanged good nights as they left. I waited until we were alone before letting out a small sigh and looked at Beca.

"Are you alright?" I asked reaching out to rub her back.

Beca smiled up at me. "Yeah, I'm fine. I kinda hate my dad right now, but that's not anything new."

"Why what happened?" I asked, still letting my hand run up and down her spine, since she hadn't shrugged it off.

She sighed, and stood up. She walked over to her closet to take off her jacket and shoes. "It doesn't really matter."

"Yeah it does." I insisted. "If you're upset, then it does matter to me."

She turned sharply to face me. She studied me for a long time. Apparently seeing my sincerity, she nodded and said, "Music is my passion. It's been there for me when no one else was. When I graduated high school, my only goal was to move to LA and get a job at a record label and start paying my dues. I couldn't afford to do that on my own, so I let my dad talk me into coming here instead." She paused, unable to meet my eyes. Instead she turned into her closet and started to undress. My mouth went dry as she pulled her shirt off, throwing it into the laundry basket in her closet. After she had pulled on a tank top, she started speaking again and I had a hard time focusing on her words, especially as her skirt hit the floor.

"Anyway, right before I joined the Bellas, my dad made a deal with me. He said if I joined a group on campus and actually gave college a chance, he would help me move to LA at the end of the year, if I still wanted to go." She glanced over her shoulder and smirked at me when she saw my gaze lingering on her ass. I blushed and looked up to meet her amused stare. After a moment, she grabbed pajama pants and pulled them on.

I swallowed hard, and thought back over what she was saying. "So, you're leaving at the end of the year?" I asked, suddenly scared that I would lose her before I ever had her.

She smirked, and moved to sit on her bed. Looking anywhere but me, she spoke so softly that I had to strain to hear her. "That's the thing, Chloe. I don't even know if I want to anymore." She sighed and looked back at me. "It doesn't really matter. Tonight, after my dad bailed me out, he said that he wasn't going to pay for me to go to LA after a 'stunt like that'. He wouldn't even let me explain what really happened. So, that's why I hate my dad, tonight."

Beca seemed so lost in that moment that I moved over to sit beside her on the bed and pulled her into a hug. "I'm so sorry, Becs. That really sucks."

She shrugged. "It's fine. I should be used to it by now. He walked out on my mom and I when I was seven and he didn't want to have much to do with me until I was a teenager."

"Oh honey, that's awful. I'm sorry you had to go through that." I said, kissing the top of her head.

She sighed and shrugged again before pulling away from me. "Like I said, it doesn't matter. I'll get over it."

I decided to change the subject before she put up too many emotional barriers and kicked me out. "So, what were you going to show Aubrey?" I asked gesturing towards her computer.

Beca shot me a grin. "I make mixes and mash-up songs that most people wouldn't think go together." She said proudly.

I grinned. "Can I hear one?"

"Sure, give me a minute." She said with a smirk before going over to her desk and searching through her files. I moved to the head of her bed and leaned on her desk watching. She paused and looked over at me. I couldn't tell what she was thinking, but I saw the moment she came to a decision.

Beca's smile was both excited and sultry as she handed me her headphones. "Here, I think you may like this one. That's me singing."

I grabbed the headphones and placed them over my ears. Once Beca pressed play, she turned to watch me. I gasped as I heard the opening to Titanium. I stared into Beca's eyes as the song played, my breath going shallow as heat coursed through my body and my nipples hardened to rocks. I was helpless to look away from her gaze. Her eyes grew darker as she watched me, which only made me hotter. By the time the song transitioned into Bulletproof, I was almost panting with my need for her. Beca didn't seem to be fairing much better. Her skin was flushed and she seemed to be struggling to keep her breath even. It was possibly one of the most intimate moments I have ever shared with another person.

When the track ended, I let out a shuddering sigh and the spell was broken. Beca looked away and I came back to the present, tearing the headphones off my ears and dropping them on the desk. I took several deep breaths, struggling to get my hormones in check and noticed that Beca was doing the same. "Wow." I said hoarsely.

Beca chuckled and looked back at me. "I take it you liked the song."

"Oh, my God, Becs, it was amazing. You are amazing." I said with complete sincerity.

She blushed and shifted awkwardly in her chair. "Thanks," she said softly.

"No, thank you for sharing that with me. It really means a lot to me." I reached out and grasped her arm, squeezing lightly to show that I really meant it.

She met my gaze with a small smile. "You're welcome."

We just stared at each other for a long time, smiling. Eventually, I realized how late it was and decided that it was time to go home. Tonight had been a huge step forward, but it wasn't time to take Beca home, yet.

I sat back. "I should probably be going, it's been a long day and it's getting late." I said reluctantly.

"Yeah, I guess." Beca said with equal reluctance.

It made me smile. I stood up and crossed to Beca, pulling her up into a hug. "Thank you for everything. Tonight meant a lot to me." I said meaning both the song and her opening up earlier.

She smiled into my hair. "You're welcome. It meant a lot to me too." She pulled back from the hug just enough to place a soft kiss on my cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow, Chloe."

I smiled and reached up to caress her cheek for a moment. "See you tomorrow, Becs." I said and kissed her cheek before turning and leaving. As the door was swinging shut behind me, I heard Beca's frustrated groan and the soft thud of her landing heavily on her bed. I just grinned and hurried home.