Disclaimer: I do not own Pitch Perfect or any songs used in this fic.

Chapter 2

After fleeing back to the corner where she came from and making sure no one spotted her, Chloe rested her back on the wall and tried to catch her breath. Her thoughts were everywhere.

It is her, why is she here, in New York? What is she doing here? How long has she been here anyway?... So many questions were running loops in her head, and she was having trouble calming down and clearing her mind. It had been 8 years, 8 years since she last saw the brunette. She suddenly felt a familiar ache in her heart. After so many years, hearing this familiar voice still made her want to smile and cry all at the same time. Those bittersweet and painful memories were started to resurface, triggered by hearing that voice. Chloe shook her head firmly, trying to shake away those feelings. She didn't spend so many nights crying and trying to forget, only to have those feelings come back just like that.

She didn't know how long she stayed in that corner. But when she finally decided that she was calm enough to go home, she couldn't help but steal a final glance to where Beca was standing not so long ago. However, there was no one there anymore. She must have left. Chloe thought. And there was a feeling she couldn't describe in her heart. Was it disappointment? Or was it relief? She couldn't tell. So, with a thoughtful look and still a little shaken, Chloe started to walk back to her apartment. After all, Chicago was still waiting to talk to her.

After about 20 minutes, Chloe was finally back at her apartment and found that Chicago was sitting on the couch with a beer, clearly waiting for her. She let out a small sigh and approached him.

"Sorry I came home late, had to finish some paperwork at the clinic."

And when she didn't receive any response other than a hesitant look from Chicago, she frowned,

"What's wrong? What did you want to talk about?"

Chicago put down his beer and sighed as well. He hesitated for a moment before looking up at Chloe, and said,

"The army wants me back in Europe, I'm supposed to leave next week for a new appointment."

"Oh…" Chloe didn't know what to say.

"So I guess what I'm trying to ask is that will you come with me to Europe?" Chicago added with a hopeful look.

"I…" Chloe was at a loss of words, "I…I don't know…can I at least think about it?"

Chicago sighed, "Of course, it's a big change I know. I'm leaving on next Thursday. So before that, take all the time you need." And with that, Chicago stood up and went to their bedroom, leaving Chloe standing in the living room with a perplexed face.

The next day, Chloe left work early and called her best friend Aubrey to have a late lunch together.

At their usual coffee shop, after ordering some food, they started to chat about random stuff at work. Aubrey watched as Chloe absent-mindedly stirred her coffee with a thoughtful and unreadable face, and decided to ask the question,

"What's up with you? First a last-minute lunch date, now you just seem distracted."

Chloe looked up at Aubrey's words and offered her an apologetic smile, "Sorry, Bree, you know I just have a lot on my mind." She finished with a sigh.

"Well you know you can always tell me anything, that's what best friends are for." Aubrey said.

Chloe smiled a little, "I know, I just… Chicago is about to get transferred to Europe, and last night he asked me to go with him."

"Wow, that's…" Aubrey was surprised at this, "I don't know, I mean obviously I'm gonna miss you like crazy if you decide to go with him, but I'm happy for you at the same time. At least that shows he's serious about your relationship, doesn't it?"

Chloe nodded.

"Do you want to go with him?" Aubrey asked.

"I don't know", Chloe answered honestly, "I don't know what I'm feeling right now. I just…" Chloe sighed.

Aubrey offered her a sympathetic smile.

After a moment of silence, Chloe spoke again, "I saw Beca last night at the park, playing guitar."

Aubrey's eyes widened, "Beca?! Beca Mitchell?! She's in New York?!"

Chloe nodded, but didn't say anything.

"Well, did you talk to her? What is she doing in New York?" Aubrey asked, still surprised.

"No… I was walking in the park and just saw her singing. And before she can see me, I just ran away." Chloe answered.

Aubrey nodded understandingly, "Well, okay… I mean it's been like what, 8 years? Since you last saw her? How are you feeling?"

Chloe offered a sad smile to Aubrey, "Yeah, almost 8 years. And I thought I've already buried those complicated feelings deep inside or even got rid of them. But hearing her voice, I just…they all came back…those memories…" Chloe laughed at herself, "Guess I'm just pathetic…"

"No, you are not pathetic," Aubrey reassured the redhead, "It's normal, trust me." Aubrey hesitated for a second before adding, "Do you want to maybe try to talk to her if you ever see her again?"

Chloe thought about Aubrey's question for a while, before answering, "Maybe…I mean I could always use one more friend I guess. And things did end quite ugly for us so it might be good to finally be able to fix it, right?" Aubrey nodded, while Chloe continued, "But I still need to figure out whether I want to leave with Chicago. I can't just throw away a 2-year relationship but you know I don't believe in long-distance relationship, just look at how well that first one worked out… And my clinic is doing well, I've really enjoyed working there and I just…" Chloe was rambling and she sighed, "I don't know… I feel like I don't know what I want or how I feel right now."

Aubrey sighed, reaching for Chloe's hand that was resting on the table, "That's ok, Chlo, most people don't know what they want or what they are doing in their life, you just need to listen to your heart and try to figure out what is more important to you right now and then you'll know the answers to all your questions."

Chloe smiled, "Thanks Bree… But I hope I figure this out soon because Chicago is leaving on next Thursday."

"So soon? That's tough… hey, I just want you to know that whatever you decide, I'll always support you and you're not getting rid of me even if you are all the way in Europe!" Aubrey joked.

"Of course! And you are not getting rid of me either!" Chloe laughed.

Beca Mitchell woke up in her bed with a groan and checked her phone. It was 11am. After her shift at the bar from 12am to 4am, she would usually go home for some sleep and then she had to leave again for her other job at a restaurant to play the piano or the guitar to entertain the diners from 6pm to 10pm. Then, between 10pm and 12am, since she usually had her guitar with her, she would use this 2-hour break to find a spot in the street and play her music. The restaurant didn't allow her to play her own songs, saying they were incompatible to the vibe in the restaurant. So she had to use the street as the stage for her own music and the passers-by as her audience. Plus, some of them would even leave some changes in her guitar case, so hey, who would say no to some extra cash?

So that had basically become her routine since she moved to New York 3 months ago. She always thought she had talent and would eventually break into the music industry, at least that was what someone used to tell her. But it hadn't happened so far and she was not so sure about her talent anymore. She moved to New York after spending 5 years in LA with no luck. So, she hoped a change of environment would be good for her creativity and potential career. But her situation in New York seemed to be no different than in LA, or maybe even worse. At least in LA, she was working in a record label as a casual staff in administration, in charging of scheduling, getting lunch orders and so on. It wasn't ideal, but at least she was close to what she wanted to do. However, after that incident, she didn't need to think twice to leave that job and buy a one-way ticket to New York.

That incident. Beca scoffed at herself. She needed to stop thinking about that. What she needed was to focus on her music and hoped that someday someone would notice her. And it had to happen soon because she was starting to lose faith. She can't keep living like this, working two jobs and playing music in the streets. It may be cute and fun for some young artist, but after so many years being unnoticed, maybe it was just because she was never good enough.

Beca sighed, starting to get up. She still had a few hours before she had to leave for the restaurant, so she would find something to eat and then hopefully finish that song she had been writing recently.