Beca wakes up freezing the next morning, still lying on top of all the blankets. She blinks, eyes adjusting to the dark, and glances at the clock. 5:07. Jesse is passed out in the other bed, tied up in the sheets and half hanging off the bed with his forehead inches from slamming into the nightstand. She shakes her head at him, wondering how he could possibly be comfortable, and curls into a ball under the blankets to warm up.
The last thing she remembers from the night before is switching off the television and trying to will her thoughts away from those of Chloe, but when memories of her dreams slowly creep in, she realizes those attempts were obviously unsuccessful. She blushes and face plants into the pillows, knowing she is going to have to suck it up before the show if she wants to come off as at least halfway sane.
All those second-hand highs from Jesse must be going to my head, she thinks. She's just another musician. Just like us. Nothing to freak out about.
-xxx-
Later that morning, Jesse pounces on Beca's bed, straddling her hips and shaking her to wake her up. "C'monnnnnnnnnn, Becaw! We're gonna miss the free breakfast if you don't get out of bed!"
Despite the rude awakening, Beca smiles at his strange behavior. "You are so weird, Jess. Has anyone ever told you that?"
"What? You know how much I love my waffles!" Jesse cries, continuing to bounce on top of Beca.
"Well then get off me, fat ass," Beca teases, bucking her hips to throw Jesse off balance. The move works a little too well and Jesse tumbles off the bed and onto the floor.
"Ow," he moans, glaring at Beca as he stands up, rubbing his ass. "That hurt, asshole."
"That's what you get for waking me up like that. You know I'm not a morning person."
Beca pulls on her shoes and runs her fingers through her hair, not bothering to change clothes yet. "We gonna go get some waffles or what?"
Jesse's eyes light up and he grabs Beca's hand, charging for the door. "A woman after my own heart!"
"God, you have way too much energy in the morning," Beca says, laughing as she lets Jesse drag her down the hall.
"Maybe if you actually slept instead of having sex dreams, you would too," Jesse shoots back as they stepped in the elevator. Beca is pretty sure her face instantly takes on the color of the bright red carpet on the floor and she wishes she could just disappear. "Who were you thinking about over there anyway? Your new lady-crush Chloe?"
"Shut up," Beca finally manages, but she doesn't deny it. "I don't have a crush on her."
Before Jesse can speak again, the elevator opens up to the breakfast area and he dashes out. Beca breathes a sigh of relief, glad she doesn't have to endure any more of his questioning. She takes her time at the breakfast bar, getting some fresh fruit and cereal, and then snagging a table while Jesse makes his waffles. She;s halfway through an orange when Jesse finally makes it back with two waffles and a bottle of syrup.
"Jesus, I thought those kids would never leave," Jesse complains as he pours half the bottle of syrup on his waffles, making sure to get some in every square.
Beca turns and spots two boys, probably no more than 8 or 9, with plates full of waffles. "Oh, c'mon El, you so could have taken them," she says seriously, taking a bite of her orange.
Jesse laughs and nearly chokes on the food in his mouth. "Shut up, Mitchell, before you kill me. You still need a guitarist if you wanna talk to your lady-crush tonight."
"Whatever. I don't have a crush on her. I just think she's really talented."
"Keep tellin' yourself that, Becs."
Beca sighs.
-xxx-
Beca sees Chloe that afternoon during The Flyaways' sound check and tries really, really hard to pay attention to the merch table she is setting up and not Chloe, which proves to be a more difficult task than it should be. Luckily, Stacie is the one that keeps her from looking like a total loser and catches her when she trips over the corner of a merch box.
"Everything okay?" Stacie asks, eyebrow arched flirtatiously at the way Beca is pressed up against her.
Beca blushes and pulls away, pushing the offending box fully under the table to avoid further disaster. She sends up a silent prayer that Jesse isn't around to tease her for being so distracted.
"Yeah. I'm good. Just nerves."
"Look, I'll finish this up. Why don't you go get some fresh air? I'll tell Jesse where you are if he comes looking."
"You're the best," Beca says with a smile. "I'll be out back."
"I try."
Beca grabs a bottle of water from the bar and then pushes out the back door, squinting her eyes to adjust to the difference from the dark club. She turns her face toward the sun, basking in the warmth, and takes a deep breath. "Get it together, Mitchell," she mutters, taking a long swig from the bottle as she paces back and forth, scuffing the toe of her dirty Converse against the metal grate below her feet. "You can do this."
Beca continues to stare into the sun, still contemplating everything. She's kissed a girl before. Two, to be exact - one in high school, just to see what it was like, and Jessica, one of her and Jesse's classmates, on a dare when they were all first getting to know each other - but it isn't like she likes girls, so this is all pretty confusing and she doesn't quite know what to do. Jesse walking out of the club and dropping down next to her cuts her moment of introspection short. "B, what's up? Stacie said you needed some fresh air."
"Nothin'," Beca says, sitting down on one of the metal steps, knowing Jesse can see right though her lie but not wanting to talk either way.
Jesse joins her. "Is this about your lady? 'Cause she sounded killer in there."
"Jesus! I don't have a crush on her, okay? I don't even like girls!" Beca rants, ignoring the part of her brain that is reminding her that she was just having this very same argument with herself.
"Whoa," Jesse says, placing her hand on Beca's knee. "I'm just teasing you."
"Sorry," Beca sighs. "I'm just nervous."
"Me too," Jesse admits, resting his head on Beca's shoulder and wrapping an arm around her in a half hug. There's a moment of silence before he speaks again. "You know I'd be cool with it, right?"
Beca's forehead wrinkles in confusion. "Cool with what?"
"If you liked girls."
"Of course you would, perv."
"Not like that. Well, maybe like that, but I mean, hell, Chloe is pretty hot. I think I might have a little crush on her," Jesse says, and Beca elbows him gently. "What? If you're not calling dibs, I totally want in on that."
"You're so crazy," Beca laughs, ruffling Jesse's hair. She's silent for a while before she nudges Jesse again. "Jesse?"
"Hmm?" Jesse's leaning back against the stairs, eyes closed, completely at ease, and Beca can't help but feel a little bit jealous.
"You bring any with you?" Beca asks, and she knows it's a stupid question because of course Jesse's got weed. It isn't like he's a total burnout or anything, but Beca has learned by now that Jesse works best with a slight buzz going.
Jesse pulls away from Beca and smiles wolfishly, pulling a half-smoked joint and a Zippo from the front pocket of his hoodie. He doesn't ask exactly why Beca wants to smoke, just lights up and inhales deeply before passing it, and Beca is thankful for the silence. She takes a long drag and holds the smoke in until her eyes water, reveling in the quasi-familiar burn inside her lungs. They pass it back and forth a few more times, and the bickering over the last hit ends quickly when Jesse presses his lips to Beca's, shotgunning expertly.
"There. Now we both win," Jesse says, stubbing the roach out on the step.
Beca laughs and says, "You know, if you wanted to kiss me again, you could have just said something."
There's a grin on Jesse's face when he says, "Asshole."
"You know you love me."
"Okay, Gossip Girl."
"Seriously?" Beca questions, nearly choking on her laughter.
"Four older sisters," Jesse grouses. "There's a lot of things I don't want to know."
-xxx-
Beca doesn't see Chloe again until after they finish their own set. While Jesse finishes packing up their gear, Beca heads to the merch table to relieve Stacie of her duties, and there she is, studying their demo. Beca whispers a quick thanks to Stacie and she heads off as Beca takes her place behind the table. Before she can introduce herself, Chloe looks up and speaks.
"How much?" she asks, holding up the demo, and Beca's eyes go wide in amazement.
"Oh, uh, take it," she says. There's no way she's letting Chloe pay for their demo.
"You sure?" Chloe asks and Beca nods. "You guys were great up there! I'm Chloe, from The Flyaways," she says holding out her hand.
Beca shakes Chloe's hand and fights the urge to say Yeah, I know who you are. Instead, she smiles back and her and says, "Nice to meet you. I'm Beca."
"Didn't I see you last night at the hotel? You held the elevator for me, yeah?"
Beca feels her heart race at the fact that Chloe remembered her. She shakes her head at herself, but her smile grows wider when she says, "Yeah, that was me."
The next band starts up then and it cuts off their conversation, but Chloe stays there, eyeing all the merch. Beca sells a few things, and when everyone clears, Chloe speaks again, louder this time. "So who does all your art?"
"Both of us," Beca tells her, heart still racing a million miles a minute for no good reason. "I did all the patches and the shirt, but Jesse did the cover for the demo."
"Well, damn. Aren't you two just the epitome of DIY?" Chloe smiles. "I wish I had some artistic talent so we could stop paying people so much to do our stuff for us."
"Well if you ever need anything done..." Beca says with a laugh, and she trails off, leaving the offer open ended.
"Tell you what," Chloe says, reaching across the table so they can talk without shouting, "Find me after my set. We'll hang out and discuss some options, okay?"
Beca nods. "Sure."
"Then it's a date," Chloe says, smiling brightly.
"It's a date," Beca agrees, mouthing hanging open slightly as she watches Chloe walk off, not even noticing that Jesse is now standing beside her.
"What's a date?" Jesse asks, nudging Beca, who just elbows him back.
"We're discussing artwork, that's it."
"That's what the kids are calling it these days?" Jesse teases.
"God, you are such a loser, Swanson. Why am I friends with you?" Beca asks with a smirk.
"Because you love me and we make awesome music together. Duh."
"I suppose you have a valid argument. But seriously, nothing's going on. Aside from the whole issue where I'm not gay, Chloe's engaged."
"What? How do you know?"
"Ask the rock on her finger."
"Doesn't mean anything. Probably keeps her from being hit on while she's on tour," Jesse says.
"Whatever," Beca says, but for some reason, there's that lingering hope in the back of her mind that Jesse just may be right.
-xxx-
When The Flyaways go on, Jesse sends Beca up close to watch her lady love, saying he'll man the merch table. Beca mumbles a thanks, knowing that protesting the crush will just get a The lady doth protest too much, me thinks, from him. She stands to the edge of the stage and watches intently, absorbing it all. The way Chloe commands attention is breathtaking, and Beca watches intensely, enraptured by it all.
Toward the end of the set, Chloe takes a break to talk to the crowd. "I want to thank all of you for coming out tonight," Chloe says, and she shoots a smile in Beca's direction that makes her heart leap into her throat.
"It's our first tour across the states and everyone has been so welcoming. I also want to thank our two opening bands. The Manhattan Six are good friends of ours from New York; they're a great bunch of guys and they'll be with us on the whole tour. This New Thing was the first band on tonight, and if any of you missed those two, you seriously missed out on the best set of the night. Do yourself a favor and go pick up their demo; you won't be disappointed."
Beca's jaw drops. Chloe had said she thought they were great, but Beca just assumed it was a courtesy thing, play nice with the supporting act and all that. She wasn't expecting a public endorsement or anything. When Chloe looks her away again, Beca mouths thank you and smiles shyly, which earns a wink from Chloe and Beca tries to ignore the way her heart feels like it's about to pound right out of her chest.
After the encore, Beca bounces back to the merch table, practically floating, and Jesse greets her with a high five. "Damn, baby girl! You must have made an impression on your lady!" he exclaims as he grabs a shirt for the person waiting at the table.
"Shut up!" Beca laughs, smacking Jesse's arm as she slips behind the table with him. "It was both of us."
"Whatever, who's the one that's got a date tonight?"
"Engaged," Beca says as a reminder, rolling her eyes as she turns back to the few people waiting, making a few last minute sales before packing up. It only takes a few minutes to break down the table, and they perch themselves on top of the merch boxes to tally up the sales.
"Looks like you guys made a good impression," Stacie says when she comes over to pay them for the night. "Glad you could make it up."
"Yeah, me too!" Beca says bouncing on the balls of her feet in excitement.
"Thanks for inviting us up," Jesse offers with a goofy smile.
"Always," Stacie replies, placing a hand on Jesse's thigh that lingers just long enough for Beca to arch an eyebrow in their direction.
"Hey."
Beca spins around to find Chloe standing behind her and swallows hard at how she somehow manages to look even more attractive with flushed cheeks and hair clinging to slightly sweaty skin.
"Hey! Thank you so much for what you said. That really..."
Chloe holds up her hand to stop her. "I only said it because it was true."
"Well. Either way. Thank you," Beca says. "Oh... before I forget... Chloe, this is Jesse, my awesome guitarist who convinced me to play in a band with him."
Chloe smiles and shakes Jesse's hand. "Nice to meet you."
"Same here," Jesse says, and Beca gives him a look before he can say anything more.
"Hey, uh... the boys wanna go out tonight so I was wondering if I could grab a ride back to the hotel with you guys?" Chloe asks, looking from Beca to Jesse then back to Beca with a hopeful smile.
"Yeah!" Beca says, eyes lighting up in excitement. "You all ready to go?"
Chloe nods back. "Yeah. Let me just tell the boys they don't have to take me back. I'll meet you outside?"
"Sounds like a plan."
Jesse jumps down and offers a high five to Beca. "Damn. You go girl!"
"Shut it, J. Let's just get this stuff out to the car."