Chapter 3

Saturday - April 9th

In retrospect, she should have planned her morning run to take place on a Sunday so she had the Saturday to relax but there was a schedule to stick to and despite how tired she was, she was going to get through this. It was only around ten in the morning but the effects of the work week could still be felt in her body. Even her yellow tank top and pink jogging shorts combo felt heavy on her.

Chloe hated running. She wasn't lazy or an unhealthy person, it was just mind-numbingly boring. It had been great when she had first arrived in the city. The park was an unexplored territory and she had enjoyed running different routes through it. It was still a great place to run but there was a sense of dissatisfaction that had begun to encroach on every aspect of her life. She was surprised it had even snuck into her running.

The reason for the dissatisfaction was apparent to her. It had to do with the people around her. The redhead was good at making friends. Her outward energy and boldness made her easily approachable. It was the nature of these friendships that she found depressing. None of them were very deep. No one she had met in this city could be considered a close friend. She had become aware of it in her adult life. At some point, the people her age became harder to get close to. The friends she made in the city were different from the ones in her hometown. They were older, they had jobs and other engagements which meant she had less time to get to know them. They were not people she could rely on, they wouldn't be a shoulder to cry on or a place to share her innermost thoughts. Despite the vast amount of people around her, she felt more alone than ever.

The park was usually a peaceful place, even on weekends. A large number of trees in the park created a canopy that provided shade and formed tight little avenues between the trunks. It was quite a sizable park so the busy sounds of the city were almost inaudible as you ventured deeper into it. During the spring, the rain would cool the park and unleash a torrent of smells from the flowers and leaves. This combined with the breeze that became focused as it was forced through the tunnels of trees made for a magical sort of atmosphere.

Her first obstacle was going to be the ice cream cart. It was a particularly hot day so there was bound to be a generous number of customers. Already there was a gaggle of children crowding the cart and blocking her path. It forced her to lower her pace to navigate around carefully. Something did catch her eye though.

Dressed in red flannel and a pair of dark blue jeans approached one Beca Mitchell with what looked to be two ice cream cones full of vanilla ice cream in her hand, both covered in an unnecessary amount chocolate syrup. She was wearing dark eyeliner much like at the office but it was applied on a little heavier here. The contrast it created with the whites of her eyes further brought out the blue in the center and Chloe found herself staring at them again.

"Ice cream?" Beca beamed.

She was so adorable it was hard to deny her but Chloe had a pace to maintain and sugar and fat were not going to help.

"What are you doing here?" The redhead inquired.

"Just out, it's a nice day."

The brunette pushed the ice cream towards her.

"I can't. It would kinda be counterintuitive to the whole exercise thing."

Her heart broke at the face Beca made to her rejection. It quickly changed back to a smile.

"How about the next time I see you?" Beca asked.

"Ok."

Her reply earned her a sly grin. Perhaps she was imagining it.

Chloe bid her goodbye and finally made her way past the gaggle of children. The next leg of her run included the two ponds with a stretch of land separating them. There were benches surrounding the ponds mostly occupied by elderly people who weren't expecting the heat.

The ponds were home to ducks. These ducks were fat and rather ugly from overfeeding, a problem of having the park in a major city. Well-fed ducks meant that more of the local population survived. This meant that there was an unnaturally large number of them in and around the pond. These ducks were more than happy to bathe the path with their excrement. The game became to keep her speed while avoiding the droppings. Thankfully, the smell of the rest of the park masked whatever was coming from the droppings.

Beca hadn't expected to see such a depressed version of Chloe on her Saturday morning. Most runners don't look like they are enjoying themselves but the redhead had looked rather despondent.

Even her glum expression didn't really stop her from standing out though, at least to Beca. Chloe was a warm presence in a sea of uninteresting faces, all going about their day. Next to the redhead, the rest of the world might as well be in grayscale.

Walking through the park with an ice cream had been the plan for the day. She needed the fresh air after being cooped up in an office throughout the week and being too tired to actually do anything when she got home. A relaxing day had been the plan.

That was until she had seen Chloe. Finding out what was wrong had been her first thought and it wasn't something she could shake. The ice cream plan had failed but she could feel something cooking in her brain the moment the older girl had rejected her offer.

It would be childish to do what she was planning to do. Her intentions of relaxing for the day would have to go out the window. It might end up being a waste of time. The only thing really pushing her was that it would cheer up Chloe.

A need arose in her, a need to cheer up her co-worker. It was unexpectedly strong and felt like it was giving her energy to follow through on her stupid idea, energy she thought had been drained by the week.

After the ponds, Chloe came to a large clearing now covered in lush spring grass. This was where most people gathered. Some were lazing away on picnic blankets, kids were playing and there were other runners. Off to the side, there was a group of people throwing around a Frisbee.

The clearing had an assortment of flower beds scattered around it. A colorful mix of flowers like tulips, daffodils and even roses were in bloom.

Curiously, there was also a familiar face there. One Beca Mitchell, with noticeably muddier shoes than before, still holding two ice creams.

Still grinning, she approached the redhead. "Ice Cream?" She offered again.

The redhead figured that she must have taken a shortcut through the trees and the muddy shoes confirmed her suspicions.

"Beca, I just told you why I couldn't."

"But you said next time," the brunette fake whined.

"You know that's not what I meant and you've slowed me down again," Chloe huffed.

She wasn't actually angry, it was a nice surprise but Beca had decided to play the devil on her shoulder today and she wasn't going to give in. The younger girl was certainly making her run more interesting.

Chloe said her farewells for the second time today, to the same person before running off again towards the darker canopies.

"Definitely next time though!" She heard Beca shout from behind her.

The next area of the park was her favorite. It tended to be the quietest for some reason. The light from the sun barely streamed in through the thick canopy so it tended to create shafts of light that scattershot the pathway. It was peaceful here. All she could hear was the tapping of her feet against the ground and the slight rustle of the leaves from the light breeze.

However, her mind was currently preoccupied with thoughts of Beca. She had forgotten about the brunette when she was going through her more depressing thoughts earlier. Beca was different from her other friends. Chloe had become incredibly comfortable with the other girl in a really short period of time.

Friday had been a strange day. Chloe had subconsciously played footsie with Beca even going so far as to remove her shoes in the process. It hadn't been on purpose, she would swear by it. A fear that Beca would be weirded out by it had quickly dissolved when she had made no arguments to the accidental removal of their shoes. Chloe noticed later that Beca had removed her other shoe, indicating that she hadn't minded the contact. Their feet had remained together for the rest of the day, neither addressing it.

Beca liked Chloe. She liked her more than she had expected. For the first time in years, Beca wanted a friendship to work out. As children, it was much easier to make friends. This was because children had fewer likes and dislikes, they were still forming opinions and becoming a person. This meant they were broader and as a result, easier to befriend. Adults were a different story. They were fully formed with ideas, hobbies and interests. It was much harder to find commonality with them. Most people tended to find making friends more difficult as adults but being an introvert didn't help matters.

Meeting Chloe had put a dent into that theory though. She would guess that she and Chloe didn't have that many shared interests. Yet she seemed to connect with the redhead easily. It was a theory she didn't really believe in to begin with. She had attempted to make friends with other musicians. It made her realize that friendship isn't built on the things you have in common. It was built on something intangible, some unknown she had yet to discover.

That intangible something was felt with Chloe.

Following the redhead had led Beca into the thicker canopy area of the park. It was cooler and darker here. Since she wasn't actually on the designated path, it was noticeably wetter as well. Beca had to arrive at the next destination quickly but had a quick glance at Chloe, whom she could see a few feet away.

Her plan appeared to be working. It looked as though Chloe was blushing. Perhaps it was from the running but there was also a smile on her face and she seemed to be deep in thought, her pace lower than normal.

Beca found herself thinking about just how beautiful Chloe was. She wasn't one to pay much attention to outward beauty in anyone but she felt she could comfortably describe the older girl as the one of the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. It had taken her a week to realize it because Chloe's beauty was subtle.

It was the little things like her eyes, blue like Beca's but lighter, to showcase her brighter and positive self. There was a shine to them, like they were handcrafted from glass. Her smile which was almost infectious was present on her face on most days. She didn't suffer from resting bitch face like Beca did. She looked delightfully adorable whenever she blushed, something the brunette got to see a handful of times during the week.

For some reason, the sight of Chloe blushing, smiling, running through the lightly illuminated tunnel caused Beca's cheeks to also redden. Her breathing became a little heavier, almost hitching. Her heart felt like it had expanded inside her chest, pumping a little faster. It was an unfamiliar sensation.

It felt good.

Beca could not describe feeling anything similar with her previous friends. Chloe was special in some way.

Coming out of her daze, she made her way to their next destination to ready the ambush.

Don't smile.

Chloe didn't want Beca to think she approved of her actions but her first instincts at seeing the brunette for the third time today had been to smile at her.

Chloe had come to the second clearing near the center of the park. It was much smaller than the previous one. There was a statue commemorating a great mayor of the city she knew nothing about. It wasn't as grand or as glorious as the designers of the park had imagined. Don't get her wrong, it was a nice little pocket in the thick park but it was home to a couple of food carts which took away from the historic feeling the space was going for.

Beca was standing next to the hot dog carts. Her current expression was that of surprise, like she had not been expecting the redhead to be here. She was sweating much like Chloe so she had run here. Her shoes were even muddier and she looked to be out of breath.

Chloe was sure that Beca had witnessed a glimpse of her smile before she had managed to catch herself doing it and stop.

The brunette opened her mouth, about to speak but was cut off sharply.

"No!" Chloe almost shouted.

"You didn't even know what I was going to say."

Chloe put her arms on her hips and indicated that Beca should continue.

"Hot dogs?" Beca didn't even look like she was attempting to hide her smile.

Chloe began to walk away, she could see the other girl picking up two hot dogs that the vendor had been preparing and running to catch up to her.

"Come on Chloe, these are supposed to be some of the best in the city," she pleaded.

Beca extended her hand out to Chloe, offering her the hot dog. It smelled amazing. She hadn't had anything to eat since eight o'clock this morning and that was a Nutri-Grain bar. She was tired and it would be so easy to just give in and take it. Her pace had been all over the place this morning which meant her run was already ruined so what was the harm really.

"No I can't," she said. She wasn't going to give in yet. "I have to keep healthy so as much as I would love to have what looks to be a fantastic hot dog, I have to decline. Maybe another time?"

Beca's face softened. "You seemed kinda down earlier, are you worried you're not healthy? You look better than 90% of people around here so I wouldn't worry too much."

The redhead was surprised. Beca had noticed her dejection. What's more, it explained her strange behavior today. Perhaps she cared? It was nice knowing someone did. That feeling of loneliness from earlier seemed to dissipate slightly.

"It's not that. I'm just not a big fan of running and I'm far more exhausted from work than I thought. Sorry I've been so short with you."

The brunette's smile return. "Hey, don't worry about it. The week took it out of me too, it was one of the most incident filled ones I've had at work."

Chloe chuckled. "I really like working with you, by the way, I don't believe I've got the chance to tell you that," she said.

The blush from the younger girl made it clear to Chloe that Beca wasn't used to compliments. She seemed to be pretty modest. She recovered from it quickly though.

"You're not bad yourself."

"Glad to see I rate well on the Beca Mitchell scale," Chloe joked.

"In all honesty, I've really enjoyed working as a team and I don't think it's because of my amazing people skills. You've been really cool."

Chloe beamed. She was not so secretly proud of herself.

With that she departed, saying goodbye for the third time. She thought more about her co-worker as she made her way towards the exit to the park. Beca had discerned Chloe's state of mind immediately and had set about attempting to find out what was wrong, admittedly in a strange way. The other girl had only known Chloe for less than a week and she had been able to pick up on how Chloe was feeling. What was stranger still was how happy Chloe had been at every encounter with Beca today. She even had to suppress it during Beca last two attempts.

Beca was special in some way.

The extra hot dog was discarded carelessly by getting the attention of a nearby labrador and getting it to fetch it. The labrador then proceeded to chase after it, dragging a now very angry owner behind it. While the labrador had its way with its tasty new treat, Beca received a death glare from the dismayed owner.

She didn't really care though. It felt like a spark had been ignited within her. For the first time in months, she felt inspired to write a song.

She blamed herself for her career path. It had been the safe option to study a marketing course at college. It would mean she was financially secure. And she was. The problem was her true passion was pummelled to an indiscernible mess as a result. Her studies had to take a forefront to her music. She thought she would have free time once she got her job to work on her music but ran into an inspiration problem, writer's block if you will.

There wasn't much she could really write about. Her childhood hadn't been eventful. She refused to write a song about her father leaving. While it affected her, she did not want to be defined by it. It wasn't something she felt strongly about anyway. She had written a song about her mother but that had been right after her death and she didn't really want to revisit it.

Love songs right? They were the most common type of song. Beca hadn't had a significant other she could write a line about, let alone a whole song. Disney had guaranteed she believed in true love but she had yet to actually experience it. So love songs were a no-go.

It was a lyrical problem. Her melodies, song structure and instrumentation were fantastic. The music was strong. She had tried going the instrumental route but she still had the same problem. Her work needed to say something, she need lyrics. Her songs refused to work without them.

The mundanity of modern life, especially in a big city didn't allow the creative mind to work properly. In times of old, bards would regale listeners with tales of heroes, knights, and princesses. These things no longer needed to be described using song, they were a video on a webpage away.

Political? While she had a viewpoint, she wasn't really interested in presenting it in her music. Her music came from her heart. At times, it felt like it was just flowing out of her. It never felt political and forcing it to be had not been all that fruitful.

Friendship? The cheesiest, sappiest types of songs. These weren't that common. Beca would never have considered one. The friends she had were not the kinds in movies who walked into each other's houses unannounced, who knew each other intimately and would do anything for each other. The ones she had could be considered upgraded acquaintances at best.

Friendship songs had been out of the question until today. She could write a song about Chloe. The girl in question might find it weird but it wasn't like Beca made music to share with people. It could be a song about the budding of a friendship. She could describe the events of the day. The ideas for melodies and the instruments she could incorporate were already coming to her.

Her lyrics were finally arriving as well.

The heat hadn't helped. The run had been far more exhausting than Chloe had imagined. It was getting closer to midday, the sun becoming an obstacle for her eyes. She was nearing the exit to the park, only a little further to the bench, the one under the oak tree. It was her favorite. There were other oak trees in the park, most were much bigger but this one was her favorite for a pretty stupid reason.

She felt rather sorry for it. It was unloved by the other people visiting the park. It looked just as sturdy and strong as the other trees and during this time of the year, had lovely green leaves all over it.

As she approached, she saw that no one was occupying the bench. She pushed herself a little faster to get to the shade, to finally be able to rest.

Once she got to the bench, she collapsed. Her bones became jelly, only the bench really holding her up. She had completed her run and didn't feel all that great about it. Now what? She would go home and watch Netflix until it was time to sleep. Tomorrow? Probably something similar. It was becoming a monotonous routine and she didn't really know how to break out of it. There didn't seem to be anything to look forward to. She worked out because she needed to keep healthy. She needed to keep healthy to continue to live. These were the basics. There was nothing to make her want to live though.

Growing up, the goal was to succeed at whatever educational level she was at so that she was given better opportunities further down the line. Now, in her adult life, she didn't have any real goals. She was just promoted but it didn't make her feel all that great. She didn't need the extra pay, it wasn't like she was spending much money anyway.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she became aware of movement near her.

"I swear it's not on purpose this time." It was Beca's voice.

Looking up Chloe saw the brunette holding two slushies.

"I was on my way home when I saw you become a puddle on the bench. You can't say no to slushies. It's ice and a bit of sugar." She then sat down on the bench next to Chloe, handing her the drink.

Chloe moved closer to Beca. "Thank you." Taking a big sip, she let out a sigh and leaned back into the bench, unknowingly leaning against Beca's side in the process. It was surprisingly comfortable. She didn't really want to move away. Perhaps the other girl wouldn't notice.

The contact seemed to have made Beca stiffen a little initially. Chloe thought at first that this was because she did not appreciate the touch but seconds later, Beca relaxed into it, supporting Chloe's weight against her.

"Sorry if I'm a little gross from the sweat," she said, kind of embarrassed by her perspiration.

"I'm sweaty too. A bit muddy as well."

"Oh yeah, how did that happen?" Chloe asked.

"I was doing my regular Saturday morning run but this annoying girl kept interrupting me. She kept saying I was messing up her pace." Beca took a sip of her drink. "I was just minding my own business." She was smirking now.

Chloe was ready to return fire. "Well my run wasn't any better. This totally adorable Oompa Loompa kept tempting me with the foods of the devil. I'm trying to maintain a figure here."

"I am not that short!" the brunette shouted. It looked like something in her brain clicked then, like she had fully processed what Chloe had said.

"Adorable?! I'm trying to maintain a low key badass persona here!"

The redhead grinned. It was almost too easy. "That was clear to see on Monday. You were a real badass."

Beca's smirk was wiped off her face almost instantly. "That was a low blow and you know it." She was now frowning, making her even more adorable.

"Very low considering it's you." Hit her when she's down, that'll go over well.

"I'm going to spill both slushies all over you."

"Badasses don't get their friends slushies in the first place."

They quipped back and forth a while longer. After some time, they were just happy to be under the shade of the tree, sitting in silence. Chloe almost fell asleep a couple of times, Beca acting as a comfortable pillow.

There was something on Beca's arm that caught her eye. A tattoo of some sort of creature. "What is that?" she asked, pointing at the tattoo. Beca looked down towards her arm.

"A stick insect."

"Your badass level is rising."

"Stick insects are cool," Beca defended.

"When you're five," Chloe corrected. "Whatever, ladybugs are way cooler." She then pushed her arm out so that Beca could see her ladybug tattoo on her arm, just below her wrist.

"You hypocrite!" Beca exclaimed. Her eyes looked curious for a second as she lightly touched the marking on the redhead's skin. "It's fitting though."

"Now we're tattoo buddies!" Chloe shouted.

"You are not allowed to call us that in public."

Chloe frowned. "Only if you admit we are tattoo buddies."

"Fine." the brunette relented.

"Say it." The older girl wanted the words to come out of her mouth. Beca hesitated, her face displaying annoyance

"We're tattoo buddies."

Chloe's instincts took over as she grabbed Beca in for a hug. There was no complaint from the other girl, who seemed to ease into it, chuckling. The brunette's hugs were different from others. She didn't grip too tightly but her arms were placed almost perfectly and she was super soft and warm. They were surprisingly intimate hugs for the reserved girl.

She was a little disappointed to have to break apart.

They remained on the bench for another hour. Chloe didn't really want to get up, comfortably leaning against Beca. Her depressed thoughts didn't rear their ugly head the whole time and she had a feeling it was mostly because of the brunette.

"Beca, you consider me a friend, right? We're not just co-workers." Chloe started.

"Yeah, why do you ask?"

"Just checking. I consider you one and I didn't want to think I was being weird. We haven't even known each other for a week but I really like you."

Beca smiled. "Chloe, I just chased you through the park to try and get you to eat things. If I don't consider you a friend, then I would just be a crazy stalker."

The redhead laughed. She had been worried that she was assuming incorrectly about their friendship. She tended to invest more into a relationship than others and would find herself alone when the other person just sort of disappeared. Beca had yet to be pushed away by her weirdness.

"Thanks, Beca."

Thanks for reading! Would love some feedback.

I would like to thank MidnightWinterNeige, acatrash, RDotRk(I know this isn't the name but it won't save), Guest and jdelms for the reviews of chapter 2. They are much appreciated.

Also like to thank everyone for favoriting and following the fic.

I've been posting cover images for each chapter on my tumblr as they go up. They're nothing to write home about but I'm pretty happy with them. If you wanna check them out, my tumblr URL is the same as my screenname on here.