Chapter 10

Monday - September 12th

"I can't sleep!" Chloe said, her voice exasperated. They had been in bed for about two hours now and both hadn't been able to fall asleep. Beca didn't mind. This had been a more common occurrence prior to meeting Chloe and she knew there was little she could do about it. It usually meant a tougher day tomorrow with less sleep but she had grown accustomed to it, now able to function on only three hours of sleep.

Chloe, on the other hand, wasn't capable of it. She was the one who would force Beca to spend five more minutes in bed on a Saturday which led to them being asleep until noon. The brunette didn't complain. She felt needed whenever Chloe tugged on her clothing and snuggled into her, apparently incapable of sleeping without the other girl.

"Neither can I," Beca said, opening one eye to peek at the girl next to her.

"You seem rather calm about it."

"I'm somewhat of an insomniac so this is familiar."

Chloe turned to face her and Beca fully opened her eyes. "What do you usually do?"

"Nothing," she replied. "I just sort of have to deal with it."

"I'm not sure that's healthy."

Beca pondered the dilemma. This had been a problem all her life but there was a time where she could remember it being less of a burden.

"There is something we could try," she said.

"At this point, I'm open to anything."

The chances of it even working on fully grown adults would be pretty low. Still, there was something about revisiting this, especially with Chloe, which pushed her to do it.

Slipping out of the bed, she made her way to the closet and began pulling out pillows, as many as she could find. She then went into the living room and collected some of the decorative cushions on the couch before bundling them all under her arm and returning to the bed.

Chloe had sat up at this point and was watching curiously as she began construction. The pillows and cushions were placed around the perimeter of the bed apart from the headboard. A wall was created, making their bed space much smaller. She then collected a notebook from Chloe's desk and several colored pens which she threw at the redhead.

Once she was happy with her creation, she jumped over her makeshift wall and took a seat next to Chloe, both now resting against the headboard.

"This was a dumb idea," Beca finally said.

"I'm not even sure what I'm looking at."

"How's your imagination?"

"Colorful and wildly uncontrollable," Chloe replied.

"Perfect." Beca wasn't sure her imagination was up to the task anymore but she was once again overwhelmed by memories of her mother. She never thought she would do this again with anyone else. The one time she had attempted to do it alone, a few months after her mother's passing, she ended up in tears.

The redhead's eyes were on her once again, observing the lapse in her awareness. She decided to explain.

"I've always had trouble sleeping, even when I was young. We tried things like warm milk and counting sheep and all sorts of other methods to help me. Eventually, my mother made a game that would hopefully tire me out enough." She looked at Chloe who was paying laser-like attention to her. She always seemed to perk up a little more at the mention of Beca's mother. "She would pretend that the bed was a spaceship and we were flying across the universe. Each night would be a new adventure. I was assigned captain and I would order her around as we fought aliens."

"That sounds so adorable," Chloe squealed. "Did it work?"

"When I was young it did, eventually we started doing it out of habit. It was bonding time for me and her. The last time was at college. We just sat and talked, still pretending we were floating through space."

"You must miss her a lot."

Beca nodded.

Chloe smiled, taking her hand. "Thank you for sharing this with me. I can tell it means a lot to you." She always seemed to be able to read a situation.

She was the right person to share this with. Beca knew almost as soon as she started explaining it. She didn't want this to be associated with the death of her mother. It was something her mother had passed on to someone else and Chloe was perfect for it. She was saddened for a moment at the fact that she could never introduce Chloe to her mother. They would have gotten along so well.

"What do we do now?" Chloe asked.

"First, we decide who should be captain. Do you want to lead?"

Chloe thought about it. "Are co-captains allowed?"

"Absolutely."

"Good, because I don't think I'd be able to follow your commands anyway."

Beca grinned. "I don't think I'd have the heart to eject you from the vessel for disobedience either."

They spent the next few minutes talking in unnecessary detail about their imaginary spacecraft. Chloe had a mission plan already and briefed her on what she wanted to accomplish. Her methods were far more peaceful than Beca was used to, having killed aliens who stepped out of line easily. Chloe was interested in diplomacy with the aliens which would involve comical conversations with things that weren't there.

Once preparations were complete, they set off. Beca was assigned as the pilot. They navigated several star systems, all hastily drawn on a map made moments earlier. There were far fewer combat scenarios than normal.

"I think I can agree to those terms, Mr. Space Frog," Chloe announced to the imaginary video screen in front of her.

"Chloe, we can't keep peacefully trading with everyone we meet."

The redhead shook her head. "Look Beca, you wanted to murder them but I got us space tomatoes so who got the better deal?" She said triumphantly.

"The space tomatoes don't exist!" Beca exclaimed.

"Do I need to call the ship's medic to make sure you're ok, Becs?" Chloe asked, her tone full of fake concern.

"You're the ship's medic too!"

Chloe could only hold it together for so long before bursting into full-blown laughter. Beca grumbled before a smile forced its way onto her.

"I promise to let you kill the next aliens we meet," Chloe said, finally relenting.

The brunette frowned. "When you say it like that, it makes me sound like a crazy person."

"Wait! No one told you? I thought you were aware of your insanity."

Chloe received a pillow in the face for that. Only to be verbally countered on the fact that by removing the pillow, Beca would have been sucked out into space and that it was only through Chloe's kindness that she was allowed back on the ship.

She was forced down against the bed and Chloe pretended to operate. Gliding her hands over her body, touching exposed skin. Resuscitation involved tickling until the patient begged for forgiveness. Beca deemed it customary to thank the ship's medic by attempting to kick her off the bed.

After many space battles and a fake cargo bay full of fake space vegetables, it was becoming clear that their adventure was having the intended effect. Chloe, who was moving around their makeshift craft rather liberally early on, became calmer and rested against her.

Little by little, she watched as Chloe slipped into slumber. It was a fascinating thing. The drowsiness of her eyes, the lack of effort in her responses and the constant yawning. It was nothing short of charming. Like a cheetah cub after a long day of play.

Beca stayed awake a little longer. This had been a glimpse into the life the two of them would have had if they had met at a younger age. Suddenly twenty-four didn't seem so young. That was twenty-four years she hadn't been without Chloe. Despite having the vast majority of her life ahead of her, she made sure to make their time together count.

Wednesday - September 14th

Chloe became alarmed when she heard Beca spitting underneath their desk. The brunette had gone down to fix the computer. Despite Benji being capable IT support, she insisted on doing it herself. Chloe didn't mind, Beca wasn't being stubborn, she was just showing some initiative.

"You okay?" Chloe asked, peeking down.

"Fine, the dust from the fan blew into my mouth."

"Lovely." The redhead sat down on the ground and watched the other girl work.

Beca glanced away from the computer for a moment. "How's the novel coming along?"

"Good, I think." She was currently happy with it. Ask her at any other time and she would loathe it. The way it came in swings was surprising. One minute, she would in awe of what she had written and then the next morning, she would have erased it without a second thought.

"Tell me about it."

"It's not very interesting, Becs. I don't get why you're so curious."

"Because I'm its number one fan apparently. And that's counting you," Beca retorted.

"Fine!" Chloe said, giving in. It might not hurt to run some of it by her friend, especially considering that she is the other main character in the book. "What do you want to know?"

"Literally anything you want to share."

She wasn't really sure how to present the story. There were no acts and in focused mostly on the two main characters. "Well, there's no real overarching plot. It's more little vignettes that focus on a certain aspect of Beverly and Clarissa's relationship."

"Who's who?" Beca asked.

"You're Beverly and I'm Clarissa."

"I'm guessing it's not a contemporary work then."

Chloe was impressed with the other girl's deduction. "You're right. It's set in the early fifties. Clarissa has managed to secure a loan for the property where the pastry shop would be. She runs into Beverly on her way to make the final arrangements when she is informed that the value has gone up due to a new buyer. Beverly has been looking to buy it too and is also unable to afford it. Clarissa invites the frustrated Beverly for a cup of tea." Beca turns and smiles knowingly. "She finds out that Beverly had wanted to open a chocolate shop, her speciality, at the location. Their conversation veers away from shops and she begins to enjoy Beverly's company. As they are about to depart, Clarissa suggests opening a shop together combining their money and gives her telephone number so Beverly can think it over. She replies after two days."

The brunette removes the fan she had been messing with from the case and passes it Chloe who begins to wiping away the dust. "That sounds really good."

"Thanks."

"Why vignettes?" Beca asked.

"I wanted to represent their relationship realistically. Most friendships don't form because of huge drama or a sequence of related events. It's moments throughout their time together that build and solidify that connection." Chloe was happy with that phrasing. It conveyed what she was trying to achieve and it was surprisingly easy to talk to Beca about this stuff once she got going.

She watched as Beca unhooks the graphics card from the case before checking it thoroughly. "How do you keep it from veering away from your initial idea?" Beca asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, with no real plot, there is no natural stopping point. How do you know when you've finished?"

The redhead took the graphics card from the floor and sprayed it with compressed air. "Each vignette will focus on one aspect of their friendship. Things like trust and loyalty. Some things like becoming comfortable with each other will be done in several vignettes, though they are still unconnected. The story is complete once all aspects of our friendship have been recorded."

"Recorded?"

Chloe nodded. "While I'm writing it as a novel, it's more of a way for me to remember our friendship."

Beca looked at her for a moment, her eyes focused completely, no attention on the computer whatsoever. "It really means that much to you?"

"Of course, Beca. You're the reason I even feel confident enough to talk about my writing."

They finished the final repairs to the computer and Chloe fired it up to test it. There were no problems. Beca emailed Benji just to inform him of what they did. Chloe went to the bathroom and returned with a damp cloth which she began using on Beca to remove the dust and dirt that had gotten onto her face.

Chloe realized in that moment that she needed to capture how important Beca was to her writing. Prior to meeting the brunette, her love of it had been waning. She didn't have as much time as she would have liked after getting a job. It was Beca who had inspired her to begin again. Furthermore, she was the first person Chloe had really shared any of her work with. Her family knew of it but none of them had the details.

"Would you mind sharing one of the vignettes with me? I know they're still a work in progress but I'd like to hear one regardless," Beca asked, her tone light and welcoming.

"Okay." Chloe was still a little hesitant.

She took a moment before explaining. "One of them happens about a third of the way through, when the shop catches on fire. Beverly jumps into the shop to put the fire out. Clarissa doesn't realize that her friend is in the shop until she sees a silhouette fall. She rushes in and pulls Beverly out. She is unconscious and is in need of medical care so Clarissa rushes her to the hospital. There she realizes just how much Beverly matters to her. You can probably guess where I got the idea from."

Beca nodded. "I don't think I can apologize enough."

Chloe continued. "Beverly wakes up and gets an earful from Clarissa. She tries to explain that she did it to save the shop that Clarissa loves so dearly." She took a breath. "Clarissa is uninterested in the reasons, her love for her friend making her frightened. Images of an unconscious Beverly still in her mind." By now her voice was increasing in intensity. "She fails to understand that Beverly cares for her just as much. Her love blinding her. It is only later in the story that she realizes Beverly's intentions. While they were misguided, they are done because of how much she cares about Clarissa."

Beca is silent. Chloe has not made eye contact since she started.

"This is early in the story, when both characters discover how much they care for the other but are not aware of how much the other cares for them. Beverly cares about Clarissa, that's why she tries to save the shop. Clarissa cares about Beverly. She's happy to watch the whole town burn if it meant Beverly was safe."

Beca moves closer to Chloe, laying a soft kiss on her cheek before pulling her into a hug.

Friday - September 16th

"Guess we're not going home just yet," Chloe said, looking out at the street. The torrential downpour assaulting the pavement with a barrage of wet drops. They were stood at the entrance to the building, in the nice lobby with several other people all waiting for the rain to stop.

Beca was undeterred by it. She snatched Chloe's handbag and put her phone inside it. It was then returned promptly to her confused friend.

"Come on," she said, taking Chloe's hand in her own and locking their fingers together. The redhead softened at the moment of contact and complied with her request, following her out of the lobby and into the harsh environment outside.

The first few drops were cold, causing both girls to visibly shudder. There was so much water coming down that they became accustomed to the temperature quickly. The actual temperature prior to the rain had been pleasant so it wasn't as bad as expected.

"This doesn't seem like a good idea," Chloe said, her voice raised a little due to the rain and the sound of the passing traffic as Beca led her across the street.

"Trust me."

She did this often. It was calming to walk through the rain. Just her and the music seeping in through her earphones, with only a few other pedestrians in sight. The fresh smell that the rain created and the cooling effect it had on her skin was wondrous.

As they made their way towards home, they had to contest with a few obstacles. Puddles to walk around and temporary streams to wade through. Even with caution, their shoes became damp and eventually water could be felt inside. Their blazers had absorbed a good amount of liquid at this point and hung a little heavier on them. All of this reducing their body temperature.

It wasn't uncomfortable though, more relaxing. The only source of heat coming from their interlocked fingers.

They had to get out of the way of other pedestrians, all scrambling around at a much faster pace to try and get to shelter. A number of bewildered looks were received at the two of them walking so casually but they soon faded into the rain, so thick it was blurring distant vision.

Crossing through the park was the fastest way home. Here, the true beauty of rain was on display. The water added a shine to every surface, bringing out the colorful greens of the leaves on the trees and the grass. The pond nearby was a whirlwind of activity as raindrops created disruption on its surface.

Chloe moved closer to the brunette, placing her head on her shoulder. "This is wonderful," she said, her movement had slowed and the rain hitting her didn't seem to be bothering her. Beca just smiled at her, guiding her further into the park.

They soon came upon a bench overlooking one of the ponds. Beca pulled the two of them down onto it. Chloe snuggled against her.

"It feels like we're the only two people left on earth, doesn't it?" Chloe said.

The sound of the city was muffled and there was no one else around, the only life apart from them being the flora around them, ducks and some frogs.

Being with someone else was a completely different experience to being alone. Beca would use the rain as a way to lose herself in her thoughts, taking a second out of the real world. With Chloe, it was more sensual. She wasn't over thinking aspects of her life, her focus on the girl next to her and being glad she finally got to share this experience.

Chloe began shifting around, getting up onto the bench and finally moving on top of her. She put her legs on either side of Beca and looped her arms around her neck, their foreheads now touching.

Beca could feel the rhythm of the other girl's breathing against her. It was also hard to maintain eye contact, her line of vision glancing down towards Chloe's lips every few seconds. This sort of proximity was rather intoxicating, making her already lax brain become convoluted.

Moments later, Chloe pulled away, using her fingers to remove the few wet strands of hair that had fallen onto Beca's face. She then smiled at her. Her top was soaked through, her pink underwear clearly visible.

"We're going to catch a cold," she said.

"Like we were going to do anything productive this weekend," Beca countered.

"That's not the point."

Chloe's focus turned to Beca's shirt. She undid the first two buttons, the brunette not doing anything to stop her. There was no one around to see anything and she was pretty curious anyway.

Chloe opened the shirt a little wider and placed her lips on the exposed skin on Beca's neck. Beca felt a tingling sensation for a few seconds on a single spot before the lips were removed and ghosted past her neck, onto her cheek where a final kiss was placed. The redhead pulled back and was looking rather proudly at the spot on Beca's neck.

"What?" she asked, confused as to what had just occurred.

Chloe smiled. "I left a love bite." she rubbed the skin on her neck again, her focus returning there. "You don't mind do you?" she asked.

Beca shook her head, still confused.

Chloe had confusion in her eyes. "Are you ok?"

"What do you mean?"

"Your heart, it's beating so fast." She had her hand just above Beca's heart. She placed her cheek against it to hear it better, only causing the beating to increase.

Throughout the love bite process, Beca had become hyper aware of the sensation against her skin. The press of Chloe's soft lips, the flick of her tongue, their bodies flush against each other.

She moved the redhead's face from her chest and placed it against her forehead once again.

"I'm fine, Chloe."

She received a kiss on the cheek. She pulled her companion closer to her. Chloe moved to nestle into Beca's shoulder.

She looks so beautiful when she's a little dishevelled like this.

She smells nice.

I should stop staring at her eyes.

She's so warm.

A drop of water trickle down Chloe's face and made its way onto her upper lip.

I'm attracted to you, aren't I?

She exhaled slowly.

I'm attracted to you.

Her heart rate began increasing again.

She was attracted to her. To Chloe.

She wanted to kiss her, full on the lips, taste her even. She wanted to have her fingers running through the redhead's luscious hair. She wanted to get wrapped up in a cloud of her pheromones. She wanted to hold her.

Her calmness at her realization didn't surprise her. It wasn't a sudden thing. It had been gradual. She hadn't dismissed what she had been feeling towards Chloe, only choosing not to label it. The previous few weeks had been eye opening. They were small steps that slowly opened her eyes to something she had known all along. She now knew who she truly was.

Never having been this close with someone before, she wasn't aware of what she was fully feeling before. She just assumed it was part of how close they were. The odd glances and lingering looks had come first, then an inkling of something more. Kisses, hugs and touching became associated with a plethora of new sensations and it was all she could do to try and process them.

Her mother used to ask her if she was dating any boys in school. It started when she was young as a way of teasing and continued till she was around sixteen. Suddenly, all the questions stopped. Her mother was much more culturally aware than she was but she never really expressed it out loud when she was young. It was around the same time she stopped asking about boys that she became a little more vocal of some of her opinions. Particularly her stance on homosexuality. She became incredibly supportive of their cause, going as far as to educate Beca on it. She had known. She had known what took Beca twenty four-years and figure out and accept.

It wasn't a moment of complete happiness though. Once the implications of her attraction became clear, she knew she had to back away from it. There are enough guys in the world who only became friends with girls in the hope of something more. She criticized them frequently and she wasn't going to be one of them. Chloe didn't enter this relationship with that in mind and it would be unfair for Beca to look for more.

She sighed.

"You're zoning out on me again, Becs. Did you really not like the hickey?" Chloe said, her voice refocusing the brunette.

"Sorry," Beca replied. She touched the spot where the mark was slowly forming. "I like it and I can't even see it."

Chloe smiled again.

"Could you hold me a little closer?"

Beca complied, looping her arms more firmly around the girl's waist. Chloe breathed out, her whole body seeming to relax further into the hold. She used the crook of the brunette's neck as a pseudo cover from the rain despite the rest of her body getting soaked further.

Beca wasn't cold though. Not even remotely. With the way her heart was racing, with the way the redhead was positioned and with her new discovery, she felt warm.

This would have to do though. This was as close as they were going to get. She wouldn't trade this for anything in the world. She wasn't going to mess this up with her attraction.

It would have to pass.

Thanks for reading!

We're heading into a turning point in the story now. Hope I'm keeping you guys interested.

Thanks to wolveswithoutteeth, Joshifer4Everlark, xXFreakyUnicorn7689Xx, , CapAmerica21, Guest, owieeey, Guest, until its gone, Guest and Guest for their reviews.

Thanks to all those who favorited and followed the fic.

The chapter specific cover images should be up on my tumblr like always.