Epilogue
To Beca, Pitch Perfect had been a stepping stone to a new path in her life. Her dream had never seemed close but she assumed that the company would be the final step. Somewhere along the way, she had lost the drive to follow her dream, always lacking inspiration.
With Chloe, it had been renewed and she found herself working on music more often and more enthusiastically than ever before. She was simply content to just make music in her free time but the redhead had other plans.
Chloe would listen to all her work closely and give her opinions. She would never outright reject anything Beca created because of music's inherent subjectivity, even compared to other art forms.
Over the course of the next year, Chloe pushed her to submit her recordings and demos to local labels and see if any of them were interested. It wasn't that Beca thought her work was poor, she was actually rather proud of it. She just didn't see the point in working with a label, she was happy to make music for herself.
"You should be spending your time doing something you love. Stop wasting it at Pitch Perfect," Chloe said.
Eventually, after much convincing from Chloe, she relented and sent some stuff out. Secretly, she was excited at the response but didn't want to admit to Chloe that this had been a good decision, that would come later.
She did get a response.
A local indie label with a small studio known as The Bellas responded. They wished to sign her on and help produce an album.
The news meant that she would have to stop working at Pitch Perfect. Chloe was fully supportive, helping her prepare for the new job and reassuring her that things were going to be okay.
Beca did have an ultimatum. She would only take the job if Chloe agreed to publish her book. After completion, it had sat in a perfectly proofread state for a couple of months. The brunette had assumed that the other girl was working with publishers to get her book printed. It turned out that she hadn't been doing anything with it, having already moved onto her second work. 'Intertwined Fingers and Raindrops' had been read by at least three other people who all genuinely enjoyed it.
Somewhat reluctantly, both had agreed to the deal.
Working with The Bellas, Beca found that her methods of music creation were unorthodox. Being a small label, they allowed her a high level of creative freedom citing low risk as the reason.
Wednesday - August 23rd
"I don't know about this, Beca," Chloe said. She was sat in the soundproof recording booth looking at Beca through the glass.
Beca smiled. "You'll do fine. Just give it a try and if it's terrible, we just won't include it."
"Why can't you find someone who you know can sing to perform it?"
Beca moved her mouth close to the microphone so that her voice would sound blown out and loud when it went through Chloe's headphones.
"Because it's a song about you, Chloe!" she shouted. Chloe's wince was immediate. "I want you to be a part of the album."
"Fine!"
Beca counted her down and started playing the backing track. Chloe began fidgeting in her chair as her part in the song approached and she kept throwing nervous glances at the other girl.
A few seconds before her part, Chloe exhaled gently and shut her eyes. The song was to be a duet with the two of them. The reason Beca hadn't tried to find anyone else was because she wasn't going to do the song with anyone other than Chloe.
She had spent longer on this song than any of the others on the album and had purposely written a duet even with the knowledge that it may never be performed or appear on the album. When she said she was doing this for herself, she had meant it.
A momentary thought shattered.
Chloe's started singing, her voice suddenly filling Beca's headphones. The sound wasn't unlike her speaking voice, it just sounded so much sweeter and warmer than expected.
Chloe's voice was sonically elegant. Like a wind chime made of ice, it was crystal clear and cool as it melded with the music. Despite her inexperience, she was hitting all of the required notes and transitioning between verses beautifully. Her eyes were still closed, she had memorized the lyrics and there was an understanding of the tone and delivery required for each line.
The song sounded nothing like Beca had imagined when she was writing it but she couldn't deny that it was better this way. Chloe had indirectly contributed to its creation.
She was glad that Chloe had yet to open her eyes, otherwise she would be caught staring in awe.
They remained closed till the end of the song. Small changes occurred as it flowed. Chloe's fidgeting lessened as she seemed to gain a physical confidence. The grip she had on the stool was removed and her arms moved in front of her as she imitated the rise and fall of her voice, almost as a guide.
The song ended.
Eyes opened.
A return to a less sure state for Chloe. Her cheeks colouring a touch more crimson as she looks towards Beca.
"How was that?" she asked.
The brunette felt that her bright smile was enough of a gauge on Chloe's performance and, therefore, an answer was unwarranted.
Unwilling to leave the girl confused, she opened the door to the booth and stepped inside. A kiss was placed on Chloe's cheek.
"You were wonderful," she said.
The other stool in the booth was moved and placed next to Chloe's. Taking the lyrics in front of her, Beca began making changes, her mind ablaze now that a new living breathing instrument had been added.
Within a minute, she was finished. Chloe remained silent throughout the process, something she always seemed to do as Beca worked.
"What are we doing," The redhead asked.
"We're going to do it together now."
Her album was critically acclaimed, being described as an introspective work of art that was very unconventional for a starting singer-songwriter. While she didn't much care about what others thought of it, she couldn't be unhappy with the response and the knowledge that other people were enjoying her work was a little thing that made making music more fun.
Sales wise, it sold well. She wasn't setting the world on fire but that was never her intention. The label was more than happy with the response, citing the reviews as a big positive. She wasn't going to be the biggest name in music, her work was too niche for that to be the case. But she created an album that would be long lasting and there was potential for growth.
The label was so thrilled that they decided to hire her as a producer for their other artists while she worked on her next album. They liked her work ethic and general attitude to music.
She accepted.
For Chloe, the process of finding a publisher for her book wasn't the easiest thing in the world. Given the declining interest in written fiction in the western world, most companies were only interested in releasing books which had the potential to be wide reaching.
It was a frustrating first few months where she would receive calls from publishers telling her that they had no interest in publishing the work. In some instances, it was clear that they had enjoyed the book but it didn't make business sense to invest in it.
She did find a publisher.
The book did better than expected, and much like Beca's album, sold well. It was featured on the newspapers and websites of many publications with great reviews and even managed to earn her a few television interviews.
Like all books, it's time in the limelight was short-lived as the fast-paced way that modern society consumed media meant that it wasn't going to be talked about for much more than a month. It didn't matter, because it was something that would be remembered for longer and that meant more.
Chloe's favorite thing about her book wasn't the acclaim it received in the media. It was the occasional message she would receive from a fan, sometimes by email and a couple of actual letters, telling her how much they enjoyed her work.
The second book was a problem. She didn't want to start it. The idea seemed daunting and she wasn't sure that she could replicate the success of the first. It took Beca to convince her that she shouldn't aim to surpass her prior work and should focus on writing what she wanted, regardless of its reception.
A few months into Beca's time at The Bellas, she found out about a job opening at a managerial level and she decided to convince Chloe to take it. The position would be better paying than Pitch Perfect, the Bellas were hoping to attract talent with the slightly higher salary offer.
Chloe submitted her application, unconvinced that they would take her.
Two weeks later, she was the Head of Public Relations at the Bellas. The two of them got to see each other during the day again, something they had missed for the past year.
For her second album, Beca decided that she wanted to do something she had yet to do. Even from a young age, the creative side of making music had been a solitary effort. It hadn't been a conscious decision to avoid collaboration, it just never occurred to her to try it. There hadn't been anyone she had wanted to do it with before.
The brief moments they had spent together working on the song for her previous album had been some of her favorite parts of making that record.
She scrapped what little work had been done on the second album.
She then asked Chloe if she wanted to write and perform the album together.
Beca would have to teach her everything starting with the basics but it was a fraction of the things that the other girl had taught her.
Chloe accepted.
Saturday - March 24th
Beca took the basket from the car and waited for Chloe as she collected the red and white checkered blanket from the backseat. The redhead was wearing a white sundress with a tinge of blue added to the color. The top of the dress contained deep blue flowers that encircled the rim.
The brunette was also wearing a dress, at the insistence of her girlfriend. She had opted for a plain coral sundress, one of her older ones. It still looked new despite the age thanks to the lack of use.
The walk through the familiar paths of the cemetery was very different from her previous visit over one and half years ago. Not from a visual standpoint, the place hadn't changed in the time although she could argue that her sight was metaphorically different.
Beca thought that her idea of having a picnic would make Chloe a little less stressed at the idea of the cemetery. She didn't want to make a big deal about it. The sun was shining brightly through the cloud cover without being overbearing, providing a current of warmth to the otherwise cool climate. This morning, the air was incredibly still which was oddly comforting.
To be fair to Chloe, everyone tended to be a little worried about meeting the parents of their significant other.
To be unfair to Chloe, Beca's mother was dead so this need to make a good impression was unwarranted.
Apparently, the number of times the smaller girl stated this fact or told Chloe that her mother would approve of her did little to change the girl's mind.
"Do you think my dress is showing off too much skin," Chloe asked as they continued along the path.
Beca sighed. "Firstly, my mother was not born in the 1800s so a little bit of shoulder skin isn't going to make her faint," she stated. "And secondly, she continues to be dead and the fact that you can't seem to grasp that is almost offensive."
Chloe frowned. "Wait till you have to meet my parents. I won't be helping you then."
Once they reached the gravestone, Beca walked casually up to it and placed the basket on the ground. She watched as Chloe tentatively approached, all the while rolling her eyes at the other girl.
Beca sighed and turned. "Stop whining," she said to the headstone. "You know you're the only mother that complains when her children visit.
"Come on, Chlo. I want to introduce you."
She plopped down in front of the headstone and pulled Chloe down with her. There was fresh dew that glistened and made the smell of the grass more powerful. It also coated the grave, beads of water collecting together before becoming too heavy to hold and cascading down into the soft earth below.
"Mom, this is Chloe, the girl I was telling you about."
The few seconds of silence that passed made her turn towards the redhead. Chloe was staring at the grave and her eyes darted towards Beca immediately.
"Say something, Chloe. You don't have to be nervous," the brunette reassured.
Chloe nodded and her face formed to show her best smile.
"Hello, Mrs Mitch-"
"Just call her Claire," Beca interrupted.
"Hello, Claire. It's nice to meet you, I'm your daughter's girlfriend."
Beca began to spread out the blanket for the picnic and take out the small container of sandwiches, drinks and plastic plates. As she made the preparations for their meal, she noticed that the other girl had gone silent once again and had turned towards her.
"Is what I said okay? " Chloe asked. "What did she say about me?"
"I don't know, she's dead," Beca replied, grinning. She received a playful shove in response. "She said she likes you."
Chloe turned back to the tombstone and cleared her throat.
"Claire, I wanted to thank you for raising an amazing daughter. She's incredibly sweet and a massive softy. Apparently you were the one to push her towards me so I want to thank you for that as well," she said.
"You're pandering a lot here," Beca interjected. A glare was directed her way before Chloe continued.
"I-I can't describe how much Beca means to me." Chloe's tone had shifted once again. "Her modesty seems to cloud the impact she has on my life but I think she's beginning to realize it. When the two of us are together, it's not the feeling of being unstoppable that I get, although that's there to a certain extent. It's the lack of pressure, the absence of worry and the feeling of safety. I find it hard to articulate without rambling."
"When I'm with Beca, I feel a sense of peace that I have never felt before. I love your daughter. She is my soulmate and I'm going to keep trying until you consider me worthy enough to be with her."
It was then that she realized how much this visit meant to Chloe. The redhead wasn't trying to indulge her by talking to Claire. Her need to make a good impression had been sincere and she hadn't wanted to take the easy way out even though she could, considering that there wasn't a need to prove herself to Beca's parents. The smaller girl never expected her to anyway.
Beca moved towards her girlfriend and slipped her arms around the girl's waist from behind. She then pulled the girl towards her so that Chloe was resting against her chest. The older girl looked up at her once the action was completed.
"She doesn't get to decide that," Beca said and closed the space between their lips.
The pair spent a few more minutes talking to Claire. Chloe spent most of the time regaling Claire of their time together at the behest of the brunette. It was good to relax and reminisce, giving them perspective on how far they had come.
The positive mood of the day was somewhat undercut by the fact that her mother was only there in spirit. She found herself holding Chloe closer and closer and the other girl seemed to comply, reflexively comforting her with light touches.
She counted herself more than lucky that Chloe found her.
"Tell me about her," the redhead said, moving her head from the crook of Beca's neck to make eye contact.
Beca told Chloe about her strange mother. Her childhood had been far from normal and she had her mother to thank for the good parts. Claire's influence on her was only in ideals. Their perspectives, tastes and personality were different and she realized that this difference had been by design. Claire had wanted her to become her own person.
As the picnic came to a conclusion, Chloe whispered a few more things to Claire while Beca cleaned up. The smaller girl pushed for an explanation of the exchanged only to be brutally rebutted.
"Do you want some time alone with her?" Chloe asked. "I'll go put the stuff in the car and wait for you."
Beca took her hand. "No, it's okay. There's nothing I want to say to her that I would keep from you."
Chloe smiled. "I know that, I just wanted to make sure."
Beca gave her a kiss on the cheek. The taller girl turned back to the headstone.
"Bye, Claire," she said.
Beca took her hand and the two began their walk back through the pathways.
Bye, mom
Their experience creating an album together reminded them of their time at Pitch Perfect, except they were doing something far more enjoyable while spending time with each other.
It was an odd feeling for Chloe when Beca asked her if she wanted to continue working on music together. The brunette had been so casual about it but the thrilling feeling that she got from it was perhaps unwarranted. They had been together for just over two years at the time so the idea of her girlfriend wanting to do something with her shouldn't have been so exciting.
In her own creative realm, she was also glad that Beca had pushed her to write a second book. It was hard for life to feel mundane when the work you did every day felt new and challenging.
Saturday - 13th October
Chloe looked eagerly at her girlfriend. Beca had been willing to share her creative medium with the redhead and all she wanted was to return the favour. While her fears had been a frankly weak argument about her uncertainty when it came to singing, something Beca characterized as false modesty later on, the smaller girl had a much more thought out and clear set of reasons for why she would be a poor writer. She cited reasons such as a lack of visual and conceptual creativity.
"But you haven't even tried it," Chloe whined. She didn't try to push too hard. The last thing she wanted was for Beca to be forced into something she didn't want to do. It would just guarantee that she would not enjoy it.
The two were about to turn in for the night, them, having watched videos on the laptop, tucked under the covers.
"I wouldn't even know where to begin," Beca argued. "I don't know if you know this, Chloe, but writing a book takes a lot of time and work."
Chloe rolled her eyes at the other girl's sarcasm. "You don't have to write a lot, just a short little piece would do."
"Why though?"
The redhead whimpered. "To prove that you love me."
The rebuttal, a pillow to the face, didn't even take a second to reach her. She couldn't hold back her giggles as she rubbed the impact point on her nose.
"I hate you," Beca said.
Her pouting made Chloe feel a little bad about her dirty tactic. To compensate, she pulled the shorter girl closer to her and kissed her forehead.
"I'm sorry, honey."
The brunette turned her attention away from the laptop. "I could try it if you want, just give me a little time."
Chloe suppressed her glee at the response. "Sure, only if you feel like it though," she said, trying to sound as casual as possible.
She waited for just over a week. Actually, she waited roughly ten hours before pestering Beca about her progress. Every time, there was a threat that she would stop if it continued but after about four days, it became clear that Beca had invested in her story and wasn't going to abandon it just because Chloe was impatient.
"What are you expecting from this?" Beca asked on the fifth day.
"The greatest piece of literature ever conceived."
"I'll try and beat the quality of your writing, which shouldn't be all that hard," she deadpanned before walking away.
Chloe just grinned, unnecessary happy with herself for winding up her girlfriend.
"That's for not answering my question properly," Beca shouted from the other room.
It was on a Saturday morning, the tenth day since writing began that Chloe finally got to read it. Beca had awoken earlier and, like most mornings, had been forced to escape the redhead's hold on her.
"I'm going to go get us something for breakfast," Beca said.
Chloe made a defeated sound from underneath the covers. It sounded enough like confirmation that she stuck to it.
"By the way, I finished the story. It's on the desk." Beca pointed to the small pile of papers that had magically appeared overnight.
With that, she departed leaving the other girl, who was now slightly more awake.
Chloe got up and dragged herself to the desk, using as little energy as possible to collect the papers before returning to the comfy confines of her comforter.
A quick count of the pages revealed there to be fifteen of them, single sided, single-spaced and written in a small point text. The title of the piece was 'Appearance Of Hawks'.
She began reading. The story was a tale of espionage, starting in a small cafe in Washington D.C. It was from two perspectives, an American C.I.A. agent and an American-born British MI6 agent. The former sounded a lot like Chloe and initially, she put it down to accidental replication on Beca's part. This theory was quickly thrown away when the MI6 agent was revealed to be a short, plaid wearing brunette.
She smiled to herself as she read through their first meeting.
Beca's tale was a little more action-orientated than Chloe's work. She wrote it as a series of missions between the two main characters and focused on the way their relationship formed.
As Chloe continued to read, she realized she had stumbled upon an unintended consequence of asking Beca to write something. Because the brunette had chosen to base her characters on the two of them, Chloe got to see how her girlfriend viewed their relationship for the first time. Obviously, they had talked about how they had been feeling when they were unsure of each other's feelings but it was different to read it and take it in from the other's perspective.
The fifteen pages were absorbed surprisingly quickly. Beca was far from a bad writer. There was a distinct stylistic difference between the two of them. Chloe's approach to storytelling was slower with a focus on scene setting. Beca's work had an abrupt quality to it, the story moving from place to place at a moment's notice with much snappier dialogue sequences.
The single commonality between them was their descriptions of the character's emotional states, which was peppered in throughout the pages.
Chloe was awoken, having fallen asleep after finishing the story, the pages scattered all over the bed.
"Was my work that bad?" Beca asked.
The smell of fresh pastries made its way from the kitchen into Chloe's nose. She rubbed her eyes and looked up the disturbance that was her girlfriend. Beca sat down on the bed and ran her hand over the older girl's cheek coming to a comforting rest on it. She then leaned in and gave a small kiss to the forehead.
"What did you think?" She asked, pointing to the scattered papers.
Chloe shifted, resting herself on the headboard and collected the pages into a neat pile. She smiled to herself as she looked at the last page and the ending Beca had written.
"Why did you make us the two main characters?"
"You said yourself that it doesn't matter what our circumstances are, we'd always end up together."
"Well, I loved it. Every single sentence of it. I read through it three times."
"Oh," she said, the look of surprise difficult to hide as Chloe's words registered.
"Thank you for this, Becs. I know you don't think it's a big deal but it means a lot to me."
Beca was blushing. "I can't say that it didn't mean anything to me. I spent a lot of time on it and I only left to go get breakfast because I couldn't be here when you were reading it."
Chloe took Beca's hand into her own and squeezed reassuringly. "Thank you for giving them a happy ending."
"Thank you for giving me a happy ending."
Chloe threaded her fingers into other girl's brown locks, slowly moving closer to her lips. They connected slowly, locking together. The feeling of Beca's lips suddenly jolted her from her morning state.
Beca reacted slowly, pulling her girlfriend from her resting position onto her lap. Chloe wrapped her legs around the smaller girl's waist and intensified the kiss, the force pushing Beca backwards.
From her new position, Chloe unzipped Beca's jacket and helped her out of it. Next, the shirt. The buttons were in the way and had to be removed. She started with the top and began working her way down.
Partway through, she glanced from the current button to Beca's eyes and her actions stopped. The brunette's eyes were shining, looking back at her intently. Getting lost in them hadn't been something Chloe stopped doing. Time seemed to stop during these moments. She guessed it did by the fact that Beca never seemed to notice the staring, even when the redhead had been absent from reality for a while.
Each time it happened, Chloe felt a sense of tranquillity.
Catching herself, she returned to the buttons. This time, she was slower to proceed, moving her hand over Beca's newly exposed skin as each one came undone. There wasn't a need to rush. The shiver that ran underneath her hand at her touch told the older girl that she was doing something right.
"I promise I'll find you, no matter the circumstances," Chloe said.
She leaned down, capturing Beca's lips for another kiss.
Chloe treasured those pages.
A few weeks later, she walked into their bedroom to find another set of pages on her pillow. It was another story. Once again, the two main characters bore a striking resemblance to the two of them.
She slipped into bed and read through it, taking her time.
A familiar smile appeared on her face when she finished. Beca had written another happy ending for the two of them. At the end of the last pages, a small message was handwritten.
'For you, Chloe'
It wasn't the first time it happened. Every once in a while, Chloe would find a story somewhere in her house. Each one was another story about her and Beca, finding love. She didn't ask for them and there was no rhyme or reason to when she got them.
The odd thing was that Beca would never be home when she found the story.
Eventually, she managed to corner the brunette as she was trying to make her escape. Chloe took her back to their bedroom and read the story with the other girl by her side. She would glance at Beca whenever a part made her smile and would replicate any kiss or touch Beca's character would receive.
Beca stopped being shy about her writing and began presenting her stories to Chloe personally, albeit with some apprehension. Each one was read with the smaller girl by her side, with every affectionate action performed together and all of them ended with the same familiar message.
Chloe kept those pages safe with her. On days when the two of them were separated, she would find herself rereading the stories. It was a gentle reminder that Beca loved her, in a million different ways.
It was around this time, nearly three years into their relationship, that she decided to ask a question that had been on her mind for the past few months.
Sunday - June 15th
There was a significant temperature difference between Chloe's two hands. Both were occupied with something. Her left hand was cool, thanks to the reduced temperature of the wafer cone full of vanilla ice cream generously garnished with an unhealthy amount of strawberry syrup.
Her right hand was warm, her fingers linked intimately with the brunette next to her as they walked along the pathway.
A welcoming cool breeze blew through the trees in the park and rushed past them. It was close to midday and the summer sun was bearing down on them. The two had been in their apartment but Beca had declared loudly that she could not take it anymore and said they were going to the park to get away from the sweltering confines of their home.
Chloe didn't want to point out that it might be actually worse to go outside.
Ice cream was purchased and the two walked in the shade provided by the trees overhead, now a lush green. There was a peculiar contrast of dark and light in the park. The clearings where children played were lit brightly by the sun and looking at them from the safety of the shade was almost overbearing, making Chloe squint.
Her attention was diverted when Beca spoke.
"Oh, God!" she said, looking towards the clearing.
"What's wrong?" Chloe asked.
The smaller girl pointed towards a park bench with two elderly occupants, one female and one male. "Those two are going to die out here."
Chloe giggled. "That's a little morbid, even for you. Plus, they look like a tough old couple."
"Maybe we should buy them a drink or something."
"I'm sure that will go over well. 'Hey, nice old couple, we were wondering if you wanted some drinks because we think you might die just by sitting out here.'"
Her mind wasn't concentrating on the old couple, nor was it concerned with the heat, the temperature of her hand, the direction of their travel or the fact that her ice cream was starting to melt.
"Beca?"
"Hmm."
"Have you thought about uhm, marriage?" She asked nonchalantly while discarding the ice-cream in a nearby trashcan.
The brunette looked her way. "Have you thought about it?"
Chloe nodded. "It's been lingering in my mind for the past few months and recently, I've given it more thought," she replied. "I thought talking to you about it directly would be better than just wondering about it on my own."
Beca smiled, giving her hand a squeeze. "Tell me what you want, Chlo."
The redhead placed her free hand over the top of Beca's and began a massaging motion.
"I want to share my life with you, Beca," she replied. Looking up to meet Beca's gaze, she found the younger girl was still listening. "I want to be close to you when you need support and run to you when things become difficult. I want to take care of you, I want you to let me take care of you."
Chloe nuzzled against Beca's neck and the other girl accommodated her, slightly raising her head in response.
"I can't imagine life without you."
She guided Beca off the pathway and under the shade of a large tree, just out of view of other people.
"You're my soulmate. You're the only one I see in my future. You're the one I see walking down the aisle to. You're the one I walk into my first house with. You're the one I want to start a family with."
"You're the one I want to grow old with."
"I want to be your wife," she said. "And I want everything that comes along with it. I want to wake up next to you every morning and go to sleep in your arms every night."
"I want to be your wife, Beca, because I already feel like I am."
Slipping her arms around the smaller girl's waist, Chloe pulled her up and kissed her while gently resting the two of them against the tree. Beca's arms wrapped around the redhead's neck, smoothly pressing her fingers against the skin.
Chloe pulled away and searched Beca's eyes. Love molded with Lust was on the surface, brought on by the kiss and by how closely the two were pressed together. At any other time, she would have taken to devouring the vulnerable version of the brunette.
As she said before. She wanted to take care of Beca.
Right now, she wanted to know if Beca felt the same way.
"Have you thought about it?" She asked.
Beca eyes focused but she didn't make a move to remove herself from the other girl's hold, instead pressing her head against Chloe's chest.
"Yeah, I have," she replied. "I want to be married to you too."
"Are you sure?" Chloe asked.
Beca giggled before planting a kiss on her lips. "Do you really think I would be flippant about something like this?"
Her bright smile caused Chloe to look down and blush. Beca lifted her face and with fingers resting on her chin, gave her another kiss. "I'm usually the one that needs reminding that you love me."
"I've been thinking about our future as well. I know I seem like someone who might not care about marriage but it's never been something I've been opposed to. It's just something I never really thought about."
She paused.
"But when I look at you, marriage becomes something I want and it's an unfamiliar feeling."
"I want to marry you, Chloe"
Beca's eyes conveyed a sincerity that was unnecessary, Chloe trusted her.
"I had to go over to Aubrey and Stacie's the other day," Beca said. "Stacie invited me inside and we talked in the kitchen while she was making me a drink. Aubrey was in the other room and asked who had come in. Stacie shouted back that it was 'Chloe's wife'."
She was now beaming. "Even though she said it as a joke, I liked the sound of it. I liked the warm feeling it gave me."
"I want to be Chloe's wife."
In a flash, Chloe's lips were on Beca once again, her arms pushing the smaller girl more firmly against her, smothering her with love. Beca's moan came out a second later and Chloe felt her weight shift as the brunette's legs weakened a little, allowing the older girl to hold her.
A hand ran down along the curve of Beca's back, gently caressing her before slipping underneath her shirt and trailing the bare skin underneath. As Chloe reached the bra clasp, she broke the kiss and pulled back.
"Not here, Chlo," Beca said smiling.
Chloe chuckled, resting her head on Beca's shoulder.
"I love you so much, Beca," she whispered.
A few months later, Beca proposed.
On a cold morning at the start of winter, the pair of them were strolling through the park once again, two cups of hot tea with them. They went to Chloe's favorite tree, one of the few that still had green leaves on it at this time of the year.
Under that tree, Beca took out the engagement ring. It was a silver band with a sliver of green going around the outside. As its centerpiece, a small ruby. Her attempt to get down on one knee were stopped as Chloe had clearly realized what she was doing.
The redhead had stopped her, pulling Beca into an embrace and whispering 'yes' against her neck and peppering kisses against her skin. Soon, Chloe's words had started cracking as tears escaped her eyes.
The two of them stayed under that tree for a while, Beca's lips only allowed freedom to collect air, before being slowly captured by the other's.
It was later that night, when Chloe had fallen asleep that the brunette felt it all rushing up to meet her. A whimper escaped as she looked at her fiance calmly resting next to her. She began wiping at her eyes when she realized she was going to cry. A hand reached out to stop her, Chloe had awoken, initial concern shifting to comfort and a loving smile.
Beca fell asleep crying against Chloe's chest that night.
Overwhelmed.
Sunday - December 9th
Aubrey felt the couch shift as Beca sat down next to her. Her eyes were still focussed on the screen and her fingers were moving the control sticks and pressing the buttons like before but she acknowledged the other girl.
"Hey," she said.
"Hey yourself," Beca replied. "Can I join this one?"
"Sure."
Aubrey paused the game and set it up to allow Beca to play. This had become a common occurrence for them. The two of them and their respective partners would get together at indeterminate times at least a couple of times a month and do something together. Most involved going to one of their homes for dinner.
Tonight, they were at Aubrey and Stacie's apartment. Dinner was usually prepared by Stacie with Chloe's assistance. Since they began doing this around three years ago, Beca and Aubrey have been spending time together.
Aubrey liked Beca and she got the sense that the brunette liked her back. After some initial awkwardness, they had become comfortable with each other.
The blonde was a gamer, something the other three realized after a few weeks spent in her company. Growing up as an only child with an inattentive father meant that she had to keep herself entertained from time to time and videogames had been the solution.
The first night they had dinner, Beca had joined her on the couch and watched. It was something Stacie did as well, usually when she was playing something with a story. Her girlfriend would comment and give her advice and it became a time for bonding for the two of them.
Beca had asked if she could join in. At the time, Aubrey had been playing a single player game but was happy to switch it out so the brunette could join. Beca had been surprisingly competent. Initially, all words exchanged between them were regarding the game but as they fell into a comfortable rhythm, they found themselves just talking about things in general.
Like they were friends.
So much so that they failed to notice that the kitchen had gone completely quiet and two faces were observing them from behind.
After that first night, Aubrey began looking forward to their dinners. She liked spending time with Beca.
New games were introduced to Beca each week. The other girl wasn't well versed in the medium.
She didn't have to do that for long. Beca picked things up quickly and became knowledgeable in a few weeks. It got to the point where she asked if Aubrey had purchased a game she had seen online and wished to come over and play together.
By the time Beca's birthday rolled around, Aubrey had convinced Stacie to purchase a console as a gift.
Each dinner night would start with the two of them on the couch, playing together and talking. The first hour or so would be discussion regarding a new game or something they had played recently before things switched over to just talk of their jobs, their significant other amongst other things. They would joke, tease and make each other laugh.
Like they were friends.
Tonight was no different. Beca had greeted Stacie and plopped down next to the blonde right afterwards.
"How is it?" she asked.
"Story's trash but the actual gameplay is pretty fun."
"Difficulty?"
"I've got it on Veteran which is the highest."
The groan from Beca was immediate.
"What?" Aubrey asked, perplexed by the response.
"Whenever we play something hard, you always end up being super stressed out. It can't be good for you."
Despite the complaint, Beca had loaded into the game and was already assisting her to take out enemies.
"I'll be fine."
Beca chuckled. "I would like you to think back all the way to last month."
Last month.
Aubrey had gotten so frustrated at the game they were playing that her shouting had reached the kitchen. A very angry Stacie arrived shortly afterwards to scold her. That would be bad enough if it wasn't for the few words she also had with Beca about being disappointed that she would allow Aubrey to get to such a stage.
"Yeah, sorry about that."
"It was hard to take Stacie seriously with Chloe making faces behind her, trying to get me to laugh," Beca said. "I agree with her though, you should take things easy. You have a tendency to overexert yourself in every aspect of your life and this probably shouldn't be one of them."
Aubrey turned and smiled. "I didn't know I was playing with such a softy." Seconds later, she turned back to the screen to find her character dead, riddled with bullets thanks to Beca. "That's just immature."
The brunette just grinned at her.
They continued to play through the game with a significant drop in the amount of friendly fire. The conversation switched to talk of the actual game and to a state of cohesion with the screen. Beca would ask her about how work was going from time to time and Aubrey would pepper in questions about the wedding planning.
About an hour later, a shout from the kitchen alerted them to the completion of their dinner.
The blonde paused the game and made an attempt to get up.
"Bree?" Beca said. She was looking at her, looking somewhat nervous.
"What's up, Beca?"
"I was wondering if, uhm, you'd like to be my maid of honor."
Shocked would be underselling what Aubrey was feeling. "Me?" she asked incredulously.
"Yeah."
"I'm flattered but surely you could find someone you're closer to?" She tried to not make it sound harsh but she was still flabbergasted by the request.
"Not anyone I'd want at the wedding."
"Did Chloe put you up to this?"
Beca pretended to look hurt. "How dare you even accuse me or her of something like that?!" she said. "For the record, she doesn't even know I'm asking you."
Aubrey leaned back on the couch, contemplating the request, all the while expecting it to be some kind of joke.
"Hey." Beca's voice returned her attention to the conversation. "I asked you because I consider you a friend, a true one. I don't hang out with you because Chloe is friends with Stacie, I hang out with you because I like your company. We're not as close as we could be and that's because we're both awkward and reserved but even the little I do know about you makes me want to get to know you better."
The blonde smiled, a little lost for words. The two of them were not people who just dumped out their feelings easily so it meant a lot for Beca to say that to her, especially considering how sweet and positive it was.
"I like hanging out with you too."
The other girl wasn't making eye contact but her lips curved into a smile. "Well?" She asked.
"I'd love to be your maid of honor," Aubrey replied.
The brunette looked hesitant, unsure of how to end their little moment of sincerity. Going against her protocols, Aubrey went with instinct and moved closer to Beca before wrapping her arms around the smaller girl in an embrace.
It clearly took a moment for the oddness of the gesture to process in Beca's brain but her arms came around Aubrey shortly afterwards and her head rested on the taller girl's shoulder.
While the beginning felt like two robots discovering emotion, the two settled into it and Aubrey was hard pressed to say she disliked the hug, quite the opposite in fact.
"I think we're meant to jump up and down and squeal at this point," Beca commented.
"Don't ruin this," Aubrey replied, trying hard not to giggle.
"We should stop before those two come in here and make fun of us."
Beca let go a few seconds later and stood up.
"Hey, Beca?"
"Hmm."
"I'd like to get to know you better too."
The wedding took place a few months later.
It was a small event mostly comprised of members of Chloe's family, friends from both places of work and the odd guest or two that Beca invited. The brunette wasn't particularly close with her extended family but she invited her grandfather and grandmother on her mother's side. While it was brief, she remembered having a good relationship with her grandparents on her father's side as well. There was just no way to contact them and she wasn't particularly interested in the potential of her father coming back into her life.
The ceremony itself was far shorter than she had expected. There were obvious nerves as she waited for Chloe at the end of the aisle, reiterating her vows in her head as they went in through one part of the brain before tumbling out of the other.
Chloe had insisted on the two of them writing their own vows and Beca suspected that it was a plot to get more writing out of her.
There was a moment right after they shared their vows, while the wedding officiant said the last few words before they were officially married, that would forever be imprinted in Beca's mind.
It was of Chloe in her wedding dress. She had chosen a long sleeved dress that extended down to her wrists. The fabric from the shoulders to the hands was made of the thinner material, showing the shade of her skin through the transparency. It was the first time Beca had seen the dress and she had been floored by how beautiful Chloe looked in it.
It wasn't the dress that preserved the image for Beca.
It was Chloe's smile and the realization that she was looking at the person who she was looking at the person she would spending the rest of her life with. She couldn't believe it was happening, the fact that her peripheral vision was blurred made it feel like a dream. In a matter of seconds, Chloe would be her wife.
And those seconds passed and Chloe leaned in and kissed her.
Beca linked her hand with Chloe's, afraid that when the kiss ended and she opened her eyes, the redhead would be gone.
When she did open them again, she counted herself to be the luckiest woman on earth.
It must have been a sentiment Chloe shared with her. The big change in their relationship status caused a shift their interactions. Somehow, touching became even more common. It was like the two of them were taking time out of their day just to make sure the other one was still there. Beca suspected it would die down as they became more comfortable with the idea of being married in their heads but there was a side of her that felt like it may never disappear.
And she didn't want it to.
Because their subconscious movements always brought them to the other, who was always there to accommodate.
Despite being very careful with their finances and not overspending on their wedding, something they both agreed to, they still had to wait a good year before they were in a position to look for a house.
Beca wasn't picky. She just wanted something suburban with a nice green lawn.
Chloe didn't seem to mind that she didn't have an opinion about houses. They still went to different properties together and while she gave her opinion of each one, Beca listened.
Most of the places they looked at were pretty nice and had ticked Beca's small list of requirements. Even Chloe was happy with some of them for a practical standpoint.
Her reason for the rejection of these places were that they didn't feel right and even though that was such a vague reason, Beca couldn't disagree.
To Chloe, it clearly was a feeling thing. She rejected properties regardless of size, price and any measurable factor.
They did find a house eventually. One that they both loved.
Wednesday - March 10th
Beca stood in front of the house as the moving truck backed out of the driveway and disappeared down the road. Chloe stepped out their car and joined her as they looked at their new abode.
The house was fronted by a lush green lawn. The grass was a little overgrown on the edges and there was one or two wildflowers but they could be sorted out with a bit of work. The path leading to the home consisted of pebbles with much large stepping stones in the middle.
The front door was at the center with two large bay windows on either side. To the right of the main building was an attached garage. From the front, they could see two of the bedroom windows. The whole place was painted in a mix of light browns and pale yellows with a dark grey roof. The afternoon sun combined with the significant lack of noise made the whole place feel incredibly peaceful.
She linked her hand with the brunette's.
"Come on, let's go inside," she said.
Beca turned and placed her right arm across Chloe's back. The other girl looked at her in confusion.
"What are you doing?"
Chloe's question turned into a shriek as she was lifted into Beca's arms. Almost immediately, the redhead put her own arms around the smaller girl for support.
"You could have told me you were going to do that," Chloe said, pouting.
Beca just smiled. "I'm not going to drop you, I've done this before, remember."
"I'm surprised you can even lift me."
The smile turned into a grin. "You are pretty heavy."
"I'm going to jump out of your arms and kill you if you continue down this line."
Beca answered with a kiss, silencing her.
Once they reached the front door, Chloe took out her key and unlocked the door. Upon entering, she was placed on the ground. Beca didn't even appear to have broken a sweat.
Directly in front of them was the staircase leading to the second floor. The hallway led them into the kitchen area and to their left was the large living room. The bay windows streamed in the orange sun lighting up the room. They had yet to unpack so there were boxes scattered around the whole place.
"I'm exhausted," Chloe said.
"Me too," Beca replied. "I think we should just do the bare minimum today and get to work on properly unpacking tomorrow."
"Good idea. I'll go make our bed."
"I'll get the tv set up, we can order something to eat for tonight."
Chloe pecked Beca on the cheek and made her way upstairs.
Their bedroom, the largest room on the second floor, stretched from the front of the house to the back. There were two large windows on either side where they could see the front and back lawns. It also meant the room was bathed in the colours of the sunset.
Like all the other rooms, it was mostly empty, consisting of boxes and their bed but Chloe could already picture the way the room looked and all the things the two of them would get up to in there.
There would be a desk for Beca to set up her music equipment with enough room for Chloe to sit next to her. The redhead would work on her writing and occasionally listen to Beca's recordings.
Snapping herself out of the daydream, she made her way to one of the boxes and began pulling out sheets and pillows. The bed was larger than the one in their apartment, not that the extra real-estate was needed. Although, the possibilities for their spaceship were now improved.
She made short work of the bed and decided to go look for Beca.
As she was making her way down the hallway to the staircase, she passed the other bedroom on the second floor.
It was currently empty, there weren't even any boxes in the room. Just a fine layering of dust on the ground, visible as it kicked up into the beams of light.
She stepped inside and looked around, not really knowing why.
From here, she could see the thick tree in the back garden, its branches stretching towards the house and rubbing gently against it.
Two spoons of sugar were dropped into the second cup and swirled around. Beca had already set up the television and proceeded to make the pair of them something to drink. Chloe was taking a lot longer than she had expected to make their bed but the redhead was prone to distraction.
She took the cups and made her way up the stairs in search of her wife.
No noise could be heard upstairs, only the sound of Beca's footsteps against the wooden staircase.
The bedroom was at the end of the hallway and the brunette was about to walk towards it when something caught her attention from the other bedroom.
It was Chloe, sat against the back wall, her legs tucked against with her arms around them. She was staring out the window and didn't seem to completely aware of her surrounding, clearly not knowing that Beca was standing close by and looking at her.
"Chloe?" she called out.
The other girl turned sharply to face her. "Oh, hey Beca. I didn't notice you there." There was something different about her from before. She still looked exhausted but a worried look had replaced the joy in her eyes. It only lasted a second before she was smiling again but at this point, Beca couldn't be fooled by the seamless switch.
She moved and sat down next to Chloe, handing her the hot drink. She took a second to allow the redhead to settle against her before asking any questions.
"What're you thinking about?"
Chloe took a second to answer. "This room is empty."
"Uhumm."
She turned to face Beca. "I'm a little frightened at the prospect of having to fill this room."
"We have no reason to rush, Chlo."
Chloe took her hand and squeezed it. "I want to have kids with you, Beca. Don't think for a second that I don't."
Beca pulled the girl onto her lap. Chloe pressed herself against the brunette's chest quickly adjusting herself to their familiar position. A hand ran along her cheek before a kiss was shared.
"You're stuck with me no matter what."
Chloe tucked herself into the crook of Beca's neck. The other girl began moving her hand in soothing circles around her back.
"I'm worried I won't be able to handle it."
Beca lifted Chloe's face by her chin. "You're going to make a wonderful mother, Chloe."
"So are you, Beca. I can't do this without you, I don't want to do this without you."
She pulled her wife closer into another kiss. Her hands wandered down to Chloe's waist, cocooning them together. She could feel tears escape the redhead's eyes and enter into their kiss. Slowly, Chloe's wrapped her arms around Beca's neck.
I want to be close to you when you need support and run to you when things become difficult.
I want to take care of you.
I want you to let me take care of you...
Chloe pulled away, the beginnings of a smile on her face. She took a sip of her drink before resting against Beca's chest once again.
"I'm glad you exist, Beca."
The two of them stayed like that for a while, the brunette occasionally pressing kisses to the other girl's forehead. They talked sporadically, letting themselves enjoy the moment of respite with the person they loved. Tomorrow would be a busy day and even though they would spend most of that time together, they savoured every second spent together.
Eventually, Beca watched as the exhaustion and tears took their toll on Chloe as the older girl fell asleep against her.
Beca didn't feel like moving just yet, perfectly happy to fall asleep where she was.
"I'm glad you exist too, Chlo"
Saturday - April 10th
Beca awoke to find a lack of a warm presence next to her. It was disturbing after being familiar with it for so long in the morning. Reflexively, she reached out to find her bedmate and continued reaching before giving up hope on contact with Chloe.
Upon this realization, she opened her eyes to confirm the lack of the redhead in her bed. This was an uncommon occurrence but not a cause for panic. It was around nine o'clock. Removing herself from the bed, she made her way downstairs to find her wife and to find out why the other woman had gotten up before her on a weekend.
She found Chloe standing next to the window on the side of the house, looking out towards the next house. There was a cup of tea in her hand and she was still in her pyjamas.
Beca turned the kettle on before making her way over to the other girl.
"What are you doing up so early?" She asked.
Chloe turned to look at her. "Don't know, just kinda woke up," she replied. Her gaze returned to the window. "New neighbours must have moved in, the for-sale sign is missing."
With that, she took her cup back to the sink and informed Beca that she was going back to bed for a little longer. The brunette said she would join her shortly.
As Beca began to sip her tea, she looked back out of the window. The door to the neighbor's house opened and a blonde woman stepped out for a brief moment before stepping back in. She only managed to catch a glimpse of the woman, dressed in thick, dark blue dressing gown.
Despite the short time that she got to see her, obscured by the fence, the door, the dressing gown, her position and the direction she was facing, Beca couldn't shake the familiarity with aspects of the woman.
It couldn't be...
She tried to remove the thought out her head, slowly finishing the contents of her cup and hoping to shift her thoughts from their current route.
Unfortunately, once the cup was empty, her curiosity and the nagging feeling got the better of her.
I should probably introduce myself to the neighbours now and it'll clear my head.
She put on a pair of flip-flops and took the short walk to their neighbour's house, parts of her mind still doubting what she saw earlier.
The house was very similar to her own. The color was a light pink and the whole house was flipped along the vertical axis compared to the other.
She approached the door and knocked.
A short few seconds later, the door opened to reveal the blonde woman, still dressed in her dressing gown and holding a mug of her own.
It took almost no time for Beca to recognize the person. The woman's face, in return, shifted from half-awake and a tad irritated to one of confusion but more importantly, recognition.
"Beca?!" Aubrey said. "What are you doing here?"
Given the situation, Beca found it audacious that the other girl would ask such a question.
"Me?! What are you doing here?"
"Stacie and I live here thank you very much. We moved in around a week ago," Aubrey replied. "Now do you want to tell me what you are doing in front of our house in your pyjamas?"
The answer she gave was in a tone that indicated that her moving to the house next to their own made perfect sense. Aubrey and Stacie had gotten married close to three months after Beca and Chloe had. They had been hoping to get married before but new work scheduling had gotten in the way. They were also set to purchase a home around the same time as the other two as well.
Taking a second to process the information, Beca answered by first pointing to her house. "I live there. And have been doing so for about a month at this point."
There was a good reason that Aubrey didn't know the location of the brunette's home. She hadn't been told. Chloe had requested that they keep their new address a secret for a few weeks so they could get settled and enjoy some time together before being inundated by family and friends.
Aubrey looked at the house, then back to Beca, her eyes somewhat wide in disbelief. "You're joking."
Not an irrational response. The chances that Aubrey and Stacie would purchase a house right next to their own were slim to none.
"Not even slightly. I knew you guys were looking for a house. Didn't know you had picked one and already moved in."
"We decided to keep the address to ourselves for a bit," Aubrey said.
"We did the same thing."
Silence fell upon them. Beca ran her hands through her hair. Neither seemed to know what to do with the information. It wasn't a cause for alarm, the circumstances just seemed strange.
"Did we know nothing about where the other was moving?" the blonde asked.
"I mean, we were super busy with the move and organising things that we pretty much had no contact with other people for a while. Sorry about that by the way. We missed you guys."
Aubrey smiled. "It's okay, we weren't all that available either."
"You're okay with this?" Beca asked.
The two of them had become much closer after their heart to heart. Their friendship rivaled that of Chloe and Stacie's. They were not particularly good at displaying it outwardly but there was a comfortable acceptance of each other that those not looking closely could easily miss. Every time they attempted a moment of vulnerability, it came out as awkward. It didn't matter to them because it was always well intentioned and done in privacy. Especially after teasing from the other two.
"Of course! This is a little crazy but pleasantly so," Aubrey said, giving Beca a quick hug. She turned back into the house and called out. "Stacie, get down here! You're not going to believe this."
Light footsteps from the staircase announced the arrival of the other brunette. She rubbed her eyes as she descended, dressed in a light red nightgown. She let out a yawn before looking at Beca and smiling widely.
"Hey, Becs," she shouted.
Once she reached her wife, she delivered a quick peck on the cheek before making her way out of the doorway and down the street. The other two watched as she knocked on Beca's door, which opened a few seconds later, and she stepped in.
Beca looked at Aubrey who just shrugged.
"Let's go see what that was about," she suggested.
Beca was somewhat sceptical of her current reality. Given the situation, she might as well be dreaming considering the things that have happened this morning. Aubrey and Stacie had moved next door and Stacie had just walked into her home as though it was an everyday occurrence. Oddly, the strangest part of the day was the fact that Chloe woke up before her. That in and of itself was considerably damning evidence that she was dreaming.
She was the first to step in. She could hear sounds coming from the kitchen.
Moving around the corner into the living room, the sight that greeted the two from the kitchen was Stacie and Chloe preparing food. Breakfast, Beca presumed. The redhead was still dressed in her pyjamas cracking eggs into a bowl, a whisk placed next to them. Stacie, on the other hand, was standing over a pan and the smell of bacon wafted through the air.
Upon entering their eye line, Chloe greeted them.
"Hey, Bree," she said casually before cracking an egg into a bowl.
"Hey, Chloe," Aubrey replied, albeit slowly in a bewildered way.
"What are you two doing?" Beca asked.
"Cooking," they said.
As Beca looked between Chloe and Stacie, something occurred to her.
"Aubrey," she said, getting the blonde's attention. "Whose idea was it to not tell anyone else about your new address?"
"Stacie's."
"And did she give some cute speech about wanting to have the house to yourselves for a while?"
By now, the pair cooking were holding back grins as the explanation for the recent events dawned on Aubrey.
"Do you two have anything to share?" Beca asked.
"Nope," Stacie said, her back turned.
"Chloe, what about you?"
The redhead looked up from the bowl. "How do you want your eggs?" she asked.
"Did you know that these two would be moving in next door?"
"Maybe," she replied sheepishly.
"How long did you know?"
The look of guilt in Chloe's face was almost hidden by the smirk and the pride at her deception.
"Since before we bought the house."
Beca went wide eyed.
"What?!" she said in unison with Aubrey.
The brunette was impressed to say the least. The secret had been kept for a couple of months at this point. She was still confused as to why they kept it a secret, the reason for doing it in the first place was somewhat obvious.
"Did you guys plan this?" the blonde asked.
Stacie turned around at this point, looking like a puppy who had been caught doing something bad. "Sort of," she said.
"Sort of?"
It was clear to Beca that both she and Aubrey were not mad at their spouses or the current situation, it was just confusion. Confusion which was fueling the smiles and joy of the other two. She concluded that they probably achieved their goal, whatever it may have been.
Chloe intervened to answer the question.
"It was just before you and I put in an offer for the house," she said, motioning at Beca. "You guys didn't know this but I decided to show Stacie the house. I hadn't planned on hiding that from you but that's sort of where our plan began."
"Stacie ended up liking the neighborhood in general and we decided to have a look at the house next door, which was also for sale, just for fun. On the way back, she told me she loved the house and she decided to see if she could get Bree to like it as well."
"Wait," Aubrey said. "Stace, you were incredibly critical of the house and I had to convince you that it was a good option. The only reason I stuck with it was because you seemed to change your mind suddenly."
Said girl stopped what she was doing and approached her wife, planting a kiss on her lips.
"I wasn't going to force you to live here, Bree. I wanted to make sure you loved it as much as I did."
The blonde wrapped her arms around Stacie and pulled her closer.
"Why keep it a secret?"
Chloe continued her explanation. "We wanted to see how long it would take you two to figure it out. Can't believe it took you guys a full week and change."
"You two don't mind, do you?" Stacie asked, the question coming from both her and Chloe.
"No, not at all," Beca replied.
"Yeah, we talked about this outside already," Aubrey added.
"We liked the idea of living on the same street as our friends, like we were still children," Chloe said. "Also, we were a little worried that the distance would mean we would drift apart. The thought of only seeing the two of you," she looked towards Aubrey and Stacie, "only a few times a year was a little depressing."
Beca thought the fear was irrational. The four of them were good friends and while distance would be a barrier to their friendship, it was one they could overcome. Still, she couldn't argue that irrationality, in this case, had led them to a better circumstance. Besides, the fear of drifting apart was something she held, despite her rationality telling her otherwise.
"The looks on your faces when you walked in the kitchen were priceless," Stacie said, giggling. Chloe joined in a second later.
Beca looked at Aubrey and shrugged. The other girl sent a small smile her way. They had both been fooled rather effectively but there wasn't any bitterness towards their companions.
Once the laughing died down. Aubrey spoke.
"I'm glad you did it."
"Yeah, it was a good idea," Beca concluded.
Chloe moved towards Beca and kissed her cheek.
"You guys wait in the living room while we make breakfast," she said.
"Why?" Beca asked.
"Think of it as an apology."
With that, the two of them were forced rather harshly out of the room. They sat down on the couch and Beca flicked on the television. She allowed her sleepy mind to catch up with events of the morning and the implications that they brought forth.
This was good. There was something about this that felt like a fairytale, one with an almost unbelievably positive ending.
"We'll get them back for this, you know," Aubrey said, interrupting Beca's thoughts.
"Oh, I know," the other girl replied.
The pair of them spend the next few minutes catching up and they could hear the same thing happening from the kitchen. Shortly afterwards, all four of them were situated on the couch and the nearby chair watching the screen and half paying attention to what was happening on it.
By midday, they reluctantly separated, having to admit that staying in their pyjamas late into the day was perhaps going too far.
Sunday - April 11th
For Beca, waking up had become a process. The years spent together had caused Chloe to have an involuntary reaction when the brunette attempted to leave the bed.
Beca would watch Chloe closely and make sure she was asleep before trying to get out of bed. It didn't matter in the end, the redhead would always sense her motion no matter how deep her slumber was and cling onto her. The response was usually coupled with a whiny cooing noise reflecting her reluctance.
Beca found it adorable.
On some mornings, she would purposely get up earlier than she had planned to, just to witness the reaction. The moment she tried to leave, she would get pulled back under the covers immediately.
It also had the effect of getting Chloe to a state of awareness. Talking early in the morning, before the two of them had to do anything, had become one of Beca's favorite things. Their moods were mellow and they spoke without a worry, oddly unafraid of being incoherent and just letting their thoughts tumble out.
Today was no different.
She pretended to get up, moving her legs from out of the covers and towards the floor.
On cue, Chloe's arms came up around her waist and held her there. Beca smiled to herself.
"We can get up in an hour or so," Chloe said sleepily. "But you have to cuddle me till then."
The other girl was more than happy to oblige, wrapping her arms around the redhead. Chloe snuggled into her and let out a yawn, blinking her eyes several times.
"What do you have planned for today," she asked.
"Nothing much, the label wants me to sort some stuff about our artists but that shouldn't take too long." Beca ran her hand through Chloe's hair. "I might cut the grass and pull out some of the weeds from the flowerbeds."
"I'd love to see you get obsessed with gardening," Chloe said with a giggle.
"Not going to happen. What about you?"
"Oh, for today. I don't know. I've got some ideas I need to put down into actual words for my book."
"We could do something together later in the day then."
"Sure."
It was around nine in the morning and the sun was having an adverse effect on their eyes. They would only stay half-open, still adjusting to the morning light.
"I'm worried about our fence," Beca said.
"The one separating our house from Aubrey and Stacie?"
"Yeah."
Chloe looked confused. "How come?"
"Well, once we have kids and they also have kids, we're going to fix a lot of holes and damages to it."
She smiled and Beca could understand why. The image of their potential children wreaking havoc on their houses sounded adorable, especially considering the fact that they didn't have to deal with it yet.
"I'm going to spoil their kid so that they love me more."
Beca chuckled. "That's sinister. I have a feeling they might be thinking the same thing. Next thing you'll know, our kid will just live with them."
The other girl strengthened her grip and frowned at her. "You can't let them take our children, Beca. Promise me," Chloe said, fake worry laced in every word.
Beca kissed her forehead. "I promise."
The pair talked lackadaisically about other things. Chloe spoke about her book, verbalizing her ideas and even working out plot points in real time. Beca was happy to listen and pop in some ideas of her own. She loved listening to Chloe's thought process regarding her writing.
The hour passed alarmingly quickly, the clock reading just a few minutes past ten. Chloe looked at the clock and groaned before pushing herself against the mattress to get up.
"I guess the responsible thing to do is wake up," Chloe said.
Beca took a hold of the redhead's wrist, holding her on the bed. With her other hand, she reached over and knocked the alarm clock from the nightstand before pulling Chloe back into her arms.
"We're in no rush," Beca said.
Chloe giggled, coming back into the safety of their bed.
Over the course of the next few minutes, Beca felt Chloe's breath against her as her body began to relax once again. Eventually, her eyes closed and she looked at peace once again.
It wasn't long before she succumbed to it herself, falling asleep in Chloe's arms.
Despite finding her soulmate, moving into a house together, working on something she actually loved and thinking about having children, Beca didn't feel like her life was slowing down or coming close to completion. There were plenty more obstacles in their way and with Chloe, she felt like they could go further than their dreams.
Yet, at the same time, moments like this morning reminded her that life moved slowly. It was almost a perfect combination. Their lives were evolving at a rapid rate yet they never felt it. Time together was almost like a bubble, slower than the rest of the world. Time to spend on what was important.
She would forever be thankful for having the chance to experience life with Chloe.
I'm Glad You Exist.
Thanks for reading.
Sorry this took so long. I honestly didn't expect to have so much other work to do. It didn't help that my plan for the epilogue was far beyond a simple chapter.
I wanted to focus on a few aspects of their relationship in the years following the ending. Since proposals and weddings have been done by a lot of other authors, I didn't feel like I could bring anything new to the concept so I chose to avoid them and focus elsewhere.
Just a small note here. When I was writing the fic, I didn't have any music in mind to inspire me. However, in July, Kacey Musgraves' album came out and I took some inspiration from it. The whole album is worth listening to but the following songs directly affected a few chapters.
Somebody to Love, Die Fun(my favorite), Late to the Party.
I hope you guys enjoyed it. I am somewhat worried about the events of the epilogue ruining the overall fic. If you ended up disliking this, just pretend it never happened and come up with your own epilogue.
I'd like to thank SnowQueen95, sugarlandaddict23, Baby Darth Dalloway, Jakarie, smardiculous, Anon, RJRMovieFan, CapAmerica21, owieey, martinora, Guest, Chemkie435, until its gone, Gleek0382, Guest, FaithSlayerL, Erika, Joshifer4Everlark, rcmates, danigirlslc, Guest, malexfaith, ElysJH, RocketAlana, A. , GuesT2002, twin192, xXFreakyUnicorn7689Xx, wolveswithoutteeth, Guest and omACAgee for their reviews.
And I'd like to thank all those that followed and favorited the fic.
I'm not sure I can thank everyone enough for taking the time to read my work. It's always appreciated.
No cover art this week, I just didn't have enough time with all my university work.