"Oh no, he's so going to regret that. That girl is such an airhead." Aubrey exclaimed, shaking her head at the TV screen.
"She's sweet, Aubrey." Chloe defended. The two seniors sat on the couch in their pajamas, mindlessly watching The Bachelor while eating ice cream out of the carton. It had become somewhat of a tradition of theirs whenever one or both of them was in emotional turmoil. Aubrey was the one to suggest it after hearing Chloe ramble about Beca for nearly an hour.
"Well, as long as it's not Cassandra, I guess." Aubrey conceded.
"What?! She's my favorite!" Chloe exclaimed, almost sounding offended.
"She has a bad attitude." Aubrey replied knowingly.
"She's just protecting her heart! She's probably been hurt in the past… or something."
Aubrey laughed. "Well, now I know why she's your favorite? Remind you of a certain prickly DJ, maybe?"
Chloe grabbed a pillow and threw it in Aubrey's direction. "You're the worst. That is not why I like her."
"Uh huh." Aubrey said, though she sounded completely unconvinced. Before their argument could continue any further, the shrill ringing of Chloe's cell phone interrupted them.
"That's weird, it's Stacy." Chloe frowned in confusion. "Hey, Stace, what's up?" Aubrey watched as Chloe listened intensely. "She what?!" Chloe put a hand to her forehead and sighed in frustration. "Yeah, I'll come pick her up. Just please keep an eye on her until I get there, Stace. Mhmm, see you soon." Chloe hung up the phone and turned her attention to Aubrey. "Stacy found Beca at a bar and she's really drunk. I'm gonna go pick her up."
Aubrey sighed and turned off the TV, recognizing this as the end of their girl's night. "You know, that girl does need an awful lot of saving recently." Aubrey noted.
"Aubrey… "Chloe warned, not wanting to hear a lecture.
"I'm not trying to play the mother here, Chlo, by all means you can save whoever you want whenever. I'm just saying, I don't want to see anyone taking advantage of you or walking all over you. That's all."
"It isn't like that, Aubrey. She's going through something." Chloe replied, grabbing her keys from the counter.
"I get that, Chloe, I do, but going through something is no reason to treat you like crap. She's really confused right now and I just don't want you get strung along, okay? Keep that in mind. I'm on your side here."
"There aren't sides, Bree. Beca's side is my side." Chloe clarified before walking out into the night.
Aubrey sighed. I hope you're right.
When Chloe returned toting a nearly unconscious Beca, Aubrey had called it a night and closed herself in her room. Thankfully, the freshman was small and light, so Chloe easily carried her into her bedroom and gently laid her down on the bed. Chloe noticed a cold bottle of water and a bottle of Advil sitting on her bedside table, and she made a mental note to thank Aubrey in the morning.
Chloe quickly opened the water and handed it to Beca, who was attempting to keep herself in a sitting position. "Drink as much as you can." She ordered, before she began to rifle through her dresser for pajamas Beca could borrow. She finally settled on some shorts and concert T-shirt, and she turned to face Beca again. She was pleased to see that Beca had drunk half of the contents of the water bottle, like she had asked. "Well, at least you're an obedient drunk." Chloe muttered to herself, handing Beca the clothing.
"Have I ever told you that you're like an angel? Fat Amy says gingers don't have a soul, but there's no way because you're so… angel-like." Beca slurred happily.
Chloe laughed. "Angelic. I think the word you're looking for is angelic. I'm going to turn around so you can get changed, okay?" Though Chloe had already seen the brunette naked (a memory that still managed to bring a blush to her cheeks), she didn't want to make the girl self-conscious or uncomfortable.
Beca seemed to be thinking the same thing, however, as she laughed and said, "You have seen me naked before." Chloe just rolled her eyes and turned around regardless. She fought the urge to laugh when she heard Beca huffing in frustration.
"Do you need help?" Chloe asked, slightly amused by the situation.
"No." Apparently Beca's stubbornness remained despite her inebriation. "I just… why are buttons so difficult?!"
Chloe couldn't help but laugh at the childlike tone of Beca's voice, turning to see the girl struggling to unbutton her flannel. "Here, let me." Chloe gently pushed away Beca's hands and began unbutton the shirt for her. She tried not to the think about how her fingers would brush against Beca's stomach every once in a while, or the butterflies she felt when she gently pushed the shirt off of the girls small shoulders. She avoided looking into Beca's eyes as she quickly reached for the shirt and slipped it over her head. Only then does she look up, surprised to find Beca's expression to be fairly sober.
"Thanks." Beca whispered, her face inches away from Chloe's. She could feel the girl's hot breath on her skin, and she shivered, unable to contain her attraction. Without hesitation, Beca pressed her lips to Chloe's, smiling slightly when she felt Chloe respond almost immediately.
Beca pulled back slightly, their foreheads touching. "You're beautiful." She whispered with so much conviction Chloe blushed and looked away.
"You're not so bad yourself, Mitchell." Chloe responded, heart thudding loudly in her chest as she eagerly captured Beca's lips in another kiss.
As the kiss deepened, Beca scooted back and pulled Chloe onto the bed with her. She ignored the flash of panic that accompanied their position, and surged forward, slipping her hands underneath the hem of Chloe's shirt. She stroked the exposed skin of Chloe's back lightly, loving the way it felt under her fingertips. Chloe moaned softly, and Beca took that as a signal to proceed, pulling eagerly on Chloe's shirt, breaking their kiss for a moment to pull it over her head.
"Beca…" Chloe whispered breathlessly, but her words were muffled by another kiss. Beca guided Chloe's hands to her waist and under the hem of her borrowed shirt. "Beca." Chloe pulled back once more, her eyes searching Beca's deep blue.
"Shh… Less talking, more kissing." Beca replied, ridding herself of the shirt much faster than it had taken her to put it on. She pressed her lips to Chloe's, before moving down to place passionate kisses on her neck. This seemed to distract Chloe for the moment, another moan escaping her lips in pleasure.
They continued to make out for another couple minutes, but Chloe immediately pulled back when she felt Beca's hands on the button of her jeans. "Beca, wait."
"Seriously? I am nude." Beca joked, smiling lightly at the memory.
"No, Beca, I'm serious. Stop." That seemed to do the trick, Beca immediately freezing at Chloe's words. Within seconds, Beca disentangled herself from the red head and moved herself to the edge of the bed, her back turned to Chloe.
Chloe sighed, realizing her tone sounded much harsher than she had intended. "I'm sorry, that came out wrong." Her tone was much softer, as she moved to sit next to Beca, though the girl refused to meet her eyes. "Beca, would you please look at me?"
When Beca finally looked up, her deep blue eyes were filled with rejection and hurt. "You don't want me." She said simply, as if stating a fact.
"No! No, that's not it at all." Chloe could've slapped herself for making the brunette think that she was rejecting her. "I want you, Beca, trust me. Just… not like this."
Beca looked at her doubtfully before looking back down at her lap. "I'm… dirty. I've already been used and now I'm just seconds." Her voice was so quiet Chloe almost missed it, the pure vulnerability in her voice reminding Chloe of the day that she had found Beca in her room.
"Hey." Chloe's voice was serious as she gently lifted Beca's chin so that their eyes connected. "That isn't true." She wiped away a stray tear that escaped Beca's eye. "You, Beca Mitchell, are the most breathtakingly beautiful person I have ever met."
She could still see doubt in Beca's eyes, so Chloe continued, intending to talk until Beca believed her. "I'm serious. You've got this amazing, flawless ivory skin that's softer than anything I've ever felt. And, you do these things with your hair that can only be described as hair porn because it's so intricate and beautiful and unlike anything I've ever seen." Beca chuckled lightly at the phrase 'hair porn' and Chloe's heart soared at the sound. "You may not smile that often, trying to keep up the badass image or whatever, but when you do, it's so gorgeous and it makes me feel like the most special person in the world because it was directed at me. And your eyes… God, Beca, your eyes remind me of the ocean, which is my favorite place in the world because it's so calm and peaceful. I could get lost in your eyes, Beca. But none of that compares to how beautiful you are on the inside. I have never met anyone like you, and I don't think I ever will, because you are absolutely one-of-a-kind, in the best way possible. I love how tough and resilient you are. Your strength amazes me, and it's equally as amazing that, within all that strength, you are still able to be soft and caring and sweet. Not a lot of people get to see that side of you, Beca, and it's such a shame because people don't get to see how wonderful you really are. But, at the same time, it's fantastic because it feels like I get to see this secret that no one else can see. I just want to be around you all the time. You're… intoxicating and so funny and charming and sexy. Oh God, you're sexy. So, please, believe me when I say that I very much want to have sex with you, but you deserve so much more than a drunken, spur-of-the-moment night. You deserve romance and passion, but most of all, you deserve love. And I fully intend to give you all of that, and more, when you're ready. If you'll let me, that is." Chloe finished her speech breathless, surprised at all of the words that had tumbled out of her mouth. She hadn't meant to talk for so long, but she had been preparing a speech like this since she had first met Beca at the activities fair. Once she started, she found she couldn't stop until it had all been said, her heart lying exposed in Beca's hands.
Beca, to her credit, didn't interrupt Chloe. She simply sat quietly, absorbing and processing all of the Chloe's heartfelt words. She was left understandably speechless by the end, and only one phrase come to the forefront of her mind.
"I love you."
It was short, only three words, but Chloe couldn't have thought of a more perfect response. Though Beca had said it to her before, it was different this time. There was no friendly undertone to it, like there had been before; there was just pure, unadulterated love. Chloe understood that it was more than just a declaration of love. It was a promise; a promise to love Chloe, yes, but also a promise to let Chloe love her, more than Beca had ever given to anyone in her entire life. And when Beca leaned in to kiss Chloe, slowly and with more love than she had ever felt before, Chloe was absolutely certain that she had Beca's heart too, exposed and vulnerable as ever.
A/N: YAY BECHLOE FTW! That is all. Thanks for reading and keep posted for the next (possibly last) chapter.