Thanks for reading guys! I hope you are all enjoying reading this as much as I do writing it. It seems to be coming to you in drips and drabs but I promise I have more written, I just am having trouble finding time to edit it with my schedule. Thanks for the reviews so far and keep them coming. I can't get better at writing without know what you guys think. Thanks!

Chloe pushed back from her desk and turned to face the room. After taking a moment to gather herself, she left her paper half written and resigned herself to getting ready. She could just go up as she was but she felt icky just wearing her lounging clothes. She looked down and took in the worn yoga pants and t-shirt from a high school choir event. No, this would not do. She chided herself for making extra effort just because she cared about looking good for Beca.

It wasn't as if Beca was the only one who wasn't used to having deep feelings for someone. Chloe had been in exactly one serious relationship and that had ended in heartbreak so this was new territory for her as well in a way. "Screw it," she muttered and put on the first clothes that she came across in her closet.

Ten minutes and three flights of stairs later there she was, staring at Beca's door, clad in a purple flannel shirt, jeans, and boots. The jacket rested in the crook of her arm. She ran a hand through her hair one more time before Beca answered the door and then reminded herself that it was a useless gesture. Her friend didn't care what her hair looked like, at least not the way Chloe wanted her to care.

"Hey, Beca," Chloe smiled

Beca waved her in and sat back down at the desk, leaving the bed open for Chloe. "Hey," she replied, "Sorry I didn't get your call. My phone was on silent." With one look she was able to tell that Chloe was not exactly her usual chipper self.. She was still standing, which was odd. She and Jesse both tended to make themselves at home in her room and this felt more formal and loaded with something inexplicable.

"Here," Chloe said as she stepped forward and offered Beca the jacket. "Thanks again for letting me borrow it and sorry I didn't remember to give it back last night."

"No, problem," Beca said. Her brow wrinkled. "Are you gonna sit down?"

"Oh, yeah, sure." Chloe sat down on the edge of the bed.. She tried to relax a little, not wanting Beca to get the wrong idea. This was step one in getting used to the way things were. They had to rewind a little bit to go forward again. She had to start thinking of Beca as just a friend. If she could get past the feelings that burdened her, maybe it would be okay and they could be like before.

"So," Beca started. She wasn't used to having to carry the conversation. "Do you want to do something? I don't know maybe get lunch?" She was choosing to ignore the obvious stiffness between them and racked her mind for ways to cheer Chloe up. Even though she had been nervous about seeing her, she could never say no to spending time with Chloe..

"You know, I was working on a paper and I really should get back to it," Chloe said. There was a little hesitation in her voice but she really needed more time to process the situation. She stood and made her way to the door, turning back after she placed a hand on the knob. "I'll see you at the Bellas meeting. Aubrey wants to get together tomorrow," she opened the door, "you should get a text from her about it later."

Beca stood up and walked after her, reaching the door as Chloe let go of it. She rested against the door frame. "Is everything okay?" Of everyone she had met this year Chloe had been the one to find her way the farthest into Beca's heart and her concern was genuine. If she could help she would and even if she couldn't she at least wanted to know what was going on.

Chloe tried to smile. "Of course, everything's fine," she reached out and squeezed Beca's arm and then let her hand fall when she felt the unmistakable connection through their skin, "I'm just a little stressed." She looked down. "Okay, I'll see you later."

"Good luck with the paper," Beca called as she watched Chloe towards the stairs. Chloe waved in reply and disappeared into the stairwell. She closed the door and leaned against it. She tried to trace back to when Chloe's behavior had altered.

The last few days were still a bit of a blur. After the ICCA performance she had rushed into the crowd to find Jesse and then later they had all gathered backstage after the awards were handed out. Jesse had suggested that they all go out to dinner.

She remembered sitting between Chloe and Jesse in the restaurant. They were all jazzed about the win that she hadn't really paid attention to much else. There had been much rehashing of the performances and a lot of friendly contention about who deserved to win. Jesse had commanded much of her attention so aside from banter shared by the whole group she hadn't really spoken to Chloe until they were back at the hotel.

It was four girls per room and that meant sharing a double bed with someone. She had snagged Chloe as a bedmate, leaving Aubrey to bunk with Fat Amy. She wasn't sure Aubrey would ever forgive her for that since Amy had clipped her toenails in bed. Chloe had seemed a little subdued considering their victory but she hadn't given much thought to it at the time.

Her stomach growled startling her out of her thoughts. It was definitely time to get some food, maybe Jesse wanted to get lunch.