A/N: Alright my darlings. Here's the final chapter xo It's a doozy, so pace yourselves ;) x
Chloe rings the doorbell to Aubrey's house more so out of habit than actual necessity. She has a key to the place and everything, but Chloe still feels like Mr. Posen might be around and she respects his wishes too much to use the key without 'alerting them to her presence first'.
She hears Aubrey call out and Chloe grins as she lets herself in, "Good morning!"
Aubrey smiles at her beautifully as she continues making her way out the back door with a large igloo cooler in her arms, "Good morning!" Her smile drops into a pout, "Chloe, I told you not to worry about bringing anything, I've got it all covered!"
Chloe just shrugs, happily putting down the big bowl of potato salad she made and quickly going over to help Aubrey carry the cooler outside, "Yeah, and I told you I was going to bring something regardless of what you said. What do you even have in this thing? And how in the hell were you carrying this on your own?" She asks, looking pointedly at the ridiculously heavy ice box they're carrying out the back.
Aubrey rolls her eyes and laughs, "I workout. And to answer your question," they set the cooler down breathlessly, "a lot of delicious-ness. Can't have a BBQ without the proper refreshments."
Chloe raises an eyebrow and lifts up the lid and laughs because of the sheer volume of Capri Sun juice pouches lying on the surface, almost but not quite, hiding the just as impressive number of wine coolers and water bottles.
Aubrey winks at her and hip checks Chloe on her way back inside, "Told you I've got you covered."
Chloe giggles as she closes the lid and follows Aubrey inside to help her setting up.
Xoxoxo
Taking a deep breath, Beca finally puts the USB into a small fancy gift bag, if only to make sure she ends up giving it to Chloe.
"Oh will you look at that? She's finally done it!" Kimmy Jin says from her place on her bed, sitting and watching with rapt attention, trying to downplay just how excited she is that Beca is finally going to do the thing.
Beca glares at her roommate as she carefully ties a bow with the ribbons attached to the bag, "You're really starting to get on my nerves there Kimmy."
However Kimmy Jin just smirks at her and it causes Beca to roll her eyes again, "Whatever, I'm gonna be going now. Don't wait up or whatever…"
She grabs a backpack that she had packed with some clothes and a hoodie for when it gets dark, and she carefully puts the gift bag into her backpack.
'Here goes nothing,' she thinks to herself, shutting the door behind her, purposefully ignoring the rather uncharacteristically excited whooping coming from her roommate.
She pulls out her phone and rechecks the location of Aubrey's house.
No matter how many times they've gone over, it still blows her mind that Aubrey's parents have left her that house. It's enormous and it's literally about nine minutes away, walking distance, from campus.
And it's enormous.
She rolls her eyes and shifts the backpack up onto her shoulder and heads off towards 561 University Drive.
"Hey Beca! Wait up!"
Beca can't help the grin on her face when she hears Stacie calling out to her, but it quickly drops from her face when she feels her slam into her at nearly full speed. Thankfully Stacie was prepared for the collision because she wraps her arms around Beca and holds fast.
"Whoa there, sorry Beca, I didn't realize you were gonna stop so fast for me." Stacie giggles as she squeezes Beca in greeting before carefully letting go once she's certain the tinier brunette is on solid footing.
Beca just laughs lightly and smiles up at her, "Don't worry 'bout it. You heading over to Aubrey's now?"
Stacie nods, "Yeah, Cynthia Rose was supposed to wait for me, but I got held back trying to look for my swim suit, so I told her she should head out without me. I finally found it though!" Stacie exclaims, an excited grin on her face as she lifts up her own bag to show Beca, her other hand gently taking hold of Beca's as they fall into step together.
Smiling, Beca nods, "Well, I'm glad you found it; we can go on over together. Do you think we're the last ones to make it over?"
Stacie bites her lip and tilts her head contemplating the answer, "You know…I'd say yes if not for Fat Amy. I think she said she was going to be a little while because she wanted to go and pick up Chloe's cake."
Beca hums in acknowledgement and the two of them walk in companionable silence, with Stacie lightly humming a lighthearted tune as she gently swings their hands back and forth, causing Beca to grin wider at the silliness of these aca-nerds she calls friends.
As they walk up the driveway Beca is once again hit with the sheer size of the place.
"It's like a mini-mansion." Beca hears Stacie say as they carefully step up the front steps and push open the door, having gotten instructions from Aubrey about that.
Beca laughs as she nods, "Especially since she's the only one living here; it's freakin fantastic really."
Lily and Ashley are in the kitchen prepping the meat to go on the grill when they walk in and they greet the both of them happily, going back to their designated tasks, chatting amicably, albeit quietly.
"I'm just gonna put our bags away, I'll see you outside." Beca says, easily taking Stacie's bag from her and slipping it over her shoulder, receiving an appreciative smile in return.
"Thanks Beca! I'll tell them you'll be right out." She slips out the back door and Beca can make out the excited greeting Stacie elicits from Chloe and just the sound of her voice alone makes her get nervous all over again.
'Fucking focus Beca. Don't mess this up. It's Chloe for fuck's sake. Don't ruin this for her,' she mentally berates herself as she finds the room that's housing all of their things for the day.
It's spacious and lovely bedroom really, and she can tell that everyone's already been through here and has already put their things away.
She smiles when she sees the stack of presents on the vanity table, and contemplates just leaving her little gift bag with the other presents.
She's just about to take it out of her bag when she hears someone walk into the room.
"Hey," It's Chloe, "I thought maybe you got lost or something." She laughs lightly and her eyes are super bright, and her cheeks are already colored from excitement, and Beca is an absolute goner.
She shakes her head as she says, "No, not lost, just trying to figure out my game plan."
Beca forgoes taking out the present for now and just drops her bag onto the couch that's at the end of a rather large and comfortable looking bed, turning away from the vanity table and facing Chloe.
"Hey," Beca says as she sheepishly waves her hand in greeting.
Which has the desired effect on Chloe, because the redhead is rolling her eyes and stepping closer to her and holding out her arms, stopping just before reaching Beca and silently asking Beca if it's okay that she hugs her.
And that alone makes Beca want to kick her own ass for the doubt she's made Chloe feel when it comes to she and her.
Beca easily and immediately walks into Chloe's arms and holds onto the back of her shirt tightly, sighing contentedly when she feels Chloe's arms wrap around her just as tightly, if not more so, bringing them infinitesimally closer together.
Beca's heart hammers a ridiculous beat in her heart, but that's nothing compared to what happens when she feels Chloe's hand run through her hair gently, "You've been holding out on me Mitchell."
Laughing lightly to cover up the fact that her heart literally skipped a beat, Beca draws back only enough to be able to look Chloe in the face, "I don't know what you're talking about Beale."
Scrunching up her nose adorably, Chloe pouts, "Don't pretend you don't know how long it's been since you've given me a proper hug."
Beca's face should probably just take on a permanent red hue whenever she's going to be around Chloe; it'd be easier than constantly feeling her face heat up in stages, "Yo-you're absolutely right and I would like to formally apologize."
Chloe's eyes light up at that, her arms tightening around Beca's shoulders, "Oh yeah? And how, exactly, are you going to be apologizing and making up for it?"
Pretending to think about it for a little while, Beca tilts her head and hmms, darting her eyes away from Chloe's face before having a pseudo-eureka moment and widening her eyes as she looks back at Chloe's rather amused face, "Why, that's easy! I'll just hug you now for as long as you want! And then I'll spend the rest of the day by your side and I'll even be on your team by default for anything and everything we may end up doing today."
Chloe's smile is worth every little bit of nerves Beca is feeling after having said that, and Beca doesn't think she's ever seen Chloe's eyes light up so much.
"You mean that? Really?" Chloe asks, needing the reassurance that Beca isn't joking around now.
Nodding, Beca tugs on Chloe's waist and rests her head against her shoulder, "Mhmm, really. Now come on, we've got this hug of undetermined length to finish up so we can head back outside to go be with the rest of the nerds."
Beca can't see Chloe's face, but she can practically feel her vibrating in her arms in complete rapture at Beca's words and she feels so proud of herself for being able to do something right.
'Maybe Aubrey had a point,' Beca thinks to herself as she feels Chloe nuzzle into her hair affectionately. 'Hell, maybe Kimmy Jin had a point too.'
Chloe would gladly just stay there with Beca in her arms for the rest of the day honestly, and not find a single thing she would rather do more, but she also really wants to swim and have fun with the girls too and she's suddenly far more excited than she was yesterday about today.
"Okay, we're gonna pause this hug, cuz I'm still not done here, and we're gonna get outside and get into that fantastic pool now okay? Okay!"
Beca feels Chloe step away and then grab both of her hands before giving her a dazzling smile and pulling her after her.
Beca doesn't even try to hide her smile. What would be the use?
Xoxoxo
Once outside, Beca was greeted enthusiastically by just about everyone, including Fat Amy who winked at her and tapped the side of her nose a couple of times.
She doesn't have much time to dwell on that though because Chloe pulls her away right after the hellos towards and under the cantilever umbrella that's by the pool deck.
Beca's eyes widen when she finally notices properly what Chloe is wearing.
She swallows dryly and her eyes want to bug out of her head when she sees Chloe start to take off what she's wearing though. Beca can make out the bikini strings to Chloe's top delicately tied around her neck, showing off her bronze shoulders, a hint of the dark blue bikini seeping through the white trellis tunic cover up she's wearing, enough so that Beca can make out her shape.
When Chloe breezily lifts up the tunic, Beca is certain that she hears an angel chorus sound, because Chloe looks fantastic in her bikini, and Beca is not worthy of being in her presence when she looks like a goddess.
Beca's eyes flutter as she follows Chloe's movements as she wriggles out of her well loved jeans shorts.
Beca is pretty sure she's died and gone to heaven in the seconds it has taken Chloe to disrobe and reveal herself in her bikini.
"Come on slow poke, get out of your clothes, I need you to put sunscreen on me, so I can do you next." Chloe says excitedly, poking at Beca to get her to move.
Her brain has short-circuited. There's no way around it. Beca has lost all of her abilities to act like a functioning member of society.
"You-wait, what?"
Chloe tilts her head and grins as she tugs on Beca's loose fitting plaid top, "You're not going to be swimming in your button up, are you?"
Beca stiltedly shakes her head, "N-no."
Grinning brightly, Chloe nods, "Right! So you're also going to want to be protected from the sun, so we're going to get you out of your clothes and then slather you with about hmm two inches of sunscreen." She sticks her tongue out teasingly, "That should just about cover it. Don't want you getting sunburned."
Beca giggles.
She giggles, and it makes Beca want to bury her own head under the water right away because she's fairly certain some of the girls overheard her and she wants to die right now because she's supposed to be a damn badass, and here she is swooning and falling over herself around Chloe.
Her hands are shaking a little bit as she starts unbuttoning her shirt, revealing her own burgundy bandeau bikini top, and as she does so she notices Chloe walking over towards one of the deck loungers. Chloe puts her clothes onto the chair and then reaches for the sunscreen and starts rubbing it into her arms and chest and nose and basically onto every part of her skin that's exposed.
Beca shakes her head to stop herself from perving on Chloe and quickly pulls off her jeans, picking up her clothes and walking closer to Chloe to put her clothes down as well.
"Could you get my back? I promise I'll have you covered after you're done." Chloe asks sweetly, holding out the sunscreen.
Beca doesn't know how she manages to grab the bottle without dropping it or accidentally missing completely and hitting Chloe's head, but she's grateful either way really.
Chloe lifts her hair up into a messy bun and turns so her back is facing Beca, and the brunette lifts her head up in silent prayer before she shakily squirts some sunscreen into the palm of her hand, and warms it up before she, just as shakily, reaches out for her shoulders and starts rubbing it in.
She's barely touching the redhead and really it's almost more than she can take right now, but Chloe isn't having any of it because she turns her head to look at Beca over her shoulder and raises an eyebrow as she teasingly says, "I don't have cooties Becs."
"Of course not," Beca stammers out, chuckling before pressing her hands fully onto Chloe's skin.
She quickly rubs the lotion onto her shoulders, making sure she doesn't miss a spot, before working some into the back of her neck and then down her shoulder blades.
Beca's eyes watch entranced as she sees Chloe's muscles contract and relax at her touch, amazed at the goosebumps her touch leaves behind on Chloe's skin, astounded at the tiny shivers Chloe has running through her body when she trails her hands delicately up her back, a small smile on flits across Beca's face when she realizes she's the one making Chloe react this way.
And all too soon she's done with her task and Chloe is giving her a flushed smile when she turns back around to face Beca as she says, "Your turn."
Beca doesn't even get to say anything; not that she would have even been able to had she tried. Chloe is already squeezing sunscreen onto her hands and rubbing it up and down her arms, her upper chest, her stomach and legs.
Chloe's taken it upon herself to make sure Beca is completely covered and in no danger of getting a sunburn. And Beca is slowly dying as she feels Chloe's hands glide over her skin, and she has to bite her lip to stop from moaning and letting her eyes roll to the back of her head.
If she's going to die, she can't think of a better way to go than by Chloe's hands.
Chloe smiles as she bites her own lip, looking up at Beca through her eyelashes, before playfully dabbing a bit of sunscreen onto her nose as she taps it to get Beca's attention, "I need you to turn around now."
Nodding her head, Beca does just that, and she nearly cries out when she feels Chloe's breath brush against her neck as the redhead sits up to get more comfortable and push Beca's hair aside.
Beca blacks out during this part really because she wouldn't have been held accountable for the noises that would have made it out of her mouth had she not zoned out.
Chloe for her part is insanely proud of herself for being able to render Beca speechless, and if things go to plan, the rest of the day should go about just as well as this. There's no way that her day is going to end without coming clean to Beca about the way she feels. She's decided she's going to lay it all out on the line, and hope to God that Beca acknowledges Chloe's feelings for her and at least hears her out.
"All set." Chloe whispers and she's delighted when Beca shivers slightly at that.
"G-great! Let's get into the pool, it looks fantastic!" Beca all but jumps up from her seated position, making herself a little bit light headed in the process, but it's all worth it because she manages not to let out the squeak that wanted to rip from her lips.
Chloe grins at her and they hop in, excited squeals sounding as the others join them, having waited for Beca and Chloe to have their moment uninterrupted.
Aubrey is smirking from her place by the grill, Fat Amy grinning widely beside her as they watch them swim around, unabashedly enjoying themselves.
"If worst comes to worst, we can always just lock them into one of the five massive bedrooms you've got in there, until they sort themselves out."
Aubrey laughs, taking her eyes off of the two in point and looks at Fat Amy, "You know, I was thinking the same thing."
Fat Amy winks at her, a massive smile on her face as she shoots her a hand gun gesture, "Great minds think alike Aca-Captain. Now whaddya say we hightail it out of here and sneak off with some of that awesome cake I brought with me, before those other bitches get to it."
Aubrey shakes her head, rolling her eyes, "Amy…that cake is for one of those 'other bitches'. What're you going to say when she finds out?"
Fat Amy shrugs her shoulders and smirks, "Ahh, but you assume she's going to find out. I'm not gonna be the one to tell her, are you?"
Laughing lightly, Aubrey turns back to the grill and shakes her head, "Could you bring out the plates from the cupboard by the fridge? Just put them right on the table, thanks."
xoxoxox
It's some time past two in the afternoon when lunch is officially ready for all of them and Beca gets unceremoniously shoved out of the pool by Cynthia Rose who was just "helping you along there squirt! It's not my fault you're so tiny."
Beca's still spluttering at suddenly being on dry land when Chloe is right by her side and wrapping her in a large fluffy towel, a loving smile on her face, "You okay?"
The brunette nods, a smile making its way across her own face, a little bit dazzled by Chloe's bright smile, "Yeah, I'm great. Thanks…for you know getting me off. " Her eyes widen as she quickly amends, "Shit! I mean! Thank you! For getting me the towel so I can dry off." She finishes off a little bit awkwardly and she smacks her forehead after she says this.
Chloe chuckles under her breath and reaches out for the hand that's still on Beca's forehead and tugs Beca close so that their faces are inches apart, "Stop abusing the goods, you goof. I happen to like this face without bruises and I'm not really keen on the 'beat-up' look either, thank you."
Beca's face goes about thirty shades darker red at this, and if Chloe hadn't turned around to tug her towards the patio deck where their food is waiting for them, she would have noticed the pile of mush she's reduced Beca into.
"What's up with you, DJ?" Fat Amy asks, her tone suggesting she knows exactly what's going on.
Beca shakes her head and mumbles, "Nothing. Nothing is up with me. This looks really good."
She shuffles over towards the table that's decked out with a bunch of different things and she grabs a plate and starts spooning some potato salad onto her plate right away, before grabbing one of the burgers and planting herself down on of the two person deck couch and folding her legs, putting the plate down and then wrapping herself up properly with the towel before tucking into her burger.
"Here you go, I grabbed you a sangria wine cooler…I figured you'd rather this than a fruit punch juice pouch." Chloe says sweetly, gracefully plopping down beside the brunette, putting down their drinks and situating herself better before putting her plate in her lap as well.
Beca smiles at her, swallowing before, self-consciously wiping at the corners of her mouth and saying, "You figured correctly. Thank you."
Chloe gives her a bright smile in return, before suddenly leaning into her space and lifting a finger, "You missed a spot." She whispers as she wipes at the corner of Beca's mouth, her blue eyes glinting playfully as she does so before licking said finger and sitting upright.
Stacie can barely contain the sound of her squealing, having seen everything that just occurred from her seat across from them, lifting up her knees and wrapping her arms around them as she grins at them from behind her knees. Aubrey, who had just walked over, just smiles as she puts down the Stacie's plate on the table in front of her, patting her knee affectionately before walking off again to get herself a plate.
Cynthia Rose shares a knowing look with Lily as they grin at each other as Beca continues to blush over what just occurred, fumbling with her napkin and her unfinished burger, not able to get a hold of herself at the moment.
It takes Chloe gently nudging her and looking pointedly at her plate for Beca to get a grip and focus on what she had initially been doing; which was eating her lunch.
'She's going to kill me,' Beca thinks, the blush on her face intensifying, as she takes another bite, trying and failing to ignore the fact that Chloe's naked thigh is pressing against hers.
Xoxoxoxox
They all hop back into the pool after lunch, and this time they're joined by Aubrey and Fat Amy and they end up playing a rather boisterous round of chicken.
Chloe was an absolute star.
Beca doesn't know what she puts in with her wheaties in the morning, but whatever it is, it's working.
The minute there was mention of the game, Chloe had twirled to look at Beca so fast she sent flecks of water everywhere, grabbing onto her arm excitedly, "We're going to kick some serious ass!"
Beca's heart had somehow risen and lodged itself into her throat when she realized Chloe meant to have her ride on her shoulders to joust against the other girls.
Beca was going to be on Chloe's shoulders. Her legs are going to be around her neck.
The minute she had thought that, her face felt like it was on fire and she quickly dunked herself under water for a second to cool off, and get her mind reset, before breaking the surface and smirking widely, "You aca-babies are gonna get beat."
Chloe had beamed at her and Beca had felt such a rush at having that smile aimed at her.
That of course had started the trash talk and it had continued up until Stacie returned from the house with an arm full of pool noodles.
Once the rules were set, Aubrey wanting to make sure no one was at a disadvantage, Chloe had turned towards Beca and asked, "Are you sure you're okay with this?"
Beca nodded, because what else was she going to do?
Chloe grinned and motioned for her to get up, "Come on then, we're gonna knock all of these losers into the pool if it's the last thing we do."
The sheer determination in Chloe's tone was enough to get Beca's heart racing as she watches Chloe duck under the water enough for Beca to carefully climbed onto her shoulders. Regardless of how prepared she thought she was, she was not able to contain the squeak that erupted from her when Chloe stood up and lifted her up out of the water.
Chloe was so gentle and protective over her and Beca was swooning like she'd never swooned before.
"I've got you Becs. You just make sure you knock them down, alright? I won't let you fall." Chloe said, and Beca would have responded had she been able to form words.
As it was, the only thing she could think of was the fact that Chloe was holding onto her legs and rubbing her thumbs reassuringly across her skin.
Stacie had ceremoniously handed over a blue pool noodle by way of smacking it over her head, which had caused Chloe to laugh loudly even though she was objecting to the "abuse Stacie is obviously doling out towards my knight, with her very own jousting stick no less!"
Beca just laughed it off, patting Chloe's head by way of placating her, "Don't you worry cupcake, she's gonna rue the day she thought she'd get away with hitting me."
Suffice to say, Beca had a much harder time than all the other girls combined trying to stay focused.
Not only did she have to joust and be constantly vigilant, she also had to make sure she didn't get distracted by Chloe's hand on her body.
Which is much harder than she had first thought.
Surprisingly, the last two teams standing are Chloe and Beca, and Cynthia Rose and Lily.
The latter having some wicked drift compatibility to rival that of Chloe and Beca.
They're in the middle of a five minute break right now and all Beca can think of is how much she wishes this sweet torture can end already, because her heart can't take it anymore.
Chloe is peering over Beca's shoulder, a look of sheer intent on her face, "We've got to do something unexpected Becs…we need to catch Lily off guard; we need to distract her, that's the only way you'll be able swing without her seeing it coming."
Beca nods, but she has no idea how or what to do to even begin to accomplish that.
Chloe's eyes find Beca's and she focuses on her as a grin begins to spread across her face, "I need you to feign falling over. Feint left, and I'll juxtapose your momentum by going the other direction, then as your falling, swing the noodle upwards as hard as you can."
Chloe's looking at her like she's hung the sun and moon and all the stars in the sky and Beca feels like she can do absolutely anything right now.
"You got it Chlo." Beca winks at her and she's surprised by the enthusiastic kiss she receives on her cheek from Chloe.
"Alright jousters! Get into position." Aubrey calls out from her place on the side of the pool, with Stacie by her side waving around a pool noodle.
The rest of the Bellas are all gathered around the edges of the pool as well, to watch the epic takedown. Regardless of who wins, they all know it's going to be a good fight.
Cynthia Rose high fives Lily before ducking under water to let her get onto her shoulders and when Lily is lifted up, she twirls the pool noodle over their heads and then gives a little bow, nearly toppling herself over, but Lily quickly rights herself up and grins sheepishly down at Cynthia Rose, who's giving her a look that clearly reads, 'really?' to the amusement of the others.
Chloe swims in front of Beca and holds her shoulders and says, "We've got this," before spinning and then ducking below the surface, letting Beca once again tuck her legs around her securely, this time ready for the lift off.
Beca is filled with a sense of purpose as she holds onto her jousting stick and feels Chloe make her way towards the middle of the pool, where the meet Cynthia Rose and Lily.
Aubrey clears her throat, "Alright, on my whistle."
Beca's eyes don't leave Lily's, even though the latter refuses to blink, placing them in a staring match that Beca figures is meant to throw her off her game.
Beca isn't intimidated in the slightest though and she just smirks, her grip tightening on her pool noodle.
Aubrey rolls her eyes at the intensity coming from both teams and lifts the whistle to her lips and blows.
Immediately, Beca feigns left, feeling the lower half of her body go right and she sees Lily's eyes go wide, not expecting her to go down without being hit and Lily's arms drop at the unexpected drop and Beca is laughing as she launches she pool noodle upwards towards Lily and effectively smacking her right in her center of gravity.
Cynthia Rose had loosened her grip on Lily when she saw Chloe apparently losing her footing and falling right and she didn't have time to react to the surprise recon attack and she ends up getting pulled backwards when Lily's legs wrap around her shoulders tighter, effectively dropping the both of them backwards into the water.
Lily comes up spluttering first, doing a great impression of a fish out of water, eyes wide and mouth opening and shutting in shock. Cynthia Rose is next, head thrown back and laughing out loud at the absolute surprise turn of events.
The girls all erupt in cheers and applause as Chloe jumps up and down with an equally giddy Beca on her shoulders.
"You did it! Beca, you did it!" Chloe squeals, dropping a kiss against the inside of her thigh, the closest bit of skin at her reach at the moment, her excitement over winning trumping thinking clearly.
And Beca freezes at that and nearly faints and her ears go bright red and then she's being dropped into the water and then spun around into Chloe's waiting arms, still bobbing up and down in the water excitedly, "You were fantastic!"
Beca tries to form words, she really does, but she can't say anything and so she ends up just smiling like an idiot, her arms stay motionless, and her hands refuse to loosen her grip on her winning jousting stick.
She's in a daze as they all make their way out of the pool.
She's not sure who hand her a towel and pries the pool noodle from her hands but it happens and she's still in a daze as they all make their way inside the house, getting pats and congratulatory hugs and high fives along the way.
She's not sure what's going on or what the plan is now, but she just knows she really needs to get away for a minute, if only to gather her mind.
Beca darts off and locks herself in one of the bathrooms, leaning her back and resting her head against the door; she stands there for a good minute just replaying the last couple of minutes over in her head.
She's one hundred and fifty percent certain that Chloe's lips were pressed against her inner thigh.
Her rather sensitive inner thigh.
The inner thigh that no one has ever even thought to kiss before.
'And Chloe not only kissed you there, but she had even rubbed sunscreen all over you, and her hands were there too,' her mind deems it necessary to remind her and she groans as she smacks her head against the door.
She's so frustratingly turned on right now and she knows it. Beca is not even about to deny it to herself. Chloe Beale has got her absolutely on edge.
Beca takes a deep breath and drops the towel from around her shoulders before walking over towards the sink and gripping the edge with both hands, staring at herself in the mirror.
Her face is flushed, her pupils are dilated, her hair is slicked back and still dripping. She can see the blush starting at her chest and flowing upwards all the way to her ears, which are a bright red.
Her breathing is faster right now, and she can nearly make out her heart beating madly in her chest.
She chuckles deep in her chest, and she splashes cool water on her face in an attempt to cool herself off.
"It won't do you good to just jump the girl Beca. That's not the right way to communicate." She mumbles to herself as she wipes her face with a towel, mentally shaking herself before picking up the large beach towel and nodding once before leaving the safety of the bathroom.
She follows the sound of the girls and finds them all sitting out on the patio again, having grabbed some snacks to tide them over before dinner.
Beca's heart stutters when her eyes lock onto Chloe's, and it's like the fire within got doused with gasoline.
She trips on her way towards the backdoor and that makes her pause and reevaluate her next move. She looks down at herself then back up at the others and realizes they've all put on some clothes to ward off the slightly cool breeze that's blowing.
Beca quickly turns away from the back door and runs toward the bedroom that's housing her backpack.
She ducks in and all but lunges at her bag, tearing into it and pulling out her hoodie. She's surprised when she finds her earlier clothes neatly folded and placed inside her bag, having not remembered herself doing it.
"Chloe grabbed the clothes you two were wearing and brought them in with her," Fat Amy says, startling Beca so much the brunette jumps.
"She did?" Beca asks, although she doesn't need to, because of course Chloe would do that. She's a sweetheart.
Fat Amy nods, "Yup." Popping the 'p' at the end of the word.
She then points at something besides Beca, "Is that for Chloe?"
Beca's head snaps down towards whatever it is that Fat Amy is pointing to and she curses under her breath, "Shit."
Her gift for Chloe must have fallen out when Beca had pulled out her hoodie.
"I'll take that as a yes then," Fat Amy says, a decidedly smug grin on her face, "I knew you wouldn't have not gotten her anything. There was a bit of doubt when there wasn't anything from you in the gift pile."
Beca isn't really listening though because she's trying to remember where she had placed the gift in her backpack.
'Was it under the hoodie, or was it on top of it? Did Chloe just fold her clothes and lay them on top of the gift bag? Did she see it? No…no I'm sure it was underneath all of that,' Beca's frowning deeply as she tries to remember; wondering if Chloe's aware of the gift or not.
Fat Amy realizes that Beca isn't really with her in the moment, and she ends up just shaking her head and snapping her finger in front of her face, "Earth to Beca, come in Beca. You might want to get dressed yeah? The house is a bit drafty…"
She looks down pointedly and Beca nearly rips off her arms with the sheer velocity she propels them towards her chest to cover herself up, "Thanks. I'm gonna put some clothes on now."
Fat Amy laughs as she nods, "Good idea. And then you can help me bring out the cake for lil' Red."
Beca nods her acknowledgement, "Sure, yeah I'll do that."
"Oh and Beca?" Fat Amy calls, just as she's walking out the door.
Beca hums, raising an eyebrow and waiting for the blonde to continue, "You honestly need to pull this off yourself, or else we're gonna be taking things into our own hands…and I don't think either of you want that to happen."
Fat Amy leaves right after delivering that and Beca doesn't even want to know.
Beca sighs as she picks up the gift and puts it back into her backpack, careful not to ruin the bag.
She then grabs her hoodie and slips it on, before grabbing her jeans and slipping them on as well.
Sighing resolutely, she grabs a hair tie and pulls her hair into a loose ponytail, if only just to keep it out of her face.
After she's ready, she tilts her head side to side and loosens herself up before determinedly walking out of the room, and towards the kitchen.
She ignores the backdoor, knowing if she looks out, Chloe will be there with her Disney princess eyes, watching her and making her feel special, and she really needs to focus on not spazzing out and making a mess of things.
Beca goes straight for the fridge and opens it to find a pretty big box with the words 'Chloe's bitchin' cake' scrawled over the top, causing her to laugh.
She carefully takes the box out of the fridge and places it on the counter, delicately lifting the lid and revealing a yellow fondant cup as the decorative piece on the cake, the words 'Chloe' on the side of it.
Beca is grinning as she takes in the musical notes surrounding the remainder of the cake, and the icing spelling out, 'happy birthday aca-sweetheart.' She carefully takes it out of the box and then pulls out the candles and the sparklers she finds in a little plastic bag beside the fridge.
She sticks the sparklers onto the top of the yellow cup, a smile on her face as she's doing so, and just as she's sticking the candles around the base of the cake, Fat Amy walks in, "Oh good, you've found the goodies. Do you know where Aubrey keeps the matches?"
Beca shakes her head, "No…but knowing Aubrey? It would probably be in a drawer near the oven."
Fat Amy walks over towards said drawers and lets out a triumphant "Ha!" when she successfully finds the matches on the first try.
"Alright, move over tiny one, I'm gonna light this up like the fourth of July, and then we're gonna have to get this out the door, and I don't know if I trust you to be able to not trip when you see Chloe's eyes lit up with these sparklers, so I'm gonna do that too."
Beca rolls her eyes but she's not about to argue with Fat Amy because the chances of her tripping are extremely high.
"Fine, I'll just walk ahead of you and distract her by sitting beside her and then you'll have a few extra seconds to get out and have the cake set up on the table in front of her."
Fat Amy grins and taps the side of her nose, "Atta girl, you're catching on. Alright, let's do this."
Beca watches as Fat Amy lights up the candles first and then the sparklers, quickly lifting the cake after everything is lit, and Beca is out the door before Fat Amy even has to blink.
Chloe's eyes meet Beca's immediately and the brunette is filled with a sense of warmth and familiarity because Chloe smiles at her and she's all but gliding over to sit beside her, "Comfy?" Chloe questions quietly, as soon as she's sitting snuggly beside her.
And Beca nods, a large smile on her face, giddy with excitement for Chloe, and it's as if Chloe can sense it because she starts grinning even wider and she giggles and just as Chloe is about to ask what has her so excited, the girls all start to melodiously sing to her.
"Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Chlo-e! Happy birthday to you!"
Chloe's head whips around so fast, Beca's slightly worried about her getting whiplash.
Beca's breath is stolen from her the moment Chloe's eyes catch sight of her cake, and takes in the fact that all of the girls are singing for her.
Fat Amy was right not to trust her with bringing out the cake honestly.
Beca almost forgets to use her voice to sing for Chloe, but she does and when Chloe hears her, she's turning her head to face her and the smile on her face is spectacular, and the tears welling in Chloe's eyes make Beca smile at her adoringly, and reach out to hold her hand.
Chloe laughs lightly, sniffing back her happy tears, squeezing Beca's hand in hers and turning back to face the rest of the Bellas, sending smiles towards all of them, speechless in a way she hasn't been in a long time.
"You guys! This is so great! I love it! You didn't have to do all of this!" Chloe gushes once they've finished singing to her, and she's brushing the tears off of her cheeks with one hand, refusing to let go of Beca's hand to do so.
Stacie scoffs and grins as she says, "Oh dude, you haven't seen anything yet. And we're really glad we got to surprise you with this at least."
Cynthia Rose nods, "Yeah, I mean, we knew you'd figure out this get together was for you, but the cake was a nice twist…since we're on the subject, you wanna blow out the candles?" She grins as she points to the candles, the sparklers having died down a few seconds prior.
Chloe giggles and leans forward, effectively pulling Beca to lean forward with her since she's still holding onto her hand.
She puffs out her cheeks adorably and Beca has to stop herself from leaning forward further and either pinching her cheeks or kissing them.
"Happy birthday Chlo," she whispers instead, the second she blows out all the candles, amidst all the cheers from the Bellas.
Chloe turns and meets her eyes, and smiles at her mouthing, 'thank you,' before squeezing her hand and then letting go.
Beca watches with a love struck smile on her face as Chloe makes her way around the Bellas, wrapping her arms around each and every one of them, thanking them personally and wholeheartedly.
"She's something else, isn't she?" Stacie asks, slipping into the seat Chloe had been occupying beside Beca.
The tiny brunette hums, nodding her head as she does so, "That isn't even the half of it," she breathes out listlessly, before her mind catches up to what her mouth just let out.
Stacie isn't even batting an eyelash, eyes staring straight ahead, rather than on her, "I believe you."
Beca clears her throat awkwardly, clearly waiting for the shoe to drop, but Stacie just sits there silently, swinging her legs back and forth, just enjoying the energy that's surrounding all of them.
Beca tilts her head and relaxes her shoulders, that she didn't even realize were tensed, and succumbs to the good vibes too, happily watching Chloe continue the hug fest, until she gets to Fat Amy, who goes in for a bear hug and lifts her up causing Chloe to squeal in laughter.
"I really love you girls," Stacie finally says, rather matter-of-factly, turning to look at Beca after saying so, a small smile on her face, "You're like the best thing that's ever happened to me."
Beca isn't usually cut out for this. If anything, Chloe would be the best one for these kinds of talks, while Beca would be in the background for the aftermath of the heart to hearts, available with a beer and a good pat on the back.
"I know what you mean," Beca finds herself saying, nodding silently before continuing, "I don't think I can picture what my life would be like without you bunch of nerds in it."
Stacie smiles at her brilliantly and then says, too seriously for the look on her face, "That's great…and so, I guess what I'm trying to say is…sometimes you gotta adopt some tough love with the ones you love, you know?"
Beca's brow furrows, taken aback slightly by the change of tone their conversation is taking.
Stacie continues, the look on her face still angelic, "Chloe and you need to have a heart to heart, before we adopt tough lovin' the both of you…it may or may not include tight, enclosed spaces."
She hops up almost immediately after saying this, pecking the approaching Chloe on the cheek before making her way towards her seat beside Aubrey with a large, proud looking smile on her face.
Beca sits there staring after her, not quite certain what the hell is going on with the girls today.
Chloe nudges her gently as she sits beside her, a smile on her face, "Everything okay?"
Beca nods her head hurriedly, smile quickly lighting up her face, "You know it!"
Chloe giggles, before facing the cake and everyone else, "I don't know what made you guys think of it, but I really love the yellow cup that's on my cake. It's perfect!"
Beca sighs contentedly, leaning back against the deck couch, stretching out her arm across the back of it, effectively having her arm basically wrapped around Chloe's shoulders.
Xoxoxo
After the cake, and then dinner, they find themselves back in the pool, after Aubrey turns on the heating, allowing them all to just kind of float around and chill.
At around the nine pm mark, they all kind of collectively agree to take it inside, deciding it's time to shower the redhead with her gifts.
Beca is a ball of nerves after changing back into her comfortable hoodie and sweat pants, and she's holding onto the little gift bag in her hands, fumbling with it before scoffing and stuffing it into her bag.
She doesn't want all the attention on her when Chloe opens up the gift only to find a lousy USB stick instead of something cool.
She shuffles her way into the living room, and curls up into a ball in the corner of one of the couches. She's the first one dressed and ready for this part of the evening, but she's soon joined by Ashley and Denise. Stacie quickly joining them with Aubrey right behind her.
Pretty soon, the living room is filled with all of them except for Chloe and Fat Amy. The latter having taken it upon herself to keep her occupied until everyone was ready for her. Which gives them all the opportunity to pool out the gifts and pile them up nice and neatly in front of Chloe's designated seat.
It's one of the single seater sofas. And it's been dragged so that it's in optimal position, for everyone's viewing pleasure.
Beca snorts just thinking that, but she nearly chokes because Fat Amy chooses that exact moment to bring Chloe out.
She looks fabulous.
It becomes apparent to Beca that Fat Amy basically kept her busy by doing up her hair.
It's up in an intricate looking front twist updo, and she looks, "Amazing."
Beca wants to clamp a hand over her own mouth, because she said that out loud and without a single prompt, and she feels herself blushing profusely and she wants the couch to just swallow her up whole, because everyone is looking at her.
Chloe, who's also blushing at the compliment, bites her lip as she looks at her through her lashes, giving her what Aubrey calls Chloe's 'bedroom eyes', "Thank you."
Beca nods her head, and then effectively buries her face in her hands, the second Chloe looks away, mumbling an, "Oh my God," for good measure.
Xoxoxox
When Chloe is nearing the halfway mark with the presents, Beca suddenly realizes that she doesn't want Chloe thinking she's forgotten her.
She doesn't want the redhead to think, for even a split second, that Beca didn't care about her enough to get her something for her birthday.
Beca suddenly stands up, determined not to talk herself out of it this time, and quickly goes to the bedroom and pulls out the present.
She then slyly drops it onto the pile without Chloe noticing, before gliding back over towards her seat on the couch, now her nerves tripling, in effect, leaving her on edge.
Aubrey catches her eyes and she gives Beca an approving grin, almost as if she's proud of her and Beca can't lie and say that it didn't make her feel good.
xoxoxox
And of course, Chloe doesn't get to her present until the very end.
But the minute Beca is aware that hers is the last present, she's holding her breath.
Chloe's eyes find hers and she tilts her head in question, and Beca just smiles at her nervously, "Well open it up Chlo; I'm not gonna spoil it for you, not now that you're so close to finding out what it is."
And she sounds much more confident than she feels, which Beca is glad for really.
Chloe giggles as she unties the ribbon and she tilts the bag onto its side and out slides the little piece of plastic.
And Beca can't begin to describe the feeling she gets when she sees it sitting there in the palm of Chloe's hand.
But she's suddenly speaking, "I'm not very good with words. If anyone can testify to that it's you, especially after the past couple of weeks."
Beca watches as Chloe's eyes lift up to meet hers, and Beca nods her head before continuing, "with music though…I know I'm much better at expressing myself through music. So I mean, this," she points to the memory stick that Chloe's now holding reverently, "this is my way of telling you all of the things I've been wanting to tell you for a while now."
Her initial bravado is all but gone now, and she ends up trailing off awkwardly, "so I mean yeah…happy birthday? Even though, technically it's in like two days and…but that doesn't mean you can't listen to it now or well not now now, but like, before your birthday…okay I'm gonna shut up now."
Chloe lifts it up to her heart as she keeps her eyes locked with Beca's as she sincerely says, "Thank you. So much Becs."
The brunette just kind of shrugs, trying to play off the moment, if only to try and get her heart to slow down and start beating at a normal speed.
She feels as if a weight has been lifted off of her shoulders now that Chloe has possession of the USB, and Beca can't help but feel pretty proud of herself for finally giving it to Chloe.
Catching Aubrey's eyes once again shows Beca that Aubrey is rather proud of her for being able to do that as well. She grins to herself as she settles back against the couch, less restless than she was earlier.
'Now you wait,' Beca thinks to herself, and the second she does, her face goes blank as she's hit with the realization that she's going to have to wait for Chloe to go through all of the songs.
Xoxoxoxo
Their day comes to an end at around half past one in the morning, and Aubrey rolls her eyes when some of the girls try and convince her it's okay for them to walk back to their dorm rooms now.
Aubrey ends up telling them that the house is massive and that they're more than able to share or spread out.
Beca happily agrees to taking one of the bedrooms with Stacie, glad that the decision was made with the draw from a hat, to eliminate any arguments.
Chloe manages to corner her in the bathroom after she finishes up brushing her teeth.
"I just, I wanted to thank you properly. I know how vulnerable this is making you and I need you to know that I understand and…you're safe with me." Chloe says seriously, eyes boring into Beca's conveying just how much she means what she's saying.
Beca swallows, because Chloe has once again hit the nail on the head, "I know I am Chlo…and you're welcome. Come find me when you've listened to it alright? And take your time, there's no rush."
Beca is surprised when she says this because she really means it. She wants Chloe to take her time, and she wants her to really understand what she's trying to say and she just hopes against all hope that she'll return her feelings.
If she doesn't return her feelings, Beca hopes that Chloe understands that she'll still want her to be her friend, because Beca honestly can't think of who she would be if not for Chloe's influence.
Chloe smiles at her, a little watery affectionate smile, and she wraps her arms around Beca's neck, burying her head against the crook of her neck, whispering another, "Thank you," before following it up with, "good night," before pulling back and placing a delicate kiss to her cheek, just barely touching the corner of her mouth.
Beca stands there, at the doorway of the bathroom, dazed, long after Chloe has left.
Lily is the one that bumps into her and gets her functioning again, "Sorry Lily…uh the bathroom is all yours."
Beca shuffles away quickly and slips into the bedroom she's sharing with Stacie and crawls into bed, sighing contentedly when her head hits the pillow.
A few minutes later, Stacie glides into the room and gently slips into the other side of the large bed and whispers, "You did great Beca…good night."
Beca has a small smile on her face at that, as she whispers back, "good night," and a second later she rolls her eyes at herself for being such a sap.
Xoxoxox
"Beca…Beca."
Beca scrunches her nose up, not wanting to wake up at all right now. It feels like she only just went to sleep.
She thinks maybe it was just a dream though when the voice stops and she's about to drift off again when she feels a warm hand against her cheek and Chloe's voice whispering her name again, "Beca…"
Her eyes flutter open and she's met with bright blue eyes inches away from her face and she would have probably jumped had she not been semi awake. As it is, she simply furrows her brow in her half asleep state, "Chlo? What-what's wrong? Are you okay?"
Beca shifts so she's kind of sitting up, the sleepiness quickly fading when she properly takes in the look on Chloe's face.
"You've been crying," Beca whispers, her heart falling out of the bottom of her rib cage.
Chloe shakes her head, but says nothing, not wanting to wake Stacie up. Instead she reaches out for Beca's hand and silently asks her to follow her.
Beca doesn't even hesitate for a second.
She places her hand in Chloe's and slips out of bed, following Chloe as she walks them back out into the now empty living room.
Beca shuffles her weight from one foot to the other, as she waits for Chloe to let her know what she wants to do.
The redhead climbs onto the couch and sits cross-legged, grabbing the throw from off the back of the couch and throwing half of it over her back and silently offering Beca the other half, holding it up for her to climb under.
Beca silently sits beside Chloe and helps her drape the throw across her back, effectively putting them into a cocoon of warmth. She's beyond nervous because she has no idea what's going through Chloe's mind and that alone is enough to set her on edge.
"You want to tell me what's wrong?" Beca asks quietly, after a few minutes of silence.
And Chloe bites her lip before she finally meets Beca's eyes properly.
"I listened to the songs…your gift. I listened to it all," Chloe whispers, her eyes darting back and forth between Beca's, getting teary again.
And Beca can't help that her heart feels like it's starting to rip apart.
She never meant to make Chloe cry.
So she goes to apologize, "Chlo-I'm so sor-"
Chloe covers her mouth up with her hand. Eyes wide as she shakes her head, "No Becs, no I don't need you to apologize. That's the very last thing I want you to do."
Beca furrows her brow and Chloe lets out a tearful giggle, sliding her hand away from covering Beca's mouth and instead cradles Beca's face delicately, "I'm not sad. That's not what the tears are for. I'm just-I'm so happy that I don't know what else to do with myself…you're so sweet. So sweet, and I can't believe how amazing each and every one of those tracks are."
She pauses and Beca feels like she can breathe again, and her heart starts to hammer in her chest.
Chloe's thumb caresses Beca's cheek absentmindedly, her eyes taking in every little detail of Beca's face as she says, "I want to properly articulate just how happy I am, and how much I'm feeling right now, but the only thing going through my mind right now," she takes a breath and finishes in a light laugh, "is song lyrics."
And Beca lets out her own breathless laugh at that and she's a little bit surprised by the fact that her own eyes are kind of tearing up too as she whispers, "I'm not going to judge. I basically put my heart out on the line, exclusively using lyrics and music."
Chloe hiccups a little laugh, going to wipe away the tear that trails down her cheek but Beca beats her to it. Beca wipes away the tear and then rests her hand against Chloe's neck and cheek, waiting for Chloe to decide on what her next move is going to be.
The redhead takes in a nervous breath and then she expels it nearly immediately, "This is the hardest thing I've ever done," she says breathlessly, a nervous chuckle at the edge of her words.
And Beca smiles at her reassuringly, and Chloe could live in that smile.
Chloe shuts her eyes for a second to center herself, and when she opens them, Beca can see the fire renewed behind her eyes.
"I'll take this chance, so call me blind. I've been waiting all my life. Please don't scar this young heart, just take my hand. I was made for loving you, even though we may be hopeless hearts just passing through, every bone screaming I don't know what we should do, all I know is, darling, I was made for loving you."
Beca's heart is hammering in her chest, partially because Chloe's voice just really does things to her, and partially because, 'holy shit, I think she's saying-'
"I…I really like you Beca," Chloe whispers, her face just a little bit closer to Beca's, desperately trying to make Beca understand, "And-I would love nothing more than to kiss you right now…please?"
Beca's whole body feels like it's on fire hearing Chloe say that, with her huskier tone, and she's not sure just how she manages to get control over her motor skills, but the hand that's holding Chloe's cheek guides her the rest of the barely-there distance between them, until their lips finally meet for the first time.
Nothing compares to the feeling of finally kissing the one person you've been wanting to kiss for the longest time. And nothing prepares Beca for the feeling of intense joy and overwhelming love she feels pouring out of Chloe and into Beca.
"I've been waiting so long to do that," Chloe whispers against Beca's lips.
And Beca laughs lightly and presses their lips together again, giddy with the knowledge that Chloe wants to kiss her, mumbling against her lips in return, "Probably not even nearly as long as I've been waiting."
Chloe chuckles as she pulls Beca in for another kiss, and she can't help that she's smiling against Beca's lips through the kisses, her joy obviously reflected in Beca who can't help smiling either.
Chloe pulls back after what feels like both an eternity and a few seconds, just enough to look into Beca's eyes, and she ends up losing her train of thought when Beca presses a kiss to the redhead's nose on impulse.
It takes another few minutes before Chloe pulls back from kissing her again, just enough to speak to say, "Not to sound like a responsible adult…" she whispers, earning herself an adorable smile, "but I think we should get some sleep. I don't want to be the reason you're cranky tomorrow morning."
Beca shakes her head languidly, "I don't think I'm going to have a cranky morning for a long time coming Chlo. Not with you around."
A/N: The playlist of songs Beca has on the USB can be found on 8tracks (: AND the song Chloe sings is 'I Was Made For Loving You' by Tori Kelly ft. Ed Sheeran, and honestly, you all should give it a listen because it's gorgeous and beautiful and it's given me a whole lot of feels x
Comment, review, favorite, pm me...please hit me up with the feedback; honest you have no idea how great it feels to hear back from all of you x