Chapter 20
A/N: This chapter should fill in a few gaps :-).
Chloe smiled as the last of her freshmen biology students filed out of the room, sitting down in her chair and reaching underneath her desk for her lunch bag. As much as she enjoyed getting to know the juniors and seniors in her AP classes, the freshmen were her favorite by far, not that she'd ever admit it out loud. She loved watching them grow into high school as the year chugged along, seeing them begin to find their place, figure out how to fit in amongst their older peers, and grow in confidence.
She moved out from behind her desk to sit at one of the lab tables, expecting Aubrey and Jesse to show up in the near future. The teachers were allowed to purchase a lunch plan from the school, but it was optional for them as opposed to being mandatory for the students. Aubrey had explained that it ensured no student ever went without lunch. When Chloe had less than subtly looked around at the expensive private school surroundings, the blonde had expanded upon the fact that the school offered scholarships, implying that not every student at Barden could afford to be there. Aubrey had also strongly encouraged Chloe not to purchase the meal plan, as the food was "subpar at best."
Chloe chuckled at the memory just as the blonde herself breezed through her open door, carrying a lunch bag of her own. "Hey, Bree," she greeted, opening the container of chicken caesar salad she'd prepared in record time that morning.
"Hi, Chloe," Aubrey responded with smile, joining the redhead at the table and swiftly unpacking her own lunch. "How's your day going?"
"Good," Chloe replied, taking a bite of salad. "Yours?"
"Excellent," Aubrey answered, grinning happily. "Two days of class in a row without Beca Mitchell causing problems in my class. It's like Christmas came early."
Chloe rolled her eyes playfully at her friend. "Come on, Bree. She can't be that bad. She's been perfectly fine in my class."
Aubrey scowled at her sandwich, responding, "She is, Chlo. She regularly goes out of her way to interrupt my class, and that's when she's actually paying attention. Thank God she's a senior. I can't wait for her to graduate."
Chloe decided to change tactics, knowing that defending Beca anymore would only make Aubrey more upset. "Okay, well, let's talk about something else," she said brightly. "Any fun plans this weekend? Maybe with Jesse? Where is he, anyways?" she asked, knowing he usually joined them for lunch on Fridays in her classroom.
Aubrey blushed, looking down at her sandwich. "No, nothing planned. And for the last time, Jesse and I are just friends! I don't know where he is," she said emphatically, which only made it less believable.
Chloe couldn't help but laugh at the annoyed look on Aubrey's face, grateful that at least Beca wasn't the reason anymore. "Come on, Bree, just admit you like the guy. He's nice, sweet, funny, pretty handsome..." she trailed off as Aubrey shot her a look.
"Speaking of dating, have you got your eye on anyone? There's this guy in my Krav Maga class that I think you'd totally hit it off with," Aubrey said, a hint of a smile on her lips.
Chloe shook her head, replying, "No, no way, Bree. Not interested."
Aubrey let out a frustrated groan. "Come on, Chloe! You've been here for like three months already and we've barely gone out at all! When you got here, you said that this was a fresh start. Come out with me tonight?"
Chloe shook her head again. "I can't, Bree. Jess, my best friend is in town from Tennessee this weekend and we've only got a few days together."
"Bring her along! The more the merrier," Aubrey adapted quickly. "It'll be fun! It's karaoke night at my favorite bar, and I know you can sing."
Chloe hesitated again, before responding, "I'll see if they want to go. No promises!" she added, pointing her finger at Aubrey.
The blonde looked at her curiously. "Who's 'they'?" she asked.
"Oh, Jess' girlfriend came with her. They turned it into a mini vacation, so I won't force them to go if they don't want to," Chloe explained, taking another bite of salad as Aubrey nodded.
"Okay, okay, another time," Aubrey said, knowing that Chloe wanted to spend time with her friends.
Chloe just smiled. "Thanks for understanding, Bree. I promise we'll go out sometime soon."
Just then, Jesse bounded into the room looking disheveled and began apologizing immediately. "Sorry I'm late! Had to break up a fight on the quad on my way over!" he said, before sitting down and launching into the story.
Chloe glanced over at the concern on Bree's face, chuckling softly and wondering when her friend would own up to her obvious feelings for the music teacher.
Chloe entered her apartment to find Jess and Ashley in the kitchen, easily working together in the tight space to cook dinner. "Hey, ya'll," she said happily. "Did you make meatballs?!" she asked excitedly, sniffing the delicious aroma.
Jess nodded, gently nudging Ashley's hip so she could slide in front of the sink and wash her hands. "Yep, we know they're your favorite, Chlo. Well, at least your favorite thing that I can cook," she added thoughtfully.
Chloe clapped her hands together and sighed, "Those were the best roommate dinners. Spaghetti and meatballs and wine and a great movie."
Jess nodded wistfully, adding, "Those were the days."
Ashley rolled her eyes at the pair of them. "You two were made for each other, I swear. So dramatic."
Jess shook her head, disagreeing instantly. "No way, babe. Chloe and I are platonic soul mates, but you're mine forever," she said lovingly, giving her girlfriend a deep kiss.
It was Chloe's turn to huff and roll her eyes, calling out, "I'm going to my room to call Beca. Please don't have sex close to the meatballs!"
At her words, Jess pulled away to retort, "No phone sex in our borrowed bed unless you've got more sheets!"
Chloe flipped her best friend off, hearing the pair of them start laughing as she entered her room and shut the door behind her. Pulling out her iPhone, she called her girlfriend, settling comfortably into the squishy chair in the corner of the room. She was beyond excited to hear Beca's voice, having only texted with the brunette since she'd left for Hawaii yesterday. It was borderline ridiculous how much she missed her already, and Chloe was beyond thankful that Jess and Ashley were here to help distract her.
"Hey, Chlo," Beca's voice greeted her through the speaker, and Chloe felt herself grin instantly.
"Hey, Becs! How's Hawaii?! Is it amazing? Are you having a good time?" she asked rapid fire, hearing Beca laugh on the other end.
"It's Hawaii, Beale. Of course I'm having a good time. I got lei'd about five seconds after I got off the plane."
Chloe could easily picture the smirk that accompanied that statement, and huffed in mock jealousy before replying, "You better be talking about a necklace of flowers, Mitchell. I'm the only one who better be there when you get laid."
"Okay, that was bad. But that's a built-in Hawaii joke! Who knows if I'll ever get to use it again? How are things back home?"
Chloe automatically glanced around her room before shaking her head at her own silliness. "Things here are good. School was school. Aubrey was overly happy about you not being in her class for the past two days."
"The feeling's mutual."
"Why did you skip school on Thursday anyway?" Chloe asked, recalling how she'd missed getting to say goodbye one last time after class.
"Come on, Beale. I'm a senior who doesn't care about college and neither my parents, nor my super fine girlfriend were around to convince me to go. Also, I have Posen first period and if I was going to skip one class….well, might as well just skip them all."
Chloe sighed at the brunette's careless attitude towards her education, and was admittedly a little sad that her girlfriend didn't even remotely get along with her friend and mentor. "Beca, is it really that hard to be in her class? Would it kill you to not push her buttons for a day...or a week...or ya know...the rest of the year?" Chloe asked hopefully.
"I'm sorry, I can't tell if that's a serious request," Beca drawled. "It sounded like you want to take away the only fun I have at school, and I know my girlfriend wouldn't do that to me."
Chloe rolled her eyes at the response. "Are you saying my class isn't fun?"
"Yes, Beale, that's exactly what I'm saying. Your class is torture since my only job is to stare at you and listen to your voice without being able to touch you. You know, I might need some private tutoring since you're so distracting."
Chloe shuddered slightly at Beca's tone, the memories from the night before all too fresh in her mind.
"You okay there, Chlo?" Beca's tone was teasing as she continued, "You weren't lesson planning already, were you?"
"Shut up," Chloe retorted, her face flushed. "It's not fair to tease when you're so far away and can't do anything about it."
"I actually think I hit the lottery with you. Brilliant, gorgeous, higher sex drive than mine...why do you like me again?"
Chloe pictured the brunette ticking the list off on her fingers, her tone so matter of fact. "You can't go from teasing me to fishing for compliments, Mitchell."
"Sorry, babe." Beca's tone was sincere, and Chloe melted at her words.
"I miss you," she whispered, feeling more vulnerable than she'd ever felt in her life. There was a slight pause, before Beca spoke again.
"I miss you too. I'm here in this perfect place, and all I can think about is how I wish you were here with me."
Chloe felt herself getting emotional at the affection in Beca's voice, and she sniffled a bit as tears pooled in her eyes.
"Hey, hey, don't cry on me, Chlo! I'm sorry, I just...I miss you a lot and not even fucking Hawaii can distract me. I'm sure it'll get better when Sheila finishes her shoot and we go exploring over the weekend. And you have Jess and Ashley," Beca said, her voice brightening considerably. "Are you guys doing anything fun this weekend?"
Chloe smiled at the question, answering, "Yeah, we're going to the beach tomorrow. It's still warm here and it should be a lot of fun. I've never been swimming in the Pacific before."
"You probably still won't have after tomorrow. It's freezing, you know, even at the end of the summer. And I can't believe you're going to the beach without me. I'm missing you in a bikini..." Beca's voice trailed off sounding sad.
"Says the girl who's currently in Hawaii," Chloe retorted, less than sympathetic. "Aren't bathing suits considered clothes there?"
"How should I know? I haven't even been here twenty-four hours, much less down to the beach. I woke up in time for a very late lunch and to chat with my beautiful girlfriend."
Chloe grinned widely, replying, "Flattery will get you everything, Mitchell."
"Hmm...even you in a bikini when I get home?"
"How about me in nothing when you get home?" Chloe countered, smirking as she heard the sharp intake of breath on the other end of the phone.
"What are you wearing?"
Chloe bit her lip, knowing this wasn't the time or place for that conversation. She was thrilled that Beca was in Hawaii with her parents and getting to spend some time with them, but in that moment she'd give anything for the brunette to be there with her. She sighed heavily, before shaking her head. "Sorry baby, I can't right now. It's almost dinner time and Jess cooked my favorite."
She laughed as Beca groaned on the other end of the line, adding, "Don't worry, these next few days will fly by and before you know it, you'll be here wishing you were still in Hawaii. Enjoy it while you can!"
"Yeah, yeah, while that is probably true, at least I'll be in San Diego with you. I think I'd take that any day over being somewhere amazing without you."
Chloe honestly felt her heart skip a beat. The more she got to know the brunette, the more Chloe found that Beca was a genuinely sensitive, and caring person. The piercings and sarcastic personality kept people at arm's length, and comments like that made Chloe feel special, knowing that not many people got to see this side of her girlfriend. 'Her girlfriend,' she thought, grinning happily, before realizing she had left Beca hanging after that last line.
"Aww, careful Becs, you'll lose your badass reputation with more comments like that."
"Don't get used to it, Beale. I'm sure it's just a passing phase."
The sarcastic tone betrayed Beca's true feelings, and Chloe heard her take a deep breath, letting it out slowly. Before Chloe could speak, Jess poked her head in with her eyes closed, calling out, "You're not having phone sex, right?"
Chloe rolled her eyes, scoffing, "No, Jess, we're just talking. What's up?"
Her best friend winked at her, replying, "Dinner's ready. Tell your girl to quit sulking in her hotel room and enjoy the Hawaiian sunshine. She can jump your bones when she gets home." With that, the blonde left the room, closing the door behind her.
Chloe sighed, hearing Beca chuckle on the other end. "I gotta go, dinner's ready," she said, her voice sad.
"Okay. Go have fun with Jess and Ashley. They're only here for a few days, enjoy your time with them!"
Chloe stood up, mumbling, "Yeah, yeah, I'm going. Text me later?"
"Nope, go be with your friends. I'm determined not to text you until tomorrow, where I will shamelessly be requesting bikini pics from the beach."
Chloe laughed at her words, commenting, "Okay, perv. I'll see what I can do."
"Perfect. I'll talk to you soon, Chlo. I...I really do miss you," Beca added quickly, her voice soft.
"I miss you too, Becs. Can't wait for you to come home," Chloe whispered back.
"I'll be home before you know it, and you're my first stop."
Chloe smiled at that, saying a final goodbye and hanging up, staring down at her phone for a few seconds. Jess' voice shouting at her to hurry up caused her to jump, before making her way out into the main room and joining them at the table.
After dinner, Ashley volunteered to clean up while Chloe and Jess settled on the couch to talk. The two of them hadn't gotten any time to really catch up yet, and Chloe was grateful for the brunette's ability to understand what they needed. As they sat down, Chloe wrapped her arms around Jess, pulling her into a tight hug whispering, "I really miss having you around, ya know?"
Jess hugged her back, replying, "I know, girl. It's just not the same."
They parted, and settled onto opposite sides of the couch facing each other, their feet meeting in the middle. Chloe grabbed the blanket and spread it over their legs just like they used to, before asking hopefully, "You guys don't want to relocate to San Diego, do ya?"
Jess laughed, shaking her head no. "Probably not, Chlo…at least not anytime soon. Ashley's got a great job and I'll be studying for the bar like crazy. Besides, you seem like you've settled in great here. How are things at work?"
"They're great!" Chloe replied enthusiastically. "Bree and Jesse have been awesome in helping me feel at home, and everyone in the science department is very open and friendly. The students are amazing. It's different being at a private school where the kids actually pay attention. Nothing like Townsend, where you're lucky if they show up at all, and I won't even get started on the administration."
Jess nodded, remember countless nights of Chloe venting out her frustration at the lack of effort put in by the administrators to improve the school or educational policies. "I'm so happy for you, Chlo. You deserve this, you know. You worked so hard to get here. I..." she hesitated, and Chloe knew exactly what her friend was about to say.
"Jess, I'm not making a mistake with her," she preempted, not wanting to fight about Beca.
"Chlo, I think she's great, and more importantly, I think she's great for you. But, I wouldn't be acting like your best friend if I didn't question it. This would be so much easier if I didn't like her," Jess sighed, shooting the redhead a small smile.
"I could tell you did," Chloe laughed. "She's an interesting one to figure out, but there's so much more to her than she wants people to think."
Jess nodded in agreement. "I see that, but Chlo...she's in high school. She's your student. I don't want to see you get in trouble, and if just one thing goes wrong it could end really badly for you. I'm talking prison, Chloe."
Chloe opened her mouth to respond, feeling a tightening in her chest as she realized the full meaning of Jess' last statement. "I haven't asked her...we've never talked about it," she said softly. "Does it really matter?"
"Honestly...yes, Chloe, it fucking matters...it matters a lot," Jess responded seriously. "You're twenty four and she's seventeen."
Chloe closed her eyes as the reality of their situation fully hit her, bringing her hands up to cover her face. She dropped them into her lap after a minute, looking sadly at her friend. "So what are you saying, Jess. That we need to break up until she turns eighteen?" she asked, her voice wavering as she got the words out.
Jess returned the look, shaking her head slowly. "I can't tell you what to do, Chlo. This is your life, not mine. There's obviously a connection there. I've never seen you act like that with anyone else, and you paraded quite a few people through our apartment in college," she teased, trying to lighten the mood a little.
Chloe's thoughts were traveling a mile a minute as she thought over her options. "I can't break up with her Jess, she'll never trust me again. I was the one who fought for this, for us. She's finally opening up to me, letting me into her life and God, Jess, she's amazing," Chloe said with a smile, thinking back to the night Beca played the piano for her. Narrowing her eyes at the blonde, she asked, "What did you say to her the other night? She wouldn't tell me, she only said it was true."
Jess' face fell guiltily as she answered, "I said too much, Chlo. I really am sorry about that. I just wanted to make sure she was aware of how this all could play out if you guys get caught. Gotta give her credit though, she didn't back down, even when I went full lawyer on her."
Chloe shook her head, annoyed. "I can't believe you did that. Don't think I haven't realized you still aren't telling me what you said," she added, her face expectant.
Jess quickly changed the subject, asking, "She did mention that her best friend gave you a talking to as well. What happened there?"
Chloe grinned, replying, "Is that what she said? I don't think that compares to what you did, but her best friend is another one of my students so...it's not exactly the same situation." She thought back to that afternoon, explaining to Jess what happened between her and Stacie while Beca was on the phone.
Before she began, Ashley joined them from the kitchen, settling comfortably into one of the chairs. She'd been half-listening while cleaning up, and was curious to hear more from Chloe.
(flashback)
Chloe watched Beca quickly duck into her bedroom to talk to her dad, turning back to find Stacie staring at her with a serious expression on her face.
The brunette didn't waste any time, speaking in a low voice, "I told Beca I had the whole, 'if you hurt my best friend I'll kill you' speech planned out, but that wasn't really true. What I'm about to say stays between you and me, okay?"
Chloe nodded, waiting for the girl to continue.
Stacie took a deep breath, glancing at the door before returning her gaze to meet Chloe's. "Beca's all talk, Ms...Chloe. Fuck, that's so weird. Sorry," she looked appropriately guilty as Chloe smiled and waved it away.
"I curse all the time away from school, Stacie. I'm not your teacher right now," she said simply.
Stacie nodded and continued. "Right, so...Beca's all talk. She doesn't let people in because it scares the shit outta her to give them the power to hurt her. She hurt for so long after her mom died, she vowed never to let someone get close enough to hurt her like that, and so far she's done a brilliant job of it."
Chloe processed her words, watching the girl glance frequently at the bedroom door to make sure Beca didn't interrupt them.
"She puts up all these walls and has this sarcastic, indifferent attitude about almost everyone and everything, but she's actually a very caring, supportive person. She'd do anything for the people she loves, no questions asked. That's why I was so rude to you last time, when I thought you were jerking her around. I'm still not convinced you're serious about her, and not just looking for something fun while you get settled here."
Chloe quickly shook her head, cutting Stacie off. "No, that's not what I'm doing at all. I know it's unorthodox and inappropriate, but I really care about her," she said softly, glancing at the door herself.
She turned back to watch Stacie study her for a moment, before nodding. "I think you're good for her. She needs someone who knows what they want, who will pull her out of her shell, who won't back down when she runs away. Because she will run, she always does. All I ask is that you make sure you're all in before this goes any further. I know you think you're the one with the most to lose, but you have no idea what she's been through, and how big a deal it is for her to trust you."
Chloe remained silent, wondering just how deep Beca fell after her mother died. It was extremely hard for her to picture Beca having more to lose than her in this situation, but she knew Stacie wouldn't have brought it up if she wasn't serious. She took her time formulating an answer, Stacie waiting patiently for her to process. "I'm all in," Chloe said confidently, and Stacie nodded at the sincerity in her tone.
"Good. I know you mean it because I also know exactly how much you have to lose should anything go wrong," the brunette responded, her tone implying she was aware of the consequences if the pair were caught.
Chloe swallowed hard, paling a little as she thought about getting fired from the job she loved so much. "Do many people know how smart you are?" she asked, changing the subject.
Stacie gave her a wry smile, before shaking her head. "No," she said with a laugh. "Becs and I have a bet going on how many people faint when I'm announced as the valedictorian of our class. I'm hoping to get into Stanford, but I'm struggling with the personal essay part of the application."
Chloe nodded, remember how frustrating those essays were to write. "I'd be happy to help you sometime," she offered. "I'm not an English teacher, but if you feel the same way about Aubrey as Beca does..." she trailed off, waiting for Stacie to answer.
The brunette laughed again. "The war between Beca and General Posen is the most entertaining part of my day, hands down. Personally, I don't have a problem with her, but since I'm Beca's best friend she ignores me. She's a little uptight, but definitely knows her stuff, and the reading material is reasonably interesting. I'll take you up on that offer, though. I can't say I'm jumping at the thought of spending one on one time with Ms. Posen."
Chloe smiled at Jess and Ashley as she finished explaining, "And then Beca walked back in and we started chatting about something else."
Jess looked at her, carefully choosing her next words. "Beca doesn't know what Stacie said to you, and she told me she didn't think it mattered anyways. Do you think Stacie would get you in trouble if something happened between you and Beca?"
Chloe thought about that for a moment, before shaking her head. "No, I don't think so. Maybe if I cheated on her, or something. But she's not vindictive, she's just looking out for her friend. The way you're looking out for me."
Ashley spoke up, asking curiously, "Who else knows about the two of you?"
"As far as I know, just the three of us, Beca, and Stacie," Chloe answered. "I didn't even want to tell Stacie, but Beca insisted. She refused to keep it from her, and I have to admit, it's been really helpful. Stacie covers for her so we can spend time together."
Jess looked over at her girlfriend, asking, "You were listening right? What do you think of all this?"
Ashley shrugged, glancing at Chloe. "It sucks, Chlo. You can't help who you like. I guess you just have to be prepared for the worst case scenario. If everything goes wrong, would you regret it?"
Chloe pondered that questions, wishing desperately that her answer could be no. She definitely wouldn't regret spending time with Beca, but she knew if she was being honest with herself she would regret jeopardizing her career and reputation. It left her with an impossible choice.
Jess spoke up, interrupting her thoughts. "I can already tell what your answer to that question is, Chlo. What if you guys just took a break until her birthday. It's only a few months away," the blonde suggested.
"How do you know when her birthday is?" Chloe asked, the surprise evident in her tone.
Jess rolled her eyes. "Right, I forgot you avoided any questions that could result in finding out she's underage. I asked her and she told me it was in December."
Chloe retorted, "I'm assuming this was while you were giving her the third degree. Did you demand a copy of her birth certificate and social security number as well?"
"You're hilarious," Jess deadpanned, despite the grin on her face. "You had to know this was going to come up sooner or later."
Chloe took a deep breath, the frustration evident on her face. "Of course I knew that, I'm not in complete denial," she snapped. Sighing, she apologized just as quickly. "I'm sorry, it's not your fault," she said, running her fingers through her hair.
Ashley spoke up, her voice calm. "It's no one's fault, Chlo. There's no blame here. You and Beca both made a conscious decision to be together. Her age just complicates the situation, and that would still be the case even if she were already eighteen. Her age doesn't change the fact she's also your student."
Chloe replied, "I guess I just focused on the fact that soon she won't be my student anymore. In a few short months, she'll graduate and there won't be anything stopping us from being together. I can't explain it ya'll, there's this insane connection between us. I've never felt anything like it before. I mean, yeah, she's hot and has that total badass vibe that people are inexplicably drawn to, but it's more than that. I'm finally getting to know her on a deeper level, and she's just...incredible. You were there the other night..." she trailed off, remembering their short conversation when Beca disappeared upstairs.
(flashback)
Chloe smiled fondly, watching Beca hightail it out of the room, shouting an apology over her shoulder. She turned to look at Jess and Ashley, finding the pair staring at her. "What?" she asked with a nervous laugh.
"You're so smitten, Chlo," Jess said with a chuckle. "I've never seen you like this before."
Chloe rolled her eyes, glancing back towards the front of the house where Beca disappeared to. "I'd deny it, but that'd make me a liar," she responded, turning her gaze back to her friends.
Ashley locked her fingers with Jess', saying, "She's one hell of a musician. I've heard some of the stuff that comes through the label, and I'll be stunned if they don't offer her a deal."
Chloe raised her eyebrows at that, as Jess nodded in agreement. "I don't think she knows how good she is. Even if Big Machine doesn't scoop her up, there's no way she stays undiscovered for long. I can't wait to hear what's on that demo."
"I've only heard one of the songs and part of another, but you're right Ash, she's an insane musician. You should have seen her play the piano last night. It was so incredible, and she looked so happy...I couldn't take my eyes off her. I've never seen her happier than when she's doing something with music," Chloe said thoughtfully.
Jess and Ashley exchanged a glance before the blonde said innocently, "Or when she's around you."
Chloe looked at her sharply. "What are you talking about?"
Jess laughed. "Come on, Chlo. She's as smitten as you are. I've known her for two hours and I can already tell."
Chloe looked doubtfully at her friends, as Ashley shrugged and nodded her agreement, adding, "It's nice to see you so happy, Chloe. I think coming here was the right decision for you, no matter what your family said."
"I am happy here, which is a relief because I wasn't sure I would be," Chloe admitted. "I wondered if I was being crazy, moving all the way out here. But things have been good so far, and Beca..." she trailed off, trying to find the words. "It was so unexpected. I wasn't planning on dating anyone for a long time, but this thing between us just happened. I've never felt like this about anyone."
Jess nodded, understanding the feeling. "I felt the same way when I met this one," she motioned behind her to Ashley. "I don't want to use the word easy, because it wasn't and isn't easy, but I'd always rather be with her than without her. She makes everything better," the blonde finished, turning her head to smile at her girlfriend.
Ashley added, "I wondered if that feeling would ever go away, but it doesn't. Or for us it didn't. She's the one I want to experience everything with...life's just not as much fun without her."
Chloe smiled at the pair of them, thinking about how quickly Beca was becoming the first person she wanted to talk to, the person she wanted to spend more and more time with. "I think I'm in trouble ya'll," she said with a wry smile. "Definitely in the deep end of the pool."
"Good thing you know how to swim," Jess quipped back, as they all turned towards the sound of Beca's footsteps scampering down the stairs.
Jess' voice drew her back into the present, and Chloe focused on what the brunette was saying.
"Yeah, and like I said that night, she's insanely talented. Not only is she hot, she has a killer voice and serenades you with original songs written about you," Jess reasoned. "What's not to like? You never wrote me a song," she accused her girlfriend, a hurt look crossing her face.
"But I sing you songs all the time," Ashley countered, giving the blonde a pointed stare.
Jess nodded, admitting, "True. I love it when you sing to me, almost as much as when we sing together." She turned back to look at Chloe. "But that's not the point right now. Chloe's falling hard for a snarky, little midget with the voice of an angel."
"She's not a midget! She's adorable and perfect and I have no idea what I'm gonna do!" Chloe retorted, burying her face in her hands.
Ashley, ever the voice of reason, said, "Chlo, I won't tell you what to do, only you can make this decision. I will say that while the real thing doesn't come along often, I'm a firm believer that if two people are meant to be together, it'll happen one way or another. Maybe now just isn't the right time for you two."
Chloe felt her heart drop at Ashley's words, wondering for a second if it wasn't their time. She shook her head no, replying, "Ash, I hear you, but the thought of not being with her...I can't even think about it. It hurts." She closed her eyes, not noticing the silent exchange that passed between her friends.
Her eyes opened as Jess' voice broke the silence. "Then don't let her go. Just...fuck, just be careful Chlo. Please, please be careful," her friend begged.
Chloe nodded. "I will," she promised. "We will," she amended, knowing that Beca would go the extra mile to make sure their relationship stayed a secret.
Jess sighed, and crawled over to hug her best friend, a smile eventually crossing her face. "You always have to stray outside the box, Chlo...falling for one of your students," she teased.
Chloe leaned back, laughing at the comment. "Yeah, definitely didn't see that one coming. I figured it'd be more like not conforming to the teacher's dress code, or refusing to buy the lunch plan that would set me apart."
"Always the overachiever," Jess said, leaning back toward her end of the couch.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, let's talk about you guys for a change. I've been waiting for months to hear all the good Nashville gossip," she prodded, curling up under the blanket as Jess and Ashley exchanged a knowing glance, before the blonde launched into the latest story.
A/N: As always, a huge thanks to my AMAZING beta Ravenclawsome33! Shameless plug for her stories, including her newest, Falling While Flying! Check 'em out!
Thanks to everyone who has Followed, Fav'd and/or Reviewed!