Beca just got home from work. She dropped her keys on the table and put down her messenger bag on the couch. She went straight to the kitchen to start her usual Thursday night by taking the leftover pasta yesterday from the fridge. She accidentally cooks for two people but eventually she had made a habit of making Thursday a "Leftover Night."
After reheating her dinner, she went to the dining room and took out her phone. She was scrolling through her social media but nothing kept her interested. She opened her Spotify and played one of her playlists before opening Tinder.
She hadn't really been able to set up a date using the app. She really doesn't know the reason why. Maybe it's the fact that she kept swiping left most of the time and swipes right at the attractive girls she knew were out of her league.
After a few minutes, Chloe got home from work as well and went straight to the dining room where Beca was almost done with her meal. She bought Chinese takeout on the way home. As she was putting down her things, she noticed Beca's phone screen and laughed lightly.
"Tinder? Really?"
"Invasion of privacy? Really?" Beca shot back.
Chloe sat down across the brunette who kept her eyes on the phone as she continued swiping left and right. "So have you been on a Tinder date yet?"
"I really don't know if I'm ready to meet up with a stranger who might actually kill me," Beca answered, without making eye-contact with the other woman.
Chloe just rolled her eyes and when she was taking out her dinner, Amy entered their apartment.
"Beca, can I borrow your frying pan?" Amy immediately asked and went straight to the kitchen.
"In the kitchen. But it's Aubrey's though. You know how she is with her stuff."
Amy took the pan nevertheless and went to the small dining area to see what the women were up to. She took a Spring roll from Chloe's plate and the redhead didn't mind at all. After staying for almost two weeks with these people, Chloe got to know everyone's habits.
Jesse is always out and most of the time staying at Aubrey's place. She wanted to ask why he hasn't moved in with her yet since they're about to get married anyway but her high school best friend would just say that it's complicated or Aubrey doesn't want to yet unless he lets go of his The Breakfast Club poster. And he likes to clean and always uses a coaster.
She noticed Beca has a routine with her food every day. She eats three types of cereal- Cheerios, Captain Crunch and Fitnesse. She makes a sandwich for her lunch or sometimes stops by The Sandwich, a store across the street. She usually buys take out on Mondays and Tuesdays for dinner. She would cook a lot during Wednesdays and eat her leftovers on Thursdays. Friday is what she would call as "Junk Food Day". They would share a pizza oftentimes. Beca also never stays in a quiet room and she would always play music or turn on the TV even if she's not watching. And she likes apple juice very much.
Amy would always come and go in their apartment. One day, Chloe got home a bit late and Beca was out for the night. It scared the shit out of her when she thought there was a thief inside when it was only Amy in the kitchen, looking for Jesse's potato chips. And Amy would also take food from other people's plates when she comes by. It did bother Chloe at first but she had grown to adjust with these people's personalities.
Aubrey doesn't stay around in this apartment that much unless Jesse is here. She doesn't really know why Aubrey's frying pan was here in the first place when the blonde doesn't really live here. What she did notice about Aubrey was that she was like the mother-hen of the group. She may be uptight and strict but she is down-to-Earth. And when you need an advice with anything, talk to Aubrey.
"So have you found a match yet, Beca?" Amy asked as she watched her best friend continue swiping to the left and rolled her eyes, "Y'know you won't really find a match if you keep swiping to the left!"
"I'm not interested in every girl, Amy."
"Just keep liking random girls. Not all of them look like what they post. Some are actually quite attractive in person," Amy replied.
"Yeah, well. They should've posted a more attractive picture then," Beca said before licking off the sauce from her fork. She put down her phone and poked a hole in her apple juice pouch.
She swiped left at the blonde woman on her screen. She was hot and was surprised to see Stacie's Tinder profile. She widened her eyes and Amy looked at her phone with a smirk. "So swipe left or swipe right?"
Beca's thumb was hovering on her phone and she suddenly felt nervous. Why would she be nervous? It's just Tinder. Sure, she has a crush on Stacie but she's definitely sure she has no chance with the tall attractive brunette woman.
She swiped left and to her surprise…She got a match.
"We….She…liked me." Beca said and took a good look at her phone screen. Chloe and Amy quickly looked at her phone as well and both girls dared her to message Amy's roommate.
Beca was trying to come up with something to say but then Stacie messaged her first.
Stacie: Hi neighbor! :D
Beca gulped and asked her two friends for help.
"Just say hi," Chloe said.
"Just be cool. And ask her out," Amy encouraged her.
"I can't ask her out! Do you really think she liked me because I'm hot or maybe it was a friendly like? Kind of… 'Hey, I know you! I should like you!'"
Chloe raised an eyebrow, "Of course she liked you because you're hot. Have you seen you?"
"What?"
Chloe just rolled her eyes good-naturedly, "Just say hi to her, Beca."
Beca furrowed her eyebrows at Chloe's comment and started texting Stacie.
Beca: Heeyyy
Stacie: So a perfect match huh? ;)
Beca pursed her lips and thought about what to reply. Thank god they were just chatting and they're not in a verbal conversation because if they were, Beca would've been blurting out random words.
Beca: Tell me this is a good sign that we should go out for a cup of coffee. Haha
Stacie: Hmmm… I'll think about it.
Stacie: Tell Amy, to get over here. I need the frying pan.
Amy laughed loudly at Stacie's message that she almost choked at her own saliva. "Oh my god, my plan worked!"
"How did you even know that I would come across Stacie's profile?" Beca gave the other woman a questioning look and Amy just patted her back then left the apartment, still laughing.
Beca locked her phone and let out a frustrated sigh. She begrudgingly finished her dinner and apple juice. "I'm gonna kill her," She muttered as she bit the straw of her apple juice.
Chloe just giggled and continued eating her dinner. Beca didn't forget about what Chloe said and turned her attention to the redhead.
"You think I'm hot?" Beca gave her best charming smile that turned out to be a goofy grin.
Chloe seemed unimpressed and replied, "I was just being nice."
"But you think I'm hot," Beca pointed out and raised an eyebrow. She winked at the other woman who just rolled her eyes.
"Save it, Roomie. I'm straight," Chloe said, taking her plate and went to the kitchen to wash them. Beca just shook her head in amusement as she opened her phone once more to check her e-mails.
It's movie night for Jesse and Aubrey. They decided to watch a romantic comedy since they were both stressed from work and they could use a good laugh.
Jesse had always thought about moving in with Aubrey but his fiancée would change the subject or say that it's too soon. But here they are, about to get married in a few months, and Jesse thought this would might be the right moment to ask Aubrey that question again.
"Hey babe?"
"Hm?" Aubrey kept her eyes on the TV screen but is still listening to Jesse.
"Since we're about to get married, when do we like-," Jesse cleared his throat and struggled to come up with words. "Move in together? I mean, I basically stay here most of the time anyway."
Aubrey shifted in her seat to face Jesse. "Yeah, let's move in together," She said with a smile and leaned in to kiss her boyfriend on the lips.
Jesse smiled at the kiss and felt relieved that this conversation went smoothly. "Okay. I guess we're doing this." He said with a light chuckle.
"My place," They both said in unison. The couple gave each other a look and let out a sarcastic smile.
"Of course, it's your place," They both said in unison again.
They gave each other a forced smile but it slowly turned into a look of bewilderment as they looked away from each other.
Beca was working on her set list for next Saturday night before going to bed. Her job as a graphic designer is just something to pay the bills. Sure she is happy with her day job but music has always been her passion. She would go on gigs during weekends but she stopped for months now ever since the wedding tragedy. She wanted to give it another try, maybe it could take her mind off things.
She got a call from Jesse that night. She rolled her eyes at the interruption and answered the call, "This better be good."
"Convince Aubrey to move in with us," Jesse said right away.
"Are you kidding me?"
"If she moves in, you don't have to buy groceries."
"I'm listening…" Beca almost smiled at the thought when she remembered something, "Wait. She can't move in here. Chloe is also staying here remember?"
"Chloe is actually looking for a place at the moment," Jesse told her, "Awww is someone going to miss her?" He teased.
Beca just growled and continued, "Why can't you just move in Aubrey's place? Hers is basically much bigger than ours."
"Aubrey doesn't want to keep the poster."
"Oh no," Beca pretended to be upset.
"The poster is a huge deal, Becs. I've had that since I was going through puberty."
"Well, that's sad."
"Come on, Becs."
"Fine, I'll come up with something."
"Thanks, man. You're the best."
"Eh," Beca said nonchalantly and Jesse hung up. She was about to continue write down a new song when her phone rang again. But this time it was Aubrey.
"Yes, Ma'am?"
"Convince Jesse to move in to my place," Aubrey replied right away.
"He literally just called me to convince you to move in with us."
"Did it ever occur to you that if I live with you that there will be new rules? I will make new rules, Beca."
Beca froze for a moment and imagined what it would be like if Aubrey lived in their place. Junk Food Day will be replaced by Organic Food Day. Their standard Milk will be replaced by Soy Milk. Healthy cereals everywhere. No more video game nights. She shook her head at the nightmare that could happen.
"Good point," Beca said, "I'll convince Jesse to move in with you as long as he gets to keep the poster."
"I don't want that poster in our room!"
"The poster means a lot to him, Bree. You're basically going to marry the guy."
She heard Aubrey sigh on the other line, "Fine. But please help me convince him to move in with me."
"Yeah, whatever. I'll do my best."
"Thanks, Beca!" The blonde hung up and Beca just continued with what she was doing and thought about dealing with the couple's problem later.
"Aubrey is getting married. Are you guys going to throw her a bridal shower?" Chloe asked the blonde beside her. They spent their Saturday afternoon watching TV while eating popcorn.
"Are we supposed to throw her a bridal shower?" Amy furrowed her eyebrows in confusion at the idea.
"Of course! Her marriage might be a short notice but she deserves a bridal shower," Chloe said.
"I don't know. Ask Beca," Amy said. Beca came out of her room and went to the kitchen but Chloe called her.
"Beca!"
Beca poked her head out from the kitchen doorway then walked towards the living room "What?" She took a sip of her water and looked at Chloe.
"We have to throw Aubrey a bridal shower," Chloe suggested.
"A what?"
Chloe rolled her eyes and faced Beca, "It's going to be fun! We should surprise her!" She basically squealed in excitement.
"I'm sorry but I have a Tinder date tonight so you, kids, start planning this bridal shower," Beca said with a smirk.
"Ooooohh. What's her name?" Amy asked.
"Chelsea and she's also graphic designer," Beca answered with a proud grin.
"Okay, the bridal shower meeting can be postponed. This is way more exciting," Chloe said with a huge grin, "So? What's she like?"
"I think she's a fun person to hang out with it. She's so funny and smart. I asked her out for a cup of coffee and she said yes," Beca smiled proudly and Amy just cheered for her.
"You finally have a date after all these months," Amy said, proud that her bestfriend is finally not moping in her room anymore. "You're finally getting into a relationship."
"Woah, Nope! I don't want any commitments. I'm just looking for something fun. Nothing serious. I can handle that."
"Oh please, you're a huge cheeseball with that sort of stuff," Amy replied.
"So where are you guys going to meet?"
"Just the nearby coffee shop down town," Beca answered. "Anyway, gotta go. I'll meet her in like 10 minutes. Wish me luck, nerds." She left the room and got ready for her date.
"That's so cute. Beca is going on a date!" Chloe said happily.
"I have an idea!" Amy said with a grin, "Let's see how Beca's date goes. We can like spy on them."
"Amy, I don't think that's a great idea. It's like an invasion of privacy."
"She wouldn't mind. I wanna see this girl if she's approved or not."
Chloe agreed to Amy's idea anyway. She would be lying if she said she wasn't curious about Beca's new date.
Beca checked her watch and she's already waiting for about half an hour. Beca would constantly check Chelsea's profile so she was sure what she did look like. Just in case Chelsea was also waiting inside the café but there were no other blonde girls in here except for Amy. Wait…
"Amy?" Beca called out her friend from afar who was sitting with a redhead. They were hiding behind the menu, "Chloe?" She stood up and went to them, "What the hell are you guys doing here? Are you spying on me?"
"Beca? What a coincidence," Amy pretended to be shocked when she saw Beca with crossed arms staring down at the both of them. "We also wanted a cup of coffee."
"It was Amy's idea," Chloe quickly answered.
"I told you to keep it cool, Ginger!" Amy whispered angrily.
"Well, I guess I'll join with you guys then. I guess I got stood up," Beca took the wooden chair from the other table and sat down in front of them.
"The hell with that bitch!" Amy frowned, "There are still plenty of fish in the sea, Beca. Don't worry about it." She got up and hugged her friend.
Beca just took a deep breath and played with the sugar pack. After a few minutes, Amy decided to go home before Stacie does so she can help with dinner. Chloe stood up as well but stopped when she noticed Beca just stayed in place.
"Are you coming?"
"I think I'm gonna stay for a little while. I'll be home in an hour."
Amy said goodbye and took off but Chloe looked at the sad woman who was still playing with the crumpled sugar pack. She went to the counter and ordered two decaf Lattes.
Beca just shook her head and rubbed the bridge of her nose and muttered to herself, "What the hell am I doing?" She was surprised when she saw the cup of coffee placed in front of her. She looked up and saw Chloe who just sat in front of her with gentle smile.
"What is this?"
"My treat. I can't leave you alone especially that your date didn't show up," Chloe said.
Beca thanked her then took a sip of the coffee. "Well, I have to say I'm so embarrassed right now. But my most embarrassing moment would still be getting left at the altar."
"You got left at the altar?" Chloe furrowed her eyebrows.
Beca chuckled bitterly, "Yep. It happened just three months ago. She said something about not being sure with spending the rest of my life with me. She wrote a heartfelt letter for that matter." She bit her lip to stop herself from tearing up. She can't be vulnerable in front of Chloe or even in public. She took a deep breath and continued with her story, "My family wasn't really that supportive with me marrying a woman but they accepted me anyways and now I just totally humiliated myself. Plus, I had to deal with the catering."
Chloe felt even more sorry for her. She watched Beca trying to distract herself by peeling off the cardboard wrapped around her cup. She held Beca's arm and gave it a gentle squeeze.
"If it's any consolation, I can be your Tinder date for tonight."
Beca wiped the tears that almost fell from her eyes and laughed, "Oh please."
"Y'know even if we're not that close yet, I think you're a very amazing person who deserves so much more than getting stood up in a date and getting left at the altar."
Beca just smiled at Chloe and listened to the redhead's story about her embarrassing date with a guy. She knew that Chloe was just trying to cheer her up and somehow it's working. She laughed at the awkward moment that Chloe told her and later on, she started sharing one of her own stories.
The next day…
Jesse and Aubrey were seated apart on the couch. Both weren't looking at each other and Beca looked down at them like a mother who caught her kids fighting.
"This is getting ridiculous," Beca began.
"I'm not moving in to her place if I don't get to keep the poster," Jesse said.
"Well, I'm not moving here because it's so far away from my work," Aubrey replied back.
"Well, I'm closer to work if we live here!"
Aubrey started saying something and Jesse answered her back furiously. And all Beca could hear were two people screaming at each other.
"GUYS!" Beca shouted and the couple stopped then glared at her. "What the hell! You are getting MARRIED! At some point you're going to HAVE to live together!"
The couple just stayed quiet and thought about what Beca is saying.
"Jesse, you have to also consider Aubrey's say about this," Beca looked at the man.
Aubrey smirked at Jesse who just frowned at her.
"And Aubrey? Please, it's just a freaking poster. Be thankful he's not requesting to bring his 1 foot Darth Vader display. He was going to sell it online so you can have more money for your wedding."
Aubrey looked at her fiancée, surprised. Jesse just looked down in embarrassment. "You really did that, babe?"
Jesse scratched the back of his neck and nodded, "Well, yeah. I mean, our wedding is more important. And besides, I know I won't be able to find a place where I can put it if we live together."
Aubrey just smiled lovingly at her boyfriend and was about to give him a passionate kiss when Beca cleared her throat.
"So here's a thought," Beca interrupted them, "Why don't you just find a new place where it's both close to your work and we can all have a great weekend?" She forced a smile and gave them two thumbs up.
Aubrey and Jesse looked at each other and nodded with loving smile. It didn't take long before Aubrey grabbed Jesse by the neck to kiss him passionately and it was Beca's cue to leave the living room. She made her way to her room but stopped by the guest room door. It was slightly open and knew that Chloe was in there. She knocked before entering and smiled at the woman who was looking at the newspaper for apartments for rent.
"So how's the apartment hunting going?" Beca asked as she walked closer to Chloe's bed.
Chloe just shook her head, "Some are too expensive. The others are cheap but I'm not quite sure if it's habitable." She looked up at the brunette, "Have they made up already?"
"Well, they're eating each other's faces on the couch so I think they're going to be fine. They decided to move in a new place."
"That's great!"
"So uhm… I was wondering. If you want to, you can just stay here and be my roommate. You don't have to look for a new place. I mean, it's only if you want to. No pressure. I completely understand if you want to live alone."
Chloe just looked down at the newspaper with smile. "I would love to be your roommate, Beca." She said looking up at her with a huge grin.
"Okay. So uhh it's official. You can have Jesse's room once he's moved out. I mean, it's a lot bigger than this," Beca gestured around the room.
"Thanks, Beca," Chloe gave the awkward brunette a gentle smile and Beca just grinned awkwardly.
"No problem. You practically have lived here for quite some time anyways," Beca replied, "Well, I gotta finish something in my room. So if you need anything-"
"Yeah, of course," Chloe said with a bright smile and watch Beca leave. She didn't know why but she found herself still smiling. Maybe because of her new developed friendship with Beca or something else…
