A/N: Thank you everyone for all the positive feedback! I'm so happy you found the last chapter so funny. It was a real joy to write. This chapter has more original content. I hope you like it. Also, in case anyone was wondering, watermelon Oreos are a real thing. I did not make them up. I have eaten them though. Without further a due, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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Chapter 8

Jail actually wasn't as bad as Beca thought it would be. Given it was a Friday, but they put her in a cell with only two other women. The cell was clean and her cell mates were nice enough. The one was passed out drunk snoring, her face pressed into one corner of the cell. The other woman was pretty cool. She didn't say much, but she grunted when Beca entered the cell and when she left. It strangely felt like they had bonded. She kind of reminded Beca of Lily. Beca didn't fully understand why she was there, given she did have an unconscious man on top of her and she was surrounded by a bunch of broken boxes of cookies and a semi expensive display piece, but she was defending a friend. The cops had even told her she would walk away fine, no marks on her record. Then again the guy's wife had been hysterical and when the man came to he wasn't much help, ranting on and on about a crazy Australian lady and a midget that punched him in the kidney. By the end of it all, Beca wound up in a cell and the woman screaming they were going to press charges. Maybe it really wasn't that bad, after all it had to be better to be locked away in a clean cell with non-homicidal cellmates than out there with the hysterical woman. The worst part about jail was her dad picking her up. Even that wasn't that bad, though. She had called Jesse, who had called her dad because he didn't have enough money to bail her out. She wanted to be mad at Jesse, but was not able to because she understood his actions. If she was honest, she probably would have done the same thing.

The hour long car ride back to campus was awkward at best. Jesse sat completely silent in the back seat. Beca was in the front passenger seat trying to act like she wasn't nervous, slouching in her seat and eyes forward. Her dad sat stiffly, occasionally white-knuckling the steering wheel and grinding his teeth. They all sat in complete silence for a full 30 minutes until her dad finally spoke. He was surprisingly calm. Maybe it was all the late night calls from Beca's mom asking him for money to bail Beca out of jail in high school for trespassing that allowed it. What was even stranger was he actually asked her what happened. He did not interrupt her once as she went through the events of Amy's debacle at Wal-Mart. When she was done he asked her if she had eaten. When Beca said she hadn't, he pulled through a Wendy's drive thru and asked if Jesse wanted anything. The last 15-20 minutes were spent listening to the radio as they all made their way through their food. Beca was on high alert the whole drive, waiting for him to yell at her, but he never did. When they finally pulled up in front of Jesse and Beca's dorms all she could do was thank him, mildly dazed, before he drove off.

Beca and Jesse walked as far as they could together until they had to separate. They did not talk much on the walk back, both tired. Beca was still in a haze when she came to her dorm room door. She exhaled heavily, preparing herself for the daggers her roommate would be staring at her for her late entrance. She turned the handle. As soon as she opened the door Kimmy Jin pushed past her, mumbling something about the inconvenience of unwelcomed friends. Beca was confused about what she was talking about until she turned and saw all of the Bellas sitting on her bed all smiles, no longer in their Bella uniforms. Really, Beca was both surprised and pleased to see them all, not able to fight the smile from her face. She only had eyes for Chloe though. Focusing on the woman who practically leapt up to greet her before thinking better of it and settling on the edge of her bed. Even with all the Bellas present, Beca wished Chloe had just launched herself at her, the almost kiss still lingering. She would have really liked a hug. She shrugged the thought away.

Each Bella had their own little side comment or quandary about Beca's stint in jail. Before she could acknowledge them, Aubrey cut in ending their fun.

"Even though your actions were not exactly appropriate Bella conduct, you were defending one of our own." Aubrey hesitantly patted Beca twice on the shoulder. "So, no extra laps tomorrow."

"Thanks?" Was Beca's reply, not sure if that was Aubrey's strange way of saying she agreed with what she did.

Then Aubrey cleared her throat and clapped her hands before turning to all the Bellas. "Well, we've all had an eventful evening and we have an early practice tomorrow. So I suggest everyone goes to bed soon."

Everyone grumbled before following Aubrey out one by one. They all patted Beca on the back as they left. Amy stuck back to press a lump of what looked like a crushed vanilla cookie wrapped in pink and green frosting into her hand. It smelled vaguely like watermelon.

"You deserve at least one. After all, you sacrificed your pride for them." Beca just stared at it quizzically, not sure if it was actually edible.

Amy left before Beca could say anything. Then it was just her… and Chloe. Chloe who was smiling shyly at her from Beca's bed, still perched on the edge.

"I never knew you were into mixing." Chloe briefly glanced at all of Beca's DJ-ing equipment before looking back at her.

"Yeah, uh for a few years now." Beca really wasn't sure what to do with herself. Should she take the seat at her desk or sit down next to Chloe. They had never hung out together in their dorm rooms. They only spent time together in places that had chairs and tables to separate them or on the quad. When on the quad Chloe always found her. So she never had to actually decide where to sit. Another part of her was worried that those questions Chloe asked the other night were going to come up again. She could feel her hands begin to twitch at the edge of her coat.

Chloe saved her. "Can I hear a track or two?" Normally Beca would say no, but it was Chloe and she was looking at her with that smile. That smile that seemed reserved for her and her alone. So instead of protesting she crumbled.

"Um… yeah, sure. Just let me… uh change." Chloe beamed at her. Beca looked away, feeling her cheeks heat up, with the excuse of looking for clothes. Somewhere along the way she put Amy's offered gift in the trash. She quickly found a pair of sweats and an old oversized shirt she sometimes slept in. Beca let her hair down as she exited the ensuite in her new clothes. She pulled it up and out of her face before letting it fall down the center of her back as she settled into her computer chair.

"Let's see…"

She brought up the file containing all of her mash-ups, glad the one labeled 'C' was hidden within several folders. Looking over a few folders, Beca brought up her most recent and fuller folder.

"What do you want to hear?" She went to turn to Chloe only to find the girl standing just behind her. Beca flinched slightly in her seat, startled, not expecting Chloe to be so close. If the older Bella noticed it she didn't comment on it.

"Surprise me."

Beca turned back to the screen, skimming the different track names. Finally she settled on one. She selected it and then pressed play. Instantly, the mash-up she had been working on the day she bumped into Chloe in the showers started playing. Chloe squealed and shook with excitement where she stood a few seconds into the song. "Becs this sounds aca-mazing!" She lightly swatted at Beca's shoulder. "Why did you never tell me about this? This could be just the thing the Bellas need to revive our sound."

Beca turned her head, looking sheepishly at Chloe over her shoulder. "You really think so?"

"Beca I don't think so, I know so!" There was a sparkle in the redhead's eyes. Something that reminded her of her grandpa. How he used to look at her when she played a new mix for him. Like he just knew she was talented and was going to be someone. Sometimes Beca really missed having someone believe that deeply in her work and, by extension, her. Sure there was Jesse, but he never seemed to fully get it. She saw that same look her grandpa always had in Chloe's eyes as her friend began to mouth the words to the track. Beca believed her.

When the song ended Chloe asked her if she would play another one and she did. They had worked their way through fives tracks before Chloe asked her how she did it. Beca showed her using a simple track she had made and reworked several times since her freshman year of high school. Chloe leaned into her to get a better view, resting her chin on Beca's shoulder and wrapping her arms around Beca's waist to steady herself. The younger Bella hoped she didn't notice the shiver that ran through her body or the increase in her pulse at her neck.

That was how they spent the rest of their night, Chloe perched on Beca's shoulder, taking in everything she had to say, and Beca feeling so completely content in her friend's arms. Occasionally Chloe would shift or say something, resulting in her breath tickling Beca's ear, and Beca would have to clamp down on a blush or a trail of goose bumps, but it was perfect. The heat of Chloe's body at her back seeping into her bones. Beca wished that moment was her reality. That her and Chloe spent long nights in each other's arms talking about music before curling up together in bed each night. She knew it was cliché, but it was what she wanted.

Finally it became so late, Chloe started to doze off on Beca's shoulder, pulling the petite girl closer to her in her sleep. Really Beca didn't mind, but she thought Chloe might. After all, Chloe had Tom. So she gently shook her friend awake and walked her the five feet to the door. Chloe gave her one of her favorite hugs, hanging on for what seem like a good minute or two. They both pulled back slightly dazed and hazy. Beca just attributed their muddled states to fatigue. Chloe was just about to leave when she paused, turning fully to Beca.

"I almost forgot." Chloe reached back and pulled something out from the back of her shirt. "I got this for you." She put the object in Beca's hands. It was the can of red bull she wanted. Well probably not the can, but it was the new flavor she wanted to try. She couldn't believe it. Beca found herself flinging her arms around Chloe for the first time without Chloe initiating first. As soon as she did it, Beca wanted to pull back, feeling embarrassed and surprised by her own actions. She had already committed to the action, so she just stuck it out, hoping for the best. It must have taken Chloe by surprise too because it takes her a moment before she reciprocates the hug, but then she's burying her face in Beca's hair.

"Thanks Chlo."

Chloe presses a kiss to the top of Beca's head before they separate. "What are best friends for."

Chloe gives her a soft genuine smile before she goes. Then it's just Beca and the can of red bull Chloe gave her. She cradles the prized item to her chest, not quite believing Chloe bought it for her. That Chloe cared that much. She knew that was dangerous because everyone who ever cared for her left in one way or another. Her dad had escaped to a new life with Shelia and her mom escaped within herself, never home, burying herself in work. Beca knew it wasn't fair to group him in, but even her grandpa left. The one person who took the time to get to know her and believed in her like no one else did. The one person that supported her emotionally and physically. The last person she knowingly let in. Beca knew he didn't have a choice in his death, but he had promised to be there when she made it big and now he never would be at that show. Her being at Barden really only made it worse because it pushed off that moment further back in time. Making it less and less likely he could have been around to see her make it big if he just would have stayed alive longer. Making her grudge and anger at the situation stupid.

And Chloe, well Beca had left her before she could leave her. Which she knew would have happened because Chloe was slowly doing so before she left, spending more and more time with Jason. That's why this thing with Chloe was dangerous because she was slowly becoming everything Beca ever wanted and needed through her high school years. She was the one thing that would have cut through all her bullshit and made her stop all of her self-destructive ways. She would have been able to make the anger and feelings of not being enough brought on by her parents' absences dissolve. She would have allowed Beca the space to properly morn her grandpa, instead of letting it manifest into just another disappointment in life. Another hand dealt to her by her role as 'the friend'. Beca would have never felt the need to bury herself in the bodies of other people for warmth and worth. She would have never drowned herself in alcohol to numb herself to make it all okay. She would have never been the punk breaking into places and vandalizing them just to feel alive. The sad thing was, she was comfortable with that way of functioning. Not fully feeling anything. Chloe was ruining that for her, making her want more. Chloe was that pure beautiful woman of her dreams she escaped to at night when her walls were down. Dreams she didn't want tainted by her darkness. Especially not when Chloe was real now.

Sure there was Jesse, but Jesse was only ever supposed to be a distraction. He came right around the time her grandpa had died and he seemed like the safest option to escape into with the lowest risk of getting attached. After all he had brown eyes, brown hair and was male, everything that was the opposite of the girl she craved at the time that only existed in her dreams. From day one of their relationship, Beca had resigned herself to the fact that one day Jesse would leave or she would. She knew it was a temporary relationship. She knew that made her a horrible person because he was fully invested. At the time, though, she only cared about herself, drowning in grief and anger. For some reason, he stuck around long past their breakup for reasons she could not fathom. If she was honest with herself, there was still a part of her that expected him to disappear one day. After all the only good quality Beca thought she had was her ability to mix music and that was more of a skill than a quality. Nobody stuck around for a person's skill, no matter how talented they were.

That's why she couldn't answer those questions at the riff-off. How did she tell someone, the embodiment of everything good in the world in human form, that they were the reason she was broken. That it all started with her, the only friend Beca had as a child, and ended with the death of her grandpa. That she was the first one to make her doubt herself and then everyone after made it true. No matter how much she wanted to tell Chloe, she couldn't yet because what if she did leave. The last person that could prove it all wrong. The only person left that had seen beyond her walls, the true her before everything crumbled. Beca didn't think she could handle that. All the kids in elementary and middle school had only been able to judge her on appearances. Even Aubrey could only judge her on appearances, not wanting to take the time to get to know her. So their rejection didn't matter. Chloe had taken the time, though. She actually knew Beca. If Beca actually were to let her in and she left like the rest, regardless of her reciprocating Beca's feelings or not, could destroy what little was left behind those walls. Instead of letting all those thoughts over take her, Beca concentrated on the can in her hands. The way it felt against her skin, the smooth metallic finish. Beca gently placed the can on the shelf above her bed, hoping it meant more than it probably did, before falling under her covers.

In the days that followed Chloe and Beca spent more and more time in Beca's dorm room. Eventually Chloe just started popping up randomly with coffee and snacks. They stopped meeting in the library or on the quad and just went to Beca's room instead. Beca did not have to lug a thermos all around campus anymore, tea conveniently located nearby. They hung out there so often that Kimmy Jin only seemed to ever come back to the room to sleep or pick up a textbook, mocking Beca as she left. Each day Beca expected the questions from the night of the riff-off to pop up again, prepping herself with half-true answers that gave just enough information to give Chloe a glimpse at the truth, but never the whole thing. Only the questions never came up again. There were moments when Beca was sure they would come up, Chloe looking at her over a textbook for a moment to long, looking like she was trying to figure out a puzzle. But whenever Beca would meet her eyes, she'd just smile at Beca and then go back to working on whatever she was working on.

The number of mash ups Beca put together increased. Chloe was always interested in what she was working on. Since most of Beca's mixes seemed to center around Chloe, she had to always have two mash-ups available, one centered around her childhood friend and another that she could show her childhood friend. She also had to be careful when she worked on each one because Chloe had a tendency of sneaking up behind Beca and stealing her head phones so she could listen to what she was working on. Yet another thing she found herself letting Chloe do that she would normally berate anyone else for doing. With how late Beca stayed up mixing some nights, there were still late night visits involving sleepytime tea when Chloe couldn't get to sleep. Only they involved a pajama clad Chloe and the two spread out on Beca's bed, a movie softly playing in the background. Beca not grumbling nearly as much about having to watch a movie as normal. After all, Chloe knew she didn't actually hate them.

Jesse had showed up a few times early in the morning to take Beca to breakfast to find a bed tousled Chloe quietly sneaking out of his best friend's room. Whenever Chloe noticed Jesse standing there just smirking at her, her cheeks would immediately color and she would sheepishly greet him before running off. He started making comments about it to Beca, who would deny anything was going on. Which was the truth because it all was innocent. Nothing but sleep, tea, and cuddling was happening. Then the Chloe appearances started cutting into the time he had scheduled with Beca, finding Chloe in Beca's room several times when he dropped by for their weekly movie-cations. Then it seemed like every time he stopped by Chloe was leaving as he was entering. So finally one day he made a simple request in the middle of one of the films they were watching during a movie-cation day. He knew Beca wouldn't mind the interruption, it was not like she was watching the movie.

"I want to meet her."

"What?" Beca's brow furrowed.

"I want to meet Chloe."

"You've already met her."

"I want to get to know her. I want to have an actual conversation with her."

"Why?"

Jesse shrugs. "I don't know. You spend a lot of time together. I want to make sure she's a good enough friend for you."

It wasn't a farfetched request. Jesse normally was the one to steer Beca towards certain people in high school. Given they were all make out buddies in clubs, but he was usually good at reading people. He was always the one to point out to Beca the people that were interested in her. Out of all the people he steered her towards, he was never wrong about their intentions or general personality, given a five minute conversation. Jesse always acted like a big brother in that way, keeping her safe. That's basically what he wanted to do with Chloe. Check her out, see what her intentions were, and if they were true.

"You make it sound like I'm some misbehaved dog that pees on everything or something."

Jesse smirks at her. "Well you have your moments."

Beca throws a pillow at him and mutters. "Whatever."

There was a pause. "So can I?"

"What?"

"Can you set up a doubles friend date thing so I can get to know her?"

"Dude, never say doubles and friend again together aaand… maybe."

Jesse shot her an incredulous look. "What do you mean maybe?"

"It's pretty obvious, man. Maybe means maybe. Like maybe I'll say yes, maybe I'll say no. Depends on how I feel." She shrugged.

"What if I get you a case of red bull?"

"Make it two."

"Deal!" Jesse beamed at her, feeling accomplished even though he just had to bribe his best friend so he could get to know her crush better. He figured it was worth it. Although Jesse held up his end of the agreement, delivering two cases of red bull two days later, Beca took longer to uphold her end. And, like the first conversation, he had to initiate it.

On the day in question, Chloe and Beca were laid out on a patch of grass on the quad, Chloe insisting they go outside because it was such a nice day. Beca had protested, claiming she was allergic to the sun, only to relent when met with a pouting Chloe. Which she was still kicking herself mentally for caving too. That's why Beca was leaning against a tree, legs crossed under her laptop, as she worked on a mix. Her headphones askew so she could still hear Chloe, who had her head resting on Beca's hip as she lay on her back, looking up at the tree's leaves above. Chloe hummed, shifting her eyes to look up at Beca.

"So I noticed something today."

Beca's main focus was still on her laptop, half listening to the redhead at her hip. "What?"

"Well remember when we were kids you had that really cute pair of keds that had butterflies on them? I was totally jealous of them, but you'd never let me try them on and you'd wear them like aaaall the time."

Beca chanced a glance down at Chloe, not sure where she would take the conversation. "Yeah, so?"

"Weeeell, would you let me try them on now?" Chloe's face was full of such hope and longing and something else. Something Beca should have noticed because Chloe loved poking fun at her. Anything she could do to get Beca flustered or catch her off guard, Chloe would do it, whether she was aware of what she was doing or not. It was like it was her newest hobby. So Beca really should have noticed that glint of mischief in her friend's eye, but she was too busy looking at her computer screen.

She scoffed, amused at Chloe's request. "Sure, if you can find them. I was like 8 when I had them. They're like long gone Chlo."

"That's funny because I could have sworn I saw them on the feet of a teddy bear in the back of your closet." A smirk was slowly working its way onto Chloe's lips. Beca froze at the utterance.

She muttered under her breath, "Mr. Snuggums."

Chloe immediately rolled onto her stomach, head perched in her hands, a full smile in place, victorious. "Mr. Snuggums, huh? Well do you think he'd mind if I borrowed them?"

Beca's eyes snapped to Chloe's, wide, her cheeks flushing soon after. "I don't know what you are talking about." Her eyes then snapped back to her laptop screen, suddenly more invested than she was before in whatever was on the screen.

"Hmmm… You know, I don't think I ever met this Mr. Snuggums guy either. We were best friends weren't we?" Chloe looked up at her with big blue eyes.

Beca pretended to be exasperated when she was really putty in Chloe's hands if she kept looking at her like that. "Fine… If you must know." Beca's voice got quieter. "He was banished to the attic because big girls didn't sleep with stuff animals."

Chloe's eyes welled with empathy. "That must have been tough."

Beca snorted, looking back to her laptop. "He's an inanimate object Chloe. I'm sure he was fine."

"I meant you, silly." Chloe shoved Beca playfully, smile in place.

Beca just shrugged, her jaw setting, trying not to let it show how much a stupid teddy bear she had when she was five meant to her.

Chloe's suddenly went wide in panic. "Oh my god! Don't tell me it was like when that squirrel you use to feed outside your window everyday disappeared. You totes cried for like three days."

Beca scowled. "I did not! Fredrick was perfectly fine. He moved to Maine, he sent me post cards and everything."

Chloe bit her bottom lip, trying not to smile at the positively adorable details of the story she had either forgotten or never been told. "Oh, yeah? Well what about Mr. Snuggums? Did he run away or something? Why isn't he at home?"

The petite brunette visibly stiffened, centering all her attention on her laptop, as she mumbled out a barely audible reply. "He gets lonely."

"Aaaaw! You have to be one of the most adorable humans to ever exist!" Chloe cooed at her.

"No!" Beca scowled, her cheeks deepening in color.

"I'm sorry Becs. I didn't know Mr. Snuggums was such a sore subject. I totes won't bring him again, but it's such an adorable name… just like you." Chloe's smile grew bigger as she sat up and mimicked Beca's cross legged position, facing her.

Beca sputtered before looking Chloe in the eye and firmly stating, "I was like five, okay and I'm not adorable. You should just… you know… like stop. Dude, it's, like, not cool."

Chloe couldn't seem to help herself, Beca's cheeks still bright red and a small pout forming. "But Beeeca, it's sooo true. You got post cards from a squirrel you named Fredrick who little Beca thought moved to Maine." Beca grumbled under her breath as Chloe continued to talk, "That's because he did move to Maine." "Then you have a teddy bear, I've never heard of, that you call Mr. Snuggums and brought with you so he wouldn't be lonely. How is that not the most adorable thing EVER! It's not my fault you get easily flustered. Which is totes adorable too by the way. " As if to prove her point, she pushed the hair that fell into Beca's face back, her fingers lightly grazing Beca's forehead and down her cheek. Beca's blush spreads to her neck, as she sputtered.

Chloe's smile grows. "See adorable."

Beca huffs, "I'm NOT adorable!"

Chloe just coos at her and Beca grumbles in response, trying to go back to mixing. But Chloe was not done yet.

She taps Beca's nose after each word as she speaks. "Cutest most pint sized human."

Beca tries to deny it, but Chloe just taps her nose again. "So cute."

Beca tries to scowl, but the action was punctuated by a small Disney princess sized sneeze. Her eyes go wide, slightly shocked by her own sneeze, blinking owlishly. Chloe just "Aaaaaws!" at her and clasps her hands under her own chin as if looking at a kitten she was trying not to pet. Beca, completely mortified and defeated, groans, pushing her laptop to the side, and pulls her knees up to her chest so she can perch her arms on them and then hide her face in her arms. "No, I'm not!" Beca pouted.

"But you are." Beca just burrowed further into her arms.

"Come back." Chloe requested, poking Beca in the side.

Beca just moved away from the invasion of space, answering with a petulant, "no."

Chloe whined, "Beeeeca! I'll let you pick the next movie we watch?"

"I hate movies." Beca grumbled in the same petulant voice.

"We both know that's a lie." Chloe threw back amused, but the younger Bella didn't move.

So Chloe tried a new tactic. "I'll let you pick where we go for lunch?"Beca perked up slightly at the offer, peeking out from her arms. Chloe's smile was starting to grow again, knowing she was close to getting Beca to come out from hiding. So, she tacked on, "I'll pay?"

Beca immediately bound up from her position, kneeling as she started packing up her laptop. "Deal!"

Chloe's face shifted into confusion, looking like she misinterpreted the situation, worry seeping in. "What are you doing?"

"Going to lunch with you." It was stated like it was the most obvious thing ever, Chloe's smile instantly re-blossomed in response.

They had just both gotten to their feet and dusted any loose grass off themselves when Beca's phone chimed. She huffed as she fished the device out her pocket, like it was biggest inconvenience. After all it was the one thing keeping her away from her true love in life, food. Well there was also her love for red bull and music… and her growing feelings for Chloe that felt a lot like love, but you get the picture.

Beca opened her phone. It was a text from Jesse.

J-Man: Lunch?

Beca was ready to cast off the text easily as Jesse having bad timing, when she remembered she actually had plans with him today for lunch. She had completely forgotten. She felt slightly guilty as she typed out her response, she had not been hanging out with him as much as she used to. Not that she would ever admitted it, but she kind of missed the idiot and his movie trivia.

BeCaw: Dude, I completely forgot. I'm just headed out to lunch with Chloe and she's paying. So, another time?

Instead of texting her back, Jesse calls her back. She picks up immediately, wincing as he practically yells as he speaks, clearly in, what Beca calls, excited puppy mode. "Can I come with?"

Beca flashed Chloe, who was patiently waiting two feet away, an apologetic smile as she responses to Jesse, brows furrowing. "What?"

"I said, can I come with?" Jesse states, still excited as ever. Beca remains silent, contemplating the pros and cons of finally letting Jesse be in the same room with Chloe. All the possible embarrassment that he would bring with his presence. Jesse cuts into her thoughts. "Come on Beeeecaw! You were supposed to be having lunch with ME." There was another pause. Beca glances at Chloe who was just looking at her curiously. Figuring Beca wasn't going to say anything, Jesse continued with his second argument. "Besides, we had a deal. I give you two cases of red bull and you let me meet with Chloe. And I have given you two cases of red bull." He whined at the end. Although Beca couldn't actually see him, she could picture him stomping his foot like a 2 year old.

Beca sighs, he had a point. "Fine! Hold on loser, I'll ask her."

Jesse waited patiently as Beca covered the mouth piece and turned to look at Chloe. She rolled her eyes as she made her plea. "I was supposed to have lunch with Jesse today, but I forgot. He wants to know if he can come with us."

Chloe's smile had dropped at first, but reappeared as Beca talked. She hurriedly replied, "Yeah! That'd be great. Totes okay!" The older Bella's inflection fit what she was saying, but her newly reformed smile was strained, not at all sincere. Beca really couldn't do anything though. Chloe had said it was okay. Maybe something else was bothering her.

Beca turned back to her phone. "Okay, you're in. I'll text you where we're going."

Jesse was overflowing with glee. "Thanks Becs! You won't regret this! I promise I'll be on my best behavior. I won't even mention that time you and that guy and that girl-"

Her eyes went wide, cutting him off immediately. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll see you later."

"Yeah, see you-"

She hung up before he could finish. Beca blinked a few times, hoping she had not just made the biggest mistake of her short life, before turning to Chloe. "Ready?"

There was that genuine smile again. Beca wasn't sure what had brought it on, but it made Beca smile shyly back. "Yep." Chloe popped the 'p' and grabbed Beca's hand, interlacing them as they walked. It was like Chloe's moment of hesitation never existed.