Beca walked towards the front door of her father's house. Chloe's car was already parked in the driveway.
I think it's safe to assume that the Red Dragon is here. Beca thought bitterly, and she exhaled a nervous breath. This is going to suck.
Beca rang the bell twice and heard a dog bark inside the house. His paws were tapping lightly on the wooden floors as he made his way towards the front door. He barked and scratched eagerly on the front door, clearly wanting very much to go outside to meet the guest.
Interesting. Beca thought. I thought my dad hated dogs.
She recalled with a small smirk how devastated her father was when her Aunt Maggie's dog took a big shit on the carpet and pissed on the wooden floors in his house. He never invited her over again after that. But, that was a long time ago, maybe he grew to like dogs now?
"Pluto!" Chloe's voice called the dog, and Beca felt nervous when she heard Chloe approach the front door to open up for her.
"Pluto, stay! Stay! Sit." There was a slight pause and she heard the dog, or Pluto, sit with a lazy thump on the floor. "Good boy!"
Chloe opened the door and just as she opened her mouth to say something, Pluto made his way to Beca and jumped on her happily. Beca luckily kept her footing, the dog was quite big and heavy, and she started to pat him lovingly. He was cuter beyond words.
"Who's a pretty boy? Who's a pretty boy?" Beca cooed in a baby-like tone. "You are a pretty dog. Yes, you. Yes, you are. Ah, you are such a big strong puppy! You are a big…"
Chloe watched Beca pet Pluto with an amused expression.
"So you really like dogs, huh?" Chloe dryly observed after a while, standing comfortably against the frame of the door with her arms folded.
"Yeah…" Beca replied, embarrassed, and she awkwardly patted Pluto on his forehead. "His name is Pluto?" Beca asked just to say something.
"Yes."
Chloe and Beca stood there for a while, and Beca felt uncomfortable under Chloe's silent gaze. They haven't spoken at all since they kissed last night, and she felt more nervous than ever.
"Uh… Can we come in please?" Beca asked sarcastically, and pointed to Pluto sitting happily beside her on the porch now, and Chloe regained herself.
"Oh! Sure." Chloe nodded, and stepped aside so that Beca and Pluto could walk into the house. Pluto jogged towards a big red cushion lying before the stairs, and started to chew on a bone-shaped toy enthusiastically.
"We are drinking wine on the patio outside." Chloe informed Beca while closing the door.
"Okay." Beca replied, unsure of what to say.
Together they walked through the house to the glass sliding doors that led to the backyard.
Beca was conscious of their closeness. The only sound she could hear was the "tick-tock" sound of a clock that stood in the hallway. Beca decided to fold her arms while she walked next to Chloe, afraid of maybe touching Chloe's hands that had been inches away from hers. Chloe's perfume made her stomach feel weirdly empty and she was aware of her light breathing next to her as they walked.
When they finally arrived at the sliding doors that led to the backyard, Chloe reached to the handle of the door to open it. She pulled with force, but the door didn't slide open. Chloe pulled again but the door remained stuck.
"Great." Chloe said, irritated.
"Let me…" Bece offered.
"No. I've got this." Chloe answered determined, red in the face from pulling. She released her grip on the handle for a second, giving Beca the opportunity to try and slide the door open. Beca gripped the handle of the door with both her hands and pulled hard. Nothing happened.
"Fucking door…" Beca sighed irritated, and Chloe and Beca simultaneously gripped the handle and pulled. The door finally slid open, and Chloe and Beca looked at each other with satisfied expressions.
"Yeah, we did it!" Chloe said with mocked awe, and Beca smiled. They locked eyes for a moment and looked down at their hands which were still strangled together on the handle. They stood there awkwardly for a few seconds, neither having the desire to remove their hands or to break eye-contact. Beca could have sworn that Chloe looked down towards her lips for the briefest of seconds.
"Chloe? Beca? What is taking you guys so long?' Sheila screamed from the patio, her tone was kind and she sounded very excited.
"We're coming mom!" Chloe answered loudly, and she abruptly removed her grip from underneath Beca's hands. "Come on." Chloe spoke, she gave Beca an annoyed glance but Beca saw her exhaling a big breath before she walked outside, as if to calm herself.
Beca also exhaled deeply so that she could snap back to reality and she followed Chloe a few seconds later to the patio. Her father and Sheila were sitting on comfortable couches overlooking the swimming pool.
"Hi Beca!" Sheila greeted enthusiastically.
"Hi Sheila." Beca greeted. She looked at her father standing up from the couch and he walked towards her.
"Beca-bear!" He greeted happily. He gave Beca a big hug and Beca returned it half-heartedly. We never hug. Why is he hugging me now?
"Beca-bear?" Chloe asked, smirking at Beca.
Beca glared at her furiously.
"My dad calls me that…"
"Yes, it's my nickname for Beca. She was a bit plump when she was a baby, and she looked like a fat little teddy-bear. So I call her Beca-bear. Now of course, she has the temperament of a bear being disturbed while hibernating, but when she was a baby…"
"Dad!" Beca interrupted her father and shot daggers at Chloe, she was listening attentively with a grin on her face.
"Sorry Beca. I guess will speak of more interesting topics from now on."
"No, please continue Shane. It's very interesting to hear about a baby-Beca." Chloe answered sweetly, she winked at Beca.
"Chloe, don't make me start with your baby stories." Sheila lectured Chloe laughingly. "Rather tell me how the Bella's get-together was last night?" Sheila asked.
Beca and Chloe quickly glanced at each other.
Oh, I don't know. I was pissed at your daughter and then I cried, then she kissed me and fucked up my life. Beca thought, but luckily Chloe answered.
"It was actually a lot fun, mom."
Beca raised an eyebrow at her, but Chloe busied herself with a bottle of wine, and poured herself a glass.
"Well you two look very tired." Sheila observed with a smile. "So I guess it must have been a lot of fun."
"And I'm happy you joined the Bella's, Beca." Shane remarked.
"Yes, it's actually not so bad. I thought it would be horrible. It is okay-ish." Beca answered.
"Okay-ish? It's awesome." Chloe corrected Beca.
"Awesome is not really a word I'd choose. A cappella is enjoyable, but aswesome? No."
"Aca-scuse me? Seeing that you smile like a happy idiot while you sing the set and dance the routine, I would say that you also think it's awesome." Chloe angrily replied.
"Chloe!" Sheila warned her daughter. "It is important for Shane and I that you guys get along. Don't make me force you guys to hug it out."
Chloe and Beca glared at each other.
"I think, yes." Sheila got up from the couch and smiled a mischievous smile, and it reminded Beca of Chloe instantly. "Give each other a nice, tight hug."
"What? Mom, no." Chloe answered quickly.
"Shane, what do you think? Should they hug it out or not?" Sheila jokingly asked Shane, but he was distracted. Beca saw that he was emailing someone on his phone, looking quite angry.
"Shane, no business tonight. What could the university possibly want from you now?" Sheila asked, impatiently.
"Nothing dear." Shane sighed. "I'm just quickly going to make a call in my study. And I need to go buy more wine for dinner. I'll be back in a few minutes." Shane answered, and Sheila looked disappointed when he gave her a peck on the cheek.
"Don't be too long."
"I won't be." Shane greeted, and walked quickly towards the sliding door that led into the house.
"Where were we?" Sheila asked. The disappointment on her face gone, as she focused all her attention on Beca and Chloe cheerfully. "Did you forget the hug, guys? Don't let me make you."
Beca was nibbling on some of the snacks placed on the table. Chloe sat on one of the couches, sipping thoughtfully on her wine as she watched Beca chew hungrily on a meatball.
"Mom, it's stupid. We are so not going to hug." Chloe replied boredly, her eyes still on Beca.
Beca nodded, her mouth was too full of food to answer.
"You guys are really hurting my feelings. I just want you guys to get along. I just want you guys to be happy and to enjoy each other's company. But no. You fight. And it hurts me." Beca felt horrified when she saw Sheila sniffling on a tissue dramatically.
Beca looked at Chloe worriedly, who didn't seemed too fussed about her mother's outcries.
"Okay, Sheila, we will hug." Beca decided.
"Beca, my mom is…"
But Beca pulled Chloe up from the couch and hugged her. At first she cautiously patted Chloe on the back and Chloe started to rub Beca's back lovingly in response. She was acutely aware of Beca's light breathing on her shoulder, and she realised that she was smiling stupidly. She silently cursed herself for feeling so elated to be holding Beca again, and her thoughts trailed back to their kiss the previous night. She wanted so much just to kiss her again, now, but her mother was watching them.
Just imagine how weird that will be. Chloe thought grimly. And Beca made it clear that she wasn't interested in her. And I don't even care. Beca would be lucky to have someone like me.
Sheila was smiling gleefully at the two of them. Her fake crying fit worked. And just look at how lovingly they are hugging each other now. Sheila thought happily.
"Wow guys! Now that's what I call a hug." Sheila observed, and Beca and Chloe broke the hug quickly. Beca was still holding onto Chloe's hand, and when Chloe gave her a smug look, Beca hurriedly let go of her hand.
"Wait, you were not upset?" Beca asked Sheila. She felt a bit stupid, but she did not regret hugging Chloe at all.
"No. I just wanted you guys to hug." Sheila answered while she nodded. Her eyes sparkled with mischief.
"Don't worry. We will never hug again." Chloe spoke to Beca irritated.
"Good." Beca answered, feeling a bit hurt at Chloe's bluntness.
"Well, I think you need to hug more often - and it looked as if you both enjoyed it." Sheila thought for a second. "Really enjoyed it." She added, looking at both of them curiously. Finally she gave them a big, warm smile. Beca hoped the hug didn't give them away, even though there wasn't anything to give away. Or was there?
"And now you guys can come and help me in the kitchen. The food is basically done. I just need to add a few final touches to the dishes." Sheila spoke as she walked hurriedly to the kitchen, and Chloe and Beca followed her.
Beca watched Chloe as they walked inside the house again, and Chloe did not seem worried at all by her mother's reaction.