Beca sits in the spare room for a long time after they leave, trying to organize the swirling mess of thoughts in her head into something coherent. She was supposed to ignore both of them, but when Chloe asked her to audition, she'd gone along with it and now spent at least part of every day with both of them. She wasn't supposed to care, but she couldn't help it when Chloe told the Bellas she has nodes.
And now a stupid drinking game has led to a promise to stick around for a talk that Beca really doesn't want to have. She still has no idea what's going on with the whole situation, but between the softness in Aubrey's voice and the look on Chloe's face, she knows she's farther into it than she ever intended to be.
After what has to be at least fifteen minutes of thinking in circles and getting nowhere, Beca decides to rejoin the party. If she thinks about this anymore, she's going to end up bolting, and she knows Chloe will just end up following if she does. So instead she goes back to drinking, accepting every glass of water Aubrey gives her without an argument, noticing that Aubrey seems to pay more attention to Chloe and her than the rest of the Bellas, bringing them regular rounds of water and making sure they don't gulp down their drinks too quickly.
Still, with the awkwardness of the game over, Beca is able to relax enough to enjoy the night, even as she's continuously aware of both seniors. She quickly claims the couch when the Bellas start passing out; not wanting to share the admittedly more comfortable spare bed with whomever else decides they can fit. She thinks that Jessica, Ashley, and Denise all end up sharing the full size mattress, and as much as Beca is starting to like the others, there's no way she wants to be that close to them all night.
Aubrey passes out enough blankets for the rest of the group, and then leaves them to find the most comfortable sleeping option as she disappears into her room behind Chloe. Beca resolutely ignores the pang of jealousy that the sight brings, reminding herself that she isn't supposed to care as she deliberately turns her back on the room.
She pretends to be asleep the next morning until the last of the Bellas have stumbled out, surprised that she doesn't feel worse than she does. There's only a mild headache, and none of the nausea she hears a few of the others complain about as they leave. Apparently having Aubrey in charge of how much water she drank was a better idea than she'd realized.
Once Fat Amy stumbles out the door muttering something about crocodiles and hangovers, Beca opens her eyes and sits up, somehow unsurprised to see both Aubrey and Chloe staring at her from where they're sitting at the table. "How are you feeling?" Chloe asks immediately, foot bouncing nervously while she waits for an answer.
"Actually not as bad as I thought I would" Beca admits. She debates saying more for a second, before deciding that she really is grateful for Aubrey's care, and should go ahead and say so. "Having Aubrey push water at me every fifteen minutes obviously helps more than I'd thought it would." She can see Aubrey getting ready to respond, and doesn't want to drag out what is likely to be an already long and awkward talk with the addition of a lecture on healthy water habits. "Look, what did you guys want to talk to me about?" she says before the blonde can start. "Because I'm still not really feeling like having this conversation, so maybe we can get right to it before I realize this is crazy?"
She sees Chloe's face fall and Aubrey frown, and wants to kick herself both for starting that way and for caring about their reaction. "It's not crazy!" Chloe starts, before Aubrey interrupts.
"It's a little crazy, Chloe. Let's all be honest here. The whole situation makes no sense, but maybe if we talk about it we can make some sense out of it." Chloe looks like she wants to interrupt in return, but as Aubrey continues she settles for a reluctant nod. And even if Beca still doesn't want to talk about it, at least they're agreeing that nothing makes sense. "Beca, what we wanted to talk to you about has to do with the fact that when we saw you at the activity fair, we both went from seeing a few muted colors, to seeing all of them. We talked to someone about it, and we've both discussed it a few times, and there's only one explanation that makes any sense. So what we want to know is did something similar happen when you met us?"
Beca isn't sure whether to be glad or overwhelmed that Aubrey jumped right in the middle of the questions she'd known she wouldn't be able to avoid for much longer, even if she did ask that they skip small talk and get right to it. On one hand, at least it's out in the open now, and apparently the two seniors know something she doesn't. On the other hand, the sudden nature of the question has her reeling. "Yeah, they sort of flickered in" she hears herself say, mouth speaking before her brain can filter.
"I knew it!" Chloe all but yells, startling Beca and making her slight headache worse. "Sorry" she says sheepishly when she notices Beca's wince, hand raising to cover her mouth.
"Knew what?" is all Beca can think to ask, feeling very out of the loop and finding she doesn't much like the sensation.
"Knew that, based on everything accepted as fact about colors, you have to be our soulmate, both of us" Aubrey says, completely matter of fact as Chloe nods enthusiastically. It takes Beca a minute to process what she meant, and when the words actually register, she kind of feels like finding whatever power in the universe controls these things, and slapping them into another dimension. Preferably one far away from any she's in. What kind of sick joke is it that the girl who swore she neither needed nor wanted a soulmate somehow ends up with two?
"You have got to be kidding me" she says out loud, watching as Aubrey shushed Chloe so she can continue. "So what, this is you two telling me we're all supposed to live happily ever after? Because just because we're supposedly soulmates doesn't mean that we'd all work out, or that I'd work out for you. And there's no way I'm jumping into a relationship I've never wanted just because some colors tell me it's supposed to happen." Beca cuts herself off before saying anything else, because even with her insistence that she's going to hold back and not let herself open up, something about the two women in front of her makes that harder than she'd thought.
"No, Beca" Chloe says, and she's surprised the denial isn't coming from Aubrey. "I mean, I know that I'd love to have you as part of our relationship, because I've seen how amazing being with your soulmate can be over the years I've been with Aubrey, but she's more cautious. We just want a chance to get to know you, to let you get to know us. No pressure, no expectations. Then we can make any decisions knowing exactly what we'd be deciding."
"And what if you get to know me and decide you want nothing to do with me? Soulmates don't equal happy endings, just ask my parents" Beca says bitterly, not even noticing what she'd said at first. She's never let anyone in far enough to know why she doesn't want a soulmate. Arm's length is better.
"I made the same point" Aubrey admits, interrupting Beca's train of thought. "Though I'll be honest and say it was more about being afraid you'd end up disrupting what Chloe and I have built together. But Beca, Chloe saw me stress vomit not an hour after we met, and not even that pushed her away. So whether we ever end up in a relationship or not, believe me when I say there probably isn't anything about you that could possibly make her want to have nothing to do with you."
Chloe had reached across the table to place a hand on Aubrey's arm halfway through her speech, giving her girlfriend a smile to comfort her as Aubrey visibly tensed. And even though Beca wishes she could go on denying it, the easy way they act around each other makes Beca jealous. "So what, then? I mean, we already see each other at practice every day, how much more do you guys want me around?"
"Well, Aubrey had the idea that we could all do something once a week, then if you want, we can try to spend time together individually outside of that. So you could get to know each of us separately, as well as seeing if and how the three of us fit" Chloe says before Aubrey can jump in. Beca can tell by the way she rushes through the proposal that she's nervous, and that strangely serves to reassure her. At least they aren't any surer of this than Beca is. And the idea is strangely attractive; Beca can tell that even though Aubrey is still hesitant, she's obviously put a lot of thought into it. Getting to know each of them individually will probably be a lot less of a challenge for her nerves, and having a night where they're all together will keep anyone from feeling left out or ignored.
"I think I can be okay with that" Beca says after thinking it over for a while. "As long as we don't tell the other Bellas." Chloe grins widely, and even Aubrey smiles at the agreement, both okay with Beca's stipulation, and Beca finds herself smiling back at them. She's still afraid she's just going to end up hurt, but she knows she won't be able to walk away from this now. She's in exactly the position she'd always sworn to avoid, and yet she knows the only way she can go is forward.
They end up hanging out for the rest of the day, playing music in the background and talking about whatever comes to mind. When Chloe finds out Beca has been avoiding color museums and anything that would be an acknowledgement of the colors around her, they all gather around Chloe's laptop to pull up different color introduction guides.
Beca hears them say several times as they browse that the guides aren't as visually stunning as the giant color wheel at the museum, but Beca had protested enough about even looking at the laptop to convince them that there is no way they'll get her to an actual museum.
And they both admit that there are some negative memories associated with the museum, and neither wants to risk starting things with Beca on a negative note. They end up sharing their memories of the museum with Beca, giving the younger woman a better idea of what they'd gone through, both after meeting each other and meeting her.
By the end of the day, Beca can't even begin to convince herself that she doesn't care about the two women, but she's somehow less scared about that than she'd imagined being. Because she'd opened up just as much as they had, and gotten nothing but support in return. Chloe had even hugged her a few times, though she never held on long enough for Beca to get uncomfortable. She seemed to know exactly how far she could push before it got to be too much, and when Beca had commented on that, Aubrey had laughed.
"It's because she somehow does" Aubrey explained. "We've found over the last three years that we each have our strengths, and one of Chloe's is definitely how well she can read other people. She's even better at it once she gets to know you." Chloe just shrugs at that, putting a hand on Beca's shoulder before walking over to kiss Aubrey on the cheek.
When Beca finally leaves, she's surprised by the reluctance she feels, already feeling comfortable in the presence of the two women. Still, the easy familiarity is also frightening when she remembers why she'd been hesitant in the first place, so there is a definite amount of relief mixed with the reluctance.
She leaves with plans to meet up with Aubrey the next day before her shift at the station, and she's definitely nervous about hanging out with the blonde without Chloe there as a buffer. She can see how she and Chloe could balance each other, but things between her and Aubrey have always been at least slightly antagonistic, which worries Beca anytime she tries to imagine anything long term with the two women. Her parents had argued too, even though they tried to hide it form her.
To her surprise though, she and Aubrey actually get along pretty well, as long as they avoid talking about the Bellas. They mainly talk about their fathers, a fact that surprises both of them. Still, even though the situations are different, the emotions are similar, and each woman begins to see how the other's reaction, while completely different, offers a balance to their own that they could possibly learn form.
Where Aubrey stresses over meeting every one of her father's expectations, Beca goes out of her way to avoid hitting them, even when they're objectively good goals to have. And now Beca is offering Aubrey a distraction from the pressure, while gaining some needed structure and a reason to seek approval that has nothing to do with her father.
She won't let Aubrey draw up homework plans of study schedules for her, but she does reluctantly agree that she'll come over to their apartment outside of their planned bonding nights to let the blonde help her study. She isn't sure why the blonde cares so much about her grades, but Beca finds that having someone who cares about them for her sake rather than just because they're grades makes her want to actually get good ones.
When Beca has to leave in order to make it to her shift on time, she's surprised at how quickly the time had passed. She'd been expecting the hour to drag on, full of arguments, boring small talk, and awkward silences. Instead she'd having to rush to avoid being late, arriving just before she's scheduled, and a little out of breath from the run. She already knows she's going to have a text from Aubrey with an "I told you so" mixed in with the reminder that cardio is important for more than the Bella's routine, but she's more focused on getting settled in that checking her phone.
As she grabs the first crate of CDs and joins Jesse, she notices him giving her a weird look. "What?" she asks, checking to make sure she hasn't spilled coffee on herself, or forgotten to button her pants, or something equally embarrassing.
"You aren't in all black anymore" he says, gesturing to her shirt. "It's almost bright." There's a strange tone to his voice that Beca ignores in favor of looking down at herself to see what shirt she'd chosen today. She remembers arguing with herself over what to wear before grabbing something at random and throwing it on. She's gotten so used to ignoring colors that she hadn't really registered a light blue shirt to put on under her standard gray vest.
No wonder Aubrey smiled at her when she'd arrived, the shirt was almost the same shade as Chloe's eyes. "Oh yeah, I just grabbed something for a meet up I had before this" she explains, trying to shrug it off as no big deal.
"I didn't even know you owned anything that isn't black or dark gray" re comments in response, picking up a few more CD and shrugging her way as he heads down another aisle to shelve them.
"Well, we can't all rock that awful green plaid look you've got going on" she tosses back, attention focused on figuring out where the CD in her hand is supposed to go.
"Wait a second" she hears from where he's disappeared, not prepared for him to pop around the corner with a stack of CDs still in hand. "How did you know this is green? I only know it's green because that's what the tag says." She's gaping at hi, replaying what she'd said and feeling herself pale, not able to think up an excuse in time. "Oh my god, can you see colors? Have you been holding out on me"
She can't tell if he's hurt or excited, so Beca just rolls her eyes. "You aren't supposed to ask people that" she tries again for the second time in 24 hours, wondering when she'd become friends with so many people who totally ignored common propriety.
"But we're friends, Beca! And I've flirted with you." He's not moving away, no matter how disinterested Beca tries to act, and she can already tell he won't give up easily, if at all.
"Yeah, well I flirted back, that doesn't' mean it was going anywhere" she tries to downplay it, ignoring the point of the conversation. She really can't see why it's apparently a big deal, it's not like anything had actually happened.
"Still, I can't flirt with someone who knows who their soulmate is. It's like cheating on the universe!" She'd somehow forgotten how much on a romantic he is when he gets going, and it's enough to set her eyes rolling.
"Well in my experience the universe has a sick sense of humor and deserves whatever comes at it" Beca mutters under her breath, not surprised when Jess hears her anyway.
"You can't say that. You've met your soulmate! That's like the greatest gift the universe can give you, that person who stands with you through every obstacle you face." He's almost sickeningly earnest now, and Beca just really wants the conversation to end.
"Life isn't a movie, Jesse. Sometimes a soulmate is one of those obstacles." She isn't really interested in fighting with him, especially so soon after actually enjoying time spent with a soulmate, but she doesn't want him to write her into a movie plot either.
"Yeah, but then you realize that you need them anyway. It's just how it goes. You met them for a reason, that's like soulmate 101 dude." She probably should have realized he was going to write the story anyway.
"Look, can we just drop it?" she tries anyway, turning back to the shelf and looking for the spot.
"Not on your life. I want to know everything. Did you just meet them? Or have you always known the? Is it a guy or a girl? Come on, share with your poor soulmate deprived friend." He's completely ignoring his stack of CDs now, and Beca looks around to make sure Luke isn't nearby to see them slacking.
"You aren't going to let this drop, are you?" she sighs, already knowing the answer as he leans against the shelves and shakes his head with a smirk. "Ugh, fine dude. You get answers, but not all of them. And if you mention this to anyone, I will borrow the Bella wolves to set on you, got it?" His nod is almost hesitant, and Beca thinks she's managed to get through to him that she's serious. But at the same time, he is a decent friend, and having someone she can talk to about this might help.
"I met them at the activity fair, but it's kind of complicated. I was convinced that I didn't need a soulmate, and then I met not one but two of them." She sees Jesse move to interrupt, so she holds up a hand to keep him quiet as she continues. Now that she's started, she needs to get this out. "So obviously I freaked out, and figured there was some mistake in the universe, some joke being played on me. But it turns out they're already dating, and want to at least get to know me, before we all decide whether we want a full relationship. Which I still think is an absolutely crazy idea, because they're both so happy with each other, and I don't want to mess that up. But then I want to spend time with them, and apparently Chloe refuses to take no for an answer because she's one of those 'we met for a reason' people and won't give up without a fight." Jesse looks a little shell shocked by the time she finishes talking, and Beca feels almost sorry for unloading on him like that. But he did ask, and she tried to get him to drop it, so she really can't summon up any guilt.
"You're soulmates with Chloe and Aubrey?" he asks after a minute, waiting for her nod before continuing. "Damn, I want someone to pay me to score that movie."
"That's what you're going with, after all that? That's all you have to say?" Beca asks, glaring at him over that last comment.
"What else is there to say? I can kind of see it, you know. And I'm a movie guy, I've seen movies with plots like this. They're obscure, but they exist. I mean, if you want I can act like I'm upset that you get two soulmates and I still haven't met mine, but that's about it." Jesse suddenly seems to realize they've completely stopped even pretending to stack CDs, and quickly sorts through his stack to find one that goes near where he's standing, looking around to see where Luke is and if he's noticed, relaxing a little when he notices the senior is still in the booth.
"You can really see it?" Beca asks a few minutes later when their stacking brings them back to the same aisle, after having stewed it over the entire time they were silent.
"I totally can. You've got the heart, the head, and the right hook." He laughs when he sees the look on her face, but quickly sobers and continues. "Seriously Beca, soulmates are supposed to balance each other out, right? And you three do. Aubrey is like hyper-focused, Chloe is a massive people person, and you're a risk taker who'll go after what you want. With the three of you working together, I don't think anything could stop you." She wants to argue with what he's staying, but he makes too much sense.
Even if she still doesn't like movies, maybe it's possible that they've taught him something about relationships, as many as he's watched. Of course, Beca knows that life isn't a movie, and she's not guaranteed a happy ending. She's just a normal, fallible human being, and there isn't some script for her to follow to keep things going well and make sure everyone ends up happy. "What if I screw it up?" she asks in a quiet voice, wanting to know what his movies have to say about that.
"Then you fix it" he answers simply. "You three are joined together on a deeper level than you can ever have with anyone else. The only way you can't get through anything that comes at you is if you don't try, all three of you together. It may not always be easy, but you're three parts of a whole, and that's one of the most amazing things in the world. That's got to be worth some effort, right?"
Beca can only shrug in response, not able to put her thoughts into words to answer him. He seems to understand, and just gives her a smile before turning back to his stacking, leaving them to the silence and their individual thoughts for the rest of the shift.
XXXXXXXXXXX
Over the next few weeks as they head towards Regionals, Beca thinks a lot about what Jesse said, but can't bring herself to act on any of it. The plan to keep hanging out is going well, and she's quickly realizing that the two women are quickly becoming her best friends, but all three of them seem to be holding back from anything more than that.
The Riff-Off makes Beca think that not making a decision is probably for the best, because she and Aubrey still don't agree on anything regarding the Bellas, and it's been the cause of more than a few sharp words between them. They try not to fight, but they both have strong opinions and stubborn streaks that don't seem to line up when it comes to the group's direction.
Chloe does her best to mediate, and is probably the biggest reason they haven't actually fought, and true to her word doesn't let either of them run after words are exchanged. But even without actual arguments, Beca still refuses to consider starting any relationship when there's any undercurrent of unrest. And as well as she and Aubrey get on outside of the Bellas, Beca still believe that she'll end up ruining things if they actually date. Hanging out with the two of them, together and separately, has no pressure attached to it, even if all three know in the back of their minds why they started these hang outs.
Still, Regionals just serve to show her how far they still have to go, as Aubrey slides into captain mode and Beca slides into the background. She tries to help Chloe comfort the blonde, knowing they get strange looks from the other Bellas throughout any practice where she does, but she's happier in the background where there's no additional tension between them.
She can tell how much Regionals and the Bellas succeeding mean to Aubrey, and even with their disagreements has to respect how much Aubrey puts into helping them be the best. The obvious passion and drive Aubrey has is more than deserving of that respect, and it's one of the things that Beca can completely understand about the blonde, because she's starting to feel the same way, the longer she spends around not just her soulmates but the rest of the Bellas. These women are all becoming good friends, and after all the effort they've put into this Beca thinks they deserve for something good to come of it.
In order for that to happen though, they need to get Aubrey to Regionals in a solid frame of mind, and the pressure is obviously making that tough to accomplish. She's learned a good amount about how to keep Aubrey calm over the past weeks, and even if she mostly stays in the background, she can tell she's usually a help, bringing Aubrey a bottle of water when they've been singing the same harmonies for an hour, or holding back her grumble in favor of a smile when they start the cardio.
She knows Chloe has more to do with it than she does, but that's to be expected, and Beca doesn't feel any sense of jealousy when the redhead is able to help more than she can. Chloe has had three years to learn how to help Aubrey, and has the added advantage of actually dating her that lets her be more open in her comforting.
And she knows that she does help, and that's honestly enough for her, without making her think too much about what it all means. It's the first time she's really seen what having soulmates is all about, and she's finding she likes it, likes being part of a whole. It's the first time they've all acted as equals, Beca helping Chloe as much as she can, instead of being left out in the corner as the other two interact. She's aware of them even from the background, even when she isn't at Chloe's side helping Aubrey stay calm, and it's a nice feeling.
She has to admit she hadn't figured this feeling into her ideas about soulmates, had based her fears on how her mother had been hurt, had been too young when they were still happy to remember the good times. And while she isn't ready to let go of those fears completely, she's also not willing to give up on this sense of completion, especially when the three of them end up sitting in the same seat of the small bus they rent for Regionals, Beca crammed into the corner of the seat as Aubrey and Chloe talk about a TV show they've been coercing her to watch with them for bonding nights.
It's another attempt to keep Aubrey focused on something other than the pressure of competition, and they seem to be doing well enough, the blonde relaxed enough to laugh as Beca misremembers plot point after plot point, mixing characters and events in a way she really can't help. She knows the other Bellas are staring at the three of them, is pretty sure Stacie and Cynthia Rose are placing bets in the backseat, but she can't be bothered to care. Things with the three of them just feel right, in this moment, and she isn't willing to let herself overthink the way she usually does.
Once they reach the venue though, Aubrey slips back into captain mode, and Beca slips back into the background, not willing to risk starting anything so soon after the happiness of the bus ride. She just sings her part, dancing in the background and trying not to join the audience in falling asleep. She does have to bite back a smirk at Fat Amy's improvised dance at the end, glad there was at least some kind of spice to the performance.
Then the fight happens, and suddenly there's more spice to the night than she's needed. She doesn't really intend to hit the guy, but he's threatening Jess, and before she knows it her fist is swinging to take him out. She also didn't expect Fat Amy to jump in, or for the trophy to break. And she definitely didn't expect the police to arrest her and drag her to county jail.
She'd heard Chloe and Aubrey both yelling after her, but they have no car and no way to follow her without having the bus back too late, something the team can't afford to pay for, so she calls back for them to go with the other Bellas and she'll figure it out. When she realizes that Jesse had taken that to mean calling her father, she's pissed. She's not sure what she'd expected to happen, but the sight of the man in front of her is one she's been actively avoiding since she started at Barden.
And true to form, he talks over her and lectures the entire way back, not even seeming to care that Jesse is sitting awkwardly in the backseat. After first thirty minutes of the drive, Beca gets tired of trying to get him to listen, and just sits silently through each of the following faults he finds in her. It's harder to stop herself caring each time he starts up, but she's had plenty of practice, and knows her friends will understand even if he doesn't.
Sure enough, despite the late hour she finds the Bellas waiting on her when she gets back to her dorm. She sees Chloe start to stand when she walks in, but she's definitely not ready for the questions a hug will raise, especially after the looks they'd gotten on the way to Regionals, so she warns the redhead off with a slight shake of her head. She'll reassure Chloe later that it's not the hug, just the timing.
She doesn't mean to start an argument with Aubrey, and she can tell Chloe tries to stop it, but Beca is tired of being talked over after the ride with her dad, and when Aubrey starts she wants to snap. She's not sure how she's gone from not wanting to be without the two women on the way to Regionals, to now being convinced that she and Aubrey will end up repeating her parent's mistakes, but she's glad that Chloe steps in before things get out of hand.
Beca keeps quiet for the rest of the meeting, trying not to show how hurt she is that Aubrey had brushed off her mixing like it's nothing. She can tell Chloe isn't fooled, and Beca isn't surprised when the redhead stays behind when the others leave, whispering to Aubrey that she'll be along soon. And when the blonde leaves without argument, Beca thinks that maybe she hadn't fooled her either.
"She's stressed" Chloe says after a minute of silence, and Beca barks out a small laugh as she shakes her head.
"You don't need to defend her, Chloe. I may not understand her as well as you do, but I know her well enough to know that she's stressed. That doesn't mean I'm okay with her walking all over me, all over both of us." And now Chloe is hugging her, and Beca can't pretend she's not hurting anymore. She doesn't exactly cry, but she clings to the redhead and takes deep, shuddering breaths as she tries to regain control.
"I'll always defend both of you" Chloe whispers she she starts to settle, and Beca is glad she's curled into Chloe's side so the redhead can't see the look of disbelief that statement earns. But this is Chloe, and somehow she knows even without seeing. "I promise you Beca, that you both mean a great deal to me, and I hate seeing either of you upset. And I'm going to talk to Aubrey as soon as I get home, even if I have to wake her up."
"Don't fight over me" Beca says, pulling back from the hug in alarm. The second biggest reason she's hesitant about joining their relationship is the possibility she'll somehow mess up what they have, and here she is coming between them.
"I don't intend to fight" Chloe says, reaching out to lay a hand on Beca's cheek. It's the most intimate touch she's gotten from the redhead, and Beca freezes before melting into its comfort. "But even if I did, it wouldn't be over you, it would be for you. For all of us. You make us better, Beca." There's a quiet note of sincerity in Chloe's voice that's impossible to doubt, and Beca feels her heart stutter when she realizes she wants to kiss the redhead.
That isn't what she'd intended to feel, but as soon as the realization hits Beca knows she's started falling for Chloe. That leads to the realization that at least some of the hurt caused by Aubrey is caused by similar feelings, and wanting to be good enough.
She's falling in love with her soulmates, but she's still afraid that they'll end up hurting her because she won't be able to make it work. If she gives I to these feelings, she'll just be opening the door for the worst to happen.
So instead of saying anything, or giving in to the urge to kiss Chloe, Beca settles for taking the offered comfort until Chloe is convinced she's okay and leaves to talk to Aubrey. And even though they have practice in the morning, Beca lies awake for hours staring at the ceiling as realizations and thoughts swirl through her head, taunting her as she tries to make sense of them all.
She is so screwed.