- Part 1 -

Arrhythmia

Today is a winding road that's taking me to places that I didn't want to go.
Today, in the blink of an eye,
I'm holding onto something, and I do not know why I tried:
I tried to read between the lines.
I tried to look in your eyes.
I want a simple explanation for what I'm feeling inside.
I gotta find a way out.
Maybe there's a way out.
-Boys Like Girls

Aubrey is practically stomping across the asphalt by the time she arrives back at the inn. Her flipflops slap the ground loudly then fly back up and hit her heels with each step. The sun is finally setting and the air is becoming cooler, but this island is now five hundred times more unbearable than it was before she arrived. She marches up the driveway, tears stinging her eyes and her lower lip jutted out in a pout, and starts around toward the back of the building with no intention of returning to dinner. That is until a familiar head of red hair catches her attention and draws her to a halt. She uncrosses her arms and lets them fall to her sides as she backtracks a few steps to watch Chloe sit on the front stairs and poke at cracks in the cement with a twig.

Aubrey turns away and sniffles quietly as she quickly wipes at her cheeks with the palm of her hand then turns back around and reroutes her path to the stairs. Her sinuses feel stuffy and there's a permanent frown etched onto her face, but she's confident enough that it doesn't look like she's been crying. "Chloe," she addresses her in confusion. "What are you doing?"

Chloe's head snaps up and she drops the twig she's holding as she pushes herself to her feet. She bites her lower lip and is momentarily about to brush her hands off on her dress before she looks at them then rubs them together in front of her instead. "I was waiting for you to come back," she answers thickly, her voice just above a whisper. She folds her arms across her chest and kicks at the ground with the toe of her shoe as she focuses on the cement rather than looking up as she answers.

Aubrey stares at her for a moment in bewilderment then looks at the ground, debating whether or not she wants to tell the truth about where she was and what she was doing. She scratches the back of her head and glances back up. It's not that she doesn't want to tell Chloe about what happened with Luke, but she definitely doesn't want to talk about Beca. She's afraid if she mentions the former, the latter will find a way to invade. She always does. "I meant to come back sooner, but then my boss called, and-"

"Then maybe you shouldn't have gone off with Luke to begin with," Chloe cuts her off. The irritation in her voice is strong, and Aubrey finds defenses suddenly flying up.

"There's not a rule about who I can and can't spend time with, Chloe," she snaps without missing a beat. Though maybe if they did have rules about that, this night would be better. She doesn't know what she's thinking. She takes an angry step back, ready to retreat back to their room and turn in for the night.

"My problem isn't with who you're spending time with; it's that you're suddenly lying to my face for no reason. Your boss never called, Aubrey," Chloe replies in disbelief. Aubrey shuts her mouth. "You left with Luke," Chloe continues, refusing to look at her, talking with her hands, "And then Beca took off, and I overhead Jesse telling Benji it was because of me." Her voice cracks and tears are welling up in her eyes. "And now you're lying to me." She finally looks up. "Did I do something?"

Aubrey realizes Chloe's distress really has nothing to do with her, and she pinches the bridge of her nose and silently berates herself. "You didn't do anything," she assures her and drops her hand back down. She has no idea if Chloe is the reason Beca left dinner or not, but Beca's issues are Beca's issues. "Jesse is a grade-A idiot," she tells her bluntly. There is no point in hiding her distaste for him. She doesn't know what Beca sees in him. She draws in a deep breath and tries to stop thinking about Beca.

Chloe nods slightly but doesn't look comforted by her answer. She clenches her jaw as it trembles and rubs her hand up and down her arm, looking at the ground again.

Aubrey sighs. She adds Jesse to the list of people she's probably going to chew out before the week is over. She tries to figure out what she's supposed to say to make the situation better, but she's still worked up over the bar and her stomach suddenly feels like it's trying to eat her from the inside out. "Did you at least eat dinner before you left?" she asks. She suddenly hopes they can just grab some dinner and spend time together.

Chloe raises her arms then drops them against her sides. "It was fish," she deadpans dramatically and looks at Aubrey.

Aubrey blinks a few times before the complaint sets in. She immediately purses her lips together to fight back the grin that's suddenly threatening to happen despite the entire evening. She knows she shouldn't be laughing when Chloe is so close to bursting into tears, but Chloe has a way of making the entire day seem a hundred times lighter. She opens her mouth to apologize, but has to shut it again before she can get the words out because she almost brings to light her amusement.

Chloe gapes at her for a moment before she's suddenly trying to hold back her own smile. She's not quite as good at it as Aubrey is. She sniffles and a few tears run down her face. "It's not funny, Aubrey!" she exclaims and tries to sound serious as holds her hands out at her sides for emphasis. "Stop laughing!"

Those are not words that Aubrey hears very often, which only make the situation funnier to her. She dips her head and covers her mouth with her fist. She stares at Chloe, tears stinging her eyes as she tries to hold back from cracking up at the half-smile and forced irritated pout on Chloe's face. Chloe doesn't help when she places her hands on her hip. It feels good to just be around her after both of their evenings were shot to hell and they're both on the verge of tears. She draws in a deep breath to steel her amusement then straightens up and lowers her hand back down to her side. She licks her lips and tries to wipe the smile off her face. "I'm sorry," she manages to get out even though she knows it sounds far less than sincere. "It's not funny." She nearly snorts. "You must be starving." She knows she is.

"Just please tell me you didn't eat with Luke," Chloe practically begs.

Aubrey shakes her head. Just his name is enough to make her amusement fade. "He is so not my type," she replies. She supposes she should have listened when Chloe warned her about that to begin with.

"Good. I hate guys." Chloe pouts and steps down off the stairs. She offers out her hand. "I'm going to buy us dinner and we're going to forget about them."

Aubrey looks at Chloe's hand but doesn't take it. She lifts her chin upward with a smug smirk. "I hear there's a sushi bar in town," she suggests. This earns her a teasing but hard slap on the arm. "Ow, Chloe!" she whines and rubs her arm, though she knows damn well she deserved that. She swings her bag at her without hitting her.

"Well, now you're paying for your own dinner," Chloe informs her and spins around so she's walking backward. "And I get to pick where we go."

"Fine," Aubrey agrees reluctantly and walks after her. How many restaurants could this place have for them to choose from anyway? "But for serious, Chloe, nowhere with a dollar menu." She can't count the number of times she's allowed Chloe to choose where they eat and they've ended up with disgusting, greasy fast food. Her nose involuntarily wrinkles at the thought.

"Nowhere with a dollar menu," Chloe confirms. She reaches forward and grabs Aubrey's hands. "Come on." She squeezes Aubrey's fingers and picks up pace, still walking backward. "We'll be happier eating dinner with each other than with everyone else anyway."

And now there is something Aubrey can agree on.

xxxxx

"Chloe, I thought we were going for dinner." Aubrey stops outside the ice cream parlor and looks up at the giant cone sign. She feels rather weary with exasperation. "I said nowhere like this."

"No, you said nowhere with a dollar menu," Chloe corrects her and pushes the glass door open. "Ice cream costs more than a dollar. It's like at least $2 for a small cone."

Aubrey hates what she has coined 'Chloe-logic'. "I'm not eating a bowl of sugar for dinner, Chloe," she tells her stubbornly. "That is not even close to being healthy." She wishes she could say that she can't believe Chloe wants to eat ice cream for dinner, but she definitely believes it. This is the woman who stops at Burger King just to buy their disgusting excuses for cinnabuns for lunch on Sundays.

"Food is food, Aubrey." Chloe rolls her eyes and makes a sweeping motion with her arm to urge her inside. "Order a banana split. That has to have at least some health benefits."

"A few milligrams of potassium drowned in a gallon of cocoa powder is not really considered a health benefit." Aubrey folds her arms and plants her feet outside the door. What is wrong with going to a regular restaurant and having dinner like normal people? She asked herself that same question the time Chloe took her to Mars 2112 too.

Chloe rolls her eyes and steps to the side so she's holding the door open with her back. "Come on, Bree," she insists and glances in the parlor. "It's been a terrible night, so can we just do something enjoyable?" She's getting really good at getting what she wants, Aubrey decides. Too good. Chloe bites her lower lip and looks up at her again. "Please?"

That face isn't even fair. By now, Aubrey thinks she should be immune to puppy-dog eyes. But, of course, she isn't. She purses her lips together and tightens her arms across her chest. She's starting to feel like a petulant child standing there like that – but if that was the case, shouldn't someone be trying to force her to leave rather than step inside? She throws her arms down to her sides and storms in, ignoring the wide grin that spreads across Chloe's face. "Next time, I'm choosing where we go," she informs her firmly.

"Deal," Chloe agrees immediately. She follows Aubrey in and lets the door shut behind her. "We'll take two banana splits," she orders right off the bat.

Aubrey is about to argue but then stops herself, because, come to think of it, a banana split sounds really good now. She hates when Chloe orders for her though – mostly because she doesn't understand how Chloe always knows what she's going to get.

"Okay," the boy behind the counter answers with more sass than Brian Gallivan. "What flavor ice creams? You get to pick three." He strikes a pose, holding up three fingers.

Aubrey glances at him and arches a brow. She doesn't know why she's shocked at his appearance, because judging by his voice, she definitely expected a lanky teenage boy with too much black hair (parted to the side), dressed in a red and white striped uniform that makes him look more like he belongs in the circus than an ice cream shop. "What flavors do you have?" she asks, brushing off his appearance in favor of her hunger.

"There's a sign," the boy answers simply and points to a whiteboard on the wall.

Aubrey gives him and his attitude a look of disdain. "Shouldn't you be able to list them all?" she inquires coolly.

The boy breathes a laugh that matches the sound of his twangy voice. "There is thirty flavors," he replies, irking Aubrey with his improper grammar. "I can't list all thirty of those."

"It's part of your job to know what you serve," Aubrey points out. Chloe is giving her a look that tells her she's being condescending and smacks her side with the back of her hand. Aubrey ignores her. "But then again, you probably don't even know your ass from -"

"Aubrey," Chloe cuts in quickly. She looks at the boy. "What she means to say is that she thinks it's important people know their jobs. It's because she's a law intern and having a sharp memory is necessary."

Aubrey frowns at her. That is not what she meant to say. She meant to say exactly what it is that she said – which is always the case.

Chloe glances up at her and rolls her eyes. "Leave the kid alone, Aubrey," she says, sounding mildly amused, "He's like twelve."

"I'm sixteen," the boy intervenes. "Now are you going to order or what?"

Aubrey scowls at him and looks up at the list of flavors. Now she's going to have to watch him so he doesn't spit in her food or something. She refolds her arms. "Chocolate, peanut butter, and butter pecan," she voices her flavors of choice then glances at Chloe and waits for her to decide.

Chloe rocks back on her heels and stares at the list with wide eyes. She reminds Aubrey of a child being given the option of thirty ice cream flavors. In Chloe's case, even four would probably be too many to decide from. "I don't even know," she expresses her indecision with an odd tone of glee. She's the only person Aubrey knows who can be happy about being indecisive.

Aubrey sighs and looks at the list again. "She'll take cake batter, cotton candy, and mint chocolate chip," she orders for her impatiently. It's probably the most disgusting combination that Aubrey can think of, but Chloe looks like she's about to start drooling. "And we'll both take extra cherries," she adds.

The boy looks back and forth between them. "I'm sure you will," he murmurs in a sing-song voice and grabs two bowls.

Whatever that is supposed to mean. Aubrey furrows her brows and shares a confused look with Chloe then they both look forward at the counter again.

The shop is chilly and Aubrey rubs her hand up and down her arm as she absently scans the other desserts that the place has to offer. Chloe walks around behind her and wraps her arms around her, knocking Aubrey's hand out of the way and rubbing her arms for her. Aubrey glances at her but doesn't say anything. She's used to her being touchy-feely, but she's not used to her being clingy. She's a little surprised to find herself more worried by it than annoyed. Chloe tucks her face against Aubrey's shoulder and Aubrey pats her arm as she looks up at the signs again. "Do you want a drink?" she asks.

Chloe looks up at the drink options. She crinkles her nose and shakes her head. "I'm not that thirsty," she replies. Aubrey recognizes that as code for 'I'll probably just drink yours'.

"We'll take a large root beer," Aubrey adds to their order.

"With two straws?" the boy asks with a disgusting amount of too much sweetness, "Or just one?"

Aubrey sees what he's getting at. She draws in a deep breath and holds her tongue so Chloe doesn't smack her again. "One," she growls out through clenched teeth.

"Okay," the boy responds simply and returns to their order.

Aubrey rolls her eyes and shakes her head. She leans back into the warmth of Chloe's embrace and cranes her neck to look at her. "What is going on with you?" she asks and lowers her voice so only Chloe can hear.

Chloe lifts her head and looks perplexed. "What are you talking about?" she asks. She sounds clueless, but her grip on Aubrey slackens.

Aubrey opens her mouth to elaborate when their orders are dropped onto the counter. She sighs and pulls her credit card out of her bag as she pulls away from Chloe.

"Aubrey, I said I was going to pay," Chloe reminds her. "I was just kidding about you paying for yourself."

"Put all of it on my card," Aubrey states and holds her card out at arm's length. She turns to face Chloe when the boy takes her card. "It's okay, Chloe, I got it," she says and smiles at her.

Chloe returns the smile with a wide grin. "You always take care of me," she points out.

Aubrey feels a blush creeping up through her cheeks. "It's ice cream, Chloe," she eludes. She doesn't know why it bothers her when Chloe points out that her instinct is to look out for her, but it does. She turns around and signs the electronic signature pad with the pen attached to it then hits accept.

"It's more than that," Chloe replies softly. "I just want you to know that I appreciate it."

Aubrey thanks the shop worker (rather reluctantly) as she takes her card back and puts it back in her bag. She makes sure to check her receipt before she picks up her bowl and their soda then turns to face Chloe again. "I think I saw a picnic table outside," she changes the subject completely.

Chloe presses her lips together in a fleeting, almost sad smile that makes Aubrey feel guilty for not wanting to address the topic. Aubrey clenches her jaw and straightens her posture, looking past Chloe rather than at her. "I'm starving," she pushes the conversation in the direction she wants it to go in.

Chloe nods. She lightly bumps Aubrey's arm with her elbow before picking up her bowl. "Let's go outside," she agrees then looks at the boy behind the counter and thanks him for their order.

"You're welcome, Sweetie," he tells her earnestly and Aubrey shoots him a look. He smiles a sweet, sarcastic grin back at her.

Aubrey spins on her heel and stalks after Chloe to the door. The locals would have been a lot more pleasant in Hawaii.

xxxxx

"So, do you want to tell me what happened with Luke?" Chloe sits down on the table with one of her feet on the bench and the other leg curled up on the table with her. She adjusts her dress and places her bowl on her lap. "Was the revenge sex worth it? Is he even any good? He seems like his ego is stronger than his game."

"Chloe, can we please just not talk about it?" Aubrey dismisses it. "Ever? I did not have sex with him." She places the soda and her bowl on the table then maneuvers herself so she's sitting beside Chloe. She tucks the back of her dress under her then smooths the front down. "Here, take your disgusting fake fruit," she comments as she picks the four cherries off her ice cream and places them in Chloe's bowl.

"They are not disgusting." Chloe picks up one of the cherries and pulls it off the stem with her teeth. "They're aca-amazing," she says while chewing and tosses the stem on the ground. "Sex with Luke is disgusting. You know, I think I might have actually done him once when I was drunk, like the beginning of Freshman year."

The corners of Aubrey's lips curl. "Well, then stop thinking, because I don't want you to elaborate." She digs her spoon into the mountain of whipped cream on top of her ice cream. "What happened at dinner?" she asks then turns the spoon upside down in her mouth and licks the whipped cream off of it. She's torn between not wanting to think about Beca and wanting to know what had driven her to the bar.

"I don't know," Chloe answers and scrunches her face in confusion. She takes a bite of her ice cream. "Beca just up and left." She shakes her head and lowers her arm, tilting her spoon upward. Some of the excess ice cream runs down the handle without her noticing. "Then Jesse kept looking at Benji and saying something about me so I left." The ice cream reaches her hand and she glances down at it then licks it off her skin and adjusts her spoon the correct way.

Aubrey frowns.

"Maybe we all just need time to adjust to seeing each other again," Chloe reassures herself and pokes at her ice cream. She draws in a breath and nods her head as though she's convinced herself.

Aubrey nods and silently lets the topic slip away. She shifts into a more comfortable position with both of her legs crossed in front of her and her bowl of ice cream holding her dress down against her lap. A warm breeze ruffles her hair and one of the streetlights flickers on. She tries to think about how nice it is to just have free time to spend with Chloe, rather than how isolated she feels from the rest of the wedding party. The Bellas never exactly did like her. She'd pick ice cream with Chloe over dinner with them, but it still bothers her. But like her father always said: 'Expect finite disappointment, and remember, there's always more where that came from.' She at least expected much less of a happy reunion than Chloe did.

"Ooh, try this," Chloe demands.

Aubrey looks up to a spoonful of pink and blue swirled ice cream being shoved in front of her face. She pulls her head back and wrinkles her nose. Cotton Candy ice cream does not sound promising. She shoots Chloe a wary glance but leans forward and closes her lips around the spoon as Chloe carefully pulls it back. "Ew," she murmurs in disapproval. She presses the back of her hand to her mouth as she swallows. "Chloe, that is disgusting."

"It is not," Chloe argues indignantly and licks the rest of the ice cream off the spoon. She reaches forward and pushes the whipped cream away from Aubrey's ice cream with her spoon to see which flavor is which. "You just eat boring ice cream." She digs her spoon into the scoop of chocolate.

Aubrey frowns and hits Chloe's spoon with her own. "I didn't give you permission to eat my boring ice cream," she retorts lightly.

"Sharing is caring," Chloe informs her and steals a giant spoonful of chocolate ice cream then stuffs it into her mouth.

Aubrey spitefully follows her logic and leans over her, taking a spoonful of mint chocolate chip, knowing full well that it's Chloe's favorite. "Sharing is caring," she reminds her tersely as she licks it off the spoon.

Chloe gapes at her. "Well, if that's the case." She places three fingers on Aubrey's wrist to lower her hand away from her mouth then leans forward and presses their lips together for a fraction of a second. She pulls back smirking before Aubrey can even process the kiss. "You taste better than just eating it with a spoon," she comments.

Aubrey swallows thickly, torn between how gross kissing someone while eating is and how Chloe's cold lips felt against her own. She fumbles for something to say then looks down and stabs her spoon through her banana. "Eat your ice cream before it melts," she sputters firmly. She glances up then immediately looks away again, overwhelmed by a sudden desire to kiss her back.

Chloe smirks. "That was my ice cream," she points out and refocuses on her own bowl.

Aubrey growls under her breath when she can't find a comeback. She lowers one of her hands flat on the table and leans back against it, simultaneously trying to keep a chunk of banana from rolling off her spoon as she digs it into the ice cream as well. She sighs and turns her head to glance around at the surrounding woods as she eats.

"This place looks like it could be haunted," Chloe pipes up as she follows Aubrey's gaze. She grabs their drink and swirls it around so the ice clanks against the side of the cup before she takes a sip. She offers it to Aubrey once she's done.

Aubrey glances at it then sits upright again takes it from her. She drinks a few swallows. She places it back on the table and tries to ignore the soda fizz as it makes the back of her throat and her nose tingle. Chloe is right about the island looking like it would be the perfect setting for some cheesy horror movie. The trees cast eerie shadows as they loom over them and the only sound, aside from their voices, is the chirping of a lone cricket. She swallows another mouthful of ice cream and licks the whipped cream off her lips. The heaviness that momentarily lingers in the air brings her back to her earlier phone call, and she considers telling Chloe about it. She looks over in her direction and steals a small spoonful of the mint ice cream again as she debates bringing it up. Chloe moves her spoon to give her better access to the bowl.

"It's probably not haunted," Chloe adds, filling the sudden silence. She pauses. "But if it was haunted, Sam Winchester would save us," she jokes and nods confidently.

Aubrey rolls her eyes. She decides to keep the call to herself to avoid bringing up the topic of Beca, since she's sure it had to be from her. But she has to say something. "Has anything weird happened to you since we've been here?" she asks vaguely. She puts her spoon in her mouth again. Thinking about the phone call makes her feel a little uneasy to be outside in the dark. She pulls the spoon back and absently licks some chocolate syrup off the side of her hand as she scans the area.

"Define 'weird'," Chloe replies with a light laugh, not looking up from her bowl. "This whole situation is weird, Aubrey. Us being at Beca's wedding. You eating ice cream for dinner." She lightly nudges Aubrey's arm with her elbow and Aubrey accidentally drops her spoon in her bowl.

Aubrey wrinkles her nose and picks her spoon back up with her thumb and pointer finger. Chocolate syrup drips off of it. Maybe she's just putting too much thought into it.

"Are you okay?" Chloe asks when Aubrey doesn't say anything.

Aubrey looks up from her spoon then down at the table. There's no use stressing Chloe out over something stupid. She nods her head and tries to look nonchalant. She pushes thoughts of her phone and of Beca as far away from her mind as she can get them for now.

"I bet this will make it better." Chloe offers her a spoonful of the cake batter ice cream.

Aubrey looks at the spoon then at Chloe. She has already learned her lesson from the cotton candy ice cream. Chloe grins at her and pushes the spoon slightly closer to her mouth. Aubrey stares at it stubbornly for a moment before groaning in defeat and trying the new flavor. It's as disgusting as ice cream comes, but Chloe's elated smile distracts her from the taste. But even focused on Chloe, she can't help but wish that Beca was there to see proof that things aren't at all how they used to be.