Chapter Text
Chapter Eleven
Fall 2022
The first day with Beca Mitchell is surreal.
From the moment she’d told Chloe to kiss her, everything became hazy. Like the way one experiences a dream or shares a memory. It’s all bathed in a soft golden light and Chloe can’t be sure the rays pouring in from the windows are responsible.
She kisses Beca until her attention is demanded elsewhere by a high whine, and with a jolt remembers Virginia still tucked away in a guest room somewhere in the depths of Beca’s apartment. And though Beca seems perfectly happy to ignore it just a little bit longer Chloe can’t. She loves Ginny but she wants Beca’s undivided attention, and she isn’t above tiring out the little pup to attain it.
She suggests they take Ginny for a walk, seeing no reason to disclose her ulterior motives. Especially not since they will become clear the moment they return. Beca’s mouth opens in response to the suggestion, and it fills Chloe both with warmth and with need that Beca doesn’t want to stop. But she manages to convince her and they let Ginny out of the guest room with tantalizing words like ‘leash’ and ‘park’.
Beca drives them to the same entrance they’d met at to say goodbye all those weeks ago. And it’s crazy how different Chloe feels approaching the gates this time. Where before she’d been filled with dread and apprehension, she’s now full of euphoria and longing. It’s funny how welcoming the park looks this time, with such polar opposite feelings swirling around inside her.
They walk along the path for a while. Beca doesn’t say much and Chloe doesn’t either. She thinks they’re both probably reliving Chloe’s confession. But Beca matches each one of Chloe’s smiles whenever their eyes meet. And she doesn’t shy away from Chloe’s steady gaze. And it’s all so very subtle, but Chloe hopes Beca knows. That she understands the desire behind her eyes. That she knows what Chloe wants.
When they happen upon a particularly open, grassy area, Chloe suggests they stop and let Ginny really run. They throw her frisbee for a while, clapping and praising her with each midair catch. And the reservoir of Chloe’s patience to kiss Beca again is almost used up when she watches Beca’s lips part around her smile.
It runs completely dry when they get coffee from a street vendor. The cup feels so warm in her palms, but she can’t help but wish she were holding Beca instead. She nods quickly when Beca asks if she’s ready to go back yet. And when they arrive, she smiles to herself when Ginny immediately departs for Beca’s bedroom. She loves dogs and all their dependable predictability.
"I think all that frisbee throwing wore her out," Beca says as she watches Ginny go.
"Why do you think I insisted we bring it in the first place?" she asks, pleased her plan had worked. She steps into Beca’s space and her hands find the buttons of her coat. Her eyes watch storm waves as she unfastens them, prepared to remove the garment as soon as possible. She wants to resume where they’d left off before. She gets it halfway down Beca’s arms before she stops herself, suddenly unsure. Beca’s looking at her with something in her eyes, but Chloe doesn’t have a name for it. It doesn’t exactly inspire confidence.
"Are you okay?" she asks. "Is... this okay?"
Beca nods quickly, and it definitely eases some of her doubt but she needs words before she’ll keep going.
"Gonna need more than a nod from you, Becs.” She says it with a smile so it doesn’t sound so heavy leaving her lips.
"It's more than okay," Beca says hastily, warming up Chloe’s insides again. "I just..."
"You just what?" Chloe asks, using Beca’s permission to get her jacket the rest of the way off. She drapes it over the back of one of Beca’s dining room chairs.
"It's kind of embarrassing..." Beca says quietly.
And that’s the kind of statement that would evoke curiosity in anyone, but given the subject matter Chloe’s suddenly desperate to know whatever Beca’s very reluctant to say.
"It's just me, Becs," she says. She steps closer again, and the two sides of her war with each other. Listen to what comes next, or just kiss the girl in front of her.
"I've just thought about,” she starts, looking a little embarrassed, “…this, being with you like this, I mean, so many times. And I told myself just as many times that it would never happen. I think it's going to take me more than a few hours to believe it all.”
And Chloe can’t help but love every single syllable of that little confession. Can’t help but love finally hearing more about the way Beca’s thought about her. The words slip quietly into her heart and burrow into comfortable places to rest while her hands find Beca’s jaw once more. She doesn’t really wait this time before leaning in. Her intention is clear and she isn’t worried about Beca changing her mind anymore.
And like before, her breath is stolen away the moment Beca responds. It’s almost just too much sensory overload, being with Beca like this. The way her lips and tongue pull Chloe apart. The way her hands draw her closer to pull her back together again. She spares a brief moment to the possibility of her knees giving out but the risk is worth not stopping this kiss. She smiles to herself when she feels Beca start to guide her away in the direction of her couch. It seems that a little kissing is all it ever took to finally get them on the same page.
Beca sits down when they reach the couch, and Chloe takes in the image of her. She saves the memory like a snapshot. Beca’s chest moving up and down, her hair in slight disarray from Chloe’s roaming hands. The way her lap just looks so inviting.
So she doesn’t think twice about dropping down into it. She just puts a knee on the cushion and settles in, feeling a thrill fly through her at being this close to Beca Mitchell. Her giddiness makes her say the first thing that pops into her head.
"You're really good at kissing," she says, resting her wrists on Beca's shoulders and making her smile. "You've really thought about stuff like this before?"
"I mean, not... recently,” Beca responds, after shifting a bit under Chloe’s legs. “I've been trying a lot harder not to this time around."
Chloe tilts her head to the side, thinking that over. She understands why Beca would try to squash those kinds of thoughts this time. She doesn’t blame her. But while they’re going down this road Chloe wants to know about the all the times in Beca’s head leading up to this moment.
"But you did before?" she asks shamelessly.
"I... yes. I did. Is that weird for you?"
Chloe bites down on her bottom lip, because no, that isn’t weird at all. It turns her on.
"No," she finally says. “It makes me feel... wanted."
"You are."
And Chloe definitely wants to know more about that, but it will have to be a ‘later’ kind of thing because she can’t actually wait another second to kiss Beca again. She leans in again, feeling already addicted to Beca’s mouth. She feels Beca’s hands find her hips first, but they don’t settle there. They move swiftly to her back, pressing and pulling, as if they still aren’t close enough. And she hears Beca’s words from the diner again, and she knows they’re true. She knows she’ll never find a way to get close enough to Beca, no matter how little a space they share.
And Chloe’s never really given much thought to her kissing abilities. She’s always just sort of accepted that she’s good at it, if reactions from previous kissing partners can be trusted. She’s never really had to think about what she’s doing before. But she does now, because she’s desperate to make Beca feel as good. She pays attention to every reaction. What evokes sound at the back of Beca’s throat and what makes her breathing ragged. And she repeats those actions over and over, an addiction blooming to those responses too.
Beca stops every now and then. To let Chloe chase her breath or to say something else on her mind. It’s during one of these pauses that she reminds Chloe of herself, wanting to hear words just for the thrill they’ll incite.
"Tell me again," she says.
Chloe smiles and lets her fingers slip under the neck of Beca’s shirt. They explore the sharp angles of Beca’s collar bones. "Tell you what again?"
"Tell me you're falling for me," she states, looking Chloe right in the eye. It yanks at something low in her belly, the knowledge that Beca wants to hear it again.
"I'm falling for you, Beca,” she says evenly and with confidence. It feels so different leaving her tongue this time around. “I’m falling for every part of you. I never thought this would be possible once I realized how I felt. I was sure you'd moved on, and I had no one to blame but myself."
She lets her palms rest then, her fingers curling around Beca’s neck while she keeps talking. She’s happy to give these thoughts away now, knowing Beca wants to hear them.
"When you told me to kiss you I thought surely I'd heard wrong. And then, even after kissing you I wondered if maybe that's all I would get. That's why I asked what you were thinking, because I had to know if you had any feelings left over for me. I can't remember the last time I was as happy as the moment you said you couldn't help falling for me too."
Beca doesn’t stop smiling once through the admission.
"Is it weird for you?" she asks. Chloe frowns at the question, confused. "Being with me like this? Kissing me?" she clarifies.
And just like the last time Beca asked a similar question, the answer is still no.
"No, it isn't. I wondered if it would be, while you were in Miami. Of course I didn't think I'd actually be able to test it out," she says honestly. "But I did wonder if it would be different, you know, because you're a girl. Or because you're... well, you,” she continues. The whole idea of it was so foreign at the time, despite the strength of the urge. “It's not every day you get the impulse to kiss your best friend,” she finishes, thinking that explains it.
"Speak for yourself," Beca says quietly.
And the not so gentle reminder that maybe it was every day for Beca makes Chloe smile again.
"But when I kissed you I wasn't thinking about any of that. I just really, really liked it."
And that’s a bit of an understatement, really. But it’ll have to do.
Beca hums for a response, and Chloe commits the sound to memory. "And this?" she asks, indicating their current position. She pulls on Chloe's lower back, bringing her even closer for emphasis.
"Oh, I love this," Chloe says easily. "Even before I realized how I felt, I craved being close to you. At Barden and then in that shitty studio in Brooklyn. I was always reaching for you. It was like a reflex or something. You have no idea how many times I stopped myself from touching you after I found you again."
Beca smiles at her in that way Chloe knows is leading to something sarcastic or playful.
"And that never clued you in, huh? Never thought to yourself 'Maybe that's weird...'?" she asks with a smirk. Chloe pushes lightly on her shoulders.
"Rude," she says. "It was actually something you said at that breakfast diner that made me wonder about you like that for the first time. But I dismissed it because I didn't think I was attracted to you that way. And I missed you so much I just thought that was to blame."
Beca tilts her head to the side before she asks the obvious.
"What did I say?"
And Chloe explains all about how Beca knew Sofía wasn’t right for her. And how she identified with those feelings, of knowing someone was right, because of Beca. How Beca’s always made her feel that way, whether Chloe knew what it meant or not.
The little confession makes Beca smile at her in that way that Chloe’s starting to realize is irresistible to her. That will probably always make her want to chase Beca’s lips. So she does. Because she can. And because she knows Beca wants her to.
She kisses her the way she’s learning Beca likes, drawing sighs and hums from her mouth. Each one feels like an electric current under her skin. One that doesn’t shock her, but just makes her feel everything more acutely. It spurs her actions and it makes her wonder what other sounds Beca might make.
Her knees are starting to ache from being in this position so long, but she isn’t nearly done here, so she breaks the kiss so she can get more comfortable. She swings herself off of Beca’s lap, but before she can explain what she wants, Beca catches her hand.
“Where are you going?” she asks quietly, sending a thrill down Chloe’s spine.
“Nowhere,” she says honestly. And then, “Lie down?”
Beca doesn’t hesitate. She just arranges a pillow at one end of the couch and lays her head back against it before swinging her legs up onto the couch too. She looks so confident, waiting there for Chloe. It drives Chloe mad.
She doesn’t know what she was expecting, but as soon as she settles herself on top of Beca her heart jumps wildly in her chest. It sends the adrenaline in her veins rushing through even faster. She drops her head to kiss Beca again but their new position makes her feel bolder. It makes her want more. Her lips leave Beca’s, and she kisses her once, then twice along her jawline. The scent of Beca’s perfume is even stronger now, and she inhales deeply, chasing it. She drops kisses onto Beca’s neck, instantly loving both the sounds they evoke and the way Beca’s skin tastes.
Chloe just thinks there’s no way she’ll ever get used to this feeling. Or that she’ll ever get tired of it. She could kiss Beca Mitchell forever.
And though she doesn’t kiss her for quite that long, she is surprised to see the sun setting when she happens to look up during a break. It feels like no time has passed since they got home with Ginny, but she knows that was early in the afternoon and now here she is, watching the sun say goodnight.
"Will you stay for dinner?" Beca asks, combing her fingers through Chloe’s hair. She leans into Beca’s hand. It feels so good to have Beca touch her so sweetly.
Chloe nods because the idea of leaving is just intolerable. But she’s still in shock over how much time has passed.
"I can't believe I spent all afternoon making out with you," she says, laughing.
"And here I thought you were enjoying yourself," Beca teases, her fingers still threaded into red hair.
"No, I just mean... I can't remember the last time I've done that, you know? I feel like a teenager again or something. Like I can't remember the last time I spent that long just kissing someone. It always escalated before too long."
Beca's brow furrows and she nods thoughtfully. And it makes Chloe realize maybe Beca thought they were going to do more than that. Maybe she thought it was about to go further.
"That's not to say I don't want it to escalate with you,” she says quickly, feeling embarrassed. “I just think maybe I need to... work up to that. God, I probably should have said that from the beginning right? Now I feel like I'm... leaving you hanging."
And while she’d never expect Beca to react poorly to wherever Chloe decided they should stop, she certainly also doesn’t expect her actual reaction of bursting into laughter.
"First off," she starts, when she can speak again, "someone thinks highly of herself."
Chloe frowns, but she feels so relieved Beca isn’t upset.
"Second," she says, more seriously, "please don't think that way. I'm so happy just kissing you,” she continues, making it plain that she doesn’t mind that Chloe is stopping there for now. “I'm not going to get mad at where you draw the line in the sand when all I've ever wanted was just to stand on the same beach. We're not on anyone's timeline but our own."
Chloe kisses her then, letting her lips connect fully. She pours so much into it, wanting Beca to know how incredible those words are to her.
"You're amazing, you know that?" she says when she pulls back again.
"Come on," Beca says, choosing not to answer and sitting them both up. "Help me make dinner."
Chloe follows happily. She thinks Beca does know.
They make dinner together, and play with Ginny together afterward. And Chloe had thought she’d be okay with leaving when the time came but she finds she still isn’t. So she doesn’t let herself second guess the request. She just asks to stay. Her heart thumps its approval in her chest as Beca leads her by the hand back down the hallway to her bedroom.
When they crawl into bed that night, Chloe kisses her in the dark before pulling Beca into her arms. She falls asleep with Beca’s warmth at her chest and the taste of her toothpaste on her lips.
And it’s all so, so surreal.
/
The first month with Beca Mitchell is easy.
It’s so easy to love her. To want her. To be around her.
It’s the easiest relationship Chloe’s ever had. There are only two things she finds difficult. The first is being without her for any stretch of time longer than the actual work day. She hates when their schedules don’t line up for days at a time. When she has to go home to her own empty bed or when she’s working evenings and Beca’s working in the mornings. It would all be a lot more convenient if they didn’t live in two different places but even Chloe isn’t crazy enough to suggest otherwise yet. So she just pushes through until they see each other again. The little reunions are almost worth their separation anyway, if she’s being honest with herself.
The second thing? Keeping it a secret. Which, thankfully, is about to come to an end. Chloe had wanted to tell the Bellas in person ever since it was decided they’d be coming to New York for Thanksgiving. She loved the idea of being able to see their faces when she makes the announcement. And Beca had been perfectly willing to wait also. But the decision came with its drawbacks. Conversations with Aubrey became almost impossible for her to navigate because there was so just much happiness she wasn’t sharing. She also had to watch herself in the group chat. She was always terrified of thinking she was responding to just Beca when really the whole group would be able to read what she wrote.
So while she loves the idea and thinks it will probably be worth the wait, hiding something this monumental from her friends gives her a lot of anxiety that she’s only too happy to be rid of by Thanksgiving Day.
Aubrey has been staying with her since Monday, and she’s loved every second. Phone dates are one of her favorite parts about their friendship but it’ll never be the same as having Aubrey physically present. She misses being able to hug her friend or see her facial reactions. She’s enjoyed taking her all over the city. To her favorite places to eat or get coffee. To the park with all its winter beauty starting to settle in. Her heart was full yesterday, watching her be reunited with Beca at lunch. Watching Aubrey sweep Beca up into her arms and hug her just as tightly as she always hugs Chloe.
That had been the hardest part so far of Aubrey’s visit. Not acting like Beca’s girlfriend with Beca right in front of her. But she’d made it through with Aubrey none the wiser.
And today’s the day. The day she sees all the Bellas again, and the day she finally gets to tell them Beca is hers. She and Aubrey arrive first at Beca’s place with all the food they’d promised to bring. The apartment already smells incredible from Beca’s contributions and Chloe’s mouth waters a little. Whether from the smell or from seeing Beca look so happy she isn’t sure. She doesn’t really care to figure it out either. She’s just content.
"Beca! This place is beautiful!" Aubrey says, setting down the food she carried in.
"Told ya," Chloe says, not looking up from the table where she was arranging trays.
"And you must be Virginia! Chloe won't stop talking about you," Aubrey says playfully, crouching down to a happy Ginny. Chloe watches the interaction with warmth in her heart. To know Ginny is to love Ginny. She’s happy to see that rule applies to Aubrey just as easily as it applies to her.
Aubrey hasn’t even stood up again before a knock is heard at her front door. Beca opens the door to Emily, who wastes no time throwing herself into Beca’s arms. Chloe smiles at the interaction, happy that Beca will know just how much she’s been missed by more than just her. Emily comes for Aubrey and Chloe next, her hugs just as enthusiastic. Chloe likes knowing she still hasn’t changed.
Cynthia Rose, Flo, and Stacie come next. Chloe watches Cee and Flo offer their hugs with no trouble. It’s Stacie that brings a surprising reaction out of her. She lays a kiss on each of Beca’s cheeks, and that’s pretty par for the course. Well, for Stacie’s course, anyway. What gets Chloe moving though is when Stacie leans in a third time. And Chloe just has no idea where that kiss will land but she doesn’t want to find out. So she intercepts her, barreling into her arms and taking her several paces backwards. She doesn’t look at Beca afterward. She knows what she’ll find in Beca’s eyes and she has no need to confirm her own jealousy.
Jessica and Ashley arrive together next, to no one's surprise. They come prepared with enough wine for a gathering much larger than theirs but nobody complains about it. They just hoot and cheer as each new bottle is placed on the table.
Lilly comes in alone, not even bothering to knock. Chloe watches her greet everyone with a silent head bob until she reaches Beca. She slips her arms around Beca’s middle from behind and whispers something Chloe can’t hear into her ear. She’s willing to bet it was Lilly’s brand of weird though, if Beca’s wide eyes are anything to judge by.
Fat Amy is last, twenty minutes late. She comes through the door with an unsurprising "The party can start now!" and everyone cheers again.
And Chloe’s heart had been ready to burst yesterday at just seeing Beca with Aubrey again. But this is something her heart almost just can’t handle. She’s overwhelmed by seeing all her friends in Beca’s apartment. At how easily they interact with her, as if she’d never left them. She supposes that’s what true friendship is though. Forgiving someone is easy when there’s as much love present as there is between all the Bellas.
When they finally all settle down, Beca directs them to her dining room. Chloe notices the table has been elongated with the leaf and that a few extra chairs were slipped among the usual ones to accommodate everyone. Chloe sits down next to Beca with a smile, already wanting to just tell the world they’re together. But she waits, knowing the perfect moment will come later.
Before they can begin to eat, Beca clears her throat. All eyes turn towards her, curious. Even Chloe doesn’t know what she’s about to say.
"Speech!" Amy shouts, making everyone laugh.
"Um, no," Beca says, flushing. "But I did just want to say that I'm so glad all of you are here. I can't believe I let so long pass by between us, but I'm glad I pulled my head out of my ass because you nerds are... pretty irreplaceable."
And Chloe can’t help but smile. She’s reminded all over again of how much Beca’s grown. How willing she is to share her feelings, even if she does it a bit awkwardly.
"Damn right," Cynthia Rose says, winking at Beca.
"So today," Beca goes on, her voice a bit bolder, "I'm thankful for you."
Chloe sends the words right back, and hears nine other people do the same. Beca sits down again with a smile. And then they eat.
Dishes are passed around until everyone has a little of everything, and conversation erupts all around her. There’s laughing and random singing and people talk over and across one another. And she thinks this is what Thanksgiving dinner should be like, not those stuffy uncomfortable ones she always had to endure with her family back home.
It's during a lull in conversation that Chloe thinks is the perfect moment. She looks at Stacie and just says it as casually as she possibly can with her heart hammering the way it is.
"Stace, could you pass the sweet potatoes? Oh, and Beca and I are a couple, by the way."
The reaction is instant. Stacie stops halfway in handing over the dish, her arm holding sweet potatoes hostage in midair. Aubrey drops her fork. It clatters loudly on her plate. Emily squeals. Jessica, Ashley, and Flo all look at them with dropped jaws. Cee laughs. Lilly just keeps eating, and Amy does a legitimate spit-take.
"What?!" Aubrey and Amy say together. By now everyone is smiling. Emily is looking at them with all her teeth on display, her hands clasped together at her heart.
"Surprise?" Beca says, putting her hand in Chloe’s lap. Chloe takes it in both of hers.
"Happy Thanksgiving, Becs," she says, leaning in. She kisses her fully, almost giddy at being able to really show them how much she loves this girl. She hears them all cheering in the background, and it’s the only thing that gets her to stop. It’s Aubrey that speaks first, sending words straight into Chloe’s heart.
"Finally figured it out, huh Chlo?"
Chloe smiles, reminded of a conversation they’d had weeks ago, when Chloe had first found Beca again. How she’d said she hoped Chloe could figure it out this time. And she thinks maybe Aubrey’s always known her just a little better than Chloe’s ever given her credit for.
"Better late than never?" Chloe says with a smile. Aubrey returns it before their attention is diverted to Amy.
She stands up with her wine in her hand.
"Could we raise our glasses again?"
They all do, and Chloe knows whatever comes next will be both ridiculous and heartfelt.
"Nobody in this room has suffered more than I have watching these two goofballs not be together," she starts. Chloe thinks of Beca and wages that that might not be completely accurate. But she doesn’t say anything, preferring to just let Amy continue. "So let me be the first to say, FINALLY!"
All the Bellas laugh, but Amy still stands.
"I won't wish you the best, because if there's any couple who doesn't need it, it's you two. But Chloe?"
Chloe leans forward then, her arm across the back of Beca's chair.
"Yeah, Ames?"
"Take care of my girl, would you?"
She hears Beca huff next to her. It makes her smile.
"I promise," Chloe says sincerely, placing a kiss at Beca's temple.
Amy raises her glass an inch higher then before she states, to the amusement of the room, "To Bhloe!"
And all the people around them say it back, laughing and taking sips from their own glasses. Chloe takes a sip too. She doesn’t think she needs luck with Beca either, but she’ll happily take the blessing.
They all start demanding more information then. They want the story. How Chloe confessed her feelings and how Beca responded. How long they’ve been together and how Chloe finally figured out that she was in love. How she realized her attraction.
"Wait! This is important," Stacie states loudly after Chloe answers sheepishly with her reaction to Beca's Miami performance. She leans forward on her elbows, her hands under her chin.
"What's Beca like in bed?"
The whole table erupts into laughter, including Chloe. Beca starts to answer, cutting over them all.
"Stacie! We are not about to talk about-"
"I don't know. I haven't found out yet," Chloe interrupts honestly. But she wants to. She definitely wants to.
"Chloe!" Beca says, dropping her face in her hands. But Chloe can tell she’s smiling. The corners of her mouth give her away. And after a few seconds, she starts laughing with the rest of them.
"Well damn girl what are you waiting on?" Cee asks jokingly. "Beca won't bite." But her mouth pulls into a smile and she shrugs before adding, "Well, maybe she will. I can definitely see Beca having a few surprise kinks. It's always the quiet ones."
They laugh again and Beca stands up, shouting "Dessert!" before walking away and into the kitchen. Chloe follows, more than curious about the suggestion made about Beca’s more private tendencies.
"So," she says quietly as she slips her arms around Beca’s middle, "do you bite?"
Beca laughs and spins around.
"Guess you'll have to find out," she jokes, her teeth clamping down audibly. But Chloe isn’t joking and the idea is starting to run away with her.
"Then let's hurry with dessert, shall we? We can see them all again tomorrow."
Beca looks like a rabbit caught in the headlights and Chloe loves the way her throat visibly moves with her gulp. She kisses her then, willing herself to be patient before heading back to the dining room and their friends.
Beca follows after a few moments, a slight flush on her neck being the only indication that Chloe’s words had gotten to her. She tries not to focus on it though. She tries to give her full attention to her friends, because reunions like this are so few and far between. But it’s always there in the back of her mind. That soon she’ll have Beca all to herself.
They eat dessert, with more laughter and more wine and more jokes and more questions. Chloe and Beca answer them all, happy to relive such incredible moments.
She puts her hand in Beca’s lap at some point, almost doing it without conscious thought. She just wants the touch, the feel of being closer. It’s a feeling she hasn’t stopped chasing for weeks.
And it’s all just so, so easy.
/
One Year Later
The first year with Beca Mitchell was an adventure.
But it’s an adventure she’d never, ever change. Beca won a Grammy, and signed a new contract with a new recording label when her old contract ran out. She’d said that working with new people could trigger new ideas, inspire more creativity. Not that Chloe ever thought she was lacking. Her songs were still as amazing to her as they’d always been. The signing meant Beca had the opportunity to finally move to Los Angeles like she’d always wanted to. And Chloe couldn’t ask her not to, despite hating the idea of putting a whole country between them. But Beca never stopped surprising her.
“I know we haven’t been together for very long,” she’d said one day sitting on her couch with Chloe’s legs in her lap. “But I don’t want to be apart from you again.”
Chloe’s heart had thrummed happily, because she felt the same way.
“So, I guess I’m just going to ask it,” she’d continued. “Will you come with me to LA?”
Chloe hadn’t responded right away. She’d wanted to take a moment to commit the words to her memory, so that when she recalled them, they’d always sound exactly right in her mind.
“I know it’s fast. And you’d have to transfer your license to practice, which from what I’ve read can be a huge pain,” she’d said, making Chloe smile with the realization that Beca had really looked into it. “But I want to be with you. I want you to be with me. In California. If you’re ready for that.”
And it had been fast. And crazy. And something she doesn’t think she’d ever do with anyone else. But it hadn’t been just anyone else. It had been Beca. It would always be Beca.
“Yes,” she’d said. And then Beca had kissed her. And everything was perfect again.
That one word had led to Chloe seeking veterinary licensure in California. It had led to job searches and housing searches. It led to moving in with Beca across the country when they’d found the perfect place, and making new friends when she’d found the perfect job.
It led to nights spent under the California sky, watching the stars in ways she just couldn’t in New York, with Beca and Ginny by her side on their new back deck. To mornings always waking up next to the love her life. To slobbery kisses from Ginny when they took too long to get out of bed.
It led to Beca writing a whole album by herself, lyrics pouring out of her at the speed of light and music following shortly after. To late evenings in the home studio, Chloe listening to Beca’s heart made into sound while Beca watched for her reactions.
To the idea of the month-long tour, and the idea of Chloe’s letters.
To this very night, in the city where it all started. Chloe watches her lover perform for the crowd. Watches the faces of her fans as they let Beca’s music wash over them and reach right into their very souls. She feels it reach into her own, and for once, she can’t wait for it to be over because it’ll mean she’ll finally have Beca in her arms again.
When the show finally does end, Chloe takes one last lingering look at Beca on stage. She looks so glamorous and so perfect and even the year that they’ve been together doesn’t stop Chloe from shaking her head over the fact that that amazing human is hers.
She makes a hasty departure after that, having arranged with Beca’s manager to beat Beca back to her hotel room. She’s just letting herself into the room when her phone lights up with an incoming call.
“Hey, baby,” she says, shutting the door quietly behind her. “How was the show?”
“It was perfect,” Beca responds. Chloe can’t help but agree.
“Yeah?” she asks, maintaining the ruse.
“It was the last one, and I get to see you tomorrow. How can that not be perfect?”
Chloe laughs before she answers.
“You’re too sweet to me, you know?”
“Impossible,” Beca says quietly.
They talk for a few minutes about the show, and then Chloe squirms a little when Beca asks about her day. She’s never been good at lying, even for a reason as good as this one. She can hear the sound of traffic in the background the whole time. And Chloe smiles, because it’s all bringing Beca closer and closer to her.
And right when Chloe thinks she must be getting close, Beca confirms it.
“I’m pulling up to the hotel now, babe. Call you in the morning before my flight?” she asks.
“I can’t wait to see you,” Chloe says genuinely.
“Me either. Love you, Chlo.”
She hangs up after saying it back and then she just waits, knowing it won’t be long now. And when she hears the keycard at the door her heart takes off, almost leaving her behind.
Beca walks over the threshold, confusion evident on her face. Chloe assumes she hadn’t been expecting the lights to already be on. But it’s replaced quickly when she sees Chloe waiting for her in the middle of the room.
“Chloe?!” she says, her voice high from excitement. She throws everything in her hands onto the bed as she passes and then throws herself right into Chloe’s arms.
“What are you doing here?” she asks over her shoulder.
Chloe pulls back, a wide smile sitting on her lips.
“You didn’t actually think I wouldn’t make it to at least one show, did you?” And then, she throws Beca’s words back at her from the day she surprised her in LA. “You really overestimated my ability to resist your singing, Mitchell.”
“God, I love you,” Beca says before finding Chloe’s mouth. She gets lost in Beca’s kiss. It’s always just been too easy to forget everything else around her when Beca kisses her the way she does. It’s Beca who pulls back first, almost to Chloe’s disappointment.
“Wait, do I still get my last letter?”
Chloe laughs.
“Good to know my presence hasn’t distracted you,” she teases, loving the way it makes Beca look a bit embarrassed. “But yes, you still get your last letter.”
Beca looks around, at the coffee table and at the nightstand by her bed, for the letter Chloe knows isn’t there.
“But first,” she says, answering the question in Beca’s eyes, “I need to say something.”
Beca sits down on the end of the bed and waits.
“Your last letter comes with a preface. I’ve written about the first two times I fell in love with you, but I want to tell you about the third. And then you can have it.”
Beca smiles like Chloe knew she would.
“I’m all ears, babe,” she says. And Chloe takes a deep breath.
“The first time was slow. The second time was lightning. And the third time was long. It is long. And constant. And ever-present. I'm in love with you, and I will continue to be in love with you for the rest of my life. I have absolutely no doubts that I'll always find new ways to fall deeper, and that I'll always be addicted to the way you make me feel,” she says, looking into Beca’s eyes and pouring as much of herself as she can into her words.
Beca watches her speak, and by the time Chloe finishes she thinks she sees the beginnings of tears forming in her eyes.
“Everything I have with you is something I’d never trade for anything in the world. Every moment we’ve shared since that day has only solidified what I knew from that very first kiss. That I’d finally gotten it right.”
She pulls out the folded letter from her back pocket now and smoothes it out.
“So here,” she says, smiling at Beca’s name written on the outside. “Here’s your last one. You should know I wrote it the day you left for this tour.”
Beca raises one eyebrow in interest before Chloe finally hands it over. The letter that's been written for thirty days and has slept in her bedside table for thirty nights. The one with only two words, five different letters, and a question mark right in the middle of the page. Beca opens it slowly, and when she looks down at it, the smile that has been on her lips since walking in the room slips away. Her mouth parts in a way that can only convey shock and Chloe can see the words all too clearly, as if she's seeing them now through Beca's eyes.
Marry me?
And Chloe doesn’t have a ring, nor does she wait for Beca on bended knee. But she’s not worried about doing this unconventionally. She and Beca have never been conventional.
Beca stares at the words, as if they might change meaning if she looks away. She must eventually decide that they won't, because after a few moments the storm waves in her eyes find Chloe again.
And she doesn't say anything, but Chloe is patient. She's learned that sometimes Beca just needs a moment to express herself the way she wants to.
And then, in a silent hotel suite hundreds of feet above the ground, Beca Mitchell smiles. She gets up and closes the space between them to find Chloe's lips once again.
And she still hasn't said anything. But Chloe thinks it's a yes. Because Chloe Beale? Well, she's always been a believer.
The End