Chapter Text
Admittedly, it is kind of difficult for Beca to properly read Chloe Beale—and, as something of a people-watcher, that is an issue in and of itself.
Beca knows that Chloe is pretty… Man, she’s really freaking pretty, in fact. She also knows that she is kind, that even though they have had only a small handful of interactions thus far, Chloe truly does strike her as a genuinely nice, good person. But that all feels like surface level stuff, stuff that anybody with functioning eyes could see.
What truly confuses Beca about Chloe, what has her so spun out over something that really should be much less significant, is why on earth she so adamantly wants to spend time with her—Beca Mitchell. It is evident that Chloe has a lot of friends, Beca had seen her with them just yesterday, so why would she want to hang out with the boring new girl? And then there was Chloe’s text…
Your phone voice is cute.
The message, while brief and simple in hindsight—innocent, in fact—had pulled a strange feeling of sheer warmth, a distinct flutter, to Beca’s heart upon first receipt, and each time Beca has scanned back over it since, it seems to have only warmed her further.
And Beca knows that she shouldn’t read into it, that it is simply a friendly, offhanded comment… Or at least Beca thinks that is what it is. But then she is reminded of the gentle brush of Chloe’s hand, the way she had so delicately pushed her hair behind her ear at the lunch table yesterday, and Beca had had to try so hard not to tilt her face into the comfort of Chloe’s small yet tender touch. Then, Beca cannot help but wonder if maybe, just maybe, it means something a little bit more.
Regardless, she tries her hardest not to dwell too deeply, though Beca finds as she begins to get ready for her outing with Chloe that she consciously puts a little more pressure on herself to at least look some variation of decent than she usually would.
Despite multiple outfit changes, Beca eventually settles on a clean pair of black leggings, a casual gray shirt and a neutral colored open flannel to wear over the top. The weather really isn’t great today, being the middle of a rainy January and all, but Beca opts against her large, padded winter coat, and instead shrugs on her trusty leather jacket—it just makes her feel prettier somehow, and while Beca doesn’t understand exactly why, she does know she wants to look pretty for Chloe.
Maybe, Beca realizes, she wants Chloe to find her pretty, too, the same way Beca does with Chloe in return.
Knowing that she’ll likely have a million obnoxious questions to field, and that he will ultimately make Beca’s outing with Chloe today feel like a childish, immature playdate, Beca doesn’t even plan to tell her father where she is going—not that she even knows herself, but still. When she receives Chloe’s text that she is on her way, Beca decides she will simply slip out of the door when she sees the car pulling up, and call out to him that she’s leaving on the way.
Of course, almost unsurprisingly, it seems that Chloe has other ideas.
Beca doesn’t even get the chance to pull on her shoes before a loud thrum of knocking sounds at the door, with Warren appearing as if by magic to greet their guest.
“Dad, no, that’s my—” Beca starts somewhat defeatedly, though the door swings open before she even gets the opportunity to finish her protest, and Beca sucks in a sharp breath through her nose as she catches a glimpse of curled red hair and a bright, pearly grin.
“Hi! Mr…” Chloe falters for a moment.
“Mitchell,” Warren clarifies with a welcoming smile.
“Right, Mr. Mitchell,” Chloe says, continuing just as brightly. “I’m Chloe Beale, I’m here to pick up Beca.” She pauses then to glance by Warren, and greets Beca with a small, fast wave.
“I was like, right here, Dad. I could’ve gotten the door,” Beca grumbles, pushing past him to make her quick exit from his home.
“I didn’t know you were going out,” Warren says with a confused look on his face, though Beca notes his easy smile all the same. “It’s nice to meet you, Chloe. Where are you girls going?”
“We’re gonna go roller skating,” Chloe announces proudly.
“Roller skating?” both Beca and Warren echo in unison. While his tone is laced with amusement, Beca’s is notably much more dubious.
Beca’s cheeks heat up instantly, but Warren responds with an amused chuckle. “Beca... Roller skating?” He pauses to stare between both Beca and Chloe, as if waiting for one of them to drop a sike! before continuing with an arched brow. “Well, okay. Will you be back for dinner?”
“No,” Chloe responds before Beca gets the chance to. “It’s okay, though. We’re gonna get something to eat while we’re out. Are you ready, Beca?”
“Yeah,” Beca says quickly, now very much desperate to get away from the house.
Fortunately, Beca’s hasty exit is hint enough to Warren to step back, so after a quick goodbye, something Chloe reciprocates pleasantly while Beca only grumbles, he eventually closes the door, and Beca is free to finally breathe.
“Sorry about him,” Beca says in something of a bashful tone, finally lifting her sheepish gaze toward Chloe.
Chloe is wearing blue jeans paired with a floaty white shirt that she has casually tucked into the front. Her currently unfastened leather jacket is not too dissimilar to Beca’s; clearly, neither had dressed with the rain in mind, but it seems to have stopped now, and simply adds a light shine to the hard surface of the dark road.
“Why?” Chloe questions with knitted brows. It is upon looking at her face that Beca notices her subtle makeup, thin coat of mascara only causing the blue color of her eyes to pop further. “He seems nice.”
Beca only rolls her eyes in response, though she lets out a small chuckle all the same. “I think maybe you’re just too nice.”
“Maybe,” Chloe hums, pausing at the side of a slightly beat up looking dark green truck.
“This is yours?” Beca asks with a hint of mild surprise. There is nothing wrong with it, of course. In actuality, Beca thinks it’s pretty damn cool, but it is not the vehicle she imagined Chloe driving.
“She sure is,” Chloe beams, proudly tapping against the passenger door, before reaching down toward the handle to tug it open. “Mom and I fixed her up. It was a really cool project.”
Although Beca expects her to leave, to rush around to the driver’s side and hop in herself, she doesn’t. Instead, she stands with her hand on the open passenger door, and flashes Beca a bright smile. “Are you getting in?”
It is only at that point that Beca realizes she is staring—partially at the truck, and partially at Chloe. She clears her throat quickly, though, pulling herself back to the present. “Yeah, sorry,” she says, hastily stepping up to climb into the seat. She doesn’t expect Chloe to literally wait and close the door for her, but she does, and for some reason, Beca feels her cheeks heating up once again in response.
While Beca gets herself situated, Chloe bounces to the passenger side, quickly climbing in and immediately buckling up. “So, what’d you do today?” Chloe questions conversationally, waiting for the snap of Beca’s belt into the holder, before eventually starting up the engine.
“Uh, not much,” Beca admits lamely, gaze dropping to the aux cord fixed into the display. Chloe picks it up to plug in her phone. “What about you, did you get everything you needed for the puppies?”
It is strange to Beca, just how easy it is to feel comfortable around Chloe. Normally, it takes her a long time to warm up to new people, but not Chloe. Perhaps it is her approachable personality, or maybe it is something else, Beca doesn’t know. She does know, however, that she doesn’t feel too awkward as she relaxes into the passenger seat, unintentionally studying the way Chloe’s fingers, nails painted a deep purple color, wrap around the wheel.
“We did,” she says as she smoothly pulls the truck into drive. “We already had everything we needed for them, we just wanted to get some more stuff to spoil them with. And Bella. We don’t want her to feel like she’s less important now that her babies are here.” Chloe pauses for a moment, pout jutting onto her lightly glossed lips. “I’m sad I didn’t get to meet Gunner. Normally, when people come to the door at my house, Bella rushes right there to greet them.”
“Oh, yeah,” Beca frowns, “so does Gunner. He’s on a walk with Sheila.” She doesn’t mean to stiffen the way she does at the very mention of Sheila’s name passing through her lips, and she doesn’t know whether Chloe notices it or not, but it doesn’t seem to deter her.
“Who’s Sheila?” Chloe questions, again in a conversational tone. Beca, essentially music-driven in general, doesn’t even notice the lacking sound around them, despite Chloe’s phone being plugged into the cord, not until Chloe prompts her. “You can put on some music if you want, I have my Spotify pulled up. The passcode is 0922.”
Beca pauses at that, penciled brows tugging tightly. “Dude, that’s so weird. That’s my birthday.”
“Is it?” Chloe questions with a melodic chuckle. “September 22nd? You and my dog share a birthday.”
It is of course just a happy coincidence, but something in Beca warms as she reaches for the phone. She opts to ignore the question about Sheila, but Chloe doesn’t seem to push, and for that Beca is truly grateful. “What are you listening to?”
“I don’t know,” Chloe shrugs nonchalantly, eyes trained carefully on the road, though she glances briefly toward the phone in Beca’s hand. “I don’t remember what was playing when I got out before.”
Curiously, Beca taps on the play button, and hears the familiar beat before she sees the title. She cannot help but snort slightly in immediate reaction.
“You don’t like Demi Lovato?” Chloe questions, again glancing briefly toward her, but she fixes her eyes on the road again quickly.
“No, it’s not that,” Beca promises, amusement lacing her tone as she reads over the song title, Confident. “Just feels very fitting for you.”
“You know this song is about sex, right?” Chloe deadpans, though despite her tone, Beca can see the small smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. Apparently, the fact that she doesn’t respond right away has Chloe proving her point with a perfectly vocalized, “It’s time for me to take it, I’m the boss right now, not gonna fake it, not when you go down…”
In response, Beca’s eyes only widen—partially because she has just learned that Chloe’s giggle is not the only melodic sound she makes, and partially in sheer embarrassment. “No, no,” she quickly backtracks, “I just meant, like, the title! Confident. You seem very confident.”
She notes the devilish grin breaking onto Chloe’s face. “I know you did,” she says through a quiet chuckle. “I was just messing with you. I am pretty confident.” There is something of a proud tone to her voice now, though it evens out again as she says with a shrug, “You’re not.”
Beca bites back a wince at the call out, setting the phone down in her lap and leaving the music to play quietly around them. “What gave you that idea?” she asks sarcastically.
“Just a guess,” Chloe responds, turning again to cast Beca a quick wink.
Yet again, Beca’s face reddens all over.
For some reason, when Chloe had announced that they would be going roller skating, Beca hadn’t actually believed her. She figured she was just teasing, considering Beca’s instant negative reaction to the very idea of ice skating, but as she switches out her trusty Vans for a clunky pair of rented roller skates, Beca finds that Chloe is very much serious.
“You remember what I said about falling when I’m just walking around, right?” Beca frowns, brow lifting as she tips her head to stare up at Chloe, who is already towering above her with her skates on and her hands planted on her hips, watching Beca with a look of subtle amusement.
“I do,” Chloe nods. “But you were worried about being on the ice, and I understand that. These things, though,” she pauses, bending her leg to tap at the four wheels, “are way steadier than blades. I think you’ll do just fine.”
“You have more faith in me than you should,” Beca grumbles loudly enough for Chloe to hear as she reaches down to finish fastening the straps in place as tightly as possible. Her head is ducked, gaze concentrated on the skates, so Beca notices Chloe’s shadow before anything else, though she lifts her head to meet Chloe’s kind eyes, and sees that she has lowered to crouch before her.
“You think I’d let you fall?” Chloe questions in a quiet, almost secretive tone. There is a soft smirk drawn onto her lips, and she gently shakes her head, red curls dancing uniformly with the motion. “I wouldn’t.”
At that, Beca finds herself staring, though she doesn’t mean to. She doesn’t mean for her heart rate to quicken in the strange way it does either, but it does.
There are plenty of other people here—it is Saturday afternoon, and apparently this particular place is something of a hot spot for the area’s teens—but with Chloe crouched in front of her, face so close to her own that Beca can smell the strawberry scent of her shampoo, Beca somehow blocks out any other voices for a moment, almost like it really is just the two of them.
“I’m trusting you,” she murmurs, mostly to break the odd silence for herself. Beca notes the grin to crack onto Chloe’s lips in response, before she is pressing her palms to Beca’s thighs and using the leverage to push herself back to her feet.
“I’m very trustworthy,” Chloe winks, stretching down a hand to help Beca upright, too.
Although Beca pauses for the briefest of moments, she eventually slips her hand into Chloe’s. As her legs straighten, Beca notes that she is a little wobbly, but she puts that solely down to the fact that there are literal wheels on her feet...nothing more.
“Good?” Chloe checks, slowly letting go of Beca’s hand, though her own hovers in place for a moment, almost as if she is ready to catch her if need be.
“I think so,” Beca nods, lifting her feet to pad cautiously toward the shiny wooden rink. She supposes she is doing better already than she would’ve been were they actually ice skating; she wouldn’t have even made it this far if that was the case.
Fortunately, the entrance to the rink isn’t too crowded, so while Chloe steps immediately onto it, Beca is able to take a moment to simply hover, making sure she really has her bearings. Apparently, Chloe notices her hesitance.
“I’m sorry,” Chloe says in a softer voice, lips pushing into a small pout. “We don’t have to do this, I just figured it was the ice you were afraid of. We can take these off and go play some arcade games, if you want?”
In all honesty, Beca had not noticed the fearful expression on her face, not until she sees the apologetic look on Chloe’s. She doesn’t know how to tell her it isn’t quite the skating part she is afraid of…
“No,” she finally says with a soft shake of her head. “No, it’s fine. I’m good. We just might have to…I don’t know, go kinda slow at first, that’s all.”
“Slow is okay,” Chloe nods in agreement, offering Beca a small yet somehow entirely encouraging smile. Unlike Beca, skeptical and outwardly nervous, Chloe shows no hesitation in the way she holds out her hand, urging Beca to take it with another gentle nod of her head.
This time, at least where touching Chloe’s hand is concerned, Beca doesn’t hesitate either. Instead, she slips her hand into Chloe’s, returning the small smile, before Chloe is tugging her onto the rink. Of course, Beca has no control of her eight new wheels just yet, so rather than attempt to steady herself, she winds up crashing directly into Chloe, whose free arm immediately wraps around her middle.
“I’ve got you,” Chloe chuckles quietly, waiting until she is sure Beca has steadied a little, before slowly lifting her arm from around her body. She either doesn’t notice the beet red to Beca’s cheeks, or she doesn’t point it out… And there is no way she can know how hard Beca’s heart has begun to beat against her ribcage. “Good?”
Beca only nods, carefully stepping back from Chloe’s personal space, though their hands remain attached, and Chloe encourages Beca with another soft tug to her hand, this time to begin their—very slow—skating.
It is incredibly embarrassing, the way Beca somehow loses her footing a couple times within the first minute or so, but Chloe only clutches more tightly to her hand, effectively helping to steady her some.
“You didn’t answer my question yesterday,” Chloe says once they have found a (still very slow) rhythm, and while Beca is pretty busy with focusing on not falling over her skates, she chances a quick glance toward Chloe, her expression silently asking her to go on. “Why’d you transfer schools so late?”
“Oh, right…” Beca nods, lips pulling inward at the very subject. “Um, my parents got divorced,” she says, and Beca realizes it is one of the first times she has actually stated so out loud since it actually happened. To do so causes an uneasy feeling within her, but there is something very reassuring about the feeling of Chloe’s hand in her own, in the way she feels her fingers slipping through the small parts in hers, and somehow it is easier for Beca to feel safe, like she can actually talk about something she considers such a sore subject. “It’s not, like, a big deal or anything—”
“Yeah, it is,” Chloe cuts in, though her tone doesn’t come across as rude. If anything, Beca notes that her voice has softened a little bit to something somehow even kinder, more reassuring. “You avoided the question yesterday, then you avoided the question about Sheila in the car today. I’m guessing she’s your step-mom?”
“No,” Beca responds quickly, nose wrinkling in utter disgust. “God, no. Not my step-mom. Just my dad’s new girlfriend.”
While Chloe chuckles softly, she also nods her head in understanding. “Okay, not your step-mom. It is a big deal to you though, Beca. And you know that that’s okay, right?” Beca glances to the side to take in the soft, reassuring expression on Chloe’s face. “Divorce is a big thing, especially when it’s your parents. You don’t have to be okay with it.”
Beca wants to respond, she wants to challenge Chloe and adamantly insist that she really is fine. Deep down, however, she is not, she knows she is not, and somehow, it seems that Chloe knows it, too. Chloe is not like her other friends, the ones who simply agree with her to avoid an argument. Chloe just...she gets it, and rather than falsely protest, Beca eventually responds with a small, sad smile, before gently nodding her head. Chloe returns the soft gesture.
“Um, what about you?” Beca asks, wanting to take the attention off of her own homelife. “Have you ever...you know, dealt with that?”
“No,” Chloe responds with a quick shake of her head. “My moms are…” She pauses momentarily, nose wrinkling at the mental image. “They’re kind of embarrassingly in love, actually.”
Most people, probably not wanting to rub in their happy family story, would likely have shrugged off the question, but not Chloe. It doesn’t upset Beca, though. If anything, the openness, the immediate honesty, it is something Beca truly appreciates, and rather than mourn her own shitty circumstances, she chuckles at the look on Chloe’s face. “That’s sweet.”
“Oh, no, totes. They’re super cute. I don’t know how they got it so right,” she shrugs a shoulder. “But they did. Mom was married before she and Mama met, and that obviously didn’t work out. But then they found each other, and they had me, and I guess the rest is history.” She hums in pleasant thought. “I think you just know when you meet the person you’re supposed to be with, and they both met theirs.”
Beca doesn’t realize the way she is watching Chloe, she doesn’t notice the fact that she has not even had to glance down at her skates for the last little while. She doesn’t notice until Chloe’s gaze drifts toward her, auburn brow lifting just slightly.
“Bec?”
“Yeah?” she questions, the simple nickname pulling that now more familiar feeling of warmth within her.
“Did you know we’ve been going faster for a good couple minutes now, and you haven’t even almost tripped over once?”
While Beca’s brows tug briefly, she finally tears her stare from Chloe’s face to shift toward her feet, and a natural smile pulls at the corners of her mouth.
“I knew you’d be better at this than you thought you would,” Chloe grins triumphantly, hand squeezing tightly onto Beca’s for a moment, before she eventually loosens her grasp. “Wanna try it on your own?”
Somewhat slowly, Chloe releases her hold, until Beca is left with an odd sense of emptiness where her hand previously rested. Regardless, she somehow manages to remain upright, even without the welcome crutch that is Chloe beside her, and Beca cannot help but feel kind of proud of herself for such a small achievement.
“See?” Chloe beams excitedly, hands clapping together in celebration. “You’re a natural.”
Beca doesn’t know if it is the praise that causes her teeth to sink into her bottom lip, a failed attempt to tug in her elated smile, or if it is something else entirely. She does know, however, that she misses the feeling of Chloe’s hand in her own, so before she gets the chance to talk herself out of it, Beca makes a momentary fist, before reaching out her hand to once more rest her fingers through the gaps in Chloe’s.
“Maybe,” she says in a smaller voice. “But I kind of liked it better before.”
This time, as her softened gaze lifts to meet Beca’s, it is Chloe’s turn to subtly blush.
Although there is something about Chloe Beale that has the easy ability to make Beca feel incredibly nervous, she finds that the longer they are together, the easier it is for her to open up. Chloe asks her about her friends, the ones from her old school, and Beca recalls fond stories that pull that musical sounding giggle from Chloe’s glossy lips in return. Chloe talks fondly about her dog, Bella, and the five puppies they are still trying to figure out temporary names for. Apparently, her moms are insistent that they will not be keeping the puppies for themselves, but Chloe is already adamant that she will be keeping one. Beca has a feeling Chloe will be very hard for them to say no to.
It is easy to converse with Chloe, for them not to trail off into any awkward silences. Chloe is just...she’s so easy to be around, so much like home, and Beca kind of hates herself for thinking as such, but it’s the truth. Beca doesn’t feel like she is hanging out with somebody who was a stranger to her only two days prior; she feels like Chloe is somebody she has known for a long time, but that she still wants to know more of. Way more, in fact.
Over pizza, Beca tells Chloe about her mashups, and how someday she really wants to produce music, but that her dad always manages to somehow shoot her down every time she so much as mentions it. Chloe doesn’t seem to think it’s as stupid a dream as he does, though. In fact, she listens to Beca with bright, excited eyes, and even asks if she can hear some of her stuff soon. Beca is very private with her music, at least right now, but she finds it easy to relent with Chloe, and promises that she can. She learns that Chloe’s mom is a vet, and that Chloe wants to be one, too. Beca thinks it is probably a very fitting career for Chloe; she can tell already just how gentle and caring she is.
Chloe’s more competitive side comes out when they move onto arcade games, though, and when Beca beats her for the second time in a row at air hockey, she cannot help but openly chuckle at Chloe’s reaction.
“No! How are you so good at this?” Chloe yelps, stretching across the table in a failed attempt to grasp the puck with her fingers.
“Just am,” Beca responds with a smug grin and a gentle shrug of her shoulder, and she finds that she melts beneath the playful scowl Chloe shoots her way.
“I really think we need to get out of here before you completely destroy my pride,” Chloe giggles, straightening to delicately comb her fingers through her falling curls.
Although the very idea of leaving causes a strong tug in Beca’s heart, she also knows it is getting late, and she doesn’t want to look like a total loser, begging Chloe to continue spending time with her. “Mm, maybe you’re right, I’d hate to make you cry,” she teases, carefully placing her striker down onto the table.
“Oh, trust me, you would hate that,” Chloe says, motioning with her head for Beca to follow along. “I have the saddest crying face.”
“You know, I really don’t doubt that,” Beca says with a lifted brow, rounding the table to meet Chloe’s side.
Although their simple leather jackets had been fine on the way in here, the moment they reach the exit to the building, Beca’s expression falls to a frown. “Man, I was really hoping this would hold off,” she mutters, instinctively tugging her jacket more tightly around her torso.
“You don’t like the rain?” Chloe questions, casually stepping out and directly into the chilly evening shower without so much as a second thought.
“Let me guess,” Beca grumbles sarcastically, begrudgingly following along, “you do?”
“I do,” Chloe nods, twirling on the spot as she begins to lead the way to her truck. She tips her head back, tongue poking out to catch a few droplets. “It’s refreshing. I especially like it at night time, when you can hear it against the window when you’re going to sleep. Don’t you think that’s such a soothing sound?”
“I don’t know if that’s how I’d describe it,” Beca responds, though she cannot help but quietly chuckle at how adorably carefree Chloe is as she twirls gracefully through the parking lot.
“Then how would you describe it?” Chloe questions, pausing once she reaches the truck. Just like last time, she goes to the passenger side first, unlocking the vehicle and quickly tugging open the door. Lowering into a bow, she motions for Beca to climb in. “For you, m’lady.”
“Did they spike your soda or something?” Beca giggles as she watches Chloe with a lifted brow, though she playfully dips into a curtsy in response.
“Nope,” Chloe grins, straightening to close the door once Beca has climbed in. “Guess I’m just an evening person, too.”
“You’re certainly something,” Beca chuckles as she clips her seatbelt into the holder, settling back comfortably into the seat. She notes the way she is watching Chloe through the windshield as she hurries to the driver’s side, and Beca doesn’t feel the need to stop herself.
Unlike last time—it is strange to think that it was only a matter of hours ago—Beca is not overcome with nerves as they begin their journey. In fact, there is an overwhelming sense of calmness washing throughout her, and as Beca glances toward the window, a part of her can almost see the appeal of the rain.
“Think you’ll go roller skating again?” Chloe asks conversationally, her voice easily pulling Beca’s focus.
Instinctively, she turns her head to settle her comfortable gaze on Chloe, and Beca responds with a small shrug. “I don’t know, maybe. I mean, it wouldn’t have been my first choice of activity, but I guess it turned out to be pretty fun.”
“Especially when you held my hand,” Chloe adds, and Beca notices the unmistakable smirk tugging at her lips.
An instant rush of heat surges to Beca’s cheeks, but it is fortunately too dark for Chloe to see it, even if she wasn’t staring so intently at the road. “Don’t call me out like that,” Beca chuckles softly, though she doesn’t turn away from Chloe. Instead, she finds herself watching her, studying her. She takes in the small pout to Chloe’s lips, the soft curve of her nose, and Beca doesn’t quite understand why she is focusing so hard on such small details, but she just...is.
“So I shouldn’t call you out for staring now, right?” Chloe grins. She isn’t even looking Beca’s way, but apparently she can see her from the corner of her eye, and Beca instantly bristles at yet another obvious call out.
“Dude,” she whines petulantly, sinking lower into her seat.
They have pulled up at a red light, but Chloe keeps her eyes on the road, and Beca watches her as she coolly lifts her hands from the wheel to run her fingers through her damp ginger locks. “Don’t worry, Bec. If I wasn’t driving, I’d be staring at you, too.”
Although she immediately pulls her gaze away, Beca’s expression doesn’t fall. If anything, her bashful smile only widens further, teeth gently sinking down into her bottom lip in a failed attempt to rein it in.
Beca wonders how obvious it is to Chloe, the fact that she cannot help but want her. She wonders if it has been obvious all along, in fact.
In the interest of not so openly staring at Chloe—and risking yet another call out—Beca turns her attention back to the window, watching the way the falling raindrops trickle down the glass. She hasn’t really been paying much mind to the music so far, but Beca catches herself quietly singing along with the current song only when Chloe points it out.
“You’re a really good singer,” Chloe comments through a breezy hum, and Beca is quickly pulled from her own private bubble. “You like Sam Hunt better than Demi, huh?”
“Oh,” Beca blushes in response, turning her head to glance Chloe’s way. “Thanks. Yeah, I guess some of his stuff is cool. Do you know Leave The Night On?”
“I do,” Chloe nods, motioning toward her phone. “It’s on this playlist. Put it on, if you want.”
Beca has already reached for the phone, and quickly scrolls to the correct song, tapping it to play. This time, as the music starts up, Chloe begins to sing, too. Despite herself, Beca cannot quite resist joining in.
With each new line, their volume rises, until they are practically screaming along with the lyrics, and Beca giggles in the same light way Chloe does at the sheer ridiculousness of the whole thing.
This time, as the truck slows down, Beca notices that they are nowhere near a traffic light, so her brows tug slightly as Chloe rolls the vehicle to a stop at the side of the road. “What are you doing?” she questions in confusion, sitting a little straighter as Chloe reaches to unclip both of their seatbelts.
“Appreciating the rain,” Chloe hums, restarting the song and twisting the dial to turn up the volume, before opening up the driver’s side door. “Come on.”
“What?” Beca hisses, though Chloe has already hopped out of the car, and something inside Beca tells her she has to follow. “Dude, it’s freezing!”
Rather than respond, Chloe has once again begun to sing along with the music, and while Beca thinks she is apparently totally crazy right now, she cannot help the way she chuckles as Chloe begins to twirl through the pouring rain, making her way toward her.
“Then dance, it’ll warm you up,” Chloe winks, reaching out to grab Beca’s hands.
“I don’t dance,” Beca protests perhaps a little too unconvincingly, though Chloe has already tugged her closer, and Beca cannot help her shrill laugh as Chloe releases one hand to lift the other and daintily twirl Beca on the spot.
“Sure you do,” Chloe giggles, hips swaying as she proceeds to twirl Beca again.
Evidently, she had gotten away much too easily with keeping her balance when they’d been skating earlier, because this time, Beca of course loses her footing, and she awaits the inevitable feeling of the wet concrete against her butt.
It doesn’t come, though. Before Beca properly falls, Chloe’s grip on her hand tightens, until her arm is circling around her waist again, and suddenly Beca’s body is pressed right up against Chloe’s. Their faces are incredibly close, but rather than freak out and take a step back like her brain is screaming at her to do, Beca finds herself simply watching Chloe. She watches the grin spread across her lips, takes note of her now much more faded gloss, before it falls to something of a more relaxed, contented smile, and despite the fact that the world around them is much darker now, she is positive she can see Chloe’s eyes sparkling like starlight through the pouring rain.
“Told you I wouldn’t let you fall,” Chloe breathes, gaze sweeping unabashedly over Beca’s face.
For some reason, Beca’s chest has begun to rise and fall much faster now, but she still doesn’t move away from Chloe. Despite the fact that she has steadied and found her balance, she remains tightly pressed up against her, hand still comfortably holding Chloe’s, and Beca registers the coddling feeling of a soft thumb sweeping over the back of her knuckles.
“I thought that was just a skating thing,” Beca responds in a softer voice, studying Chloe’s face through the fan of her lashes.
“It’s an always thing,” Chloe says in a tone soft enough to match Beca’s. While she keeps holding onto her hand, she brings the arm from around Beca’s waist until she can lift her hand to delicately push a chunk of rain dampened hair behind Beca’s ear.
Although Beca stares a moment longer, she only responds with a gentle, quiet nod, until they are finally releasing their grasps on one another’s hands.
Their brief detour lasts only the length of the song, and soon they are climbing back into Chloe’s truck, their soaked clothing much more uncomfortable than it had been before. Regardless, Beca doesn’t mind it. She doesn’t mind anything with Chloe, in fact.
The rest of their drive is done largely in silence, the hushed thrum of Chloe’s Spotify playlist in the background, but it is really not an uncomfortable quiet. Beca spends the time thinking about their detour, about the way her heart had begun to beat so rapidly in such a close proximity to Chloe, and when the truck finally rolls toward the end of Beca’s driveway, that same sad pull in her heart appears, the way it had earlier at the idea of them leaving the arcade.
“I’d walk you to your door, but I am not getting out in this,” Chloe jokes, relaxing back into the driver’s seat as she glances toward Beca.
Beca meets her bright gaze with an amused grin of her own, fingers pushing to release the seatbelt. “You’re ridiculous,” she teases, taking a moment to simply meet Chloe’s gaze, and Beca finds that the silence to follow doesn’t scare her, not like it maybe should.
“I had a really great day with you, Beca,” Chloe says into the comfortable quiet, lips curling upward into a natural, contented smile. “Even if you did kick my butt at air hockey.”
While Beca smirks softly at the comment, she nods her head along, too. “I had a great day with you, too.” There is a brief pause, another small stretch of comfortable silence, before Beca finally shuffles in her seat. “I should probably get inside. Um, but I’ll text you later?”
“I’d be sad if you didn’t,” Chloe says, offering Beca another kind smile.
Easily, Beca returns it, before twisting her body to push open the passenger door. She is about halfway out when she feels a gentle tug on her arm, and Beca turns around to allow Chloe to effortlessly pull her in. Beca doesn’t move away, not as Chloe leans forward to push her lips, soft and pouted, gently against Beca’s. In fact, she doesn’t even hesitate; her lids quickly flutter shut, and Beca reciprocates the kiss just as easily as breathing.
It is a smooth, slow peck, but Beca is filled with that now familiar feeling of warmth as they finally part, and her teeth sink instantly into her bottom lip in reaction.
There is an air of serenity around them as Beca finally forces herself to climb from the truck, gently closing the door behind her. A part of her really wants to turn around when she hears the engine starting up, to catch another quick glimpse of Chloe before the day is through, but she stops herself, and instead slowly makes her way toward the house, a part of her appreciating the rain just that little bit more.
She has barely made it through the front door, hair drenched from the downpour outside, when she feels her phone vibrate in her back pocket. Immediately, Beca slips her hand back to pull it out, and she cannot even attempt to rein in the elated expression that bursts onto her features as she reads over the incoming messages.
Chloe 🌻
hey, bec?
i think i’m falling now, too.