Work Text:
“No Mark, I told you to let me handle it,” Beca mutters into the receiver of her phone, holding her to-go-cup in her other hand as she strides down the crowded street towards the label.
She’s running a bit late thanks to the plumber guy who showed up at her door just as she was about to head out.
“I’m here in two minutes. Hold the elevator!” She shouts as she rounds the corner once she’s inside the building, quickening her stride. Mark’s what makes her roll her eyes. “No, not you , Mark.”
Beca makes it inside just before the doors shut, glaring at the dude who clearly heard her but didn’t make a move to block them.
“Thanks,” she mutters sarcastically, hitting the button for the 43rd floor.
As the elevator goes up, Beca lifts her phone upon feeling it vibrate in her hand with a new email. The name of the sender makes her do a double-take, and she swipes her thumb across the screen to unlock it.
From: Aubrey Posen
Hi Beca,
I hope this is the right email address. I know we haven’t spoken in a few years, but I just wanted to invite you to the Bellas reunion I’m throwing on the Fourth of July, at my house in Boston. The girls and I would love it if you could come.
Aubrey
Beca blinks a few times and leans back against the bars, puffing out a breath as a wave of nostalgia sweeps over her insides. The Bellas . She hasn’t thought about her friends in a while, and that very realization has guilt swoop in instead.
Knowing the further she thinks about it the more likely she is to chicken out, Beca picks her heart over her brain, tapping her screen and typing out a reply.
Hey Aubrey,
I’ll be there.
Beca
Fast forward six months and a two-and-a-half-hour drive to Boston, Beca thoroughly regrets her decision as she stands in front of Aubrey’s suburban brick house. She wipes her sweaty hands on her denim shorts -- she’s changed three, no , four times, eventually settling for those paired with a simple grey v-neck t- shirt and red low converse -- and presses the doorbell.
When, after a minute and another attempt, nobody answers, Beca wraps her hand around the knob and twists, pushing the door open.
“Hello?” She calls out, popping her head inside.
Music and chatter is carrying through the house from the other side, so Beca invites herself in and rounds the corner, spotting her friends hanging in the garden through the open bay window. Nerves knot her stomach and her heart beats in her ears as she slowly walks over, hovering by the ledge and taking in the scene before her.
She spots Aubrey and Emily chatting first, a child no older than five standing by Aubrey’s side and tugging on the hem of her shirt. Emily is pregnant . A handful of kids are running around, chasing after Amy.
And then there’s Chloe.
Dressed in a long, flower patterned skirt and a burgundy tank top, her hair styled in a bob and her skin sun-kissed. She is talking to Stacie next to the swing set, and Beca feels that familiar pull she hasn’t experienced in close to ten years.
“Shortstack! Are you just gonna stand there or come say hey?”
Beca snaps out of her daze, blinking twice in rapid succession and glancing to her left to find Cynthia-Rose staring at her expectantly, a wide grin spread across her features. The chatter dies down save for the children shrieking as they chase after Amy, and all heads turn to Beca, who blushes furiously.
(she’s yet to master the attention being solely on herself, and she doubts she ever will.)
“Oh my god, sorry,” she eventually manages, releasing a strained chuckle and convincing her legs to carry her down the step and forward. “Hey.”
Cynthia-Rose steps forward to pull her into a loose hug. “It’s good to see you.”
“You, too,” Beca murmurs, taken aback by the sudden lump in her throat as she backs away.
“You made it.”
She turns around to face a smiling Aubrey and nods, relieved that the chatter around them resumes. “Thanks for inviting me.”
Aubrey frowns a little. “You’re a Bella, of course you’re invited. We're family."
Beca’s heart swells and tears prick behind her eyes. Family. “Yeah, of course, I just figured, um…”
“None of that,” Aubrey interrupts, tugging her in for a quick hug. “I’m happy you came.”
She greets everyone else one by one. Emily immediately gushes over the song she’s worked on with Shawn Mendes which was released last month, Jessica and Ashley demand to know the spicy gossip among A-listers, and Stacie comments on how hot she looks.
“Hey stranger,” Chloe says with a smile once Beca eventually makes it to her.
She hears Stacie excuse herself and clears her throat, glancing down at her feet. “I guess I deserve that.”
“Hey, no,” Chloe murmurs, shaking her head. “I didn’t mean it that way. We’re all happy you could make it, no hard feelings.” She opens her arms. “Don’t I get a hug?”
“Oh, sorry, yeah of course.” Stepping forward, Beca wraps her arms around Chloe’s slim waist, her hug lingering a few beats longer than the other ones she’s given so far. “It’s good to see you, Chlo.”
“You too, Bec.”
She’s even more radiant than Beca remembers. “You look good.”
“Thanks. So do you. Congrats on… everything.”
“Oh, that,” Beca chuckles, rubbing the back of her neck in awkwardness. Compliments? Hasn’t mastered that yet either. “Thank you. What, um, what do you do now?”
Shame once again grips her insides at the realization that she knows nothing about her former best friend anymore. Once upon a time, she and Chloe told each other everything.
Well, almost everything.
“I’m a school teacher. I just got a new job, actually, in New York.”
Beca blinks, her breathing altering over that piece of information. “Really? You’re-- you’re gonna be living in New York?”
Before Chloe can answer, a kid collides with her.
“Mom,” the little girl says, setting her chin on Chloe’s hip as she gazes up at her, arms wrapped around her waist. “I’m thirsty.”
Oh.
Beca shouldn’t be surprised, really. The last time she heard of Chloe, she was engaged to Army Boy, so it’s only natural they had kids together since she knows Chloe has always wanted to be a mom.
Chloe’s fingers card through the girl’s red hair as she smiles. “No wonder, you’ve been chasing Aunt Amy around for fifteen minutes.”
“She’s funny.”
Chloe chuckles. “That she is.” She glances to Beca, then back to her daughter. “This is my friend Beca, baby.”
Chloe’s daughter gasps, her eyes flickering to Beca as she turns around. “The Beca from the apapella videos??”
Another laugh flits past Chloe’s lips. “Yes. And it’s acapella.”
“You’re a Bella, too??”
Beca snickers at the girl’s barely contained glee. “I am. And what’s your name?”
“Riley.”
A soft smile spreads across Beca’s lips; she really is Chloe’s carbon copy, and it’s adorable. “Well, it’s very nice to meet you, Riley.”
“You, too!” She cranes her neck up to look at Chloe next. “Can I have a coke?”
“Half a glass, otherwise you’ll be bouncing off the walls at bedtime, pumpkin.”
Riley giggles. “K!” She takes off with unbridled energy, drawing twin chuckles from Beca and Chloe as they watch on.
“Wow. So you’re a mom, huh?” She guesses that’s where Chloe’s glow comes from. “How old is she?”
“She just turned seven last spring.”
Something (she means, a kid) bumps into Chloe’s legs from behind this time, and Beca catches sheepish blue eyes peeking out from behind Chloe’s skirt staring at her.
“What are you doing, baby?” Chloe asks, amusement coloring her tone. “Are you being shy?” She turns around and scoops the child up, propping him on her hip. He’s got brown curly hair and Chloe’s eyes and looks around two or three years old. “This is my friend Beca. Can you say hello?”
He rests his head on Chloe’s shoulder, observing Beca for a handful of seconds before giving her a small wave.
“And this is Elliot,” Chloe fills in. “He’s two and a half.”
“He’s beautiful,” Beca murmurs. You’re beautiful, she thinks as she glances back to Chloe, the natural thought surprising her. “So how many more of this bunch are yours?” She asks with a smirk, tilting her chin towards where the group of kids is playing.
Chloe giggles. “That’s it. And it’s more than enough.”
“Mommy, down pwease,” Elliot requests, and Chloe sets him down after kissing his forehead. He toddles back towards the group, shrieking when he’s scooped up mid-run by Amy.
Beca scans the dozen people spread out throughout the garden. Chloe isn’t wearing a wedding ring, and she can’t help but wonder--
“So, your... husband couldn’t make it?”
Chloe shakes her head. “Ex. I’m divorced.”
“Oh shit, Chloe, I’m sorry.”
And she is. Sort of. All she wants is Chloe’s happiness, even if she can’t be the one to give it to her. She learned that a while ago, as difficult as it was to accept.
“It’s fine. I’m fine. It was a long time coming.”
Beca doesn’t really know what to reply to that as her thoughts zero on the fact that Chloe is single. “As long as you’re okay, that’s what matters.”
“What about you? Are you… seeing anyone?”
Beca’s nose crinkles at that. “God, no. I don’t have time for that.”
She quickly backtracks, because Chloe is single, and Beca doesn’t want her to believe that she isn’t interested.
Because she is. Apparently. Jeez, it’s only been five minutes and she already feels the need to sit down to stop her head from spinning. She needs a drink. Something strong, preferably.
“What I mean is, dating is exhausting and awkward. Small talk, having to make an effort to reply to texts and all that stuff, you know?”
Chloe laughs. “Believe me, I do. That’s been my life for the past year. And when a good one comes along and I mention my two kids on the fifth date? Poof, they’re gone.”
“Assholes.”
Chloe’s shoulder lifts in a half-shrug. “I mean… I’d rather they realize it’s too much for them and be honest about it before they actually meet them than six months in, you know?”
“Yeah, totally. That makes sense.” Beca licks her lips, steeling herself for a few beats. “So, um, New York?”
“Yeah. New York. We just moved into our new place in Queens a couple of weeks ago. I’m starting in the last week of August at my new school. I’m glad I have most of the summer to get to know the city a little bit more.”
Beca smiles. “Yeah, New York in the summer is pretty amazing. There’s a bunch of kid-friendly festivals.”
“Oh, nice.”
She wants to ask Chloe if she wants to hang out since they’ll be living in the same city but ultimately decides against it. While Chloe said it was fine, Beca isn’t sure where they stand after that decade of near radio-silence on her end.
“Food’s ready!” Aubrey calls out before she can ponder further on that.
The rest of the afternoon is a blast: they play a bunch of games, reminisce about their days as Bellas, and, once they are a bit tipsy from sipping punch all day long, even reenact some of the numbers.
It being a holiday doesn’t mean Beca can totally let go of work, and she has to step back inside for a moment to answer a call from one of her artists, settling on the bottom step of the staircase.
“I’ll be back in the office tomorrow and we can discuss it then, alright? Okay, cool. See you then.”
“Everything okay?”
Beca looks up from her phone to find Chloe padding towards her with Elliot in her arms. The sight makes her smile; she’s not totally used to Mom Chloe yet, but it definitely suits her.
She stands, tucking her phone into her back pocket. “Yep, just work stuff.”
“Right. Well, I’m going to put this guy to bed.” She’s about to walk past Beca, freezing on the bottom step. “Shoot.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I forgot his lovey in the car and he won’t fall asleep without it.”
“I’ll go get it, where are you parked and what does it look like?”
Chloe casts her a grateful smile. “It’s the red Hyundai parked right out front, and his binkie should be by his car seat, it’s an elephant.”
“Got it. I’ll meet you upstairs.”
Once Beca has grabbed Elliot’s lovey from the car, she heads upstairs and follows the light pouring into the hallway from the open door at the end of it.
“Thank you,” Chloe says when she rounds the corner, as she tucks the covers around Elliot. She takes the lovey from Beca and hands it over, bending down to press a kiss to her son’s forehead. “Goodnight, baby.”
“Mommy, stay.”
Chloe sighs. “Alright, until you fall asleep. Maybe Beca will keep me company until then?” She asks with a raised eyebrow, eyes finding Beca’s.
Beca smiles. She could use a break from the craziness going on outside. “Yeah, sure.”
She gently sits on Elliot’s other side, toeing off her shoes and extending her legs out on the mattress, propping her back against the headboard. She quietly watches as Chloe runs her fingers through Elliot’s hair, a loving, serene smile curving her lips.
“Are you spending the night here?” Chloe whispers a few seconds later, meeting Beca’s gaze.
“No,” Beca whispers back. “I didn’t think I’d stay this long, to be honest. I thought it would be awkward, because I hadn’t seen your guys in so long, y’know? But I really had a good time. The most fun I had in years.” She’s definitely a little tipsy, sharing her feelings so openly. “I’m gonna call a cab and get a hotel room in the city, I think.”
Chloe nods. “I really meant it when I said I’m glad you came, you know. I can tell you feel guilty about drifting away from us, and I want you to know you don’t have to feel that way. Life happens. People drift apart. I guess it took a couple of years for me to understand that, but once I had Riley, my priorities shifted and my daughter always came first. I just want to focus on the fact that we’re all together again and what an amazing time today was.”
Beca puffs out a breath as she lets Chloe’s words sink in. It baffles her how well Chloe is still able to read her like an open book despite the decade they’ve spent apart.
She finds it both intimidating and comforting.
“You really haven’t changed, huh?” Her voice cracks a little. “You’re still the most beautiful person I know. Inside and out.”
Redness coats Chloe’s cheeks as she looks down, her hair curtaining her features from Beca.
“Today made me realize how much I missed you guys, and I don’t want my job to get in the way as much as it did in the past decade,” Beca continues. “Could we… hang out once in a while since we both live in the same city now?”
Chloe glances back up and smiles. Her eyes are full of sunshine, and Beca feels her heart settle. “I’d really like that.”
*
Before leaving Aubrey’s that night, Beca enters Chloe’s phone number into her phone and promises to keep in touch.
Which she does, by sending her a text the following Tuesday morning.
(she would have done so on Friday after the party but didn’t want to come across as clingy)
Beca
Hey Chloe, it’s Beca. How have you been?
The reply comes a mere minute later, drawing a smile from Beca as she picks her phone off the desk and reads Chloe’s message.
Chloe
Hi!! Going a bit stir-crazy in the house as it’s too hot in the afternoon to take the kids out. I’ve played every single board game we own about three times now 😅 how are you?
Beca
Oh, that sounds exhausting. I’m good, work has been busy as usual but I’m taking the afternoon off. I was wondering if you guys wanted to hang at my house later today, I figured Riley and Elliot might enjoy the pool?
Chloe’s reply has a bright chuckle puff free.
Chloe
How soon can we come over?
She texts Chloe her address and tells her she’s just leaving the label now and that they can come at any time an hour from now. She stops on her way home to get snacks and drinks, then changes out of her work suit and into mesh shorts and a T-shirt. Her heart jolts a little when the doorbell to her brownstone sounds, and she stands from the couch, walking over and pulling the door open with a bright smile.
Chloe stands on the other side, Elliot propped on her hip while she holds onto Riley’s hand. She’s dressed in denim shorts and a red v-neck tee, her hair up in a messy bun and sunglasses resting atop her head. Riley is clad in a yellow sundress and sandals and Elliot has on a pair of khakis and a sailor shirt, his hair a bit disheveled like he just woke up from his nap. “Hi!”
“Hey guys, come on in,” Beca says, opening the door wider to let the small family through.
Riley lets go of Chloe’s hand and edges towards the upright piano tucked in one of the living room corners.
“Careful, honey,” Chloe calls out, setting her diaper bag down.
“It’s fine,” Beca assures her, then waves at a shy-looking Elliot, who buries his face into Chloe’s neck. She chuckles, dropping her hand to the side.
“It takes him a while to warm up to strangers,” Chloe explains.
Beca shakes her head, smiling. “It’s all good.”
“You live here?” Chloe asks as she ventures further inside, awe painted in her features.
“Nah, I live next door but I broke into this one so we could use the pool.” That earns her a soft glare, and Beca laughs, burying her hands in her pockets as she shuffles awkwardly on her feet. “Yeah, I bought it two years ago. I don’t know why, it’s way too big for just one person.”
“It’s gorgeous,” Chloe gushes, her head on a swivel as she takes it all in.
“Can we go to the pool now?” Riley asks her small body seemingly about to burst with eagerness. At Chloe’s look, she sheepishly adds, “Please?”
Beca nods. “Of course, let’s go.”
The pool is out through the back door of the kitchen, surrounded by four stripes of grass and fence panels for a bit of privacy. Two lounging chairs sit at the edge, and Beca bought a few inflatable ride-ons at the store earlier for the kids. She barely uses that pool and didn’t have anything cool to play with.
“A unicorn!” Riley gasps as soon as they step outside.
“Let’s put some sunscreen on you first, missy,” Chloe says, placing Elliot and her bag down on one of the chairs. Beca heads back inside to get snacks and drinks, setting the cooler down between the two lounging chairs. Chloe gives her an amused look. “Are we expecting more people?”
Beca cringes. “Um, no? I might have gone slightly overboard.”
“Can I go now, mom?” Riley asks as she impatiently waits for Chloe to be done applying sunscreen to her back.
“Go on.” She laughs as Riley runs and cannonballs into the pool, surfacing a few beats later. “She’s such a water kid.”
“I go too!” Elliot exclaims, hopping off the chair before Chloe yanks him back gently.
“You mister, need your armbands.” Elliot adorably stands still through it all, Chloe patting his butt once she’s done with the sunscreen and strapping the floating bands to his arms. “Don’t run, baby.”
The toddler nods and walks to the stairs, carefully climbing down step by step until he’s fully in the water.
“What?” Chloe asks when she catches Beca looking at her.
“Nothing it’s just—” She shakes her head, a dazed sort of expression stuck on her face as she lowers herself on the other chair. “You’re a mom . It’s gonna take me a while to get used to that. But you’re a natural, and your kids are amazing.”
“You haven’t witnessed a toddler tantrum yet, and it shows,” Chloe jokes, keeping a cautious eye on her kids as they splash around in the pool, a fond smile spreading across her features. “But yeah... I kinda like them.”
Silence stretches between them, save for the shrieks and laughter of two kids having the time of their lives a dozen feet away.
Beca reaches into the cooler, extending a can of grapefruit LaCroix to Chloe as she reclines back. “I hope this flavor is still your favorite.”
“Oooh, I haven’t had one of those in a while, thank you.” Chloe sets it down on the ground beside her chair and swiftly reaches for the hem of her t-shirt, whipping it over her head to reveal a red bikini top.
Beca lies transfixed by the sight of Chloe’s smooth skin and toned stomach; she may have birthed two kids but still looks like a goddess . Beca is thankful for the sunglasses covering her eyes as she’s downright ogling.
“Beca!” The voice manages to snap her out of her moment, and Beca clears her throat, feeling the tips of her ears burn as she glances in Riley’s direction. “Come play!”
She huffs a chuckle in fake-annoyance. “Alright, alright, I’m coming.”
Elliot falls asleep in Chloe’s arms before the family is even out the door nearly four hours later, spent by his afternoon out in the pool. Riley pouts because they have to leave, and Chloe thanks Beca again, shooting her smile over her shoulder as she drags a reluctant seven-year-old along.
Beca’s house suddenly feels cold and empty, but the smile on her lips is bound to stick around for a while longer.
*
“I need a huge favor.”
Beca chuckles into the receiver of her phone, the device wedged between her ear and shoulder as she chops up some vegetables.
(after spending five years and quite the fortune on take-out, Beca forced herself to cook more, and actually learned to like it.)
“What’s up, Chlo?”
The last three weeks have been pretty blissful since reconnecting with Chloe. They hung out several times, either at the park, Beca’s house, or Chloe’s apartment, easily falling back into that same friendship dynamic even after not speaking for nearly a decade.
The more they hang out, the further Beca realizes that, even after all this time, she still hasn’t managed to completely get over Chloe Beale. Old feelings she believed to be gone soon resurfaced, rooting themselves deeper with every laugh, smile, and touch.
The only thing different from ten years ago is that Beca is not as dense as she used to be. She notices the way Chloe looks at her, too, and it makes her heart stutter each time. It also makes her wonder if Chloe felt something for her too, back then, but she tries not to let the what-ifs and should-haves tint their fresh start, willing herself to focus on the present and what could possibly be.
But it is not that simple; Beca is painfully aware of that. Chloe has two kids, and with that comes a lot of responsibilities, and Beca isn’t totally sure she has the shoulders.
It feels entirely too soon to consider it, anyway. She wants to focus on their friendship first because having Chloe back in her life has truly been wonderful and she's not about to ruin that.
Elliot has yet to completely warm up to Beca, but she’s not pushing it, knowing he’ll come around in his own time.
Riley, on the other hand, is attached to her hip every time they see one another. That little girl is Chloe through and through, which is probably why she’s Beca’s exception to her usual aversion to children.
“Elliot is feverish and has a bad cough, so I need to take him to the doctor. Could I drop Riley off at your place on the way there?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“Thank you, you’re a lifesaver.”
The doorbell rings twenty minutes later, and Beca lets Riley inside, waving at Chloe before she drives off.
“What’s up, kid?” She asks as Riley looks at her expectantly, realizing she’s actually never babysat before. “You hungry?”
“Not really,” Riley replies with a shrug, looking around. “Can you teach me how to play the piano?”
Music. Alright, that she can do. “Sure, yeah.”
Riley grins and runs to the instrument, scrambling up on the bench. Laughing at her eagerness, Beca follows, lowering herself beside her.
“Beca?” Riley asks before they can start. “Do you love my mom?”
The question stills the air in Beca’s lungs and her spine stiffens. Before she can open up that can of worms about whether she is in love with Chloe, she remembers the question comes from a seven-year-old, and love probably doesn’t mean the same thing to Riley as it does to her. “Um, of course, I do. She’s very important to me, kid.”
Riley huffs. “No, but like, love love.”
Beca clears her throat as her mind starts to reel. Should she lie? What is even the truth? Riley speaks again before she can scrape words together to form a sentence.
“She just smiles and laughs a lot when you’re around.”
Beca takes a deep breath. “Love is a bit more complicated than that, Riley.”
“I know. That’s what mommy said when daddy left.”
Chloe hasn’t shared anything about the reason behind her divorce. Beca knows he doesn’t live in NYC, and that Chloe has full custody, but she hasn’t pushed Chloe into finding out more.
“Your dad left?” she asks softly, unable to help herself. She knows; she shouldn’t be asking Riley about this, but her curiosity gets the best of her.
Riley nods. “To be with another lady. Elliot was still in mommy’s belly. They yelled a lot and she told daddy to go. And then she cried a lot. That’s why I don’t want to see daddy ever again.”
Beca stomachs all that information as best as she can while keeping her emotions in check for Riley’s sake. A mix of anger and sadness fills her chest as she thinks about what Chloe must have gone through, but she pushes against it, mustering a smile.
“Well, I care about your mom a lot, and I promise I will always do my best to make her smile and laugh.”
Seemingly satisfied with that answer, Riley nods, turning back to the piano keys. Beca introduces her to the first notes, using animal names as she learned herself when she first started playing the piano as a kid. Riley is extremely focused, her bottom lip wedged between her teeth and an adorable crease forming between her eyebrows as she tries to remember everything.
“Hellooo?” Chloe’s voice carries throughout the house about an hour later.
“Mom!” Riley scrambles off the bench and dashes to the door to meet her, her next sentence bursting out of her at lightning speed. “Beca is teaching me how to play the piano! She says I’m good at it!”
Chloe beams, her eyes wide as she takes it all in. Elliot is passed out in her arms, looking pale and feverish. “She is? That’s great, baby.”
“Can I practice some more before we go?”
“Five minutes, then we have to head home.” She watches Riley disappear around the corner, facing Beca in the next beat. “Thank you for watching her.”
“Don’t mention it,” Beca says, waving it off. “How is he?”
“Just a nasty cold that baby Tylenol could have fixed, but I didn’t want to take any chances. Everything go okay?”
Beca nods. “Yep. You’ve got a future piano player in the making.”
Chloe smiles. “I might look into signing her up for piano lessons, then,” she pauses, adjusting Elliot against her. “You wanna come over for dinner tomorrow night?”
“Yeah, definitely. Let me know what I should bring.”
“Just yourself,” Chloe says. “Riley, let’s go!”
Beca’s heart doubles in size as two arms wraps tightly around her waist, Riley pressing her head against her sternum. “Bye, Aunt Beca.”
The unexpected title brings stupid tears to her eyes, which Beca hastily tries to blink away, but she knows from Chloe’s amused smile that she definitely noticed. Beca feels like she doesn’t deserve it, not after being MIA for so long. “Bye, kid. See you tomorrow.”
*
Summer eventually fades to fall. The tree leaves don their gold and scarlet hues and the chill in the air makes being outside much more pleasant. Between Chloe’s school year starting and Beca’s busy schedule, they only hang out on weekends, but it’s rare that she and Chloe spend a day without talking to each other.
Beca wakes up on the morning of her thirty-fifth birthday in a pretty grim mood. She kind of hates her birthday. Has ever since her parents’ divorce. She will admit that she didn’t hate it as much in the Barden days, because Chloe would plan a whole day of activities, which Beca would grump her way through, even though she secretly loved it.
It falls on a Saturday this year, so at least it means she gets to sleep in. Chloe told her she was out of town for the weekend, which doesn’t help with Beca’s mood, because yes, she had secretly been hoping she’d get to spend today with her favorite little family.
She’s drinking her first cup of coffee, the blues record playing throughout her home gently drawing her out of her sleepy state, when the doorbell rings. Brow furrowed, Beca sets her cup down on the kitchen island and weaves through her living room towards the entryway, surprise flashing in her eyes when she sees Chloe, Riley, and Elliot on the other side of the door.
“What…”
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” Riley shouts, launching forward for a hug.
“Happy Birdday!” Elliot echoes, mimicking his sister and wrapping his tiny arms around Beca’s legs.
Crouching down to give them a proper embrace, Beca finds Chloe’s eyes over the top of their heads. Her heart has never felt fuller. “I thought you guys were away this weekend?”
“We wanted it to be a surprise!” Riley exclaims as she pulls away. “I learned a song in piano class. Can I go play, Aunt Beca?”
Beca chuckles. “Sure thing, kid.”
As Elliot dashes after his sister, Beca straightens up, clearing the emotions lodged in her throat.
“You really thought we’d be away on your birthday?” Chloe asks, lips curved in amusement. “We’re kidnapping you for a picnic at the park. Unless you wanna spend the day chilling, and if so we just wanted to drop by to wish you a happy birthday in person.”
Beca heaves out an exaggerated sigh. “I guess a picnic in the park sounds like fun.”
Chloe laughs, poking her in the stomach. “Go get dressed then, weirdo.”
Chloe hasn’t lost her ability to birthday plan hard, even if the big party where they usually got shit-faced turned into a chill afternoon at the park. The sun is out and warm against Beca’s face as she lies on the picnic blanket, full from the wonderful meal Chloe prepared for them. Riley and Elliot are having fun on the playground while Chloe sits next to her, reclining on her elbows.
“Thanks for this,” Beca murmurs, rolling her head to the side and meeting Chloe’s gaze.
“Of course.”
“I can’t believe I’m thirty-five,” she mutters. “When I was 18 people over thirty seemed so old .”
“Hey, you don’t get to complain, I’m the one who’s two years away from the big 4-0,” Chloe laughs.
Beca chuckles, sobering up a beat later. “Do you ever miss it? Barden?”
“Sometimes. But the fact that we’re all still friends a decade later makes me feel grateful, you know?”
Beca feels her chest constrict, and she sucks in a deep breath as she breaks eye-contact. “Yeah…”
Chloe glances back to her children, observing them for a moment. “What happened, Bec? Why did you… pull away all the sudden?”
Beca should have expected that question to surface at some point. Even if Chloe insisted she forgives her, Beca can’t blame her for being curious. And maybe it’s time Beca poured her heart out there, too, instead of running from her feelings.
She’s made that mistake once before.
Beca sits up slowly, lifting her sunglasses from her eyes. She squints a bit against the sunlight, steeling herself.
“I was in love with you. All that time, while we lived in that tiny-ass apartment, and probably even well before that. And every day I told myself that I needed to tell you, but I chickened out each time because I was terrified of losing the most important person in my life. And then you kissed Army boy, and something just... broke within me, and when the wedding invitation popped up a year later, I realized I couldn’t do it,” Beca pauses, swallowing around the lump forming in her throat. “I couldn’t stay friends with you if that meant I couldn’t have all of you. Each message, each picture on social media, you being happy with someone else… it felt like a twist of the knife, and I knew I had to cut the cord. And I’m so sorry I hurt you in the process, Chlo, but I couldn’t be like this anymore.”
Beca inhales sharply when she is done talking, both to fill her deprived lungs and to brace herself for Chloe’s response, which doesn’t come right away. It is as though Beca can see and hear the cogs churn in Chloe’s brain as she processes everything.
“You-- you were in love with me?” She eventually croaks out, eyebrows knitting together. “All that time?”
Beca nods, her gaze fleeing Chloe’s and settling on her children. Those wonderful children, who wouldn’t be here if Beca had been honest with Chloe all along, and that thought is the only thing that alleviates the current ache in Beca’s chest.
Half a minute passes before Chloe speaks.
“I kissed him to make you jealous, you know.”
Chloe’s words make Beca’s attention snap back to her so quickly something pulls in Beca’s neck. Her body registers them before her mind does, and her ears get muffled by the rampant beating of her heart.
“What?” Beca breathes, her voice nowhere within reach.
Chloe nods. “So I wasn’t much better as far as being a chicken goes.” She glances down, pulling a handful of grass from the ground. “And when Chicago told me he wanted to give us a shot, I agreed. He felt safe, convenient. Husband-material.” She shakes her head, puffing out a humorless chuckle. “That makes me sound so shallow, but I did fall in love with him somewhere down the line, once I managed to let you go. And we had five good years, and two amazing children who are my whole life, so I can’t exactly regret what could have been, not when I have them,” Chloe pauses, meeting her eyes. “And not... when there’s still hope about what could be.”
Beca’s breathing stills as the meaning behind Chloe’s words fully sink in.
“If by any chance, I’m reading the signals right and you still feel the same way.”
“Mom!” Riley cuts through Beca’s spiraling thoughts a few seconds later, and she physically jolts when the little girl plops down on the blanket. “I’m hungry.”
“Still?” Chloe’s laugh is a bit strained as she tears her gaze away from Beca to focus on her daughter. Elliot isn’t far behind, requesting some juice as he sits down next to his sister.
She can tell Chloe is purposely avoiding her gaze as she pulls out the tupperware holding the cookies, and her hands are shaking slightly as she pops a straw into a box of apple juice to hand it to her son.
“Aunt Beca?” Riley asks as she munches on the cookie Chloe’s given her, drawing Beca’s attention away from Chloe. “How weird would it be if we were squirrels?”
Beca chuckles. “I think being able to climb trees and stuff would be pretty cool. How weird would it be if we were hedgehogs, though?”
“Or birds!” Riley exclaims. She giggles. “Mommy would be a silly bird.”
“Hey,” Chloe says, feigning offense.
“She would, huh?” Beca murmurs. “She would sing all the time. It would be annoying.”
“Will you two quit ganging up on me?” Chloe mutters, wrapping her arms around Elliot as he snuggles into her lap. “At least you’re still on my side huh, little man?”
“I like it when Mommy sings,” Riley objects, glancing up at Beca with an adorable frown.
“I’m just kidding, Ry,” Beca assures softly, then lowers her tone. “Tell you a secret, I think your mom has the most beautiful voice on Earth.”
Riley’s eyes pop wide. “On Earth? ”
“Yep,” Beca confirms. “It’s like-- her voice makes everything inside you feel peaceful, you know? It takes away your sadness and fills you with happiness instead.”
Her gaze flickers up to Chloe, and she hopes the light in her eyes and smile conveys that she does, feel the same way.
*
It’s a little after six when they finally make it back to Chloe’s place. Beca stays over for dinner (Riley gave her those puppy eyes that she inherited from her mom, so she stood no chance really, not that she wanted to go home anyway), which consists of cheese sticks and nuggets, the kids’ favorite.
She cleans up the kitchen while Chloe goes through their bedtime routine a little after eight, pouring the last of the bottle of wine in hers and Chloe’s glasses and hoping they can pick up their conversation where they left off.
Nerves sprout in her belly as she hears Chloe’s footsteps down the hall, and she wills her heart to chill the fuck out because it feels like it’s about to burst out of her chest.
“Hi,” Chloe murmurs, leaning against the door frame for a moment and staring at Beca with a fond smile on her lips.
“Hey,” Beca replies as she stands by the kitchen island. “Are they asleep?”
Nodding, Chloe pushes off the door frame and slowly pads over, stopping right in front of Beca.
“You look nervous,” she observes with a soft expression, finding Beca’s hand by her side and loosely lacing their fingers.
The touch grounds Beca, who lets her gaze flicker down to Chloe’s mouth. “I am, a little bit.”
“Me, too,” Chloe admits with a sheepish smile, and they both let out a chuckle. “I feel like a teenager about to kiss their high-school crush for the first time.”
Beca snickers, leaning forward to rest her forehead against Chloe’s collarbone. She feels the vibrations of Chloe’s quiet laughter and lifts her head, curling her free hand around Chloe’s hip bone and tugging her closer as she cranes her neck, their lips softly meeting in the middle. They slide together in a gentle, slow kiss, then apart in a sweet pull.
The hum that surfaces from Chloe’s throat pebbles Beca’s skin with goosebumps as she dips in again, this time with more confidence. Chloe’s hand drifts up to rest on her neck, cool and soft against Beca’s skin. She parts her mouth a little, drawing Beca in as her tongue sweeps over Beca’s bottom lip.
Beca’s mind feels upside-down when they part half a minute later to suck some oxygen into their lungs. “Better than your high-school crush?”
The giggle that bursts past Chloe’s lips is music to her ears. “By a thousand miles.” She sobers up, pushing a strand of hair behind Beca’s hair. “Are you sure you’re okay with me being a package deal? Because if you have doubts…”
Beca shakes her head. She has never been more sure about anything else. “I want everything with you.”
The good times, the bad times, the joys, and the hardships. The date nights in, the bedtime routines, the early mornings, the chaotic breakfasts, the cheese sticks and nuggets, the tantrums, the piano recitals, and whatever else Chloe is comfortable making her a part of.
“Okay,” Chloe murmurs, exhaling as tears gather in her eyes.
Beca smiles and kisses her again.
*
They take it slow.
Chloe is a bit reluctant to break the news to her children too soon, understandably so. So they sneak around after their bedtime, Riley, and Elliot seemingly unfazed by the fact that Beca is around a lot more from October onwards. Whenever the kids are around, they settle for subtle touches here and there: Beca’s hand on the small of Chloe’s back when reaching for a mug in the cupboard, or their pinkies briefly interlocking during a stroll in the park.
Beca doesn’t ever remember being this happy. It’s like something clicked into place within her, like she finally found the remaining piece of her puzzle.
Three pieces, in her case.
The kids are much more perceptive than she and Chloe thought, Beca realizes one mid-November evening. She was grabbing something from Chloe’s bedroom, freezing behind Elliot’s ajar bedroom door when she hears Riley’s question.
“Mommy, are you and Aunt Beca going to get married?”
“What?” Chloe murmurs after a beat of silence. “Why would you ask that, sweetie?”
“You kiss. We saw,” Elliot pipes up. “On the mouth.”
Beca peeks past the door, relieved to find Chloe smiling, as she wanted to wait a bit more before telling them.
“So?” Riley presses when Chloe remains silent.
“Well, I don’t know. Not right now, that’s for sure, it’s too early for that.”
“Elliot and I think you should. Because she makes you smile a lot.”
Beca clutches her chest, blinking the moistness gathering in her eyes.
“So you’re both okay with Beca and I being together?”
The twin nods following Chloe’s question makes Beca’s heart triple in size, and she quietly heads back to the living room, wiping a tear that slid down her cheek.
She settles on the couch, scrolling through her phone until Chloe joins her, curling up against her side. “Everything okay?”
“Well, I guess we weren’t as sneaky as we thought, because they apparently know about us.”
Beca chuckles, pressing a kiss to Chloe’s forehead. “I heard. Are you okay?”
Chloe lifts her head from Beca’s shoulder and pecks her lips. “Yeah. More than okay.” She rests her forehead against Beca’s, smiling softly. “I love you.”
Beca closes her eyes, basking in this newfound, unparalleled happiness. “I love you, too.”
*
“Kids, your dad is here!” Beca shouts up the stairs.
“Coming!”
She turns around and smiles at Chicago, bracing a hand on her bulging belly as she waddles to the fridge. “Can I get you anything to drink?”
Chicago shakes his head. “I’m good, thanks.”
Three years have passed since that kiss in Chloe’s kitchen. She and the kids moved into Beca’s house a year later, and Beca proposed six months afterward. They’re still not married, having decided to launch into having a baby first as the process could be lengthy and their biological clock was ticking.
When Chicago moved to Philadelphia a year into them dating, Chloe insisted that Riley, who was still reluctant about spending time with her dad after everything, give him at least a chance. They’ve been spending a weekend a month and every school break (one month in the summer) with him since then, and while Beca isn’t a fan of the dude because of what he put Chloe through, she can’t deny the fact that he is a good dad.
“I’m home!” Chloe calls out just as Riley and Elliot bound down the stairs, greeting their dad with a kiss on the cheek.
“You guys ready?” Chicago asks with a grin, ruffling Elliot’s dark curly hair.
“Yep!” The six-year-old exclaims, his focus shifting to Chloe as she rounds the corner. “Mom, dad is taking us to the football game!”
“I heard,” Chloe says, casting her ex-husband a soft smile. “Hey.”
“Hey, Chloe.”
She crouches down to hug her children, kissing each forehead. “Love you, be good for dad.”
“Love you, too,” they both echo, then rush around the kitchen island to hug Beca around the waist.
“Bye baby,” Riley murmurs, pressing a kiss to Beca’s bump.
Elliot goes through the same motion, then jogs to the door where Chicago is waiting, their voices muffled as it shuts behind them.
“Hey you,” Chloe greets, finally making it to Beca and brushing a kiss to her lips. “You hear that?” She sighs softly. “Silence.”
Beca chuckles. “Enjoy it while it lasts, Beale. Newborn incoming.”
“I can’t wait,” Chloe grins as she rubs her palm along the side of Beca’s belly. “What do you say, date night in and a foot rub, then maybe a bath?”
A groan flits past Beca’s lips. “You’ve read my mind.”
-fin-