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Beca taps in rhythm on the couch, not quite able to get her mind out of the mix she had been working on. She is almost there. Maybe with a bit less basses, and the pipes from that Celtic music Ashley was listening too last week? Then again the pipes might be pushing it, too original. But that's the freaking point of this mix, something original to win a competition!
“-You're thinking so hard you're giving me a headache.”
Chloe puts the two mugs of tea on the coffee table before plopping down on the couch with a “ooof”, smiling. Beca sends a meaningful glance back, careful not to let her eyes rest too long on the naked legs of the other Bella. She knows she won't be moody for much longer (she never is around Chloe), so that battle is already lost, but she still loves to play.
“-And you're smiling so hard my zygomaticus are cramping, aca-nerd.”
Chloe just laugh (she, too, knows that it's just a game) and takes a sip of her tea. Her eyes sparkle, and Beca remembers the way Chloe looked when she woke her up two days ago. She was sweaty and her skin shone in the white light, matching perfectly her eyes full of mirth. She was like an apparition, and Beca had almost indulged herself, had thought so hard about resisting just a bit more than necessary. She hadn't, of course. She had quickly glanced to the clock and counted in her head the usual time before making a show of giving in to Chloe's demand, getting up.
“-Beca, empathy is not something to be made fun of. I would love to tell you all about it, including how it could improve your levels of grumpiness, however we have more pressing matters at hand! Like drinking tea and having fun!”
The impersonation of Aubrey is so spot on that Beca can not resist a chuckle, effectively breaking her grumpy mask. For the sake of accuracy, though, Aubrey would not pair drinking tea and having fun, being more a fan of coffee (or strong liquor, sometimes). It's Beca's fault if Chloe is inaccurate. Earlier, when FatAmy had started talking about an impromptu girl's night, she had been vehement to not participate. Nevertheless, after the 9 other Bellas had agreed and that Stacie had suggested going to a club, she had almost given up : nobody would let her pass on a Bella's night out. Except Chloe had turned around and said she didn't feel up to going out, but that “Don't worry, I won't let Beca work herself to death, we'll have a girl's night in just the two of us instead!”.
They both held their mugs tall, solemnly, before taking a sip of the tea. Wait, no, that was definitely not just tea.
“-Did you spike the tea? Who does that? If that was orange juice at least...
-Hey, it's a girl's night, I need some jiggling juice! But you needed tea, so I compromised.”
The absurdity of the reasoning is not lost on Beca, but she still can't help the swelling of her heart at Chloe's little shook of head. It's so intrinsically Chloe and she can't, she just can't, so she takes another sip instead of holding her gaze, hoping she will reign in her emotions.
Two hours later, after some quite passable karaoke time and half a bottle of vodka (They had stopped pretending that they enjoyed the tea), they are having a pillow fight, not unlike the ones Beca has always avoided like the plague. Okay, no, it is quite a bit unlike these pillow fights, because it is so unbalanced : Beca is having trouble staying upright against Chloe's assaults, who is obviously more experienced. Beca is very skilled to not let Chloe's state of undress affect her though, even when some of her shirt's buttons come undone, and that is always a win. And when they plop down on the couch, exhausted, she doesn't even chance a glance in Chloe's direction. This is going very well. She did need to unwind a little bit.
She's been crazy over the internship thing, polishing all of her mixes (and okay, it's a long shot and she won't have the response before September, but it's better to be prepared, right?). Plus she still hasn't completely figured out their set for their next competition (she still need to fit in a solo here or there, and the transitions could use some work). She also has to get up to speed in two classes. M. Smithian still hasn't forgiven her sleeping in his classes and has been paying extra-attention to her. Not to mention Mrs Henrils and her need to give them essays at the worst time possible (maybe Beca shouldn’t have neglected the course work, too).
“-What are you thinking about?
-Oh, it's nothing, just school.
-Yeah, really nothing.”
Chloe almost seems sad for a second, but she perks up with her signature smile. She scoots closer to Beca (who does not panic, and is again victorious in not being affected), and leans in, concerned.
“-Is Smithian still giving you a hard time?
-Yeah, but I can manage. The only thing is that his class is so boring. I should have listened to you and taken Russian Lit instead.
-You couldn't know. Plus I did fail two times already Russian Lit, in the end you're probably better off with him.”
And that's another problem : everyone knows (or let's say strongly suspect) that Chloe did not actually fail Russian Lit. Beca is a bit concerned. Failing once? Okay, why not. But twice the same class? And she had a look at the midterms results and it looks like she's failing again. She's worried Chloe can't let go of the Bellas, and she's been so... Girly, recently. Beca doesn't want to use the word as a bad word, but Chloe is borderline Legally Blonde these days. Since she broke up her non-relationship with Tom, really. And Beca doesn't mind girl stuff as much as she used too, but still, make-up is not something she uses to have a “glowing skin” or to appear “perkier”, and it's grating on her nerves. She did learn quite a few things about haircare, but artificial curls only make Chloe smile three seconds, and that is not nearly enough.
Sometimes she sees Chloe, the “old” Chloe, the one that drew her to the Bella's booth, the one who sang so carefree even with her nodes. Even when she recruited forcefully Beca in that shower stall she wasn't quite so girly. She was just Chloe, ready to effortlessly tear down her walls.
“-Yeah, probably. As I said, I can manage.”
She can't, not really. Not with this amount of stress. Not with so many things to do, so many things to care for. And she won't have done anything tonight because she is drunk (she wouldn't wallow like that if she wasn't), and it's killing her. Nothing is easy these days. Not school, not the Bellas, certainly not the Trebles, and not Chloe. It's unfair, really.
They both seem to welcome the silence. It's comfortable, like a blanket. Oh, that's an actual blanket they're sitting on. It's fluffy, and Chloe's hair clings to the fabric. She's beautiful, oh so beautiful. Beca reaches out to deliver Chloe's hair.
They're so close, and before she knows it, Beca leans in and kiss her. Her heart explodes, her brain collapses.
And then it's sloppy, definitely not perfect, but it's sloppy because Chloe reciprocate and Beca's heart is suddenly whole again, and she fumbles even more. She find Chloe's lower lip, and it's still so awkward, but good, but right.
And for one moment, she allows herself to forget everything.