Chapter 7
It was game day and even though it felt like someone was sticking knives in her throat every time she sang, she felt happy. She was excited about the game and being with Beca who had been a great friend for the past week.
She had been there to prep Chloe up for the conversation with Aubrey which had been super emotional. Aubrey reacted better than she anticipated, though and made sure her friend was okay before talking about how it impacted the Bellas. Beca had even texted her a few old tricks she read on the internet that could help soothe her throat.
Chloe couldn’t even believe the hockey player considered herself a badass when she was out there texting her to heat up milk with honey in it so Chloe could feel better. She was adorable really and Chloe’s crush was growing bigger by the minute.
She didn't mind it.
Chloe believed there was no better feeling than when you started liking someone. For her, the sweaty palms you got when you saw them, the butterflies in your stomach, the heart that skipped a beat when they smiled, that was what being alive was all about. It was a drug for Chloe and the redhead was happily becoming addicted to that little 5’2 rocket on skates.
The energy in the arena was electric and it only fueled Chloe’s good mood more. She practically skipped to the locker room where the Dames were staying and she observed them for a while to enjoy it. The players were also excited and it showed in the way they were happily chatting and giggling. Like usual, the only one that wasn’t talking with anyone was Beca who was in the corner, already dressed and listening to music. Chloe wondered if she was listening to her mixes.
Just before the game, Chloe managed to snatch Beca in time to hug her against her will.
“Good luck, Becs. Be careful.”
Beca’s body shook as she laughed a little. “I will. Thanks, Red.”
They pulled away and without thinking, Chloe kissed her cheek lightly, lingering a second too long for it to be completely platonic before winking at her. Beca’s pale cheeks turned completely red and she tried to mutter something out but Stacie who had been waiting to get out of the locker room pushed her in the back with her stick.
“Either get a room with Beale or get moving, Mitchell. I’m here to play some hockey and not make out with some hot ginger.”
Beca’s face somehow turned even redder and she waved awkwardly at Chloe who chuckled to herself. Stacie winked at her while passing her and Chloe felt oddly proud of herself. It had felt pretty great to kiss her cheek and to see Beca react so shyly.
She took her place next to Luke on the bench behind the players and smiled at him.
“Someone’s in a good mood,” he said.
“It’s game day!” Chloe said with excitement. “I have a feeling they’re going to win.”
“If you say so,” Luke said with a smile and looked at the players on the ice. Beca was making slow rounds around the rink so as to not exhaust herself too soon. “You know I gotta say I’m a big surprise at how fast Beca warmed up to you.”
Chloe beamed. “She’s a great person.”
“I think the fact that you firmly believe that somehow seemed to make her become an even better captain. You’ve been a great influence on all of them, Chloe. I’ll make sure your teacher knows how hard you’ve been working here.”
“Thanks, Luke,” she said, touched. Sometimes, she almost forgot this was all for a school project and not just for fun because this didn’t even feel like work to her. At this point, she was here for the people she met and the friendships she built.
Like Chloe predicted, the game was going super well. Beca had made a goal in the first period with Ashley as an assist and then in the second period, Stacie made a goal with Emily as an assist. It was 2-0 during the third period and every Dames supporters were feeling the win already. The energy in the arena was magnetic and Chloe was damaging her vocal chords more than ever cheering Beca on.
Everything was going well. Beca had control of the puck, she was skating towards the goal at a fast speed and the crowd was already preparing themselves to stand up to applaud the goal when a player of the opposite team suddenly came out of nowhere. Chloe didn’t even register what happened until she saw Beca on the ground.
The player was about twice Beca’s size and had skated towards her fast and hadn’t stopped in time and before she could do something about it, she collided into the number 47 with her full body weight. Her hockey stick skidded off in one direction and Beca in the other, her body sliding on the ice without her moving. For a second, everything stopped in Chloe. Her mind shut off the noise that the crowd was making and she could only hear her heartbeat in her ears. Then, Beca’s head moved to look up and Chloe started breathing again.
“That’s a penalty if I’ve ever seen one,” Luke muttered to himself while Gail along with Dames fans were screaming at the players. The referee made the girl go to the penalty box while Cynthia-Rose helped Beca stand up. That was good. If Beca was able to stand up, that means she wasn’t hurt too badly. The number 47 was hanging on to Cynthia-Rose and her head was ducked as she skated with difficulty towards their bench.
“Delivery for you, Nurse Beale,” CR said and Beca almost tripped on the step to get off the ice. Chloe caught her just in time and put her arm around Beca’s cold body. Then, Ashley replaced Beca on the ice and the game could start again. As if nothing had happened.
“Fucking stupid motherfucker who doesn’t know how to play like a decent human being,” Beca ranted as they walked to the locker room. Chloe tuned her off and instead focused on the way Beca limped with her right foot. She held onto Chloe like her life depending on it which told the redhead she probably hurt more than she let on.
She sat her down on the bench and kneeled in front of her to untie her right skate. Beca leaned her head on the wall with a sigh after taking off her helmet. Her face was red and sweaty, showing just how hard the girl was working for this game and Chloe felt bad that she had had to leave when they were so close to the finish line.
When she took off the skate, Beca winced in pain.
“Where does it hurt?” Chloe asked in a soft voice.
The captain didn’t answer.
“Becs, where does it hurt?”
“I think my ankle moved weirdly when that psycho ran into me.” She straightened up and looked down at Chloe. The steel blue eyes seemed cold and it worried Chloe. “I can go back. I can finish the game.”
“I don’t really believe that.”
“Dude. We’re about to win. I’m going back out there,” she said in a determined voice. Chloe sighed and moved to sit on the bench next to Beca.
“Alright.”
“What?” Beca said, turning to her. She was clearly not expecting the ginger to agree to that.
“I’m saying alright. If you can stand up right now, put your skate back on and go back on the ice, I will let you.”
Beca scoffed, as if Chloe had just asked her to do the easiest thing in the world. As soon as she stood up and put weight on her foot, she whimpered. Chloe crossed her arms and put on an arrogant smile.
“Everything okay, honey?” she said in a fake voice.
Beca turned her head to shoot daggers with her eyes. Chloe just smiled at her and the hockey player sat back down. She put her elbows on her thighs and rubbed her face with her hands.
“There was only 4 minutes left in the period, Beca.”
“Still. I was about to score.”
“I know,” Chloe said empathically. “Can I take a look at that ankle now?”
Beca scowled but Chloe took that as a yes. She highly doubted she broke anything so she reached into her first aid kit to grab some bandages to at least steady it.
“So, what do you have for me today?” The redhead said in a sweet voice, referring to their little deal. She took Beca's sock off carefully. “Tell me something about yourself, captain.”
Beca had her fist against her chin and she looked like a 5 year old pouting which made Chloe smile. “I want to go back on the ice.”
Chloe chuckled. “Well I already know that.”
The buzzer rang, signaling the end of the game and Beca sighed heavily.
“I’m gonna kill her. I’m gonna kill that player.” While the angry look in her eyes was indeed hot, Chloe couldn’t really afford to let that happen.
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea. I’d rather you don’t go to prison, I’d miss you too much,” she said with a wink and Beca’s face softened a little to turn into a shy smile.
“You’d creep your way into someone else's life easily.”
“I’m kinda attached to you already, I'm not looking for anyone else.” She meant that on more levels than Beca knew. She finished putting the bandage on and was satisfied at the result. She was getting really good at this first aid thing.
Beca stayed quiet so Chloe looked up to meet her eyes. Steel blue eyes met ocean blue eyes and the world stopped for a second. Chloe was still kneeling in front of Beca, her bandage all wrapped around her ankle but neither of them dared to move. Chloe’s eyes dropped to her lips and for once in her life, she let herself imagine what it would be like to kiss her. To have those pink lips moving against hers and her hands on Beca’s body.
Beca was looking at her with a look Chloe didn’t recognize and for a second, she thought that maybe if she were to close the distance between their lips, Beca would kiss back.
The moment was interrupted by cheers coming from the hallway and a second later, a dozen Dames filled the room. Chloe stood up and Beca started moving around, like she was busy doing something and Chloe wasn’t sure why it felt like something important had just been interrupted. Stacie was the first one in and walked towards Beca, throwing an arm around Chloe’s shoulders.
“How is she, Doc?”
Chloe chuckled. “She’s gonna survive, don’t worry. Her ego was bruised more than anything else.”
“Thanks, Chlo.” Beca deadpanned and Chloe responded with a flashing smile.
“How are you going to get home?” Cynthia-Rose said, settling down next to Beca to start taking off her uniform. “You can’t drive with that ankle.”
Chloe didn’t even think before responding. “I’ll drive her.”
Beca looked up but didn’t say anything, just nodded. Chloe assumed that meant she was on board with the plan.
“What about your car?” Emily said, joining the conversation.
“I can drive it to your dorm, cap. CR drove me here, so.”
Chloe beamed at the way things were working out. “Perfect.” She looked over at the brunette on the bench who was trying hard to fight off a smile. She could read her like a book now. “You need help taking a shower?”
Beca threw her glove in her stomach, making her laugh even harder as everyone looked weirdly at them.
20 minutes later, Chloe was helping Beca walk to her car with her arm around her small waist and her face close enough to smell the fresh coconut shampoo she had used to wash her hair after the game. Her other shoulder was carrying the heavy hockey bag and a part of her brain wondered how Beca seemed to carry that with so much ease because it felt as though she was going to dislocate her shoulder any second now.
Chloe helped her sit down and walked to the other side of the car and she found herself not wanting to drive to the dorms. She wanted to hang out with Beca some more. After all, Aubrey used every free time they had around the house to talk about the Regionals that were happening in a week and she didn’t want to be dealing with it right now.
“Congratulations, by the way.” Chloe said and Beca looked at her curiously. “You won the game. And your goal was pretty awesome.”
“Oh. Thanks,” Beca said with a shy smile, looking away. Chloe put her hand on her forearm, making her look at her.
“You’re really talented, Becs.”
Beca chewed on the inside of her cheek. “Thank you, Chloe,” she said humbly.
The redhead grinned at her and put the car in drive. She chose to take the direction of the Bellas’ house right away, not even choosing to warn the hockey player about the fact that they were hanging out. She was forcing them too.
Beca seemed to be exhausted from the game because she closed her eyes, listening to the soft music playing from the radio without really caring where they were going. It’s only when Chloe pulled into her driveway that Beca noticed and straightened in her seat.
“Wait,” she said and Chloe chuckled, letting her tired mind catch up. “What are we doing here?”
“We’re hanging out!”
“Red--” Beca’s voice was cut off with Chloe’s door slamming shut. She walked over to the passenger seat and opened the door, leaning on it.
“Hey,” she said, cheekily.
“You know, you really should learn to ask for things more.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” Chloe grinned, reaching out a hand for Beca to take. For someone that was pretending to be offended at the ginger’s action, she sure took her hand fast. Her cold hand slipped into Chloe’s warm one easily and the latter tugged on it, making the brunette stand up. Chloe was closer than anticipated and their faces ended up inches away from each other, making her mouth go dry instantly.
Beca visibly swallowed but didn’t move like Chloe expected her to. Instead, she looked down at Chloe’s lips, surprising the redhead. She thought for a second about closing the distance between them but then the thought of Jesse popped into her brain and she took a step back with a smile, like nothing happened. Beca snapped out of it and put her arm around Chloe’s shoulder so they could start walking.
They walked to the house in silence, Chloe’s mind racing. They had grown a lot closer over the past months and Chloe’s crush did nothing but get bigger but this was the first time that she saw a real opportunity where they could have kissed and she wasn’t sure she knew how to handle it.
Usually, Chloe was a very forward person. When she liked someone, she’d go up to them and kiss them and the people would always kiss back. But with Beca, it was different. Yeah, she was forward with Beca too, flirting and touching her a lot but she also couldn’t just come up to her and kiss her.
Mainly because of Jesse.
Maybe Aubrey was onto something with her hatred for the Trebles.
But he was also not the full reason. It was also because Beca didn’t seem like the kind of girl to just kiss someone out of the blue and she seemed like the kind of girl who needed to build a real foundation with someone before doing something like that. Chloe respected her too much to do something that would make the hockey player uncomfortable.
“I’m home!” Chloe yelled into Beca’s ear when they entered the house and the smaller girl winced. “Sorry,” she giggled and then waited for an answer. Since no one spoke up, she assumed Aubrey wasn’t there.
Beca walked into the entrance, limping a little and looked around. “Dude, this house is fucking dope.”
Chloe walked up behind her. “I would give you a tour but you should really rest your ankle. Speaking of… my room is upstairs, so you’re gonna have to walk up some stairs.”
Beca looked to the stairway and cringed, already dreading it.
“Or I can give you a piggyback ride, “ Chloe joked but it was almost like Beca didn’t really understand she was teasing because she hesitated for a second. “Oh my God! You want me to give you a piggyback ride!” She was having way too much seeing the girl’s face turn crimson.
“No I don’t! I just-- well my ankle is killing me and I’m really fucking tired cause I just played a hockey game. You don’t know how exhaustive it is, okay?”
Chloe was giggling at Beca’s face and she poked her cheeks, “You so want me to give you a piggyback ride.”
“Shut up,” Beca said, turning her face away from her.
Chloe took a step even closer. “C’mon Becs. Say it. Say you want me to give you a piggyback ride. Say: My sweet beautiful Chloe, please give me a piggyback ride since I am oh so tired from my hockey game.”
Beca couldn’t help but let out a chuckle, even though she was pretending to be mad at the senior right now. “Right, that’s the way I talk.”
“Are you saying you wouldn’t call me beautiful?” Chloe teased, poking a finger in her stomach and Beca took her hand and held on to her finger, swinging it in the air a couple of times.
“Of course I would,” the hockey player mumbled. Chloe smiled, pleased to know that information and then turned around, bending down so Beca could jump on her. “You promise you’re never going to tell anyone about this, right?”
“Totes. Hurry up, I can hear my bed calling me.”
Beca jumped, wrapping her legs around Chloe’s waist and the redhead straightened up. Beca really wasn’t heavy plus she was also pretty in shape so it was no struggle for her. “You’re strong,” Beca stated.
“You’re just tiny,” she replied and felt a heel dig into her and she giggled. She took the direction of the stairs, trying to ignore Beca’s hot breath over her shoulder and how it made her legs kind of feel like jelly. They were both quiet as Chloe walked to her room and when she stopped in front of her bed, there was a beat before Beca realized she could be put down.
She jumped down and observed the room in silence. Chloe looked at her the whole time, liking the fact that Beca was in her room right now and she didn’t care how much she sounded like a teenager who was excited to have her crush in her bedroom right now. Her room had two beds in it because usually, the Bellas shared rooms and only the captain had the bed with the single bed which meant Aubrey had taken it.
“Come on, your ankle needs to rest properly.” Chloe said and propped some pillows so they could sit up on her bed. Beca laid down incredibly still, like she was afraid to move too much and the ginger snorted at her. Beca could be adorably awkward sometimes, like these were her first human interactions.
“Shut up.”
“Why are you so still?” Chloe chuckled, getting her laptop and sitting down next to her. “Are you scared of me, Beca?” she said in a husky voice.
Beca pinched her lips together. “You wish.”
She continued with her low voice. “That's where you’re wrong. I certainly wouldn’t want you to be scared of me. I promise I don’t bite. Unless you want me to.”
“Oh my God,” Beca muttered, hiding her face in her hands and Chloe laughed.
“Come on,” Chloe giggled, switching to a sweeter voice and opening netflix. “What do you want to watch?”
“Uh, nothing?”
Right, Beca didn’t like movies. Except Chloe totally wanted to at least try to make her watch one with her. She scrolled down a little and when she saw Harry Potter and remembered the sarcastic comment the captain had made about her hoodie months ago, she knew what she needed to do. She clicked on the first one without even asking Beca.
“Dude, I don’t like movies. Especially not Harry Potter.”
“Have you even tried to watch one?”
“Don’t need to watch one to know that shit is for kids.”
Chloe opened her mouth, offended. “Excuse me, Harry Potter is not for kids.”
“Red, it’s a movie about kids with wands and magic.”
“It’s a beautiful saga about friendships and overcoming evil mixed with magic which is like the best combo ever,” she said with sparkling eyes. The arrogant smile that Beca was sporting during their fake argument softened into a real one, like she couldn’t believe Chloe was a real person that was in front of her right now.
So Chloe pouted at her, giving her her best puppy eyes that no one had ever been able to resist.
“Please? For me?”
Beca resisted a total of 13 seconds before sighing in defeat. “Fine,” she muttered, crossing her arms.
Chloe grinned, thinking this was easier than she thought it would be. She moved closer to the hockey player so that their hips could touch and she was glad to notice that the girl didn’t flinch or try to move away. She reached to pick up her blanket at the end of her bed and laid it on their legs. The whole thing felt pretty date-like and Chloe’s heart was beating so hard, she was hoping Beca couldn’t hear it.
“I’m gonna complain the entire time, though,” Beca said as the movie started and Chloe looped her arm around the hockey player’s to find out truly how far she can go with touching Beca. The girl didn’t move nor commented on it and Chloe counted it as another victory.
“I wouldn’t expect anything else.”
Turns out Beca wasn’t really serious because it had been thirty minutes now since either of them had spoken. Chloe looked to her right every once in a while and Beca’s eyes were always on the screen; she looked pretty bored but still, she was watching the movie.
After another 15 minutes of silence, Beca spoke up.
“I’m single.”
Chloe’s head snapped to the right in confusion, instantly pausing the movie. Beca winced, like she realized this was a weird thing to say out of nowhere.
“I mean uh-- I owe you a fact about myself. Because of the game. And my ankle,” she said awkwardly. “So I um, I’m single.”
Chloe was quiet for a moment, processing the words. She had been so into the movie that it took her a couple of seconds to come back to reality.
“Oh,” Chloe said and then frowned. “I thought you and Jesse were…”
Beca’s eyes widened and she shook her head.
“No, we’re not-- I mean, I think a part of him thinks we will be just because I play hockey and he plays hockey but I’m not, like, interested in him. Like that. He’s my friend and all but he’s an idiot.”
Their arms were still looped so she moved it carefully to wipe her hands on her jeans from how sweaty they became when she heard Beca say those words. Beca was single. And she wasn’t interested in Jesse.
Suddenly, Chloe wasn’t sure what was keeping her from kissing the hockey player with full force now.
But Beca looked nervous about what she had just said so Chloe smiled, wanting to diffuse the tension. “I’m single, too.”
The hockey player nodded, a serious look on her face and it was quiet for a moment before she looked at the screen where Harry was paused in the middle of his sentence.
“This movie sucks by the way.”
Chloe rolled her eyes playfully. “I’m sure you love it but you’re too stubborn to admit it.” She took Beca’s silence for a yes and moved even closer to the girl so that their whole sides were touching. She pressed play before Beca could comment on it but it seemed like she wasn’t going to anyway.
…
The sound of the front door closing and Aubrey yelling “Hey Chlo!” is what woke her up. She opened her eyes sleepily and tried to move her arm to rub her face before she noticed that she couldn’t move it. She moved her face away from dark hair without thinking anything of it to look at what was happening.
The laptop was on the edge of the bed, so close to falling off and it displayed the end credits of the movie. She tried to remember when she fell asleep but she couldn’t recall the last scene she had seen. She laid her head back down and that was when she fully realized the reason why she couldn’t move.
Beca had her head on her shoulder and her right arm firmly wrapped around Chloe’s body, like she was scared the redhead would fall off if she let go. A warm hand was directly on her skin from her shirt riding up. She must have switched position from her back to her stomach unconsciously and Chloe was slightly on her side, her arm tucked under Beca’s.
Her heartbeat picked up. She was currently cuddling Beca. Beca, the standoffish hockey player that slapped anyone’s hand that tried to touch her away, was currently cuddling her.
“Chloe?” Aubrey said from downstairs. Chloe wanted to answer her but Beca was still asleep in her arms, her steady breath hitting Chloe’s collarbone and there was no way she was going to wake her up. Beca did seem really tired earlier, but on a more selfish note; Chloe never wanted this moment to end. She didn’t remember the last time she felt this safe and happy in someone’s arms. It was like their bodies fit perfectly together and the thought made Chloe’s heart tug.
She sent Aubrey telepathic thoughts, telling her not to come to her room to disturb her but it seemed like her best friend didn’t get them because she heard footsteps going upstairs.
For some reason, the ginger decided the best way to deal with this situation would be to pretend to still be asleep so she nuzzled her face in dark hair again, inhaling the scent she was beginning to be quite familiar with and closed her eyes again. Aubrey started speaking again from the hallway.
“Chloe, are you with someone because there’s a second pair of shoes in…” she trailed off when she opened the door and saw the two bodies on the bed. The door opening must have been slightly too loud for Beca because Chloe felt her breath hitch and then the hockey player stirred in her arms, waking up slowly. Chloe kept her eyes closed, selfishly curious to find out what was going to happen. Warmth left her shoulder when Beca’s head straightened up, but the arm around Chloe’s middle stayed in its place.
“Uh… hi,” Beca whispered lamely in a rough voice. Her sleepy voice was embarrassingly hot and it took everything in Chloe to not shiver when she heard it.
“What are you doing here?” Aubrey said rudely, quite loud.
“I’m remodeling the kitchen,” Beca said sarcastically. “I was trying to sleep but you’re here now. And keep your voice down, Red’s still sleeping.”
“Funny,” Aubrey deadpanned and Chloe could just imagine her unimpressed expression, her arms crossed and the vein in her forehead popping out. “She has a name, you know.”
Beca moved her arm for a second and Chloe tightened her grip without thinking, assuming Beca will think it was a subconscious move. Instantly the hockey player’s arm froze and Chloe felt a soft hand rest again on the skin where her shirt had moved up.
“Does she now?”
Chloe heard Aubrey sigh, “Non Bellas are not supposed to be in here.”
“Chloe didn’t tell me that,” Beca said, her voice sounding confused. Technically it was true but nobody really listened to that rule, the school board didn’t care that much. Except Aubrey.
“Yeah well I’m not surprised she didn’t. She seems to like you, not sure why.”
A part of Chloe’s brain was wondering how the hell these two still thought she was asleep when they were on the verge of an argument right there and then but she let it slide because the banter was kind of funny. Also, Beca’s arm was still around her and her arm was still around Beca so there was nowhere else she’d rather be if she was honest.
“Believe me, I’m wondering the same damn thing,” Beca said and then her arm tightened around Chloe like she wanted to make sure the redhead was still here and under her care. “Close your door on your way out, yeah?” she said, encouraging Aubrey to leave and somehow it worked.
Chloe heard the door close and then she felt Beca’s eyes on her. She tried to keep her face the most still possible but Beca chuckled.
“You’re awake, aren’t you?”
Chloe’s eyes fluttered open and was met with Beca who had a shy smile on her face. She was propped up with one of her elbows so that she could look down at the redhead and keep an arm around her.
“I wanted to hear the end of that conversation.”
Beca rolled her eyes. “She’s batshit.”
“It’s not like you’re doing anything to make her like you,” Chloe teased, using her finger to poke Beca’s stomach. That was when Beca realized where her arm was and pulled away, a blush creeping on her cheeks. Chloe didn’t know how she managed to not make her face fall at the action.
“Whatever. I’m not gonna act differently for her.”
Chloe beamed. “You’re right, you don’t need to change. I like your grumpy self just the way it is,” she teased, fully tickling Beca now. The hockey player squirmed under her hand and moved away, a playful smile on her face. “You’re like… a cute little rain cloud.”
Beca rolled her eyes. “Not cute. Also does that make you the embodiment of sunshine then?” She said the words in a teasing tone but she must have realized how adorable it sounded too late and her face turned red. She hid her face in her hands, “Forget I said that. That was so lame” Chloe’s heart fluttered as she giggled.
“Okay, softie.”
They were both thinking the same thing anyway. Rain clouds and sunshine kinda fit together in an odd way, didn’t they?
“I should get home,” Beca said, sitting up and touching her ankle to see if it hurt. The wince told Chloe it did but the hockey player didn’t speak up about it.
“I’ll drive you home.”
Beca tried to act nonchalant but Chloe saw right through her. “Cool.”
The dorms were less than a five minute ride and Chloe gave her a hug over the console that Beca returned instantly. She watched Beca limp awkwardly inside the building with a content feeling in her stomach.
Aubrey was right on one point, though.
She definitely liked that girl.