Avoiding Calamity

Since they had to wait a day to check in at the resort, Beca stopped at a nice hotel just over the New Jersey – Pennsylvania border for the rest of the day and that night. Upstairs, they got their stuff settled, and Beca turned to Chloe. “If you want to watch a movie, I can hook the laptop to the TV and stream whatever you want.”

Chloe raised a brow. “You don’t like movies, love. You don’t have to sit through one for me.”

“Music, then?” the brunette tried, just wanting to help Chloe feel better.

The ginger walked over and took both of Beca’s hands. “Can… can you maybe sing for me? Without music? Remind me of how we started?”

Beca smiled and nodded, bringing Chloe with her to sit at the table. One by one, Beca sang the songs that had defined the year they met and had set everything in motion. Chloe listened with a small smile to the voice she had loved since hearing it in the showers at Barden. The happy memories evoked were a balm for Chloe’s woes. She climbed into Beca’s lap as she finished their first winning set. “Thank you, Becs. That helped. More than I realized it would. I should have thought of it sooner.”

Beca laid a hand along her jaw. “I’ll sing anything you want, Chlo, for as long as you want.” After hours of keeping her own emotions under lock and key, she could hear the heartache and desperation in her own voice. Tears pricked at her eyes, but she fought them off.

Chloe heard it, too, and rested her forehead against Beca’s. “I’m sorry I’m putting you through this. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” Her voice was rough with her own unshed tears.

“You didn’t hurt me, love. I just want to help however I can. It just seems like there’s not much I can do.” Beca brushed her thumb lightly over her cheek. “I’ll do anything,” she whispered, closing her eyes.

The next thing she knew, Chloe’s hands were framing her face as she kissed her desperately. She leaned into it, not needing words, knowing this would help both of them. Chloe slid her hands into Beca’s hair and pulled. “Let me touch you, Becs. I want to feel your skin under my hands.” Beca nodded slightly, and Chloe released her so they could hurriedly undress and crash together in an urgent kiss as they moved to the bed.

Chloe knelt over her partner, leaning down for an aggressive kiss as she brushed a thumb over one hardened bud, drawing a quiet moan from Beca. Dipping her head, she grazed her teeth over the other, caught it again, and flicked her tongue against the sensitive flesh, Beca arching and writhing under the sensuous assault. The ginger slid her hand down between Beca’s thighs to stroke and circle. Beca growled and clutched at her. “Christ, Chlo… please,” she pleaded raggedly, her nails carving crescents in her arms.

More than willing to oblige, Chloe slipped her fingers into her partner, taking up a slow, hard rhythm Beca matched with her hips. With each thrust driving her higher, she pulled Chloe into a deep, intense kiss. “Come for me, love,” Chloe whispered against her lips. Soon, Beca was growling as she arched and shuddered powerfully as she came. She grasped at the redhead, pulling her down on top of her.

Chloe could feel Beca still trembling beneath her, her breath hot against her neck as she panted. She wanted more, and turned her head to nip and nibble at Beca’s ear and neck.

Beca’s breath hitched in her throat. “Chlo…”

“Do you want me to stop?” She nipped the flesh beneath her ear.

“No, god, no, don’t stop,” Beca panted out.

“Good. I want to make you come again.” Chloe stepped up her assault on Beca’s neck and shoulder, biting harder as she raked one hand down her side hard, making Beca growl loudly. Slowly, deliberately, Chloe kissed and licked a path down Beca’s body until she could delve with her tongue to make Beca whimper and grab at her hair.

“Jesus fuck!” Beca burst out as she threw her head back with another orgasm. She grabbed frantically at her partner until she was holding her close and kissing her forehead. Chloe rubbed her back gently as she held on tight, breathing harder than before. They lay like that for several minutes as Beca caught her breath.

“I love you, Beca Mitchell,” Chloe said quietly. “I don’t ever want anyone else.”

***

Thanks to her sheer exhaustion, Chloe slept through the night at the hotel. She was happy to see sunlight when she woke up, and that Beca was still asleep in her arms. She was careful not to move, knowing Beca needed all the sleep she could get.

At 8, Beca began shifting as she woke up, wrapping her arms around Chloe’s. “Hmm, I love you, babe,” she mumbled sleepily, snuggling closer.

Chloe kissed the back of her neck. “I love you, too.” She held on tighter, resting her chin on Beca’s shoulder.

Beca yawned. “I need coffee. Like, a lot of coffee.”

The ginger chuckled quietly and pulled away to start the coffee maker. Beca shivered at the chill left by her absence. They hadn’t left the bed much the rest of the day before, seemingly unable to keep their hands off each other. Chloe had been particularly generous, giving much more than she accepted in return. Beca was surprised she was as awake as she was, all things considered. Wrapping the sheet around her, she sat up at the head of the bed as Chloe carried over a steaming cup of coffee. “How do you feel?” Beca asked when Chloe had settled next to her.

“Sleeping helped a lot. But I’m worried it will happen again because I don’t know why it’s happening.” She sighed and fidgeted with her cup. “Thanks for finding us somewhere to go.”

“No problem, love. The first of many trips. I hope the resort is as nice as the pictures looked.” She looked over with a smirk. “I’m looking forward to the hot tub.”

To her delight, Chloe gave a genuine laugh. “I bet you are. Well, I’ll make sure we make good use of it.” She leaned over for a lingering kiss.

After their coffee, they gathered their things and dressed, packing the car before going to the restaurant next door for breakfast. It was two more hours on the road to the resort, the exterior of which looked exactly like the pictures.

Their suite was actually larger than Beca had expected, with a sliding glass door that led onto a small deck with chairs that looked out over a wooded area. Chloe stood in the middle of the sitting room to survey everything. “Jesus, Becs, this is beautiful!”

Beca blushed as she moved to stand next to her, taking her hand. “I wanted to take you somewhere nice to relax and feel better. We can do whatever you want; they have massages and all sorts of things. Or we can stay in and order room service. Whatever you want.”

Chloe pulled her into a hug. “Thank you for taking care of me, Becs. I love you.”

“I love you, too. And you’re very welcome. Hopefully it helps.” They took their luggage to the bedroom, which was also large and well-appointed, with the hot tub in the far corner, which Beca eyed with a smirk. Back in the sitting room, Beca asked, “It’s almost time for lunch. Do we want room service, or do you want to check the place out first?”

Chloe draped her arms around Beca’s neck. “Room service. We have a whole week to look around; I just want time with you today.” She kissed her softly, resting their foreheads together. Beca wrapped her arms around her and held her close. After a few minutes, Chloe drew back just enough to reach down for the menu on the coffee table. “We should order,” she said softly. They sat on the couch, Chloe in Beca’s lap, to make their selections so Beca could call in their order.

***

Beca fought her way to consciousness as Chloe rolled over for the fifth time in ten minutes. “Chlo?” she mumbled, reaching out for her partner in the dark. The mattress shifted under her, and she realized Chloe had gotten up. Fumbling with the blanket, she got up and followed her into the dark sitting room. “Baby, are you okay?”

“I’m sorry, Becs,” Chloe’s voice floated toward her, and she followed the sound to the sliding door, a waxing moon silvering the trees and plants outside. The ginger stood outlined by the door frame, her arms wrapped around herself. “I would say go back to bed, but I know you won’t.” Even at 4:30 in the morning, her voice was so low Beca almost couldn’t hear her.

“You’re right, I won’t. I’m not sure why you want to send me away when this happens.” She stood next to her partner. “But if you really want, I’ll at least leave you to your thoughts.” It was not what she wanted to do, but she would if Chloe asked.

After a moment, Chloe extended a hand, which Beca took. To her surprise, Chloe unlocked the sliding door and led them out onto the deck. They crossed the small platform to stand at the railing, looking out into the woods as the birds started waking up and singing. They sky would start to lighten soon.

Beca shifted to stand behind Chloe, arms around her waist and chin propped on her shoulder. She would stay quiet until Chloe said something, but in the meantime, she would wrap her partner in her presence for as long as Chloe would tolerate it. They both watched a red flash in the air until it became a cardinal perched on the corner of the railing.

Chloe moved one hand to lace fingers with Beca. “Do you want coffee to watch sunrise?” she asked softly.

“Only if you do, and I’ll go make it. You relax.” When Chloe nodded, Beca kissed the back of her neck and slipped inside to brew coffee.

The ginger moved to sit in one of the upholstered deck chairs, pulling her legs up under her. She hadn’t had a nightmare this time. She’d been sleeping fine, or so she thought, until she heard Beca call her name in the dark. Frustrated, she had gotten up in the hope that Beca would fall back to sleep. Bit, morning person or not, Beca was too devoted to go back to sleep without checking on her.

She sighed heavily as she scrubbed a hand over her face roughly. Something had to give. She couldn’t keep waking them both up at all hours; when they got home, Beca would have to start working and would need her sleep to do it. Beca returned with their coffee and sat in the chair next to her, setting their mugs down wordlessly. Chloe turned to look at her for the first time since they got up. “Are you sure about me?”

Beca blinked. “Wait, what? What do you mean?”

“I mean, are you sure you want to be with me? The one who can’t sleep through the night or even lie still so you you can sleep? DO you really wanna tie yourself to me, of all people?”

“I am completely positive. Of all people, I choose you. And I will continue to choose you, sleep be damned. I love you beyond any words I can come up with, Chloe. I am very sure about you.” Beca reached for her hand, but Chloe stood and moved to sit in her lap instead. Stroking her hair, Beca wracked her brain for more to say. Chloe snuggled close.

“I always knew you were the one,” she said softly. “I knew, even if we never got together, that I would love you the rest of my life. I just don’t want to get in your way or hold you back. Tell me you won’t let that happen. Don’t let me keep you from success.” There were tears in her voice, as yet unshed.

“Chlo, you’re not holding me back. The good thing about having an office at home is that most days, I can work from home.” She gently turned Chloe’s face to meet her eyes. “I can be successful without sleep. I can’t be without you. It’s all for nothing if I can’t share it with you.”

Chloe’s tears started falling in the silence, and Beca gathered her partner in her arms. Chloe clung to her robe with both hands, but cried without sound as the horizon turned pink with the beginnings of sunrise. She ignored the natural beauty in favor of Chloe.

When her tears ran out, the ginger turned to look at the sunrise after wiping her eyes on her sleeves. “It’s beautiful,” she murmured.

“It’s got nothing on you, love.” They drank their coffee as the sky changed colors, then went inside for refills and breakfast.

After a nap and lunch, Chloe was feeling much better, enough that she could giggle at Beca’s one-liners, and Beca suggested they take a walk and see what all there was to do that they may be interested in. Chloe agreed easily, and they got dressed to be out and about.

One of the first things they noticed was the café just off the main lobby. Fiends for caffeine, they stopped for lattes to walk with. They wandered the building first, finding rooms marked for types of massage and other treatments. Chloe pulled them up short at the reception desk in the spa area. “Can we look into a couple’s massage while we’re here? You always need one, and it may help me, too.”

Beca grinned. “Of course, babe. Go ahead and schedule it so we can work in anything else around it.” She sat in a nearby chair to wait while Chloe made the appointment. With that squared away, they headed outside to look at the grounds. They had just found a low stone wall to sit on when Chloe’s phone rang. She mumbled something before shoving it back in her pocket unanswered. Beca tilted her head. “What was that?”

“A call I have no desire to answer. If it’s important, I have voicemail for a reason.” Her tone of voice made two things clear: she did not want to talk about it and Beca knew damn well who had called.

Despite the punch in the gut of that attempted call, Beca kept her thoughts to herself. She had decided to believe Chloe when she’d said Beca had nothing to worry about, and she continued to do so. Bringing it up wouldn’t serve either of them, so she held her peace. Instead, she took Chloe’s hand and kissed her knuckles. “I love you.”

Chloe pressed a kiss to her temple. “I love you, too.” She had heard her phone announce a voicemail, but she wasn’t going to ruin their nice afternoon by listening to it just yet. “Can we go back to the suite? I think I’m all walked out for now.” Beca nodded and stood with her, pointing their feet back towards the main building.