Chapter 1
“I am such an idiot,” Chloe muttered to herself as she padded down the hall of the hotel to Beca’s door. She was probably asleep, but Chloe knew she wouldn’t sleep until they talked. Or at least until she got some stuff out of her system. She knocked and waited trying to get her words together. When Beca opened the door in pajamas and covering a yawn, Chloe almost bolted.
“Chlo? I thought you were out with Chicago.” She stepped aside to let her best friend into the room. “Is everything okay?” Chloe immediately started pacing and biting her nails, behaviors Beca knew meant something was on the redhead’s mind. She walked over and put a hand on Chloe’s arm. “Please stop biting your nails, you know how sore they get.”
Chloe dropped her hand. “I made a huge mistake, Becs. I have to fix it, but…”
“But what?”
“I’m scared,” Chloe answered quietly.
“Talk to me, Chlo. What mistake, first of all?”
Chloe sighed. “I kissed him. We were barely off the stage and I was full of adrenaline, and he was… there. It was stupid.”
Beca looked at her. “What else? Just kissing a guy wouldn’t work you up like this.”
It took Chloe a moment to answer. “I have feelings for someone else, Becs. They don’t know, but I have to tell them, and I’m terrified they’ll hate me for it.” She kept pacing in front of Beca, arms crossed over her chest to avoid the temptation of her nails.
“That would be a stupid reason to hate you. You can’t help how you feel. Besides, is there a chance they may have feelings, too?” Beca went to the fridge and got sodas for both of them, figuring this could take some time since Chloe was so worked up. “Can you tell them before we leave, or do you have to wait to get home?”
“Before home would be better. Really, as soon as possible is best.” Chloe stopped pacing to sip her drink. “But how, Becs? What do I say? These feelings aren’t new, they’ve been building for… a long time.” She kept her eyes on the can in her hand as Beca took the opportunity to stand in front of her.
“I don’t exactly have a script, Chlo. But just, be honest. You need to tell them, and if they don’t feel the same way, then as least you know and can move on.”
“And if they don’t want anything to do with me?” Chloe whispered.
“Then you dodged a bullet.” Beca couldn’t help but wonder who Chloe was so afraid to talk to. “And you find me and we drink them away.”
“Becs, it’s…” She took a deep breath, gripping her can tightly. “It’s you. I have feelings for you Beca Mitchell, and I’m petrified it will change everything.”
Beca blinked. Had she heard right? After seven years of being best friends, sharing so much, even living together, was Chloe saying she had feelings for her? “Um, just to make sure I heard you right, you said it’s me?”
Chloe nodded, not daring to look up and meet those expressive deep blue eyes for fear of what she would see there. “Since your freshman year, Becs. I’ve loved you in secret for years.” Her voice was barely audible. Beca gently tilted the ginger’s face up to meet her eyes, which held an inscrutable look in them.
“Chlo, I never thought…”
Chloe took a step back. “It’s okay, Becs. I knew… I just couldn’t hide it anymore. I’ll go…”
The brunette took a step to close the gap between them. “Let me finish, Chlo. I never thought I’d hear you say that. Because I was sure I was the only one who felt it. This bond we have, this connection. I thought I was imagining it.”
Chloe looked up, eyes wide. “Beca, what are you saying? If you’re saying what it sounds like…”
Laying a hand on Chloe’s jaw, Beca leaned close to kiss her softly, and could have sworn the electricity in that kiss could have lit a city. Chloe leaned into it, resting a hand on Beca’s hip. She wasn’t sure what Beca had in mind, but she didn’t care, as long as she didn’t tell Chloe to leave forever.
They stood with their foreheads together for a few moments. “What now, Becs?” Chloe asked quietly. They already lived together, along with Amy, back in New York.
“Well, I guess there’s things to talk about and figure out. But, at the least, I would think it’s safe to say we’re together now, if you want.” For the first time in the conversation, Beca sounded unsure.
Chloe smiled. “I’ve never wanted anything more.” She shuffled closer to Beca, who wrapped her arms around her tightly. Chloe returned the hug, reveling in the feeling of Beca’s arms holding her. She had wondered if it would feel different, hugging Beca without hiding her feelings, and it felt so much better than she had imagined. Beca was stronger than she looked, and Chloe loved being surrounded by that strength. “Kiss me again, Becs,” she said in a murmure against her shoulder.
This was a longer, deeper kiss, equal parts confident and tentative. They both got lost in it, not parting until they had to breathe.
“Babe,” Beca breathed, “if we keep this up, we’ll never sleep.”
“I don’t care right now,” Chloe replied. “I just went from convinced I was going to lose you to hearing that you’ve had feelings all this time, too. We’re far from strangers.”
Beca was having a hard time thinking, with Chloe in her arms, her voice in her ear, the light musk of her perfume surrounding her, and those lips so very easily reached. She let Chloe take her soda and set it aside with her own before the redhead kissed her again, and she needed no further convincing. She was on fire for her best friend – her partner - and only a protest from Chloe would stop her.
There was no protest as she led Chloe towards the bed without pulling away. She stopped when her legs hit the edge and sat, drawing Chloe down to kneel over her lap. Chloe leaned down and laid a tender kiss on the side of Beca’s neck, who tilted her head invitingly. She felt Beca flex her fingers on her hips as she nibbled delicately on her ear, then lightly dragged her teeth over her earlobe, making Beca’s breath hitch. Her stomach fluttered at that sign of arousal, small as it was, and she trailed her nibbles down her neck before Beca pulled her into a fierce kiss.
Chloe reached for the hem of Beca’s shirt, leaning back to pull it up and off, tossing it over her shoulder. “My god, Becs, you are stunning,” she whispered, raising her arms so her own shirt could be discarded. She shivered as she felt fingertips gliding down her spine. “You don’t have to be delicate, babe. I won’t break.”
Beca smiled. “I want to savor this. I want us to remember tonight forever.” She filled her hands with Chloe’s breasts, brushing her thumbs over hardened buds, drawing a quiet moan from the ginger. Lowering her head, she replaced one hand with lips, teeth, and tongue, and Chloe buried her hands in soft brown hair, groaning as she felt Beca’s tongue flick hard over the sensitive flesh, sending jolts straight to her core until she fisted her hands and pulled her into another hungry kiss.
Beca growled lightly at the aggression and reached to push Chloe’s shorts down, the ginger shifting till they fell off and away. “Touch me, Beca. I need you,” she whispered urgently. She gasped at the first stroke of Beca’s finger, then groaned deeply as Beca bit her shoulder. “God, yes, be rough with me, babe.” Beca raked her nails down her back, making her arch and moan loudly. The brunette bit her neck as she slid her fingers inside her, thrusting slow and steady.
Still gripping Beca’s hair, Chloe rocked her hips in time to Beca’s thrusts. She knew Beca was leaving a mark on her neck, but didn’t give a damn; she’d wanted this for years and she would take everything that came with it. When she felt nails on her back again, she shuddered powerfully with a ragged cry, pulling harder on Beca’s hair as she came.
Beca wrapped her arms around her, holding her close as she shook, surprised and humbled by the strong reaction. She reached up to stroke Chloe’s hair as she breathed heavily against her neck.
Chloe caught her breath as fast as she could, burning to make Beca feel this good. With no warning, she bit Beca’s neck, earning her a gasp and a quiet moan. Just as Beca pulled her into another long kiss, there was a loud knock on the door. “Jesus fuck,” Beca cursed quietly. “Hold that thought, babe.” Chloe moved so Beca could get up and throw a robe on to answer the door. Watching Beca move, Chloe got under the covers to wait.
“Chicago? What’s up? Is everyone okay?”
“Yeah, I was just wondering if you knew where Chloe was. She’s not answering her phone or door.”
Thinking quick, she replied, “It’s kinda late, she’s probably asleep and didn’t hear you.”
The soldier nodded. “You’re probably right. If you see her before I do, can you ask her to call me?”
“Sure, no problem.”
“Alright. Sorry to bother you. Enjoy your last day in France.” He turned and walked away.
Beca closed the door and turned back to Chloe. “Guess you made an impression,” she commented as she hung the robe on the back of the door and padded back to bed.
Chloe sighed as Beca crawled in and gathered her close. “I knew the second after that it was a mistake. Now I have to tell him it was nothing.”
Beca kissed her forehead. “He seems like a good guy. If you go easy on him, it’ll work out.” While she had felt jealous seeing Chloe kiss Chicago, she knew now she’d gotten the better deal. He’d gotten one adrenaline-fueled kiss; she had Chloe herself. Not just because of the sex, but because they had seven years of friendship under their belts and the possibility of a real life together. “We’re gonna need our own place,” she said quietly. “Amy has all that money now, I won’t feel bad leaving.”
Chloe chuckled. “I have some decisions to make, too. This tour has changed everything.” For one thing, she had to decide if she still wanted to go to vet school. Getting a place with Beca, who was now a signed recording artist, changed things a lot.
“Well, one decision to make is when we tell the others.”
Chloe shrugged. “Doesn’t matter to me. I don’t see why there has to be an announcement. They’ll figure it out pretty quick, since I doubt I’ll be able to pretend nothing happened.”
“Okay. We just let them do the math. Easier on us, really.” Beca lightly brushed her thumb over Chloe’s lips before drawing her into a soft, lingering kiss. “I could kiss you for hours,” she murmured against her lips.
“Feel free,” Chloe breathed before surging forward to force Beca onto her back. “I believe we were in the middle of something.” She captured her lips in a fierce, demanding kiss as she reached down to press her fingers against Beca through the thin fabric of her pajamas, making her groan loudly. The brunette hurried to wriggled out of her pants, overwhelmed by need for her partner.
Chloe bit her shoulder hard as she sought and found that spot, Beca growling and clinging to her as she stroked gently. “Christ… Chloe, I need… I need you to fuck me,” the brunette panted as Chloe lips and teeth closed on one taut peak. Chloe willingly obliged, thrusting hard and slow as she flicked her tongue. Beca’s nails carved into her shoulders as she lifted her hips to meet each thrust.
Chloe kissed her way up to her ear, where she whispered, “Come for me, Becs,” before biting her neck again. Soon, Beca was whimpering and writhing beneath her as she came, her body clenching around Chloe’s fingers.
“Holy fuck,” Beca panted heavily as Chloe lowered herself to gather her close in her arms. Beca nuzzled her face into Chloe’s neck. “You are so fucking sexy, Chlo.”
Chloe chuckled. “Me? Babe, that growling was enough to get me started again.”
Beca blushed, glad her face was hidden. “That was… new, actually. I’ve never done that before.”
“Well, it’s incredibly hot. I must have done something right.”
Beca lifted her head. “You did everything right, babe. It’s like we were designed for each other.” She drew Chloe into a long, soft kiss.
“I choose to believe we were,” Chloe replied quietly. They tried to stay up, but it was late and they’d both had big, emotional days. They soon fell asleep in each others’ arms.
Beca woke up first, surprisingly early, all things considered. She smiled at the feeling of Chloe in her arms, her back pressed tight against her. Chloe had been right; this tour had changed everything. Not only had she been signed to a label, she had found herself delightfully off the market now that she was with Chloe. They had one more day in France before their flight back to New York and she planned on spending every minute with her partner.
Her partner. Just thinking about it made her feel warm inside in a way she never had before. She had never felt this strongly about anyone, even Jesse. No, this was different. It was already deeper and more meaningful and it had only been a handful of waking hours.
As close as they were lying, Beca immediately noticed when Chloe’s breathing changed as she started to wake up. She placed a gentle kiss on the back of her neck. “Morning, babe.”
“Hmm, I love hearing you call me that. Morning.” She rolled in place and claimed a long, soft kiss. “Have you been up long?”
“Around 15 minutes.” She craned her neck to look at the clock over Chloe’s shoulder. “It’s 7:30. We’re supposed to be at the café in half an hour for breakfast.”
Chloe tucked a lock of hair behind Beca’s ear. “I suppose we should get up and get dressed. Especially since I still have to get down the hall to get clothes.”
Beca chuckled and kissed her forehead. “I’ll go with you and we can bring your stuff here after. I doubt you’ll end up back there tonight.” That decided, they got up and Beca threw on jeans and a t-shirt. When she was ready and Chloe had pulled her pajamas back on, they left the room.
Stacie emerged from the next room at the same time and stopped short when she saw them. “Well, that makes more sense.”
“What does?” Beca asked.
“I knew you were having a good night, I just assumed it was with Theo.” She looked the two of them up and down as Beca slipped her hand into Chloe’s protectively. “This is better, and about damn time.”
Chloe looked at their friend in surprise. “What does that mean?”
Stacie grinned. “You think in all this time, none of us saw how you look at each other when you think no one is watching? Though Amy has the paper with the bets on it. Guess breakfast will tell us who won.”
Beca narrowed her eyes. “You all have been betting on when we would get together?”
“Only on the tour. I didn’t win; I said you’d tell us you were together before we got to the first base in Spain.”
Beca sighed. She wasn’t overly fond of the idea, but she supposed it was harmless enough. “Alright, well. We’ll see you at breakfast in a little bit. Maybe you can sort out your gambling before we get there.” Chloe and Stacie both giggled at that before Chloe led Beca down the hall to her room and let them in. As Chloe picked out clothes, a thought occurred to Beca. “You may want to contact Chicago so he doesn’t turn up at breakfast. That would be super awkward.”
Chloe looked over from her suitcase. “I hadn’t thought of that. Yeah, I should take care of that.” She picked up her phone and sat in Beca’s lap without a second thought. Beca wound her arms around her waist, holding tight as Chloe dialed.
“Hey, Chicago… I slept well, thanks… Yeah, sorry about that, I had some stuff to take care of… Actually, that’s why I called. Look, this is hard to explain, but there can’t be anything between us… No, you didn’t do anything wrong. I have feelings for someone else, and I need to explore that… I’m sorry if I led you on while we were here, none of this was planned this way… Yeah, of course. And thanks for everything.” She let out a deep breath after hanging up. That could have gone much worse. The soldier was disappointed, but he had seemed to understand when she explained herself. She relayed the other half of the conversation to Beca, who nodded and smiled.
“Sounds like it went as well as it could.” She drew Chloe into a soft, lingering kiss. “You should dress or we may never leave the room.” The ginger giggled and stood to finish getting ready for breakfast.
They were the last ones at the café and arrived to cheers and applause, making Chloe blush as Beca tried to calm their friends down. “Okay, we get it. You all saw it coming. Can we order coffee, please?” Amy yanked her into the seat next to her, and everyone shuffled until the next seat over was cleared for Chloe.
When they had all settled and ordered, Chloe looked over at Amy. “Who won?” Beca rolled her eyes but didn’t protest as she sipped her coffee.
“Aubrey won. She nailed it.”
Chloe turned to her best friend. “What made you pick last night?”
Aubrey shrugged. “Just a hunch. I figured if living together hadn’t done it, the excitement of the trip might.” She smiled. “Even if I hadn’t won, I would still be incredibly happy for you. You both deserve to be happy together after seven years.”
The redhead stood and went around the table to hug the blonde. “Thank you, Bree. That means a lot to me.” The food started arriving and Chloe took her seat.
By the time breakfast was done, Beca was itching to get away and spend some time with Chloe before they flew home the next day and had to face reality again. As soon as she could, she excused them and took Chloe’s hand. They walked down the street, not having a particular destination, their only real plan to be with each other.
“Should we start making plans?” Beca asked as they waited to cross the street.
“Maybe in general, but details can wait till we get home,” Chloe replied. “I want to enjoy our last day here.”
Beca nodded. “Yeah, it can wait. I wasn’t sure how soon you’d want to talk about it.”
Chloe lifted their hands to kiss Beca’s knuckles. “Soon, babe. But let’s take today for ourselves.” She pointed across the square at an ornate gate. “That’s a park. Let’s go see.” Beca agreed and they made their way to the park and through the gate. They wandered the flower-lined paths, talking on and off about whatever crossed their minds.
By noon, they were ready for lunch. They left the park and found a nearby café where they ordered coffee and sandwiches. “Do you want to keep walking?” Beca asked as they leaned back to finish their drinks.
Chloe shook her head. “It’s all very beautiful, but I think I’m ready for an afternoon at the hotel, just relaxing with you.” They strolled back unhurriedly.
Back in Beca’s room, they both ditched their street clothes for more comfortable pajamas. Neither of them spoke French, so they skipped the TV, and Chloe turned on some music on her phone for background noise. They settled at the head of the bed, Chloe leaning against Beca with the brunette’s arm around her shoulders.
“Maybe there is something we should at least start talking about, though we don’t have to decide everything all at once,” Chloe said, twining her fingers with Beca’s free hand.
“Anything you want, Chlo.”
“I don’t know if I really want to go back to school. I never thought I’d get in, and everything is different now.” She lifted a hand to bite her nails, but dropped it before Beca could say anything.
“Is there something specific you’d rather do?” Beca was fine with whatever her partner decided; Theo had promised the label would take care of her and she was sure they could make anything work out.
Chloe sighed a bit. “Not specific, no. At least, not so far as a job goes.”
Beca squeezed her hand. “What does that mean, Chlo? You can tell me anything.”
Chloe sat up and Beca withdrew her arm so they could face each other while they talked. “I’ve been a vet tech since we moved to New York three years ago. I applied for vet school because I don’t know any other field. But it’s not really what I want to do, at least not right now.”
The younger woman rested a hand on Chloe’s jaw. “Babe, when it come to me and my opinion, you can do anything you want, or nothing, if you prefer. Whatever you choose, we’ll make it work.”
Chloe looked down at their hands. “Even if what I want is to stay home and take care of you and our place?”
Beca leaned down trying to meet her eyes. “Chlo? Baby, if that’s what you want, that’s what we’ll do.”
Sky blue eyes rose to meet deep blue, and Beca was stunned by the concern she saw there. “Are you sure, Becs? That puts a lot on you if I’m not working.”
Beca smiled reassuringly. “It’s also stuff I don’t have to do all of if you’re doing them. Laundry, cooking, stuff like that. Keeping house is a perfectly valid and full-time job, moreso if it’s for two. As long as you don’t feel like you have to do this.”
Chloe shook her head. “It’s really what I want. Becs, I’ve literally dreamed about having you come home to a meal I cooked. To have the option to do that on any night, that’s what I’ve wanted for a long time.”
Beca drew her into a soft kiss. “Then that’s what we’ll do. We’ll take care of everything when we get home and start our new life together.”
The ginger threw her arms around her partner and hugged tight. “Thank you, babe. For not judging me about it. I really didn’t know what you’d think.”
“I think you get to determine your own path, with or without me. And as long as you’re with me, I will support your path.” She paused. “And I hope that’s for a very long time,” she added quietly.