Chapter 22

A/N: Hey! I love you all and thank you all so much for the support on Carnage. I really hope to have it going soon, but thank you so much for the love on this. I hope you're ready. Remember to hit up the reviews or my Tumblr!

Beca was sitting across from the redhead that Sunday morning, the sun coming in from the large window in the diner and casting a warm glow on both of them. Mornings were not Beca's favorite time of day, not even considering that it was currently around 10 o'clock, but something about having the Chloe Beale smiling at her from the other side of the table made it all completely worth it.

Chloe glanced down at the menu in front of her, going over it once again to pick out what she wanted. The brunette had her hand supporting her head, not really paying attention to anything besides the girl she was with. Even now, just sitting in a diner with her head down, Chloe reminded her of every model she had ever seen and of all the depictions of goddesses she had heard of. The only difference was that none of them held a candle to the redhead.

"Do you like waffles?" Chloe mindlessly asked, her eyes not leaving the menu as she flipped the page.

The DJ chuckled at the random question, "I guess so."

"Usually I prefer pancakes, but this diner has the best waffles," she informed, her hand coming up to rub the back of her neck. "Which makes this hard because I also really want bacon, eggs, and hash-browns. Do you see my problem here, Becs?"

"Becs?" the brunette smirked at the nickname. Chloe's head snapped up, her eyebrows knit together while her lips sat in a straight line, showing just how serious she was about her dilemma. "Okay, I have an idea. What if I get one and you get the other?"

A small smile began to tug at the corners of the redhead's mouth, "That just means I get everything I want and you have to deal with it."

"No," she scoffed, shaking her head at the words. "It means you have to be nice to me and share because I like both."

Truth be told, Beca had no idea what she wanted to eat and the last thing she ever wanted to do about food was share. But the way that Chloe smiled, the way some of her red hair came out of her bun and fell in her face, the fact that she was wearing an oversized sweatshirt that had the sleeves pulled halfway over her hands, and the simple idea of that perfect girl being on a date with her made her want to do anything to keep that grin on her face.

"I think I can manage that," she giggled, closing the menu just as the waitress came back to take their order.

Once she left, Chloe leaned forward with her hands resting in front of her on the table. Beca replaced her cup of coffee, raising one eyebrow at the girl and asking, "What?"

"This is our second date," she stated, her brilliant blue eyes somehow managing to get brighter.

"Technically," the brunette started, her left hand slowly inching across the bright red table. With an air of victory, she corrected, "This is our third date."

Chloe Beale noticed the hand that was slowly making its way to her own, her heart swelling at the notion. She crossed the distance in a second, her fingers grasping the rough hand of the DJ without any hesitation and sending a shock wave of warmth through both of their chests. "I don't follow the Third Date Rule… Unless you really impress me."

The wink the older girl gave her sent Beca's heart racing, her mind wandering to the night she had barged into her shower, the flawless body in front of her wet and beads of water trailing down her silky skin. Pulling herself from the less-than-appropriate thoughts, she saw that Chloe had her little finger between her teeth in what can only be described as pure seduction. "I- I'll keep that in mind."

"Did you ever decide what you're doing over break?" she changed topics. If it was anyone else then Beca would have been confused, but Chloe Beale had her own way of thinking that let her jump subjects without even realizing it. It was something that was just so Chloe that you learned to love it the same way that you loved her smile.

"I'm staying with my dad," she sighed, reaching to take another sip of her coffee, though her eyes never strayed too far away from the auburn-haired girl for fear that she would suddenly disappear and reveal that this was all a dream. "He offered a room, hot showers, and any of the food in his kitchen, so I couldn't really say no."

Something about the statement stirred a storm alive within the redhead, her lower lip being pulled between her teeth as she thought of her next words. She knew this would either be a hit or a miss, but something about that made the idea even more appealing as she husked out, "I could make that shower even hotter."

Maybe it was the way she said it, or how her eyebrows rose just the slightest bit at the offer, or even how she was interlocking their fingers, but something about it pulled at the burning sensation in her lower gut. She felt the blood and heat rush to her cheeks, her free hand shooting up to rub her face in order to hide the blush. "I- Th- That sounds-"

But Beca never got to finish her bumbling train of thought and under most circumstances she would consider the interruption a blessing, except for the fact that she would prefer to sit in a room with her divorced parents and describe each sexual encounter she had ever had in excruciating detail than hear that voice.

"Oh my god, what a small world," the forced low tone came, attempting to sound sexy.

In that moment, Beca felt her blood run cold at the same time that she saw Chloe's eye widen like she had just witnessed a murder. There was no time to react as the blonde slid into the booth beside the redhead, her green eyes darting between the couple.

"It really is, isn't it?" Chloe's sarcasm laced voice asked, her head tilting to look at her sister for only a second before returning to Beca.

"I thought you had already left for break," Catherine laughed, playfully smacking the redhead's shoulder like they were best friends.

"No," she smirked at her date, her eyes rolling in a way that resembled Beca on more than a few levels. "I'm leaving later this afternoon, if that clears anything up."

"I have plans later, so I have to leave tomorrow," Catherine announced even though it was almost painfully obvious that no one cared what she was doing. She spun towards the brunette, her blonde hair flying to the side as she questioned, "What about you, Becs? What are you doing for break?"

Beca felt the soft, smooth hand of the redhead squeeze hers, the younger Beale noting the way she seemed to wince at the nickname coming from her sister. In response, she deadpanned, "One, don't call me that. Two, I have a flight to Maine tonight."

Catherine's blinding smile fell, quickly replaced with one that was somehow faker than the original. "I love flying. Well, it was so great catching up with you all," her eyes grazed over the brunette, moving down until she finally noticed that the two she had interrupted were holding hands with Chloe idly playing with the other girl's fingers, "but I have to go."

In an instant, she had bolted upright, throwing a wink in the DJ's direction as she rushed out of the small diner. A crease appeared between Beca's eyebrows from her look of utter bewilderment, "What the fuck was that about?"

"Maine?" Chloe interrogated with a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, ignoring the strange appearance of her sister.

"Oh, yeah," she hummed, nodding her head. "I just made that up. I actually am staying with my dad, but I don't want her to know that."

"I figured that," her giggle caused Beca's smirk to morph into a grin, the sound brightening the entire space. "But why did you think of Maine first?"

"That's where I'm from," she confessed, melancholy etching its way onto her features.

"Is that why you're so pale?"

"Shut up," the brunette sighed. "My mom still lives there, so my first thought was to just say Maine. The best lies have some truth to them."

"You're full of surprises, Mitchell," Chloe beamed.

Beca shrugged, quipping, "I have to impress you somehow on our third date."

The pair smiled at one and other, the awkward encounter with Catherine quickly forgotten in place of flirtation and suggestive commentary. Of course, the two were mostly joking, neither really expecting anything to come to fruition that afternoon. The key word being mostly. Though they didn't plan on taking the blooming relationship to the next step, that didn't mean their thoughts were completely innocent. Chloe's lazy appearance stirring thoughts of what it would be like to see her early in the morning curling up against her in bed while Beca's still wet hair reminded the redhead of their showering experience and allowed her to explore the idea of repeating it now that they actually knew each other.

Beca had her legs crossed as she sat on the floor, her back resting against Chloe's bed. The redhead herself was roaming around the room, searching through drawers in order to find the specific pair of socks she had deemed 'missing.' A steel blue gaze followed her every movement, from the delicate way she would rub the back of her neck to the way she jerked out random items of clothing only to replace them a moment later. Chloe spun on her heel, leaning back against her dresser as she ran her hands through her hair with a long sigh.

"I'm about to lose my shit," she admitted, closing her eyes in an attempt to remember where she had last seen the socks.

"Did you check your closet?" Beca offered, her head tilting to the open door that revealed the mess of clothes that were either piling on the floor or hanging from the rack.

Chloe waltzed over to the closet, kneeling down to toss random shirts around until she stumbled upon something with an audible gasp, "Son of a bitch." The other girl came back to sit in front of the brunette, holding the socks out to show Beca before she threw the items into her duffel bag.

"Why did you need those so badly?" the DJ chuckled.

"Charlie and I wear matching socks on holidays," Chloe explained. "It's our own tradition that we get to leave Catherine out of."

"And that's your younger sister, right?" she asked, putting together the scattered pieces of information she knew about the Beale family.

"She's seventeen," she confirmed with a nod.

"Then how old is Catherine?" Beca questioned, confusion lining her features. "I know she's the oldest, but you're both in the same year."

Chloe laughed at the logic, "Catherine's twenty-four and I'll be twenty-two in March. She failed a few grades, so she's a little behind, but let's not talk about that right now." Her voice taking on a lower tone at the end, her bright eyes looking over the brunette.

"Why's that?" Beca choked out, her voice catching in her throat as she watched the redhead begin a slow, sensual crawl towards her.

"Because," was the only response she gave, inching closer.

"B- because why?" she struggled, her mind wandering farther away from anything innocent as Chloe uncrossed Beca's legs in order to straddle the girl's thighs.

Her gentle hands ran up her arms, finding their way to the back of her neck and tangling in the dark tresses. Beca could feel her heart hammering in her chest, nearly hear it pounding against her ribs. She felt a strong heat building up in her lower abdomen, pulling at something deep inside of her and causing her arms to wrap around Chloe's waist without thinking about it. The older girl's voice was husky, something Beca had only dreamed of when it came to women, but this was much better than her imagination as she said, "Because I have to leave soon and I want something to think about this week."

Up until this point, their relationship had consisted of stolen kisses here and there with the occasional chance of going farther usually cut short for time. Or because they had a Riff-Off. Or because Stacie was entering the apartment with no notice. But this time, they didn't have anywhere to be. They weren't hiding it anymore. They were sitting in Chloe's room, the door closed and the apartment empty to their knowledge.

Alone.

Together.

Chloe leaned forward, halting just short of connecting their lips and allowing the electricity surrounding them to build until the air felt like it was charged. Beca closed the distance, memorizing the way Chloe's mouth moved against hers with ease and how she tasted like strawberries. She was soft, gentle at first, each movement thought through with care. One hand wrapped in her hair and the other caressing her cheek, the redhead was doing her best not to rush anything between the two.

Beca felt the heat building inside of her, the fire coursing through her veins and encouraging every single dirty thought that was rampaging through her brain. Without warning, the older of the two pulled away, resting their foreheads together while the sound of their heavy breathing echoed off the walls.

"Is that okay?" Chloe checked, worried she was moving too fast for the DJ. Her head was filled to the brim with daydreams she would never admit to and thoughts that could make Stacie blush, but she knew better than to push anyone too far.

Truthfully, Beca wasn't one for moving quickly. She always liked going slow and steady, feeling things out before she went too far and couldn't jump back. But Chloe was the most addicting sin Beca had ever tasted and her eyes were swimming with secrets that she would probably never know.

And that snapped something inside of her like a twig.

In one fluid motion, the brunette pushed off against the floor with her left hand while the other cradled Chloe's skull as she forced her onto the floor. The redhead was shocked, to say the least, and Beca used that to her advantage.

With her lips slightly parted, Beca surged forward and crashed their mouths together in desperation. The girl beneath her let out a whimper, the sound urging her partner on, her tongue sliding across the redhead's lower lip. Chloe's fingers were grasping at the nape of the brunette's neck, pulling her impossibly closer while any cautionary thoughts flew from her mind to make way for the white-hot lust that both of them felt. Neither of them even considering the idea of slowing down or stopping anymore.

Beca's hand moved from behind the girl's head to her hip, tugging her against her body. It took everything in Chloe not to flip them over and start tearing away clothing, the simple thought mixed with the DJ's tongue slipping into her mouth causing her to let out a guttural moan that was more felt than heard by the other party.

Chloe caught the younger girl's lower lip between her teeth, tugging lightly and then soothing the pain with her tongue while Beca began to inch her hand underneath the material of the large sweatshirt. She shouldn't have been surprised that the other girl wasn't wearing a shirt beneath it, but it still caught her off guard, a smile forming on her lips.

Beca pulled away, smirking down at the beautiful girl beneath her and quietly exclaiming, "You planned for this to happen."

The auburn-haired girl saw her chance, seizing Beca's excited moment of realization and shoved her to the side, allowing her to climb back on top. Chloe flipped her hair out of her face, staring down into the dark and hooded gaze as she stated, "My shirt isn't the only thing I didn't put on this morning."

Beca's mouth went dry at the possible item she had left. There were only two clear options, but both of them only made the DJ's brain go haywire. Struggling to keep her voice even, she bantered, "So you did plan to seduce me."

"Guess," Chloe commanded, her hands covering those that had fallen to her hips. The younger girl's features displayed her complete confusion, leading the older one to state, "Guess what I'm not wearing. Get it right… Get a reward."

"What kind of reward?" her smile faltered as the words left her lips, Chloe dragging one of Beca's hands up the sweatshirt to the curve of her ribcage. It was like her fingers were on fire just from touching the older Bella, the sensation wrapping its fiery tendrils around her brain.

The redhead let her head roll back, enjoying the feeling of having Beca's hands on her. "One where I take off the hoodie."

"Underwear," she blurted out, dark eyes boring into sky blue.

Chloe released her grip on the brunette, slowly grabbing hold of the hem of the sweatshirt. She bit her bottom lip seductively, Beca's gaze flashing between her lips and her hands. With movements that could only be described as painfully slow, she inched the black garment farther and farther up, revealing even more of her toned abdomen as the seconds ticked by. Beca licked her lips, focusing on the smooth tan skin she was being greeted with.

The blaring siren of Chloe's phone shattered the intense moment, the redhead releasing her sweatshirt with a sigh and reaching into the pocket for the device. She glanced between the screen and Beca, holding one finger to her mouth as she slid her thumb across the phone and put it to her ear.

"Hey… Yeah, I'm still in the apartment… It shouldn't be… I can check… Okay, I'll avoid that then… Gotcha, I'll see you in a bit," she ended the call and tossed her phone onto the bed, taking a deep breath as Beca grazed her nails over the skin from her ribcage to her navel.

"I guessed right," she reminded, her voice pleading with the Bella leader who had a smirk plastered on her face.

"Yes, you did," she whispered, reaching for the hand beneath her sweatshirt and reluctantly pulling it away. "But Stacie left her keys and a few…" she paused, searching for the right words before continuing, "personal items here, so she's going to be here any minute."

"Then we can keep going once she leaves," Beca reasoned, raising up on her elbows.

Chloe leaned down, placing a lingering kiss on the brunette's lips that made her feel even less in control than she really was. "I have to go soon."

"This isn't fair," she pointed out, the redhead standing up and leaving a cold space where she had once been. She watched while the older girl zipped her bag and fished her car keys out of her nightstand, longing to pull her down on top of her again and finish what they had started.

"It gives you something to look forward to when I come back," she laughed, sitting on the edge of her bed.

Beca got to her feet, closing the gap between them slowly and wrapping her arms around her waist, the electric buzz of the air around them getting louder. Knowing it would get her nowhere, she chose not to speak, but she did press a few lazy kisses against her lips that led to Chloe pulling her in for one last scorching encounter.

Chloe Beale parked in the familiar driveway in no rush, throwing her bags over her shoulder before reaching back into the car to grab her keys from the cup-holder. She didn't even have to worry about opening the front door, the object swinging out at a dangerous speed as blonde hair flowed behind the girl charging towards Chloe.

She wrapped her arms around the body that slammed into her, the force not bothering her in the slightest after years of experiencing it.

"Thank god," Charlie hummed against her sister's collar bone.

"What? Is it lonely without me?" Chloe quipped, lightly pushing the young blonde back up the steps and into their house.

"Oh, you'll see," she deadpanned, leading the way down the hall until she took a sharp left at the kitchen.

Chloe followed, wondering what her sister could mean by that. She dropped her bags next to the entry of the large kitchen, waltzing in to find some of her family seated around the smaller table they had in there. If this were Thanksgiving day, then they would be in the dining room, but that was only for large crowds.

It was then that Chloe realized what Charlie had meant, noticing that a different blonde was sitting with her back to the entryway.

"Chloe!" Elizabeth Beale called out from the fridge, motioning for her daughter to go and take her seat next to Charlie on the opposite side of Catherine. "Dinner is almost ready."

The middle child made her way to her usual seat, her eyes studying Catherine carefully as if she were a wild animal that could pounce at any second.

Before anyone else could speak, the sound of another car pulling up caused the youngest Beale to jolt out of her seat and towards the door, "Dad's home!"

With Elizabeth pulling pans out of the oven and Charlie opening the door for their father, that left the eldest Beale children alone at the table.

"I thought you weren't coming till tomorrow," Chloe recalled the words from earlier that morning, her nails drumming a beat against the table top.

Catherine raised one perfect eyebrow at the girl, a sigh escaping as she explained, "My plans fell through."