Fourth period had been going on for half an hour and Chloe was standing in the dark room developing her pictures as her and Beca's conversation replayed over in her head. She wasn't mad at Beca, at least not in the way Beca thought she was.

"Chloe!"

"Chloe!"

"CHLOE!"

Finally snapping out of her daydream Chloe finally looked up to see Aubrey staring at her. "What is it Bree?"

"You just put your photo back in the developer instead of the stop bath."

Looking down Chloe noticed her photo paper starting to turn from black and white to a funky orange color, "Dammit."

Chloe went back over to her enlarger and carefully pulled out another sheet of photo paper. After focusing the negative she exposed her paper and went back to developing it, paying closer attention to which bin she placed her image in.

Aubrey looked back at Chloe, "What's got you so distracted, Chlo?"

Sighing Chloe pulled her picture out of the developer and placed it in the stop bath before responding, "It's stupid."

"I'm sure anything that has you messing up a photograph isn't stupid, Chloe."

Chloe knew she should probably talk about what was making her upset and Aubrey was probably the one person who would give her an unbiased opinion on the whole situation.

"It's about Beca."

"What's the hobbit done now?"

Chloe finally cracked a smiled at Aubrey's nickname for Beca. Aubrey's known Beca and Chloe ever since her family had moved to town her freshman year of high school and they had all become really close friends through out the years.

Chloe didn't see the point of beating around the bush so she just said it, "If you didn't know us, would you think Beca and I were a couple?"

"Where did that come from?" Aubrey asked surprised by the question.

"We had a fight earlier," Chloe said moving her photo into the fixer.

"What was the fight about?"

"Just answer the question first please?"

"Okay…well yeah. If I didn't know you, I'd think you guys were a couple. Is that what you fought over?"

"Yeah."

"Okay so what happened exactly?"

Chloe recapped the situation to Aubrey of her and Beca's lunch together and their talk in the hall way before class.

"Okay so I don't really understand what happened. Like are you upset that people think you're a couple?" Aubrey was just as confused as Beca appeared to be. She didn't understand what Chloe was so upset over.

"I don't know…maybe."

"Chlo," Aubrey began as she went to stand beside her friend, "what's going on in your head?"

Chloe started fiddling with her shirt, "I like her, Bree."

"Okay so what's the problem?"

"I don't know. It's just…if people think we're a couple then they must see the way I look at her and if she knows that people think we're together then…" Chloe couldn't finish her sentence. Chloe had always been so sure Beca was oblivious to how she acted with her. The cuddling and the kisses on the cheek and the handholding, it was all just for Beca. Chloe was an affectionate person but she reserved certain things just for Beca.

"…Then what?"

"Then that means Beca sees it too right?"

"Chloe, Beca understands a lot of things but reading social queues is not one of them. Remember my sweet sixteen?"

Chloe smiled at the memory, Aubrey was having a beach party for her sweet sixteen and half the school had shown up to celebrate including some kid named Jesse. He had followed Beca around the whole night flirting with her. Beca being completely oblivious to the fact kept talking to him and when he leaned in to kiss her she punched him right in the jaw.

Chloe smiled at Aubrey, "That was a fun night."

"It was. And it also proves that Beca is as dense as a doorknob, Chlo."

"I guess you're right."

"I know I am. And that's why I know you're upset about something else as well."

Chloe looked surprised by the comment. She wasn't used to people being able to read her so well. Chloe started walking out of the darkroom trying to look as calm as possible, "I don't know what you're talking about, Bree."

Sighing Aubrey followed after her friend, "Yes you do. And you know I'm not going to push you to tell me what it is, but you are going to have to tell Beca whatever it is and that you like her."

Chloe whipped around to look at her friend. There was no way in hell she was telling Beca that she like her. "I'm not telling her, Bree."

"Why the hell not?"

"Because."

"That's not an answer, Chlo. Why aren't you going to tell her?"

Chloe chose to ignore her friend as she walked over to her seat and began organizing her photos and her negatives. Just as Aubrey was going to speak up, Chloe beat her to it.

"I don't want to talk about it anymore okay?"

"Okay fine, but just promise me you'll talk to her about this."

After taking a minute to mull it over Chloe finally agreed. "I promise, Bree," Chloe said sincerely.

Beca was waiting outside Chloe's classroom when the bell ring signaling school was over. She had spent her entire period in the library trying to come up with reasons for why Chloe got so weird but she couldn't think of any reasonable explanations. Beca knew the only way she was going to get to the bottom of this was just to talk to the redhead herself.

Chloe came walking out of the classroom with Aubrey and suddenly Beca felt her throat dry up. Aubrey branched off from Chloe and Beca began to make her move towards the redhead.

Chloe could see Beca walking towards her and knew they were going to talk about earlier. It scared her to no end to have to have this conversation with Beca, but she knew it had to happen.

Beca slowed her pace until she was standing in front of Chloe. Neither of them speaking, just looking at each other. After what felt like hours but was more of the lines of two minutes, Chloe broke the silence, "Ready to head home?"

Beca was thrown off by the question, she expected Chloe to explain why she was acting so strange. After shaking off the initial shock she responded with a nod of her head and the two started their walk home. Beca's heart sunk when Chloe didn't reach for her hand like she always did, but decided now wasn't the time to bring it up.

The walk home was awkward to say the least. It had been fifteen minutes since either girl had said a word and Beca was starting to get antsy. Not being able to take the silence anymore she spoke up, "Chloe are we going to talk about earlier?"

Chloe stopped walking and let out a sigh, "I guess, yeah."

"Okay so can you tell me what I did? Because I still don't know why you're so angry with me."

Chloe didn't mean to but she couldn't help but raise her voice when she replied, "I'm not upset with you Beca! I thought we discussed this already."

"You could have fooled me with that tone! Seriously Chloe what's your problem?" Beca's eyebrows knitted together as she looked at her friend. She had never seen Chloe so visibly upset and it was starting to scare her.

"Look can we not do this now? Can we just get back to your house first?" Chloe knew she was stalling but she really wasn't ready for the conversation they were having. It made her nervous and angry and Chloe hated both of those emotions.

"Fine! Whatever," Beca said not waiting for Chloe as she walked off.

They finally reached Beca's house ten minutes later and made their way up to Beca's room. Once inside Beca closed her door and waited for Chloe to talk. When two minutes had passed and Chloe was still silently sitting in the desk chair, Beca lost it.

"Dammit Chloe! What the hell is wrong?"

Chloe was lost in thought and Beca's out burst had her jumping out off the chair. She was going to respond but before she could Beca was launching into a full-fledged rant.

"I don't know what's going on with you! One minute we're just goofing off and then the next you're getting pissy and ignoring me! I mean it was just supposed to be a joke. I mean obviously we're not together so I don't understand why you're so bent out of shape about this! You're my best friend and you're being weird and not your usual overly excited weird, but like weird-weird and I don't know what to do. What did I do? How do I fix this?"

Chloe waited a few seconds for Beca to calm down before she spoke, "I'm not mad at you Beca."

"You sound like a broken record right now, Chloe! If you're not mad then what are you?"

Chloe knew this was it, there was no going back after this, "I'm scared."

Beca's anger disappeared as she took in the sight of her best friend. Chloe looked helpless. Beca had seen her best friend look a lot of ways but there was only one other time she could recall her friend looking so vulnerable and that was when her mom died. Patting the spot beside her on her bed Beca waited for Chloe to join her.

Beca took Chloe's hand in hers and interlaced their fingers. "What are you so scared of?"

Chloe looked down at their joined hands as she spoke, "I'm scared of losing you, Bec."

"Why on Earth would you be afraid of losing me?"

Instead of answering Beca's question she asked one of her own, "How long have you known people thought we were a couple?"

Beca was thrown off by the question but answered it nevertheless, "I uh…I think it was sophomore year when some girl said it was cute I always waited outside your classroom for you. She asked me how long we had been together and was shocked when I told her we were just friends."

"So three years?"

"Uhh, Yeah I guess three years," Beca wasn't sure where this line of questioning was going but Chloe was talking to her so it was a start.

Chloe snatched her hand out of Beca's grasp and stood up, "So you've been consciously aware of the way we act like a couple for three years and never said anything about it?

Beca stood up as well, "Well yeah but that's just how we are. We're close, why does it matter what other people think?"

"It doesn't!"

"It sure sounds like it does. Goddamn Chloe will just tell me why this upsets you so much so we can move past it already!"

Chloe threw her hands in the air and looked at Beca, "I LIKE YOU OKAY! You're my best friend and I like you and it sucks okay!"

Beca was frozen in her spot. She didn't know what she was expecting from this conversation but sure as hell wasn't it. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth but fell just as quickly when she realized the last part of Chloe's statement.

Slowly she made her way over to Chloe, "Why does it have to suck?"

"Because I can't lose you."

"Chloe," Beca started as she looked in to Chloe's eyes, her bright magnificent blue eyes that she loved so much "I like you too. I always have, but I know that's not why you're upset, there's something more to this…"

Chloe thought back to earlier and the promise she'd made to Aubrey. "I'm not ready to lose someone else," Chloe started.

"I can't lose anyone else. After my mom died I didn't know if I'd ever smile again but then you were there for me and I didn't feel so alone anymore. Beca you…you're the most important person in my life, Bec. You're my best friend but more than that you're just…you're everything. I can't stand the idea of losing you ever and if something ever happened and you weren't in my life anymore I couldn't—"

Chloe's words were cut off when she felt a pair of lips on hers; soft lips that set her heart on fire and spilled butterflies into her stomach. She slowly moved her lips against Beca's after the original shock wore off. Slowly Chloe pulled away from Beca and opened her eyes but what she saw she wasn't expecting. Chloe could name off a number of different emotions she felt while looking into Beca's eyes but what shocked her most wasn't an emotion but a sense of clarity. Chloe could see it so clearly when she looked at Beca that she had to wonder how she had missed it along. She felt like she was finally home, something she hadn't felt since her mom died, something she doubted she would every feel again, but right then looking into Beca's eyes she finally felt like she was ready to move on. She was ready to take a risk.

Beca smiled at Chloe and placed her hands on both sides of the redhead's face, "You're not going to lose me, Chlo, ever. I promise you that there will never be a day when we don't see or speak to each other because you're my everything too and I don't ever want to lose that."

Chloe stared back at Beca, "But what if this doesn't work out?"

Beca wrapped her arms around Chloe's waist and smiled when she felt Chloe's arm go around her neck. Digging her head into Chloe's should, Beca could only laugh at the role reversal of it all. It was always Chloe who was the reassuring one, always telling Beca things were going to work out. She'd tease Chloe about later but right now she just wanted to enjoy being this close to Chloe.

"Goonies never say die, Chlo."

Chloe pulled back enough to look at Beca before bringing their lips together for the second time. Both girls smiled into the kiss before pulling away, Chloe sporting a mischievous smirk on her face as they did. "So," Chloe began, "You do want to see me naked!"

"I never said that!" Beca said as blush began to creep on to her face for the third time that day.

"HA! You're blushing! You so want to see me naked, Beca."

Beca pushed Chloe away as she buried her face in her hands not being able to erase the smile that was on her face. Chloe moved so she was straddling Beca's waist and tugged on her arms. "Beca." Beca only shook head as Chloe tried to prying her hands away.

"Come on Beca, I wanna see your pretty face."

Moving her hands from her face, Beca opted to place them on Chloe's thighs.

"All you had to do was ask," Chloe said adding a wink at the end.

"You're impossible. Has anyone ever told you that?"

"You love it."

Beca intertwined her hands with Chloe's, "I do," she said smiling.

The two teenagers stared at each other. Each finding it difficult to erase the smiles that were on their faces. There was a knock on Beca's door and before the girls had a chance to move, Mrs. Mitchell came in, stopping dead in her tracks when she noticed the two girls current position. Chloe slid off Beca's lap and waited anxiously for Mrs. Mitchell's reaction.

"Well," Mrs. Mitchell started trying to keep her voice leveled and a straight face, "I guess this means I lost the bet."

"What?"

"Huh?"

Mrs. Mitchell smiled at the two girls, "You're father," Mrs. Mitchell said directed to Chloe, "and I placed a bet on how long it'd take you two to get together. He said before graduation, I said college."

Beca looked at her mom with wide eyes, "Why in the hell would you bet on that?"

"Language young lady, I'm still your mother!"

"Sorry," Beca mumbled out.

"Anyways I came in to see if Chloe was going to be staying dinner."

"Oh uh sure," Chloe said trying to seem as calm as Beca's mom appeared to be.

"Okay, well you girls enjoy your movie," and just as quickly as she had come Mrs. Mitchell left leaving behind two very confused girls.

"Did that just happen?" Beca asked.

"I think so."

Beca turned to look at Chloe, "So what now?"

Jumping off Beca's bed Chloe began to set up the DVD player, "Now we watch The Goonies!"

Beca just sat and watched Chloe move about in her room as she tried to soak in all that had happened. She never would have guessed her day would have gone the way it had, but she wasn't going to complain if it meant she finally got the girl of her dreams.

"Hey!" Beca started coming out of her daydream, "I said I had conditions!"

Chloe started put the DVD in and moved to sit in the inside corner of Beca's bed, "Well hurry up and tell me what they are before the previews are over."

Beca moved to sit beside Chloe and waited for her to snuggle up to her side.

"Okay condition number one: we watch Who Framed Roger Rabbit next weekend."

"Okay I can deal with that," Chloe said as she settled her head on Beca's shoulder

"Condition number two: You let me take you out tomorrow."

Chloe lifted her head so she could look at Beca, "Are you asking me on a date?"

"I am. What do you say?"

Chloe moved and placed a quick peck on Beca's lips, "I'd love to."

"Good. One last thing."

"Shoot," Chloe said snuggling back into Beca's side

Beca moved to wrap her left hand in Chloe's, giving it a gentle squeeze as she did, "I love you."

"I love you too," Chloe said smiling from her spot on Beca's shoulder.

The menu screen came up on the television and Beca looked at Chloe, "You ready for movie night?"

"Always."

And so the two best friends snuggled up on Beca's bed as they always had and waited for the movie to start. It was a tradition that had lasted through years of friendship and it was a tradition that would last through many many more, only now they were two best friends in love and they couldn't be happier.