THE BED
[A BECHLOE ONE-SHOT]

Beca gave a sad smile as she watched Chloe kissing Chicago. She knew there was the possibility of this happening and even though she could feel a slight pain in her chest, she knew that she had to accept Chloe's choice.

Beca was brought out of her musings when Theo walked up beside her.

"Oh, that's nice," he said as he watched Chloe and Chicago.

He saw Beca looking at the kissing couple and leaned in toward Beca. Beca turned away and grimaced.

"So, you work for me now. I gotta tell you; I'm going to be a handful."

Beca led Theo away from the young kissing couple and missed the look Chloe sent her as she watched Beca walk away.

The next morning, as the girls were getting ready to leave for the airport, they found out that Chloe was staying an extra week to get to know Chicago. He had taken some leave, and they were going to see if what they had could be something more.

"Oh," Beca said and smiled what she hoped looked like a real smile. "That's great, Chloe."

The rest of the Bellas stared at Beca because she seemed fine with Chloe's change of plans. They were expecting Beca's usual broody ramblings, not this calm, cool, and collected Beca.

"Um, thanks, Becs," Chloe said her brows furrowed in confusion.

"Make sure you tell Chicago that if he hurts you, he will have to answer to me."

"And, me," Aubrey said from behind Beca.

"Come on, ladies," Zeke called. "We need to get you to the airport."

"Good luck, Chloe," Beca said as she turned and started to follow the girls.

"Becs?" Chloe called out.

"Yeah?" Beca said as she stopped and turned around.

"That's it?" Chloe said frowning at Beca. "That's all I get?"

"I'll be seeing you in a week, Chloe," Beca said with a laugh. "Go have fun with Chicago and you can tell me all about it when you get home."

"Do I at least get a hug?" Chloe asked her voice flat.

"Of course," Beca said as she rolled her eyes. She grabbed Chloe with one arm and gave her a quick hug. Chloe didn't even have a chance to get her arms around Beca before she was smiling at Chloe and wishing her good luck again.

Beca turned and walked away. Aubrey stopped at Chloe's side. "You okay?"

"I guess," Chloe said she watched Beca walk away without looking back. "Did she seem weird to you?"

"Not really," Aubrey said. "She looked like a friend who was wishing another friend good luck with her new love interest."

"That's what's so weird," Chloe said. "She's usually fidgety and won't even look me in the eye when she knows I'm going to be with someone else. And she called me Chloe. She never just calls me Chloe."

"Sounds to me like she's trying to be a good friend."

"You know we've always been more than just friends. Why is she acting like this now?"

"Maybe because she's happy for you," Aubrey said. "Happy that you found someone you wanted to try with."

"But, why now?" Chloe asked adamantly. "She's had plenty of times to be happy for me and always acted like whoever I was interested in was some kind of creep or not worth my time. And, now, it's like she's giving me her blessing and is okay with me being with Chicago."

"Then what's the problem?" Aubrey asked. "Isn't that what you wanted. Isn't that why you decided to stay? To be with Chicago?"

"Yes? No! I, I don't know," Chloe said. "It's just weird. She told me she liked me and she could tell I liked Chicago. She said she hoped I'd consider trying with her but if not she'd abide by whatever my decision was."

"Then that's good," Aubrey said. "You made a choice, and she's keeping her word and is good with it."

"I still don't get it," Chloe said chewing her lip. "I thought she'd at least act like she was upset that I'm staying behind to be with Chicago. I don't know what to think now. And she didn't call me Chlo."

"I don't know what to tell you, Chloe," Aubrey said. She looked to see the girls getting on the shuttle bus. "It sounds like you want Beca to sit around pining over you while you have a relationship with Chicago. And it sounds to me like Beca meant it when she said she'd abide by your decision. Don't look for problems where there are none. I have to go. Hug me."

Chloe hugged Aubrey and then walked with her to the shuttle bus. "I'll call you when I'm back in New York."

"You'd better," Aubrey said as she got on the bus.

The Bellas called out "Bye, Red!" and "Later, Chloe!" as they waved at her from the bus.

"Bye," Chloe said and waved as the bus pulled away.

A sadness Chloe never felt before washed over her when she saw Beca wave and smile at her and then turn away. When he saw the bus pulling away, Chicago came of the hotel and moved behind Chloe to put his arms around her. He settled his chin on top of her head as they stood and watched until the bus was out of sight.

~~oOo~~ The Bed ~~oOo~~

Aubrey got on the bus and took the seat next to Beca.

"So, what's going on with you?" Aubrey asked.

"What do you mean?" Beca asked looking confused.

"You and Chloe," Aubrey said.

"What about Chloe and me?"

"Come on, Beca," Aubrey said. "We all know how you feel about her. It couldn't be easy to leave her behind to stay with Chicago."

"Look, I told her how I feel about her," Beca said running a hand through her hair. "And I told her I would abide by her decision no matter what. She chose him, so I am abiding by her decision and will be happy for her, because she's still my best friend, and if she's happy, I'm happy. Chicago seems like a nice guy and I'm sure he'll be good to her."

Aubrey stared at Beca. She wasn't buying it, but Beca didn't seem to be the basket case she was expecting. "Okay, I'll accept that answer. For now."

"I'm okay with it," Beca said.

"Fine. So, tell me what DJ Khaled and Theo have planned for you," Aubrey said with a hint of excitement in her voice.

"Well, Khaled's letting me fly back to New York so I can tie up any personal loose ends," Beca said. "I'll work with Theo and some other folks at the New York studio for about three months while Khaled finishes out his tour. I'll be mainly working with some of the songwriters to see if they have any songs Theo thinks I should use. I'll also be working with them to write some of my own stuff. Then when Khaled gets back in L.A., I'll be going out there to start recording my first album."

"That's so exciting," Aubrey said. "I can't wait to hear you on the radio."

"It feels so surreal, you know?" Beca said. "I'm lucky they already have an apartment in L.A. for me to move into, so when I get there, I can hit the ground running. I won't have to worry about finding a place and working on the album at the same time. I'll invite you girls out once I get settled and get into a routine."

"I can't wait," Aubrey said. "I'm sure Stacie will love it as well. I know she's upset that she missed your first solo concert."

"I promise to get her front row seats and backstage passes when I go on tour," Beca said with a smile.

~~oOo~~ The Bed ~~oOo~~

Beca and Fat Amy entered their shared apartment and face planted on her bed. "It feels like we've been gone for months and it's only been like ten days."

"A lot happened in those ten days," Beca said as she flopped down on the sofa. "I'm just glad today's Friday. I get the next two days to recuperate from the jetlag before I have to report to the studio."

"We should get some groceries," Fat Amy said looking over at Beca.

"I say we order delivery tonight and tomorrow we can go out and get some groceries," Beca said. "And, btw, you've got several million dollars now, so you're paying."

"If I wasn't so tired, I'd argue with you," Fat Amy said. "Pizza or Chinese?"

"Pizza," Beca said. "I haven't had pizza in two weeks."

Fat Amy sat up and put in their pizza order. She ended the call and looked at Beca.

"Pizza should be here in about thirty minutes," Fat Amy said. "So, what's up with you and Red?"

"Nothing," Beca said. "She's with Chicago, and I have to respect that."

"You act like you have something up your sleeve," Fat Amy said.

Beca laughed. "Why can't I just be happy for her? She's my best friend, and I only want what's best for her."

"No," Fat Amy said. "There's something else going on. I'd bug you about it, but I'm already bored talking about it."

Beca shook her head and pulled out her laptop to work on some music.

~~oOo~~ The Bed ~~oOo~~

The next morning, Beca dragged Fat Amy out to get some groceries. They stocked up on the essentials and made their way back to their apartment. After putting everything away, Fat Amy left to do whatever it is Fat Amy does, leaving Beca alone in the apartment.

Once she was alone, Beca took her measuring tape and measured a few places and wrote the info down on a sheet of paper. She sat down on the sofa and looked over her notes. Once she was satisfied with what she had, she smiled and jumped up. She grabbed her jacket, keys, and wallet and left the apartment.

Beca came home about four hours later. Two men were with her, and she told them what needed to go. The pieces of furniture were removed, and then the two men brought in Beca's new purchases. She showed them where to put everything.

Once they were finished, Beca tipped them well and showed them to the door. She thanked them again as they both left.

Beca stood with her back to the door and looked around their tiny apartment. She smiled because they finally had some nice looking furniture to come home to. No one knew, but Beca had received a very nice signing bonus from DJ Khaled, and she wanted to spend it on the people who meant so much to her.

As Beca looked around, she noticed that the apartment was a bit messy. She pushed away from the door and went to her suitcase. She separated her dirty clothes into piles and put everything else away.

Beca placed her dirty clothes into a basket and made her way down to the laundry room. She was lucky, and there were two empty washers. She got her clothes started and went back up to the apartment

The first thing Beca did was take the new sheets, pillows, and pillow cases out of the bags and made the new sofa bed. It had one of those new memory foam mattresses; she hoped Chloe liked it. She closed it up and put the new throw pillows on the ends.

Beca continued working until she had everything put away. She then gathered up the trash and boxes and took them down to the dumpster in back of their building. Before going back up to the apartment, she went to the laundry room and threw her clothes into dryers.

Beca spent an hour working on some music before going back and getting her clothes from the laundry room. She folded everything and put them into the basket and went back to the apartment. She put her clean clothes away and decided to make dinner.

Fat Amy sent a text telling Beca she had a hot date and she wouldn't be home until the next day. Beca cleaned up after dinner and worked on her music. It was getting late, and she decided to go to bed.

Beca changed and brushed her teeth. She climbed into her new bed and sighed because the memory foam mattress was a thing of beauty and comfort.

~~oOo~~ The Bed ~~oOo~~

Beca was washing her breakfast dishes when Fat Amy came home. Fat Amy stopped dead in her tracks and backed up out of the apartment looking at the door. She then walked back in and looked around.

"Uh, Beca?"

"Yeah, Ames?"

"What the hell happened to our apartment?"

"I got a signing bonus and decided the place needed some sprucing up. What's wrong? You don't like it?"

Fat Amy closed the door and looked around again. "You got us a real dining table with all matching chairs?"

"Yeah," Beca said.

"And a new sofa?"

"Yeah," Beca repeated. "It's still a sofa bed, only nicer. And it has a memory foam mattress."

Fat Amy looked around, and her eyes widened. She went to the bathroom, and her mouth dropped open.

"You got us a real shower curtain? And a bathroom rug?"

"Yes, Amy," Beca said. "I got all that. Do you want some breakfast? I made plenty."

"Wow," Fat Amy said as she walked over to the new table. "This is all so...so...aca-awesome!"

Fat Amy grabbed Beca in a bear hug. "No, Amy. Stop it. Put me down!"

"Beca," Fat Amy said somewhat in awe. "You are the bestest best friend ever!"

"Do you think Chloe will like it?" Beca asked. "I mean, you guys are going to have to live with it when I move to L.A."

"She'll love it," Fat Amy said as her eyes moved to the counter behind Beca. "Is that a new coffee maker?"

~~oOo~~ The Bed ~~oOo~~

Beca spent Sunday afternoon doing a dry run from her Brooklyn apartment to DJ Khaled's Manhattan studio. She grabbed the train and made the forty-minute ride before getting off and walking another three blocks to the studio. She grimaced when she realized that to be at the studio before nine o'clock she would have to leave her apartment no later than seven-thirty to take into account the ten-minute walk to the train from the apartment and the ten-minute walk to the studio. If the trains cooperated, she'd have time to stop for coffee, too.

Beca took the train back home and found the apartment empty. She decided to text Fat Amy to see when or if she was coming home, offering dinner at their favorite Chinese place as an incentive for her to come home.

Fat Amy immediately texted back and said she'd meet her at the restaurant at around six. This gave Beca about an hour before she had to leave.

Beca sat on the sofa and thought about the past two weeks and how her life was changing so much. She thought about being a solo artist; not something she ever thought she'd be, but she was looking forward to turning it into a producer job in the future.

She then thought about Chloe. She loved the girl and told her, but Chloe chose Chicago. Despite what Beca told everyone, Beca wasn't happy about it; but she had to pretend everything was okay because she promised Chloe that she would abide by whatever choice she made. Beca was regretting that promise now. She was going to have to keep up the false sense of being okay with everything, not only in front of Chloe but in front of everyone else as well, at least until she moved to L.A. She knows that if she doesn't, the Bellas will come up with some elaborate plan or scheme to bring the two together, and no matter how much she loved Chloe, she didn't want to be with Chloe if Chloe didn't want to be with her.

Part one of Beca's plan to get over Chloe was working so far. The new bed, and other upgrades she made, gave the apartment a different feel.

Beca checked her phone and realized she needed to leave to meet Fat Amy; she was already seated when Beca arrived.

"Hey," Beca said as she sat across from Fat Amy.

~~oOo~~ The Bed ~~oOo~~

The alarm Beca set woke her the next morning. She groaned and grabbed her phone to turn off the alarm so she wouldn't disturb Fat Amy.

She managed to make it to the studio before nine and was quite pleased with how well her commute went. She knew she shouldn't get used to it because it wouldn't always be like this.

Theo met her in the lobby and showed her around the studio, introducing her to some of the producers. Their last stop was a large bullpen type space that housed five songwriters. Theo introduced Beca to the group; the last was a woman named Tiffany.

"Beca, I want you to work with Tiffany over the next few months," Theo said. "She can help you with song ideas, the right music, etc. I think she can help you create your sound."

"Wow, that's great," Beca said with a smile.

"We can sit and do some brainstorming today," Tiffany said. "Give me some ideas of the type of songs you might want to sing. I can show you some songs that I've already written, and you can see if any of them strike your fancy."

Theo left Beca with Tiffany, and the two women talked and worked the rest of the day, only breaking to have a slice of pizza someone had ordered for lunch. It was not six o'clock, and everyone was packing up to head home.

Beca and Tiffany walked to the train together and talked about more personal stuff. Beca liked Tiffany because she was so easygoing and down to earth. Beca noticed that Tiffany had a smile on her face for most of the day and was just a very happy person. She reminded Beca a lot of Chloe.

"Hey, you should come with us tomorrow night," Tiffany said as they rode the train together. "It's Taco Tuesday at Nick's Bar near the studio. All the writers go, and they have karaoke."

"Sounds like fun," Beca said. "Count me in."

"Give me your phone," Tiffany said. "I'll give you my number in case you need to reach me outside of work hours. You never know when inspiration might hit. You can text me your ideas anytime."

"Cool," Beca said, and Tiffany put her number in Beca's. "Text yourself, so I'll have your number as well."

"Done," Tiffany said and handed Beca her phone. "Oh, this is my stop. I'll see you tomorrow, Beca. I think we're going to work well together."

"I do, too," Beca said as Tiffany gave her one last wave and exited the train.

~~oOo~~ The Bed ~~oOo~~

The next day went about the same as the day before. Beca had been talking to Tiffany about some of the antics she had been through with Chloe and Amy.

"Hey, do you think anyone would mind if I invited Amy to join us tonight," Beca said. "She loves karaoke and tacos."

"No one cares," Tiffany said. "Someone always drags someone else with them at some point."

"Cool," Beca said. She texted Fat Amy, and she agreed to meet Beca at the karaoke bar.

It was almost six, and Tiffany and Beca were gathering their personal belongings when Lauren, one of the other songwriters popped her head over their cubicle.

"So, Beca," Lauren said with an evil grin. "Did Tiffany tell you about the newbie rule?"

"Newbie rule?" Beca asked looking nervously between Tiffany and Lauren.

"Lauren, behave," Tiffany said with a laugh. "The newbie rule is that the newbie that would be you has to sing a song of our choosing for karaoke."

"Is that all?" Beca said with a laugh. "Fat Amy used that rule on us all the time."

"You call your friend Fat Amy?" Lauren asked.

"She calls herself that," Beca said. "You'll get to meet her tonight. She's going to meet us there."

"That's cool," Lauren said. "I can't wait to meet someone who calls themselves Fat Amy."

Beca, Tiffany, Lauren, and two other songwriters, Dave and Fred, arrived at the bar about six-fifteen.

"First beer is on me," Lauren told Beca as she headed toward the bar.

"Let's find a table," Tiffany said, and the others followed.

The group sat down and suddenly Beca hears, "Shawshank!"

Beca grimaced and said, "I wish she'd stop calling me that."

Tiffany and Dave laughed at her as she got up and went to greet Amy.

"Amy, please don't embarrass me," Beca said. "I have to work with these people."

"Come on, newbie, I got the beers," Lauren said as she walked past Beca and Fat Amy.

"Right," Beca said. "Come on, Ames."

Fat Amy followed Beca to the table. Beca introduced her to everyone, and Lauren looked at Amy.

"So, Beca told us you call yourself Fat Amy, but she didn't tell us why," Laure said.

"I do it so twig bitches like you don't say it behind my back," Amy said.

Lauren looked at her and then started laughing. "I like her!"

Everyone sat down, and Tiffany was sitting next to Beca. Lauren looked at Beca and then at Amy.

"So, Amy-"

"Fat Amy, please."

"Oh-kayyyy," Lauren said. "Fat Amy, we are going to pick out a song for Beca to sing. Since you're a newbie to our group, we're going to do the same for you. So, on that note, I'm going to put in a song for Beca."

"Oh, I have the perfect song," Fat Amy said and jumped up to follow Lauren.

"I haven't had enough to drink for this," Beca said frowning. "I'm getting more beer. I'll buy this round."

Beca got up and went to the bar. She ordered some pitchers and then looked around. She saw Fat Amy and Lauren talking to the DJ and shook her head. She didn't want to think about what song Fat Amy had in mind for her.

Fat Amy came to the bar and ordered another tray of shots. She and Beca carried the drinks to the table and sat down.

"Here, Beca," Fat Amy said handing her one of the shots. "You're going to need this."

Beca took the shot, and Fat Amy handed out the rest to the others at the table.

"Here's to new friends," Fat Amy said, and everyone clinked their shot glasses and downed their shots.

"Whoa!" Beca said and breathed out. "I need another beer to wash away the taste of that."

"Here you go," Fred said and filled Beca's glass.

The group sat around laughing and drinking. They each got up and sang a karaoke song. Beca was impressed with their voices. She found out that they sang demos for each other of the songs they wrote, so they had to sound good. Karaoke was good practice.

Lauren had just finished a rousing rendition of Katy Perry's Firework and made her way back to the table. She flopped down in her seat and looked at Beca.

"You should be up after this guy, Beca," Lauren said. She looked at Fat Amy, and they both started laughing.

"Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like this," Beca said.

"Next up, Beca M," the DJ said. "Come on up, Beca, and show us what you got."

"Oh, God," Beca said as she stood.

"Oh, Beca," Fat Amy said causing the tiny brunette to turn toward her. "You're going to need this."

Fat Amy started laughing as she held out a yellow plastic cup.

"You didn't!" Beca said with her mouth agape.

"We did," Lauren and Fat Amy said.

"I hate you both so much right now," Beca said as she grabbed the cup from Fat Amy.

As soon as Beca got about five steps from the table, Fat Amy started chanting, "Beca, Beca, Beca." The rest of the table soon joined her.

The group burst into fits of laughter as they saw Beca flip them off without losing her stride. Beca sang When I'm Gone using the cup to help keep the beat with the music.

The group at the table cheered and clapped. Beca walked red-faced back to the table.

"That was amazing, Beca," Tiffany said.

Beca looked over to see Lauren hand a twenty to Fat Amy.

"What the hell, Amy," Beca said.

"She bet me you wouldn't do it," Fat Amy said with a shrug.

"Gotta hand it to you, Beca," Lauren said. "You are full of surprises. Where did you come up with that?"

"Saw it on a YouTube video once," Beca said.

"She used that song to audition for the Bellas," Fat Amy said. "After Chloe cornered her in the showers to get her to audition."

"Oh," Lauren said looking at Beca. "That sounds like a story we need to hear."

"Thanks a lot, Amy," Beca said.

"You're welcome," Fat Amy said with a shrug.

Beca laughed at Fat Amy and then proceeded to tell the story of how Chloe heard her singing in the shower and barged in on her.

"Chloe's the redhead of the group, right?" Tiffany asked.

"Yeah," Fat Amy said. She pulled out her phone and then held it out to show everyone. "This is Chloe."

Lauren took the phone and whistled. "That's her? Wow! She's gorgeous."

"She's hot," Dave said looking over Lauren's shoulder.

"Shut up," Beca said. "Don't talk about her like that."

"Sorry," Dave said putting his hands up in surrender. "I didn't realize it was like that."

"It hasn't nothing to do with me," Beca said. "She's my best friend, and she has a boyfriend, and neither one of us appreciates someone talking about her like that."

"Sorry," Dave said again.

Beca gulped down her beer and then stared down into the empty glass as she wondered how Chloe was doing. She should check in on her.

"You okay?" Tiffany whispered to Beca.

"Yeah," Beca muttered. "I think I'm going to call it a night."

Beca stood and grabbed her jacket off the back of her chair.

"You leaving already?" Lauren asked.

"It's already nine-thirty," Beca said. "I'm tired, and I have a forty-minute train ride home. Plus, I'm not used to getting up so early to make it to work on time."

"Beca's right," Tiffany said. "I'm going to head out, too."

"I'm sorry I put a damper on the party," Beca said.

"Don't worry about it," Lauren said with a smile. "You can make it up to us next week. And bring Fat Amy. She's fun."

"Thank you," Fat Amy said. "I'll be here."

Beca, Fat Amy, and Tiffany left the bar and headed for the train. They chatted until they got to Tiffany's stop.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Beca," Tiffany said as she got off the train.

~~oOo~~ The Bed ~~oOo~~

Beca was yawning as she and Fat Amy reached their apartment. Only two days into her new job and she was exhausted.

Beca unlocked the door and saw the lights on.

"Amy, I thought we talked about leaving the lights on when you-. Chloe?"

"Hey," Chloe said as she stood in front of them smiling.

"What are you doing here?" Beca asked as she closed the door.

"I live here," Chloe said with a chuckle. "At least I think I do. All these changes made me think I was in the wrong place."

"It's all Beca," Fat Amy said as she hugged Chloe. "Welcome home, Red."

"Yeah, um, welcome home," Beca said and took off her jacket. "So, why are you home? I thought you wouldn't be home until the weekend."

"What? Not happy to see me?" Chloe asked frowning.

"No, that's not it," Beca said and yawned. "I'm just surprised is all."

Chloe walked over to Beca and pulled her into a hug. Beca hugged Chloe back and pulled away. Chloe frowned again.

"Didn't you miss me?" Chloe asked sadly.

"Of course we missed you," Beca said. "I'm just exhausted. I have to be up at six and was planning on crashing as soon as we got home."

"Oh, of course," Chloe said waving her hand. "Don't let me keep you up. We can catch up tomorrow."

"Cool," Beca said.

Fat Amy watched the interaction, unsure of what was happening.

"So, Chloe," Amy said. "While the old lady goes to bed, why don't you tell me about you and Chicago. Were you guys doing the horizontal tango for the past three days and you had to come home to recuperate?"

Beca glared at Fat Amy who just shrugged and smiled at her. Beca grabbed her pajamas and went into the bathroom, not wanting to hear about Chloe and her sexploits with Chicago.

Beca could hear Chloe and Amy talking but couldn't hear what they were saying. She changed into her pajamas and brushed her teeth. She took her time and spent more time than was necessary for getting ready for bed. She finally completed her nightly ritual, and She grabbed up her dirty clothes as she left the bathroom.

"Yeah, it's pretty fancy," Fat Amy said as she and Chloe were checking out their new coffee maker.

"I can't believe how nice the place looks," Chloe said as Beca threw her dirty clothes into the hamper. "Thanks for all this, Becs."

"It's nothing," Beca said with a shrug.

"It's not nothing," Chloe said. "Amy tells me our new bed has a memory foam mattress. Fancy."

"You new bed," Beca corrects.

"What?"

"It's your new bed," Beca repeated.

Beca pulls out the rollaway bed she had been sleeping in and opens it up. She pushes it back against the wall and sits on the edge.

"What the hell is that?" Chloe asked wide-eyed.

"It's my new bed," Beca said. "It's got a memory foam mattress, too."

"What?" Chloe asked somewhat crestfallen. "You're not sharing the pullout with me?"

"That would be kind of disrespectful, don't you think?"

"Disrespectful? What's that supposed to mean?"

"You have a boyfriend now, and you know I have, um, romantic feelings for you. I think it would be disrespectful to your new relationship for us to continue to share the same bed."

"You didn't have a problem with it when you were still with Jesse," Chloe said crossing her arms over her chest.

Beca snorted. "We both know that was never going to last. Besides, you didn't have romantic feelings for me. Big difference."

Chloe looked as if she was going to say something, but instead, she turned and sat down on the sofa and looked over at Amy. Amy moved over to sit next to Chloe.

"Just tell her," Amy whispered.

"I can't," Chloe mumbled back.

"Why not?" Amy asked. "This is the perfect time."

"You do know I'm less than three feet away and can hear everything you're saying, right?"

Chloe and Amy both turned to look at Beca.

"What can't you tell me?" Beca asked looking at Chloe.

"It's nothing," Chloe said, and Amy scoffed.

"Doesn't sound like it's nothing," Beca said and yawned. "Sorry."

"You're tired and should get some sleep," Chloe said. "We can talk tomorrow."

Amy threw up her arms and went back over to her bed. Chloe watched as Beca got under the covers and made sure her phone alarm was set. Beca settled into the bed and turned her face to the wall.

"Good night, Becs," Chloe said.

"Good night, Chloe," Beca mumbled.

~~oOo~~ The Bed ~~oOo~~

The next morning, Beca shut off her alarm as soon as it went off so she wouldn't wake her roommates. She sat up and stretched before getting out of bed and heading for the tiny kitchen. She was startled when she heard Chloe sniffle as she was passing by Chloe's bed.

"Sheesh, Chloe," Beca said with her hand on her chest. "You scared me."

"Sorry," Chloe mumbled.

"Are you crying?" Beca asked.

"No," Chloe said and sniffled again.

"You are crying," Beca said. She sat on the side of the bed and pulled Chloe into a hug. "What's wrong?"

"I made a mistake, Becs," Chloe said softly.

"A mistake?" Beca asked. "What kind of mistake?"

"I should never have stayed in France," Chloe said. "I never should have chosen to stay with Chicago."

Beca pulled back at hearing this. "What does that mean, Chloe?"

"It means it should have been you," Chloe said as the tears fell down her cheek. "I knew the minute the bus drove off that I should have been on it with you."

"I, uh, I don't know what to say to that, Chloe," Beca said.

Beca wasn't sure how to feel at this point. Chloe had chosen Chicago for a reason, and now she's saying she made a mistake.

"When I told you I was staying to get to know Chicago, you were just fine with it," Chloe said. "I realized I didn't want you to be fine with it. I wanted you to tell me I was making a mistake and to go home with you."

"Chloe," Beca said. "I told you how I felt and promised that I would abide by whatever decision you made. You chose Chicago so no matter how much it killed me I had to live up to my promise. I wasn't going to be that person who shit all over your feelings or made you feel bad because you cared about someone else."

"That's what one of the things I love about you," Chloe said with a soft smile. "You put everyone else's happiness before your own."

Beca chewed on her bottom lip and thought about what Chloe said.

"Why did it take you four days to come home?" Beca asked.

"Since I said I was staying to get to know Chicago, I thought I should follow through and really try," Chloe said. "And, I did try; but I knew after being alone with him for 24 hours that we had nothing in common. But, I was stubborn and spent the next two days still trying to find something that would make me want to be with him in the long term. But, I knew for me it was just a physical attraction and nothing more. For him, all he wanted was to get into my pants. Which, FYI, did not happen."

Beca grinned at this. "So, there we no sexploits between you and soldier boy?"

"Nope," Chloe said returning the grin. "We just kissed, and that's it. I swear"

"Is he a better kisser than me?" Beca asked.

"I don't know," Chloe said. "You and I have never kissed."

"Well, I think we need to fix that," Beca said. "I think you should kiss me so you can compare."

"You think so, huh?"

"Yep!" Beca said and closed the gap between them to smash their lips together.

Chloe was a bit surprised at the bold move but leaned into the kiss. Beca pulled back first, and Chloe followed chasing her lips.

"Well?" Beca asked with a smirk. "Am I a better kisser than Chicago?"

"Chicago who?" Chloe asked as she pulled Beca in for another kiss.

This time Chloe pulled back first.

"I love you," Chloe said.

"Good!" Beca said. "Because I love you, too."

"Finally!" Amy yelled as she sat up in her bed. "Just don't do it on my bed or when I'm here."

Amy got out of bed and went to the coffee maker to turn it on.

"I have to get ready for work," Beca said. "But, we are so going to talk some more tonight."

"If by talking, you mean kissing," Chloe said. "I'm in."

Beca gave Chloe another quick kiss and stood. "Oh, and Becs?"

"Yeah, Chlo?"

"I'm going to sell that rollaway bed while you're at work."