For Bechloe Week 2019: 20 Questions

AU in which Chloe quit the Bellas before Beca's freshman year, so they never met.

Chloe's never done this before.

She isn't usually the kind of person who would do this.

Still, here she is, sitting in her hotel room's expansive armchair, fingers fiddling nervously in her lap as she waits for the escort she'd hired for the evening to arrive.

The room service she'd ordered waits at the foot of the bed, all stainless steel and shiny chrome lids covering the food, looking every bit as expensive as it had been. She'd cleaned, picked up her belongings from the desk (apart from the envelope) and from the bathroom counter, and had neatly packed her bags away into the closet. She'd made sure the bed was freshly made with crisp white sheets, the floor was swept, and the bathroom was spotless. She even had the balcony (with its beautiful view of Munich) cleaned off, just in case.

Housekeeping probably thinks she has OCD or something, but it's worth it.

Now, she waits, staring absently at the king-sized bed, noting how the lights over the headboard can be adjusted, dimmed or brightened to her taste. It all seems perfect, and she hopes she hasn't overlooked anything that might ruin the evening.

A knock on the door startles her, even though the timing is exactly what she'd been guaranteed. Chloe rises from the armchair, knees trembling slightly. She crosses the room in a few strides, rests her hand on the doorknob, and prepares to greet her visitor.

She has to take a few deep breaths.

Chloe opens the door and her brain freezes; the woman is even more beautiful than her picture had shown. She's about the same height, or maybe a little taller than Chloe, with long chocolate hair, dark blue eyes, and pale skin. She's wearing a stunning deep red dress (extremely low-cut) under a black leather jacket and completes the look with red stilettos that perfectly match the dress. She only wears light makeup, with black mascara and a beautiful shade of dark lipstick. She also holds a large black purse.

Chloe instantly feels underdressed in her jeans and pink blouse.

"Uh… hi," she manages, shifting her weight as she remembers how to speak.

The woman smiles. "Hello. Chloe?"

Chloe would guess they're around the same age; she thinks the profile had said she was in her early twenties.

"Yep, I… yep." Chloe nods, hoping it isn't obvious that her hands are trembling. "And you're Beca, right?"

Beca extends a hand for Chloe to shake. "Nice to meet you," she says, her voice cool and collected, nothing like how Chloe sounds to her own ears.

"You too. Uh, your American accent is really good."

Beca smiles again. "That's probably because I'm from the United States. But thank you."

Chloe wants to kick herself. "Oh, right." Had the profile said that? She'd just assumed Beca was German. "Sorry."

"It's all good."

"Cool, cool." Chloe swings her hands around, finally clasping them together in front of her. "I'm American, too."

"I gathered."

"Right."

Chloe attempts to lean on the doorframe, aiming for suave; instead, the movement feels jerky and awkward, and she can't find the right angle to rest her shoulder against the frame. Her eyes dart between Beca's face and the hotel hallway behind her.

Beca's expression changes, her eyebrows drawing together minutely. "You don't need to be nervous, Chloe. It's okay."

"Sorry," Chloe puffs, running a hand through her hair. "I've just… I've never done this before. I don't really know how to…"

"How to start?"

"Yeah."

"Well, inviting me into the room is usually a good start," Beca whispers conspiratorially, leaning in. It's insane how breathtaking she manages to look even when she's teasing.

"Right! God, yes, sorry," Chloe says, quickly stepping aside and making a sweeping gesture with her arm to invite Beca in. She's extra happy she'd cleaned now, because she doesn't think she could bear Beca thinking she's both an awkward lummox and a slob. She's neither, of course, but this whole situation is uncharted territory, and—and wow, Beca's perfume smells fantastic, wafting into the room after her as she steps inside from the hall. Chloe closes the door, but doesn't lock the deadbolt, concerned it might feel a little axe-murdery. The handle lock should be enough.

Once inside, Beca turns to face her, seemingly completely at ease. "So, what were your plans for the night, Chloe? You paid for three hours of my time."

"Oh, right to it," Chloe says, startled.

"Well, you know," Beca shrugs. "Don't want you to waste your money."

"No, I—I appreciate it."

"So…?"

"Oh! Well, um, I thought we could stay in. I ordered room service, and uh, cleaned…" Chloe trails off as Beca looks around the room. Her eyes widen slightly, as if she's vaguely surprised by the effort Chloe put in.

"This is nice, thanks," she says, removing her leather jacket smoothly and hanging it in the closet. She also reaches down to unstrap her heels and when she steps out of them, she's maybe about an inch shorter than Chloe.

"So, uh, since this is your first time," Beca starts slowly, "I guess I'll just… well, what we do next is really up to you. I can undress, or if you'd like we can shower, or we can have the room service first, or after. I can do some role play or the girlfriend experience, but I'm not a BDSM girl, that's not my area of expertise. I also brought a few different toys—" Beca hoists up her bag, which Chloe had almost forgotten about "—but again, totally up to you. Thoughts? Questions?"

Chloe blinks. It's not so much what Beca had said as the matter-of-fact way in which she'd said it. It throws Chloe, makes her realize that she might be insane for even thinking of doing this in the first place.

"Um," she says once she finds her voice. "Can we just talk?"

"Sure, we can start with talking."

Chloe winces. "No, um. I mean, just talk. For… three hours?"

Beca's mouth opens, then closes. She's frowning at Chloe, but more in confusion than anything. "I'm not sure I—"

"I didn't hire you for sex," Chloe blurts, heat beginning to creep up her neck.

Beca stares, uncomprehending. "Then…"

Chloe takes a breath. "I hired you because… because I'm by myself in Germany and I'm lonely and I just really want to talk to someone."

"I… are you a cop or something?" Beca asks, her tone suddenly sharp.

"What?"

"Like some well-meaning American cop? Because this is totally legal here, okay, and really regulated, so you can't—"

"I'm not a cop!" Chloe promises, raising her hands in the universal 'calm down' gesture. "I'm just—I just want to talk to you. Really."

Beca hesitates. Her eyes flick to the door and back.

"Look," Chloe sighs, "I… I get it if you're not allowed to do that. I mean, you probably have other clients, but I'm still going to pay you. Here," she says, picking up the envelope of cash from the desk.

After a brief hesitation, Beca grabs the envelope from Chloe, but she doesn't count it. She just holds it loosely, as though weighing her options.

Unease rises in Chloe's chest, shoving the words out of her. "But, you know, I'm not gonna force you to stay, either. Hell, you can even take the money and leave if you'd—I know you're probably doing this for a reason, so if you'd rather just have the money and go that's—"

"Chloe."

"Wow, sorry, was that offensive? I'm—"

"Chloe, hold it!" Beca laughs, her eyes crinkled at the corners. "It's okay. Breathe," she encourages quietly.

Chloe breathes.

Beca continues, "I'm not offended, or whatever. I'm... surprised. I've never… you're just. I've never had a client who just wanted to talk before. It's always been sex," Beca shrugs, replacing the envelope on the desk, apparently leaving it for later.

"Oh," Chloe pauses. "Is it weird? Hiring someone to just talk?"

A corner of Beca's mouth lifts into a smirk. "Yeah, kinda weird."

Chloe cringes at herself, pulling a face and looking down.

"But I like it."

Beca's voice is soft, but it still makes Chloe look up.

"Yeah, I… that's really kinda cool," Beca says. "You just want to talk."

"Yes! I didn't want to have sex."

Beca's eyes narrow. "Wait... did you decide this before or after you saw me? You don't want some of this?" she asks, gesturing down her body grandly.

It startles a laugh out of Chloe, one that bubbles free and is probably louder than Beca had been expecting. "Oh, you're super hot, don't get me wrong! Totes bangable," Chloe winks, "but nope, I just wanted to talk."

Beca grins, and she suddenly seems like a different person, somehow more real and relaxed. "Sweet. Let's just talk, then. And about this room service?"

"You got it," Chloe agrees, relieved. She leads the way to the bed, sitting on the end of it and pulling the cart of food toward her. She pats the spot next to her and Beca sits, reaching for a cloth napkin to cover and protect her dress.

"Drum roll, please?" Chloe asks, resting her hands on the nearest plate covers.

Beca rolls her eyes but still does it, drumming her hands on her knees to build the anticipation.

Chloe waits for a count of three, then whips off the covers of the dishes. "Ta-da!" she cries, revealing tons of food, including fancy salads, steak, pasta, cubed pineapple, and chocolate-covered strawberries.

"I didn't know if you would be vegan or anything," Chloe says as Beca scans the food with wide eyes, "So I got a bit of everything. Your profile didn't say about food allergies, either, so if there's something else I should get, just let me know, okay?"

The look Beca sends her is an odd one, her expression hard to read.

"No, I… this is good," she murmurs. "Thanks."

They start on the room service, pausing every now and then to comment on the food ("This is literally the best steak I've had in my entire life," Beca assures Chloe). A little later, when Chloe notices how careful Beca is being about keeping her dress clean, she offers to lend her some more casual clothing. Beca only pauses a second before agreeing, and before long, she reemerges from the bathroom wearing Chloe's sweatpants and a T-shirt that's slightly too large.

"You still look hot," Chloe assures her, earning an eye roll.

"Whatever," Beca grumbles, resuming her seat on the end of the bed. "So was there anything specific you wanted to talk about or…?"

"Um." Chloe takes a moment to drop her napkin on the now-empty cart and shove the whole thing aside to give them space. "I hadn't thought that far ahead."

Beca gives that same smirk Chloe has started to realize means she's being gently mocked. "Okay."

"Well, uh, we could play twenty questions?"

Beca lifts an eyebrow. "All right… animal, mineral, or vegetable?"

Chloe snorts. "No, not that, more like… I ask you twenty questions, and you ask me twenty questions. Just to get to know each other."

"What kinds of questions?"

"Anything."

"Um… sure," Beca agrees after only a short hesitation. "Let's do it."

"Oh, okay, let me just—" Chloe pulls out her phone, unlocks it, and opens a new note tab. "So we can keep track of how many questions we've asked," she explains, catching Beca's eye.

"Smart."

"Thanks! Okay, so…" Chloe scrutinizes Beca, debating what she should ask first. Beca's eyes jump around the room, as if she's not used to someone staring at her so directly. "Hmm… is Beca your real name?"

For some reason, the question makes Beca snort. "Uh, yeah, yeah it is, actually. Maybe I shouldn't use my real name, but…" she shrugs.

"I like it," Chloe assures her. "And Chloe's my real name," she winks as she hits the "1" on her phone to mark the question. "Your turn!"

"Um, right… uh, what's your favorite color?"

Chloe pouts. "That's boring."

"Too bad. Color?"

"Yellow," she answers, then hesitates. She's not really sure how much she should ask about Beca's profession, but the curiosity is overwhelming. "So, how long have you been… uh, working as a…"

Beca tilts her head forward. "An escort?" she asks, and Chloe nods a little awkwardly. Beca only smiles. "It's okay, you can say it. I've only been doing it a few months, just while I'm abroad here."

"What are you doing—"

"My turn," Beca cuts her off with a click of her tongue.

"Oops," Chloe apologizes, miming zipping her lips closed.

"Better," Beca grins. "So what are you doing all by yourself in Germany?"

Chloe wants to call her out for stealing her question, but she lets it pass. "Uh, well, I guess I needed something new. I graduated from college about two years ago and I… don't really know what I'm doing with my life, so I took a trip. I thought it would, you know, help," she shrugs. "Maybe I'd 'find myself' or something," she tries for a laugh, making fun of herself for being a cliché, but something in the way Beca looks at her makes Chloe uneasy. It's as though Beca can see right through that.

Before Beca gets a chance to push, though, Chloe fires back, "And what are you doing here?"

Beca's entire expression darkens for a moment, and Chloe kind of wants to take the question back. Instead, though, she waits, Beca shifting in her spot on the bed, lifting her legs up to cross them in front of her. "Well," she sighs after a moment, "I wanted to be in L.A., producing music."

Chloe makes a noise of surprise, and Beca glances at her before looking away again. "Uh, yeah, so I went to a year of college because my dad wanted me to, but I hated it, didn't meet any friends, so I went to L.A." Beca grimaces, running a hand through her hair roughly. "And long story short, my boss said I had nothing original to bring to the table, so I gave up. I wanted to 'find myself'"—she nods at Chloe—"so I went on a world tour, came here. I... needed the money, and I don't know what I'm doing with my life. Sex work is legal in Germany, so, well." Beca shrugs, meeting Chloe's eyes almost defiantly. "Here I am."

The emotion that rises in Chloe's chest is hard to identify. It's almost pity, but not quite; something tells her that Beca isn't asking for her pity. In fact, she's pretty sure Beca would leave the room if she pitied her, and that's the last thing Chloe wants. No, it's more disappointment that Beca had given up; she can't explain it, but somehow, she knows Beca would have been an amazing music producer.

Beca right eyebrow rises and Chloe shakes herself, realizing she'd been staring. "Um," she clears her throat hastily. "Your turn."

If Beca thinks she's acting strangely, she doesn't say. Instead, she asks, "Where did you graduate from?"

"I went to Barden University in Georgia."

Beca's mouth pops open and her eyes widen. "That's where I went for a year!"

"What? What year?"

"Um… does that count as a question?" Beca asks, eyes narrowing.

"I—sure," Chloe dismisses, hitting the "4" to mark the spot in her note. "So when?"

"I went there for the... 2011-2012 year? Yeah, two years...ago..." she trails off, looking alarmed by Chloe's barely-contained excitement.

"Beca! I graduated in 2012!" Chloe exclaims, bouncing a little on the bed. "We must have just missed each other!"

"I… that's crazy."

"I know!"

Beca leans in, putting her elbow on her thigh and resting her cheek on her fist. "Were you like, active on campus or whatever? 'Cuz you don't look familiar at all."

"Oh, totes! I was… oh," she deflates, then waves away Beca's sudden concern. "No, no, I was just… I was active. The first three years I was in this a cappella group, the Barden Bellas, but things kinda…" Chloe winces at the memory. "I'll just say it blew chunks at the end of my junior year, so I… quit. The Bellas kind of disbanded. But before that, I'd loved it, a cappella, the Bellas, everything."

"Mhm," Beca hums, fighting off a smile.

"What?"

Beca raises her hands, now grinning openly. "Sorry, it's just. That's pretty lame."

"It is not!"

"Wellllll…" Beca draws out in a high-pitched voice, crinkling her nose.

"Whatever," Chloe scolds, shoving Beca's shoulder to get her to stop. "Hey, do you sing?"

The smile disappears from Beca's face instantly. "No. I don't sing," she shuts that line of questioning down instantly. Before Chloe can push back, she fires out, "What's your favorite song?"

Without thinking (there's just something about Beca that puts her at ease), Chloe blurts, "'Titanium' by David Guetta." Oops. Oh, well.

Beca looks way more interested than maybe she should. "You know David Guetta?" she asks, insultingly incredulous.

"Of course!" Chloe answers. "Have I been living under a rock?"

Beca's expression shifts. "Is that your question?"

"No! Um… can you sing?"

"I… isn't that the same question?" Beca asks, not meeting Chloe's eyes.

"Nope," Chloe says smugly. "Not at all."

Beca glares at her for a moment, a look that's probably (definitely) meant to be some kind of death glare, but she's just so cute that Chloe can't take it seriously. To counter, Chloe smiles brightly back at her. After several seconds of this staring match, Beca purses her lips, closes her eyes, and lets out a deep sigh. "Since you're paying for this…" she mutters, and then she starts to sing.

Chloe should have seen this coming, honestly. She's the one who'd brought up David Guetta in the first place. Still, it flips her stomach and stops her heart when the opening lines of "Titanium" leave Beca's lips, more beautiful and perfect than she'd ever heard. It's second nature for Chloe to join in—she doesn't even think about it—and Beca's eyes stop flicking around the room to land directly on her own. They sing together, and something stirs high in Chloe's chest and deep in her gut and she really, really can't believe this is happening.

It's everything.

The finish the verse together and sit in silence, the sounds of their combined voices still echoing in Chloe's ears.

Beca speaks first. "So, that was…"

"You're really good," Chloe breathes. "And together we sound—"

"Why is that your favorite song?" Beca asks abruptly, again shifting on the bed.

Chloe knows she shouldn't—really, she shouldn't—but she winks. "It's my lady jam."

Beca performs an excellent impression of a fish, her mouth dropping open in shock. "You—I—is that why you just made me sing?" she asks loudly.

"No!" Chloe laughs, startled. "I didn't know you were gonna sing that!"

Beca's eyes narrow, but she doesn't push it. "Your turn," she grumbles after a minute, glaring again. (She's so cute.)

Chloe bites her lip. "Um, you said you didn't make any friends at Barden, but surely…"

It's maybe a sore topic; Beca's glare turns into a grimace and she looks down at the comforter, picking at it. "I met a guy," she says softly. "Jesse. He was nice, but… I mean, I still went to L.A. We don't talk anymore," she says, then looks up sharply. "Actually, now that you mention… he was in a cappella too. The… Troubletones? Or something?"

A black mood rolls over Chloe. "Treblemakers," she corrects tightly. "They're assholes."

"... Ah," Beca says, delicately avoiding that. "But no, um, other than him, no real friends. I didn't want them."

It's Chloe's turn to shift uncomfortably. "I'm—"

"What about you?" Beca interrupts. "You had friends? Still talk to them?"

It's technically two questions, Chloe supposes, but she can let it slide. She nods, her lips lifting briefly. "Yeah, um, especially my friend Aubrey. She and I were in the Bellas together, but, um, when I quit, she kinda… we lost touch."

More like Aubrey had screamed at her until they'd both broken down into tears and stormed away from one another in a black rage that neither of them ever bothered to mend. They hadn't seen each other after that, hadn't really had a reason to. Chloe still misses her.

With a huge effort, Chloe pulls herself back to the present. "Does your dad know you're here, then?" she asks, remembering that Beca had mentioned him earlier.

Beca pauses. "Well… yeah, but—I mean obviously he doesn't know I'm doing this," she says, gesturing around the room. "I wasn't exactly in a rush to tell him that his only child is selling her body to strangers, you know?"

Chloe winces. She doesn't like to think of Beca like that, doesn't like to imagine her other clients, probably rich, old, disgusting men.

"Does it…" Chloe starts, uncertain. "I mean… Beca, are you treated okay? Like—"

"Actually, yeah," Beca says, sounding a little surprised herself. "It's not bad. It's so regulated in Germany that… I mean, I have a lot of rights and options. Like, I only have female clients."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Beca nods. "It's safer and I enjoy it more. Most of my clients treat me really well, too, because they're women, so they get it. You're the first one to ask so many questions, though," she smiles at Chloe, bumping their shoulders together. "Everyone else is mostly just sex."

"I see why you thought it was weird," Chloe huffs, looking down.

"I mean, yeah, but… I like this," Beca assures her, then asks, "What about your parents? They know about this?"

"Um, yeah, they didn't really…" she has to stop, then forces herself to continue. "They didn't really understand, but since it's just a vacation they're good with it. They want me to apply for vet school—that's what my plan was—as soon as I get home, though, but… the future scares me," she admits uncomfortably.

"I feel that," Beca says softly, looking at Chloe without any trace of judgment or ridicule. She looks at Chloe like she understands.

Because of course she does. It's suddenly a lot for Chloe then, almost too much, and it's entirely her fault because it was all her idea to invite a stranger to her hotel room in order to get to know them. She hadn't considered this—how easy it would be to talk to Beca, how simple it would be for the questions to get deep and maybe she should have seen this coming but she hadn't. She definitely hadn't seen Beca coming. It's alarming, how much this stranger means to her already.

It's that fear that has Chloe flinging forward the first question she can think of, something so mundane she almost wants to throw herself off the balcony for it, but— "Your favorite movie?" she asks, doing her best to ignore Beca's obvious, actually-impossible-to-ignore surprise at the change in mood.

Still, Beca recovers well. "I don't like movies," she says simply. "They're boring and predictable. Favorite food?"

"Pasta. Favorite book?"

"Anna Karenina."

And wow, Beca is just full of surprises.

"That's mine, too," Chloe admits. "I had a Russian Lit class my senior year that I adored."

That makes a corner of Beca's mouth quirk up. "Nerd. Favorite memory?"

"Um..." Chloe has to think. No one has ever asked her that before. "I guess… my first day in a cappella rehearsal, getting to meet Aubrey and the other Bellas." Her voice catches on Aubrey's name, but both she and Beca pretend not to notice. "What do you love most about yourself?" she asks, then almost immediately regrets it.

Beca's entire face shuts down, transforming into a neutral mask that sets Chloe on edge. Beca doesn't look like Beca anymore when she deadpans, "Pass."

"You can't pass," Chloe manages after a second.

"I just did."

"I'm paying you," Chloe reminds her, then because she feels like that's a low blow, adds, "Please?"

Beca sighs, her eyes sliding closed.

Chloe waits, counting the seconds. She gets to twenty before Beca's eyes open again and she sighs.

"I love… that I can create these… with music, right, it's like I can see the way the songs fit together? And I can sort of read them, until I can make… I used to make these mashups of songs that were just…" Beca's voice finally trails off into nothingness, ending on a frustrated quiver that tears at something deep inside Chloe.

"I bet they were beautiful," she whispers, reaching out to rest her hand on Beca's knee.

Beca's eyes snap up to meet hers, harsh at first before she softens. "Well," she says, mouth twisting to the side. "I thought they were."

"You would have been so good in the Bellas," Chloe muses.

Beca's face turns to one of utter outrage. "Absolutely not," she says. "That's lame, remember?"

"Aca-scuse me?"

Beca gasps in horror. "What the hell did you just say?"

"I think you should try again," Chloe says, taking some satisfaction in the way that makes Beca's mouth snap shut. "With the music and producing. I think you should try again."

For a second, she isn't sure if Beca's going to start shouting or just storm out. To Chloe's surprise, she does neither.

"Maybe," Beca says, and goes back to picking at the comforter. "I just… I run. That's my thing," she shrugs. "That's what I… you asked what I loved most? That's what I hate most. That I run."

Chloe swallows. She didn't mean for this to happen. But then, with Beca, everything is turning out to be a little… more. She reaches out tentatively, moving slowly so as to not startle Beca away, and lightly covers Beca's hand with her own. Beca's hand twitches under hers, but she doesn't pull away.

They sit like that for a minute, until Beca clears her throat. "That was kind of… sorry," she mumbles, taking her hand out from under Chloe's carefully.

"You don't have to apologize," Chloe says softly.

Beca winces, wrinkling her nose. "Still. Um, my turn? In the game?"

It takes Chloe a second; she'd forgotten all about twenty questions. "Um, I guess, unless you don't want—"

"What's your biggest regret?"

"That I didn't do enough experimenting in college."

Beca's lips part in surprise. "Uh—"

"That, and quitting the Bellas, and losing Aubrey because of it," Chloe adds more quietly.

"Mmm. That's a lot of regret."

Chloe glances up, the familiar guilt settling in her chest. "Maybe if I'd… we could have recruited, you know. I just didn't want to. Aubrey changed after she—after junior year."

"What happened?" Beca asks, tilting her head. "If you want to talk about it, you can."

Chloe looks out to the balcony, stalling for time. Munich is lit up, sprawled out in front of her, and yet, there's nowhere she'd rather be than in this room with Beca.

"Chlo?"

Warmth rushes through Chloe at the nickname, and she turns to see those beautiful eyes, filled with nothing but curiosity and concern.

"There's—there's a video," Chloe starts, "but really, I don't recommend. Um, it was our big performance, the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella."

Beca's lips twitch, but she doesn't interrupt.

"And everything was going well, until Aubrey had her solo. She—well, it isn't her fault, she just gets nervous and it really messes with her stomach. She kinda… projectile vomited over the first three rows."

Beca jolts, a hand flying to her mouth. "Oh my God. Oh my God. She did not."

Chloe nods grimly. "She did."

"That's… disturbing, but hilarious."

"Yeah, the judges agreed more with 'disturbing,' and we got last place. After that, Aubrey changed and got really… she was mean. I didn't want to do it anymore, so."

Beca seems to absorb that, letting her hand fall back into her lap. She doesn't say anything for so long that Chloe begins to wonder if she'd overshared. "Is that—"

"Do you have the video?" Beca asks suddenly, smirk firmly in place. "I'd love it."

The tension breaks instantly, and Chloe lets out a peal of laughter that makes Beca's smirk morph into a full smile. "Purely for scientific purposes," Beca assures her.

Chloe rolls her eyes. "Uh huh. It's on YouTube, but you'll have to do that on your own time."

Beca pretends to pout, and really, how can someone be so hot and adorable at the same time? And then Beca's looking at her expectantly, and Chloe remembers it's her turn.

"Um, biggest fear?" she asks.

"Failure," Beca replies instantly. "You?"

"Being alone."

Beca nods sincerely. "I'm not surprised by that, considering you hired someone to hang out with you." And there's that smirk again.

"Oh shut up!" Chloe grins, smacking Beca lightly on the shoulder. "Um… what would make you fall in love with someone?"

"Oooh, good question." Beca runs her tongue over the front of her teeth, thinking. "Well," she starts slowly, "they have to be funny. And they have to think I'm funny."

"Of course."

"And kind, it's important that they're kind. And not just to me, I mean, like, to waiters and even telemarketers, and just. They have to be kind." Beca glances at her, and Chloe waits, silently encouraging her to continue. "Um, they have to love music. Obviously. They have to be patient, because I'm not always… yeah. And they can't—they can't run away or cheat or leave when it gets hard," she says, color rising into her neck and cheeks. "They can't shout, and they have to encourage people's dreams instead of shooting them down or calling them 'hobbies' or anything."

Chloe isn't a psychologist, but it doesn't take someone like Freud to figure out that all of this is coming from somewhere. There's definitely a story behind it, and Beca definitely hasn't mentioned her mom at all, and Chloe's dying to ask. But this time, she can tell Beca wouldn't appreciate it.

"Good list," she says instead, bobbing her head in agreement. "The music, especially. That's a deal-breaker."

"Definitely," Beca huffs, then glances at Chloe. "Ever been in love?"

Chloe can't stop the smile from breaking out over her face. "Yes. His name was Tom, and we were together for two years at Barden. He was really, really a good guy. We broke it off when he graduated a semester before me, though, because we didn't want to hold each other back."

"He sounds nice," Beca says, a strange expression on her face.

"He was, yeah. Have you been in love?"

Beca snorts. "No, definitely not. There's just not been anyone I clicked with, you know?"

"Yeah, that's fair."

"Hmm… favorite place in the entire world?" Beca asks, and Chloe doesn't even mind that her turn had been skipped, because it means Beca is too wrapped up in their game.

"Wherever I am currently. I live in the moment," Chloe answers, then asks, "Can I kiss you?"

Beca's eyebrows shoot up at the same time her eyes fall to Chloe's lips. Her mouth opens, but no sound comes out.

A horrible thought hits Chloe, and she rushes to make amends. "Not because I paid you!" she says hurriedly. "Really. Not that. But because I like you. If you don't want to, then that's okay, we don't—"

"Okay."

"Huh?"

Beca rolls her eyes and scoots closer. "I said 'okay.' You can kiss me."

"I—alright then."

That smirk is back. "Do you want me to tell you how to start?"

"I think I know," Chloe breathes, and then she leans forward to close the distance between them.

Beca's lips move against hers perfectly, all soft pressure and warm skin that makes Chloe's toes curl. She cradles Beca's face with one hand, the other sliding around to the back of Beca's neck, trying to ease the angle. She feels Beca's hands on her waist, fingertips trailing around her sides and back.

Beca sighs into the kiss, opening for Chloe, and it's really second nature for Chloe to slip her tongue between those lips. It's easy to become lost in it, surrounded by Beca like this; Beca is an amazing kisser, every stroke of her tongue and press of her lips igniting sparks deep in Chloe's chest, sparks that travel outward to make her stomach swoop, limbs tingle, and brain melt. And then Beca catches her lower lip between her teeth, biting down gently, and Chloe implodes. A whimper frees itself from her throat, one that Beca answers with a soft moan that tears at Chloe. She wants to surge forward and press Beca down, down into the mattress, kissing and touching and moving together until they both gasp and moan and—

Chloe pulls away, and Beca follows for the briefest moment until stopping, her eyes fluttering open in confusion.

Beca hadn't wanted to stop—hadn't been ready to stop—and that simple fact shatters Chloe, only to put her back together again.

"Chlo…" Beca has to stop, take a breath. "Do you want to keep going?"

A shiver runs down Chloe's spine, hot and cold all at once. "God, yes, but…" But I'm paying you, and we just met and I really, really don't want to mess this up. "...not now. Not…"

"It's okay," Beca breathes. "I understand. Really. It's okay," she repeats, when Chloe starts to apologize.

"I do want to," Chloe tries to assure her. "That was really, really—"

"Yeah," Beca huffs, scooting a few inches away so they can both breathe. "Yeah, it was."

Chloe doesn't know what to say—she can barely even think—so they sit in silence for a moment. Absently, Chloe raises her hand to touch her lips, still imagining how Beca's had felt.

"Um, did we finish the questions?" Beca's voice startles her, dropping her back into the hotel room.

"I don't know," Chloe manages. "I forgot to keep track after eight."

Beca snorts a laugh, smiling crookedly at Chloe. After a moment, though, the smile fades. "My time is up, anyway," she says, glancing at the room's alarm clock.

"Already?" Chloe gasps, twisting to see that sure enough, it's after midnight, the three hours she'd paid for spent up.

"Yeah," Beca sighs, standing. "I should…"

"You could stay," Chloe offers, but as soon as the words are out, Beca's shaking her head.

"I really… I don't want to mess this up," Beca says carefully, and Chloe nods.

Beca goes to the bathroom, changing out of Chloe's extra clothes and putting the dress back on. She comes out and hands Chloe the folded clothes with a soft "Thanks." Chloe can only nod, suddenly much more interested in how revealing Beca's dress is.

Chloe walks her to the door. "This was really—oh! Your money!" she remembers, spinning to the desk to snatch up the envelope.

"Oh, that's—I don't need that," Beca says, refusing to take it.

Chloe frowns. "But I still used your time."

"Well," Beca says, lifting one shoulder as she puts on her heels and jacket, "it didn't feel like work. Keep it."

"But—"

"Really, Chloe. I don't want it. This was… let's not make it about money, you know?"

Chloe straightens her spine. "Let me take you out to dinner with it tomorrow."

Beca hesitates. "I…"

"You're allowed to date, right?"

"I mean, yeah," Beca says, shifting her weight and glancing down. "I just… I have a client tomorrow."

Chloe isn't quite prepared for the rush of jealousy that crashes over her. It sweeps her off her feet, reminding her that outside her little bubble of how things could be waits the reality of what is.

"Sorry," Beca says softly, and then Chloe wants to punch herself for making Beca feel bad for even a single second.

"No, Bec, it's—how about the next night?"

Beca's eyes search hers before she answers. "Oh… kay. Yeah. The next night."

And now Chloe can't stop smiling. "Awes," she says, leaning in to press a quick peck to Beca's lips that only serves to make her want to do it again. So, she does.

They stand at the door, exchanging kisses, trading breaths, for what is most definitely not long enough before Beca pulls away.

"You're dangerous," she breathes.

"Thanks!" Chloe replies, making Beca laugh softly.

"Okay, I really gotta…"

"I'll see you in a couple days," Chloe promises.

With one last smile, Beca reaches for the door handle, turns it, and pauses. She looks back at Chloe, eyebrow lifted. "One last question."

"Yeah?" Chloe asks, heart in her throat.

Beca smirks. "Can I have your number?"