Of all the ways the night could have ended, Chloe never thought this would have been it. This, of course, being half inside her taxi, standing outside just her apartment - old apartment, Chloe's brain gently reminds her - kissing a soaking wet Beca Mitchell.

Beca Mitchell is kissing Chloe.

Chloe is kissing Beca Mitchell.

It's raining and when Beca grabs the back of Chloe's neck and pulls their mouths together, Chloe can't help but feel a little bit like she's in The Notebook. She's wanted this for two years - from that night in the shower, through Hood Night, through Beca punching that dude out during Regionals, through late nights studying in each other's rooms, through that argument at semis, through nodes surgery, and through Beca's first night as a real radio DJ (Beca still has no idea Chloe listened to that entire set on her iPad as she laid in her hospital bed).

She's wanted this through finals and through Beca's instant realization that kissing Jesse was a bad idea and through two weeks spent watching Beca research the cost of living in Los Angeles and being too afraid to say something.

She's wanted this through actually saying something, telling Beca she's got into grad school - Just one more year, she had begged, please just stay - and through not talking to Beca for a week after while she let her make up her mind.

She's wanted this through her graduation, where there were at least a thousand people in attendance and she could hear Beca cheering the loudest when she went up for her salutatorian speech.

She's wanted this through the end of the year party with Aubrey naming Beca the new Bellas' captain, through signing a lease with Beca for their off-campus apartment for the next year, and through a week of Ben and Jerry's and terrible romcoms (complete with snarky commentary from Beca) on the couch because Aubrey had finally left for New York.

She's wanted this through a year of living with Beca - arguing over whose turn it was to do the dishes, cooking disasters, impromptu duets, listening to Beca's new mixes, and crashing Beca's bed for cuddle time - and working her ass off in grad school.

She's wanted this through the last two weeks of helping Beca pack for her move to Los Angeles, packing her own stuff for the move back to Miami while she looks for a job, and through tonight's teary goodbye as the taxi made its way over to take her to the airport.

But now... now Beca is kissing Chloe, Chloe's kissing right back, and Beca's kisses taste sweet but desperate, like she's wanted this as long as Chloe has.

But still.

Chloe has to ask.

"Beca," she gasps, pulling back from her lips. "What -"

Beca looks down and drops her hands to Chloe's hips, thumb sliding idly over her hipbone. "I'm sorry," she says quietly, and then looks up, eyes squinting against the downpour. "I just..."

"Just what?" Chloe asks, trying to ignore the thudding of her heart against her ribcage.

"Don't go," she says, voice pleading in a way that Chloe's never heard from her. "Just... cancel your flight. Come to LA with me. I'll pay for your ticket, I don't care. Just come with me."

"Are you..." Chloe trails off, pushing down the hope rising in her chest.

"Yes," Beca says, like she knows what's coming, like that yes means I love you and I want you and please just say yes.

Chloe smiles, a slow smile that quickly spreads to one that is so wide it makes her cheeks hurt. She laughs, blinking away the raindrops in her eyelashes, and kisses Beca again.

She never thought that this night would end like this, but maybe she'd hoped for it.