The air was dry and mild as Chloe stepped out of her car at the gas station. She looked around and grinned broadly. It took her almost an entire week, but she was finally almost to Los Angeles. The sense of exhilaration she felt filled her completely.

When she and Aubrey said goodbye in Georgia, Chloe promised to text when she was in L.A. Aubrey being who she was made Chloe promise it every day since. As much as Chloe loved her best friend, she hoped Aubrey would eventually relax. Still, Chloe gladly pulled out her phone as she waited for the gas to fill her tank.

As she typed, Chloe tried to not reminisce over the past, but it was difficult not to. She and Aubrey were practically inseparable throughout most of their college years, and not seeing her every day would be a bit of adjustment. She even had to laugh at the times they fought, though at the time they were happening they weren't exactly pleasure trips. They always resolved things in the end, and Chloe believed they were better for it. Even the last argument they had – with the entire Bella team – didn't come close to ending their friendship, and Chloe had to admit it was probably hysterical to watch.

Her thoughts led her to the Bellas in general. Winning the ICCAs was a crowning achievement in her undergrad years, and she was thankful to be part of something so special. Gathering her nerve to audition for the group as a freshman was the best thing she ever did. The experience brought her a lot of joy.

She made friends of all the women during her last year in the Bellas, and she was a little sad to say goodbye to them. Even so, she wanted to get to California as soon as possible to get a feel for the area. She visited the West Coast once as a child, and she wanted to explore before the demands of grad school fell upon her shoulders.

She sent out another text. In L.A.

Jealous as hell, but glad you made it

Chloe smiled. When Beca found out Chloe would be in grad school at the California Institute of Art, she not-so-lightly punched Chloe in the shoulder. With genuine affection, Chloe extended an invitation to have Beca visit her whenever she wanted, and though her friend acted nonchalant about her acceptance, Chloe knew the offer was appreciated.

She put the gas cap back on and got back into the car. Just as she was adjusting the GPS, her phone chimed.

How was the drive? Beca's text read.

Chloe smiled as she typed. Good. She paused, knowing Beca's dislike for emotions. Then she decided she didn't care. Miss you.

There was so much she wanted to add, and all of it was something she wanted to add for a long time. Chloe could never tell Beca how she really felt; there were too many obstacles. Not the least of which was Beca's boyfriend, Jesse. Chloe was truly happy for her friend, but there were moments, especially after the ICCAs, when Chloe wished she was the one Beca ran to after their performance.

She felt a pang in her heart when she thought back to the day she realized her feelings were deeper than friendship. In retrospect, Chloe knew her feelings stretched back to when they first met, but there was one small, yet defining moment when she finally acknowledged it. When she told her brother – the only person in the world she felt she could tell – he wasn't surprised at all. She wanted to punch him for not saying anything sooner, but Chloe knew anything he said wouldn't help. The memory the fateful night with Beca remained at the fore of her mind, and she was drawn back into it.

In the week after Beca's arrest, Aubrey worked the Bellas even harder than usual. Beca, true to form, kept challenging Aubrey on the song choices. One night the tension was so bad Beca didn't storm out exactly, but she didn't wait for anyone when the practice ended, instead hastily grabbing her things and leaving. Chloe said her goodnights to everyone and went after her friend. She finally found Beca sitting in a coffee shop with a giant mug and muffin in front of her.

"Hey," Beca said, picking at a bit of the muffin as Chloe slid into the booth, sitting across from her.

Knowing Beca would likely not want to talk about rehearsal, Chloe chose to keep things light. "When did you start liking muffins?"

"It was all they had, and I don't have enough cash to go out," Beca answered, putting a bite in her mouth and making a face. "I really hate bran. It has to be something a sadistic mad scientist grew in a lab somewhere."

Chloe laughed. "I could take you to dinner if you want."

"You don't have to."

"Don't be silly. I want to. Besides, I'm hungry and I don't have any food at my place." Chloe purposefully didn't say 'our place'. Bringing Aubrey into the conversation wasn't an option.

Beca smiled. "I think they have another muffin up there…"

Chloe smacked her friend's hand. "Don't even. We've already established bran is evil. Come on, let me take you out."

Beca smiled. "Okay, Beale. But nothing fancy."

"Of course not. We're Burger Kinging it all the way."

"Okay, maybe a little fancy," Beca said with a laugh.

Chloe heard Beca laugh a hundred times before, but sitting in the coffee shop and looking at the happiness in the younger woman's dark blue eyes, Chloe felt a stirring in her she never felt before. It hit her like a tidal wave then: her feelings ran far deeper than friendship. The realization thrilled and saddened her at the same time, and as they left the coffee shop, Chloe struggled to figure out what she would say to Beca, or if she would say anything at all.

"You okay?" Beca asked once they were outside.

"Mm-hm," Chloe responded, though her thoughts were a jumbled mess.

They spent a fun meal talking and laughing, and afterwards went back to Beca's dorm to listen to some mixes she was working on. Chloe almost forgot about the ache in her heart, and when she walked home that night she resolved not to jeopardize the friendship. She could be content with being a good friend. It was a decision she still regretted making, since Beca was likely lost to Jesse, and Chloe knew she would lose touch with her friend eventually. Beca wasn't one for attachments most of the time.

Chloe sighed at her memories, knowing it wasn't good to dwell on them. After a few moments she gave up on getting a response to her text and got back on the road. The GPS guided her way towards the city, and she trusted its directions. She was completely dependent on it, since the last time she was in L.A. she was barely tall enough to see over the steering wheel. While it was a bit scary being away from her friends and familiar ground, she was looking forward to the new world she was about to explore.

Just as she thought she would be driving through the city proper, the directions took her around the tall buildings and into the hills. The scenery peeking between the trees as she drove the winding roads was nothing short of spectacular, and she wondered exactly what kind of house she was renting from her brother's friend, and why it was so cheap.

She practically jumped when her phone chimed again. As luck would have it, she was at a stop sign.

Miss you too

Chloe didn't have a chance to respond. The sound of a honking horn made her put the phone back on the passenger seat and continue driving. It didn't take long before the computerized tones of the GPS declared she reached her destination, and she stopped in the middle of the deserted road with the only thing visible being a small drive with overhanging trees. There was no indication a house was at the end of it, but Chloe turned down the drive anyway.

She drove slowly as the tiny road wound down the hill, and she began to worry she would have to back out and onto the main road again, since there was no place to turn around. Just as the thought crossed her mind, though, the house came into view.

Chloe was already in love with it when she saw the outside. The exterior was stone and off-white stucco, with large windows to either side of the front door. To the far left of the house she could see a garage, but she decided to park in the large rounded area in front of the door to make unloading her things easier.

Though she wanted to see the rest of the house, she knew she needed to respond to Beca. Not because the other woman was expecting it; Chloe just wanted to keep the conversation going.

What did you decide to do this summer?

Classes. Anything to get out of this place sooner. Beca's text read, and Chloe could sense her friend's exasperation.

No Jesse?

One word: family

Chloe laughed. She knew how much Beca detested anything having to do with relatives, especially her own. Say no more.

As soon as she sent the text, an idea popped into her head. She wasn't sure if Beca would agree, or even if it was a good idea, but Chloe typed it out anyway: Drop your classes and come here. No family. Just me.

The moment she pressed send, she had second thoughts. There was no way Beca would want to be with just her for the summer. They were close, but after a year of knowing Beca, Chloe knew personal space was something Beca cherished. Chloe was the first to admit she could be more than a bit bubbly most of the time, and Beca wasn't normally one to gravitate towards someone like her. Oddly enough, though, she never seemed to get sick of Chloe's manner. She wondered how much of their friendship was due to Beca's ability to hide her feelings. She might shudder at the thought of being with just Chloe for the summer.

Chloe shook her head at the uncertainty, which was wholly unusual for her. Of course Beca enjoyed her company. After all the late nights they spent together just talking and having a general good time, Chloe couldn't imagine Beca being sick of her. Then again, Beca did put up with Kimmy Jin for a year and still was able to be pleasant towards the surly woman, which blew a wide hole in Chloe's theory.

Chloe leaned her head back on the seat and closed her eyes, resigning herself to the inevitable refusal, but she didn't really want her friend to turn her down. It was selfish and more than a little masochistic, but she wanted to see Beca again. Chloe wanted those late nights back.

She went to the front door, where she dug in her purse to find the house keys. After a couple of nervous minutes when she worried she forgot to pack them, her fingers grazed against cool metal. When she opened the door into her new home, she went inside and was astounded by what she saw.

The inside of the house was an open design. She grinned when she saw the large, industrial kitchen to the left, its grey marble counters gleaming in the sunlight filtering through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Directly in front of her was the living area, and a large television was attached to the stone above the fireplace.

Most of the back of the house was glass, and Chloe saw there was a deck beyond the large sliding doors. When she went outside her jaw dropped. There was a perfect view of the hills with the city in the background, and though there was a slight haze it was still beautiful. The deck itself was large and split level, with a grill on one end and a very comfortable lounge area on the other. It struck her when she realized she was renting the house for what she would be paying for a studio in the city, and she made a mental note to thank her brother's friend for his generosity. She wasn't concerned about making ends meet, but she liked to be frugal.

Once she was back inside, she started to explore further. When she first entered the house, she neglected to even glance at the hall directly to her right, and as she did she saw a bedroom off to the side. It had a good, clean feel to it while still managing not to look cold. There was a bathroom adjacent to it, and it housed all the amenities, complete with a fairly large shower.

The next room was a bit larger and was virtually empty, save for a large oak desk overlooking a small garden hidden from the driveway. She wondered how to get to it before remembering the small gate to one side of the deck. With her art supplies in the back of the car, Chloe smiled at the thought of setting up a small studio, complete with her computer for any work she needed to do on it. It was perfect.

Finally, she went into what would be her bedroom. It was large and angled out towards the hills, and one wall was nothing but windows, allowing light to flood the room. The grin seemed to be a permanent fixture on her face, and it grew wider as she took in the king size bed and stone fireplace. As with the rest of the house, the furniture was modern and the walls white. The only real color was in the artwork, which Chloe found she loved.

The master bathroom made her jaw drop. From a sunken bath to an enormous shower, she thought she might well be able to spend most her evenings just relaxing the tub. Grey tile of different shades covered all the surfaces, with the exception of the counter, which was the same as the grey marble in the kitchen.

'Titanium' began sounding throughout the room just as she was leaving the bathroom, and she grabbed her phone from her back pocket. She knew who it was; there was only one person the ringtone belonged to.

"Hey," she said cheerfully.

"What do you mean, come here?" Beca said, humor and a bit of uncertainty lacing her voice.

"I mean come here. I know you're just dying to see L.A."

"Really?"

Chloe laughed into the phone. "Stop asking me if you can come and book the ticket."

The only thing she heard at first was the clicking of what she thought was a keyboard. "I can be there next week. Is that good?"

"Text me the details, and I'll pick you up. And Beca?"

"Yeah?"

"Bring your dancing shoes. We're going out every night."

"You'll have to tie me up to get me there."

"Kinky, but I won't have to. Just the promise of a good DJ should do it."

"You know me way too well," Beca said with a laugh.

Still chuckling, they said their goodbyes and hung up. Chloe couldn't control her excitement. She already resigned herself to exploring the area on her own, but she was thrilled she would be able to experience it with someone, especially when that someone was Beca.

Beca sat in front of her computer, trying to concentrate on her latest mix. Unfortunately she kept glancing over at the itinerary she printed only an hour previous, which was doing her mix absolutely no good whatsoever. The knowledge of what the piece of paper meant made butterflies flutter in her stomach, and she tried to keep herself from getting too excited about seeing Chloe in a week. She pushed the feeling out of her head as soon as she could. There were other, more productive things she needed to do.

Though her belongings were few, Beca still needed to unpack in her new bedroom. When school let out for the summer, she and Amy decided to get an off-campus apartment together. While small, it was perfect for the two friends and teammates. They moved into the apartment only a few days prior, and Beca was enjoying having Amy around. It was a nice change from Kimmy Jin, who was blatant in her distaste of Beca.

Finally giving in to what seemed to be a constant pull, Beca picked up the itinerary again and smiled as she read the date. In only a matter of days she and Chloe would be in the same city again, and it made Beca happier than she really wanted to admit. Chloe was a great friend to be sure, and over the course of the past year she alone was able to sneak past Beca's walls. She was surprised by Chloe becoming so close; Beca was even more shocked by the way Chloe made it through without Beca ever noticing. Chloe was just there one day, and Beca never found a reason to push her away.

Even Jesse, with his boyish kindness and dependability, wasn't able to get to her the way Chloe did. In Beca's more honest moments, she accepted her true feelings for her friend. Chloe was the one she truly loved, but Beca quickly squelched those thoughts when she felt them, knowing it would be better for her if she didn't go down that road. It wasn't because she was afraid Chloe wouldn't return her feelings; it was just the opposite. If Chloe did return her feelings, she could hurt Beca worse than anyone else in her life. Jesse was much safer, and Beca found spending time with him to be easy. Forgetting what she felt for Chloe would come with time.

But staring down at her flight information, those feelings pushed up to the surface again. She wanted to spend the summer with Chloe much more than she ever wanted to spend it with Jesse. When he extended his invitation to her, she refused based on her lack of family skills. To a certain extent it was true, but it wasn't the whole truth. She was only beginning to admit her feelings to herself. Beca knew it was the only way she would get past them.

There was a knock on the door, and Beca started at the sound. "Amy?"

"It's me, babe," Jesse said, poking his head into the room. "Amy let me in as she was leaving."

Beca rolled her eyes. "I hate it when you call me babe."

With a grin, Jesse came in and placed a kiss on her cheek before sitting on her double bed. "Yeah, but I love seeing you roll your eyes that way."

"What's up? I thought you were packing tonight," Beca said, not wanting to encourage his teasing.

He shrugged. "I finished and I thought I'd ask if you wanted to get some dinner, considering we won't see each other until August. What's that?" he asked, noticing the paper Beca held.

The thought never crossed her mind about what she was going to say to him about flying to L.A., and his question caught her off-guard. "It's…an itinerary."

"Is your mom coming to visit?"

She took a deep breath and set the paper on the table. "I'm flying out to L.A. next week to spend the summer with Chloe."

He stared at her for a long time. "Are you serious?" he asked finally.

"I booked the ticket today."

"So you won't spend the summer with me, your boyfriend, but you'll spend it with her?"

"She's one of my best friends, and I don't know when I'll be able to see her again. Plus, it's L.A. You know I want to end up out there. I'm not tryin –"

"Stop. You're still shutting me out. I get the whole scared to let me in thing, I really do, but I thought we were past it."

"It's not that, and you know it."

He stood and started pacing. "Yeah, the family thing. Are you planning on avoiding it forever? Why can't you just give my family a shot at liking you?"

"I know I can't avoid family forever. I'm just getting good with mine though. Give me a few months."

He stopped and looked down at her, opening his mouth as if to say something. He stopped, closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he looked at her again. "I don't want to fight with you the night before I go back home. Go and have fun. We'll see each other at the end of the summer."

Beca stood and went to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Thanks," she said as he pulled her head to his chest.

"So…dinner? And a movie?" he asked after a few minutes.

Beca laughed a little. "Yes to dinner, and a not on your life to a movie."

While she was slowly developing an appreciation towards certain movies, watching one wasn't her first choice for something fun to do. It wasn't even her fourth. While she admitted – only to herself – the benefits of certain films, she still put movies below being around Bumper, which was never going to happen again, much to her relief.

He released her and they left her room and went down the short hall. "I'm wounded. I was going to introduce you to Nosferatu tonight."

"Vampires? Really?" she teased. "I thought zombies were the big things these days."

"Vampires are a time honored tradition in horror films. Plus you have the added bonus of no sappy love story in this one, which I know you hate," he grinned and sat on the couch as she went to the kitchen.

"All right, we'll watch it. But you're getting PB&J for dinner," Beca said as she started searching for ingredients. "We still can't find half the shit in this place."

"I was thinking Chinese," he said, grinning as he held up a menu.

"Awesome," she said, grabbing the menu and picking quickly. "Hot and sour soup and Moo Shu pork."

"Bossy." He smiled and reached for his phone.

While he placed the order, Beca opened the refrigerator and tried to quell her thoughts. Her confusion couldn't be denied, and she cast a sidelong glance at her boyfriend. Jesse was a good man. He always treated her well, and even forced her to confront some things she refused to see about herself. He helped her to begin repairing her relationship with her father. The Bellas were definitely involved in it as well, but he gave her a kick in the right direction.

Still, she was beginning to come to terms with feeling a little empty with him. She never felt it when she was around Chloe; she in fact felt the opposite. When Chloe was near everything seemed brighter, more colorful. With Jesse, Beca was beginning to feel like she did when she was given chores by her parents.

"Are you going to stare at the fridge the entire night?" Jesse asked with a laugh, causing her to jump a little.

"What? Sorry. What do you want to drink?"

"Coke, of course. The drink of champions."

Beca grabbed a Coke for him and a bottle of water for her before going back to the living room and sitting next to him. "So where's this movie?" she asked.

Jesse put his arm around her and pulled her close. "I thought we could make out while we wait on the food. It's going to be awhile before we see each other again," he said, nuzzling her neck.

Beca almost gagged at his lack of imagination when it came to foreplay. He was like a twelve-year-old boy sometimes. Plus, she knew she should feel something. Anything. The only thing she felt was a sense of obligation as she turned her head and kissed him.

She tried to put feeling into the kiss, and it was apparently working. Jesse didn't notice anything as their kisses became deeper and more passionate, and soon his hand crept under her shirt. She pulled away quickly and scooted back.

"I'm not ready."

Jesse, who was breathing heavily, nodded. "It's been over a month. I know you want to go slow, but I'm beginning to feel like you don't want me."

"I…I do," she lied. "I'm just getting used to all this."

His brow furrowed before his face changed. "Are you a virgin?"

Beca resisted rolling her eyes at him, even though she understood why he was asking the question. "No."

"Then what is it?"

When the front door opened, Beca breathed a small sigh of relief. She didn't want to answer the question. Not ever. Maybe by the time the summer was over, she wouldn't have to. Her feelings for Chloe would be resolved, and she would be ready to pursue her relationship with Jesse.

"I'm gonna sick a tiger snake on Unicycle's ass," Amy said as she walked into the living room. "Sorry, were you two…"

Beca shook her head. "We were just talking. What did Unicycle do?"

Jesse stood. "I'm heading back to the Treble house. I'll call you later," he said before walking out, not letting Beca say anything.

Amy looked from her to the front door. "Did I miss something?"

Beca sighed and sat further into the sofa, her head falling back. "Not exactly."

There was a knock at the door, and Amy answered it. Beca hoped it wasn't Jesse, and she was relieved when Amy came back with an armful of Chinese food.

"I'm guessing this is for you," Amy said as she sat next to her friend.

"We were going to watch a movie," Beca said, wiping her face with her hand.

"Did you cock block him again?"

Beca's head shot up and her eyes grew wide. "What?"

"Come on, he hasn't slept over, and you two never go into your room. You have the weirdest idea of what a boyfriend is there for."

"And what's that?"

Amy sighed. "Didn't you have sex ed?"

"I'm so not talking about this with you."

"Then we should eat. I hope pretty boy got something good," Amy said as she dug into the bag. "And score. General Tso's chicken. If you don't bag that boy soon, I'm going to steal him."

Beca couldn't help but laugh. "Don't you dare," she said as she pulled out her food.

"We should invite everyone over. Make it a party," Amy said before taking a bite of food.

"Sure," Beca said, suddenly wanting anything but to be alone and sober.

Amy sent texts to their friends and told them the plan. "They'll be here with the booze soon," she said when her phone dinged several times in quick succession.

"Great." Beca remembered her plans, and she wanted to tell Amy before everyone else got there. "I'm going to spend the summer with Chloe. Don't worry, I'll pay my share of the rent."

"The entire summer? You're not going to see Jesse?"

Beca took a calming breath. "I'm not going to talk about this again. Jesse and I already fought. I just want to see her, and I don't know how long it'll be before I can get out there again."

Amy eyed her suspiciously. "Okay…"

"What?"

"I dunno. You and Chloe are really close," Amy said a little suggestively.

Beca set her food on the coffee table. "We're friends. That's it." She stood. "I'm going to my room. Let me know when they get here," Beca said as she went down the hall.

When she was in her room, she shut the door behind her before sitting on her bed. Amy suspected her feelings, and Beca was afraid Chloe knew about them as well. Beca calmed herself though; if Chloe knew, it wasn't affecting their friendship. Chloe wouldn't have invited her to California if it was.

Beca stayed in her room until her friends showed up, and they spent the rest of the night talking and getting drunk. She tried not to think about Jesse or Chloe. Both were causing her too much turmoil.