"Chloe, I swear to god if you don't shut up about alt girl and let me study I won't feel bad about hitting you repeatedly over the head with my Geography textbook, 'kay?" Aubrey shot me a pointed look, one that was slightly ruined by the fact that she was obviously suppressing a laugh. I sighed cheerfully.
"Sorry Bree, I just haven't been able to stop thinking about her what with prom coming up and everything!" She rolled her eyes, this time allowing her smile to break through as she closed her said textbook with a quick, determined motion and spun to face me.
"Okay, I give up. You need to ask her to prom, Chlo! She can hardly say no to that, especially not with the way she looks at you in Bella rehearsals-" I cut her of excitedly.
"What do you mean? Do you think she likes me back?" Aubrey chuckled.
"Anyone would think the sun shined out of your ass based on the way that girl looks at you. Honestly, she's totally into you. Now, we just need to figure out a really cute way to ask her to go with you..." she trailed off, her expression thoughtful. Suddenly, I had an idea.
"I know! How about some mysterious love letters? We could start small, like a little note or something, then get bigger and bigger and see how she reacts!" Aubrey's face lit up.
"That's perfect! She can be so awkward, she'll probably get really embarrassed and flustered, it'll be hilarious!" she grinned as I batted her leg from my position cross-legged on the floor beside her chair.
"Stop it Bree, you like her really." She just huffed in response, turning back to her studying, and I giggled at her reluctance to admit that 'alt girl' as she called Beca, really wasn't all that bad.
Prom was in a week, so I lost no time in starting my efforts. I left my first note on the door of her dorm room. It was on a little blue post-it note, written in a more neutral hand than my usual rounded style, and read, "To Beca; Just to say that I think you're really cute and wonderful, love from your Secret Admirer xox" It was simple and nondescript, the perfect way to start without giving the game away too early. I waited outside on the quad after depositing the note, and sure enough about 30 minutes later a bemused-looking Beca emerged blinking into the sunlight, clutching a folded square of blue paper. She saw me sitting under the tree pretending to read a textbook, and made her way over, zig-zagging through the various huddles of students sprawled across the grass.
"Heya Bec!" I shielded my eyes with my hands as I looked up to greet her, smiling broadly.
"Hi..." She sat beside me, still exuding confusion in her tone and puzzled expression.
"What's up?" I had to try really hard not to grab her and tickle her and tell her it was me then and there, but remembering the rest of the plan and how spectacular it was going to be, I held back. She exhaled heavily, turning over the note clasped in her hands.
"Someone left me this note..." She handed it too me, running her free hand through her hair. I pretended to study it, biting my cheek to keep from laughing.
"Hmmmm... I wonder who it could be? That's super adorable though, don't you think?" She nodded absentmindedly. As I turned my attention back to 'investigating' the note, I noticed her gaze fall on my face and remain there for ages. I looked up and our eyes locked. The sudden change in tension was so noticeable that she blanched and blushed furiously, averting her gaze quickly. I giggled, and shuffled closer.
"Don't worry anyway, I'm sure you'll find out who it is soon enough." I handed her back the note, reveling in the way that her breath audibly caught in her chest as our hands touched briefly.
The following day, a bunch of roses turned up for her during our daily Bellas rehearsal. We were midway through learning a new dance routine when a flower delivery guy wandered in to the hall, clasping the large bouquet. Upon seeing this, all the girls squealed and rushed forward, each convinced that the flowers must be intended for them. Beca and I were the only ones who hung back, and out of the corner of my eye I saw her fidgeting nervously. The others reached the poor delivery guy, who simply said, "Uh, Beca Mitchell?" Everyone stopped in their tracks and turned to face her. She'd gone the same deep shade of red as the roses, and accepted them silently, reading the card that came with them. I smiled inwardly - inside the card I had written a more poetic note.
"Dearest Beca,
Seeing you every day makes me smile
and my heart soar,
I wish you would be mine
then I would lust no more.
Love from,
Your secret admirer xxxxx"
It was a cheesy love poem but it did the job. As the other girls clamored for details, I waltzed over calmly, and peered over her shoulder in fake interest.
"Curiouser and curiouser..." I grinned, giving her a sideways glance. She met my eyes with a suspicious raised eyebrow, but then shook her head as if to dispel even the notion and turned back to the others who were still attempting to interrogate her. Aubrey just giggled and winked subtly at me. I knew that she was enjoying watching Beca's awkward reactions just as much as I was enjoying watching her finally seeing some evidence of my hidden affections.
A day passed before stage three as it took a little longer to prepare. After a lot of pleading, I got Kimmy Jin to let me into the dorm room whilst I knew Beca was in a class, and set up the surprise. It was simple enough, but I knew that it would mean a lot to Beca. It was a drawing of her that I'd done one day when I was resting during practice shortly after my throat surgery. I had always seen the delicate beauty captured within her small frame, even from the first day I laid eyes on her, but that day in particular it struck me full force and I couldn't help but do my best to do it justice. I was proud of the drawing, but I had shown it to no one, drawing being a talent that I preferred to keep hidden. I placed it on her desk with another note, and a couple of songs on a USB that I knew she'd enjoy mixing. This note read, "Beca; I don't know if you're getting any closer to figuring out who this is, but it doesn't matter because not long now 'til you get to find out! I drew this because I think you are the most beautiful person i've ever seen and I don't think I did you justice but have it anyway. These songs say things better than I can. Have fun mixing them! xxxxxx" Beca came and found me in my room an hour or so later, where I was listening to music alone. I beamed when I opened the door to see her standing there.
"Yay! Come in!" I pulled her in, giggling as I flopped down on the bed and gestured for her to sit beside me. "I'm guessing this is about your secret admirer again, right?" She looked at me, startled.
"Yeah... how'd you guess?" She bit her lip, searching my eyes.
"You always get this nervous look when it's something to do with them." I leant in close as if telling her a secret, eyes flickering to her lips briefly. "You're not as difficult to read as you like to think sometimes." I punctuated this with a wink, and snatched the note from her hands. I read over it again, smiling as I imagined her surprise upon discovering it.
"There was a really beautiful drawing of me and a USB with songs to mix... I can't believe that someone's going to these lengths for me." She gave me a lopsided grin. "And I can't believe that Kimmy Jin let someone in to do that whilst I was out! It must be someone nice, and persuasive... and who knows my timetable..." She turned to gaze at me again, and this time when our eyes met I saw mostly hope with a little fear. I returned her half-smile and hugged her tightly, feeling her anxiety melt away in my arms. I sighed inaudibly. Just one last step.
The day before prom was the final stage. First, a cryptic note slide quickly under Beca's door that instructed her to be listening to the campus radio station at 10am. And then, the moment of truth. Sat alone in my room, I chewed the inside of my cheek nervously. This was it. At exactly 10:00 I heard the DJ's soft british tones start talking again over the track that was just fading out.
"So, as you all know, prom is tomorrow and hopefully you're all pretty stoked on that. Right now, we have a little part to play in someone's promposal; Beca Mitchell? This track has been requested specially for you, and the person simply said that you'll know who this is now, and to meet them in their room if you want to go to prom with them. Good luck!" I was almost squealing with anticipation as the beginning notes of the track began to echo out of my radio. I didn't know how Beca would react to this, but whilst planting the drawing and USB I had also burnt her mix that included the song 'Titanium' onto a CD and sent it to the radio station for them to play. I knew it was the perfect clue because not only was it obviously from me (I being the one who forced her to sing it to me in the showers one night), but I had also got one of her tracks on the radio, which I knew would make her really happy. I sang along as I waited, and getting so lost in the song, jumped when there came a timid knock at the door. I went to open it slowly, biting my lip nervously. Beca stood on the other side, face flushed and eyes sparkling.
"Chloe..?" She gazed up at me, and I wasted no time in pulling her in to a deep kiss. We stumbled backwards into the room and shut the door, falling onto the bed in a tangled mess of limbs and smiles.
"So, I take it that after all that it's a yes?" I raised an eyebrow suggestively, and she nodded eagerly.
"You have no idea how amazing this all is Chloe, and I was hoping all along that it could somehow be you..." I grinned and stroked her face.
"You're beautiful Beca." As we fell into another kiss, I could feel the happiness radiating from within her, and knew that this was going to be the start of something amazing.