Jesse's Girl 2: The Final Chapter

Chapter Eight

The ride home was relatively tranquil. Beca didn't know what to say, which was probably a good thing because she got the feeling that Chloe wasn't really in the mood for conversation. The red headed beauty spent the entirety of the ride facing out of the window in a blatant attempt to ignore her wife who was desperate to move past this. Beca felt as if they had stepped about six years back in time. Chloe wasn't spewing venom at her this time, but between the cold shoulder and avoidance of any intimacy, the tension between them was L.A. all over again. She couldn't take the silence anymore. She clicked the radio on and tenderly hummed along to the tune. For the first time in what seemed like forever, Chloe looked at the younger woman. Her expression wasn't hard but it wasn't soft either, and still she never said a word. She just looked at her. "I love you more than you think I do." Beca flashed that smile that would usually draw one in return, but Chloe's expression remained blank. She wasn't amused, instead she turned her head resumed watching the window. The smile dropped and Beca sighed audibly, Can't we just skip this part? 

Beca pulled into the driveway of their home finally ending the extremely long drive. She grabbed the wheelchair and very carefully helped the fragile woman into it. The task wasn't as hard as she expected it to be, muscle once made lifting Chloe a difficult endeavour but sitting in bed for months losing muscle made it easier, regardless Beca took her time and drew it out a little longer. She wasn't proud of it but helping her move was the only time Chloe allowed Beca to get close to her, though rather reluctantly. Once the frail woman was situated Beca made the difficult and tiring hike up the porch steps and wheeled her into their home.

"Well, this is it. Home sweet home." With her good arm Chloe rolled herself through the moderately sized house. She studied her old but new surroundings. She didn't recognise much of anything but she could tell that she must have done most of the decorating. It felt homey and comfortable, a lot like her childhood home and the way she has decorated every place she has had since. If it had been left to Beca it would have been furnished with the bare minimum, she has never really understood the point of superfluous cutesy stuff. It was very clean, too. That part was most definitely Beca as she was the neat freak. Chloe smiled to herself as she thought back on the many instances that the feisty woman would get so irritated with her stark difference in personality. Beca liked to be clean and organised while Chloe, hating to clean, would leave things where they landed. She caught herself smiling and got rid of it before Beca did as well. She didn't like being mad about something she could not fully remember or understand but she knew it wouldn't last very long. She could never seem to stay angry at the woman. Some of the memories are painful, but she was glad that she didn't forget Beca entirely. She continued to wheel herself around scanning the many photos that hung on the wall and perched on flat surfaces. She recognised some as the Bellas, her parents, and Beca's parents, others she couldn't but through context clues she was able to gather the connections to the couple. For instance she didn't recognise the children that appeared in many of the photos but considering the abundance of them and the striking similarities they bore, she concluded that they must be their children. She didn't remember them, but there was no denying the relation. She furthered her exploration of the unknown until she wore her arm out, leading her to settle in the living room with a large photo album in her lap. She flipped through the pages zeroed in on the photos until a plate of food was placed in front of her. Her stomach growled clamorously at the delicious aroma. She hadn't even noticed her hunger until now and all but snatched the plate and shovelled the food down.

"Glad to know you still enjoy my cooking." Beca attempted a conversation as she picked at her own plate. Chloe flashed her a thankful glance and took no time to finish her plate before handing it back to Beca. "It's definitely better than the hospital food." the brunette chuckled, "You want more?" A nod, "Here. Take mine. I'm not all that hungry." Chloe ate slower this time, her hunger not as strong after the first plate.