I GUESS I DO

Chapter 15

"Oh right… well yea, go ahead then?" Beca hadn't exactly been expecting Chloe to have much to say, but whatever, she could roll with it.

"Right… well…" (Shit, how was she actually supposed to say this?). "It's about how things will be once we get back to Barden."

"Oh right… well yea, that's actually what I want to talk about as well… I suppose." Beca let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding, glad that they appeared to be one the one wave length.

Chloe had known it. She'd known Beca had copped on to how much of a crush Chloe had on her. It made her insides squirm with embarrassment to even contemplate the notion that Beca had known all along how much Chloe liked her, but played along with the charade anyway out of pity. She needed to put that right. She needed to put it right and save what little face she had left.

"Upstairs!" The words stumbled from Chloe's lips before she'd had time to process. "Uh… can we talk upstairs, like in private," she elaborated with a (uncharacteristically) shy smile.

"As the lady commands," Beca nodded, smiling as Chloe turned and led the way to the (all too familiar) brightness of Chloe's not so humble room. "Go on then?" Beca prompted, standing awkwardly at the side of Chloe's bed as Chloe stood across from her, leaning against the shut door.

"Well I just figured it was worth saying… with all the craziness that's gone on the last few days… nothing's changed… once we go back to Barden that is." Chloe enunciated each word carefully, making sure what she was saying sank in. "We're going back to being friends again… just… just yea… I thought I'd say that in case," she nodded, ignoring the feeling of her heart crashing down to her stomach.

"Friends…" Beca's mind found it impossible to get around and process the word. "Friends…" She was nodding her head, though more so in a sheer disbelief of what was being said to her than anything.

"Yea friends…" Chloe nodded, forcing herself to smile and look perky. "Just so we're cool," she added.

"No wait… are we though?" Beca's brain finally caught up (and began to fight back).

"Uh…" (How was she supposed to answer this one?)

"Like are we cool Chloe?" Beca pushed. "Because…" (Oh sweet Jesus it was now or never). "Because I got the feeling that there was something… uh… something more… uh… here?" (smooth as ever, like really, top job).

"What?" Chloe questioned dumbfounded.

"Well I just… I kind of had like… an idea… that like… um…" (help, help, help!)

"Beca!" Chloe cut in (usually the rambling was cute, but it was like watching The Kings Speech or something).

"I really like you!" Saying it was like purging, and Beca could instantly feel her entire world lighten. "I really like you and I hope you really like me too… like romantically." (Okay, adding that last part was really lame… now purging had turned to embarrassment).

"No you don't…" Chloe knew it was a dumb response, but nothing else made sense, it had to be a joke.

"Excuse me?" Apparently Beca considered it a dumb response too.

"No you don't…" (This conversation was getting places).

"Yes I do?" (What the fuck?).

"I heard you… at the rehearsal dinner… on the phone… no you don't?" Seriously, Chloe was not dropping this one (even if she did want what Beca said to be true).

"You heard me talking to Aubrey?" Beca queried, becoming more and more confused by the second.

"That was Aubrey?!" Chloe all but shouted.