As they sat in the backseat of a black Toyota Prius, headed to some unknown destination, Beca thought about all of the different events in her life that had led her up to this very moment—being in the backseat of an Uber, handcuffed to her best friend, going to a mysterious location that Chloe claims to be the one of the best kept secrets in Atlanta. Beca had no idea exactly where they were going, but found that she did not really even care. Trusting people did not come very easily to Beca, but she fully trusted Chloe, and that's what mattered at the moment. From the way Chloe described it, it sounded amazing and Beca considered herself to be very lucky to be allowed to go there with her. Their driver took them to a grey tall building that spanned the whole block, on a very busy street.
Beca was confused and as she turned to Chloe asked, "Here? We're at a hotel. What's going on?"
Chloe just ignored her. "Thanks!" she said cheerfully as she quickly started to hop out of the car that had pulled up in the valet driveway of the Grand Hyatt. "You're getting 5 stars, Harry! Becs don't forget to grab the bag."
Beca found herself being yanked out of the backseat, and scrambled to grab their picnic lunch before she found herself missing an important limb. Chloe directed Beca to the main entrance, waving to the doorman on the way in. "Hi John!"
"Hello, Miss Beale!" the doorman returned.
"What's up with you today?" she continued happily. "Are your girls doing okay? I miss them. They're so cute! And they're getting so big too!"
"I'm doing fine, thank you for asking. The girls are both fine and growing like weeds. I'll tell Carrie and Heather you said hello," the doorman replied. "They'll be glad to hear that."
"What about Kate?" asked Chloe eagerly, "Do you know what you're having yet?"
"Kate is fantastic. Don't tell anyone, since it's not common knowledge yet, but we're going to be having another little baby girl!" John affirmed proudly, not seeming to mind he will still be the only Y chromosome in a house full of girls, outnumbered 4 to 1.
Chloe squealed loudly and did a little happy dance. "That is so fab! Congratulations! When is Kate due?"
"Little Miss. Beth Anne Tucker is due on September 28th," John informed her with a smile.
"Anne..." Chloe said slowly, "Like me?"
"Just like you," John told the ginger fondly. "It's AFTER you, Chlo-Bear."
"Oh my god. That's so sweet! Beca, did you hear him?!" Chloe screeched excitedly, jumping up and down and attempting to clap her hands. "Someone is named after me! Well, named after my middle name, but still. Isn't that so special!"
Beca just stared at her, impressed at the exchanged, but not one bit shocked that someone would name their child after her.
"That's great, Chloe. But why are we here? Did you drag me here just to talk to this guy?"
"No! We just needed to say hi to John first, before we go in. Beca, this is John. John, this is my very best friend in the whole entire world forever and ever, Beca Mitchell," Chloe introduced formally.
"Nice to meet you," Beca said, offering her right hand a bit apprehensively towards the stranger who seemed to be best friends with Chloe. Then again, everyone seems to be friends with Chloe. Or at least, nobody they ran into ever outwardly showed that they didn't like her.
"You as well, Miss. Mitchell," John agreed. If he noticed the handcuffs resting on her other wrist, he made no move to comment on it, for which Beca was most thankful. "Chloe has told me so many great things about you."
At that, Beca looked at Chloe incredulously. "Do you tell everyone that you know about me?"
"Well, duh," Chloe said, "You're like, one of my favorite humans. Besides, he already knows all about Aubrey."
Turning to John, she informed him, "Beca is coming with me today, since I wanted to show her it, so make sure everyone else knows that the same stuff for me, also applies to her as well!"
"Will do, Miss. Beale."
"She also is allowed to come here, even without me, okay?" Chloe instructed seriously, her face taking on a rare stern appearance. "I mean it," she pressed on, practically demanding John obey her commands, "Whenever she needs to, she should be just as welcome here as me."
At that, John raised his eyebrows but said nothing. Instead he smoothly transitioned back to his slightly more professional persona, and simply said "Duly noted."
"Thanks! We're gonna go now. See ya later!" chirped Chloe, her sunny smile returning once more, as she turned to leave.
"Goodbye Miss. Beale, Miss. Mitchell," John said, shaking his head bemusedly. "Have a wonderful rest of your day, ladies."
"We will!" said Chloe, very sure of herself.
When the two walked inside the lobby, Beca felt a bit odd, since they weren't actually guests, but soon got over it, as everyone greeted them with a smile and a wave. Greetings of "Welcome Chloe" " Hey Chloe" "Hi sweetie" "Good to see you again, dear" and "Hope you have a great time" followed them throughout the lobby, into the elevator and all the way to the 3rd floor when they finally got to the terrace outside.
Chloe pulled a Hyatt key card out of her purse, and swiped it next to the door. It opened with a click, and suddenly Beca found herself in the middle of a beautiful Japanese Zen garden. Rocks and sand were everywhere, with water flowing softly next to bamboo pathways. Thousands of green, luscious plants spilled over the walkways and climbed high up into the air, where all there was blue sky. Not a single cloud was in sight, bathing the entire garden in a beautiful mid morning glowing rays of sunlight. The beams reflected off the ripples in the small pools of water, and koi fish could be seen swimming slowly beneath the clear liquid.
"Wow," she said breathlessly. "What is this place?"
"Isn't it amazing? There's a 32 foot tall waterfall, and they have an outdoor heated pool too!" Chloe explained. "This is where I come when I need a break from everything; school, work, the Bellas, people, and just the stress of life in general. This is my happy place."
"But you live at the Bellas house with me. We share a room together, so I know you don't sleep here. How do you know all of these people?"
"I came to Atlanta once a few years ago from Tampa, on a college recruiting trip when I was in high school. This is where my family and I stayed when we visited Barden. I formed some great relationships with the staff here, and now they let me come here whenever I want, even though I am not a guest. I must come here at least a couple times a month now, sometimes for a long time, and others for a quick visit to say hi."
"How long were you even staying at this hotel the first time, when you discovered this place Chlo?" Beca asked incredulously, as they walked around the upper terrace.
"Just 2 nights," was the answer. "It was a quick little stop on a longer road trip up the east coast."
In awe of her best friends networking skills, Beca had one other question. "Do I dare ask how you got them to give you special permission? You didn't burst into the pool's shower and ask, right?"
Chloe chuckled, but looked a little offended. "No, Beca. I didn't. How many times do I have to repeat myself? The shower thing was an isolated incident, specifically pertaining to you, and only you. You should feel special," she winked, laughing as Beca flushed a deep red.
"I spent the whole evening on the night that we arrived here just lounging by the pool, people watching and talking to some of the other guests. The next day, once I had finished my early morning campus visit at Barden and lunch, I spent the majority of the rest of that afternoon reading a book and listening to music on the terrace. My family and I rounded out the early evening by walking around the grounds one last time before we went out to dinner."
"Ah man, that sounds awesome. The only reason I'm here is because my stupid father forced me to go here. I had to move from Portland. Do you know how big of a change moving from Maine to Atlanta, Georgia is? It's awful. Especially for someone who had no interest in going to college in the first place?" she added as an afterthought.
"BUT," Beca continued sincerely, "this place is magical. I'm without a doubt, consistently surprised by you, even though by this point in time, I really shouldn't be."
"It's really great, isn't it?" Chloe mused, as the two of them took in their surroundings. "This is one of the reasons I chose Barden in the first place. And now I have another great reason to stay," she said softly, stopping the two of them as she looked fondly at her co-captain. "I'm so glad you asked to come here with me."
"Me too," Beca agreed. "It's so peaceful here, it's easy to forget we're in a city with over 420 thousand people. I bet you can lose track of time so quickly."
"Yup," Chloe agreed. "That's why I wouldn't let myself come here until after dinner the day we arrived. I only knew what time it was, when one of the workers said that the pool was closing at 11, and that I needed to come back the next day."
All of a sudden, Beca's stomach growled. "Looks like someone needs feeding," Chloe teased. "And no wonder! It's almost noon. Do you want to eat by the waterfall or the pool?"