Shoot me down

chapter 7

Twelve hours later it was mid-afternoon, and Beca returned from her Philosophy class just as Chloe began to stir. She sat up in bed and blearily asked, "Wh-what time is it?" Beca dumped her bag on the floor and replied, "Nearly 4pm. You're just in time; Aubrey's called an emergency Bella meeting in ten minutes." Chloe groaned and reluctantly rolled out of bed. She looked down at her attire and noticed she was only wearing a pyjama shirt and her underwear, and said, "What happened? I swear I had bottoms on last night?"

"You collapsed in the shower room. Fat Amy carried you back here," Beca explained. Chloe panicked and asked, "Does she know about us?" Beca nodded, but then explained how Amy had sworn to keep it a secret. They got ready for rehearsal and headed out, complaining all the way. They approached the hall, mentally preparing for whatever lecture or workout they faced from Aubrey for the next two hours. "Come on girls, you're late!" Aubrey's shrill voice rang out across the room. They hurried to their seats and the blonde continued, "This is only a brief meeting, but I needed to tell you about the fundraiser I have scheduled tomorrow. Now I know I had reservations about it at first, but I've managed to arrange a bikini car wash at Sigma Beta Theta tomorrow. Here are the outfits: just grab your size."

Half an hour later after a brief class in how to act at a bikini car wash, Beca was walking out with the rest of the Bellas, holding a pair of short shorts in one hand and a bikini top in the other. Chloe approached her, but before she could say anything Beca said, "I have to get to the radio station. I'll see you tomorrow." She walked off, leaving Chloe standing alone. Worrying that she had done something wrong, she retreated to her own apartment to get on with work. As always, she kept her phone by her side just in case Beca text her.

The next day there was still no word from her, so Chloe decided to go over Beca's before the bikini car wash. She put on the shorts and covered the bruise on her ribcage as best as she could with make-up, and then pulled a top over the bikini and left. When she arrived, she knocked on the door and heard from inside, "Just a minute!" A few moments later the door opened and Beca stood in front of her, wearing tracksuit bottoms and a thick-striped yellow and black jumper. "What are you doing?" Chloe asked confused as to why Beca was looking so relaxed and homely. "I'm not going," came the reply as she walked further into her room, inviting Chloe in. "What do you mean?!" Chloe panicked, "Aubrey's going to kill you if you don't turn up!"

"I'd rather have a lecture from Aubrey than wear... that," Beca replied and gestured to the outfit on the bed. After a lot of protesting, Chloe eventually convinced her to at least try the clothes on. She turned around to allow Beca privacy as she changed, and when she turned back Beca was wearing the shorts but she had a hoodie over the top of the bikini. "I can't do it," she protested, "I refuse to stand in front of people wearing so little. I can cope with the shorts because they're not much shorter than those awful skirts we have to wear, but the bikini top is too far." Chloe took several slow steps towards Beca, starting to figure out what the whole thing was about.

Remembering how Beca had opened up to her about the issues she faced in high school, Chloe said, "Beca... you have nothing to be ashamed of. You're beautiful." Beca merely climbed onto her bed and shook her head, giving up. Unwilling to let it slide, Chloe reached out and grabbed both of her hands, pulling her onto her feet again. "Trust me," she said, placing a gentle kiss on Beca's lips. Still seeing doubt in her girlfriend's eyes, Chloe leant forward again, this time kissing her a lot more deeply, more passionately. "I think you're more than beautiful," she said in between kisses, and slowly placed her hands at the base of Beca's hoodie.

They stopped kissing and pulled apart slightly, but their eyes were still only millimetres apart. "You're sexy," Chloe continued as she lifted the hoodie past Beca's waist. "You're stunning," she said as the bikini became visible. Slowly she lifted up Beca's arms and pulled the hoodie completely away from her body. "And I can't keep my eyes off you," Chloe finished as she leaned in for a longer, sweeter kiss. Their lips touched and Beca felt all of her insecurities disappear as she rested her hands at the back of Chloe's neck.