The Right Place

Chapter Twenty-Eight

At the kitchen counter, Chloe was preparing two chamomile teas- one for herself, and one for Beca for when she finished her work shift. The redhead had been given a book titled, 'The Art of Making Tea', for a Christmas present, and in her boredom, had taken it out of the bottom of her drawer for the night. It was her debut as an expert of brews.

'Hey', Beca said as she shut the front door behind her and walked over to the countertop with her handbag. 'What are you making?', she asked curiously.

'Hey!', Chloe chirped, 'I've made us some chamomile tea. I thought it might help you de-stress after work'

'Awesome', Beca replied, nodding and impressed.

Chloe handed her a cup whilst bringing her own to her mouth. They both wrapped their hands snugly around the cup and sipped at the same time, bringing their shoulders up as a force of habit.

Oh my god, Beca thought as the drink passed her lips. She fought against the natural reflexes that told her to spit out the liquid and never ingest it ever again. It was vile, and her lips pursed in such a way that it seemed as if she might throw up at any second. The DJ glanced over at Chloe to gauge her reaction- mostly because she couldn't believe that anyone could possibly enjoy the ghastly beverage. Still, just in case, she made an effort not to gag or appear to be disgusted, (though the slight twitching of her eye was putting her plan at risk), to spare her friend's feelings.

Then, Chloe whispered, scrunching up her face as if she'd eaten a whole lemon, 'This is so gross'

And Beca almost spit out her drink from a mix of relief and amusement.

The two of them ran to the sink in fits of laughter to rid their tastebuds of the concoction Chloe had created.

'Dude, don't ever do that again', Beca warned with a giggle.

The redhead promised that she would banish her book to the bottom of her drawer, then tidied up the mess she'd made in the kitchen.

After everything was put back in the cupboards or in the dishwasher, Beca sat on a bar stool by the counter and tapped her fingers on the surface. 'So...I was thinking'

'What were you thinking?', Chloe asked. She moved to stand in front of the DJ and leaned one arm flat on the table.

'You said you bought me a present from the music shop the other week...But I never saw it'

Chloe's face lit up like a lightbulb in realisation. 'I totally forgot! Stay here'

Before she could hurry upstairs to fetch the gift, Beca reached forwards to grab her hand. She smiled kindly and pulled her forwards to invite her into a hug. 'Wait- I haven't hugged you yet'

Wrapping her arms around Beca's neck, Chloe settled her head on her shoulders and took a deep breath, relaxing into the embrace. Briefly, a thought popped into her head about how she was still taller than Beca, even when the girl was sat on a stool.
Next, with a smirk, she leaned in to whisper in her ear, 'Can I have a kiss too?'

Beca grinned at Chloe's ability to seamlessly incorporate flirting into any conversation. 'I don't know, can you?'

Chloe stepped back a touch so that she was able to look into Beca's eyes for maximum effect. 'You know you've missed me all day, Mitchell'

'Who told you? That was a secret', the brunette joked as she pulled her closer by the waist again, which allowed Chloe to meet her with a happy kiss.

'I'm going to get your present', Chloe replied eagerly after they broke apart. She sauntered off, leaving Beca to watch her every step from the kitchen counter. 'You're disappointed that the present isn't me, aren't you?', she winked over her shoulder at the staircase.