Perfect Timing and a Perky Redhead

Chapter 14

Oh, fuck me, Beca thought to herself. She took a shaky breath and looked at the ground, kicking a small pebble at her feet. "My great grandfather gave it to me," she said softly. "He told me that it counts down to when you meet your soul mate." Beca risked a quick look up at Chloe.

The redhead was looking at her incredulously – jaw hung down and all – and Beca couldn't blame her. The entire situation was absolute insanity, and theoretically impossible. She wasn't running, though. "I don't know how it works," Beca continued. "I just know that when I met you, the countdown ended. Then, I'm guessing from the beeping I heard when you came to fix my hand, it restarted the countdown when I left and you put on the watch. It never told the right time until after you saw me, right?"

Chloe closed her mouth finally, slightly nodding her head. Her eyebrows were deeply furrowed together and Beca immediately had a flashback to seeing Chloe again for the first time at the hospital…how was that only a week ago?

There was a long moment of silence, except for Beca kicking her foot against the cement of the parking lot, silently thanking that no one was around the two.

"So…" Chloe started, her voice thick with confusion, "you're…we are…"

"Soul mates," Beca muttered, slightly bitter. Chloe didn't notice.

Bright blue eyes found dark, dark blue, and the two stared at each other. Beca was almost relieved to have the confession finally laid out, but she felt heavy with Kristen lingering in her mind.

Chloe's mind, however, was absolutely reeling. Beca was her soul mate?! How could something like that even happen? How was any of this possible? It isn't possible. But the watch did exactly what Beca said! Was Beca a stalker? A psychopath? No, she couldn't be, could she? She better not be if she's my soul mate!

A strong stab of pain inflicted itself on Chloe's chest. If she was my soul mate, and she knew I was hers back in college, that means…Oh God. Chloe immediately imagined all of the heartache Beca must have felt in those months, those years, thinking that the love of her life didn't even care about her, that Beca would never have the person she was destined to be with…

Chloe felt tears well up in her eyes and saw Beca immediately purse her lips with concern screaming from her dark blue eyes, her hands clenching in uncertainty. She doesn't even know how to act around me. Chloe could tell the shorter girl wanted to help her. "I don't know what to think about this," Chloe husked out, trying to keep her tears at bay.

Beca offered a tight, small smile. "I get the feeling."

Chloe coughed out a laugh, wiping quickly at her eyes before the tears fell. The redhead walked over to Beca and stood beside her, both leaning against the brunette's car. The two enjoyed the silence that fell between them for a few minutes, their minds both replaying the craziness of it all.

"What are we going to do?" Chloe whispered. The two looked at each other. Really looked.

Chloe even leaned in slightly.

Beca looked at the ground in front of her feet and sighed. "I'm with Kristen." The words seemed strained.

Red crawled up into Chloe's cheeks and she looked at the ground as well. "I know."

Their words hung heavily in the air.

"Hey babe!" Kristen shouted as she heard Beca walk in the door. Kristen was relaxing on the couch, haphazardly watching an episode of The Simpsons, glad to relax after work. She heard a toss of keys on the dinner table, then quick footsteps.