Belong To Me (Bechloe)

twenty one.

Chloe's POV

Taking a walk around the lake, I look across at Aubrey giving orders out to a group of broad, athletic-looking men. It's so easy to tell who's in control.

I still can't figure out what happened to make her hate this place. For one thing, it's so beautiful, with the lush, green trees and that gorgeous, expansive, teal lake. Secondly, she seems to be so good at what she does. I find it hard to believe that she isn't in her element here, but if you look at her subtle posture, you can tell that her heart just isn't in it. But I really can't work out where her heart lies instead...

I finish my round of the lake before sitting down on the wooden steps of Aubrey's cabin, hugging my knees into my chest. Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath in before releasing it slowly.

Why did things have to work out this way?

Why can't I make myself think of anyone else but Beca? I bet she isn't even thinking of me...

"Hey, are you new here or something?" I hear a male voice off to my left. I open my eyes and glance around briefly before looking forward again. The voice belongs to an olive-skinned, dark haired man who's stepping out of one of the lodges across the clearing.
"Uh, no, not really. I'm just Chloe, a friend of someone who works here."
"Oh?" he says, sitting down on the grass across from me. It seems like a weird gesture considering we've only just met, but from his looks, I'd say he's only just turned 20 - he still has that boyish look about him.
"Aubrey," I explain.
"Woah, she has friends? Wait no, I shouldn't say that." He laughs and puts his hands together in his lap. "No, she can be nice sometimes. Just occasionally, she can be a bit..."
"...intense?"
"Yeah!" The guy nods and grins. "Exactly."
"How long have you worked here for?" I ask, hoping to get an insight into Aubrey's work life.
"Just over a year," he replies, looking at me carefully.
"Right... and did anything happen to Aubrey in that time?"
"Well, if you mean the fact something happened that meant she had to step down from running some stuff, then I guess so."
I frown a little.
"She got demoted?"
"Well, not quite. I don't know, you'd be better off asking someone else, I wasn't working that day and we're not really supposed to talk about it." He shrugs half-heartedly.

I realise instantly that I don't even know his name.

"Hey, I didn't catch your name."
"I never threw it." He laughs and stands up. "No, sorry, it's Nico. You'll be here for a while, right?"
"Yeah, I guess so." I raise an eyebrow at his open-ended question.
"Awesome. I'll see you around then, Chloe."
"Yeah, okay."
He walks off, getting out what looks like a timetable from his pocket.

Right, so something is going on with Aubrey. I knew it.

~~~

"Sorry, I just had to make a call," Aubrey says as she opens the door of her cabin, which I'm currently sitting in.
"Oh, to who?" I ask curiously.
"Oh." Aubrey stops. "Just a company. I suggested they should visit sometime. I was just finalising the details." She shrugs, bustling around the cabin with some papers.
"Right," I reply, for some reason unconvinced. "So I heard you don't run everything anymore round here," I say bluntly.
"Who told you that?" Aubrey spins around, dropping the booklets she had in her hands on the table.
"Some guy called Nico."
"He doesn't know anything about anything. He wasn't even here."
"Here when?" I ask. She's tripping up.
"When... I don't know. Can we drop this? It isn't important."
"Aubrey, you said that last time and look where we are," I insist.
"We're both here for you, not me, Chloe."
"Doesn't mean we can't-"
"We should talk about Beca."

God, she knows how to shut me up.

Aubrey sits down on the bed beside me but I shake my head. This is exactly how things played out with Beca. And we all know how that went.

I stand up, walking over to the rug on the floor and sitting down by myself. I sigh.

"I don't know whether to be angry. I don't think I am angry. Just sad. I thought all those shared smiles and hand-holds and petnames we had were because we were in love with each other. But I see now that that must always have been one-sided." I bite down on my lip. "I was so happy when Beca said she didn't fancy Theo, but it's so clear to see I have about as much chance of being with her as he does."
"We don't know that," Aubrey replies. "You can't blame her for being caught off-guard. If anyone kissed me without warning - even if I liked them - I'd be surprised."
"But you wouldn't push them away."
"Well, Chloe, either she doesn't fancy you, or she's not ready to admit she does yet. You just need to talk to her."
"But I won't know what to say. What if we just argue again?" I shake my head. "I'm not ready to talk yet."
"Chloe..." Aubrey sighs. "Fine. But if you're saying that, you've got to stop thinking about her too."
"You know that's impossible. She's everything I'd ever want."
"I know, but as amazing as you think she is, you shouldn't keep hurting yourself by dwelling on it. Okay, maybe you made a mistake by pouncing on a girl who's basically world-renowned for her boundaries, but who says no one else has ever made a mistake? Both of you are going to be fine."

Unfortunately, I'm not quite as confident on that one as she is.

-

DID ANYONE ELSE READ THE INTERVIEW WITH ANNA KENDRICK YESTERDAY??? I'M DEAD 😵