For Lovers Only

Chapter 4: One phone call

All along the street, it seemed that Beca only saw couples. Each one she passed made her more irritable, and made her walk faster. It was a relief when Beca finally got to her hotel. All those couples reminded her that she was alone. All those couples reminded her of her. God, that woman.

She stepped on the elevator, pressed the button for her floor, and waited as it lifted her up. All she could see was her. Not the elevator doors in front of her eyes, but her.

Beca thought of the way Chloe's hair cascaded down her back in soft, red curls and how smooth it was to the touch. And when she laughed, her entire face would light up any room as crinkles formed at the edge of her eyes, and her smile would grow while her impossibly blue eyes sparkled. But, the thing that Beca thought about the most was the way she held herself, confidence and strength pouring out of her with each stride in her step.

God. Chloe Beale.

Beca leaned her back against the wall of the lift, shutting her eyes closed as she continued to think about the beautiful redhead and their history together. It was at that moment that Beca was thankful she was alone, otherwise, who knows who would have seen her break down. She slid down the wall until she ended up crumpled on the floor, her legs pulled up to her chest. She rested her cheek on her knees and took in a deep breath.

She needed to get a grip. It was a long time ago, and she needed to get over it. Get over her.

But she couldn't...

She was the one who Beca let get away. The two tried to remain friends, but, at the end of the day, long distance was just too taxing for either of them. With Beca at one end of the world every other day and Chloe buried in her studies, they hardly had time to meet up with one another and catch up between their busy schedules. And of course they'd tried to Skype and every other form of communication possible, but it wasn't enough. So they started to fall apart without even realizing it, and by then, it was too late.

No other woman has captured her heart the way Chloe Beale did. No other woman could live up to her. No other woman was her.

Beca did this to herself - to her heart. She crushed it and damaged it forever. Her love for Chloe ran deep, and she vowed to never let herself feel that way for anyone ever again. It was just too painful. Especially when that particular someone didn't love you back.

Yet, now that she was on her mind again, she couldn't seem to stop thinking about her. It'd been two years for crying out loud! Two years since she'd last seen her, spoke to her, hugged her.

And now, here she was running into her in Paris of all places. The need and want to see her again, talk with her, and just be with her thundered low in Beca's gut, her presence awakening the woman who she'd thought would never wake again. The woman Beca was before.

The weight of the piece of paper with the phone number on it felt heavy in Beca's leather jacket, like it was taunting her. Chloe wanted Beca to call her so they could catch up and talk about the past two years. And she wasn't sure what to do. The paper became heavier and heavier, its presence making her heart pound loudly in her chest.

The elevator suddenly let out a ding, signaling she arrived on her floor. Slowly standing up, Beca stepped off the lift and walked down the vacant hallway before unlocking her hotel room. She dropped her things in the foyer and trudged over to the bed. A massive sigh left her lips as soon as her back hit the mattress.

Beca tried to shake Chloe out of her head, but it wasn't working. She needed to do something– anything– to get that woman out of her thoughts. So she reached over to the bedside, snatched her headphones, and started to play an old mix playlist she had downloaded on her phone, hoping the music would carry her away for a few hours.