Long way round

chapter 13

Oh my god, she's kissing me. Oh my god she's kissing me! Oh. My. God! Beca is kissing me!

Chloe's mind was in a fog, she wondered dimly if this was what having a stroke was like. Nothing that was happening was really processing, except the feel of Beca's hand holding onto her hip, Beca's other hand firmly held against her neck, the brunette's thumb caressing her cheek, Beca's lips pressing against her own. She was so startled, in fact, that she didn't realize she had frozen stiff at the other girl's touch until she felt the kiss turn from bold to hesitant, then ended. Beca took a step back from her and let her hands drop away, eyes unsure of themselves.

The rest of the girls were dead silent after the kiss, unsure really what the hell was going on. Beca's gaze lingered on Chloe's face, doubt and uncertainty plain in her eyes, along with a growing sense of panic. The brunette, obviously on the verge of flight, opened her mouth and stammered out, "I, uh, I thought... I mean, I ..."

Chloe didn't give her any chance to apologize or excuse her actions. Stepping forward and closing the distance between them, the redhead grabbed Beca and pulled her in, capturing the DJ's lips in another fierce kiss that once again made Chloe's head spin at the sheer delight she felt at finally being able to do it. She felt Beca's hands, only moments ago so hesitant, sliding around her and taking firm hold, as if the brunette didn't want to let Chloe escape. Of course, Chloe had no intentions of escaping, and wouldn't have stopped doing what she was doing, one of her hands running up and down Beca's back, the other tangled in her chocolate tresses except for a small cough and voice that spoke up.

"Ahem. Uh, two minutes, Bellas..."

As if the stage hand's speaking suddenly broke the shroud surrounding them, Beca and Chloe realized where they were. Breaking apart, though they didn't let their hands fall, each girl holding tight to the other, the pair looked back towards the rest of the Bellas and it seemed to break the air of shocked silence hanging over them. Fat Amy was, of course, the first to recover and with a wolf whistle said, "Way to go DJ! About damned time!"

The others were quick to pile in, surrounding the two girls briefly and each giving heartfelt congratulations for finally stepping up. Aubrey and Stacie especially seemed proud of the two girls hugging in the center of a mass of Barden Bellas.

Of course, the need to perform managed to break through everyone's fixation on Beca and Chloe as the singing in the background came to an end and applause started. Realizing that they were next, Chloe reluctantly let go of Beca with a kiss on the cheek and a whispered, "Good luck!"

The brunette seemed just as reluctant to let go, now that she'd taken the step to grab hold, but knew that she had a job to do here, and once Aubrey and Chloe had stepped away from the Bellas and turned to head towards their seats in the audience she grinned at the group of girls. "No biggie, guys. It's just another day. Let's go crush this so we can get to that after party."

The others just smiled, knowing why Beca was anxious to get to said after party, but all of them were feeling exhilarated by the upcoming performance. As the announcer stepped onto the stage and dismissed the Infinite Harmony, all the girls gathered just off stage. Beca, standing in the front, was able to see Aubrey and Chloe making their way to their seats, right up front, and saw the redhead give a little wave that made Beca smile.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let's hear it one more time for Georgia Tech's Infinite Harmony!" The announcer said before pausing a moment for applause. Continuing on he said, "And now I'd like to present, last year's winner of the ICCA National Championship, the Barden Bellas!"

For the first time since she had started performing with the Bellas, Beca walked out onto the stage without the feeling of butterflies in her stomach. It was a shocking feeling as the girls all lined up and Beca's eyes caught Chloe's bright gaze locked on her, a stupid, almost drunken smile on the redhead's lips as she watched Beca pull the pitch pipe from her pocket. Blowing into it briefly, the brunette counted the time for the others, who started into her mash-up of "Call Me Maybe" and "Someone Like You".