","

Beca's usual nights are spent alone with the exception of every last Friday of the month or whenever Stacie decides to do what she calls a mandatory check-up on your boring loner friend every once a week. It's been like that for almost a year now.

Before that, it was... different.

Beca's life three years ago compared to what it is like now is the complete opposite.

Three years ago, she would come home every night to a small apartment. It was simple yet cozy and her neighbor residing three doors away happens to be a writer who looked high as a kite all the time. Her beloved Bella had yet to come to her life then and instead, an excited wagging of a tail would greet her at the door along with loving licks. Butter was her first dog. She didn't want one since she was more of a cat person but when that furry face looked up at her, she couldn't say no. Eventually, she loved him... just as much as she loved his owner who, would then pull Beca into her arms.

That's how her nights used to start, coming home into the comfort of a loving embrace. She would always breathe in her scent and every inch of stress that work has burdened her disappears instantly.

One look into those calming green orbs, she forgets the rest of the world. There'd be funny dancing and lots of singing followed by melodious laughter. There'd be a mess in the kitchen later and a couple of half empty beer bottles on the coffee table. Sometimes she whips out her guitar and strums whatever melody her heart desires. Beca remembers lingering touches and kisses that are too many to count. Sleeping in the midst of heartwarming cuddles and soft loving goodnights.

It was way too perfect,

if ever there was a perfect.

Sometimes on the week nights, they'd dress up and dine out. It was their little date nights where they'd hold hands like they'd lose each other if they didn't. Those memorable nights when they'd walk along boulevards and dream of the future ahead. Other nights it would be hanging out all together with their friends.

Beca hadn't met Flo, Benjie, Amy and Aubrey yet.

In a couple of months she'd meet Aubrey, through Stacie of course. Amy and Flo would bump into her life in a year and before that same year ends, she crosses paths with Benjie.

Jesse and CR were already her friends as they met in college but at that time, they didn't hang out that much nor did they work for Amplify just yet.

Three years ago, Stacie was the only friend she kept close. The only friend she had that she hadn't met through Rachelle.

Rachelle, the girl whose arms Beca would always come home to. Butter's mother. The girl who would waltz with her around their tiny kitchen area as they whipped up something delicious. The girl who used to make Beca smile. The girl whom she used to make songs with. The girl whose hands she would search for whenever they dine out and laugh about anything they'd find funny like polka dots or bubbles.

They used to be happy and carefree.

Beca used to be happy.

But it wasn't enough.

She wasn't enough for her.

And now...

"Tada!" an enthusiastic Chloe flourishes her hand over at the restaurant that she says Beca should absolutely go to.

She stares up at it doubtfully.

The restaurant looks so simple in the outside. It looked like a café or those unique restaurants that you'd find hidden in the city. But when Chloe excitedly grabs her by the hand to pull her into the cozy and casual ambiance of the restaurant's back porch. There are light bulbs hanging up in rows above their heads, wooden tables and comfy chairs lining up every corner. The night breeze is cool and there's a gentle buzz going around from other patrons who are just out to have a relaxing evening with close friends and significant others.

They find an empty table in a corner while Chloe eagerly suggests what she deems is honest to goodness delicious. Beca's honestly just happy to see wine on the menu.

Surprisingly, she actually likes it, the atmosphere, the theme and even the mellow acoustic rendition to popular songs.

But when she takes everything in and realizes that Chloe has done it again. That thing she does where Beca suddenly finds herself agreeing to... whatever it is the redhead thinks of. She swallows that feeling down and tries not to get carried away too much.

It is sorcery and it's not even a joke.

Maybe whatever this is brewing in her chest is sorcery too.

Those swirling blue eyes hold magic.

This is probably a mistake.

"Why are we here again?" she asks

impatiently.

Regretting their choice for the table because it's a small one compared to the one next to it, a decent size table where Beca won't have to worry about brushing her arm or leg against smooth warm skin.

"For the food and an idea for the music fest that I am about to propose," Chloe answers without missing a beat.

"The one you just thought of half an hour ago?" Beca asks, looking at the redhead skeptically.

"Yes, that one,"

"Go ahead then,"

"A wall of dreams,"

"A what?" she asks, finding it hard to believe what she just heard.

"A wall," Chloe says, this time slowly, fingers flourishing dramatically as she does. "Of dreams,"

Why was she attracted to this girl again?

Beca stares at her, waiting for the joke but it doesn't come and that doesn't look like the face of somebody who is joking. Chloe is dead serious.

"So this wall... is going to be at the event?" Beca asks uncertainly.

Chloe nods, "A wall where people can leave notes about their dreams in life. We can have a section for the artists as well because why not?"

"Yeah they could dream of winning another Grammy or something," Beca comments sarcastically even though, mentally, she is sort of visualizing this idea.

"You don't really stop dreaming," Chloe says with a smile and Beca still can't figure out what it is that just pulls her towards this girl.

Harry effin' Potter magic.

Chloe, that girl who keeps contradicting her. The girl who doesn't give up in spite of the world telling her otherwise. The girl who isn't afraid of the intimidating aura she tries to give off and proceeds to hug her in the middle of a club, fondly grab her by the arm or cross the line of her office territory. The girl who smiles even when her heart was breaking. The girl who just bursts out into Disney songs. The girl whom Beca is annoyed to see hovering around all the time but looks for when she's gone.

It's frustrating.

She does all this things that seem weird or crazy but endearing and Beca keeps giving in to it before she even realizes what's going on.

"I even have a name for it!" the redhead breaks her thoughts and Beca looks lost until she remembers what they were currently discussing.

"For the wall?"

"Yeah. I'm going to call it, 'Wonder Wall', you know, like the song,"

"Oasis?"

"Exactly!"

Sorcery, indeed.

"Are you not going to ask me about Paris Blake?" Chloe suddenly says in between dessert and Beca eyes her.

"I don't have to," she confidently says and that earns a sound of disbelief.

"What makes you think that she said no?"

"Because other than the fact that she's worth more than our budget, she doesn't do open area performances unless it's the Superbowl. It's already a fact, which you actually failed to research before you went into this bet that I'm now certain you're going to lose in," she simply says before challengingly adding, "Why? Did she say yes?" and this time Chloe leans forward, both arms resting on top of the table.

"No—But she said maybe," the redhead defiantly says with a finger stuck out in front of her.

Beca lets out a dry laugh before sipping her wine. "A maybe is not a yes, if you didn't know,"

"A maybe is also not a no, if you didn't know," Chloe throws right back, teasingly, and god, she better stop drinking wine because those baby blue eyes are tugging at her like gravity and right now she's standing on top a really tall building.

She shakes her head in response. What else could she say?

"I have a really great feeling with this, Becs. The bet aside, Paris Blake is good press and good press means a successful event. It will do us good," Chloe genuinely says while Beca glares at her again for the nickname.

"The bet aside, yes it will. If you get her to sign the contract and actually get her on stage for less the price than her management is asking. That, I agree. What I don't agree in is you calling me Becs," she counters and Chloe groans.

"Why not? We are not in the office. The group calls you that, why not me?"

Why exactly?

Beca doesn't even know the answer to that. She didn't even know that there'd come a point that they'd be sitting in this nice restaurant drinking wine and sharing a dessert.

Beca has always put people in boxes, figuratively.

When she first meets someone, she instantly knows what they'd be in her life. For people whom she dislikes, there's a box for that. It's labelled as Trash. There's a box for just acquaintances or someone you can call out of need. For all her closest friends, she's placed them in a box where she had a feeling that they'd be something nice in her life, something that isn't romantic and even though she did have a tiny crush on Stacie when they met, she knows it wasn't something that would grow into something more. On the other hand, there's a special box for people who do... grow to be something more to her. The people who make her heart beat in an irregular pattern, the one where you feel like it would burst into the colors of the rainbow. That box which is rarely used, is kept in a place far deeper than the others.

Rachelle used to be in that box. She actually still is along with the other three mistakes in her life. They may have been mistakes yet they've all moved her heart in that special way and are all very special to her.

No matter how painful it was.

As for Chloe, now Beca had wanted to place her on the just acquaintances box. Somebody who was just passing by in her life.

However, Chloe doesn't seem to fit in that box after all. As a matter of fact, this girl refuses to be kept in that box despite the countless times Beca has tried to forcefully shove her down in it. She even wrapped this box with packaging tape but no, this stubborn girl ends up ripping it open instead and now Beca doesn't know where to put her.

She internally argues putting her in the Friend box and for some reason she still can't figure out why. Maybe she needs another box labelled Unknown Specie. Probably a singing telegram. Do Not Touch. Extremely Dangerous complete with a This Side Up warning.

"Because you haven't won the bet yet and at this point you probably won't... ever so don't get too excited to call me Becs," she explains instead.

It's the only reason she finds for this unexplainable phenomenon. Besides, she's already had great friendships that had sadly drifted away and that may not be as painful as a heartbreak but somehow, still unfortunate.

"Don't say that, you never know. This bet isn't over yet. We still got a couple of months more," Chloe confidently says before taking a sip of her wine.

"You mean, less than three months left before the event? And you must be forgetting about the deadline for our official line-up, which is in two weeks? We need to announce all of our main performers by then," Beca smugly replies, loving the reaction she gets from it.

"Yes I know, but like I said, the bets not over until it's over," Chloe says.

They fall into a comfortable silence afterwards, leaving only Cuco's Lava Lamp playing in the background.

Chloe breaks the silence, "Are you really not coming to the party next Saturday?"

"No, I have plans," Beca quickly replies and that earns her a doubtful look.

"I really do have plans," she insists yet the doubt remains.

Stacie must be running her huge mouth again and this is what happens. But then who was she kidding, this summer sunshine psycho has actually spent two nights in her house and knows things most people around her do not.

"Let me guess," Chloe starts, clasping both her hands together on top of the table like a tough music critic or that HR guy who interviewed Beca for Amplify 5 years ago.

"You are either going to sleep all day or go to the office on a relaxing Saturday night to do... more work?" Chloe says as she eyes her carefully and that makes Beca uncomfortable because that's exactly what her plans are every weekend.

"...no,"

She sips her wine consciously and when the silence stretches, she finally admits the truth with a heavy sigh.

"I'd choose sleeping all day and working over some excessively glamorous birthday party where you got to put up your best fake smile because those photos are going to end up in some celebrity magazine or some famous person's Instagram—Well, what do you do on a weekend then?" she throws right back and instantly regrets it when Chloe's face lights up.

Not only because Beca's going to lose to somebody as outgoing as Chloe when it comes to interesting activities people should be doing on the weekend but also because it's the first personal question she's ever asked the redhead.

Personal questions are for people who you want to get to know more and start friendships—or any sort of relationship.

Beca does not want to start anything with this girl.

This girl, this unexplainable specie that keeps making her feel things and is a danger to her and her quiet life. She doesn't even know what exactly it is that she feels for Chloe.

"I start my Saturday morning with a run. It gives you time to think and clear your head. You should try it," Beca eagerly shakes her head no at that suggestion. Aubrey is already giving her hell with all those workouts she says is necessary for strength and stamina—Beca only needs those two things for her last Friday of the month nights to be honest.

"After that, I'd spend the afternoon either baking something or calling my friends for our weekly get- togethers. I'd probably steal some hugs from Mallows in between. By late afternoon, I would then probably be hanging out with my friends to watch a small concert, or in my friend Tessa's apartment, or watch a movie, or go window shopping at the Grove. Then when evening comes I might watch Matt play his set list in the club," Chloe enumerates fondly while Beca only frowns at how exhausting all of that sounds even though she used to do all those things before.

It feels so long ago and three, four, years might not seem like long ago but Beca feels like it's been a lifetime since it had happened—or more like another lifetime ago.

"By Sunday," Chloe continues on. "I'd video call my parents and my siblings. We're pretty close, you see. Then I'd go volunteer at the local animal shelter—oh you should come volunteer! Those puppies and kittens are so adorable!" Chloe excitedly says as she holds on to Beca's wrist. Her heart unconsciously stumbles at the touch.

Now she feels really self-conscious.

"We really need more volunteers, please? Please, Beca," Those big baby blue eyes look pleadingly at her and Beca catches herself staring at them—again— almost hypnotized, and it's absurd because this is just Chloe Beale, the newbie in charge of promotions.

Only, this girl isn't just any other girl. She couldn't even put her in a labelled box—and ship her away to Australia or wherever far away is.

"For the kittens and the puppies, sure," she says before she even thinks.

Maybe she should enroll in Hogwarts—definitely Slytherin—and figure out some counter-spell for this unforgivable curse.

Three hours. They've ended up dining out and chatting for three hours. Three hours and ten minutes to be exact before Beca realized that the promised one hour has extended unconsciously.

That fact was never mentioned though and Beca thought it best if it remained that way. She blames it on the wine, the dessert, Ariana Grande, that stupid debate about the TV series Stranger Things and all one hundred photos of Mallows, Chloe's cat.

Stepping out the restaurant, Beca almost physically trips when she realizes that she's actually enjoyed the night. That, and the stupid smile that keeps creeping on her face. Again, she blames the wine— even though she only had one glass. Add that to the list of things she's not going to acknowledge.

Getting a grip, she looks at Chloe who stops and looks back at her, "So, that was nice," the redhead says with a smile and Beca fights the urge to do the same and nods instead.

Instantly, she feels awkward.

A thought passes by for a moment and she questions her sanity because somehow it feels like a date—a first date—which it is absolutely not and now it feels even more awkward.

In the end she pulls out a response that sounds more like her, "You shoved more than half of that cake we shared down your throat and then you had some sort of sugar rush for half an hour that you almost knocked down my wine glass. All in all, it was... okay for me,"

Instead of an eye roll or an objection to the answer, Chloe smiles instead, "Stacie says that an 'okay' is hard to get from you because you are so hard to please. Although, she also says that you sometimes act like you hate everything but that's just a front because you're actually a softie," the redhead playfully nudges her side and Beca naturally gives her a look.

She will kill Stacie later but for now she scoffs and shakes her head. "Whatever, Beale. Please don't be late tomorrow," she mutters before getting in her car.

She had just started the engine when her eyes drift to the side view mirror where Chloe waves at her, mouthing a 'See you on Sunday!' before turning around and walking to the bus station.

She should be on her way but something doesn't feel right.

She looks down on her car's digital clock. She should be home by now with Bella, preparing to go to sleep but there's a thought bothering her right now and it's messing her up.

She starts to drive off in the opposite direction but when an opportunity for a U-turn presents itself she's circling back before even thinking.

It doesn't make sense but she slows down before coming to a stop by the bus station.

Seconds later, Chloe cautiously peers inside the open window.

"Missed me already?" she teases.

"Where the hell do you live?" Beca asks, ignoring the question and the spark of electricity jolting her system.

"It's a bit... far and I really don't want to be a bother—"

"Just get in before I change my mind," she sighs.

"Okay!" comes the eager reply.