Beca Mitchell hated shopping.

It's at the top of her list of dislikes, along with slow walkers, fast talkers, and anything at all related to expressing emotions.

So how she found herself at a Macy's on a Friday evening shopping for a bow tie is beyond her.

Well, actually, she knows why- her best friend Jesse is finally getting married, and of course he wanted her to be his best woman, despite the fact that traditionally the groom has a man fill that spot.

Jesse argued that Beca is his lesbro, and that technically it's the same thing, to which Beca just rolled her eyes and smiled, because since tenth grade, he's deemed her his best friend and would do anything for her. And maybe Beca would do anything for him too (although she would never outwardly admit that), which is probably why her resolve crumbled when Jesse brought out the puppy dog eyes and practically forced her to accept the honor.

"Dude, you get to wear a suit. Why would you not want to be my best bro for my wedding?" Jesse asked, thumbs tapping the top of his coffee mug as he anxiously waited for Beca to respond.

"It's just… it's a little lame, don't you think? Me being in your wedding and all," Beca replied, eyes trained on her mug in front of her.

"You've been my best friend for eight years, Bec. Plus, you get to wear a bow tie," Jesse replied, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively as he drug out the last syllable.

Beca rolled her eyes before taking a sip out of her mug, the hot liquid burning her throat. Her gaze matched Jesse's, and she couldn't help but feel slightly guilty for not accepting his offer right away. The boy looked like someone just told him his dog ran away, and the brunette felt a slight pang in her chest.

"Plus, you know how much women love a girl in a bow tie," Jesse teased, earning a slap from Beca on his arm.

"Dude!" Beca scoffed, shaking her head as a small smile crept on her face. She sighed loudly, taking one last sip out of her coffee, before responding. "Fine."

Now, as she weaved in and out of random clothing sections in her quest to find the right bow tie, she cursed her best friend for making her decide what color she wanted.

"I want you to find something that'll fit you, Becaw."

She swears she can still hear his voice echoing through her head. His annoying, pesky, somewhat high-pitched –

"Hi there!"

Startled, it took Beca a second to realize that the unfamiliar voice she just heard wasn't actually in her head. Looking around quickly, she noticed a redhead a few feet away staring at her expectantly, a bright and genuine smile on her face. Her nametag read Chloe, and her eyes were the nicest shade of blue Beca had ever seen, even rivaling her own navy blue irises. She held the stranger's eye contact for a few moments before realizing she never actually answered.

"Oh uhm, hey." Beca ran a hand through her hair, shifting her gaze to the rack of blazers next to her to avoid this girl, Chloe apparently, from seeing her face turn three shades redder than it was a few seconds before.

"Can I help you find anything?"

Beca could feel the girl take a few steps toward her, but she kept her eyes trained on the blazers, inspecting the different shades of gray they had (because apparently there's more than two).

"I think I'm good here… thanks."

Beca drug her hand through the rack, hoping her stint looked somewhat believable so the redhead would leave her alone. Silence fell over the two, and after thirty seconds of pretending to check price tags and sizes, Beca deemed it safe to finally look up.

Except Chloe was still standing there, a smirk on her face.

"You know, when people say they don't need any help, that usually means that they do, they're just too shy to admit it," Chloe teased, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear as she shot a challenging look towards the brunette.

Beca scoffed. "I think I know how to find the bow ties, but again, thanks."

Chloe shook her head slightly and giggled, actually giggled, earning a questioning look from the tiny girl standing in front of her. "You have no idea where they are, do you?" Chloe's smile only increased, crinkling the creases next to her eyes.

"I totally do," Beca replied, surveying the clothing around her to try and locate the stupid pieces of fabric that got her in this situation in the first place. This situation where an extremely gorgeous girl was making one Beca Mitchell extremely flustered. Her eyes finally fell on a small rotating stand that displayed different colored and patterned bow ties, and Beca felt a wave of relief wash over her. She returned her focus back to Chloe and raised her eyebrows as she pointed to the stand ten feet away. "See?"

"Nice work, Gilligan." Chloe was still beaming at Beca, a playful look in her eye, as she watched the brunette slowly retreat.

"Right, well… I'm just gonna," Beca motioned to the bow ties behind her, "get to it then. It was nice meeting you."

"You think I'm going to give up that easy, huh?"

Beca furrowed her brow, a nervous feeling creeping up from the pit of her stomach. "What?" she breathed out, caught off-guard by the determination of this random stranger who, for some reason, has taken a liking to her.

"I still don't know your name, silly," Chloe replied, raising her left eyebrow slightly.

"Beca."

"Beca." Chloe tested the name on her tongue, ignoring how familiar and normal it felt.

"Yup, that's me." Beca clicked her tongue on the roof of her mouth, observing Chloe's face as she watched the redhead get lost in thought.

"So, Beca." Beca groaned internally. As much as she somewhat enjoyed the interest in her, she really just wanted to buy a stupid bow tie and get out of this god forsaken store. "Need any help picking one out? It is my job after all."

Beca was prepared to say no, she'll claim that until the day she dies, but the look that was plastered on Chloe's face was utterly heartbreaking. Her bottom lip was jutted out slightly and her eyes appeared a little bigger, furthermore emphasizing just how impressive and blue they were. Beca swore the redhead's puppy dog face was even more persuasive than Jesse's, and that was saying something.

Beca took in a deep breath, still maintaining eye contact, before slowly blowing the air out of her mouth. "Fine."

Before Beca could even protest, Chloe grabbed her hand and was dragging her over towards the rotating stand, her mega-watt smile back in place. Beca couldn't help but realize just how perfectly her and Chloe's hands fit together, or how soft and warm they were. Or how for some reason, her entire body felt like it was on fire, the source of heat coming from the one place Chloe was actually in contact with.

But just as quickly as it started, it ended, and Beca felt herself missing the warmth Chloe's hand provided.

"Alright, so here are your selections." Chloe gestured to the stand next to her, spinning it a few times before letting it come to a stop. "Any ideas?"

"Uhm, I was –"

"Oh! I know! How about this one." Chloe thumbed through several bow ties, a few falling to the floor in the process, before wrapping her hand around a light gray one. It was accented with darker gray lines around the edges and had a lighter gray cross-stitch pattern in the middle. "I think it'll really bring out your eyes." Chloe winked and held the bow tie up to Beca's sternum, tilting her head slightly as she inspected her choice.

Beca felt her face heating up and prayed that she wasn't about to blush, because how embarrassing would that be. Chloe, a stranger, is less than a foot from her, and would definitely think she was weird if she couldn't even take a compliment from someone she didn't know.

"Here, look." Chloe turned Beca around so they were facing the mirror behind them, Chloe's front pushed against the brunette's back, as she attempted to hold up the bow tie in front of them. Her arm rested gently against Beca's left forearm, and Beca hopped Chloe couldn't hear how fast her heart was pounding from the sudden contact.

Beca felt like she couldn't even breathe- like she was being suffocated by all things Chloe. Her throat felt dry and her head wouldn't stop spinning from the perfume that infiltrated her nostrils. It took a few moments to realize that she never actually responded, she was just staring wide-eyed at the two of them in the mirror.

"I like it," Beca managed to croak out, a light blush creeping up her neck as it made its way to her cheeks.

Chloe nodded in approval. "Me too." She stepped back from the smaller girl, giving them a few inches of space, which Beca was grateful for as she quietly let out the breath she was holding. She turned around and faced the redhead, a sheepish smile on her face as she watched Chloe scribble something down on the tag. Her tongue was sticking out of her mouth slightly and her brow slightly furrowed, and Beca twisted her thumb ring around nervously as she waited for the girl to finish.

"Here." Chloe handed Beca the bow tie, her hand lingering on the brunette's a few extra moments before it returned to her side. "I gave you a discount for being so cooperative… and adorable."

Beca rolled her eyes, but couldn't stop a small smile from playing at her lips. "Thanks, Chlo." Beca cringed, because giving a nickname to someone you just met, no matter how attractive they were, is definitely against the rules of being cool and badass. "I mean, uh… thanks for the help."

Chloe nodded, a genuine smile on her face, as she reached out and squeezed the brunette's shoulder lightly. "Anytime, Becs." She winked before walking past Beca towards the other end of the store, looking back once to find a stunned brunette standing exactly where she left her. "Oh, and don't forget to use the discount!" Chloe shouted.

Beca blinked a few times, trying to regain her senses back, considering she was still dazed and confused about the events that just occurred. Chloe's faraway voice dragged her back to reality, and she looked down to inspect the price tag for this "discount" she apparently received. She smiled when she saw the redhead's phone number scrawled on one side of the tag, along with the message "the cute redhead from Macy's."

Beca clutched the bow tie in her hand and glanced up, only to find that Chloe was no longer in sight. She sighed as she made her way to the register at the front of the store, the last fifteen minutes playing in her head as she analyzed every minor and seemingly inconspicuous detail.

She looked back down at the price tag and smiled again.

This was one discount she was definitely going to use.