Jesse knocked on Beca's door. "Beca? May I come in?"
"Yeah, nerd. It's open," came the muffled reply.
Jesse let himself into the room Beca shared with Fat Amy. "How much longer are you going to be? We need to leave soon if you want dinner before the movie." In a very recent and unexpected turn of events, Jesse had finally convinced Beca to go to the movies with him. Granted, it was a screening of The Breakfast Club, but they were still going to the movies. Together. On a super cliché date. But he couldn't find his said date. "Where are you, anyway?"
"Bathroom," came the still muffled reply. "I won't be long. I just need to put on my makeup. Can't we skip the previews, though? It'll buy us some time."
"Beca!" Jesse gasped. "The previews are part of the cinematic experience! You can't miss the previews!"
"Does the very idea wound your heart?" Beca wanted to know, coming out of the bathroom with an eye roll.
"As a matter of fact, yes, yes it does. Although I don't think it's very polite to make fun of something your boyfriend said under the influence of alcohol."
"My apologies," Beca smirked. "Well, be better get going then, shouldn't we? Wouldn't want to actually miss the previews. You would drop dead on the spot."
"Exactly! See? You do understand!"
"Or so you think. I just know your mannerisms," Beca retorted, walking down the stairs. "That does not mean I agree with them."
Chloe cast Beca a knowing wink. ""Don't have too much fun, Beca!" To Aubrey, who she was talking to on the phone, she said "Beca's going out with her Treble man-candy, in the words of Fat Amy."
Aubrey let out a shriek so loud, Beca could hear it from across the room. Beca rolled her eyes and exchanged a smile with Chloe. "I'll try not to so Aubrey doesn't have a coronary," she replied, closing the door behind her.
"Man-candy, huh?" Jesse grinned. "You think I'm a piece of man-candy?"
"No. Amy thinks you're a piece of man-candy. I never said anything of the sort."
"I see. I still think you think I'm a sexy hunk of man-slash-eye-candy."
"Wouldn't want to inflate that ego of yours," Beca responded, patting his arm as she slid into the passenger's seat of his car.
"Do you want Taco Bell for dinner?" Jesse asked as they approached the drive-through.
"Is that even a question? Obviously."
"Taco Bell it is." Jesse pulled in and placed their order before looking at the clock on his dashboard. "Shit! It's already 7:50! The movie starts in ten minutes!"
"Like I said, we can always skip—"
"No, Beca. We are not skipping the previews. It's part of your cinematic experience and I will not withhold that from you if I can help it. Now if this Taco Bell line would just hurry up, we can be on our way." He tapped his fingers against the wheel impatiently.
"Jesse, calm down. The theatre's only five minutes away. We still have time."
"Beca, do you not understand? You can't take outside food into a theatre. We need to have time to eat before we get in, and then have time to buy concessions." The line moved forward, and Jesse paid at the window.
Beca looked at him pointedly. "You were saying?"
"We still haven't gotten our food," he shot back. When they did get their food, he shoved it at Beca. "Eat. We need all the time we can get. Can you feed me while I'm driving?"
Beca rolled her eyes. "While I eat? I need my left hand."
"Try eating with your right. Feed me with your left. You'll have better aim."
"Fine," Beca grumbled.
By the time Jesse had parked the car, Beca had finished a little more than half of her food while Jesse only had a few bites left. "C'mon! We only have four minutes to get into the theatre!"
"I'm hurrying," Beca fired back through a mouth of food.
Jesse snatched his serving out of her hand and finished it. "Do you think you can finish it after the movie?"
Beca shook her head vigorously. "Dude, no! It'll be cold and soggy. I'll be done in a second. Do you want me to bring it with me while we walk to the theatre? There are only, like, three bites left, tops."
"Fine." Jesse opened her door. "C'mon. I want to get popcorn and drinks and stuff."
"You do realize you could have just said 'concessions,' right?"
"Hush." Jesse hurried to the box office. "Two tickets for The Breakfast Club, please." Turning to Beca, he asked, "You excited?"
"Only because it's The Breakfast Club, but I'm only a teeny, tiny bit excited," she replied, holding her fingers a half-inch from each other.
"Have fun!" the girl in the booth said, pushing the tickets through the hole in the barrier between them.
"Thanks!" Jesse replied. "C'mon, we need to get concessions." He grabbed Beca's hand and pulled her towards the theatre. "We're gonna get popcorn and soda and candy and–"
"Dude, you're an actual child," Beca cut him off.
"But you love me!"
Beca couldn't deny it, and smiled to herself as Jesse ordered their food. Once they got it, Jesse immediately started shoveling popcorn into his mouth as they walked away. "Save some for the movie, weirdo."
"Sorry," Jesse said around a mouthful of popcorn, sending wet pieces flying.
Beca shrieked, causing several people to turn and look at them. She blushed, then told Jesse "You are so gross," but couldn't contain her smile. "Also, you do realize that that's not butter, right?"
"I know. It wouldn't be this yellow if it was. Don't they just stick in some yellow butter flavor stick?
"No. They stick an orange, butter-shaped stick that smells like chemicals into the kernels and then it melts all over the popcorn."
Jesse looked slightly disturbed. "Eh, still tastes good." After a second, he asked "Wait, how'd you know that?"
"We needed a certain amount of community service hours for high school graduation. I volunteered at the annual carnival, and got stuck at the popcorn machine. It was not fun." They entered the cinema, where the theatre's own ads were still rolling. "See, we didn't miss the previews. They haven't even started. And," Beca checked the time on her phone, "they supposedly started two minutes ago. What'd I tell you?"
Jesse just looked at her balefully. "It was too close. We aren't even sitting down. Let's find a seat, and then you can lecture me."
They had just settled into their seats when the previews started. Beca leaned over. "Told you so," she whispered, before resting her head on his shoulder.
"Yeah. Just don't fall asleep. We're watching The Breakfast Club at the movies, Beca. This is special."
"I'll try not to," she yawned, knowing it was more than likely that she would. But, no matter how much Jesse threatened her, she knew he wouldn't have the heart to wake her if she did.