Hi everyone! It's been awhile! Here's a short story that came to me in the middle of the night. Let me know what you think :)
She knew everything about him...well, almost everything. She knew the way he looked when he was concentrating; his lips pressed together and a pencil spinning between his thumb and forefinger. Their numerous library dates usually ended with her pushing her textbooks away with a huff, throwing her hands up in frustration and spending the rest of the time watching him make his way through his stack of homework. During those hours, she memorized that look he gets of utter concentration.
Even when he was focused at the task at hand, he would always throw an arm around her shoulder, smiling as she dozed off, cuddled in his Treble sweatshirt. He had to buy two because she never gave his original one back after he lent it to her years ago. He wasn't complaining.
…..
She could perfectly replicate his infamous popcorn recipe. She almost stormed back to her own dorm room when he first decided to make it for her. "Jesse," she attacked him with a pillow. "Jesse," she circled her arms around his waist. "Jesse. I'm bored," she whined, standing on her tippy toes while resting her chin on his shoulder.
In response, Jesse raised his hand, popping a chocolate chip in her mouth. It worked...for about thirty seconds before she busied herself with annoying him as much as she could. She stole his spatula, then his bowl. "Sit," he commanded, smiling as he snuck the bowl out of her grasp.
Beca jumped on the countertop, letting her legs swing over the side. He leaned up, giving her a quick peck.
15 minutes later, Jesse, with chocolate smeared on his chin, presented her with his creation: S'mores popcorn.
She grimaced, but before she could utter a single word, he popped a kernel into her mouth and her multitude of witty comments faded away. With a smile, Jesse stole the bowl with one hand and slugged his other around her shoulder, leading her to the TV that was already set up with the latest Captain America.
…..
She knew his voice, which rang out in his tiny apartment during junior year. Although she technically lived at the Bellas' house, there was a point at which she couldn't handle Fat Amy's constant chatter. She would always end up in his living room, lounging on his couch with her laptop situated on the table.
He would always sing...sing about making her eggs in the morning to how much he wanted her to move in with him, which she officially did a few years later.
From show tunes (with jazz hands) to straight rap (well it was from Hamilton but it still counts), he sang anywhere, anytime. They were once at the mall and somehow Beca had wandered off, captivated by the display of the newest laptops. To find her, instead of calling her phone like a normal person, Jesse had started singing "Lovebug." The Jonas Brothers for crying out loud. He found her hiding behind the DVD display, trying hard to pretend like she didn't know him.
…..
She thought she knew everything about him but a few months after her 27th birthday, she realized that there was one secret he had been hiding from her for as long as they had known one another. She found it in his closet, underneath a pile of records and old DVDs. She had been looking for his nice pair of shoes so the two of them could go to the dinner her dad and Sheila had planned to celebrate his 25th year of teaching. They were almost done packing their suitcases, ready to fly out of LAX in just a few hours.
She found the shoes, but underneath, she also discovered a crate she recognized from their days at the radio station. In big bold letters it said, "Property of Barden University." There used to be countless CDs in crates like this. The two of them would have to stack them until they memorized every inch of the collection.
Inside the plastic crate, she saw an array of items. She gasped as she recognized each item. The first thing she pulled out was a boarding pass.
…..
He pocketed the ticket as the left the airport, well on their way to his hometown in Upstate New York. Jesse glanced at her while driving. She was playing with the label from a water bottle, turning it over again and again in her hands.
"They're going to love you," he assured her, "You will probably have to escape before my mom tries to get you to stay for the entire summer." Beca's mouth turned up a little in a grin.
"The only thing you have to worry about is the Harry Potter Weekend marathon that no Swanson could ever resist." She let out a groan, melting into her seat. He chuckled, turning into his parents' driveway. By the time they approached the two story white house (picket fence and all), Jesse could see his parents and younger sister, Addy, already waving on the porch.
As soon as Beca and Jesse began walking up the stairs, they were both engulfed in a hug. Mr. Swanson, or John, as he asked Beca to call him, pulled their luggage up the driveway. Eight years later, he would be asking her to call him Dad.
"We've heard so much about you," Claire Swanson said, leading them into the entranceway, "Jesse hasn't stopped talking about you since his first day of school." Beca raised an eyebrow which was returned with flushed cheeks from Jesse.
"And now look at the two of you," John replied, offering them fresh lemonade, "Sophomores this year. Oh how time flies."
By the time they unpacked, and Beca made fun of all the movie posters in Jesse's childhood room, it was already dark. As Jesse warned, their night ended with the series of movies about the boy who lived. The Swansons had matching wands and all. That night, the two of them fell asleep on the couch, Hedwig's theme playing in the background and the hums of cicadas luring them to sleep.
Jesse awoke the next morning to his mother's constant cooing. She was ready to adopt Beca.
The two of them watched Beca, holding onto Addy's handlebars as the 7 year old flew past, wind blowing in her hair.
"She's coming over for Christmas, right?"
Jesse just smiled, running out the door to play with the two of them.
…..
Beca tucked the boarding pass away, placing it carefully on the side of the crate. As she did so, she noticed a dark green whistle. A rape whistle to be exact.
…..
"Not another one of these," Beca said, huffing as she grabbed her stuff from the trunk of the cab. She hung the whistle over her backpack and continued walking towards the entrance. A wave of dread washed over her as she stared at the steep staircase in front of her. Before she could take a step, she felt the weight from her luggage come out from under her.
She turned around swiftly, ready to attack the luggage thief. When she saw his goofy grin, she couldn't help but smile, letting him spin her around.
"I've missed you," he said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.
"You saw me two weeks ago, you weirdo," she responded, leaning her head on his chest, "You act like it's been YEARS."
Jesse threw her backpack over his shoulder and proceeded to grab all the heaviest bags, "Two weeks too long."
He looked at the paper in her hands, "218?"
She nodded. His room was just one floor up.
…..
Beca looked at the remainder of objects within the crate. She laughed when she recognized the syllabus from her dad's literature class.
…..
"Psst, Jess," Beca tapped him on the shoulder. Jesse turned around to see a note scribbled on the top of her syllabus.
I can't take this anymore. Her father had tried to introduce the class with a series of very bad memes at which the rest of the class uttered forced laughs. She was ready to die of embarrassment.
Jesse moved his seat backwards, putting his arm on her desk. Beca spent the rest of the hour doodling on his exposed skin. He wouldn't be able to get Beca is the best off his skin for the next week, but at least her drawings were accurate.
The rest of the semester Beca tried to get a rise out of her dad. She threw balls of paper at his desk and rearranged his seating chart. One day she even switched all his hyperlinks in his presentation with links to Chance the Rapper songs. Nothing got to Dr. Mitchell except the one time Beca wasn't trying to get him upset.
It was the last week of classes and everything was dying down. Dr. Mitchell was helping a student look over a study guide. His back was turned away from the class as all the students began to pack up.
She was probably a little too close to her dad or he was just trying to listen in, but she did something that made Dr. Mitchell's blood boil.
Beca was sitting on the desk, her legs propped up on the chair. She pulled Jesse down for a kiss before whispering, "9:00 my dorm."
Her dad had supersonic hearing. Before Jesse could respond, her dad turned around on his heel, eyeing the two of them.
"Beca…" She could hear his authoritative tone.
Beca grabbed Jesse by the collar, pulling him out of the classroom as fast as she could.
"Beca!" Her dad called after her, but they were already gone, running together out of the building, onto the quad.
They did meet at 9:00 PM that night, but not at her dorm but his.
…..
Her father probably didn't deserve how she tried to rile him up in class, but Beca and Jesse still laughed about it. The next thing she uncovered was a knitted, gray beanie. Actually, it was definitely her beanie...the one she wore on that terrible day in December.
…..
"I love you." Jesse said, rubbing his palm over the top of her hand. "I love you. I love you. I love you," he said between urgent...desperate kisses. "Beca, say something," he pleaded, cupping her face with his hands.
"Jess, don't leave," she choked the words out, not meeting his searching gaze. It was a futile attempt, but she couldn't let him go without saying the words. She buried her head in his embrace, letting his navy, winter coat pull her into a hug.
He didn't have to say anything; she already knew it. They just stood there, outside the airport, snow falling through her curled locks. In just a few moments, he would have to leave to fly across the country. Film school...his dream. She knew he had to go, but that didn't keep her from wanting to be selfish.
"I love you so much, Becs," he lifted her chin so she was looking right at him, "and this is not the end. You know that, right?"
Beca nodded, kissing him one more time before replying, "So this means no more movications?"
"Love you too, Beca," he said, smiling before he disappeared into the crowd of people. He was about to live his dream, but why did his dream have to split the two of them apart?
…..
She couldn't believe he kept everything. From movie stubs to notes she passed him in class, it was all right here. Laughing, she picked up her old ID card from her first internship at a real record company.
…..
It was before he had left for California. After her first day, he had picked her up, dark black coffee waiting in the cup holder for her.
She collapsed on the seat, kicking off her shoes.
"How was it?" Jesse placed his arm around the back of her headrest.
With a scowl, Beca showed him the ID card which earned an outright laugh. It was obvious that she was not ready for the photo.
"Stupid photographer," she muttered under her breath.
She wondered what happened to the card. She swore she put it on his kitchen table. After two weeks of questioning him, she ended up getting an entirely new one.
…..
Folded up in the corner next to the card was a note she had sent him as a thank you. She had called him a week before she sent the note, when she had decided that she wasn't good enough to make it. With her dreams crushed, Beca had called him from her bed at the Bellas' house now that his apartment was no longer his (theirs).
He was in class, as a result of the time difference, and was unable to take her call. The second he got out, he had Facetimed her as he ran to the next class. Her eyes were puffy and her hair, disheveled.
"Don't you dare think that, Beca," he said, sidestepping a bicycle as it passed by, "You are the most talented person I know and if they don't see that, it's their loss."
When he heard her muffled sob, his heart broke. That day he skipped class, walking back to the sanctuary of his room so he could tell her cheesy jokes and bad pick-up lines for the rest of the night.
After their conversation, which ended in the early hours of the morning, Beca sent him a Harry Potter card she found in a store in town that reminded her of him. Thank you, it said, I took the test, Pottermore, right? I'm the Slytherin to your Hufflepuff.
Relationships were about compromise and to have Jesse by her side through thick and think, watching Harry Potter was the least of her problems. Plus she came to like all the dragons and the creatures.
…..
The card was old and faded, but she could still make out her handwriting. The next year, she had her own wand and cloak at the Swanson house. The next item she pulled out was the American flag he wore around his shoulders at Worlds. She could still remember the day.
…..
They were ready, with their harmonies and their Bellas scarves. They knew it by heart. The only thing she was missing was the good luck kiss Jesse would always give her before her performance. Everyone was happy and she was smiling, but she did miss the way he would cheer her name louder than the rest of the crowd.
As they got onto the stage, she reached a state of peacefulness. They could do this. And they did.
As she searched over the crowd, she saw a familiar face. With the flag wrapped around his shoulders and a grin from ear to ear, her weirdo screamed out, "Becawww!"
She couldn't help but smile as he continued, "That's my girl!" She never got tired of hearing that.
After they won, she left the stage to find him, with a bundle of roses and his arms open wide.
"I've missed you so much," he said, her head buried in his embrace, "You're not leaving me again." She didn't.
The next semester, as Jesse continued his degree in film scoring, he always came home to Beca lounging on his sofa as she had done back at Barden.
…..
After Beca gingerly unfolded the flag, a handful of polaroid pictures fell out, tumbling to the floor. She picked them up one by one, making sure to hold them by their edges.
Most of the pictures were of her hand, trying to shield herself away from his camera.
…..
"Beca," he whined, "Just this once." She put her hand in front of her face, running away from him. They circled the kitchen island, her tongue sticking out at him. By the time he captured her, his arm circling around her waist, they both collapsed on the couch, laughter erupting from the both of them. He kissed her hair before singing her to sleep.
…..
The next picture was of Beca looking off into the distance, wisps of her hair falling in front of her face. She couldn't even remember him taking the picture.
…..
She looked so beautiful with paint covering her old t-shirt and her hair tied up in a bandana. He just had to take a picture. With a click, he pulled the camera down, and with a sly grin, he took his paint brush and dotted her nose with the creamy white paint.
Beca gasped, armed with her own brush and ready to strike. She got his arm and he got her chin. By the end, they were each in need of a hose off outside. With the deed signed and their boxes lining the floors, they were home.
"We have the studio," she said, "and an extra bedroom for whichever Bella or Treble decides to stay the night. We have the living room and the bathrooms, the kitchen and your giant TV. What should this room be?"
"For our aca-children," Jesse replied sheepishly, which earned him a splash of paint right across his old Treble t-shirt.
…..
She fingered through the stack of photos, looking at each one before putting it aside. She stopped at the one of the two of them on the Eiffel Tower.
…..
He had his arms placed loosely around her neck as they stared at the city below. They were both 26 with secure jobs and a house in both of their names. For his parent's 35th anniversary, Jesse, Addy and of course, Beca came along with Mr. and Mrs. Swanson as they toured France. Jesse never could've imagined how well Beca fit into his family. His father had given him his grandmother's ring years before Beca even thought about marriage (Jesse had thought about it after their first kiss at Nationals).
"This is so cheesy," she said, relaxing into his embrace.
"You're not going to propose, are you?" She looked up at him with a smile. He felt the box in his back pocket feel heavy.
"Ummm," he stumbled. He didn't that night but he wasn't disappointed. He knew he would. She did too and she already knew her answer.
…..
It was a year after their time in Paris and he was still waiting for the perfect moment.
Beca picked up the collar hidden beneath the flag. She smiled as she called, "Molly!" A golden retriever followed her call, nuzzling its snout in her lap.
…..
"Beca!" Jesse searched through the house, placing his jacket on the hanger. "Beca?" He knew she was home like she always was.
He found her sitting behind their bed, holding her hands behind her back. She looked at him like a child who had just stolen the last chocolate chip cookie.
Jesse jumped as he heard a yap from behind her. Sheepishly, she revealed the tiniest puppy he had ever seen. It's paws were giant and it's ears flopped over perfectly.
"Can we keep her?" Beca asked, hugging the puppy tightly.
Jesse smiled, letting the dog lick his hand. "Molly," he said. Of course, from The Breakfast Club.
Molly was treated like the princess she was.
"Beca, we can't feed her DOG food. Do you know what type of nasty stuff they put in there?"
Jesse bought a chicken a week for their precious puppy. He made rice and grated his own cheese. Beca just rolled her eyes with a smile.
They switched off and on taking Molly to work with them. Luckily, everyone fell in love with the tiny puppy.
…..
She wasn't so tiny anymore. She took up half their bed and almost knocked them down as she greeted them whenever they came home. She was perfect.
There were still napkins that she drew on, lists of movies he promised to force her to watch and even the occasional flash drive that she recognized as the ones she made for him with her mixes. The last big item was a pair of Minnie Mouse ears that he had forced her to wear just five months ago.
…..
"Wear it." Beca shook her head. "Please?" They had been living in Los Angeles for years but he had never, not once, been able to get Beca to Disneyland. As they arrived at the park, at which Beca exclaimed, "There's just so many children," Jesse handed her the set of ears he had bought purposely for this trip.
"We can't waste time waiting on those lines," he had said as she opened up the package that had came in the mail. He pulled out the set of Mickey and Minnie ears, "I will get you to wear them."
She began the day with her infamous scowl but by the end of the day he could see the corners of her mouth upturned in a smile.
"Thank you so much," he said to the elderly man who had offered to take their picture.
"Say cheese," the man responded, lifting up the phone, "3...2…"
Before he could say, "1," Jesse stuck the ears on her head and smiled at the camera with his own already on the top of his head.
She said that she would never forgive him. He knew that she already did.
…..
"Becs," Jesse yelled from the living room, "I think I have everything. Did you find those shoes?"
Beca placed all the items back in the crate, moving it back to its original spot. "Yes," she called back.
The only thing she couldn't remember was the empty ring box sitting on the top of the pile.
Beca grabbed the shoes as she made he way outside of their bedroom.
"There they are!" He exclaimed, taking them from her hands and placing them on top of his suitcase, "Are you ready to go, m'lady?"
Beca wrapped her arms around his neck, standing on her tippy toes to kiss him right on the lips. Jesse fell into the kiss, putting his hand on the small of her back.
"What was that for?" He asked, brushing her hair out of her eyes.
"I just really love you."
"I just really love you too." Her eyes opened wide as he scooped her up bridal style, carrying her to the car, "But we really do have to catch our flight."
…..
They landed at dusk. He carried her to the rental car despite some protests.
"One stop," he asked, hopping into the driver's seat, "It'll be worth it, I promise." Beca just nodded.
…..
Ten minutes later, the two of them arrived at the old radio station. It looked the same, just as dusty as before.
"Jesse?" She questioned but all he did was smile. As they walked into the building, Jesse played with a few buttons until her old mix of "Just the Way You Are" started playing. He picked her up, helping her sit on the desk.
Beca's eyes opened wide when she heard the song change, effortlessly blending her voice with his own. Mixed together was her song with "Marry you," by Bruno Mars. So that's why she had caught him playing with her mixing board.
A tear fell down her cheek as she sang along. As a slow part began, Jesse got down on one knee, holding her hands with his own.
"Beca," he began, his eyes searching for her own.
"Yes," she said, hopping off the desk, "Yes. Yes. Yes."
Jesse laughed, "Wait." He pulled his grandmother's ring out from his back pocket. "I love you so much and I really don't know what I would do without you. I promise to always bring you ice cream when you're in a bad mood and sing to you when you're stressed. I've never been so sure about anything else in my life. Rebecca Mitchell, would you do the incredible honor of becoming my…"
Beca pulled him off the ground, colliding her lips with his own. He knew her answer. Jesse threw his fist in the air, just as he did all those years ago.
Before they left that night, in a daze of happiness and love, she managed to steal another crate.
"The other one is almost full," she said before walking to the car, letting her head rest upon his chest. With a laugh, Jesse followed, holding her hand with his own.
Thanks for reading! Please review if you can :)