A/N: Okay this one is for my kiddo. For some reason, it's really short. Oops.
Don't forget to leave any prompts or songs that you want me to use for a one-shot! R&R!
Aubrey could hear the rain beating down on the ceiling of the Lincoln Center. Her stomach fluttered as she mentally ran through her solo and choreography so Alice wouldn't kill her. She was lucky to have a solo as a junior. It's a great honor!
Jesse was backstage with Aubrey to make sure she stayed calm. They grew up together, and he's always been the one to calm her down when she gets stressed.
"Aubrey, you need to breathe. You've got this. You know that solo inside and out!"
"That's not enough!" she snapped.
"Aubrey look at me." Jesse told her, grabbing her shoulders.
"You are going to do fine. I believe in you."
"What about Alice, or the Bellas, or my father? My own father doesn't believe in me!" she cried.
Jesse did the only thing he knew. He wrapped his arms around her and held her there, just like he always had. Whenever her heart was broken, he was there comforting her. It wasn't Chloe. Whenever she was sick, he was there with movies to watch in bed with her so she wouldn't have to be alone. He always has been the one to comfort her, and he always will.
He wiped her tears are way before she had to go onstage. "Break a leg, bree." He whispered into her ear.
Aubrey held that feeling in the bottom of her stomach down as the Bellas walked onstage. She waited as Alice blew the pitch pipe that she knew she'd be holding next year…if she could get through this year.
I saw the sign, and it opened up my eyes, and I am happy now living without you. I've left you all alone.
Aubrey could feel her stomach churning as the lights shone down. She tried to choke it down.
I saw the-
It was too late. The vomit sped through her faster than she could stop it. Aubrey fell to her knees as she continued to spill her guts everywhere. All of the Bellas ran off stage, leaving her there by herself. Even Chloe left.
Jesse ran to Aubrey and picked her up. He set her down backstage on a chair. "I'm so sorry Aubs." He kept muttering. He went to go get her a water bottle, but as soon as he left, Aubrey ran outside with tears in her eyes.
She didn't care that it was raining and that she was getting soaked all the way through. She blew her chance to prove herself to both Alice and her father. Aubrey dropped to her knees in the middle of the parking lot, and she felt as the rain slipped through her clothes, sending shivers down her spine. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, but you couldn't tell which were tears, and which were rain drops. Does it really matter though?
She screamed and swore and cried her eyes out before her best friend sat down in the rain beside her. He didn't say anything at first until he gave her a water bottle and said "here, drink this." Aubrey drank the bottle and cried into Jesse's chest, something she's done so frequently throughout her life. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him.
Jesse didn't really know what to say. He hardly ever did. He just watched as Aubrey unfolded. He watched as the rain glistened down her cheeks and accentuated parts of her blonde curls that she had shaken out from her ballerina bun. He tucked a loose curl behind her ear and kissed the top of her forehead.
"Why do you stay? I'm such a disappointment anyways." She said quietly.
"Because you're my best friend, and nothing is going to change that." He told her. "Now come on. We need to get you inside before you really get sick." He added.
Jesse stood up and helped Aubrey up. She stumbled a little bit in her heels, but Jesse caught her before she could fall. She grabbed onto his arms when he caught her by the waist. Aubrey looked up into Jesse's eyes. She watched as the rain rolled down his face. Something came over her. She couldn't explain it, but it just felt so right.
Aubrey placed her hand on the back of his neck, but before he could say anything, she leaned up and pressed her lips against his. Aubrey felt butterflies in her stomach, but she quickly broke apart, not even thinking about how he might react.
"I'm so…sorry. I shouldn't have"
Jesse interrupted her by cupping her face and crashing his lips into hers. He'd been waiting to do that since high school, but it took until now. Aubrey gladly kissed him back, placing her hands on his chest and grabbing the fabric of his shirt in her hands. They didn't care that the rain picked up and was beating down against their skin.
Their worlds stopped spinning as they collided with each other. Jesse could feel the heat of her skin radiating onto his.
"We should still get inside." He told her, slipping his hand into his.
They ran to the hotel that everyone had booked since it was right across the street from the Lincoln Center. Aubrey went with Jesse to his room, so she wouldn't have to face any Bellas that might be in her room. Jesse gave Aubrey a t-shirt for her to put on since her clothes were soaked.
They slipped out of their wet clothes into dry ones. Jesse wrapped one of the blankets around Aubrey since she was shivering. They laid down next to each other just as they always had, except it was different this time. He was holding her still, but it was different. They both felt differently, but they didn't seem to mind.
"Hey Jess? How long have you…you know…"
"6 years, Aubrey. Six long, painful years." He confessed.
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"I always figured you thought of me as your little brother or your non-gay gay best friend, you know."
"I wish you would have said something sooner, Jess."
"Me too, Aubs. Me too."