Turn Around, Bright Eyes
Written for Candy (Badboy_fangirl). I do enjoy our weekly chats on LiveJournal, and after discovering you share my Jesse/Rachel obsession in ADDITION to the Damon/Elena love, I just had to find a way to thank you properly for being so awesome. Hope you like ;)
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters; I am merely borrowing Jesse and Rachel b/c the writers of Glee continue to shove the detestable Finchel down my throat and ignore the chemistry of my OTP. As always, consider this story MINE, and the result of over twenty years of writing. I've poured my heart and soul into every beautiful sentence, so heed this warning: To copy this work or any other and claim as one's own, in whole or in part is a criminal offence punishable by ostracism, harassment by my loyal readers, and possibly even dismissal by the MODs. Repeat offenders will be reported IMMEDIATELY to Stop_Plagiarism on LiveJournal and your name will be placed on the watch list under all known aliases. It's not worth it; don't be a thief !
The first thing she noticed when she stepped into the studio was the way her pulse shot up to her throat, and the sudden sharpness of her breath as it caught in her chest. She hadn't expected to see him standing before her. Had she known he would be here too, she probably wouldn't have signed up; and she's surprised that he can even look at her without hatred after the horrible way she treated him. The way she'd casually tossed his heart aside, as if he was nothing more than a schoolgirl's passing infatuation. She knows that she hurt him with her rejection, and if she's honest with herself she would admit that letting him go was the biggest mistake of her life. He was right; there were more important things than becoming a star. She had simply been too young, too selfish, too stupid to see it before. She can feel the intensity of his eyes on her, and it unnerves her because it feels like he can see right through the thin fabric of her black leotard. Her heart is pounding so hard, and her mouth is so dry that she has to lick her lips several times in order to bring the moisture back to them.
He doesn't say anything to her other than a simple "glad you could make it," and then the rest of the class begins to arrive. The young women ages eighteen to twenty are all staring in awe and silently fighting with each other with almost feline glares over who gets to dance with him first. For a fleeting moment she catches herself seething with quiet rage as he winks at one of them; a doe-eyed blonde with curves that rival hers, and she wonders if Jesse's reputation of bedding women indiscriminately still holds true now that he's in his early twenties. She fails to notice his hungry stare as she's too busy trying to look away and silently telling herself that she doesn't care who he sleeps with. They're not together, after all; they haven't even been in the same room since that fatal day at Nationals when she'd foolishly allowed her infatuation with Finn (she knows now that it wasn't the epic love she'd believed it to be) to cloud her judgment. He'd been angry with her, and rightfully so. She had just broken his heart; again.
So it's a complete shock to her when the instructor asks everyone to partner up and Jesse chooses to single her out on the floor. Her arms are lifting high over her head as she balances with perfect grace on the tips of her toes, and suddenly he's there behind her, his fingertips gently caressing her skin as he leans forward, and slides his arm around her waist. But unlike the other girls, who are perfectly composed with their partners, Rachel's breaths quicken and she can hardly focus at all. She can feel the tips of his fingers moving down her hip, and he grips her inner thigh, lifting her weightlessly into his arms. The hand at her thigh is searing with heat, and for the first time in her dancing career she's aware of the erotic undertones of their current position. And though it's completely unprofessional, she can't help the sensual images that flood her thoughts. He swings her back, her leg high up in the air and there's no mistaking the fire in his eyes as they meet hers. The close proximity of their lips is now the only thing consuming her thoughts; the rest of the room could simply melt away and she wouldn't notice. She can feel his hot breath on her skin, and it's making her head spin. His hand is still gripping the inside of her thigh, so tantalizingly close and yet so far away from where she needs to feel him; and for the first time in her life, she wants the dance to end. The way they're moving against each other, forced to keep their composure for the sake of professionalism, is sheer torture on a scale that she never knew was possible. True, she did feel a small hint of this fire when they'd been in class together years ago; and she'd felt it whenever they'd stolen a few moments away from prying eyes back when they'd been a couple, but this was entirely different from the way she'd felt then. Right now it truly did feel like they were giving off sparks; god, she'd really had no idea what those words had meant when she'd sung them with all the passion she'd been capable of. She'd been a child, singing about things that she couldn't possibly have understood; but now she did. Oh god, she understood them more now, than she's ever understood anything else in her life.
If he wasn't holding her right now, she'd probably stumble right into his chest. Her legs are trembling as he sets her down to the floor, clasping one hand in his while placing his other hand at her hip. He doesn't break their stare; it's a silent battle of wills, and she's excited and terrified all at once at the emotions reflecting there. But before she can fully comprehend what it is in his eyes that makes them so much darker than usual, they break away. Five steps back; that's all it is, but it's five steps too far away already and when she leaps into his arms again her chest feels like it's about to burst. He's lifting her up high into the air, and she can feel the heat of his lips grazing her flat stomach; it does things to her that she can't even find the words for. Then she's sliding back down, and she can feel the hardness of his chest as he (unintentionally?) presses her body close to his.
I need you now tonight.
And I need you more than ever.
The lines of the song echo in her head like a prayer, and he's lowering her to the floor, hovering over her; their bodies sliding sensually together as he grips her hip again and rolls onto his back. She lets out a sharp gasp, which is thankfully muffled by the sound of the music playing, as her pelvis unintentionally presses against his. She can feel it; she's surprised that she didn't notice before, but there it is—unmistakable proof that Jesse wants her. She rolls off him, landing gracefully to her feet even despite the trembling feeling in her limbs, and he rises with her, gathering her back into his arms for one final turn before letting go of her hand once more. She pulls back, runs forward, and together they flip her over his shoulders. She lets out an involuntary little shiver as she slides down his back, and they turn to face each other again; unmistakable passion and desire simmering in their unwavering stares even as the music fades. Before the spell can break completely, however, Jesse subtly leans closer and his breath tickles her ear and sends a new wave of shivers up her spine.
"Come home with me," he whispers. There's no mistaking his intentions, and Rachel's breath catches in her throat; her body humming with nervous excitement as she nods her head almost imperceptibly.
"Okay," she replies.
Author's Note: This is my first Glee fic, so hopefully I pulled it off okay. I just couldn't stand the horror of Finchel a second longer, and HAD to make myself feel better by writing some good old fashioned Jesse/Rachel love. If you want the second part to this (with all the smut one would expect in my stories) then please show the muse some love and review! I promise it'll be worth it ;)