Hello Readers! I recently changed my penname (formerly Bubbly Brainiac). So I have had this story on my computer for months. It is a part of my First Series. I am sorry that it has taken so long to add this story. Happy Reading!
-Sami
Jesse St. James watched as the curtain fell on the final performance of Singing in the Rain. It had been a hit. Blaine Anderson and Rachel Berry had been perfect leads. Equally talented and one could believe that the two had been dating offstage had it not been for the fact that Blaine was gay and would never betray his best friend that way.
His best friend, Jesse, refused to admit that he felt any emotion toward his directorial debut's leading lady. While he may had refused to admit it, he still acted uncharacteristically. Moving Rachel's hand to sit differently on Blaine's wrist. Making rehearsals later. Staring at her far more then a mere director trying to figure out how to make his cast better. Whether he knew it or not, Jesse St. James had fallen for Rachel Berry.
Blaine and Rachel jumped into each other's arms, excitement taking over them.
"Great job Cath!" Blaine said, calling Rachel by her character's name.
"You too Don."
"Just in case I never work with you again, you were perfect."
Jesse smiled watching the exchange. Over the course of the two months of rehearsal Blaine and Rachel had become best friends to his entertainment. On stage or off they were a pair, pretending to be Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. They were as in love as one gay man and a straight woman could be.
Rachel grabbed Blaine's arm before he ran away, "You must come out with me tonight for drinks. My friend Kurt from Lima is in town and I promised that I would introduce you two too one another."
Blaine sighed, knowing that he would love to meet the famous Kurt but had made other plans, "I promised Jesse that we would go out for drinks in celebration of the end of the play."
Rachel smiled brighter, if possible, and rushed to grab Jesse's hand, "You both can come. The more the merrier. Please come with us. Its Kurt, Santana, Brittany, and myself. It will be fun, you cannot deny fun from your lives."
Jesse saw her pleading eyes and as much as he knew he wanted an easy laidback night with his best friend, he could not deny Rachel, "Okay, fine. We will go."
Rachel laughed, "Great, now I won't be the only straight person going out tonight!"
Blaine's eyes widened, "Rachel Berry."
She tossed a playful look his way, "Blaine, my roommates and best friend's are lesbian life partners. My other two best friends are very proud men in their sexuality, and I was raised by two gay men. Subsequently I believe that I am the antithesis of homophobic. Do not give me that look!"
Blaine and Jesse watched as she walked away, Jesse's eyes following her form carefully. Blaine laughed at his friend, "Just couldn't say no to her could you?"
Jesse turned his softened eyes sharp as he glared at his best friend. Blaine just laughed, hoping that tonight his friend would admit his affections toward the tiny brunette.
One hour later found Blaine flirting with the very flamboyant Kurt Hummel, all thoughts of getting Jesse together with Rachel far from his thoughts. Santana, Brittany, and Rachel were laughing at Kurt's blushed face, never seeing the man so enamoured before. Jesse was content to hold his beer in his hand, watching Rachel's laughter overthrow her, listening to bits of the conversation.
"So your telling me that you bet Kurt fifty-dollars that he would fall for Blaine?" Santana inquired.
"Yeah, but I don't think I will take him up on it. It seems wrong to take money just for the verification of I told you so," was Rachel's response.
The laughter was broken by Kurts loud voice, "Rachel Berry! You have known Blaine for how long and he has yet to learn of our show choir days?"
Rachel didn't know how to respond to the inquiry. It hadn't seemed important. In a world full of top notch performers, the title of female lead in a national winning show hadn't seemed impressive. She expressed this view to Kurt he said, "My oh my, if only New Directions could hear the Glee Queen right now."
Blaine and Jesse's faces stilled as Santana continued Kurt's thought process, "Yeah, I mean Rachel Glee was your life and now you are trying to deny it?"
Rachel raised her glass of white wine in protest, "I am not denying it, I just feel that it is no longer the biggest part of who I am. Everybody needs stepping stones to greatness and New Directions was merely one of mine."
Blaine and Jesse were still trying to get around the fact that they were sitting with at least two people who had been in, "New Directions!" Jesse sputtered, "New freaking Directions. You two were in New Directions."
"So were we Curly," Santana signaled to Jesse about herself and Brittany.
"Oh my god," Blaine stated, "I feel like a traitor to my own team."
All four former New Directions members raised their eyebrows as Rachel asked, "Why is that a bad thing?"
Jesse answered, "Two years ago New Directions anniliated our glee team at state with their original songs."
All four eyes widened, shocked that they had once competed against the men before them, "What team were you guys?" Kurt nervously asked.
"Dalton Academy Warblers ," the duo answered in unison.
Rachel and Kurt's eyes widened once more as Santana and Brittany began to laugh, Santana saying, "Dalton Warblers. Hey Rachel, wasn't that the team that had the male lead whose voice was so good it made it wet and Kurt, didn't you get hard for the second lead?"
Now Rachel and Kurt blushed, having a decent idea who the two leads had been. Santana also had a clear idea as to who had sang the primary vocal lead in the Dalton Warblers performance at state and had found the perfect opportunity to get her best friend and roommate to admit or at least act on her affection for the director of Singing in the Rain.
"In fact," Santana elaborated, "Didn't you and Puckerman break up as a result of his jealously over your intense affection and admiration for the lead Rachel?"
Rachel was now glaring at Santana. Blaine on the other hand had smiled, quickly acknowledging what she was doing and hoped to persuade the potential admissions further. A quick smirk to one Ms. Lopez signaled that she now had an ally.
Blaine upped the conversation, "As I recall, Jesse became anamoured with the lead female vocalist in New Directions. I think his exact words were "A voice so perfect yet perfectly unique rarely comes. That girl has a future as beautiful as her voice."
At this Rachel and Jesse were now red whereas Kurt happily sat quiet, happy that his humiliation for the night had ended. Rachel sought an exit from the conversation.
"Blaine, you did promise me one dance," was her attempt.
Blaine saw right through it, "I think I will dance with Kurt. You did after all set us up. I think I like him."
Kurt smiled brightly at this, quickly reaching to grab Blaine's hand. The two plus Santana and Brittany ushered themselves out of the booth where they were all sitting. Jesse and Rachel simple sat on opposite ends and sides of the table, unable to meet one another's eyes.
Rachel was never one to admit her feelings. She had one boyfriend in the entire time of high school, Noah Puckerman whom she had grown up with. They had been happy, singing leads in glee until state their junior year. She had always fallen for a good voice. The lead from the Dalton Warblers was remarkable. Truthfully she had never seen his face, since they were team after the Warblers. Yet she heard beauty. She had heard strength. She never was able to meet the lead, yet she had wished to. She spent the rest of her junior year trying to discover who the lead was. She never was able too. This tore up her and Noah's relationship. He loved her yet never understood her love for true talent, her need to know those who give the gift of happiness and peace from their throat. By the beginning of their senior year they had broken up, unable to understand one another.
She was single for the entirety of her senior year, yet she never forgot the voice. She sought him out at state that year, yet she knew he had graduated. It tore her apart. Then she met Jesse. Truthfully, she had never heard him sing yet just he was made her begin to feel her heart slip away from her grasp. He was strict as hell. He was honest. He was dedicated. He was passionate. She had learn all of that over the course of rehearsals. Yet he could be funny if in the right company. He was never afraid to laugh and joke in the prescence of Blaine, his best friend. So many of the scenes in the musical that required Blaine and Rachel to work with Jesse. When with Blaine he became the straight man to Blaine's consistent façade of humor. He expressed a dry wit, yet would always quirk a smile of affection whenever Blaine cracked a joke, even if he never openly laughed.
She felt foolish for falling for him. She knew she had talent and some decent qualities, yet how could he ever think of her as anymore then his female lead. From her seat at the table her eyes flickered to his form, his eyes furrowed as if unsure of everything. He was the voice. This curly haired man before her was the voice that had eluded her during the closing years of high school. It was too much for her to take. Knowing that she would stop seeing him from that night only to confront that he had been who she was looking for.
At the other side of the table Jesse was having to confront truths. Personal truths that he preferred to deny. Truths that Blaine had fought with him about. He knew from the moment Rachel opened her voice at the audition who she was. Blaine had been right. He had been completely astounded by the female lead in New Directions. He never learned her name but he was determined to never forget her voice. If he had to lose competition he was glad to lose it to that talent. He knew that they would meet again.
When she auditioned he knew the moment she started the song who she was. He had challenged her. He had nearly lost fifty dollars to find her. He had denied that he had felt something at the audition to an adament Blaine who was just glad to see his friend have a heart for someone. He didn't date truthfully, the rise to the top had been too important. It was bad enough that he permitted himself the incessant presence of his best friend. Love was performed on Broadway but not had on Broadway.
He knew that Rachel understood that. She had proven to be driven, fierce, and motivated. She knew the true cost of the spotlight. He allowed her knowledge and his alike to push away his affection toward his leading lady. The cost of a dream was loneliness.
Yet his couldn't deny any longer. He had fallen for her. Her voice was just the start two years ago. Then he fell for her dedication and drive at her audition. Over the course of the musical rehearsal's he had fallen for her laughter at his and Blaine's antics. He had fallen for her sarcasm at Blaine's demands. He had fallen for her dedication and the glare she would give the secondary cast when they would perform poorly. The man who never fell had dropped.
Rachel shifted at the end of the table, gathering her bag to leave, unable to look her once director in the eye. "I'm going to head home," Rachel broke the five minutes of silence nervously.
Jesse's eyes shifted to her leaving form, knowing that he had to act. Quickly rushed to catch up with her, knowing that he may not see her again. He met with her at the doors to club.
"You can't go home without an escort," was his justification of his following her when he caught up.
"I'm a big girl Jesse, even if I am in the Big Apple."
He nodded and said, "Please Rachel."
Her eyes finally met his after the jokes from their friends. She saw concern and something she couldn't identify, yet it was so different from the confusion she had earlier seen. Despite this she said, "I don't need your pity, sympathy, or concern Jesse."
He was stung by her words. Now they were standing outside of the club, he made a grab for her hand. Her eyes widened as he stated, "I don't do sympathy and I sure as Hell do not do pity. Concern, that is unconditional right now. I cannot help it as much as I wish I could."
After these words the two conceded to walk to Rachel's apartment in silence. Then they found themselves. Rachel once again broke the silence, "Thank you for walking me home," were her curt words, unsure how she was to respond to him.
Jesse looked down at their hands that had remained intertwined during the ten block walk that they had taken. He watched as her slowly began to leave his, to which his hand contract tighter around hers, unwilling to let go of the moment.
"Rachel, I don't do this," he stated.
She looked at him, her eyebrows quirked, "You don't do what?"
He let out a sighed, "I do not."
He sighed once more, "I like you Rachel. I truly like you and yet I learned have that it is—"
"Lonely at the top?" Rachel finished his words.
He looked at her, running his hand through his curls, "And yet I like you."
A small graced her features at his admissions. "Santana was right, just so that you are aware."
"You liked my singing voice?"
"So much that my boyfriend broke up with me because he couldn't understand my fascination."
"I'm sorry," was his careful answer.
"Don't be, Noah could comprehend my love for music. We knew we wouldn't last, it just took some truly remarkable vocals to make it evident sooner then we anticipated."
He smiled at her logic and made his own confession, "Blaine was right."
She looked at him quizzically, "About what?"
"I noticed you at state two years ago. I couldn't forget your voice."
"The curse of singers is falling for a sound and not a person," Rachel philosophized.
"I don't want to make us sound like some tale of long lost love, but Rachel, you caught my ear at that competition. Unlike you, I didn't need to find out who you were. I knew that we were going to meet again. We had too. Forward two years and here we are. When you came to the audition I knew who you were the moment you opened you mouth to sing."
Rachel was in awe but had to say this much, "We are sounding stupid. We haven't even been on a date."
"Rachel," Jesse sighed, she was right. All of the right words were coming out, yet they didn't fit. He did fall for her, a bit. They may had known each other's voices for two years, they still had only known each other for two months. If he was going to try and properly fall for her he had to know who she was.
He came to a solution, "Tomorrow night, will you Rachel Berry go out with me to eat at Thai Siam?"
A grin over took her features, "I would love to Jesse," was her response.
She straightened her back, ready to pull apart their hands to enter her home when Jesse pulled her hand tighter, whisking her into his arms. A small giggle escaped Rachel's lips at the action which was quickly silenced by the smoldering look that she was on the receiving end of.
She found this to be the perfect opportunity to tease him, "You are aware that I have never actually heard you sing. It could have easily been Blaine's voice that I became obsessed with."
His look darkened as he tightened his embrace around her and another giggle exited her lips. "Are you questioning my authenticity Ms. Berry?" Jesse's tone challenged.
Her eyebrows rose, "Yes I am," a giggle escaping her lips in the faux seriousness of the situation.
His eyes crinkled, finally admitting to himself that he could come to love the woman before him if he allowed himself to.
He knew that this moment called for the perfect lyrics, the song fell from his mouth, "Close your eyes and I'll kiss you/ Tomorrow I'll miss you/ Remember I'll always be true/ And then while I'm away/ I'll write home every day/ And I'll send all my loving to you."
Rachel rolled her eyes as he sang, secretly loving the cheesiness. She cut him off from the song with a kiss on the lips. His eyes widened, shocked that she was taking the first step. The kiss was short but left both aware of the chemistry between that the two shared. The kiss ended with a smile on both of their faces.
Rachel looked into Jesse's eyes and said, "It was the right voice."
Jesse smirked and said, "Of course it was."
Believe it or not, the ending was what kept this story from being finished. Seriously, the last two hundred words. I hope you guys all enjoyed reading this story and I hope that review if you would like. I am planning on at least two more stories for this series. Have a great day!
-Sami