This is Pride and Prejudice with a Glee twist, originally posted under TV Shows/Glee/St Berry.
CHAPTER 1
Rachel Berry had fallen in love once more. She did not think it was possible, but here she was, head over heels again. She had only felt that way once before, when she first arrived in New York, but it was official: Rachel had fallen in love with London, and it was love at first sight.
Starring on The West End wasn't exactly one of her immediate dreams: it was more a future goal, something she wanted to achieve once she had made it in Broadway first. But after getting a call back following an audition for a revival of "Chicago" in the West End, she knew it was an opportunity she would not let float past her nose, as Julie Andrews had so graciously quoted once. She had worked hard, applied herself and had just obtained her BFA from Tisch, and she was ready to recognize and grab a good opportunity, even if it didn't fit into her plans.
There she was, in London, living in a lovely flat the production company had rented for her and two more actors from the show in Notting Hill, and she couldn't be happier. She had two months of arduous rehearsals before the show started, but she was looking forward to every second of it, she had never felt so alive before. And she was eager to go through the stage door of a theater as the star of a musical for the first time instead of waiting around it as a fan.
Rachel was used to hanging around stage doors, and had visited quite a few in her twenty two years. She remembered going to New York every summer with her dads to watch plays and musicals, she would go immediately afterwards to the stage door to patiently wait for the actors to come out. She always had a list of questions for the actors, like 'What is it like to be a stage actor?" and "How do you keep it fresh?". She would later write their answers and her impressions in her journal, and after hitting every stage door in Broadway while at Tisch, her journal was loaded with valuable information. She took great care of her journal, it was her bible and it was always with her.
But the first time Rachel walked into the stage-entrance door of the Wyndham's Theater she was absolutely delighted. It was crisp Tuesday morning, perhaps too cold for late April. She got there early, telling her flatmates that she needed to take care of something before getting to the theater. The stage door was painted blue, and she took a few seconds to relish the feeling of that particular moment, of going through a stage door for the first time. Then she set out to know the stage door keeper, a pleasant middle aged woman who didn't seem to mind the deluge of questions Rachel asked, and answered every last question affably. Rachel was surprised at how nice and cordial everyone had been since she arrived in London: she was expecting a bunch of arrogant, stuck-up people, but only three days had sufficed to prove her preconceptions wrong. In fact, everyone involved in her show was infinitely nicer than the cast and crew of her last performance at the university before graduating.
Once inside, she was amazed by the grandeur of the theater as she saw it from the stage, with its Louis XVI interior and majestic balconies. She could not believe that in just a few months she would be singing and dancing from that same stage to a full house, since tickets to the first two months of "Chicago" were already sold out. She stood alone on the stage, savoring the moment, knowing that her dreams were coming true: she had made it.
Jesse St James had made it. He had starred as Roger in the very successful revival of "Rent" on Broadway for two consecutive years, and had moved to London when the show opened in the West End, where it also had been a success for over a year. Even though Jesse wanted to take a break after leaving the New York production, his agent convinced him to do the London show arguing that what he needed was a change of scenery, and Jesse had to agree since he wasn't ready yet to let go of Roger.
Only three more actors had made the leap from New York to London with him: his best friends Sam Evans and Tina Cohen-Chang, who played Mark and Mimi, and were his current flatmates; and Finn Hudson, who played the role of Benny. Jesse was thankful that Finn had declined his friends' offer to share the place they had rented, it was bad enough that he had to see him on a daily basis at work, they just didn't get along, and he was not about to share the great place he had found with him. He had scouted several places all over the city before finding the perfect townhouse with a rather large private communal garden in the heart of Notting Hill. Even when the production company usually paid the lease, it was well over the acceptable limits, and Jesse had to pay for the difference by himself. He never told his friends about it, since he had the means to pay for it and did not want to make his friends uncomfortable.
Despite the fact that Jesse was only 24, he wasn't into partying like his friends, who made almost daily stopovers at a pub near the Noel Coward Theater after the show. They had almost nailed it down to a routine: after the show most of the actors would meet their fans at the stage door for fifteen minutes or so, and then they left for the pub, where some of the fans followed them. But Jesse always stayed behind at the stage door, making sure to attend to most of the fans that gathered there, signing autographs and posing patiently for pictures with them. To Jesse, staying by the stage door once the show had ended had become a ritual that was much more satisfying to him than downing a pint of beer at the pub, and to his grateful fans he was much more than a talented actor and singer, he was a gentleman.
Jesse always got to the theater early, he liked having time to warm up his vocal cords in the empty theater before the cast and crew arrived, and there was something about having the whole theater to himself for a while that he took great pleasure in. It was still morning and he was walking to his stage door when he saw them for the first time, two beautiful girls, a blonde and a brunette were hanging in the alley next to it. Even though he was used to greeting fans after the show and not before, he was willing to make an exception. He smiled as he made his way there only to realize that the girls weren't exactly waiting for him. They smiled back at him and nodded but carried on with their conversation with one another, not paying attention to where he was going.
Jesse saw the same girls again the next day, but this time he noticed that they were closer to the stage door of the Wyndham, which was opposite his stage door in the same alley. Once more he nodded as he went into his theater, and this time the blonde girl waved at him, while the brunette was apparently busy texting on her phone. He remembered that "Chicago" was set to open at the Wyndham soon, and he needed to find a way to see it, since they were probably on the same nights as "Rent".
It wasn't until the day that Sam was bored enough to actually arrive early at the theater with him, that Jesse had the chance to actually meet the blonde and the brunette he was getting used to seeing everyday across his stage door. Sam was a ladies' man, and he immediately introduced himself and Jesse to the girls. Quinn Fabray and Rachel Berry were the names of the mysterious girls, they were also Americans and were the rookie actors set to star in "Chicago". Jesse exchanged a few pleasantries with them and excused himself in order to start his warm up routine, leaving Sam to somehow find his way into one of the girls' pants; he knew his friend and could see that he was interested in more than having a simple chit-chat with them.
Rachel was surprised to actually meet Jesse St James. She knew him from the New York show, she had been to the theater stage door but she didn't have a chance to talk to him much or ask him any questions, since the mob of adoring fangirls was just too big. Rachel thought Jesse St James was a brilliant actor and singer, she herself had been hypnotized by his amazing performance, but after seeing him every day by her stage door and having him barely acknowledge their presence, she thought he was arrogant and conceited, and suspected that he was probably not worth knowing on a personal level.
Her suspicions had been proven correct on the day she met him: he barely talked to them before leaving, confirming that he was in fact a pretentious snob. His friend Sam though, was completely different; he seemed genuinely interested in their show and even invited them to a pub after his show. They happily accepted, Rachel had barely gone out since she arrived in London because of their demanding rehearsing schedule, and she needed to unwind a little and maybe meet some new friends along the way. She was simply looking forward to a fun night with her peers, and she never imagined what she was in for.
Chapter 2
For the first time in a long time, Jesse St James didn't feel like staying with his fans by the stage door. He had a bit of a headache and he just wanted to go straight home after the show. But on that specific night, Sam kept pestering him about going to the pub with the new girls they had just met. Going to the pub was the last thing on Jesse's mind, but Sam was his best friend and they rarely went out, and taking into consideration that Tina was skipping the pub that night to go on a date, he reluctantly agreed to go. He had to make an effort that night to appear cordial and civil with his fans, and he was planning on doing the same at the pub and then leave as early as he could.
Sam stayed with Jesse by the stage door until he saw the girls emerge from the opposite door, and left to talk to them while Jesse finished with the fans. He glanced every once in a while and could see that the girls were laughing, as if Sam was the funniest guy in the world. Jesse made his way to them once he finished, and they all walked together to the nearby pub Sam and Tina visited almost every night.
Sam was clearly smitten with Quinn, so Jesse had no other option than to try and make small talk with the brunette (he had forgotten her name), and he clearly wasn't in the mood to do so.
They sat side by side at the bar for a while, and Rachel had never in her life felt so uncomfortable, but she was amused at the same time. She was uncomfortable because Jesse must have thought this was a double date and it was clear that he'd rather be somewhere else. He just sat beside her looking at his drink and stirring it like an alchemist who wished to make gold out of vodka. On the other hand, she was amused because it was obvious that every girl in the pub recognized Jesse, and it was quite entertaining to see them using different approaches in order to catch his eye, while he was completely oblivious to the fact that he was being hounded. So she was caught by surprise when he looked at her and spoke.
"So, how long have you girls been in London?"
"For over a month now. And you?"
"A year and a half."
"Oh…." Rachel said, trying to look interested.
After an uncomfortable silence, Jesse spoke again.
"And how do you like it here?"
"I love it here!" she replied sincerely. "I used to think New York was the best city in the world, but I'm changing my mind as we speak!"
Jesse noticed her smile for the first time, and he had to smile back.
"It's a wonderful place to be, isn't it?"
"Most definitely."
Jesse lifted both eyebrows and nodded, right before he tried stifling a yawn.
"Will you excuse me? I need to use the ladies room," was all that she could say before escaping Jesse St James.
"Most definitely? I'm talking to this condescending jerk and all I can say is 'most definitely'?" Rachel was talking to her reflection in the mirror and she could not believe the redundant statement that had just left her mouth, he probably thought she was a dimwit… But then she immediately reconsidered her stance, she would not be intimidated by him or anyone, so she applied more lipstick , gave herself a big smile, and left.
But before she could make her way to bar area, she overheard Sam and Jesse talking.
"I can't believe they're coming, talk about rotten timing…"
"Sam, it's okay, your sister and her friend can stay with us, that's why we have a guest room!"
"Stepsister! Or better yet, stepbitch."
"You know she's not that terrible…"
"Jesse, we're talking about Santana here. I don't know what's wrong with your memory, but…"
"Of course I remember, as well as I remember her friend call her 'Satan'. Adorable nickname by the way. But she's your step-sister, and there's nothing you can do about it! Forget about that and go and have fun, blondie seems to like you! I need to go now…"
"Oh, please don't leave yet, we just got here!"
"You know I've been here for half an hour already…"
"Jesse, when was the last time that you talked to pretty girls that were not drooling because they were talking to you? Come on, stay a little longer… Don't you find any of the girls here attractive at all?"
"You're talking to the only attractive girl here, Sam…"
"But her friend is also attractive, and she's also very nice…"
Jesse interrupted his friend with a throaty laugh.
"Come on Sam, she's tolerable at best, but not attractive enough to tempt me or make me want to stay here any longer… The music is so loud here my head is about to explode! What was her name anyway?"
That was all Rachel needed to hear before walking past them and giving Jesse her best 1000 watt smile. She wouldn't waste a minute more of her time talking or even thinking about Sam's pretentious friend, but his words stung her nonetheless. But she wouldn't take it personally; after all, the poor guy was almost forced to talk to her. She was talking to Quinn when she saw Sam and Jesse approached them.
"It was very nice meeting you again, Rachel" he said while he shook her hand. Then he shook Quinn's hand and nodded. "Quinn."
"I hope you guys have a good night. I need to go now, the music is too loud and I have a headache…"
"Of course, the music is barely tolerable here! Have a good night and take good care of that headache!" Rachel quipped gleefully, with a big Cheshire cat smile.
Jesse's arched his brow, nodded once more, and left. And as soon as he was out the door Rachel's big fake smile vanished.
"He's insufferable Quinn, please tell me you and Sam did not plan this as a double date…"
"Not at all! You were there when Sam invited us! But Sam is really fond of his friend, he can't be that bad, Rachel… Maybe he really had a headache!"
"Don't be so naïve Quinn… But don't worry, I don't even like him!"
Thankfully, some of the other actors of their play got there to save the night.
Rachel had never been happier to see them.
"Noah! Mercedes! God, I'm so glad you guys made it!" she said as she hugged both of them tightly. Mercedes gave Quinn a questioning look. Quinn responded by mouthing "not now".
"So girl, how ya doin? Are you having a good time?"
"You could say it has been tolerable…"
Her friend interrupted her.
"We just saw St James on his way out, did you see him?"
Quinn answered before Rachel had a chance to do so.
"Yes, he's Sam's friend. They are together in Rent over at the Coward. Sam , this is Noah Puckerman, he plays Billy Flynn, and this is Mercedes Jones, she plays Mama Morton. This is Sam Evans."
"Oh yeah, I knew I'd seen you somewhere, nice to meet you, man" Noah extended his hand. "You can call me Puck."
Rachel started to have a good time, and forgot about Jesse St James altogether.
Jesse thought about Rachel's last comment before he left. Was it possible that she heard what he was telling Sam? She had somehow managed to pique his interest. Once he got home, he texted Sam.
From: Jesse
Rachel's full name
From: Sam
Rachel Barbra Berry, why?
From: Jesse
Never mind
Jesse tossed his phone to the side and opened his laptop. He Googled her name, and was impressed by the amount of results that he got. He chose a youtube video entitled "Nationals 2010".
To say that he was surprised when he saw her sing is an understatement. He never imagined that her small body would have such a powerful voice. She was singing "Cry me a River" and he wished the video had a better quality, she was fantastic. Suddenly, he regretted fleeing the pub, maybe she was more than barely tolerable after all…
Chapter 3
The last thing Jesse St James was expecting to find on his doorstep was Santana Lopez.
It was 2:00 am, and Jesse couldn't sleep, so he was still watching videos of Rachel Berry on youtube when the doorbell rang. Thinking that maybe Sam or Tina had forgotten their keys, Jesse opened the door wearing only his boxer shorts.
Santana looked at him from head to toe and licked her lips as if he was a giant piece of cheesecake and she was starving for dessert.
"My, my, Jesse, you've gotten even more handsome than the last time I saw you…"
Her voice was seductive as she placed a kiss on his cheek. She then traced the length of his arm from shoulder to hand with her fingers.
"Look at you, you're so hot, Jesse! Have you being doing weights?"
Jesse gently removed her hands from him and moved to pick up the two enormous Louis Vuitton suitcases that were still by the front door and close the door behind her.
"Hello Santana, we weren't expecting you 'til Tuesday…."
"Yeah, but I was incredibly bored in Paris, so I decided to surprise my little brother."
"I thought you were coming here with your girlfriend."
"What are you talking about, St James? My girlfriend?"
"The blonde gal that is always hanging around with you."
"You mean Brittany?"
"Yeah, Brittany."
"Well, let me start by making it clear that she is indeed a girl and she is my friend, but she is NOT my girlfriend."
"Whatever, Santana. Sam's still out."
"Go to hell, Jesse. Where is my room?"
"Santana, the guest room where you and your girlfriend will be staying is not ready yet, the cleaning lady doesn't get here until tomorrow since we weren't expecting you today. I'm sorry to admit that I don't even know where the linen closet is in this house, so I can lend you one of my blankets and you can stay in the couch for tonight, if you don't mind."
"Seriously Jesse, of course I mind. As if I would sleep on a couch. Take the suitcases up to my room, I'll just take this small one. Tell Sam that I'll stay at the Mayfair tonight and that I expect my room to be ready for tomorrow."
She shouted her command as she stormed out of the house. The way she kept referring to the guest room as 'her room' gave Jesse a bad feeling, and he hoped that she didn't plan on staying for too long.
Even though it was late and they had to be back at the theater very early, Quinn and Rachel were sitting in the kitchen having tea after helping Mercedes, who had a little too much to drink, settle in her room. Ever since they met, talking late at night had become a tradition for them whenever something interesting happened to either of them.
Quinn Fabray and Rachel Berry met in their sophomore year at Tisch, while both were auditioning for the same college production of "West Side Story". Quinn had just transferred to NYU from USC, where she had been admitted with a full cheerleading scholarship. They hit it off immediately, since Quinn looked up to Rachel for advice on singing and performing, while Rachel turned to Quinn for help with her fashion issues. They decided to become roommates and had become the best of friends ever since, and used to talk for hours every night. Each considered the other as the sister they never had.
In one of those late night conversations, Quinn told Rachel that cheerleading wasn't her passion, and that she had only accepted the scholarship out of sheer pressure from her high school coach and her mom. Her mom was a big influence on her at the time, and Quinn would do anything to please her. She was the head cheerleader back then and she admitted with regret that she was not a good person: she was the most popular girl at school and she felt she had the right to be conceited and arrogant, thinking of everyone else as inferior to her. She did have a soft spot for performing, but when she auditioned and got the lead at a high school play, her mom, cheerleading coach and team had shunned her to the point where she had to quit the play in order to maintain her popularity: status meant everything to her back then.
But after going to college, she realized that she didn't want to stay in the cutthroat environment of college cheerleading, so she quit the squad after only one semester and started taking drama and music classes, which she loved so much that after finishing her freshman year she transferred to NYU with the financial help of her grandparents, since her mom would not even talk to her.
"He likes you so much, Quinn, it's obvious, how can you not see it?"
"You really think so? I don't know he's so nice to everyone…"
"Please, Quinn, of course he likes you! And he's nice to everyone because he is a good person, unlike his weird friend… Barely tolerable, who does he think he is, James Bond?"
"I'm sure he didn't mean to offend you and that he's just shy, Sam tells me that he is a really good friend! Maybe he's just that way because women throw themselves at him all the time, did you see those girls at the bar?"
"I did, it was insane! Don't these girls have any self-pride? But that does not excuse his behavior. You know, I remember reading an article about him on The Village Voice when he first appeared on "Rent", it said something to the effect of him being one of Broadway's most promising young star, and how hard working and disciplined he is, he was even in the show choir circuit like I was. Then I saw him as Roger and I was astounded by his talent, and even though he did not show up at the stage door that night, I wanted to be like him, I thought he was everything I wanted to be right until I met him. I guess too much fame got into his head and he forgot he was also a rookie actor once!
"I'm certain he did have a headache and that you'll even like him once you get to know him better."
"I do hope I get to know him better, but only because I would like to show him that two can play in his self-importance game!"
"Oh Rachel, let it go already!"
"You know what? Enough about him! I want to know everything that Sam told you, don't you dare leave out any details!"
The next day the girls arrived at the theater early, and only got out at midday to pick up Rachel's vegan lunch, which was delivered by the stage door. Quinn and Mercedes went with her just to stretch outside and catch a few minutes of sun, since chances were it would be dark by the time they left the theater. The day was so nice, they all decided to have their lunches outside by the stage door.
Rachel noticed him a while later, when her eyes ventured to the opposite stage door. He was tall, had dark hair and was very handsome. Their eyes met and he smiled at her. Rachel blushed and smiled back. Who was this tall, mysterious guy?
He took her smile as an invitation and crossed the alley to where she was.
"Hello there, bon apetit! I'm in the musical over at the Coward-" He smiled at Rachel, who almost melted when she saw his cute lopsided smile up close. "My name is Finn Hudson."
"Nice to meet you, Finn. I'm Rachel, this is Mercedes and this is Quinn. We're in the revival of 'Chicago'".
"Really, what part are you playing? Wait, don't tell me, I know, you must play Velma, you definitely have the beauty and style that characterize Velma."
Rachel's cheeks turned crimson at his comment.
"Yes, I am," she giggled "Quinn plays Roxie and Mercedes Mama Morton. Who do you play?"
"I'm Benny. But tell me, when does your show start? I'd really love to see you in costume! Well, I didn't mean only you, I mean all of you, you know, the whole thing…"
Rachel giggled again, suddenly believing that maybe love at first sight did exist.
Neither saw Jesse, Sam and Tina walking over to where they were talking. Sam immediately went to Quinn, and when Finn saw them, he regarded his castmates coldly, just by their names. Then he excused himself and disappeared through his stage door.
Rachel could see that the Asian girl did not even look at him, and Jesse did so with disdain. She wondered what had happened between them.
Jesse interrupted her thoughts.
"Hello"
Quinn looked at her, pleading with her eyes for Rachel to be nice. Rachel instinctively held up her head.
"Jesse, hi. Hope you feel better."
"I do, thank you."
"This is our flatmate Tina, she's the famous Mimi."
Rachel smiled "So nice to meet you Tina. And this is Mercedes, also our flatmate..."
The stage door keeper interrupted them.
"Girls, the director is looking for you"
"We're coming!" shouted Mercedes.
Rachel held Tina's hand. "It was so nice meeting you! I hope to see you again soon."
When she looked up at Jesse he was smiling, a complete smile, and it was the first time that Rachel had actually seen his teeth. He had a beautiful smile. He held out his hand for Rachel, and she felt he held her hand longer than necessary while looking into her eyes, his gaze so intense that she had to look elsewhere. But it wasn't enough to make her budge and forget about the way he rebuffed her the night before, she would seize the opportunity to taunt him and his arrogant ways as soon as she could.
"Come on Rachel, it's just to eat something, I promise we'll be home early! It's just that Sam's sister is here, and he doesn't like her much…"
"He does not like his own sister?"
"Stepsister. And apparently she's a snob. Don't make me beg and just say yes."
"Ok Quinn, but why do we have to go to the pub again, can't we just go to a restaurant or something?"
"Stop complaining, Rache, they also serve food. You can have a salad."
"Okay, I'll stop complaining, but you need to find out everything about Finn Hudson, especially if he has a girlfriend!" Rachel blushed just by remembering him and his boyish good looks and secretely wishing he would also be there.
"He's cute! I think he likes you and he seemed so nice, he was very interested in watching our show, you should invite him for dress rehearsals."
Rachel smiled at Quinn's suggestion. She had been working so hard lately that she forgot how good it felt to like somebody, to really like somebody…
Jesse knew how uncomfortable his friend would be going out by himself with his stepsister, so he accepted Sam's invitation to go out without hesitation. Deep down he was hoping to see Rachel again, he couldn't explain it but she interested him somehow. Maybe it was just the fact that it had been a long time since he met someone that wasn't immediately starstruck with him, and probably it was only the potential challenge that interested him. But when he saw her talking to Finn that afternoon, he felt something he had never felt before, he didn't know what it was, but it wasn't pleasant.
Rachel and Quinn got to the pub later than anticipated, since rehearsals had taken longer than usual that day. Rachel spotted Sam's blonde hair at a table, and Jesse was also there, she surely wasn't expecting him to be there. He was listening intently to a long haired girl and had a patronizing smirk on his face. But when Sam beckoned them, Jesse turned his head and made eye contact with Rachel, she saw the same genuine smile he had given her that afternoon for a second, right before the smirk returned. Soon enough, Rachel understood the reason for the fixed smirk on Jesse's face: it was Sam's sister. As soon as Quinn and Rachel arrived at the table, Santana looked at them from head to toe, scrutinizing everything from their hair to their shoes. Rachel had not felt that way since high school, and as she sat once again beside Jesse St James, she thought it was going to be a long night. However, upon seeing Jesse's countenance, she decided that she would not let either Jesse or Sam's wicked step-sister ruin her night. After all, if he was a good actor, she knew she was better than him.
CHAPTER 4
Rachel's intention of taunting Jesse was not going according to plan. Right after Quinn and Rachel got to their booth, Sam stood up and let Quinn sit between him and Santana and Rachel had no other choice but to sit next to Jesse. Almost immediately, Jesse excused himself from the table to attend to a phone call, and Rachel wondered if he really had a phone call, or if her mere presence bothered him so much that he felt the need to leave. Telling herself that she didn't care, she smiled and introduced herself to Santana.
"My pleasure" said Santana. "Boy, you are short! Won't you look weird dancing next to Quinn?"
Rachel flashed her fake smile before answering her:
"I get to wear platforms"
"Honey, I don't think they make platforms that high…. Anyway, be careful, it would be a shame if you fell during your performance, which would be extremely embarrassing…"
Santana looked smug, and Rachel understood why Sam could not stand her. After ten minutes of listening to Santana interrogating Quinn about her life (Where are you from? Were you really a cheerleader? Aren't you a little on the heavy side to have been a cheerleader?), Rachel also excused herself and walked to the bar, hoping to find Puck or Mercedes or anyone she knew there, but Rachel found something much more interesting than her friends. The minute she got to the bar she felt a towering presence by her side: it was Finn Hudson, the handsome and mysterious guy she had met that afternoon.
He smiled at her and leaned to kiss her cheek.
"Well, hello Velma, what a surprise! I've never seen you around here before."
Rachel blushed, still awestricken by his bold move to kiss her cheek, which she enjoyed very much: she could still feel his warm lips on her skin.
"Hello Finn. This is only the second time I've been here, I'm with my friend Quinn, she is sitting over there" she said while pointing with her finger to the location of their booth, only to find that Jesse had come back and was looking at them. He quickly turned his head when their eyes met, and she looked back at Finn.
"So, you're with St James?"
"No, nooooo, I'm not. I mean, yes, we're sharing a booth, but no, I'm not WITH him…"
"Good, I guess that's good news" he said smiling.
"Why, don't you get along with him? After all, you're castmates."
"You probably noticed the way he doesn't even acknowledge my presence, but we've known each other for a long time now. Do you know him well?"
"No, I don't, and I really don't care to know him better. I just met him yesterday, and still I can tell that his air of superiority does not exactly lend itself to being anything more than a simple acquaintance. I think that his self-importance sort of creates an impenetrable shield around him, one that I'm not in the least interested in getting through."
Finn chuckled.
"Well, I can see that you already got the 'St James treatment'!"
Now Rachel was very curious, and she smiled coyly at him.
"What do you mean with the 'St James treatment'?"
"Well, let's say that Jesse surely has a knack… let me rephrase that, more than a knack, a talent for pushing people away from him" he said pensively "I told you that we've known each other for a really long time now. Our dads were college roommates, and they stayed quite close, so much that we lived just a few blocks from each other back in New York, and we were best friends until our last year of high school. We went to the same performance arts school, and Jesse slowly shut himself out from everyone, his competitive spirit was too great, and he could not bear the fact that most teachers favored me and not him. When I was cast as Tony over him in our school's production of 'West Side Story', jealousy blinded him, and by the end of senior year he wouldn't even talk to me, despite the special bond our dads shared. I think it was at that moment when his pride overtook him; he simply didn't accept that perhaps others were more talented than him. It was very hard for me, we were best friends and I loved him like a brother, but he just disregarded our friendship as if it meant nothing to him…."
Finn looked hurt and upset as he was recounting his sad story about Jesse, and Rachel was dumbfounded by his revelation.
"But how come you ended up together in 'Rent'?"
"Ahhh, life can be very funny sometimes! I read for the part of Roger, and was sure it was mine until I found out that it had been given to Jesse, who also auditioned for the same part with the advantage of dating the casting director's daughter…"
Rachel shook her head disbelievingly.
"This is outrageous! I knew that he was arrogant, but I never thought he could be so downright cruel and vindictive! To shun his best friend out of jealousy… He truly is insufferable!"
She looked at Jesse with disdain.
"What about your parents, are they still best friends?"
"They were the best of friends until Robert St James' untimely death in a car accident a few years ago. My dad occasionally talks to Jesse, he still cares for him deeply, being the only son of his best friend… But listen Rachel, let's not talk about him anymore, I want to know more about you."
Rachel was flattered beyond belief, but she knew that she had to go back to Quinn.
"I'd love to know more about you too, but I have to go back to my friend now, maybe some other time…"
"You can count on it. Maybe I'll get lucky and you'll invite me to a dress rehearsal before opening night!"
Rachel's smile grew wider at that last statement.
"Well, you can count on that!"
Finn leaned onto her and once more kissed her cheek.
"Hope to see you soon, Rachel Berry."
She practically floated on her way back to the table; she could not believe how lucky she had gotten. But her sense of weightlessness vanished as soon as she sat beside Jesse once more, and she didn't know if it was because of the story Finn had just told her, or because of the slight frown on Jesse's face. This was the moment Rachel had been waiting for; she would have a little fun at his expense.
But before she could even think what she to tell Jesse, Santana asked her:
"Who's the hot guy you were just talking to? Is that the famous Finn Hudson?"
"He's very handsome, isn't he? Yes, his name is Finn Hudson, but I didn't know he was that famous.."
"I mean famous as in having a particular fame, a reputation… But I don't care, he's super hot and I wouldn't mind…."
Sam interrupted her.
"Rachel, we were just planning a party for the whole cast and crew at our place for next weekend, right before the hiatus starts."
"What hiatus?"
"Oh, I thought you knew, our show will be taking a two month break, we need it after performing nonstop for a year and a half. Everyone's going home, but I was thinking of staying here…" he said looking longingly at Quinn, who smiled back at him.
"So Rachel, are you coming?"
"Sure! I hope we don't run late with rehearsals that day!"
"Believe me, you won't. Your director, producers and most of your cast will be there too." Jesse retorted.
"I didn't know you guys had such a big place."
"Actually, the party will be held in the communal garden in front of our house, which is perfectly suitable for everyone."
"You see, Rachel, our Jesse wants everything to always be perfect" Santana said while pouting and gesturing exaggeratedly with her hands.
Rachel turned to face Jesse.
"I'm sure your party will be perfect then. Is always striving for perfection a habit of yours?"
"I'm not going to deny that I believe things should be done right, no matter how small or insignificant they may be, but I could not pretend that I am perfect, everyone has faults and I'm not the exception" replied Jesse.
"I certainly know my faults, I talk too much and sometimes I tend to be exceedingly dramatic, but for the life of me, I cannot guess which may be your faults."
"Well, some people think I'm boring, since I'm not overtly social. And I also find it hard to forgive and forget offenses against my loved ones or myself."
"Not being overtly social cannot be a fault, but being resentful and staying that way can definitely be considered a serious fault…"
Jesse gave Rachel his signature smirk and lifted both shoulders before adding:
"Then as you can see, I'm far from perfect. But I cannot help it, I find it almost impossible to forgive, let alone forget. I guess that my good opinion once lost, is lost forever."
Rachel laughed.
"And you forgot to mention that you're also overly dramatic!"
Jesse smiled at her last remark.
"We have to be dramatic, aren't we well paid actors?"
Santana didn't like how the conversation that she started suddenly excluded her, so she decided to change the subject.
"So you and Quinn are roommates. Flatmates. Whatever, do you live far from here?"
"We live in a beautiful apartment in Notting Hill" replied Quinn.
"And we have another roommate, her name is Mercedes" added Rachel.
When the girls started talking to each other, Jesse felt grateful for the change of subject- he was beginning to feel the danger of paying Rachel too much attention.
CHAPTER 5
Three days after their last outing, Rachel was feeling a little down. Although she was living her dream, starring at a major show in the West End, she was feeling homesick and run down from the grueling rehearsal schedule. They'd had tech rehearsals the night before, and had stopped hundreds of times to make technical adjustments, only to end up at 3:00 am, and she was exhausted.
So when she got home she got exactly what she needed: her parents were waiting for her. She was beyond herself with happiness, but she was worried that she wouldn't have any time to spend with them before opening night.
But her dads reassured her.
"Oh, don't you worry about that! It's just that your father has an important conference right after the opening, and he has a flight scheduled for that same night, so we all decided to come early and do a little sightseeing." Hiram said while tenderly stroking his daughter's hair.
"And watch a few shows" – added Leroy. "Besides, we wanted to make sure you and your roommates or flatmates or however you call them are properly fed before opening night, we know how busy you all are and we wanted to have homemade meals ready for you! You must be sick of carry out."
Hiram continued: "We have it all planned: We'll come here from our hotel right after breakfast and cook vegan and regular food, then we'll leave you everything properly labeled in the fridge, you just have to reheat it whenever you get home. And if you guys want, we could also leave lunch for you at the theater…"
Rachel was so happy and grateful that she had tears in her eyes as she melted in another embrace with her parents.
She decided that she would spend the night with them at their hotel, just to catch up. So, after grilling her about every single aspect of the show, they wanted to know more about her social life.
"So, have you met anyone special?"
"Ha, I knew that question was coming…. Well , the answer is yes and no. I met someone that I like but I'm not even sure if he likes me back."
Her dads looked confused.
"I mean, I guess he likes me, we just don't know each other well enough for me to make a proper assessment… He's not in my show, but he's doing Rent at the Coward. I'm dying to go see him, he wasn't performing the last time I went to see it in New York, can you believe he was off that precise weekend?"
Rachel wouldn't tell him his name, she knew her parents too well and she could imagine them asking Finn all sorts of questions by the stage door.
They spent most of the night talking about everything going on in their lives: Rachel was very close to her parents and she couldn't be happier they were there with her at that crucial time in her life.
Even though her dads were in town, Rachel left for the theater early as always, she needed the extra time in the morning to warm up her voice and she loved how peaceful the theater was just prior to rehearsals. She smiled all the way to the theater, but her smile only grew wider once she arrived there: Finn Hudson was waiting for her by the stage door.
"Hey beautiful" he said in a deep voice. "Coffee, or tea? I couldn't decide which one to get you, so I got you both. The tea is Earl Grey, and this is a cappuccino, pick one."
"Hello Finn" Rachel said coyly. "I'll take the tea, thank you, I do love Earl Grey."
"Good to know, there are so many things I still have to learn about you, Rachel…"
Rachel felt her heart thumping out of her chest, she just nervously smiled back at him while taking a sip of the hot tea.
"You look so happy!"
"Yes, I am happy, my dads surprised me last night, I was so happy to see them! And my mom will be coming tomorrow!"
"Your dads?"
Rachel giggled as she proceeded to tell him the story of her conception.
"Wow, your dads surely made a good job raising you! You must be so proud of them!"
"As a matter of fact, I am. I was thinking last night that I couldn't have asked for better parents, I'm so lucky!"
"I'd love to meet them! What are their names?" he added brazenly, and Rachel was a little shocked, and flattered at the same time.
"Leroy and Hiram…"
"Hmmm, hard to forget names… Listen, Rachel" –he said while stepping closer to her- "I know you're very busy with opening night and all, but I really like you and I'd love to get to know you better," He was now playing with a strand of her hair between his fingers, looking deeply into her eyes- "much better…"
"Hudson!" someone shouted, effectively breaking the intensity of the moment.
Finn looked up to see Sam coming towards them with Quinn. Rachel took a step back from Finn and resumed drinking her tea nervously, feeling something between relief and disappointment.
"Hello Sam, Quinn." Finn said somewhat coldly.
"Finn, I just got a call from the theater, they are looking for you, something about your understudy…"
"Oh, crap, I forgot my cell phone at home. I need to go!" He once again stepped closer to Rachel and leaned to kiss her cheek as he whispered right next to her ear "Hope to see you real soon Rachel, I mean it". He kissed her again before looking triumphantly at Sam and walking away.
'I can't stand that asshole" Sam muttered, and Quinn looked at him puzzled.
"Why?" asked Rachel. "Just because Jesse can't stand him?"
"No Rachel, it's a long story…"
"Speak of the devil" Rachel added when she saw Jesse approaching them.
But once more, Jesse proved to be a snob, he just nodded in their direction and kept walking straight to the stage door of his theater without looking back at the small group gathered across the alley. Rachel brushed off Jesse's behaviour as proof of everything Finn had told her, even though his disdain somehow bothered her deep inside.
Once Jesse was inside the theater, he stormed to his dressing room and locked the door behind him. He threw his messenger bag on a chair, and tried to calm down. He didn't know why he felt so angry.
"I want to rip his fucking eyes out…" He seethed through his teeth. It had been years since Finn had managed to infuriate him so much, and Jesse wasn't even thinking clearly. He started to breathe in and out slowly, trying to collect himself. Unclenching his fists and closing his eyes, he sat down and continued breathing deeply and slowly, he was not about to lose control over Finn. He had an ill feeling gnawing at the pit of his stomach: was he jealous?
He wondered if that was what jealousy felt like. The feeling was so foreign to him that he could barely acknowledge it, he'd never felt like that in his entire life, and he didn't like it. It had been a few days that he could not get Rachel Berry out of his mind, no matter how hard he tried, and it bothered him. Jesse St James was used to be in control, and there he was watching himself about to lose control over a girl. He was used to having girls at his beck and call; and even though he was always too busy to date, he always had any girl he wanted whenever his hormones requested a one night stand. But he had never been really interested in any particular girl until now.
Rachel Berry was so different, she was like a breath of fresh air amidst his hectic life, and he could not stop thinking about her. He loved the warmth that he felt inside whenever he saw her, as much as he also hated the rage he felt whenever he saw her with Finn. He could not deny it any longer: he was falling for the brown eyed girl, and no matter how he tried to rationalize it, he could not lie to himself any more.
The show went well as usual, the crowd's applause and praise were always humbling to him. He felt better after that, and most of the anger had already subsided. He loved to perform but he knew that they all needed a break; most of them had been working nonstop for more than two years, and he was looking forward to having a few months off, maybe then he could shake Rachel Berry out of his system. After a quick shower he went out to the stage door to meet the fans. A few autographs and posing for pictures later, he was surprised to see two gay men waiting for him. He was used to the fangirls and the occasional gay young man, but these two were middle aged, and a little bit too excited about meeting him. Jesse was by no means a homophobe, but sometimes when another man came way too close it made him uncomfortable. After posing and signing the playbill for the couple, Jesse saw that Finn had also exited and was signing autographs behind him.
Feeling some of the anger creeping back, he was distracted when one of the gay men told him "We're so happy to meet you, we think you might know our daughter, she is a big fan of yours and has been following your steps back since you were in the showchoir circuit!" Hiram felt his partner's elbow sharply in his side, and stopped talking.
Jesse lifted both eyebrows not knowing what to say, but before he could speak, he was interrupted by Finn.
"Oh, you must be Leroy and Hiram! Hello, I'm Finn Hudson, and I think your daughter is the most talented thing that ever lived!"
"Ooh, so you're Rachel's friend!" Hiram exclaimed right before feeling Leroy's elbow again at his side.
Finn laughed. "Well, yes, you could say so, although I AM trying to get to know her better"
Fuck. Never in a million years Jesse would have thought that Rachel had two gay dads. If he wasn't so pissed at Finn and at himself at that moment, he would have also introduced himself, but he just nodded and carried on with the next fan. He could still see Finn talking to Rachel's parents as if they were old friends, so as soon as he could he left the theater without looking back.
"Dude, did you know that Rachel has two gay dads, like that girl from school, what was her name?"
"Kimberly Dawson. I actually found out by accident today, thanks to Finn."
"That asshole, did you see how he's hitting on Rachel? The guy has no shame, after everything he's done! I want to tell Quinn, Rachel should be aware of the kind of person he really is."
"Please don't, Sam. I know you have good intentions, but this all could be misconstrued as us against true love, and I don't want to go over that once more. Let's just wait and see how serious it gets, then we'll decide if we should tell them or not."
"I hope he doesn't hurt her, man, she's cool. By the way, she said she couldn't come to the party because her dads and mom were here, but I told her that we had no problem if she wanted to bring them over."
"Very well then. But let's make sure Tina has everything under control, this party needs to be epic!"
Sam gave Jesse a baffled look.
"Epic? What do you mean?"
"Nothing really. I just want it to be a good party."
As they went over the plans for the party with Tina, Jesse couldn't help but think that maybe Finn had scored with her dads, but maybe he still had a chance with her mom. He was hopeful and at the same time was disgusted with himself for feeling so desperate, but there was something about the girl that grabbed onto him and didn't let go. He was haunted by her eyes: there was something about them; maybe it was the way light reflected off them, their sparkle, the soft dance of her lashes…
He felt that the party was the time to either make it or break it with her, he just needed to somehow show her how interested he really was. Now, if she could only see through Finn…
CHAPTER 6
Rachel had spent the last hour with her eyes closed. At first, she just requested to be seated with her back to the mirror, but when she saw the long, dark locks of hair falling to the ground, she simply had to close her eyes to keep her tears from falling.
Rachel, Quinn and Mercedes knew that there was a possibility their hair would be cut to fit their roles, but they also knew that actresses from the last revival of Chicago in Broadway had pulled it off by wearing wigs. However the London production was different, with a new director, new producers and new hair and makeup designer. They had all agreed wigs were not acceptable: the hair had to come off. Rachel did not raise any objection, she was willing to do anything in order to get into character, but she was sad about losing her hair.
Rachel loved her hair. Ever since she could remember, she'd worn it long, and she only visited her dads' stylist 2 or 3 times a year just to have her ends trimmed. The only noticeable change in her hair happened back in high school, when she got bangs for a year or so. But there she was, with her back to the mirror, knowing that the hair she'd known and loved all her life was about to be cut into a short bob.
"It's only hair, it will grow back" she kept telling herself, but the truth was that she somehow felt a big part of her personality was being chopped off, as if her hair in itself conveyed half of her character. And something as simple as a haircut, which would be so uncomplicated for someone else, was becoming convoluted to her, until the press arrived. One of the producers arranged for the cut hair to be donated to a charity that makes wigs for cancer patients, and a little publicity about it would be great for the show.
So as soon as the presence of the press was announced, Rachel forgot the entire haircut dilemma and she just focused on the task at hand: causing a great first impression. Her dads would always tell her to approach everyone as if she was auditioning, given the importance of causing a good first impression: casting directors rarely gave someone a second chance, and neither would the press and the public in general. She wasn't about to have her first important interview crying over hair, so she immediately composed herself and put on her best smile.
Hours later, Rachel stood in front of the mirror at home in her new stylish bob, next to Quinn with her own short bob and perm. They looked at themselves solemnly, until Mercedes arrived with her own short do and they both burst out laughing, with Mercedes joining them as they laughed so hard they cried. When the laughter subsided, they opened a bottle of wine and made a little shrine to their lost tresses: Rachel put some ponytail holders and her curling iron, Quinn offered her flat iron and Mercedes her big round brush. They decided between them that they all looked amazing, and that was the end of the haircut drama.
The next day at the theater, all the buzz was centered on the big Rent party happening in Notting Hill. Rehearsals were lack-luster- the girls gossiped about the dresses they would wear later, while the boys were distracted by thoughts of who they could seduce. All in all, anticipation for the big party just about killed a day of rehearsal. And just as Jesse had anticipated, everyone was let off earlier than usual in order to get ready for the party. Quinn left for the party early with Mercedes and Noah, but Rachel stayed behind. She took her time to get ready; she wanted to make certain that Finn saw her looking her very best. She hadn't seen him for a few days, and was giddy at the prospect of talking –and maybe even dancing- with him.
When her dads picked her up, they showered her with compliments.
"You look amazing, sweetie. Look Hiram, our baby turned into a star…." Leroy said proudly.
She was wearing a simple, dark blue short strapless dress, with a fitted bodice and a flounce skirt, gold platforms and a gold sea star on the side of her head.
And just like the star she was, she made her grand entrance to the party with one dad on each arm.
"Was it 'West Side Story', Jesse? Jesse? Hello, Earth to Jesse!" Sam exclaimed while laughing, it was so unlike Jesse to be distracted from a conversation that included anything related to theater.
But then everyone in their small group saw the reason behind Jesse's diversion, his eyes were completely focused on the figure that had just arrived, escorted by two men. Quinn looked at Jesse, and then at Rachel, truly surprised to see that her friend was the reason why Jesse seemed suddenly so out of it.
The fact that he was ogling Rachel did not escape Santana, who did not let the opportunity for a snide remark pass her by.
"Oh, look, it's the Jewish Velma!"
Her nasty comment made Jesse snap out of the apparent trance Rachel's arrival had put him into.
"You were saying," he said with a furrowed brow, looking at Sam. Sam just laughed out loud.
"Wow, Jesse! I didn't know you had the..."
Jesse interrupted him before he could finish.
"No, no, it's just… hmmm, it's just the ..." He was still so impressed by Rachel that words suddenly eluded him, so he moved his hand to the side of his head, gesturing to her new hairstyle.
"She also looks good!" Sam said while looking at Quinn.
"Yeah, she looks so pretty!" remarked a smiling Tina.
"Don't be a hypocrite Tina, she looks horrible" Santana cut her bluntly. "No offense, Quinn, but your friend looks like a hobbit prostitute. That hair makes her nose look ten times bigger... Ugh...She doesn't look good at all! What do you think, Jesse?"
"Actually, she just doesn't look good... She looks stunning..." he said, looking at Santana squarely in the eyes. "Now, will you excuse me."
With that, Jesse left the group and went to get a drink. He could see that Rachel was looking for someone, probably for Finn, who thankfully hadn't arrived yet.
"Why so somber, Jesse?" asked Tina, who also went to get a drink.
"Do I really look somber?" he gave Tina a sincere smile. The truth was that his somber appearance offered only a glimpse of the storm raging inside of him, he felt more and more attracted to Rachel in spite of himself, and he hated losing control like that.
"Yes you do, a little. Why don't you just admit it?"
"Admit what?"
"That you like her, Rachel Berry."
Jesse laughed as he threw his head back.
"No, I don't like her like that. I just think she's remarkably talented."
Tina rolled her eyes.
"You know, I think she's looking for someone, probably Finn…"
Lately the mere mention of Rachel and Finn in the same sentence made Jesse's blood boil in his veins. He gulped his drink and asked for another.
"Well, I hope that asshole doesn't show up here."
"Hello Rachel, I'm glad you could make it.
"Hello Jesse… Thanks for inviting us. I'd like you to meet my dads, Leroy and Hiram, this is Jesse St James."
"I'm glad we've been properly introduced, but I believe we've met. How do you do?"
Jesse shook both their hands, while Rachel stood there looking confused.
"You've met?"
Rachel's dads opened their eyes widely to Jesse, who immediately understood that their daughter did not know anything about their stage door encounter and tried to change the subject.
"Rachel, and where's your mom?"
"She couldn't make it, she's stuck in New York until right before the opening."
"This place is absolutely amazing, Mr. St James. Do you own this?"
Jesse laughed. "Please call me Jesse. I wish this place was mine, but it's our communal garden, our house is over there" he pointed to an elegant three story building nearby.
Rachel had been so busy looking for Finn that she had not looked at the garden: she'd never seen anything more beautiful. There were lots of trees, and the whole place was lit by white Chinese lanterns, there must have been hundreds of them in different sizes.
"It's so beautiful!" Rachel sighed.
"Rachel, hi!" Quinn interrupted them, giving her friend a quick hug.
"Have you seen Finn?" Rachel asked Quinn in a very low voice.
"No, apparently no one knows where he is." Quinn whispered back.
"But was he invited? Maybe he was the only one of the cast that Jesse didn't invite."
"No, he was invited, I asked Sam, and he said everyone was invited."
"Then where is he, I've looked everywhere."
Rachel and Quinn were interrupted by Sam, followed by Jesse. Quinn left to dance with Sam, and Rachel and Jesse stood awkwardly side by side for a few seconds, and then both of them tried to speak at the same time.
"I'm going…"
"Would you…"
They laughed.
"You first."
"No, no, Jesse, you first." She smiled at him. He was going to offer her a drink, but her smile encouraged him, and he took a chance.
"Would you like to dance?"
Rachel was so taken by surprise at his request that before she realized what she was doing, she said yes. Damn –she thought- I should've spoken first. Nevertheless, she smiled at him. It was just one dance, how bad could it be?
Jesse took her hand and led her to the dance floor.
However, just like in a John Hughes eighties teen movie, the upbeat music that was playing faded to slow music. So Jesse slid his right arm behind Rachel's back, while holding her hand with his left. The simple act of holding her so close fueled his inner turmoil, and he felt a bizarre feeling in his chest that was as unfamiliar as it was fantastic, and his brow furrowed instinctively, bewildered by the strong new sensation pulsing through him.
Rachel wondered what was wrong with him, she could swear she felt him tremble slightly when he pulled her close, and he was looking at her like if he suddenly realized he needed to be somewhere else. His stance was starting to make her feel uncomfortable, so she decided to break the ice.
"The place looks wonderful, did you guys hire a party planner?"
Jesse looked somehow relieved.
"No we didn't, we all had a general idea of what we wanted, but it was Tina who did all of this, and I think she did a great job."
"Believe me, she did…"
After a while she broke their silence again.
"So Jesse, tell me something, anything."
He smiled at her.
"Do you always talk while you dance?"
"Sometimes. Other times I sing. It would be weird to spend the whole dance in silence."
Rachel felt him tightening his grip on her, and she was taken aback when he looked her in the eyes and finally spoke.
"Well, I like your new look, it's hmmm… you look… beautiful."
She could feel herself blushing deeply, did Jesse St James just gave her a compliment? Was he drunk or under the influence? He was acting so strangely, she needed to change the subject immediately.
"The other day when you met us at the alley you didn't say hi." She said, clearly referring to the time when she was talking to Finn and he barely acknowledged their presence.
"Sorry, it's just that I'm not exactly a fan of your new friend."
"Well, I understand that he used to be your friend too."
Jesse laughed sarcastically.
"Surely Finn has no trouble making new friends, but I'm not sure he has the ability of retaining them."
Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by the boisterous laugh of Mercedes and Puck, who had certainly had a little too much to drink. Rachel felt herself blushing again, her friends were quite loud. Jesse turned his head to their direction, and for a second she could see an expression of disgust on his face. But he continued with their conversation.
"You were saying"
"I remember you saying that you hardly ever forgave, that your resentment once created was unable to be overcome. I wonder if maybe retaining a friendship is harder when one of the involved does not forgive. After all, friends, like every other human on the planet, make mistakes."
"Simple mistakes can be forgiven, but other offenses cannot."
They were clearly uncomfortable with the subject and danced in silence until the upbeat music returned. Jesse then escorted her out of the dance floor, gave her a toothless grin, nodded, and left.
Rachel returned to Quinn, and extracted her from Sam delicately.
"I think I need your help with something in the ladies room…"
Once there, she let out a loud sigh.
"Arghhh! That was so weird, so uncomfortable! What is wrong with your boyfriend's friend? Ugh, he's so strange!"
Quinn smiled.
'He's not my boyfriend yet… and Jesse is not weird, I think he likes you. When you got here he…"
"Please, Quinn, spare me." Rachel interrupted her friend.
"Any news of Finn's whereabouts?"
"Actually, I just heard Santana say that he wasn't feeling too well this afternoon, and that she doubted he could get here."
Rachel felt the wind was knocked out of her chest. Finn and Santana? Were they going out? Didn't Finn tell her recently that he wanted to know her better? She had so many questions, but the only thing that left her mouth was
"Santana?"
Quinn could see that her friend was upset and confused, but she felt it was not the right time to tell her that Santana was basically a slut, and the only guy she couldn't get was Jesse. Sam told her that she even made a move on him when his mom and her dad got married "Back in college, she would basically screw anything with a dick. Entire dorms Quinn, I'm not kidding."
"Apparently they're old friends or something." was all that Quinn would tell her though, since she didn't want to hurt her friend any further with information that maybe was overstated, after all, Sam could not stand Santana.
"Oh…"
Rachel looked heartbroken for a second, but quickly gave Quinn her fake smile. Quinn put her hand on her friend's arm reassuringly.
What neither of them knew was that Finn would probably spend the entire night sleeping, completely unaware that he was missing a party he had every intention of attending. He had spent the afternoon with Santana at a hotel, and when he complained of a headache after several rounds of wild sex, she offered him two Percocet, telling him they were just ibuprofen…
Rachel was determined to have a good time at the party, with or without Finn. She spent some time talking to the producers of Rent, who seemed interested in her, and she even danced with one of them. Every once in a while she would catch a glimpse of Jesse, who happened to be looking at her each and every time, right before averting his gaze elsewhere.
Mercedes and Puck were hoarding the karaoke that had started earlier, and both were so drunk that they were bellowing rather than singing. After a while, she and Quinn persuaded them to stop singing, so they both took to the dance floor. Rachel danced with Puck, who was putting up quite a display with his drunken dance moves. Rachel didn't know if she should laugh or cry, she had never before been so embarrassed by her friends.
But then she heard the most beautiful voice purr out of the speakers: Jesse St James was singing "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" by Elton John in the piano, and everyone was enthralled listening to him. For a moment she forgot the weird arrogant ass he was: he was truly, superbly talented, and by the end of the song she was so moved that she could feel tears threatening to escape her eyes. He ended the song with a simple 'thank you' after everyone applauded, after which the karaoke resumed.
Jesse didn't talk to Rachel after they danced, he could see that she was quite busy tending to her drunken flatmates, and he was busy himself talking to all his cast members. But when he saw that she and her dads and a semi conscious Mercedes were gathering their things to leave, he once again went to where she was, looking tired and spent but as beautiful as ever. She smiled at him as he made his way to them.
"Thank you so much for inviting us, the party was wonderful."
He gave her a warm smile, while shaking her dads' hands.
"Thank you for coming, it has been my pleasure. Do you need a cab or someone to take you home?"
"No thank you, don't worry, we'll walk to Rachel's place and hail a cab there, we could use some walking after eating and drinking so much!"
Rachel lived within walking distance of him? That was a nice piece of intel that he was grateful to know. He could not deny it any longer: he was falling for her, and there was nothing he could do about it.
Finn was furious. He had been awakened by a hotel maid prodding him with the back end of a feather duster, afraid that he was dead. At first he was disoriented about his whereabouts and the time, but soon enough his iPhone brought him back to reality: he'd been sleeping for at least 16 hours, and had missed the big event. The last thing he remembered was taking two pills that Santana had given him.
Fucking stupid bitch… Who knew what she had given him. Santana wasn't one of his favorite people at the moment, even though she had been a great lay. Still, what he really wanted was to get into Rachel Berry's pants, he was so close…
He was sure to give Santana a piece of his mind- maybe he would get lucky again- before he left for New York on that same day.
CHAPTER 7
Rachel was growing more and more nervous as the opening night approached. Even though she nailed all her lines and dance moves, she wanted to make sure everything was perfect. She spent most of her waking time in the theater, and the only breaks she took were to catch a breath of fresh air outside. Every time she opened the stage door, she hoped to see Finn there waiting for her, but she knew that he had left to New York the day after the party. She never found out the extent of his relationship with Santana: if he wasn't interested enough to call her, she wanted nothing to do with him, even though she really liked him.
Whenever she went for some air outside the theater, Rachel would close her eyes and raise her face to the sun. Feeling the warm light in her face somehow replenished her energy, so she stayed like that for a few minutes, breathing deeply and stretching her arms over her head.
She was startled when she heard his voice.
"Stocking up on some Vitamin D?"
She lowered her head and opened her eyes to see the ever handsome Jesse St James, wearing a leather jacket over a black t-shirt and jeans.
"Hello Jesse. How are you doing?"
He removed his sunglasses and smiled at her, noticing that her eyes looked even prettier in the sunlight. Rachel noticed that his hand was swollen.
"I'm good, and you?"
"I'm very anxious about opening night."
She offered him a little smile. "I like to get some sun and fresh air, the stage lights can be too much after a while. What happened to your hand?"
"This? It's nothing, hmmm… just a freak accident with a case of wine the day after the party. But it's really nothing, it's just a bruise." He immediately changed the subject. "I know what you mean about the stage lights, when I first started, I would even see them in my dreams!"
Rachel laughed, feeling comfortable talking to him for the first time.
"I thought you were also going home."
"I was, but I decided to stay. Sam didn't want to miss your opening night, and to be frank, neither did I. As a matter of fact, we're invited to the final dress rehearsal on Thursday."
"Great! We'll see you then! Listen, I have to get back…"
"Sure, I understand, go ahead I'm waiting for Sam."
That was odd- Rachel could not make out the real Jesse St James, sometimes he was very nice, and others quite the opposite. She didn't give him much thought as soon as she got back to the stage, but she saw him again the next day. He was more serious, like wanting to say something but not being able to do so.
He just kept staring at her, barely talking, looking somehow conflicted.
"Jesse, are you okay?"
"Yes, I think I am…" and with that he left her by the stage door, wondering what was really wrong with him.
Finn Hudson managed to get invited to a big movie premiere, and even though lesser Broadway gods were considered part of the B-List, Finn always managed to get some publicity since he made sure to always mingle with the A-Listers, after all, he had connections everywhere. He caused quite a stir when he arrived with a black eye. As a whirl of reporters and paparazzi took his picture, he just gave them his signature lopsided smile and after being asked many questions, he explained to them how he got it.
"You see, when you have been with a cast and crew for so long, you cannot help but become a tight knit family. And as families go, sometimes there are disagreements over stuff. Let's just say this was brothers' quarrel, a little reminder of London…"
He laughed deeply after that remark, and was immediately showered with whys, whos, and wheres, but he demurely declined to comment, saying:
"As I said, it was a brothers' quarrel, and it has been taken care of. I don't want to harm my brother in any way."
Finn and his black eye made the cover of the gossip section of a major London newspaper, and he was the fodder of all watercooler gossiping.
Brother's Quarrel or Stage Envy?
There was a small picture of Jesse on the right hand corner of the article – "Brother" or Foe.
Rachel found out soon enough that everyone at rehearsals that day had their own version of the fight, but most of them pointed to a jealous Jesse as the perpetrator.
She could not find Quinn during the break, but had a chance to talk to Mercedes, whom she knew had become good friends with Tina Cohen. It was the day of the dress rehearsal and everyone was in a frenzy over everything, so it was not an easy task to pull her aside and get her to talk.
"Do you know anything about the fight? Is it true that Jesse was jealous? Of what? Talent? A girl? Oh my gosh, were they fighting over Santana?"
"Whoa girl, slow down, you're making me dizzy! I heard something but it's probably not true, and it's not worth repeating it."
Now Rachel was curious.
"What? Please Mercedes, you have to tell me! What did Tina tell you?"
"Tina didn't tell me anything, just that it wasn't Jesse's fault."
"So, it was Jesse that punched him in the face?"
Rachel suddenly recollected seeing Jesse's battered hand.
"I saw his swollen hand, but he said it was some kind of freak accident with a case of wine! What happened?"
"Well, as I told you I'm not sure, but the other day that bitch Santana told me something about it…" Mercedes was hesitating too much, and Rachel couldn't wait to find out.
"Oh come on Mercedes, just say it!"
"I'm sorry Rachel, it's just that it has to do with you, and I don't want you getting hurt. Regardless, I guess now you need to know. Santana said something about Finn going over to their place to say goodbye before he left. Apparently Jesse said something about you and Finn snapped and punched him first…"
Rachel was dumbfounded by the revelation.
"What? They fought over me? But what did Jesse say? What did Tina say?"
"I told you Rachel, the only thing Tina said was that it wasn't Jesse's fault. Santana was the one that said it was over you, over how he was going to seduce you now that Finn was out of the picture, and something about you being easy prey. But Rachel I don't believe her, I believe Tina, and besides, Jesse is such a good person…"
Rachel's face was crimson red before she spat-
"Good person my ass, he's an arrogant son of a bitch, who does he think he is?"
Not only was her friend cursing, something she rarely did, she was also crying. Mercedes pulled her into a tight comforting hug.
"That's why I didn't want to tell you! Don't worry, we'll get to the bottom of this and see what really happened."
Rachel broke the hug and looked at Mercedes with tear filled eyes.
"There's nothing to find out, I already know what Jesse St James is capable of. Forget it, just forget it. To hell with him!" She cried before running to her dressing room.
Mercedes didn't go after her, she knew well enough to give her some time alone to calm down, or else she would turn into a full-fledged drama queen.
The dress rehearsal was a success, and since the director believed in taking a full free day before the opening, everyone was having drinks at the pub. Rachel was still shaken by Mercedes' story, and even though she wanted to confront Quinn about it, she couldn't find the proper time to do so, since they were sorrounded by people. The minute she was finally able to talk to her alone, Sam and Jesse appeared out of nowhere and interrupted them. Just the sight of Jesse's face infuriated her.
"I need some air" was all she could muster before going outside by herself, Jesse St James was the last person she wanted to see right then.
"Rachel, are you okay?"
Talk about shitty timing… She didn't turn to face him, he was probably going to butter her up telling her how good she had been in dress rehearsal, and she wasn't up to it: she didn't want to make a scene there.
"Rachel please, I need to talk to you." He now touched her arm, and she turned around.
"What Jesse? What could you possibly say to me?"
He stood closer to her and looked deeply into her eyes, completely oblivious to the rage behind them.
"Rachel… it's just that... I just…"
"What Jesse, you just what?" she exclaimed, already exasperated after a few seconds of silence.
Jesse finally spoke again.
"I love you."
Rachel felt as if she had been struck by lightning. She crossed her arms and looked at him as if he was a complete lunatic.
"What?"
She flinched as he stepped even closer and put his hands in her elbows.
"I love you Rachel. I'm in love with you…"