That Saturday, Beca woke up earlier than she used to. She'd had a terrible night, Fat Amy had snored more than usual and the weather was cold as shit. Winter had arrived to Atlanta, and a good portion of the city was covered in snow. Although Beca was used to cold weather thanks to her upbringing in Maine, the low temperatures had caught her by surprise.
Beca left her bed and went to the bathroom. She washed her face, brushed her teeth and combed her brown hair. She looked in the mirrow and saw a pair of vivacious blue eyes staring back at her. She went to her closet and pulled out a grey blouse, a brown jacket, a pair of jeans and her favorite boots. She also grabbed a grey hoodie from one of her drawers. She put on some eyeliner and left the room, trying not to wake Fat Amy in the process. She walked down the stairs and went outside.
The grass that grew by the Bellas' house was completely covered in snow. The trees had small snowflakes hanging from their branches, and the Bellas' van had traces of ice in the windshield. It was a lovely landscape, but Beca had other things in mind. She walked a few feet to the Trebles' house, which was next door to the Bellas'. Funny little thing that they were neighbours now, given the fact that they barely tolerated each other in the past.
Beca rang the bell three times, like she always did. Benji answered the door.
"Beca, hi!" He greeted her. "Good to see you."
"Hi, Benji. Is Jesse up already?"
"Yes, he woke up an hour ago or so. The guys are saying their goodbyes."
"Oh, okay."
"Do you want to come in?"
"No, thank you. I'm gonna wait here."
Benji shrugged and closed the door. Beca walked away from the house and laid back in the Trebles' bus with her arms crossed. It was a comfortable position, and she had a clear view of the lake and some of the university's buildings. After a few minutes, she heard Jesse's cheerful voice from behind.
"Hey, weirdo! What are you doing up so early?"
She turned to face him. Jesse was carrying a black suitcase and was wearing a blue plaid shirt, a navy blue jacket and a pair of jeans with white snickers.
"Do you think I would let you leave without saying goodbye?" She said.
"Well, it's just you have been so mad at me lately that I thought—"
"Come on, that was one time. And even if I were mad at you, that wouldn't stop me from feeling sad to see you go."
Jesse knew Beca too well, and there was something about her tone that wasn't convincing him. She seemed irritated and quite tense, which was unusual in her.
"Are you okay, Becs?" He dared to ask.
"What makes you think I'm not?" She said, clearly defensive.
"I know you pretty well, and I can tell there's something wrong with you." He walked towards her until they were just a few inches apart. "What's the problem?"
At that moment, Beca lost it.
"You wanna know what the problem is? You really wanna know?" She said, not concealing her anger anymore. "Okay, here's the thing: the Worlds are a few months away, and if we don't win, the Bellas will be over for good. My boss asked me for some demos two weeks ago because he wanted to check on my work, but I haven't heard from him ever since. When we are at rehearsals it's impossible for me to concentrate because I can't stop thinking about those freaking demos, but when I'm at work I only think about the stupid Worlds. In three weeks we are having our first performance in five months and we still don't have a setlist. And, of course, there's school. I mean, I feel like my head is gonna explode at any second. And to make things worse, you are leaving."
"Beca—"
"Shh! You wanted to know the problem, didn't you?" He was going to say something else, but stopped mid sentence. "You were the one person that wasn't supposed to leave. Make no mistake, I'm happy for you; I really am. I know becoming a composer has been your lifelong dream, and I'm so glad that you get to fulfill it. But we have been together for three years, and you are more than a boyfriend to me. You are the only person I trully trust in the world. You and the girls are my family, the only thing I have. What am I going to do if I need you, huh? Drive all the way to Los Angeles?"
Jesse didn't say anything. Beca realized she had yelled at him, and inmediately fell bad for it.
"I'm sorry." She apologized. "I'm sorry, I'm... I shouldn't have yelled. It's just I'm under a lot of pressure and the fact that you are leaving is just making everything worse."
"You don't need to apologize, Becs. Not to me, at least. It was never my intention to cause you pain." He placed his hands on her shoulders. "We are gonna be okay. I know it doesn't seem like it right now, but what we have is strong. It will take more than six months and 1900 miles to break it. As long as you want it, I'm always gonna be there for you."
Jesse's words calmed Beca down, like always.
"You promise?" She asked, her voice full of emotion.
"I promise." He reassured her, and rested his forehead against hers. Then, out of nowhere, she kissed him on the lips.
He pulled her in closer and put his hands around her waist. She was aware it would be their last kiss in a few months, so she tried to enjoy it as much as she could. After it was over, they merged into a hug. Beca wanted to convey all of her feelings in that embrace. He buried his face in her hair and gently caressed her head.
"I'm gonna miss you a lot." She said, much more relaxed than before.
"Me too. But it's only for a little while."
She pulled him apart to look him in the eye.
"You will be in Copenhagen, won't you? I mean, you have to be there!"
"Are you kidding me? My girl kicking some german ass and making a Cappella history is something I wouldn't miss for the world!"
She laughed and playfully pushed his shoulder. He then took his suitcase to his car and put it in the trunk. They hugged one last time and he got in the car. Just when he was about to start it, Beca poked her head through the side window.
"Save me a seat in L.A."
"I will."
"Have fun, okay? Call me when you get there." He nodded and started the car. "And Jesse?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you. Don't forget about me."
He gave her one of his warm smiles, the kind of smile that always made her heart melt.
"You will do great at your performance."
"Shut up. You better go now. Have a nice trip."
Beca walked away from the vehicle and Jesse drove off. She waved him goodbye until he turned right at a corner, and dissapeared from her sight.