AN: Okay, I don't know how this happened. I was laying in bed procrastinating, ignoring my responsibilities, and thinking if it would matter if I didn't shower that day, and I found myself thinking of a trip went on a couple of years ago then somehow I thought it'd be fun to try and write one-shot where I could slip some of the stuff I personally did.
This is mostly fiction, though.
I hope you enjoy this one-shot. Leave a word in a review and tell me what you think. That'd be cool.
College kids shouldn't be allowed to go on holidays without adult supervision. One might argue and say they are ADULT since they all are over 18. But they are ADULTS that an awful lot of them can't buy liquor. ADULTS who are determined to ruin their liver before they hit the legal age of drinking in the united states. ADULTS who most of them had no idea what do with their lives once they finished college but weren't thinking too hard about it and living in the moment. Or in Beca's case, half-assing her way through college until she graduated before she could start chasing her dream of becoming a record producer. Her dream was on hold but what she got to do in the meantime was pretty awesome. She got make music that she and her gang of misfits sang on stage.
Her group of misfits thought it would be a great idea to spend a week together in Maine during the summer before they started their senior year and she just rolled with the waves.
Beca spent a couple of weeks with her mother.
Another two weeks with Jesse in his home town where she got to hang out with pretty affectionate family.
DAY #1
"You don't have to tag along, you know?" Beca mumbled into Jesse's shoulder as they laid in bed few hours before they headed to Maine.
"I know," he said as he stroked her hair. "I wanna come... Wait, you want me to come, right?" he wondered.
She sighed and pulled her head back.
"Dude, of course, I want you to come. It's just that I know you want to stay with your family."
"I'll see them in a week," he shrugged. "Besides, who knows what will happen in Maine. 9 girls. One guy," he suggestively said then grinned when she rolled her eyes.
"Well, it's 8 since Cynthia Rose isn't into men," Beca corrected.
He wrapped his arms around her and rolled on top of her. "We could totally bail on the whole thing if you don't wanna go, Bec," he told her knowingly.
"No, everyone is going I can't bail on them," she shook her head.
"It's gonna be fun," he assured her. She nodded believing him and smiled when he leaned in and kissed her. "We should start getting ready," Beca sighed when he pulled away.
Beca and Jesse traveled by car to their destination. Jesse's car. Jesse suggested they hit the road early in the morning, 4:30 am, and she rolled with it. The trip was around 6 hours long and she slept for most of it, only waking up to take the wheel when they stopped to eat around 8 am.
They found the beach house they collectively rented a little after 11 am.
"I knew the low price meant this place is sketchy," Beca shook her head.
"What? It's dope, Bec," Jesse disagreed. "We'll go exploring the town later and you'll see how awesome it is." Jesse opened the door and stepped out of the car.
"Jesse, we've been here for less than an hour and I'm sure exploring this town would take less half an hour." Beca got out of the vehicle as well.
Jesse rolled his eyes because he knew her, she just needed some time before she'd stop complaining and enjoy herself.
Beca was pretty awesome overall but she really was annoying once she was uncomfortable and out of her comfort zone. He walked around the car and pulled her by the arm and into his embrace giving her a power hug before they began to unload their stuff.
That night, Jesse dragged Beca out to explore Castine the small town they were at. The rest of the gang were tired from the trips they made. He was, too, pretty tired and wanted to crash but his girlfriend was grumpy and it was his moral obligation to make her feel better.
They walked around the streets of the historically rich town then decided to grab a drink at a bar. Feeling on top of the world once they showed their IDs to the bartender who nodded seeing that they were both 21 and served them beer like they had asked.
They talked, at first it was Jesse talking and Beca nodding along, then after the alcohol buzz kicked in she started to loosen up.
"Babe, you can't tell me you prefer Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah more than Jeff Buckley's cover of the song," Beca argued.
"Arguably that cover is an exception, but nothing beats the original."
"Exception?" she deadpanned. He was losing and she was totally winning the argument because she was right covers could very much be better than the original.
"What about Mad World?" She asked and took a sip from her pint of beer. "Tears for Fears made it but Gary Jules' take was so much better."
"Okay fine, you win," he said. Beca beamed when he admitted she was right.
"Bec, got a quarter or two?" he asked as he checked his wallet.
"Why?" she asked.
"To put it in the jukebox and dance our cares away." He paused to look up when realized he quoted the Fraggle Rock opening song. "Worries for another day," he sang and grinned when she rolled her eyes then clapped twice before he sang the next line, "Let the music play—where are you going?" He watched Beca hop off the stool. He got his answer when she stood in front of the jukebox. It wasn't long until I heard it through the grapevine by Creedence Clearwater Revival began playing. Beca nodded along to the song as she walked back to the bar where her boyfriend sat.
He was chugging down what was left of his beer when she got to him. He wiped his lips with the back of his hand before he took her hand in his and walked to the corner where the jukebox was figuring that's the dancefloor.
"I'm not drunk enough, Jesse," Beca said once they reached the 'dancefloor'.
He ignored her comment and reached for her hands interlocking them with his. "This song is awesome," Jesse said as he began to dance then rested a hand on the small of her back to get her moving.
"I know, that's why I picked it," Beca told him. "You know, people are looking at us so maybe don't get too into it?" Beca said after taking a look around.
"Babe." He squeezed her hand. "I live for the applause," he said with a straight face. She rolled her eyes at him and he grinned.
They were sweating, drunk, and out of change when they left the bar and headed to their home for the week.
It was late when they arrived. Late enough no one was up.
They stumbled into the kitchen feeling hungry and finished the dinner leftovers.
"Jesse, think about tomorrow's headache," Beca said when Jesse declined the glass of water she handed. They were both drunk but she was the responsible one.
"Baby, you think of everything," Jesse said in awe and took the water from her and wrapped an arm around her loosely as he drank the water.
"C'mon, let's go to bed," Beca patted his arm once he put the glass down. He nodded and followed her to the room where they put their stuff in.
"You think you could fit?" Beca asked after flipping the light switch to find Amy sleeping on the bed. He shrugged and took off his t-shirt.
Beca stepped out of her flip flops and climbed on the bed. She chuckled when Jesse scratched his head looking at the bed wondering how the three of them could fit.
She reached out a hand and made space for him.
"You good?" Beca asked.
"Uh-huh," he nodded. He wasn't.
Beca sighed and shook Amy. "Amy, move over," she said.
Amy miraculously made space and he was semi-comfortable.
Day #2
His headache was bad but he knew it would have been worse if it weren't for the water Beca made him drink.
Jesse took a look around. He was alone. He sat up and rubbed his face before he got up to use the bathroom.
He washed his hands and face then took a look at himself in the mirror and scratched the stubble on his cheek. He thought about shaving then decided not to. His head hurt and he didn't feel like going through the pain of going through his stuff to look for shaving cream and a razor.
Jesse made his way down and he smiled stepping into the kitchen. "Morning, ladies," he greeted Stacie and Flo who were eating breakfast.
"Good morning," Flo said back while Stacie nodded her head.
He walked straight to the coffee machine and poured himself a mug of freshly brewed coffee then made his way to the porch. He inhaled deeply and sipped his coffee while wondering when the house would get chaotic. It felt the quiet before the storm.
Jesse took a seat on a step on the porch enjoying the quietness then looked up to see his car stop in front of the house.
He smiled seeing Beca step out of the driver's seat. She looked cute in summer clothes. She should definitely wear shorts and flip flops more often.
She was wearing sunglasses proof of her hangover but she smiled when she saw him which meant it was tolerable.
Chloe and Fat Amy stepped out of the car as well and unloaded groceries from the car. Beca grabbed a drugstore bag and began walking to the house.
"Hey, million dollar baby," he grinned. She leaned down and pecked his lips then sat down next to him while looking inside the bag.
"Here," she said pulling a bottle of painkillers.
He accepted it and popped a pill into his mouth washing it down with his now cold coffee. He peeked inside the bag and arched an eyebrow seeing tampons.
"These aren't for me," she told him, putting her sunglasses over her head, noting his facial expression.
"Good, 'cause we're going swimming," he told her.
She rolled her eyes. "You know I could still swim even when I'm on period, right?"
"Yeah, but you will be in pain the whole time."
"Good morning, Jesse," Chloe said walking past them.
"Morning," he replied and stood up stretching. He rotated his mildly sore neck then extended his arm. Beca took his hand and stood up. They walked inside the house and Jesse grinned seeing the way the house was alive when everyone finally got up.
Jessica and Ashely were fixing breakfast and singing. Flo and Stacie were helping Chloe and Amy unload the grocery. Cynthia Rose was walking the stair and looked ready to go to the beach.
"Hey, where's Lily?" Jesse wondered.
"Not committing a felony, I hope," Beca mumbled then shrugged when she saw the worried look he got on his face.
Jesse liked the Bellas. No, scratched that. He loved the Bellas. They were a bunch of weirdos who little in common but were amazing friends.
They were at the beach. Four of them were currently playing volleyball including his girlfriend. And Beca was kicking major ass.
Beca was the awful kind of competitive. She claimed she didn't really care but was a sore loser so losing wasn't an option.
He wasn't playing, though, he was sitting under a parasol, watching them and sharing a bag of Doritos with Fat Amy.
It was Beca and Chloe versus Stacie and Jessica.
He wasn't keeping track but Beca had to be winning otherwise she wouldn't be grinning.
He snickered when a stranger approach Beca and Chloe. He was ready to step in. But he knew Beca was very capable of taking care of herself so he just watched her talk for a while with the man who nodded and left them alone less than 5 minutes later.
He was bored and wanted to go swimming preferably with Beca but she was busy playing volleyball so he decided he go and interrupted the game.
As he approached, he grinned when Beca glanced at him.
He reached out his hand and she took it once he reached her.
"Great, Jesse can take my place!" Beca exclaimed.
"Oh, no, I'm not here to play," he told her and pulled her closer to him. "We're gonna go swim and probably make out and act all sappy but we'll get far away from people before getting sappy," he said to her ear then pecked her cheek.
He grinned when she looked up and didn't seem to have a problem with his plan.
"Don't have sex in sea water unless you have silicone based lubricant," Stacie advised when they started walking away and towards the seashore.
Beca pretended she didn't hear her and Jesse gave her thumbs up without turning around.
"What did that dude want from you?" Jesse asked as he rested his hand on her waist.
"He asked if I could stop yelling profanities because there are kids around," she told him.
"Huh."
"What, you thought he was hitting on me?" She looked up.
He shrugged.
"Dude, have you see what the girls I was with looked like? Why would he approach me when Stacie is around?"
He shrugged again and she shook her head.
Later that day, they collectively decided to have a barbecue for dinner.
They split the tasks on the way home from the beach. Jesse and Cynthia Rose in charge of buying the meat and everything they'd need for a barbecue and Chloe was on liquor duty. The rest were supposed to clean the house a little and get the backyard ready for the barbecue.
They got home around 4 pm. There were 3 bathrooms inside the house and one outdoor. They were occupied in mere minutes.
Jesse knew better than to try and shower first so he just settled for washing the sand off of his feet.
He looked up when Beca nudged him with a beer, she pulled from the freezer when she went to drink a glass of water, which he took. "Thanks," he thanked her and extended the hose her way so that he could wash her feet. He took a sip from the beer then held the hose higher spraying the water on her chest.
"Hey!" she exclaimed and snatched it from him. He laughed as the water splashed against his face.
"Bec, go grab some shampoo and let's just shower here," Jesse said.
"Okay," she handed him the hose then paced into the house.
It was an awful idea and they were definitely going to actually shower later. But it was fun and they laughed their asses off while trying to clean up.
Day #3
"Jesse." He heard Beca's voice then felt her fingers when she lightly slapped him. "Jesse, my arm is numb, get up."
Jesse rubbed his face waking up then opened his eyes.
"Dude, I'm dying, move over!" Beca exclaimed.
He moved so that she could get her arm from under him. They spent the night on the Hammock and he squashed her arm when they fell asleep while cuddling. "Sorry," he apologized. "Morning," he smiled when she leaned over and pecked his lips.
"Good morning," she mumbled as she got comfortable using him as a human pillow.
The barbecue went well. Most of them got drunk. They sang a lot. Played a variety of games and went to bed at the crack of dawn, few hours before Jesse and Beca woke up.
"Bec," Jesse nudged her shoulder with the cookie tub that under the hammock. "Still looks eatable," he told her when she looked up and frowned. He reached down for the spoons they ate with the night before and grabbed them.
"If I get food poisoning I will kill you," she said as dipping a spoon in the cookie dough. He shrugged watching her bring the spoon to her mouth.
They finished eating the cookie dough enjoying the early morning breeze.
"We should get inside," Beca sleepily said then sat up.
"And sleep where?" he wondered watching her stretch her arms. He put the tub on the grass then pull her down. "Next to whoever is sleeping in the room we claimed," she shrugged.
"No, I think I'm good here," he said. "You go if you want." He ran his fingers up her arm and smiled when she pressed her lips against his. He dropped his leg out of the hammock and began swinging it as they lazily made out.
They haven't had sex for a few days and he didn't know how long he could go without having his Beca fix especially when she's almost always half naked. He understood why she would let them have sex. There was almost always someone around the house. There was zero privacy. He knew her friends would leave a room for them to sleep in if they asked but Beca brought him along despite the fact that it was supposed to be Bellas only. There were 3 bedrooms two of them had a queen bed each and the one had a couple of twin bed. There was barely enough room.
"Beca," he called pulling away once the lazy kisses got a little passionate then arched an eyebrow at the look he knew too well in her eyes. She rolled him on top of her and pulled him into a deep kiss. He pulled away from her to make sure they were covered under the bedsheet that someone must have thrown over them during the night before he took off the t-shirt he was wearing.
"God, I missed you," he breathed against her neck and felt goosebumps on her skin.
She cupped his face and brought his face up from her neck kissing him hard.
"We have to be quick," Beca mumbled while she tugged down his shorts. He nodded while thinking of what he could do to provide them with privacy so that it wouldn't have to be a quickie.
"Hey, what if it falls down," Beca said pulling away.
"What?"
"What if the hammock breaks while we're having sex?" she wondered.
"Well." He paused. "We just have to be careful?"
She snorted and shook her head. "No, not risking it."
He was about to argue then didn't because it didn't feel right to do so. He felt he'd be pressuring her into sex if he tried to chang her mind.
"Okay," he said and laid back sighing when she used his chest as a pillow. "Bec, I'm gonna start cleaning up the mess from last night, I don't think I could fall back asleep," he said. He had a boner and having her pressed against his chest wasn't helping.
"Okay." Beca removed herself and smiled apologetically at him.
Jesse napped on the couch and woke up feeling dazed and confused because the nap totally fucked up his sleeping schedule. He ran his fingers through his hair and looked through the glass door at the back yard hearing a scream and smiling when he saw that Jessica and Ashely were playing with the hose. He sat up and scratched his stubble that gave him the starving artist look according to Beca.
He should shave it but he was feeling lazy about it.
Jesse made his way to the back yard and made his way to Beca seeing that she was lounging on the hammock working on her MacBook with her headphones on. He shook the hammock to get her attention and she looked up.
"Sleeping beauty awakes!" she exclaimed before realizing she had her headphone on and probably was shouting.
"Hey, we're gonna go change and catch the show, still not coming?" Ashely asked.
"What show?" Jesse asked.
"Some band is playing and apparently it's, like, a huge thing here," Jessica told him while she towel dried her hair.
He nodded.
"No, Jesse and I got plans," Beca told the girls.
He tilted his head to look at her and frowned because he didn't remember making plans.
Beca smiled at her friends then closed her laptop. Jesse watched the girls make their way into the house before looking back at Beca.
"Why aren't we going to watch the band?" he asked.
"Because we have better things to do," she said as she got up.
It took him a few seconds before he figured it out. "Oh," he slowly exclaimed and followed her into the house.
"I bet this how parents feel," Jesse said as he leaned against the kitchen island watching Beca make a sandwich.
"Huh?" She turned to him.
"Parents. Bet this how it is for parents. Obliged to wait until the kids went to bed before they could have sex." He grabbed the cereal box that was on the kitchen island and grabbed a handful stuffing it into his mouth.
"At least parents just have to wait until their kids are asleep. We don't have that option." Beca bit into her sandwich. "Unless we make the girls drink sleeping syrup and knock them out," she deadpanned.
Jesse chuckled at her tone then shook his head.
"Have fun," Beca mumbled through a mouthful as she watched Jessica and Ashely walk down the stairs dressed up and had their hair and makeup done.
"You too," Jessica beamed.
Jesse grinned when she winked knowing what they were up to.
The moment they closed the door behind them he put the cereal box down and turned to Beca who held a finger up.
"Wait, let me finish this," she said before stuffing what was left of her sandwich into her mouth.
Jesse impatiently waited. "Really?" he asked when she turned on her heels and opened the fridge.
"What? I'm thirsty." She grabbed a bottle of water and gulped from it before putting back inside the fridge and turning around to bump into Jesse.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and brought him down to her before she kissed him and smiled when he picked her up.
"We should definitely change the sheets," Beca said as they laid in bed recovering from their activities.
"Later." He rested his weight on his elbow.
"You wanna go another round?" she asked in surprise.
"Who knows when we get to have sexy time," he said imitating Borat.
"First off, never say that again. Second, what accent were you doing?"
"Remind me to make you watch Borat, Bec," he sighed and rolled on top of her.
"Guess no fifth round?" Jesse said when they heard the front door get opened then their friends' chatter fill the house. She cupped his cheek and smirked so he leaned in and kissed her.
"When you're done humping come down for dinner. We got pizza!" Amy said in loud enough voice for them to hear.
They weren't that hungry, pizza could wait and they could always heat it up.
Day #4
"I really don't see the point of all this," Beca complained.
"Me neither," Amy panted hearing Beca's word.
"You ladies haven't been doing much cardio," Jesse simply said as he led the group of women on a hike.
"You do a set of jumping jacks and run a few laps, not climb a fucking mountain," Beca said as she brought a bottle of water to her mouth.
"Bec, we're actually rock climbing," Jesse corrected tilting his head to look at Beca to find her glaring at him.
"It's so hot, I feel like I'm melting," Stacie whined and proceeded to take off the shirt she was wearing.
"What do you guys say we sing something?" Chloe suggested, trying to spread positivity amongst her friends.
"I'm hungry," Cynthia Rose complained.
"C'mon, ladies." Jesse made a show of interlocking his fingers and pleading them. It was Chloe's idea to go on a hike and Jesse was the only one who actually liked it.
Jesse began singing Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley and Chloe chuckled before she started to harmonize with him. It wasn't long until the rest of the girls, except Beca, joined in.
Jesse walked to Beca who had decided to take a break and took her hand dragging her with him all the way up then gave her a piggy back when she continued to complain then pulled him down and whispered, "I'm sore and it's your fault," while she clenched his t-shirt.
"Hey, why does she get to be carried, this is not fair!" Flo complained.
"You could have said no to the hike, deal with it," Beca shrugged.
Jesse had to laugh because if she wasn't currently on his back she would have backed Flo up. He shook his head when Beca slapped the back of his back then started to sing I would walk 500 miles by The Proclaimers. He was surprised when Beca started singing David Guetta's Titanium.
They sounded amazing.
Jesse arched an eyebrow hearing a laugh from Chloe before she joined in singing Titanium with Beca. He looked between the two girls and knew there was some inside joke or something involving the song. He shrugged off and sang louder to outshine them and they sang even louder. The rest of the girls created the music for them.
They were basically a moving musical show and totally deserved their own reality show in his opinion.
"Well, this is nice," Beca admitted once they reached the top of the hill they climbed. The waves were crashing against the rocks under them. It was really beautiful.
"I know right?" Jesse agreed. She was still on his back loosely holding on to him because he wouldn't dare drop her. He moved closer to the edge and looked down.
"I'm going down," he told her.
"Down where?" Beca asked as he bent so she could get down on her feet.
"I'm going swimming," he said as he stepped out of his hiking shoes.
"You coming?" he asked her as he tugged up his t-shirt then pulled it over his head.
Beca glanced down then looked back at him. "Yep." It didn't seem dangerous and they were both good swimmers.
"Hey, guys, we're going down, who wants to join us?" he asked the girls who were currently having lunch.
"Aren't you tired from all the walking?" Fat Amy wondered as she removed her hiking boots.
He shrugged. He was tired but had his priorities in check.
"It's just us, Becs," he grinned at her and removed his shorts staying in swimming short.
Beca quickly took off the t-shirt and shorts she was wearing and stayed in her bikini.—Jesse told her to wear a swimming suit 'cause you never know when you're gonna swim.
They carefully walked across the rocks before finding a spot they could jump from and later climb up from. Jesse took a few steps back before jumping. He whooped loudly coming out of the water and grinned at Beca who was a bit relented. She chose to descend into the water by sliding down the rocks then decided to just sit on the edge.
He swam to where she was sitting and rested his arms on her thighs. "Aren't you gonna swim?" he wondered.
"Not yet," she answered while styling his hair. She then cupped his face and leaned down to kiss him.
She laughed when he pulled her into the water mumbling, "too far."
Waves were crashing against his back as he made out with the girl of his dreams. His feelings for her were growing and it felt great. Falling in love felt fucking great. He knew she cared about him and was invested in their relationship of now two years but couldn't tell for the life of him if she was falling for him because they talked about love and relationships and she told him that she liked the thought of romantic love and said nothing more about it.
"Jesse, we're in public," Beca breathlessly said pulling away from the passionate kiss they were sharing. He nodded and stepped away from her realizing they must have looked like a couple of horny teenagers.
"Hey, yo, catch," Amy exclaimed tossing a frisbee that landed on the water a little too far from where she aimed.
"First one to catch it gets to what?" Jesse arched an eyebrow at his pretty competitive girlfriend after he glanced at the flowing frisbee.
"A favor in the next few days were here," she said.
He nodded. "Three. Two. One. Go," he said and jumped.
They hike back was quieter. Everyone was tired and on 'save energy' mode after spending hours playing with the frisbee in the water. Reaching Jesse's car, they 10 of them managed to get in.—Everyone chose to travel up to the north on the train because it was more practical than a car.
Beca sighed before she got inside the car's trunk. (Flo took the trunk spot on the drive there, it was her turn.) —they were the smallest and could fit.
Jesse was driving, Amy yelled shotgun and claimed the seat and the rest piled up in the back seat.
Flo and Lily sat in Cynthia Rose lap, Chloe on Stacie's and Ashely sat on Jessica's lap.
It was truly a wonder they all managed to sit and Jesse had to take a picture of it.
Reaching the house, Jesse jumped out of the car to get Beca out of the trunk and smiled when he opened the trunk to find her curled up in the fetus position fast asleep.
He picked her up and walked straight to one of the bedrooms where he laid her down on a twin bed before climbing next to her. She snuggled up to him and he wrapped his arm around her pulling her closer to him and falling asleep right away.
Day #5
When he woke up, he winced because his body ached. His muscles were sore —a reminder that he had to hit the gym and lift some weights— and when he moved his back hurt. Beca looked up hearing him wince and he wondered how long she'd been awake.
"Are you okay?" she asked in a low voice since Chloe and Ashley were sleeping on the other bed in the room across from them.
"Everything hurts," he confessed. "But I'll be fine," he added trying to sit up. He pressed a hand against his side in pain.
"This is probably because of the piggyback ride," Beca sighed. "Take off your shirt, Jesse, and lay down on your stomach," she whispered.
Jesse took it off and did like she asked him to do.
A moan escaped from him when he felt her fingers on his skin giving him a back rub.
Beca shushed him as she applied force on one of the many tension knots on his back. She went on to massage his back until he started to feel better.
"That was amazing, Beca," he sighed and pulled her into his arms. "Thank you," he nuzzled her cheek as he spoke. He breathed in her scent. She smelled like the sea which made sense since they swam in the sea and went to bed without showering.
"You're welcome," she patted his bicep then wrapped her arm around his waist.
They laid in bed for quite some time until their stomachs started to protest against them and they knew they had to force themselves to go and make something to eat.
"No, you stay," Beca said when Jesse sat up. "I'll make us something and bring it up," she told him then placed a peck on his forehead.
He could hear her as she moved around the kitchen. She wasn't loud or anything, it was just that the house was too quiet.
Jesse made room for her when she returned holding a tray that had a couple of mugs on it along with some french toast and a pack of crackers. He took it from her and put it on his lap after she sat down.
They had breakfast in bed, put the tray down on the floor, and decided to sleep for a few more hours.
"This is nice," Jesse mumbled. Beca nodded resting her head on his shoulder and throwing her leg over his because there wasn't much space on the twin bed.
"I think I'm gonna stay in bed the whole day," Beca said into his shoulder.
"Bec, you agreed we go have a picnic at the park we saw yesterday."
"But I'm tired," she whined.
"Me too," he rubbed circles on her back. "But we're going," he added after a beat as he ran his fingers through his hair.
The park was beautiful.
And he wanted to explore the whole place but he wasn't a monster. They were both tired, he had no problem forcing himself to ignore the pain moving brought, but Beca wasn't so keen on the whole thing in the first place.
They picked a spot near the small lake in the park. He placed a towel and watched Beca take a seat then begin to unload his back bag that served as a picnic basket.
Beca handed him a sandwich and placed a bottle of water on her lap that he knew didn't have water inside it. She pulled a sandwich for herself. She smirked when she looked up to find him eyeing the bottle in her lap.
"You think of everything, Bec," he said and scooted closer to her.
She leaned against him as they devoured their sandwiches and talked about all sort of things.
"Bec, if time machines were a thing, which time would you like to go live during?" Jesse asked after swallowing the last bite of his sandwich, Beca still had a third of her sandwich to eat.
"I wanna live in the 70s," he told her as he watched chew.
"Why the 70s?" she mumbled.
"Why not the 70s? 70s were awesome. Rock 'n Roll, baby," he said and did the rock 'n roll sign to which she rolled her eyes at. "Well, what about you?" he asked, reminding her that she hadn't answered.
"Honestly, for me as a woman going back in time isn't the wisest decision so I think I'd go to the future. That if there is a future on this planet."
"Wow, you really know how to suck the fun out of things," he said. "That took a dark turn."
She shrugged and took a bite from her sandwich. Jesse reached for the 'bottle of water' and took a sip and tried not to grimace at the burning in his throat the vodka caused.
A couple of hours later, they were both buzzed. They drank too much too soon.
"Babe, do we have any more food?" Jesse asked feeling Beca play with his hair as he laid on her lap while his eyes were closed. She shook her head. "Gone. All gone."
He opened his eyes and said, "You're so pretty, Bec." He reached out his hand to touch her face, it took him a little longer than he thought but he eventually was able to reach her face, running his fingers over her cheek then moving down to her neck.
"We're in public," she said in amusement when his fingers got a little close to her chest so he removed his hand interlocking his fingers and resting them on his lap to keep himself from doing anything inappropriate.
"Hey, Bec, where do you see yourself in like 7 years?" Jesse randomly asked.
"How old will we be by then?" she asked after a beat.
Jesse took a few seconds to count then answered, "28."
She hummed then said, "hopefully in L.A. making music and making enough money to cover rent. You?"
"Same," he curtly answered. "But I don't wanna worry about rent all by myself." He paused to burp.
"Yeah, roommates are a good way to assure covering the rent and still having enough money to eat and all," she nodded.
"Well, I'd prefer to have one roommate. One, I could have sex with," he told her and grinned when she looked down at him. She smiled and lightly slapped him when he wiggled his eyebrows.
He hoped she got what he was hinting at but didn't press more. They still had time to figure out that they wanted to do after college their relationship wise.
When they got back to the house, still buzzed from the alcohol, they found the present girls laying around the house. Jesse assumed their state was due to the hike from the day before then he sniffed and smelled weed. Beca let go of his hand and walked to where Chloe was sitting watching TV. "Hey, Bec," Chloe greeted with a lazy grin on his face.
"You save us some?" Beca asked.
Chloe nodded and reached under the couch and pulled a plastic bag of weed. "Amy made pot brownies, too," she told her friend.
Jesse heard her and paced to the kitchen. He grabbed a couple of brownies and made his way back to the living room. Beca was sitting on a mattress on the floor rolling a joint. Chloe was watching TV. He looked at the back yard and was able to spot Amy laying on the hammock with Flo on top of her. Hearing a moan coming from the second floor he arched an eyebrow and looked at Beca who had also looked up.
"Cynthia Rose brought someone home," Chloe informed them and increased the volume in an attempt to cover up for the sex noises. It was barely working. Jesse put the brownies near Beca and went looking for his iPod. He plugged it into the deck system. Chloe turned off the TV and started dancing to the beats of The Killers' Mr. Brightside.
Jesse grabbed a pot brownie and devoured while he danced with Chloe. Beca laughed at their fabulous and coordinated dancing once Bailamos by Enrique Iglesias started playing.
It wasn't long until Stacie, Jessica and Ashely got home from the beach and instantly joined in the bad dancing.
They shared the joints Beca passed to them and danced.
He should be embarrassed by the music on his iPod but he really didn't care. He was a fan of music. He liked a lot of genres. And most of the stuff he had were songs one could jam to.
Toto's Africa was playing when Jesse noticed Lily throwing knives at the fence. He turned to Beca who was still on the mat getting fucked up. She smiled lazily at him and he pointed at the back yard. She laughed seeing what her friend was doing then shrugged.
Then the girls decided to make him uncomfortable after sharing a look once Glory Box by Portishead began to play. He knew he was screwed when they looked at Beca for permission and she shrugged.
"Nerd, your fantasy came true!" Beca laughed watching her friends give her boyfriend a show of a lifetime.
He let out a nervous chuckle when Chloe ran her hand up his chest and pushed him so he'd sit on the couch. He tried to play along and occasionally glanced at Beca who was really enjoying watching him struggle and eventually made a run for it and sat down next to Beca pulling her into his arms. She leaned into his embrace and he pecked her temple.
Day #6
His girlfriend was mad at him and he had no idea why.
They were fine before they went to bed. They were more than fine. They were fucking great. But when wrapped his arms around her waist while she made pancakes she stiffened.
Still, he didn't think much of it. He placed a kiss on her shoulder and stepped back.
He knew for sure that was pissed when he saw how passive she was. Beca didn't really do passive-aggressive. She was just passive.
"Okay, what's up?" Jesse asked as he leaned against the sink while she washed the dishes she had breakfast in. She shrugged in response.
"Beca, what's up?" he asked again.
"Jesse, nothing is up," she mumbled and dried her hands with a cloth.
"You two are in charge of changing the bed sheets and washing them," Chloe said to Jesse and Beca.
It was cleaning day. Chloe decided she'd split the tasks because no one really wanted to clean. The house was a mess and they had to return it the way they got it.
"But there's no washing machine," Beca said.
"Do it by hand," Chloe shrugged and turned on her heels.
"Amy, you're cleaning the glass and mirrors," Chloe read from the paper she wrote the cleaning plan on.
"Yes, sir." Amy made a show of saluting Chloe as if she was a commander.
Jesse had to admit Chloe did a good job at splitting tasks. They all had something to do.
Since they had found one tub and laundry by hand needed two, —one for the washing and another for the rinsing—, Jesse suggested they'd use the children's plastic swimming pool they found in the attic.
Jesse was to fill the tub and plastic swimming pool and Beca was to collect the sheets they were going to wash bring them to him then put on clean ones while he started on washing the dirty ones by hand.
"If we do everything together we'd finish sooner," Jesse argued.
"Well, it doesn't matter how long we take," Beca shrugged and started to climb the stairs. He was going to call after her but decided not to and let have space figuring she wanted to be alone.
Jesse filled the tub and swimming pool then googled how to wash clothes by hand while he waited for Beca to bring the sheets.
He found himself smiling when he heard the girls sing Moulin Rouge by Lady Marmalade as they cleaned.
They were hanging the clean sheets when Jesse had it with the quietness. Beca seemed thoughtful and he hated it when she wouldn't tell him what was on her mind especially when he knew, he just knew, it involved him because she was joking with Amy when he went to use the bathroom. He heard her laugh.
"Beca, what's up?" he tried again.
"Jesus, dude, nothing. Nothing is up. Give it a rest!" she exclaimed.
"Why are you yelling at me?" he frowned taking a step back.
She groaned and started to walk away.
"Really, Beca?" He clenched his jaw. They were going to have a fight and all her friends were there to watch.
"Stop acting like a little girl and say what's on your mind!" he said and held his tongue because he didn't want to hurt her feelings but knew he just did. He knew how difficult it was for her to express her feelings.
"I'll do that when you quit living in your little world," she said behind gritted teeth.
"What?" he frowned.
"You really don't see it? You don't see past what you wanna see. You're content with what you just have in front of you," she told him.
"And, what's wrong with that?" he wondered.
"Aim higher. Dream big!" she yelled at him.
He was pretty damn confused.
"You settle for less than what do you deserve."
"Wait." He stepped forward. "Are you talking about us?"
She didn't answer.
"Beca, why did you bring here with you?" he asked. "Am I here to get dumped?" he guessed when she looked away.
He got no answers. He watched her turn on her heels and walk into the house leaving him in the back yard to his thoughts.
He wanted to follow her and make her answer him but also didn't want to hear the words he dreaded.
"Where is she?" Jesse asked Chloe. Several hours had passed and he knew he had to find her and get some answers. She wasn't in the house. He checked even in the attic.
"She left the house after your argument," she told him.
He nodded. "She didn't say where she was headed, did she?" he asked.
Chloe apologetically shook her head.
"Where are you going?" he asked noting the fact that Chloe was dressed in a sundress and smelled nice.
"There's an outdoor screening downtown. We're going," she told him. "They're playing Casablanca."
"Oh, well, have fun," he said and stepped back letting let through.
Jesse stood in the doorway watching the girls as they walk away then got inside and closed the door.
He grabbed his back bag and threw a cookie dough tub along with a couple of beers and spoons and wore it, planning to go find his girlfriend. He had a few places in mind and was going to check them all.
He had just got in his car when he saw her walking down the street. Jesse got out of the car and ran up to her stopping a few feet away from her. He waited for her to say something. She walked to him and hugged him instead.
"I'm sorry," she apologized into his chest.
"Me too." He placed a kiss on her head. "I'm sorry, too." He tightly hugged her relieved that she didn't break up with him.
He still wanted to know what was wrong but didn't push her for answers.
"Um, there's an outdoor screening downtown, everyone is there," he told her. "Wanna go?" he asked pulling his head back to look at her.
She held his gaze for a few seconds then nodded.
They could have seized the opportunity and enjoyed the privacy but it didn't feel right since they needed to talk and she wasn't ready.
They drove downtown and Beca texted Chloe asking her where they were sitting. They missed the first act and Jesse gave Beca a recap to which she nodded along to then accepted the beer he handed her before she leaned against his shoulder and absent-mindedly watched the movie.
Day #7
It was 3:40 am when he checked the time on his phone. Beca wasn't next to him which was the reason he woke up.
He sat up and rubbed his eyes. They were sleeping a mattress in the living room. Lily was sleeping on the couch and he could swear it was the first time he saw her asleep. She was in the mummy position.
He got up and started looking around for Beca.
He found her sitting on the porch holding her knees close her chest. She didn't notice his presence so he cleared his throat.
She tilted her head and said, "hey."
"Can't fall asleep?" he asked.
She nodded.
"Let's go for a walk," he said reaching out for her hand.
She arched an eyebrow and said, "Jesse, it's late."
He shrugged. "I'm gonna go for a walk, you're free to tag along," he said then walked back inside the house liking the feeling of cleanness against his feet as he walked, glad there was no sand. The girls really cleaned it up.
He threw a t-shirt on and wore his flip flop. Beca stepped inside the house and wore a pair of converse and waited by the door for him.
They walked down the beach in silence. He threw an arm around her shoulder when he felt cold and guessed she felt cold too. "Bec, ever gone skinny dipping?" Jesse asked.
"Nope," Beca chuckled and looked up.
"We're doing it," he said and started tugging up his t-shirt.
"Dude, no," she shook her head.
"I'm using the favor," he told her.
(He was faster and managed to retrieve the frisbee that Amy threw for them to catch and they had a race to catch it, the prize was a favor from the loser.)
Beca sighed and stepped out of her converse and processed to take off her clothes. She looked around before she took off her underwear—it was still dark and there was no one at the beach. Jesse dug a whole in the sand and buried their clothes in before they got into the water.
"What's the point of skinny dipping?" Beca asked as she swam around.
"The rush?" He shrugged. "The 'what if someone sees us naked?' feeling?" He swam closer to her and pulled her to him.
"The only feeling I'm feeling right now is the fear of getting attacked by some jellyfish," she told him as she looked at the water. It was the break of dawn and they could see but it was still dark. "And coldness."
"I can help warm you up," he said placing a hand on the small of her back and leaning in.
"Okay, we should get out of here," Beca said watching the sunrise. "People will start showing up."
Jesse nodded and followed her to the shore. He gave her his t-shirt to dry herself up with before she wore back her own clothes then wore his underwear and shorts and threw the wet t-shirt over his shoulder.
They had been walking for a few minutes when Jesse stopped walking.
Beca frowned, "what's up?"
"I have something I wanna tell you but I also don't want you to run for the hills," he told her. "Promise you won't run away?" he asked.
She nodded. "I won't," she promised.
"I've thought about what you said yesterday," he started to say. "I thought you wanted to break up—"
"—I don't," she interrupted.
He nodded, "I figured." He paused for a few seconds then said, "I'm happy with 'what I have in front of me' because you make me happy," he told her. "I love our small world," he swallowed. "I love you, Beca."
He replayed what she said in his head and tried to make sense of it. He came to the conclusion that she was, in fact, falling for him and didn't know how to tell him and it made her angry.
Jesse hoped he didn't look too deep into her words and that he wasn't wrong. He trusted his guts and decided to tell her how he felt about her.
Beca nervously bit her bottom lip then mumbled the three words he'd dream he heard her say.
"What was that, Bec?" he grinned.
"I said, I love you," she mumbled a little louder while looking at her feet.
"Waves are a little loud, Bec, gonna have to speak up."
She looked up. "I love you," she said then smiled when she saw how wide his grin was.
He picked her up and held her close to him when she wrapped her legs around his waist. He heard her sigh a sigh of relief and tightened his hold before he put her down.
"Went for an early morning swim?" Chloe sleepily asked when she ran into them as she walked out of the bathroom.
"Yeah," Beca nodded and stepped inside the bathroom.
Jesse pulled his head back and held on to the doorway. "You might wanna take the mattress downstairs 'cause we're totally gonna have sex," he told Chloe.
He heard her chuckle when Beca pulled him inside the bathroom and close the door.
Jesse offered to drive the girls to the train station. They couldn't do the pileup way since they had luggage. So he drove some while the rest took cabs.
"I got it," Beca said when they both reached to pull her suitcase. He pulled back and watched her put the suitcase down.
"I can't convince you to come with me?" He gave her puppy dog eyes.
"I'll see you in a couple of weeks," she said and leaned up to kiss him.
She had a DJ-ing gig waiting for her in Barden and was pretty excited about.
"Three weeks," he corrected. She nodded and pecked his lips.
"I love you, weirdo," she said. He grinned because it felt great to hear her say it.
"I love you," He wrapped an arm around her waist and kiss her cheek pretty forcefully then kissed her deeply and pouted when she pulled away.
"Okay, hate to interrupt but we have a train to catch," Amy said.
"Take care and text me when you get home," Beca said removing herself from his arm.
He nodded and stuffed his hands in his pockets.
Jesse watched the girls as they walked into the station and only moved until they were out of sight. He sighed and got inside his car, loaded his playlist and embarked on his road trip back home.
AN: Look, I wrote this two between yesterday and today. I didn't feel like going through the hardship of proofreading 9k words. It's too much work for my brain and will take a lot of time. So, let's just ignore the mistakes, okay? Coolbeans. Have a good day and happy holidays!
Edit: To answer the dear guest wondering if I accept prompt request, yep. Unless they're too weird. Hit me up with your ideas and I will try to write them down.