Rachel Berry carries a rape whistle. It's one of the most ridiculous things Jesse has ever heard. What exactly is the difference between a rape whistle and a regular whistle, Jesse wants to know (he'll Google it later). Wouldn't mace be more effective?
Even so, Rachel has one and though in his mind it's superfluous and absolutely absurd, he can't help but find it a bit endearing. He's begun to find a lot of things about her endearing actually. Like right now, she's looking up at him with her big brown eyes, making it harder and harder for the words he's saying to feel like a lie.
It's crazy really, how he could be in this deep and only known the girl for a week. They kiss, slow and sweet like old lovers in a noir film. He feels eyes on him and his open as a result. Shelby gaze is locked on them, looking far too please with his current predicament have initially asked him to befriend Rachel . Even so, it that grounds him, get's his heart out of his throat and his feet back on the ground.
He wishes he could go back to Friday, to when he could pretend this wouldn't happen. He could pretend that they had a chance.
For their date, Jesse takes Rachel to a private screening of "What's up Doc." He'd kept her in the dark about his film choice the entire ride over. That had led her to blurting out a myriad of guesses from Grease to Gypsy. It had been amusing to say the least.
When they finally get to the theater she's immediately put off by the lack of patrons. That changes as soon as she sees the title and he doesn't even have to tell her before her face lights up and she just knows.
He'd called in a favor, making sure the theater was closed so he and Rachel could enjoy the film without being subjected to any interruptions, and if by chance that meant that they could recite the lines as loudly as they wanted back at the screen (or to each other) then so be it. They amble into the screening room after an absurd amount of time debating over which snacks would best enrich the cinematic experience before settling into their seats, front row and center.
They watch the film intently (even after seeing it as many times as they had) before they inevitably start to deliver the lines right along with the actors, smiling at each other the entire time. It's ridiculous really, how much fun he's having, doing, in reality, nothing at all. They fall silent after a while, enthralled in the happenings on screen.
It's a little while later after Jesse has discreetly slipped his hand into Rachel's that he lets his gaze wander over to her. "As Time Goes By" is starting up on screen and Rachel is singing along quietly (well as quietly as she can) and he just has to. So he does.
Leaning over slightly, he takes her hand and she immediately looks over at him. As if sensing the merit of the moment Rachel closes her eyes and leans up to him just enough for their lips to touch.
The kiss for lack of better words is perfect. It's slow and sweet, full of…, what Jesse doesn't know but he does know he needsto do it again. So he does. Again and again and again.
"Who's Eunice?"
Jesse doesn't know either.
Later, when he's walking Rachel to her front door, she'll ask him why he chose to take her to see that film when they were plenty of other Streisand films to choose from (she's not complaining only curious).
He tells her it's because aside from her musicals, obviously, Barbara's comedies are her best work, this one in particular. She looks up at him for a moment like she's about to argue, put in her own two cents (and he welcomes it, always in the mood for a friendly debate). She doesn't though, just "hmms" and gives him a small smile like she'd just realized the night is about to end.
"Goodnight Rachel." He leans down to kiss her cheek only to have her shift at the last second. He catches her lips.
"Goodnight Jesse" she gives him a smile that is definitely in a competing category with his show face. It's the most endearing thing he's ever seen.
Jesse wishes he could go back to that night in the theater when it was just he and Rachel acting along to a story that wasn't theirs and never would be. He wishes things could be different.
He doesn't want her to bear any pain or heartache. When their credits roll, when their screen fades to black he wants to know that they'll be happy, that they'll have a chance, a future. Like Judy and Howard, he wants them to have a happy ending.
But they can't, he's sure of it.
