A little Rachel-Jesse moment in this chapter.

Thanks a lot for the follows and favourites and my first lone reviewer – LaurelleCullen. You are awesome for actually writing something not reading the story passively, seriously!

-s.

Chapter 3: Two muffins

Jesse's POV

He finished singing and waited patiently for Shelby to give her assessment.

"Again. Give me the show I deserve," she shouted at them. "And with life, St. James."

Jesse ran his fingers through his hair and nodded to the rest to get ready. They rolled their eyes but moved obediently into the initial formation. Jesse knew it wasn't their fault, it was him who couldn't focus at all. Shelby came to him and reported her short conversation with Rachel's coach. Suddenly her foul mood and sudden lack of interest in talking to him were explained.

Of course it was about her glee club. He remembered the mean nickname one of them gave to Rachel. Rachel never complained about them being mean to her, sometimes she grumbled about her coach not giving her enough attention, or other people stealing away her solos and similar things. They must be giving her hard time now they were aware of his friendship with Rachel. He imagined that if his teammates didn't know her and if he would suddenly start being friends with her, they wouldn't be happy at all, to put it kindly.

They thought that he was a spy. He was glad that their coach contacted Shelby, instead of dealing with it directly with him. Shelby's way of killing the problem in the bud was mirroring his own but her position provided the necessary amount of authority for the New Directions to believe her and leave Rachel alone. But it didn't explain why Rachel didn't seem like talking to him when he called her.

Jesse realised that Shelby was observing him with irritation. He stopped abruptly and it took the rest of his team about three seconds to realise what happened. The music stopped and he had to steady one of the younger girls before she fell at his feet. She smiled and blushed sweetly before letting go of his arm.

"Jesse, either you will put your shit together immediately or I'll throw you out of the auditorium and rehearse the dancing part only."

He felt intensive looks of his team on his black. He sighed and rushed back to the right end of the stage from which he usually began. Shelby made a content face and nodded to the band to start playing again. Jesse was about to begin when he groaned loudly. Shelby smashed her notebook on the table.

"Jesse, get out! And don't appear until you are back in form."

He gathered his stuff and proceeded to the exit. When he passed Shelby, she grabbed his arms and hissed quietly so that no one but him could hear:

"What the hell is wrong with you? You have time untill the end of this week to sort the things out with Rachel or I will officially forbid you from seeing her at all. Do you understand me?"

He nodded and left without a word. He grabbed his phone to call her but his finger lingered over the call button. He turned the cell off and jumped into his car. He glanced at the clock; Vocal Adrenaline was having a specially scheduled rehearsal in the morning so Rachel should be finishing his classes in a few hours. He should be there just in time.

After arriving at the parking lot of McKinley High, Jesse parked his car in front of the main entrance and waited for the bell to dismiss them. In meantime he managed to change into some clean clothes and call his uncle to inform him that he and Rachel would come over later this afternoon. He soon heard the bell and then the first members of the New Directions started to emerge from the building. Jesse got out of his car and approached the door. He heard Rachel's laughter and his heart fluttered. He was glad she was in a good mood. Jesse ignored the hostile looks thrown in his direction by the wheelchair kid and smiled when he noticed the first sight of Rachel's yellow sweater that her dads gave her for her birthday last year.

But when she finally was outside, Jesse's heart plummeted. She was going in his direction but she didn't have a chance of noticing him when her face was glued to that giant's face. He balled his hands into fists but his feet remained in the same spot. The black girl approached them and grunted meaningfully. Rachel pulled away from her new-slash-old boyfriend and her eyes grew happily when they fell on his face.

"Jesse!" she called his name. Why did she have to sound so fucking happy to see him when she still had him on her lips.

Jesse managed to bring out his brightest grin and hugged him when she jumped into his open arms. But the moment disappeared when she stiffened suddenly and the reason was standing behind her and was glaring at him with poorly hidden jealousy.

Jesse ignored the stern look that Rachel gave him when he didn't release her from his arms. She wanted to say something but Jesse beat her to that:

"Hey, Rach. I was thinking of visiting my uncle and having a little movie night. Figured I'd ask you to join me. You could tell me all about your week," he added knowing that it was the best way of convincing her; letting her beam with satisfaction at her success, was it in music or personal life.

She swallowed the catch. He felt her pull away from him and told Finn:

"You won't be mad, will you?"

"I don't like it, Rachel," Hudson answered uncertainly.

Rachel's face fell but she gave him her sweetest smile and pecked him on the cheek.

"I promise to call you when I'm back. And no," she added in a harsh tone, addressing the remaining members of the New Directions, "we won't be talking about glee clubs."

Hudson's face was telling Jesse that he would've preferred them talking about glee clubs that do the movie night together. He noticed the bulky guy, Puck, exchanging looks with the Latino chick.

"Let's go," he hurried her up.

He turned and started walking towards his car. When Rachel didn't follow him immediately he glanced back at her. Hudson was kissing Rachel hard on the lips. They finished and the jerk threw him triumphant last look. Rachel, oblivious to all that, ran pass him and jumped into his Range Rover.

"Something happened?" Rachel asked when he turned on the engine without word. "I'm sorry for the glares, Mr Schue told them about his conversation with Shelby and we made peace for the time being. But they don't really trust you... or me for that matter," she added in a small voice.

Jesse shook his head and gave her an apologetic smile.

"Just a rough rehearsal," he explained. "I really need that movie night."

Rachel grinned.

"Good, I have tons to tell you!"

They stopped by her house first so that she would change from her school clothes. Jesse was silently grateful for that; he didn't want to cuddle with her under the warm blanket when she still smelled like him.

Oh, so sue him for having a massive crush on his best friend and being painfully jealous of her new boyfriend.

Hiram, one of Rachel dads, offered him a cup of orange juice and Jesse accepted it gratefully.

"When will you bring her back?" Hiram asked.

"Around ten?" Jesse asked to which Hiram just nodded in agreement. It was Rachel's usual curfew. "We will be sitting at my uncle's place, watching movies. The usual stuff," he shrugged nonchalantly.

Hiram grunted incoherently.

"I heard she got back together with that Finn boy," Hiram told him suddenly.

"I know. Don't worry, I will be there for her when he screws up again."

Hiram nodded one more time and put his hand on Jesse's shoulder.

"That's what I wanted to hear," he smiled.

Jesse just sighed and began climbing upstairs, calling at the same time to Rachel:

"Rach, for god's sake, hurry up already!"

"Coming!" he heard her shouting back.

"So what are we watching?" Rachel asked when she settled comfortably on the floor.

She grabbed two warm blankets to fight off the chilly air howling around them on Jesse's uncle's basement which he adapted as a small private movie theatre. Jesse sat down right next to her and let her scoop closer to his side. He threw his arm loosely around her shoulders. It was their traditional position during their movie nights. It was simply too cold to sit separately and the place was too good a spot for movie nights, that they fought back the modesty years ago. Recently, however, Jesse took more and more pleasure in those evenings but for completely different reasons than aesthetics of the movie.

He almost chuckled out loud; Rachel was obviously blissfully unaware of his silent torment, treating him more like a big brother figure than a friend. It made the whole situation only more insufferable at times: like when she pressed her back to his chest and forced her head under Jesse's chin so that his nostrils were instantly full of delicate scent of strawberries. All he could do was to pull her closer and massage her shoulders when she shivered.

"I have "Chicago" and "The Rocky Horror Picture Show"," Jesse answered her question. "But you can choose something from my uncle's collection if you want to."

"No, the Rocky is fine."

They began watching and after the first couple of minutes Jesse was grateful that she didn't attack him with Hudson details straight away. As the movie proceeded, Jesse started following the lines and impersonate different characters. Rachel laughed and pushed him away all the time trying to concentrate on the movie.

Eventually, the screen turned black as the movie ended and Rachel threw her arms up, stretching. Jesse took his chance and snatched one of the blankets to himself. Rachel glanced at him sideways and he could almost see the outburst that was nearing.

"Okay, spill," he poked her arm jokingly.

She looked as if she could burst from emotions.

"Finn and I are back together!" she squeaked and Jesse rolled his eyes.

"That I noticed," he teased her.

She ignored his sneaky comment and continued cheerfully:

"So, I told you how Mr Schue went to Shelby, right? So, the next day we had to focus on the weekly assignments and I ended up singing a duet with Finn."

Of course.

"And then we began talking, you know about the song and other stuff. And..."

"Oh let me guess," he interrupted her and continued in a high-pitched voice, poor imitation of Rachel's own. "And then he brushed his hand against mine and he looked into my eyes and the fireworks exploded nearby and I just knew it was it, the only one for me... oh, and, I will tell all of this to my poor best friend Jesse and he will rejoice with me and..." he didn't finish, his best performance was interrupted by a hard pillow connecting with his face.

"Shut it, already," she pouted, but the happy smile stayed on her face.

"Rach," Jesse said again, this time in a normal voice, and the fat, biggest lie of his life escaped his lips flexed in an evenly fake smile:

"I'm happy for you."

Rachel's POV

She rolled her eyes at the cheap imitation of her own voice and smashed the pillow she was sitting on against his head.

"Shut it, already," she said. He always was first to tease her.

Jesse only smiled widely and spoke again:

"Rach, I'm happy for you."

She beamed at him and gave him the biggest hug she could manage with the blanket around her shoulders. The happy moment was interrupted by the growling sound escaping her stomach.

"So, what's for dinner?" she asked.

"Just wait here for a minute and I'll get you coffee and a vegan muffin."

Rachel nodded her head and watched him climb the stairs.

"Jesse?" she called after him just when he disappeared behind the door to the basement. In a second, his head was back in the reach of her eyes. "Two muffins. I feel like two muffins today."

Waiting for Jesse to return, Rachel stood up and began making rounds around the small room. It was still chilly in the basement, and then Rachel noticed Jesse's jacket on the hanger. She put it on just in time to feel the vibration of his cell phone in the pocket. Without thinking she took it out and recognised the female name on the caller ID. It was one of Vocal Adrenaline members, Rachel spoke to her several times before but they just couldn't fine the appropriate topic so it usually turned out quite awkwardly.

"Jesse!" she shouted.

He responded with a muffled "yeah?".

"Kate's calling your cell!"

"Pick it up, I'll be right there," she heard him shout back.

Rachel groaned and pushed the green button, saying:

"Hello, Jesse's phone, Rachel speaking."

If Kate was surprised to hear her instead of Jesse, she hid it perfectly, when she greeted her and asked about Jesse.

"Oh, he'll be right there. I can take a message and he'll call you back or you can wait for a minute on the line."

"I'll wait."

"No problem. So, I heard you had a rough day with Shelby?" Rachel began, using the cryptic piece of information that Jesse gave her back in the car as a conversation starter.

"Um, yeah. Actually, Jesse had. He messed up everything today. She threw him out of the auditorium after half a hour."

"Oh." That was odd; Jesse was perfect in everything.

"So, Shelby told us today that you will be singing against us during Regionals. Scared yet?" Kate asked with a hint of cockiness typical of every member of the famous Vocal Adrenaline.

Rachel rolled her eyes and answered with a loud snort.

"We'll crush you this year," she assured the girl, half-heartedly imitating the arrogant tone of Kate's voice. She heard the door opening and closing after Jesse, who appeared in the basement placing two cups of coffee and a plate with three muffins on it. "Back to Jesse," she informed Kate and gave him his cell phone back.

She attacked the first muffin while Jesse looked at her and listened with a small smile on his face in response to whatever Kate had to tell him.

"No... Tomorrow's fine," Rachel heard Jesse speak. "How about six? Okay, I'll pick you up. Bye."

Rachel waited patiently until Jesse hang up and began in a lowered tone:

"Oh, you won't believe me, Rach. I've had just the best night ever. What? No, of course I won't call her back. Jesse St. James doesn't call back."

Only after a second did she realise that Jesse is starring at her with completely sober expression.

"I'm taking her to the doctor's appointment, she twisted her ankle during the rehearsal. We need to make sure that she'll be ready for Regionals so I'm taking her to my doc," he explained and Rachel felt like a complete idiot.

"Oh–I... um... I mean..."

Suddenly Jesse burst into laughter seeing her terrified expression.

"Just messing with you, Rach," he took the remaining bit of the muffin in her hand and savoured it all at once. Then he winked at her and she felt like she could just hit him with a pillow again, when he threw triumphally, "Guess who's gonna get laid tomorrow."

a word or two?

Oh, and do you remember the dark-haired girl from the "Highway to Hell" performance by Vocal Adrenaline (s01e14) who sings the small female lead, if I can call it that way, in the song? She's later standing next to Jesse when he's showing his 'showface' to Shelby - yeah, she was the first person that came to my mind when I came up with the character of Kate. She'll return later in the story, too.

Stay tuned

-s.