Author's note: I would like to thank all the readers of this story for being so patient. I feel terrible for the lateness of this update. I planned for this chapter to be really long and actually have some plot development, but I've decided to split it into two—for this part, it's largely fluff/humor, but I promise that it'll go somewhere in the next chapter that will be up very soon!
Most people think of Sunday as a throw-away day—a day to catch up on sleep, nurse a hang-over, or feverishly write an essay due on Monday (sometimes all three).
Jesse Swanson obviously hadn't gotten the memo, because he was jumping on Beca's bed on a Sunday morning like a five-year-old. Beca groaned and glared blurry-eyed at her boyfriend.
"Remind me why I keep you, again?"
"Because you love me. Now come on, get out of bed, Becs! It's a bright new day, don't waste the morning!" He said, trying to pull the covers off her.
"Jesse, I know that things may be different on your planet, but here on Earth, college students use the morning for sleeping." She said, yanking the covers over her head. "And how the hell did you get in here, anyway?"
"Kimmie Jin let me in. Then she picked up her bonzaii tree and walked out, muttering about needing a break from the "white people"."
Beca murmured, "That means she likes you."
"I'd hate to see how she treats the people she hates."
"She probably keep a bunch of ninja stars and poison darts under her bed just for such occasions." She yawned. Jesse stopped jumping and instead collapsed on top of her, fixing her with his best puppy dog eyes.
"Oh my god, what are you, five?!" She squirmed, trapped under his body weight.
"No, I'm just a twenty-two year old who's completely in love with his girlfriend and really wants to take her out for some fun."
"I don't like fun." Beca mumbled, but her voice had softened.
And Jesse knew that he'd won.
As it turned out, Jesse's idea of fun included all of the Treble Makers and the Barden Bellas stuck on a bus together for two hours. He insisted that it would be good for the Bellas and the Trebles to bond before they tore each other apart at Regionals, and Beca supposed that was fair. The hostility between the two acapella groups had diminished greatly since Bumper had ditched them for L.A, and the couples who had blossomed since then had reduced the hate to more of a friendly rivalry. Fat Amy had intimidated Kolio, the uptight sweater-vest-wearing recruit from last year, into going on several dates with her. A new Treble member, Jun, was obviously crushing on Demi, and quite painfully. Everyone had expected Lilly and Donald to end up together due to their beat-boxing connection, but Donald had started spending a lot of time with Stacie last summer. The result was obvious, as the beat-boxer drove the bus with Stacy on his lap.
"See now, Beca, that's how couple that are in love are supposed to act." Jessie ribbed her. Beca glared at him from the seat that she shared with Amy.
"Go jump in a lake." She shot back.
"I think that can be arranged." He winked, and she rolled her eyes.
As it turned out, Jesse would be leaping in a lake of his own free will. The twins, Marley and Megan, came from a rich family and they owned a large piece of land by a lake. As they pulled off the road, Beca had to admit that it was a beautiful spot—the clear blue lake was visible, with a path leading to the rocky and clay beach. There was even a long dock and a tire swing. Basically, it was paradise, even if Beca wouldn't give Jesse the satisfaction of admitting it.
"But I didn't even bring a swimsuit!" She complained. She'd just thrown on a black t-shirt and some shorts.
Jessie shrugged. "You should have planned ahead."
"You didn't tell me where we were going!"
"Guess you'll just have to swim in your underwear—it's basically the same thing anyway."
She thought that her underwear was probably more modest than the Victoria's Secret bikinis that the twins were breaking out.
"You did this on purpose." She hissed at him, and Jessie grinned good-naturedly.
"Last one to the water is a rotten egg!"
"I guess I'm just rotten, then." Beca said to herself, but Jessie was already out the door, carrying inflatables and bags of food out of the compartment below the bus.
Amy threw herself off the dock in a cannonball, and Beca joined the group by the lake. There was no point in fighting it; and as her boyfriend divested himself of his shirt, she decided that maybe she wouldn't even try this time.
&.&
I'm the opposite of moderate, immaculately polished
With the spirit of a hustler
And the swagger of a college kid
-Live Your Life by Rihanna and T.I
Beca was not made for sports, and although every competitive bone in her body screamed for vengeance, she knew that she had just gotten her ass served to her in beach volleyball. In her defense, the only Bellas who were even fractionally athletic were Demi and surprisingly, Lilly, while the twins squealed every time the ball flew in their direction, Fat Amy underestimated her strength and hit it out of bounds, Melissa was constantly adjusting her bikini, and Demi wanted nothing to do with the game at all, while Alex sat in the shade with a physics text book in hand. Cynthia Rose at least tried, and Stacie had the strategy of distracting the boys with her huge knockers. Beca herself just completely lacked coordination, and had a permanent scowl on her face after she'd accidentally hit herself in the face for the third time.
They lost, and the Trebles did not let an opportunity to brag get away from them. As punishment, the girls had to carry the boys to the campground on their backs. Jesse had volunteered to be with Beca, of course, and his joyous grin made Beca want to smack him. Only Fat Amy had no trouble carrying Kolio the entire distance, swung over her shoulder and jostling him as she walked.
"This is just like wrestling dingos back home! We had to tie em' up and carry them for miles!" she explained cheerfully, and the others exchanged bemused glances. Beca staggered after her, but was determined to prove that she could support her boyfriend's body weight.
Jesse's chuckle reverberated in his bare chest against her back, and she suppressed a shiver.
Trying to cover her reaction, she said, "Maybe you should lay off the chili fries."
"It's all muscle!" He protested.
She snorted. "I'm pretty sure that the only muscle you actually use consistently are your vocal chords."
Jesse was silent for a few beats, than asked in a painfully childish voice, "Are vocal chords even muscles?"
&.&
Jesse felt triumphant as Beca finally stripped, leaving her in only a bra and underwear—luckily they had enough coverage and material (and not a scrap of lace anywhere) so that she was only moderately uncomfortable. She wasn't shy, but she never made a big deal out of her body, even though it was perfect in his eyes. Sometimes, even in the privacy of his dorms after they made love ("It's called having sex.", Beca would say while rolling her eyes) she would fold her arms over her naked breasts, or hide herself behind a sheet while she changed. She didn't parade her body around like Megan or Marley, and this was one of the quirks that Jesse loved about her. But that didn't mean he couldn't appreciate the rare moments when he managed tot catch her off guard like this one, when she was forced to be a little out of her comfort zone—and out of her clothes.
She stared at her pale arms mournfully, noticing that they were already turning pink. It was the white girl's curse, after all. Then she knew exactly how to get back at Jesse for "forgetting" to tell her to bring a swimsuit. She hadn't missed the way that his gaze had roamed over her body—Jesse was never subtle about his adoration of her naked body. A sly smile came to her lips.
Stretching out on Fat Amy's beach towel, she said pitifully, "Gosh, I really wish someone would help me get some sunscreen on."
From where he was talking to Benji, Jesse perked up.
"I really need to slather it on. But I don't think I can get my back."
In seconds, Jesse was by her side, graciously offering to help her out. Beca reached for the bottle of sunscreen and applied some to her arms at a leisurely pace. Jesse watched intently, especially when she moved to her legs. She channeled every sexy music video that she'd ever seen, and even though it felt ridiculous, she could tell that Jesse's breath hitched. She stroked her legs as slowly as was humanly possible, making a point to look at her boyfriend from under her lashes.
"I can help you with that, you know." Jesse said, but Beca didn't reply.
When she was finished, she decided to add icing to the torture-cake. Demi was lying a few feet away, and the called the younger girl over. She regarded Beca with curiosity and slight confusion, but she caught on after seeing Jesse's hungry look.
"Hey, Demi, could you be a doll and get my back for me? You might have to unhook my bra…"
Demi's expression was trained in her best poker face. "Sure thing."
She opened the sunscreen and rubbed it on Beca's back in slow circles.
"Come a little closer, you can't reach from that far away." Beca said. Demi pressed up against her as much as she could without making it a full on lesbian scene. After a few minutes, she unhooked Beca's black bra, slowly and deliberately allowing Beca to cover herself as she slipped the straps away from her shoulders and applied sunscreen there, too.
Jesse was practically drooling.
When Demi finished, she capped the sunscreen and went back to her own towel, laughing to herself. The older Bella owed her one.
Beca shrugged at her helpless boyfriend. "Sorry, looks like I didn't need your help after all."
Jesse's mouth fell open in understanding. "You're a cruel woman, you know that?"
"Turnabout's fair play, my sweet, innocent boyfriend." Beca gave her cattiest smirk, staring pointedly at Jesse's swim trunks. "And now it looks like someone might need a cold shower, because I won't be helping you out for a while… but maybe a cold lake will do."
&.&
Next time: The Bellas and Trebles do their singin' thing around the campfire, and all seems well until Beca starts to feel ill… she and Jesse are going to have to wake up and face the music! Read and review, y'all, I'd love constructive criticism!
