Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of it's characters. If I did, St. Berry would be endgame, Kurt would have been accepted into NYADA, and Finchel would get out of our faces. I also do not own any of the songs mentioned: Don't Stop Me Now is owned by Queen, I've Got You, Babe is owned by Cher, Faithfully is owned by Journey, Firework is owned by Katy Perry, and Fix a Heart is owned by Demi Lovato.
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How I Know You - Chapter 4
After searching the streets for a decent coffee shop, the couple had to settle on a Starbucks that they came across after meandering down five blocks. Jesse ordered a cappuccino for himself and a green tea for Rachel at her request, not hesitating to treat.
"I don't want to drink coffee this late, I need to get some sleep for whatever my dads have planned for me tomorrow," Rachel explained when he asked her what she wanted.
"And it'll mess up that elaborate bedtime ritual of yours," Jesse added, nodding knowingly.
"Yeah," Rachel's brow furrowed as Jesse attempted to dredge up some change from his pocket. "You still remember my routine?"
"Of course I do. Your routines were—are—very important to you."
She smiled a smile of nostalgia before taking a sip of her warm tea and blurting out, "Can you believe we're actually here? In New York City? I mean, just looking out the window at the buildings around us is breathtaking! It's like a dream!"
"Not many people would agree with you on that. It is beautiful, but it's just a street." Jesse remarked wryly, looking at the scenery outside the coffee shop and noticing one building in particular. Turning his attention back to Rachel, who was practically bouncing in her seat, he asked, "Your dads won't be at the station until later tonight, right?"
"Yeah, I have no idea when though. I'll text them right now." Rachel took out her phone, punched at the keys for a few seconds and waited for a reply.
"They said the Ferry ride wouldn't be over until about 9:30, and then they have to find a cab to take them across the city, so it won't be until about 10:30 when they come and pick me up."
"Well, we've only been here for fifteen minutes, so..."
"So, what? Wait, what are you planning Jesse?" Rachel could see the conspiratorial spark in his eyes when she announced how late her father's would be.
"Look out the window and see for yourself." He smiled deviously, crossing his arms in front of him.
Rachel scanned the street for any sign of excitement, but found none. "Jesse, I don't see anything," she fumed, pouting.
"Look harder then."
She trained her eyes over every shop window, every sign, until she saw it. "Oh no, Jesse, you can't be serious."
"Do I not look serious?"
"But, karaoke? I haven't done karaoke in years!"
"Rachel, show choir is just one giant karaoke competition. Come on, this used to be our favorite thing to do on date night. Besides, you ought to give that spontaneity of yours a whirl. I doubt you've used it much since we stopped our impromptu concerts for the homeless."
Ignoring his reference to their formative weeks of dating, Rachel glanced out the window at the karaoke bar. Her eyebrows furrowed and she took a frustratingly long time to consider her options. This would be the perfect opportunity to debut her talent in this thriving new environment, and the perfect opportunity to gauge native New Yorkers' reaction to her performance. Finally, she turned to Jesse and conceded conditionally.
"Since I couldn't think of any other valuable way to kill time, I'll do it." Jesse opened his mouth to rejoice in his victory, but Rachel cut him off. "But, I have to change into something more appropriate than these traveling clothes, and I will need more tea—but tell the barista to add lemon and honey this time."
Jesse obeyed and stood up to order another tea. "Wait a minute," Rachel called out apprehensively, "That's a karaoke bar. I'm too young to get in."
"I'll take care of it."
"It's illegal for me to be in a bar under the age of 21, Jesse."
"Rachel, you are about to go to a college in New York City. You have to learn to ignore the law, that one in particular. Go change, I'll get your tea, and we'll head over to the bar."
Twenty minutes later, Jesse sat with a lukewarm tea in his hand, waiting for Rachel to come out of the ladies' room. After checking his phone for what seemed like the hundredth time, he stood up to go check on her progress. In the twenty minutes it took for Rachel to get changed, Jesse had ordered her tea, convinced the manager of the Starbucks (a middle aged woman who fell for his charming smile) to hold their luggage in the back for an hour or two, and changed his own clothes. He now wore the same pair of dark jeans as before, but had exchanged his t-shirt for a black button down, it's sleeves rolled up to the crook of his elbow.
"How's it going in there, Rach?" Jesse spoke through the door. As he raised his fist to knock, the door swung open to reveal a woman he had never seen before. She had traded in her knee high socks and flats in for a pair of black stilettos, which made her ballet-toned legs look miles long with the aid of a pair of black shorts that hugged her hips, and a slinky floral top that hung off her bare shoulders.
Jesse stood speechless, his mouth ajar, taking in Rachel's foreign appearance.
"I think Quinn or Santana packed these in my suitcase, but I thought that maybe it would help with the whole age issue." She explained, wringing her hands when she noticed his stare. "You look nice."
"Uh—" He struggled to form coherent thoughts.
"It's too much. I'll go change."
"NO!" He shouted a little too lightly. Clearing his throat, he added, "No, it's fine. It's just strange seeing you in something other than skirts or dresses. It's nice." Jesse said, afraid he would have to wait another twenty minutes if she went back into the bathroom. He like Rachel's new look, he liked her confidence for wearing something so revealing, but at the same time, he was turned off at how un-Rachel she looked. If he had only just met her tonight, she would have been just another one night stand, looking the way she did now. Her hair was set in long, loose curls that fell just below her shoulder, her eyes were made up with smoky brown shadow, and her lips dawned a rosy pink balm that complimented the natural blush on her cheeks that appeared when he complimented her. There would be no trouble getting her into the bar, of that Jesse was certain.
"Here is your tea," Jesse said handing it over. "It got cold while you were changing"
Rachel took a sip then shook her head. "No this is perfect. It's a bit above room temperature, so it's neither scalding nor too cold. It will warm up my vocal chords just right."
"Ok then, I got the manager to hold our bags for a while. When we're done we can come and pick them up before heading back over to the station. So, are you ready?"
"Let's do it!"
They walked side by side as they crossed the street towards the bar. As they got closer, Jesse held back a little and let Rachel walk in alone. The male staffer that was checking ID's at the front let her in without a second look, and Jesse flashed his fake ID at the man who glanced at it before nodding and motioning him inside.
The bar was moderately full, everyone was off in their own groups, conversing about their everyday lives. Rachel was already at the karaoke booth, looking at the song selection booklet, planning out an award winning performance. Karaoke wasn't starting until 9:30, so Jesse ordered a beer and found a booth near the stage where they could both sit and critique the other singers.
When Rachel returned, she seemed downtrodden. "Their song choices are terribly modern. I would not be caught dead singing Call Me Maybe."
Jesse laughed at the thought of her singing that high-pitched, whiny song. "What about duets? Any good ones?"
"If by good you mean cheesy, then yes. They are all good."
"Then I guess we'll have to go with cheesy," Jesse joked, making Rachel cheer up and plop down next to him.
"Do you want anything to drink?"
"Not right now."
They sat in an awkward silence before she asked, "So what do you plan on doing for your vacation? Heading anywhere else?"
"I'm just going to go with the flow; see where I feel like going next, where I want to stay, etc."
"That sounds amazing. I wish I could do that!"
A man approached them and set down a fancy looking drink in front of Rachel. "Ladies drink free tonight, starting with our famous Cosmopolitan. Enjoy"
Rachel looked at the glass apprehensively before shrugging and taking a sip of the fruity drink. "Oh, tasty."
After her second Cosmo, Rachel started to loosen up and agreed to sing a cheesy duet with Jesse. At 9:30, the karaoke began and Jesse went up to sing a solo. His rendition of Don't Stop Me Now got him a standing ovation and free beers from various women around the bar.
When he sat back down next to Rachel, she had a different drink in her hand. "So what did you think of my performance?"
"Pretty damn good, but predictable. If you love Queen so much Jesse, why don't you marry them" Rachel slurred.
"Rachel, aren't you a little concerned about what your dads might think when they pick you up drunk?"
"Nope. They deserve it after all they've put me through, so let me drink my MO-HEE- TOE in peace!"
"Fine, but when you finish that, we're going up for our duet!"
"Okay, Mr. St Bossy Pants," she poked him sloppily.
Jesse took another sip of his beer, he too was feeling the buzz of the alcohol, which made his duet decision a lot less embarrassing to him than it would have been. Looking over at Rachel, who was obviously feeling no pain, he felt a pang of guilt that he had put her in this position. Her first night in New York and she was already too drunk to speak coherently, and he was supposed to take her to meet her dad's in an hour. Nonetheless, seeing that she had finished her mojito, he chugged down the rest of his beer and pulled her onto the stage with him for their next number.
"Jesse, I still don't know what song we're singing!"
"I picked Sonny and Cher's I've Got You, Babe, and you are gonna stay here and sing it with me." he said as he put his arm around her shoulder to keep her from running off stage.
Rachel reluctantly took the microphone and started off the song. At first, Jesse sung it endearingly while Rachel spoke it with heavy sarcasm, but the song got the better of them and they finished it with an over dramatic run into each other's arms which had the whole room, including themselves, roaring with laughter.
The MC got up on stage, laughing and applauding their performance. "Alright, Alright everyone. Settle down! I think these two need another shot to really show us what they've got! How about an encore guys?"
They both shouted "Sure!" enthusiastically to the MC, who flipped through the song book. "I have the perfect ballad for you two! You'll really knock everybody's socks off with this one."
They both got ready as the opening notes started to play and the title came up on the lyric screen.
Faithfully by Journey.
Even Jesse knew what this song meant to Rachel and he immediately looked over to see if she was alright. It was too late, Rachel had already dropped the microphone and was halfway to the bathroom. He handed his mic to the confused MC and ran after her.
"Rach, I'm so sorry, I had no idea what song they were going to play." Jesse shouted through the door.
"I'm fine, just give me a minute, okay?" She shouted back. Jesse took a seat back in their booth and ordered another beer, trying to give her space.
In the bathroom, Rachel sat on the sink, sobbing into her hands. The song that was chosen for them brought back too many memories, both happy and sad. Finn had told her that he loved her for the first time before they sang that song at Regional's three short years ago. She had also been conflicted about her lingering feelings for Jesse and the heartbreak of being denied by both him and her birthmother. They had lost the competition that year, but she had concluded Faithfullywas her best duet with Finn. She couldn't sing it with anyone else. She wouldn't.
Rachel took out her phone and dialed Finn's number, waiting until his voicemail message ended to collect herself and spill her emotions into his inbox.
"Finn, it's Rachel. I got to New York fine, but my dad's haven't picked me up yet so I've been at this bar singing karaoke. They had Faithfully on and that made me think of you." She hesitated a moment. "You told me you loved me before we kicked ass on that song and I was going to sing it, until I realized that I couldn't sing it to anyone but you." She felt the tears start to run down her cheeks again "I miss you, Finn. It's like there is a hole in my heart that I can never fix. I can act like everything is fine, but at the end of the day it's always going to be there. I love you so much, please Finn. Please come and get me, I don't want to be here without you. Remember the lyrics? Loving a music man ain't always what it's supposed to be, oh boy you stand by me. I'm forever yours. Faithfully. Please don't join the army. I need you." Before she could say anymore, the phone beeped in her ear, her time to speak having been cut off.
She hugged herself as she cried, trying to calm down. When she heard Jesse's voice at the door, asking her if she still wanted to do a solo number, she wiped away her tears and put on her best show face. "I'm coming! Just tell them to let someone else go while I get ready." She turned to her reflection in the mirror and fixed the smudged mascara under her eyes. She blotted her face down with cool water until the blotchiness disappeared, all the while overhearing a horrible rendition of Firework sung by some old drunk who, by the sounds of it, thought notes were of little importance.
Jesse was waiting by the door when she finally came out of the bathroom. He straightened up and hurried behind her as she made her way to the stage. "Rachel, are you okay? You don't have to sing. We can talk aboutit instead."
"No, Jesse. I'm fine. I'm gonna go sing now, okay?" She said, then turned her back and stepped up on the stage. She whispered her song choice to the MC and adjusted the microphone to the right level. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and started to sing softly.
It's probably what's best for you
I only want the best for you
and If I'm not the best then your stuck
I tried to sever ties and I
ended up with wounds to bind
it's like your pouring salt in my cuts
and I just ran out of Band-Aids
I don't even know where to start
Cause you can bandage the damage
you never really can fix a heart.
you must be a miracle worker
swearing up and down
you can fix what's been broken yeah
please don't get my hopes up no no
baby tell me how could you be so cruel.
it's like your pouring salt on my cuts
and I just ran out of Band-Aids
I don't even know where to start
Cause you can bandage the damage
but you never really can fix my heart
The whole room erupted in applause and Rachel gave a quick bow before quickly stalking off the stage.
Jesse waited for her by the step, but she sauntered past him before he could offer his compliments. He followed her to the booth where she grabbed her purse and made for the exit.
"Rachel, where are you going? You shouldn't be on the streets alone this late."
"I'll be fine, I carry pepper spray and a rape whistle, remember."
"Rach, please let me call a cab and get your luggage."
"Don't call me that!" She rounded on him. "I'm not your girlfriend, Jesse."
"I'm aware of that, Rachel." he raised his voice to match hers. "but, Just let me help you."
"I don't need your help! I'm not some silly teenage girl you can mess around with! Don't think I don't know what you're doing right now!" she snapped, her eyes blazing.
"Oh really, Rachel? What am I doing right now? Enlighten me!"
"You think that by taking me out for karaoke and getting me drunk that I'll magically realize that you're the guy for me and let you get in my pants. Well, you're wrong. I'm not single, Jesse. I have a fiancé! And I will never feel the same way about you that I do about Finn!"
Jesse fumed at her suggestion. "It's always about that with you, isn't it? All I want to do is get into your pants! God, Rachel! Are you kidding me? Finn broke up with you! He's joining the army, you'll never see him again, so give it up! What's happened to you?"
"What do you mean, 'what's happened to me'?" Rachel spat.
"You've become dependent on Finn!" Jesse snapped, "It's all Finn or your life has no purpose anymore!
You used to have dreams, Rachel, ambitions! And you've thrown everything away for the most unfit swine I've ever had the displeasure of knowing. Why are you so hung up on him, Rachel? What good has Finn ever done you? You are not the Rachel Berry I loved, destined for Broadway. Not even close. You've lost everything that makes you a star and it's disgusting to me. I don't even know who you are anymore, or why you're here!"
Rachel froze and Jesse could see the pain in her eyes replace the rage. He knew he had gone too far.
"Rachel, I didn't mean all that." he said in a pained voice.
Rachel raised her hand to stop him, "Don't contact me, Jesse." She spoke softly.
"What?"
"Don't call me, don't text me, don't email me, don't try to find me, just leave me alone!" Rachel turned on her heel and stalked away, leaving Jesse regretting every word he said.
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How much do you guys hate me right now? There had to be drama! Don't worry I have a plan...maybe...
You are all allowed to yell at me in the reviews, god knows I had to do some serious apologizing to my beta, eternallystberry. We still love each other though, yay!
Thank You for your continued support of this story, every suggestion and comment is noted and appreciated! There are a couple people who are guests or have their private messaging off, so I want to take this moment to say Thank You to you guys and I really appreciate you taking time out of your day to read. ALSO! THANKS FOR ALERTING AND FAVORITE-ING IT MEANS SO MUCH!
So what do you think guys? Should I keep the chapter's at this length? Longer or shorter chapters? Tell me! (also tell me how long you think Jesse will leave Rachel alone for).
