Jesse watched as Quinn took a sip of her drink. 'This is really good, thanks', she said. Jesse smiled. He hadn't really talked much to Quinn during his time at McKinley, and when she had talked to him, she'd been quite rude. However, as she was pregnant, Jesse guessed she wasn't always like that. He remembered his mom being pregnant with his sister, and the way she used to snap at him for the slightest thing, or burst into tears for no reason. So he felt that Quinn deserved a second chance.
'Jesse?', Quinn said, bringing him back to the present. 'Why are you being so nice to me?', she asked. 'Well, since we're going to be co-stars, I figured we should try to get along. Actors that have good chemistry offstage perform better. I think some of the scenes would be quite awkward if we didn't know each other', he replied. 'I guess you're right. Look at Groffchele', she mused. Jesse stared at her in awe. 'How do you know about Groffchele?', he asked.
Quinn laughed. 'Despite what Rachel says, I do know about Spring Awakening. My dad won two tickets in a charity auction at work, and he took me to see it', she said. Jesse laughed. 'Oh my god...didn't he know what it was about?', he asked incredulously. 'No! He had no idea. He thought it was a nice happy musical about children living in the forest with animals...it was so embarrassing!', she remembered. 'I can imagine. But you enjoyed it?', he asked her. She nodded. 'Of course. How could I not? But he made us leave at the interval. So I never found out what happened', she told him sadly. 'Well. I read the synopsis on wikipedia when I got home, but still...I wish I could have seen it. And he never let me see it, not on Broadway, not on the tours. I want to see it', she confessed.
Jesse didn't reply straight away. He looked at her face, full of longing, flushed with excitement about the show. She'd always been beautiful, but now Jesse could really see her. And she was breathtaking. 'Give me some time. You'll see it. Just watch me', he grinned at her. 'I'll be waiting, St James', she said, laughing.
The two of them shared lunch, and talked about everything - school, music, politics, food...Quinn laughed at his stories of UCLA, Jesse gasped when she said she'd never seen RENT, and they discovered they had a mutual love of pasta, and a mutual hatred of Sarah Palin. Jesse found he could easily be himself around her, and she seemed to enjoy his company. He was happy for the first time in months.
Quinn glanced at her watch. 'Shit!', she said, getting up. 'We're late!', she told him. Jesse's eyes widened. 'Looks like we lost track of time', he said as he gathered up his things. They ran back to the theater, Jesse mentally kicking himself for not keeping track of time. They stepped inside, only to be greeted by the rest of the cast staring angrily at them.
Rachel glared at him, and Jesse tried to ignore the tears that threatened to pour every time he looked at her. 'We've been waiting to start Act II. You guys are up first - The Guilty Ones, go', Will ordered. They muttered apologies as they sat down. 'Remember what I told you this morning, about your first chorus?', he whispered to her. Quinn nodded. 'Volume, but not too much power', she whispered back. Her breath tickled his neck; it was sweet and warm. He stopped himself from enjoying the scent, told himself she was just a friend.
Quinn started to sing. 'Something started crazy, sweet and unknown...', she sang. There was something about her voice; Jesse couldn't put his finger on it. It wasn't the best voice he'd ever heard, far from it...but at that moment, there was nothing he'd rather be listening to than her. It was the simplicity, the way it was untouched. She didn't sing too loudly, she lacked significant power. She didn't overload him with emotion, she didnt try any riffs or quirky pronunciation, and for that he was grateful. She just sang the notes. Nothing fancy, just pure.
Jesse knew he could easily listen to her singing, in a casual situation, whilst he was driving, thinking about something, and she would glide unobtrusively through his thoughts, providing a comforting sound in his mind. But then again, he could lie in bed, in darkness, and listen. He could take the time to hear every note, the effortless way she managed to permeate every word with a hint of emotion, the breath taken before each phrase. He could spend hours listening to her, nothing but her, and never get bored. When she began her chorus, following Jesse's instructions perfectly, he felt a painful but pleasant jolt in his chest. He rarely felt this; but he knew what it was. A musical orgasm. Oh no. His attraction to Quinn Fabray was undeniable now. He couldn't avoid it; he couldn't lie to himself any longer. But she couldn't know...could she? She didn't feel the same way about him...did she?