A/N: This chapter deals with opening night and a bit of the long distance relationship between Rachel and Jesse. I hope you enjoy it!
Opening Night
Every Thursday night, at eight o'clock they spoke on the phone. Throughout the week they would text, of course, and call each other to share a few stolen minutes of conversation, but the bulk of their contact was on Thursday night, the two of them often talking far into the night. Their record was four hours, but neither felt it was enough.
Jesse always called her and she waited impatiently in her bedroom, staring at her phone. It was 7:59, and Jesse was never late so she knew the phone would ring soon. It was only a matter of time, a matter of seconds. Her phone rang and she grabbed it immediately, pressing the call button.
"Half a ring," she heard him say. "That's a new record."
"It's so nice to hear your voice," she said, settling against the backboard on her bed.
"We talked yesterday," he reminded her. "Remember? I told you how all our Hot Box girls fell and a few of them were definitely not wearing their spankies."
"Yes, yes," she said dismissingly. "But this is better. You're all mine now."
He chuckled. "Yes, Rachel, I am."
"So, tell me all about the show. How is it going? Did your Adelaide finally stop with that terrible character voice? I appreciated the video, by the way." Jesse had sent her a video from his iPhone of the production's Adelaide butchering her lines. They had spent much of last Thursday's phone call making fun of it.
"The director sat her down," Jesse said. "So, slowly but surely it is getting better."
"It should, you open in two weeks."
"Two weeks until I see you," he said, the smile evident in his voice. "You cleared your schedule, right?"
"Yes," she told him. "Luckily there is enough time before my show's opening, so the director was not too broken up. He wasn't happy, but I really don't care. I can't wait to see you." She paused and then casually added, "So, I was reading up on your Sarah."
"Why am I not surprised?" Jesse asked in bemusement. "What did you find?"
"She has a penchant for hooking up with her leading men."
"You worried?"
"Of course not," she answered.
"Because you have nothing to worry about," he reminded her. "By the way, how is Finn doing?"
She saw what he was doing and chuckled. "Well played, St James. And he is good."
Finn had been in town earlier in the week for business and had called Rachel, asking her to go for coffee. She had told Jesse during one of their quick phone calls, telling him that she had to get back to rehearsal before he could grill her. Jesse was by far the less jealous one, but he knew that Rachel had loved Finn all those years back, and he was the one person who actually caused Jesse minor distress.
"Did he try to win you back?" he asked lightly.
"As always," she teased. "Right before he told me he was engaged."
"Finn's engaged?"
She shared the sentiment in his voice. It was strange that their friends were beginning to get married. It made it official. They had all grown up. "Yes, Finn is indeed getting married."
"To who?"
"Someone at work. Anyway, he was very excited to tell me. I'm happy for him."
"I know that tone," Jesse said. "You have marriage on the brain now, don't you?"
"Oh shut up," she chided lightly.
"Look, how about we get ourselves in the same city before we consider that step?"
She felt a chill run through her and she asked, "Does this mean you are considering the consideration?"
A pause. "Yeah, I guess it does."
She didn't say anything, glad for once that he couldn't see her because she had the stupidest grin on her face and was pretty sure she was shaking with excitement.
"Don't start planning your destination wedding or anything," he warned lightly.
"I won't," she said quickly. "But I like that you are considering the consideration."
He chuckled. "So, anyway, how was your audition?"
Earlier in the week she had not only shared coffee with Finn, but auditioned for her first New York show, as well. "It went really well. Thank you for setting it up."
"All I did was tell Howard that I knew of someone who would be good for the part," Jesse said. "And when I mentioned your name, he already knew who you were. You've made a name for yourself, babe."
"I hope it works out. I miss living with you."
"Miss my cooking?"
"Among other things," she said lasciviously.
"Might I remind you there are other ways to satisfy those other things, Ms. Berry."
"We are not horny college students, Jesse," she scoffed. "Therefore, we will not have skype sex."
"You're so picky," he teased.
"Hey, this will just make it that much sweeter when we finally do get to be alone together."
"In two weeks."
She grinned, "Yes, in two weeks."
ST BERRY-ST BERRY-ST BERRY
Like a good friend, Wendy drove Rachel to the airport. She stood with her friend before security and gave her a tight hug, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "You enjoy yourself now and tell that boy of yours hello from me."
"I will," Rachel promised.
"Oh, and one more thing," Wendy said, patting Rachel on the back. "Be safe, and promise me that you will only come back with a food baby."
Rachel laughed. "I promise! I need to go now, though."
"Ugh, fine." Wendy dropped her arms and added, "Try to leave the bedroom for a bit, too. Lots to see in New York!"
"Bye," Rachel said firmly, but her lips still pulled into a grin.
"You look so damn happy," Wendy said, pushing her friend forward. "Go get your happy place, girl!"
ST BERRY-ST BERRY-ST BERRY
She spotted him immediately. He was standing over by a row of chairs, looking down at his iPhone before sensing the crowd and looking up. It took him a bit longer to find her but when their eyes met his lips pulled into a grin and he moved toward her. She didn't realize she was running until she collided into him and he fell back a few steps, laughing as he wrapped his arms around her.
He kissed her soundly, lifting her up off her feet. It had been too long since her mouth moved against his, but it surely made up for lost time. He tongue glided along hers, and she kneaded her fingers through his curls, bringing his mouth harder down on hers.
He pulled away first, his forehead resting against hers. "We're making a scene."
"That's what we do," she answered with a grin, taking one more kiss before pulling away from his embrace and firmly taking his hand. "Alright, scene end."
He chuckled. "I still can't believe you're here." He kissed her hand and gave it a squeeze. "How was your flight?"
"Too long. I had a woman to my right who snored and a man to my left who stared at my legs for three hours straight."
"You do have nice legs," Jesse remedied with a grin.
"Oh shut up, you try having a mouth breather stare at your legs for that long. It's disturbing."
"I'm sorry you had to go through that," he placated, slipping an arm around her waist. "I promise to not stare at your legs at all today."
"No, you better," she shot back. "And besides, you're not a mouth breather so it's all right."
He looked down at her, breathing obviously through his mouth, and she slapped his stomach. "Stop it."
"So, I made sure we had the apartment to ourselves before the show tonight."
"Oh really?" she asked slowly, feeling a thrill run through her. "Any plans in mind?"
"A few," he tossed off, rubbing her side. He dipped his lips to her ear and murmured, "Okay, maybe more than a few."
"How far is your apartment from here?"
"Ten minutes."
She raised one eyebrow and replied, "Well, lead the way, St James."
ST BERRY-ST BERRY-ST BERRY
They were in the bedroom, their bodies just a mess of limbs as they fell onto the bed. He ran his hand down her side quickly, following the curve of her bottom and then tugging at her panties. She helped him, laying back and breathing heavily as he moved from her in order to unzip his pants and pull them down. He knew they were taking things fast. He had envisioned an entire seduction when she arrived but the moment her small, hot hands touched him he knew slow was not an option.
At least not for the first time.
When he leaned toward her again, they were interrupted by the lilting tones of Marni Nixon. He hesitated for a moment, but then leaned forward and murmured, "You can get that later."
She nodded but then her lips set into a frown. "I..I think I should answer it."
"Rachel-"
"What if it's the director?" she said, already scrambling out from under him. He sighed heavily, turning and sitting on the bed. He ran a hand through his hair and said, "You're right. Answer it."
She was a step ahead of him and was already speaking into the phone, looking at his blank wall expectantly. He watched her expression, feeling his stomach twist as the expectancy turned to disappointment. She said a few words, and he recognized her stage voice.
"Yes, thank you," she said. "Yes, I will." She nodded repeatedly and he pulled his pants back up, moving over to her when he noticed her lower lip tremble slightly. "Yes, yes, you too. Good bye."
He touched her elbow gently and her arm dropped. She shook her head, turning away from him as she tossed her phone on the bed.
"There are other shows," he told her. "And yours is out there."
"I know," she said, wiping at her eyes. "I don't know why I'm getting so upset."
"Come here," he murmured, pulling her into his arms. He dropped a kiss to the top of her head, feeling the now all-too-familiar pang of guilt at his own success. He knew how it felt to want something so badly that it hurt. He understood the exhilarating highs and the crushing lows. And rejection was never easy.
"It's only your first New York audition," he murmured, rubbing her back. "And there will be many, many more."
"Because I will keep not getting call backs," she murmured bitterly. Almost immediately after she said, "No, that is negative. And I will not be negative. I deserve to be down here."
"Yes, you do." He looked down at her, and took a hold of her chin. He dropped his lips to hers briefly and mumbled against them, "You are a powerhouse of talent, Rachel. This just wasn't the right show for you, okay?"
She looked up at him, feeling tears prick at her eyes not because of that damn phone call, but because he was looking down at her with such sincerity, such adoration. She fought back a sob, feeling silly for crying over such a thing. His eyebrows furrowed in worry and he moved his hand to her cheek. "Come on Rach, please don't cry."
"I'm not," she blubbered, tears dripping down her cheeks.
"Oh, really?"
"Okay, I am," she relented. "But they are happy tears."
"Happy tears?"
She reached up and pulled his face to hers, kissing him fully. When she pulled away she was smiling softly and told him, "I just can't believe that I am lucky enough to have found someone like you. This is your big weekend and you're standing here comforting me over some unimportant audition."
"But it is important," he pressed. "It was important to you, so it's important to me."
Rachel smiled softly up at him and murmured, "Jesse St James, you really are a remarkable person."
He chuckled. "Thank you."
"Now, I think it is about time that we make use of that bed."
"Are you sure?" he asked, but his hand already found its way to her waist. "We don't have to if-"
She cut him off with a kiss.
ST BERRY-ST BERRY-ST BERRY
Rachel knew that Jesse needed time alone before shows, so she took the time to explore New York, settling into a local café that Jesse had told her many performers stole away to when they weren't working.
She sat at one of the back tables, likening herself as a regular. To her credit, no one really looked at her. It was as if she was invisible, but she imagined that was how the regulars liked it. They were constantly gawked at, it was probably nice to go to a place where everyone knew your name but didn't give a damn.
A group of girls took the table next to her and she could tell from one look that they were decidedly not regulars. They giggled and preened, looking around with eyes as wide as saucers. One had blonde hair pulled into a tight bun to show off a rather oddly shaped head. Her friend's face was framed by a frizzy halo of brown hair.
"I hear this is where all the actors go," the blonde trilled, leaning conspiringly toward her friend. "Think we'll see him?"
"I don't know," her friend sighed, a dreamy look taking over her squished features. "Imagine being face to face with Jesse St. James."
Rachel nearly choked on her tea.
"It would be wonderful," the blonde agreed in the same dreamy tone. "Imagine him smiling at us."
Both were silent for a moment as they envisioned this new development in their daydreaming. The blonde broke out of the stupor first and asked, "We're doing the stage door thing tonight, right?"
"Of course! I heard he loves to meet his fans."
"Good," the blonde enthused. "You know, I think I'm going to slip him my phone number."
Rachel would have shot the girl a look if she hadn't had such an oddly shaped head. Jesse wouldn't touch her with a five foot pole.
"No!" her friend gasped. "Don't you know he has a girlfriend?"
"Yeah, in Chicago," the blonde snipped. "Can't believe he's dating someone who isn't good enough for Broadway. Can you say, slumming it?"
The girls erupted into giggles as Rachel turned about eighteen shades of purple beside them. The only thing that kept her from reaching over and slapping the two of them was the steadfast knowledge that Jesse was hers. What they had done in his room (several times, might she add) only hours ago proved that. "You're so bad," the brunette giggled, leaning forward in her seat. "Think I should do it too?"
"Why not? No harm, right?" the blonde mused. "Except to that community talent girlfriend of his."
Rachel was one breath away from grabbing both girls by the hair and yanking until she drew blood, but her phone buzzed and her plans were thwarted. She scowled, looking down at her phone. At the sight of Jesse's name she felt a smug satisfaction and took a deep breath before flipping it open.
Need to see you.
She gathered her things immediately and left, but not before shooting the two girls an obvious glare. As she strode past them she heard the blonde mutter, "What's her problem?"
ST BERRY-ST BERRY-ST BERRY
It occurred to Rachel on the way back to the apartment that Jesse's terse message was a bit strange, and her mind went into overdrive as she made her way back. She was nearly tittering with nerves when she finally got back and found Jesse waiting for her outside. She saw that he had his bag with him and she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.
"Jesse?"
He went over to her and took her hand in his, holding it tightly. She noticed immediately that he was trembling and she gave his hand a little squeeze.
"What is it?" she asked.
"I needed you here with me," he explained quickly, tilting his head to the side a bit to tell her that they were going to walk. They went down the street and he continued, "I needed you here because I'm-well-I'm nervous. I'm never nervous for shows but right now I feel like there are bugs crawling under my skin. I.."
"Sshh," she said gently, slipping her arm around his torso. "It's okay. You know what this is?"
"What?"
He looked down at her, clearly awaiting some brilliant answer, and she laughed. "This, Jesse, is how everyone else feels before a show. Welcome."
"This is terrible," he breathed out.
She shook her head. "No, this is normal. And it will pass, too. I know you will go out there and just amaze everyone."
"This is a big deal," he murmured, looking down at her as they waited at a traffic light. "This is the real deal, Rachel. If I don't deliver, well, if I don't it's over."
"Who's the drama queen, now?" she teased gently. "You are Jesse St James, therefore all of this worry is completely unnecessary. You're going to be fantastic. I just know it."
"You do?"
She nodded. "I have no doubt in my mind."
He took a deep breath and then exhaled loudly. A few more and his heartbeat was near normal and the color had returned to his cheeks. He glanced down at her and said, "I'm sorry for dragging you over here."
"I want to be here," she said. "I like being your support system."
"Were you at that café I told you about before?"
She nodded. "Yup, two girls beside me were plotting their pursuit of you."
"Oh, is that so?"
"They are going to slip you their phone numbers, because they believe you are deserving of more than a community talent girl from Chicago."
"They really said that?"
"I was putting it nicely," Rachel said.
"You know that's not true, Rach. You are at least Off-Broadway talent."
She grinned. "Yeah, I didn't take them too seriously. Besides, what do they know about talent? They walked right past Sutton Foster on their way in and didn't even look at her."
Jesse gasped. "Travesty."
"Exactly, so I feel I am relatively safe."
The theater was in front of them then and Jesse affectionately touched her cheek, dropping his lips to hers quickly. "Thank you for listening to my hysterics."
"This is nothing compared to the hysteria you've had to put up with from me," she reminded him. "And I love you for sticking with me through all of that."
"Don't mention it," he answered with a grin. He took one more kiss and then said, "Better head in. Don't want to be late for my first call."
"That would be irresponsible," she agreed with a curt nod. "I'll be in the audience telling everyone who will listen that the amazing Sky Masterson is my boyfriend."
He laughed. "It means a lot to me that you're here, Rach."
"Oh stop," she chided. His words still gave her a thrill, though. One year together and he could still send a chill all the way to her toes with a few simple words. "Good luck, babe."
ST BERRY-ST BERRY-ST BERRY
She was nearly bursting with pride after the show, her ears ringing with all the talk about that charming new male lead. Based off what she had heard, Jesse's Broadway premiere was a rousing success. She could have told him that without hearing it but she knew it would mean more for him to hear it from others. He had this idea that she was biased in her opinion for him.
Why in the world would he think that?
She met him backstage, unable to keep from crying out as she launched herself into his arms. He held her tightly, and she showered his face with kisses as she murmured, "You were marvelous!"
"It felt good," he answered breathlessly. "It felt right."
"I love you," she said fervently, pressing a kiss to his lips. "And you are simply brilliant!"
She stepped to the side as the cast swept upon him, allowing herself to blend into the sidelines. This was him moment, after all, and he deserved all the accolades. The men clapped him on the shoulder while the women generally pulled him into friendly embraces. It was nice to see him with his cast and to see just how close they were.
"You might want to skip out on the stage door," one advised. "They're gonna be like rabid dogs with you, kid."
"I wouldn't miss that for the world," Jesse said. "I was them not too long ago."
He reached out toward Rachel and she gladly slipped her hand into his. They walked toward the stage door and he asked, "Really think it will be as bad as he made it sound?"
She squeezed his hand. "I think you can handle it."
They stopped just short of the door and he looked down at her, "You ready?"
"Are you? It is you that they are here for, remember?"
He grinned. "Let's go meet them."
He pushed the door open and they were met with mass pandemonium. Dozens of preening girls were there and the sight of Jesse St James was like blood in the water. She stood beside him as he signed playbills and stepped to the side when pictures were taken. She spotted the two girls from the café as they pushed their way to the front.
"Jesse!" the blonde cried out, nearly knocking over a short redhead who was in her way. "Oh Jesse! You were amazing!"
Jesse looked over at the girl and smiled, nodding his thanks. "That's very nice of you."
"Can I have your autograph?"
"Sure thing." He took her playbill and Rachel watched the girl's eyes, the way she studied every feature on his face . She couldn't really blame the girl because she had done the same thing herself for quite a long time. But then she saw the girl take back the playbill and obviously press something into Jesse's palm. She stepped closer then and slid her arm around his torso. He turned his head to her and pressed a kiss to her cheek.
"Oh," the blonde from the café murmured, not doubt recognizing Rachel. In a last ditch attempt the blonde asked, "Is this your girlfriend?"
"Yeah," Jesse said, looking toward Rachel and sharing a small grin with her. "Yeah, she is."
"How cute," the blonde said after a moment, her voice clearly not reading the same sentiment of her words.
Rachel couldn't help but feel smug as the girl's friend handed over her playbill and they somewhat grudgingly blended back into the crowd to allow others to meet Jesse. She was surprised when she heard someone say, "Rachel Berry!"
She looked to where the voice had come from and furrowed her eyebrows in confusion when a girl smiled over at her and said, "You and Jesse St James, it seems like too much!"
"Excuse me?"
"I loved you in Funny Girl," the girl gushed. "You were so funny! Really, that show is my all time favorite!"
Rachel blushed. "Thank you. That means a lot to me."
"Can I have your autograph?"
Rachel had to laugh at the fact that the girl was asking for hers and not Jesse's. As she signed the playbill, Jesse scribbling his own name on several beside her, she saw how close she was to the life she had dreamt of. Standing outside of a real Broadway theater, no longer on the fan side, she felt sure in that moment that she would find her ideal Broadway show. And she would join Jesse on that stage.
It was only a matter of time.
A/N: Please leave feedback! Your thoughts mean a lot to me!
Also..I want to include a song in the next chapter. So, if you have a song that you think is JR material, please tell me it in your review! All types are welcome!
