Disclaimer: I do not own anyone or anything from Victorious, and the title of the story was inspired by Avril Lavigne's song Things I'll Never Say. Also, the play that is mentioned in this chapter is based on the book The Full Catastrophe by David Carkeet.
So let me just say how touched I was to receive all the positive feedback even after putting you guys through a Bade chapter, lol. You guys are great. Anyway, this is one of my favorite chapters in the whole story. Happy reading, everyone!
Chapter Nine
"Yes, Andre," Tori said, pressing her pear phone to her ear as she hurried down the stairs. "Yeah, he'll be here any minute now...no thanks to you."
Only two days were left until the opening night for The Full Catastrophe. Earlier today, Andre had made the bold suggestion to Beck to run lines with Tori when Jade had to back out at the last minute because something had come up.
"Andre, there's nothing funny about me being nervous! I always get all wonky when Beck and I are alone together."
Tori was anxiously tugging at her clothes and checking her reflection in the smooth steel surface of a frying pan when she suddenly heard knocking on the front door. Startled, she jumped and gave a small shriek.
"Yes, I know I'm spazzing out!" she exclaimed into the phone. "Okay, well I gotta go. I think Beck's here."
After saying goodbye to Andre, Tori made her way to the front door and took a deep breath before swinging it open.
"Hey, Beck." She greeted him with a wide smile to conceal her nerves.
"Are you okay?" Beck asked as he stepped into the living room. "I thought I heard you scream."
"No, no." Tori waved her hand dismissively. "You probably just heard the TV."
Beck shot Tori a curious look, but decided against questioning it when he suddenly caught a whiff of a rich buttery aroma in the air.
"Something smells good."
"That's because I baked cookies," said Tori as she pointed to the plate of chocolate-chip cookies on the coffee table. "Free for the taking."
Beck smiled, then reached into his backpack and handed her a copy of the script.
"Are you sure you don't mind going over these lines with me?"
"No, of course not. This'll be fun."
Though she didn't say it out loud, Tori always admired Beck's acting skills. He was probably one of the best in their class, having a keen ability to fully grasp the emotions of any character thrown at him. Even as a comedy, The Full Catastrophe was not short of emotionally driven scenes and Beck was able to execute each one in an effortless manner.
"What do you want?" he asked, channeling his character.
Tori quickly skimmed the script to find her spot and replied, "Surprise me."
"No, just tell me what you want. If I try to guess, it'll be the wrong thing."
She brazenly placed her hands on her hips. "How are you so sure?"
"Because it's always the wrong thing!"
The intensity in Beck's eyes nearly stole Tori's breath away, and it took everything in her to keep from becoming unglued. Losing her place for the second time, Tori broke character and tossed the script on the coffee table.
"Okay, break time!"
Within the past hour, the plateful of cookies had quickly dwindled down to three. Tori grabbed two and handed one to Beck.
"I'd say you're ready for opening night," she said with a sincere smile.
"Thanks," Beck said, taking a bite of the cookie. "We just have to run through the last scene in rehearsals tomorrow and I'll be good to go."
Beck smacked his lips delightfully, savoring the sweet taste of the chocolate as it melted in his mouth.
"These cookies are really good."
Tori nodded knowingly. "It's a Belgian recipe."
"Figures," said Beck, grabbing the last cookie. "Chocolate capitol of the world, right?"
"Hey now," said Tori teasingly. "Who said you could take the last cookie?"
A gleam of humor flashed in Beck's eyes as he mockingly replied, "I am the guest. I should automatically get the last cookie."
"At least give me half," Tori insisted as she crossed her arms over her chest and played along with their friendly banter.
"Only if you can grab it first."
A dangerously striking smile formed on Beck's lips as Tori shot him a playful glare. She tried to grab the cookie, but he had already anticipated her move and swiftly moved it out of reach. She made another dart for his hand, but Beck was just too fast for her.
"Beck Oliver!" she exclaimed in a mock indignant tone.
"Tori Vega," he teased back with a slight chuckle.
Just then, Beck stretched out his arm towards the ceiling, holding the cookie just short of Tori's reach. She jumped and tried to grab it but to no avail.
"Are we really doing this right now?"
"That was the deal, wasn't it?"
In a huff, Tori placed her hand on Beck's shoulder and lurched forward in a big leap. As she did so, she lost her balance and fell onto the couch, pulling Beck down with her. In the midst of the fall, Beck dropped the cookie as he wrapped his arms around Tori to try and catch her. They were now sitting back on the couch in a fit of laughter, and Beck glanced over to where Tori's head rested on his shoulder. Her face was flushed red from all the laughing making her cheeks look like perfectly plump apples and her eyes sparkled with amusement. Without thinking, Beck cupped one side of her face with his hand and paused for only a brief second before catching her lips in a tender kiss.
Tori's eyes widened in surprise as she felt her heart practically beat out of her chest. Beck's lips were so warm and soft against her own that she soon found herself drawn to his embrace and kissing him back.
Whatever doubts or reservations they felt towards each other melted away and they were both overcome with a heady sensation that neither one of them ever imagined feeling from such a simple kiss. But the reality of the situation was quick to strike when the thought of Jade suddenly popped into Tori's mind.
"Beck," Tori softly said as she pulled away.
He looked down and saw her brown eyes clouded with concern. Embarrassed by his own conduct, he leaned back on the couch and ran his hand through his hair.
"I'm really sorry," he said, meeting Tori's gaze. "I don't know what came over me."
Tori looked thoughtful for a moment before letting her gaze drop to the floor.
"I didn't expect to like you this much," she quietly admitted.
"You do?"
She nodded and smiled reluctantly.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"It wouldn't change how I feel about the whole Jade situation."
Beck remained silent, not knowing what else to say. A part of him truly wanted to respect Tori's feelings on the matter; but after a kiss like that Beck was convinced that there was a genuine spark they just couldn't ignore.
"You don't–" Tori paused, unsure of whether to continue. "You don't still have feelings for Jade, do you?"
"What?" Beck blinked, taken aback by her question. "No, I don't. What makes you think that?"
Shifting uneasily in her seat, Tori quickly blurted, "Nevermind. I was just wondering."
A tense silence passed between them before Beck decided to speak.
"So what now?" In his eyes was a trace of regret.
Tori swallowed hard. "I think it's time we talk to Jade. We need to tell her what happened."
Beck thought for a moment, picturing the different scenarios of Jade's reaction to the kiss. With the recent changes in her personality, he honestly wasn't sure how she was going to take it. All things considered, the old Jade's reaction was undoubtedly the worst case scenario. Nevertheless, Beck relented.
"Alright. We can talk to her tomorrow after rehearsals."
Tori smiled, grateful that he was trying to be understanding about their complicated circumstance.
"Thanks, Beck."
Beck smiled back and then reached down to retrieve the last chocolate-chip cookie off the floor.
"Just so you know, that kiss was definitely better than these Belgian cookies."
Cookies and Bori cuteness, two of my favorite things all in one chapter ;-). Please don't hesitate to share your thoughts!
