Secret Santa
Beca was stuck. Out of all the people in the world to get for her secret Santa, she had pulled Aubrey Posen's name out of the hat.
"What's eating you?" Jesse broke through her thoughts.
"We did our secret Santa today". She sighed heavily, shoving Justin Beiber into the shelf. "And guess who I got".
He was fairly sure he knew who she'd gotten, judging by the pained expression on her face. "Aubrey Posen herself".
"Got it in one". She nodded.
"Wanna know who I got?"
She nodded.
"Bumper Allen".
Beca groaned, laughing a little.
"We did good, hey?" he smiled at her.
"Freaking typical". She shook her head. "Well, now I've got to work out what to get the dictator".
"Beca".
"You aren't there last Saturday". Beca shuddered at the memory. "You know I can still hear her screaming in my dreams?"
He laughed. "Leave it to me, Bec", he promised. "I'll work something out".
Beca visibly jumped when she heard a car horn, trudging home from Bellas practice.
"Get in loser we're going shopping".
"What did you just call me?" she snapped, glaring at Jesse, who was grinning smugly from the driver's seat.
"It physically pains me that you, a teenage girl, didn't get that reference". Jesse clutched his heart dramatically. "Get in".
"Where are you taking me?" she wanted to know.
"Well we need to go Christmas shopping. I need to get a present for my best friend and or lover".
"Don't say lover".
"You didn't object to best friend". He beamed at her as she stretched her seatbelt across her chest.
"Jury's still out. What was that reference, anyway?"
"Mean Girls- which we will be watching, FYI. I don't know how you've lived eighteen years without seeing it. That's pathetic".
"Its pathetic you know Mean Girls quotes". But her eyes sparkled and he knew she didn't mean it. "Why couldn't I have gotten Stacie?"
"What would you have gotten her?"
"Condoms and a new nail polish". Beca shrugged. "She's easy to shop for. But nope, I got Aubrey. I'd consider getting her a megaphone but I need my ears for my music, and she'd loud enough already".
Jesse laughed.
(He had a really nice laugh. She'd never really noticed before.)
It took them forty five minutes to locate a car park within the complex. And then it took Jesse another ten to manoeuvre the car into the spot.
They were halfway around the mall when it occurred to Beca.
"Hey weirdo?"
"Hey what?" he said distractedly, glancing into the widow.
"Where'd you get the car?"
"Hijacked it". He shrugged.
She looked at him.
"It's Donald's. But I've watched enough movies to get away with it".
"You're such a weirdo". And she rolled her eyes, not meaning a second of it.
"We should get a Santa photo!"
Jesse all but punched Beca in the shoulder to get her attention, making her squeal.
"What? No!"
"Come on, it would make history".
Beca started to chuckle. "Aubrey would toss her cookies for sure".
(He liked her laugh.)
"Taco Bell, Beca?" Jesse wanted to know, as he reversed the car out of the lines.
"Yes", she said without hesitation. "Wait, how did you know I liked-"
"Beca, that's all you ever eat".
She shrugged. "Not gonna lie".
(He noticed everything about her.)
"Merry Christmas Aubrey", Beca said, almost pleasantly as she shoved a plain wrapped box at the blonde.
"Thanks Beca!" she said in surprise.
(If she knew that her gift had been selected by a Treblemaker she would flip her shit.)
"Bumper", Jesse nodded, giving the leader of the Trebles the slightly gaudy gift bag.
There was no way he was going to tell him that a Bella had chosen his gift.