Playing Yesterday

Beck/Jade

based loosely on Little Numbers

Thursday, December 24th

Beckkk, have you gotten things worked out with? You know, with Jade? :(

No, Cat, I haven't. She refuses to answer my texts. You of all people should know how stubborn she is.

Oh. Well. That's really sad. D: You guys seemed to be... she really liked you. Likes you! I don't know :(

I know. She, erm, she told me.

Aren't you going to tell her you like her too?

Yeah, well, see, the problem is that I'm a little bit stubborn too.

Well, how about this? I'm offering you...

What are you offering me?

The dots mean that there's a DRAMATIC pause! Anyway, I'm offering you a distraction! (:

A distraction from what?

From the whole situation with Jade, obviously. You seem sad :( I don't like when my friends are sad! So I just... I thought maybe you would want to get out for a while, you know? Once my brother was sad so he went to the zoo and when he came back, he was happy!

That's not really relevant to my situation, but anyway, what's your idea for getting me out?

Well... you have to hear me out, okay?

Yeah, sure.

Do you promise? (:

Yes, Cat, I promise.

Okay, so there's this girl I know, and she's really really nice, so I thought I might set you up on a blind date to make you forget about Jade!

…no.

Beck! You promised you would hear me out!

But Cat, I don't do blind dates.

Listen, though, you want to forget about Jade and your feelings for her, right? This girl is really awesome and pretty and stuff, so I mean, she could help you forget! And I picked her out and you trust me! I swear that you guys would be amazing together. I swear on my life.

...well, maybe. Does she – are you sure?

I'm completely sure! Pleaseee, Beck?
Pleaseee!

Please?

Sent picture: kitty-cat

Fine. I'll go. But if this date... if things don't work out, I won't be happy.

Trust me. You will be! Meet her at 6 PM at Maestro's tonight. Don't be late or she won't be happy!

–

Jadeeeey!

Cat.

Look, don't you want to get over Beck?

Yes.

So maybe, if you went on a date with another guy, he might be perfect for you and you can forget Beck! :D (Or maybe he'd get jealous. Which would be pretty funny :D)

...what are you getting at?

Will you go on a blind date with this really nice, really good-looking guy?

Depends. Will he pay?

I'm fairly sure he will :D

Will there be food?

I think so!

Do you think he sees the beauty of scissors and llamas?

I'm fairly sure that he does :D

Oh. Well, I'm in.

Wow! You were easy to convince!

...did you think I wouldn't be? Really, this is beginning to look sort of suspicious...

NO! I mean, nothing suspicious here (:

Well, fine. What time and place?

6 PM, Maestro's, tonight. Be there or be a square! ….or a circle, or a star, or a rectangle! He says he'll be at the table with a white rose :)

–

Jade arrived at 6:03 PM. She figured that the boy she was meeting could wait a bit – after all, she was definitely worth waiting for. With a smirk, she strode into the restaurant, confidence emanating from every pore of her being. But when she opened the door, she glanced around the restaurant and froze.

Was that... it couldn't be. Cat wouldn't dare set her up on a date with Beck Oliver, of all people. Angrily, she strode over to the table with the white rose that Beck Oliver was standing beside, but instead of the angry words she'd planned on saying, what came out was, "Cat... you... blind date."

"Jade," was his equally as eloquent response. Both of them just stood there for a moment, as if they were taking in the fact that they were actually standing there, talking face-to-face instead of texting like they usually do. Despite her anger, she found herself taking in every detail of him – his dark face, the way his lips curved into a half-pleased, half-unamused smile, the way that his eyes brightened upon seeing her (like he was really seeing her for the first time).

She bit her lip. "I can't believe her."

"She got her way, didn't she?" Beck asked casually. His voice was deep and low and actually rather nice, though she wouldn't ever tell him that. "She said... she said she was setting me up on a blind date. I was..." I was supposed to forget you, he finished mentally.

Of course, Beck's eyes were all over the place as well. He decided his favorite thing about her was her eyes, though he was partial to the rest of her body as well. She really was gorgeous; he hadn't a clue as to why she would ever think she was ugly. Not that he was going to tell her that.

Jade's eyes flitted back and forth nervously before she spoke. "Yeah. She said the same thing to me, actually. But she did end up getting her way. We're talking. Now go ahead and talk before I go home and change my mind."

Beck sighed. He decided that perhaps it was about time he just gave in. Courteously, he pulled the chair out for her, offering her a seat, and then he sat down in the other seat. With a frown, he began. "I'm sorry."

She felt her heart thumping a bit faster, but she decided immediately that it was best to ignore it. "For what?"

"For what I said. I didn't mean it. And for the record..." he trailed off, taking a deep breath. "I don't think you're ugly."

"Yeah, well, maybe I think you're ugly." Her voice was flat, but her eyes twinkled and something like a smile tugged at the edges of her mouth. Gorgeous was all he could think.

"Maybe I think you're a dork." He rolled his eyes.

Despite her inhibitions, she found herself laughing. Laughing. No, this was definitely not the way she'd planned for this to go. She bit her lip again, pleading with herself to stop doing stupid things. Jade West did not laugh.

"I'm not letting this go yet, though," he continued relentlessly. "I'd like an apology from you as well."

"I don't apologize."

"Maybe you should start."

Stalemate, she thought, and from the look on his face, it was obvious that he agreed. Sighing, she shook her head. "No recording my apology for posterity."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

"And you can't make fun of me about it, either." Beck cursed under his breath, but nodded nonetheless. She scowled before continuing. "I'm sorry... for what I said. I mean. I didn't mean any of it."

"You didn't mean any of it?" He tilted his head to the side. Of course, he was primarily curious about her confession, but he didn't like the fact that she could so easily lie to him, either.

"Do you want me to give some long, heartfelt speech?" She rolled her eyes. "We're not in a romance movie, Beckett."

He chuckled. "It would be nice, actually."

"Fine." Her heart was beating a little bit faster, despite herself. "You want to know the truth, do you?" It seemed a bit harder than she'd thought now – standing there, staring into his eyes, all she wanted to do was run away. Instead, she stood her ground. "I meant what I said when I said that what you said was low. Don't comment on the absurd usage of 'I said' or I will quite literally pound your head into the ground. Anyway. I lied. You're not like Matt – well, you are in some aspects, but in most, you're not like him. I like – I want to be friends with you because you're not like him." She took a deep breath. "Oh yeah, and I didn't delete your number, despite the fact that you're an obnoxious idiot."

"It's funny," was all that Beck said, tilting his head to the side.

"What do you mean?" she demanded. "Nothing about that was funny! I just poured my admittedly non-existent, shriveled heart out to you and all you can say is that it's funny?"

"It's funny how you can manage to make me insanely happy and insult me in the same paragraph." He raised an eyebrow and stared at her. "You're funny."

"Good funny, I hope." It was a statement, not a question.

"I think so. Anyway, I accept your apology," he offered, trying to make peace.

"Well, of course you do!" She was miffed that he'd even imply that he was thinking of not accepting it. "When Jade West apologizes, you either accept or you die."

"I'll keep that in mind." He grinned and turned to the waitress, who'd come to take their orders at last. "I'll take the Bone-in Filet."

"And your date?" The waitress looked pointedly at Jade, who tensed visibly. Instinctively, Beck reached over and placed a hand on her arm, frowning slightly at how natural it felt to have his hand against her arm.

She relaxed a little and shrugged. "Gorgonzola Mac & Cheese, I guess."

The waitress nodded and collected their menus, so Beck let his hand drop. "Mac & Cheese? Honestly? You're such a child sometimes."

"You're the one being childish," she retorted, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Yeah, Jadelyn, stick your tongue out at me, really mature." He winked slightly. Jade tried to keep herself from blushing. Jade West did not blush, either, not even close. It was kind of scary how he was coming so close to breaking all of her 'rules' in one night.

It was quiet for a moment, and then Beck spoke again. Of course, he just had to bring up the subject. "Are you? My date, I mean?"

"Do you want me to be?" It was an innocent enough question.

But of course, Beck avoided it, just as she had avoided his question. "Look, Jade... what you said to me in the text. You said you broke up with Matt because of me. Was that the truth?"

She found herself avoiding his eyes. Her face reddening a little bit, she scowled. "You could answer my question, you know."

"Or you could answer mine."

"Or you could stop being an idiot. I thought the guys were supposed to talk about their feelings first."

"For a feminist, that's a really chauvinist thing to say. Somehow, I think you're just trying to get out of talking about your feelings."

She tried to resist the urge to punch him in his cocky, adorable face. "Somehow, I think you're doing the same thing."

"This could go on and on for hours."

"Only if you let it."

"You're the one who's continuing this," he pointed out.

"No, you are."

"You're a freak."

"I hate you."

"Really?"

Then they were kissing. Neither of them had any idea who had started it first, but they both were acutely aware of the fact that someone else's lips were pressed against theirs, and both of them were strangely okay with it. In fact, Jade's hands were making her way up to his hair and entangling themselves there, and his hands were on either side of her face, pulling her closer.

It was only when the waitress cleared her throat did they remember that they were in a restaurant, which by definition is a public place. Both of them pulled back, reddening noticeably and taking their food.

"It's okay," the waitress told them, as if she was some sort of confidante and not a random person that they'd never met before. "I remember my first love."

Jade looked up at her, glaring, the words she was about to say evident on her lips, but Beck leaned over and gave her a short kiss again to stop her. He smiled up at the waitress. "I bet so."

The waitress left at last, leaving them both befuddled about what had just happened. Jade stabbed at her macaroni with her fork before glancing up at Beck. "Yes."

"Yes?" he repeated, confused.

"Yes, I broke up with Matt because of you. Honestly, keep up." Again, she rolled her eyes, and Beck had a feeling that this was going to become a recurring habit. "Because I like you. Which is stupid, because before tonight I'd never met you, yet it feels like –"

"It feels like I've known you for ages," Beck finished, knowing exactly what she was going to say. "I like you, too. I have... I've liked you for a while, actually. And I know I'd never met you, either, but..."

"It's stupid." Jade laughed, her smile consuming her face now, and Beck decided it was one of the most gorgeous things he had ever seen. "We're stupid."

"No, we're different," Beck corrected her, crossing his arms across his chest.

She sat in silence a moment, as if she was trying to figure out the implications of what had just happened. "Am I your girlfriend?"

"Do you want to be?"

"Not this again." She groaned. "Yes, fine, I want to be. You're my boyfriend, though."

"Yes, I am." He grinned proudly and leaned across the table to kiss her cheek.

She nodded simply. "You're still a dork, though. And an idiot. Everything I said – except for that one time and all – still stands. I mean, honestly, Cenwig?"

"Same goes for me. You're still a llama-loving freak, girlfriend." He smirked at her.

"Now you sound like you're trying to be a fashionista guy, which does not sit well with me. So just eat your food in silence." She scowled at him.

"You suck."

"Not dignifying that with a response."

"You just did."

"Eat your food, idiot."

At long last, the two of them started eating. Of course, the silence didn't last long.

"Beck?" Jade inquired, cocking her head to the side.

"Yeah?"

"Since we're 'dating' or whatever it's called now, will you buy me a llama? For Christmas?"

Beck burst out laughing, then shook his head. "Sorry, babe, no can do."

"Eh. Thought it might work."

Beck just grinned at her, a huge grin that took up nearly all of his face, and he just sat there in silence for a moment and watched her eat, which, admittedly, sort of creeped her out.

"What?" she demanded after a minute of this.

"It's just kind of unbelievable, you know? I mean, we've been texting for months or whatever and never spoken face-to-face, and here we are, meeting for the first time but it's like – I already know you. I know what you like and dislike and your personality and your history. The only difference is I can look at your face and I can do this."

Of course, he punctuated his sentence by leaning across the table and kissing her, taking special care to make sure she hadn't been chewing or anything. She, of course, had no objections.

"You know," she said thoughtfully. "It's not bad, kissing you. I think I might like it."

"Practice makes perfect?" Beck suggested with a grin.

"Wait till I finish my food, loser," she retorted, shoving a forkful of macaroni in his face.

Once she finished at last, she stood up and extended a hand. "Well, let's go pay and blow this popsicle joint."

"You're a dork."

"You're paying."

"I know."

He grinned, entwining his fingers with hers. "We'll have to do this more often."

"Yes." She paused, staring at his face and then shaking her head slightly. "I think we will."

"Someone's being romantic."

"Shut up, idiot, it's only the first date."

"So you admit this is a date?"

"Whatever."

"It's Christmas Eve, Jade. Isn't that romantic? We have our anniversary on Christmas Eve!"

"You're a cheeseball."

"You like it."

She bit her lip, deep in thought. "...maybe."

His only response was to wrap an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him. Of course, she didn't object.

"Merry Christmas, Jadelyn," he whispered into her hair.

"Merry Christmas, Beckett."

–

Well, your little plan worked.

...what! I … I didn't have a plan :(

Yes, you did. I'm not complaining, though. Beck and I are dating now.

Really? :D That's amazing, Jadey! What happened?

We kissed and stuff. Nothing unusual.

Omg, that's so adorable!

Never use the world adorable to describe Beck and I again. Please.

But really (: I'm glad that you guys made up and well... made out a little too ;D

Oh gosh.

I'm happy for you!

I'm happy for me too.

–

A/N: OKAY WELL THERE YOU HAVE IT. That is the end of this fic and the last legitimate chapter. An epilogue should (hopefully) be up sometime soon. I hope you've enjoyed this fic, guys!

I'm sorry I haven't replied to anyone's reviews, but someone close to me died and yeah, I'm sorry about that! (I'm writing this as a distraction, actually.) Thank you so much for your reviews, and keep it up for the epilogue soon. All your reviews mean so, so much.

As for a sequel, I'm still undecided. I might, but then again I think I might want to start a completely new Bade fanfic, so yeah.

Anyway, I'm rambling now. Please leave a review and don't fave without reviewing!