I'm going to apologize now for there not being a whole lot of action in this chapter, but I needed a filler. Also, did anyone watch the Tonys last night? It was sad not seeing our lovely Lea-Jon duo, but it still re-ignited my love of musicals all over again. Be prepared for a LOT more singing in this story to come!
"I'm sure we can discuss the minute details of your wedding attire when I return, Kurt." Rachel was laughing whole-heartedly, but she had also been on the phone with her best friend for the last hour and a half discussing the plans he already had for the wedding. He and Blaine had both decided on New Years Eve as the date, which would be a rush for planning, but neither of them wanted to start another year unless they were officially husbands. She got him off the phone with promises that she would spend every free moment of the weekend helping him with ceremonial obligations. After she hung up, she noticed Jesse standing in the kitchen with a dishrag thrown over his shoulder, leisurely rinsing a wineglass in the sink.
"You know they have dishwashers for that…?" Jesse turned around, mid-wash, as he heard Rachel enter the kitchen with her proclamation.
"They never get them clean enough. I'm more of a hands-on guy. You should appreciate that little fact," he replied with a wink and a peck on Rachel's lips. She laughed softly as she slid her arms around his torso and rested her chin on his shoulder blade as he continued washing. Never had she felt so comfortable in a relationship before. They'd eaten separately through her phone conversation with Kurt after they both noticed she would be connected for a while, and Jesse had sat quietly and let her enjoy her talk with her best friend. "So, engaged, huh?" He said, breaking her of her thoughts. "I thought you said Blaine wanted to wait until after grad school?"
"He's been taking extra courses so he can graduate in the fall. Neither of us had any idea, although we should have… considering he's never home." She laughed softly again. "Kurt said he had the band at the restaurant play Katy Perry's new ballad and sang along, finally proposing with a solid silver band with a tiny diamond in the middle. I can only imagine the look on Kurt's face! I'm so happy for them. So unbelievably happy…" she trailed off as he rinsed the last dish and turned to face her, wrapping his arms around her body and resting his chin on her head.
"I know you are," he said through gritted teeth, not wanting to raise his head from its resting spot in her hair. "Please extend my congratulations with a hug from me next time you see them. I can only imagine how frantic Kurt will be with the planning," he added with a soft laugh.
"Hmmm. It's going to be an exhausting few months… Do you know what time it is?" Jesse looked over her shoulder to the clock hanging on the adjacent wall. It was only 8pm, but they were both physically and emotionally exhausted from the day.
"8 o'clock. Would you mind if we called it a night? I thought maybe you could show up in class tomorrow, sing a song or two… give my male students something to envision before they go to sleep at night," he suggested, with yet another wink. Rachel swatted his chest as she laughed and made her way to the bedroom, instantly plotting a scheme in her head.
Blaine walked into the living room he shared with his roommates and noticed Kurt lying on the couch, waving the fingers on his left hand as his new addition sparkled in the light. "Have I told you how happy I am that you said yes?" he asked with a smile as he lay down next to his future husband.
"As if there were ever a doubt!" Kurt exclaimed. "I had no idea. Honestly, I had absolutely no idea. You would think after eight years I would be able to read you a bit better." He sighed as he ran his fingers through Blaine's hair, loving each and every moment he had with him until school captured his other half once again. "We need to start planning though. Obviously, I think we should go for a Princess Di wedding theme. It was the biggest event of the twentieth century, after all. Now I don't expect to have a twenty-five foot train on my tuxedo, but everything else will be to nines." Blaine laughed softly as he let Kurt continue. "The colors will be black and white, of course. Nothing but class. The flowers are going to be incredibly difficult to choose though…"
He trailed off as a thought came to Blaine's mind. "Hey, what about the location?" Kurt stared at him for a moment, having not even considered that detail before. "I suppose Lima would be the obvious choice, considering that's where our families are. Or would you rather have it in New York?"
"No, I think Lima would be best," Kurt concluded. "We can't afford to fly our entire families to the city, and it's unfair of us to ask them to budget it themselves. I'm sure the new community center in Lima will suffice, although I need to call and get measurements first thing in the morning. Or would you rather get married in a church?"
"Darling, I fully trust your ability to plan this wedding, and I will do anything and everything I can to help… but I'll leave the important decisions to you. If a community center is okay for you, it's more than okay for me." They leaned in to kiss once more, although a very heavy question continued to lay on Blaine's tongue. A topic for another day, he told himself as he stroked Kurt's cheek with his hand.
"Good morning beautiful," Jesse whispered, noticing Rachel's eyes flutter under the sunlight beaming in through the window. He kissed her cheek softly before rolling out of bed and making his way to the bathroom. His fitness trainer was going to kill him if he missed anymore 6am gym meets, but he figured he was getting plenty of exercise with the doe eyed girl currently lying in his bed. Just as he was checking the temperature of the shower water with his hand, he heard a very loud yawn coming from the doorway. As he turned around, he tried unsuccessfully to stifle a smile. Rachel was standing before him in an oversized grey t-shirt that he distinctly remembers giving her after their New York tryst last month had left her without a top for the day. As he eyed her up and down, he noticed her eyes were still half closed as she reached for her toothbrush.
"Rache, go back to bed. You don't have to get up just because I do."
"I have less than 48 hours left here, Jesse, and then who knows when we'll see each other again." He felt a pang in his stomach as Rachel continued, absently brushing her teeth as she spoke. "And I want to spend every moment I can with you. If that includes a wild rumpus during your morning shower, then I'm sorry… it's beyond my control." She looked at him innocently as she spit the remaining mint toothpaste in the sink before wiping her mouth and smiling at her boyfriend. Morning Jesse was her favorite Jesse. His curls were always wilder than normal, and he hadn't yet placed on the show face that he so often did in public. Morning Jesse was raw, and in Rachel's opinion, perfect.
He laughed despite himself, taking in Rachel's attempt at being naughty. He sighed dramatically before stepping into the shower and letting the water cascade over his chest. "I'm sorry, doll, but I just don't have the time this morning. I already missed my work out, and I need to be on campus in an hour. I'm sure you can hold off from the lovin' until this evening, yes?" They were smiling at one another throughout Jesse's attempt at playing hard to get - both of them knowing that whatever Rachel wanted, Rachel received. She pulled the band out of her hair and let her tresses fall messily over her shoulders as she turned away from him towards the door. She shook out her head full of hair before slowly lifting his oversized shirt, along with his scent, over her head and making a show of dropping it ever so gently into the clothes hamper beside her.
"Okay, I guess I'll just go make the coffee then," she said in a breathy/seductive tone over her shoulder, visibly looking Jesse up and down as she observed he had already grown hard for her.
Jesse slipped on the cool tile in his haste as he jumped out of the shower, but he was ravishing Rachel on the floor before she even made it to the kitchen. Ten minutes after the initial bell rang for the start of another school day, Jesse finally made it to campus.
"Okay class, after doing so well with Gatsby these past couple of weeks, I've decided you all deserve a special treat." The students eagerly sat up in their seats, awaiting their reward from their professor. It was nearing their lunch break, and they were all secretly hoping for an afternoon free of studies. "Remember that Broadway star I promised you? She's decided to perform on her off day from the stage, just for you. Please join me in welcoming back Ms. Berry to the school." Both Jesse and Rachel were beyond professional in front of the kids, knowing that their actions could possibly one day inspire the young minds before them. The students all applauded as Rachel entered through the hall door. In addition to yesterday, the boys of the class began whistling, and she beamed a smile to the anxious preteens.
"Actually, if it's okay with you, Mr. St. James, I was a bit more interested in performing a duet." Jesse instantly panicked when all eyes landed on him, unaware that Rachel had planned on them singing a song together. He hadn't sung in public in two years, but he immediately replaced his alarm with an expression of confidence.
"Your wish is my command," he said with a smile. He brushed Rachel's hair behind her shoulder before instantly replacing it, noticing a small love bite that he must have unknowingly placed on her neck earlier that morning. "Did you have any particular song in mind?" he asked, an arrogant smile playing at his lips.
Rachel had been preparing the perfect song since the evening before, when Jesse first mentioned having her sing for his class. After reviewing all of the musicals in her head that she and Jesse had previously discussed – at length – she landed on a duet from a play she found perfect for the occasion. "Unusual Way?" she asked, knowing he would not only know the lyrics, but also catch onto the subtext of her choosing the particular musical Nine.
The students all sat back in their seats to enjoy the song, although none of them had heard of it before. Rachel took a step forward, making a click with her red pumps that she had chosen for her performance. She took extra precaution when dressing that morning, knowing full well that she would undoubtedly run into the blonde fitness teacher at some point during the day. Dressed in a black vest over a (perhaps too) small white short-sleeve button up and a conservative yet sexy black skirt, she was prepared to wow the students with her voice and impress the blonde with Kurt's impeccable fashion sense. As soon as she began the notes of the song, every jaw in the classroom hit the floor.
In a very unusual way
One time I needed you.
In a very unusual way
You were my friend.
Maybe it lasted a day,
Maybe it lasted an hour…
But somehow it will never end.
Jesse was leaning against the front of his desk, mesmerized by his girlfriend's voice. He was immediately thrown back into 2010, watching Rachel perform Don't Rain on My Parade in front of a packed theatre, and he almost missed his cue for the second verse. As he jumped up and began to sing, the girls in the classroom melted in their seats, falling more in love with their teacher and the voice they hadn't known he possessed.
In a very unusual way
I think I'm in love with you.
In a very unusual way
I want to cry.
Something inside me goes weak
Something inside me surrenders,
And you're the reason why, you're the reason why.
You don't know what you do to me,
You don't have a clue.
You can't tell what it's like to be me looking at you.
It scares me so that I can hardly speak.
They looked into one another's eyes, momentarily disregarding the other people in the room. They hadn't sang a duet together since Rachel's junior year of high school, but the chemistry was still radiating off both their bodies, implying they'd performed together every day since then. Rachel took back the lead as Jesse finished his verse, singing the lyrics that suddenly meant everything in the world to her. They must have been written specifically for their relationship, she decided… for the two of them in a time before either of them had been born.
In a very unusual way
I owe what I am to you.
Though at times it appears I won't stay, I'll never go.
Special to me in my life
Since the first day that I met you.
How could I ever forget you
Once you had touched my soul?
Jesse then joined her for the finish, stroking her cheek with his hand as they both sang the closing to the song.
In a very unusual way
You made me whole.
They continued to stare at one another until the students began their applause, breaking them of their bubble and returning them to the moment. Rachel blushed as Jesse ran his hand through his curls, clearing his throat and thanking the class. A couple of the students asked for Rachel's autograph before the bell rang for their lunch period, and Rachel happily obliged. As soon as the last student made her way out of the room and shut the door, Jesse's lips were on Rachel's in a frenzied kiss. She pulled at Jesse's curls as moans continued to escape her mouth, and Jesse's hands couldn't decide between the small of her back and directly under her bottom, so they hurriedly went back and forth between the two, grabbing at whatever he could reach. The air around them nearly ignited from sparks, and they were so lost in one another that neither noticed the blonde figure peering in through the door window.