Beck
Beck Oliver drummed his fingers anxiously across the wall. He wasn't nervous, he was simply anxious. Because Beck Oliver didn't get nervous.
He had just sent Cat a text and was patiently waiting for her to arrive. Well… not so patiently.
Beck had thrown himself into seclusion and spent several days avoiding everything and everyone. He had taken the time to really think about things and sort out his feelings.
1. He would not cheat on Jade. It wasn't something he could live with. No matter how confused he felt, he would stay faithful. He had spent hours repeating that very idea to himself, hoping it would become ingrained.
2. Beck obviously was developing feelings for Cat. But he didn't quite know where those feelings stemmed from. He was lonely and Jade hadn't been around. He needed to spend more time with Cat to figure things out.
3. The play. He needed to focus on the play. His feelings for Cat and Jade had to be pushed aside so that he could give a good performance.
Beck briefly realized that he hadn't thought much about Jade over the past few days. He didn't want to think about her. Thinking about her meant thinking about the fact that she was hiding something from him. Something that had to do with Tori. Beck knew that eventually he would need to uncover the truth. But for the time being he wanted to live in denial.
Cat
Cat had been eating in the back yard with her brother, it was a warm day and she thought it would be nice for a swim. Getting out she dried herself of hearing her phone, looking down at the name that appeared on the screen she smiled brightly. It had been a long time since she had last seen Beck, and the way things left off at the Ice cream 'date' she figured he would never want to see her again. Letting out a happy sigh of relief. Grabbing her towel Cat rushed inside excited to continue on with the play. Even if Cat felt like Beck was pushing her away, she had to help him. Making a promise meant keeping it as well; the worst thing to Cat was breaking a promise.
Pulling up to his RV Cat took a deep breath. There was one thing Cat was sure of at this point, and that was she had deeper feelings for Beck than ever before. Through everything Cat still couldn't find a way to get them to stop, even if it frustrated her the feelings would always be there. Walking up to the door the red head knocked three times before letting herself in, figuring he was in the main house. Surprised to see Beck when she walked in she looked at him confused, "Hey Beck!" Cat ran her fingers through the top of her bangs smiling. "Sorry for letting myself in, I just thought-" Seeing him smile broke the tension she had felt for coming in.
Beck
"It's okay," Beck smiled comfortingly. He had noticed that Cat seemed to get nervous around him lately. He wasn't sure what that stemmed from, but he was determined to help her to relax and feel comfortable.
"So, I figure we should get right to business today since we didn't get much done last time," he continued. Beck reached out and handed Cat a script. She nodded and flipped through the pages, her eyes scanning the words in concentration.
"We can start on page four," he suggested, turning his own script to that page. "My character is telling your character that he can't live without her," he added. Clearing his throat and shifting in his seat, Beck waited patiently as Cat sat down next to him and flipped to the right page.
Cat
"I think that sounds like a great idea! Let me just try to get into character?" Cat had started a little ritual sense she had been in Jades play; taking fourteen deep breaths, spinning around three times, and holding her breath for 31 seconds. Remember to breathe through her nose. Out of the corner of her eye Cat saw Beck laughing and failed at holding her breath. Shaking her head she didn't say anything at all, waiting a couple second she looked around the RV. "Okay I'm ready!"
Cat smiled brightly flipping through the script, still trying to remember what exactly the play had been about. Looking through page four she tried to find the place, seeing his first line she looked at the one before. "If anyone were to find out, I may never see you again."
Grabbing Beck's hand she looked into his eyes, trying to stay in character she couldn't help but focus on his lips. Cat knew her boundaries and she wasn't willing to cross them, and she knew he wouldn't ether. At this point she wasn't even sure he felt the same was as she, waiting for him to deliver his line she pulled her hand away slowly.
Beck
Beck noticed the air thicken as Cat pulled her hand away. He could tell that she was hesitant. Quickly, purposefully, he reached out and took her hand in his own. He sent her a reassuring smile and squeezed her fingers lightly.
"Damn everyone else, damn them!" he exclaimed, focusing on the emotions his character was supposed to exhibit. "You and I can face them together," he whispered, bringing his face slightly closer to her own. She looked up at him through her thick lashes and he felt his throat tighten. "We're stronger together," he finished, barley above a whisper. He knew that the script called for a kiss soon, and he didn't know how Cat was going to react.
Beck was above all else, a professional. He had kissed girls for plays and movies before, hell, he had kissed Cat for a movie before. But the air was buzzing and this moment didn't feel like other moments had. It felt real.
Cat
Cat listened to his every word, watching his lips she smiled weakly. If it was going to be the last thing she did, Cat was going to kiss Beck. As he finished up she could feel his warm breath against her skin, it sent chills across her body.
Leaning in slowly Cat tilted her head, without a word she pressed her lips to his passionately. The spark she felt was hard to explain, it moved throughout her own body in seconds. Pulling away slightly the bright eyed girl placed her hand on the back of Beck's neck, moving back in she kissed him once again softly. Moving closer to him she realized what she was doing, this time it wasn't just another stage kiss for Cat, it was real, she was kissing him. Pulling away Cat dropped her hand from his neck, eyes still closed she tried to remember her next line. "We..Yes?" Stumbling over her words slowly she opened her eyes, feeling embarrassed.
"Sorry.." Cat mumbled her cheeks still a bright shade of red, it was the first time she had ever forgot a line. It wasn't like her to get caught up in the moment, even with a stage kiss Cat would never break character unless told to. It just felt like so much more, it was something the red head had been waiting for. To get a real kiss from someone she had real feelings for.
Beck
"I uh… good. That was good," Beck nodded uncertainly. He moved away from Cat slightly and felt the cold air hit him like a brick. He saw her worried expression and her downcast eyes.
"Hey, it was in the script. It's okay," he assured her. "We've, you know… kissed before. For that movie," he continued. He knew that he was saying this to both himself and to her. Because he needed as much convincing as she did.
"Anyways, that uh… that ends the scene," he scratched his neck nervously. He was about to speak again when his phone began to buzz. Looking at the screen he saw the name "Isabelle" flashing.
"Sorry," he mutter in Cat's direction. "Hello?" he answered the phone, knitting his brow. "Hey Iz, what's up? Jade… no I uh, I haven't talked to her recently. No, I don't know where she could be. Is everything okay? Alright, yeah. I'll let you know if I hear from her. Later kiddo," he finished the conversation quickly and looked at Cat.
"That was uh… Jade's sister," he explain needlessly. "She just wanted to know if Jade was here," he wrung his hands together awkwardly, feeling the tension thick in the air.
Cat
Cat tried not to make eye contact with him, realizing it was only going to make things worse. Everything Beck said was true, they had kissed before for a movie and it never seemed like a big deal. Maybe because Jade was standing right there the whole time? Now they were completely alone, which was something they did a lot lately. Taking in a deep breath, Cat let out a high pitched sigh turning her attention back towards Beck.
The red head tried to listen in on the phone conversation, but looked down so she wouldn't give herself away. Cat knew who it was, and she had a feeling where Jade might be. It wouldn't change anything if he knew as well. Opening her mouth the bright eyed girl almost blurted out Tori's name but stopped herself. For some reason Cat could never do it, she could never give a secret away. Scrunching her eyebrows together she looked at up at Beck, as he ended the phone call she smiled trying to shake off what had just happened.
"Beck-" Cat locked eye contact with him, which was one of the hardest things to do with anyone. "I like you." Speaking softly the bright eyed girl's face went from a thick smile to a face of confusion. Cat had just let it come out, and now was starting to grow nervous of how he might respond. This could be the worst mistake she had ever made, yet she let out a sigh of relief.
Beck
"I know," Beck admitted softly. "I mean, I thought that maybe…" he trailed off, averting his eyes. He had suspected that Cat had feelings for him, but hearing her say the words was something else entirely. It changed things.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-" he cut himself off worriedly. "I shouldn't have let things get this far," he continued, looking down at his lap. After a moment Beck briefly looked up and caught Cat's eye. She had a downcast expression, her face clouded with worry.
"You're one of my best friends Cat, and you've been amazing lately. I guess, Jade and I are going through some things and I sort of leaned on you for support. But I think- I think I let things get a little out of hand," he told her honestly. It hurt him to tell her these things, to break her heart. But Beck was nothing if not loyal, and he had to be loyal to Jade right now.
"It's not your fault, it's mine. I mean I… I started having feelings for you too. But I'm with Jade, and I've been with Jade for a long time. I just, I feel like I owe it to her and to myself to really give our relationship a chance. I don't know if Jade and I are gonna be together forever, but I do know that I can't just walk away when things get hard," he explained. Taking a deep breath he continued…
"You really are an amazing girl, and- and I still want to be friends. Because you're one of the best friends I have. But, I understand if you need some time or if you don't think you can be around me. I'm sorry," he finished with a whisper. There was a nagging feeling in his gut that told him this wasn't right. Rejecting Cat felt wrong in his heart. But his head told him to fight for Jade. And in that moment, Beck decided to listen to his head… no matter how much it hurt.
Cat
Cat looked down the whole time Beck talked; with every word she closed her eyes a little tighter. At the moment it was the only thing that would stop her from crying. Cat had never once cried in her life in front of someone, and she wasn't planning on doing it in front of Beck. For now the red head had to be all smiles just to get on with things. Everything he said was true, Beck had to stay loyal to Jade even if Jade wasn't doing the same.
Letting out a soft sigh Cat looked up making eye contact with him, which only made it hurt ten times worse. The way he looked at her that day in the Ice Cream shop, that's what she was going to miss. Even if it left Cat confused, it made her feel like she meant something to him. "You don't have to say sorry-" whispering she let her hands lay at her sides.
"I still want to be friends with you Beck-" Taking a deep breath she tried to think of what this would mean. If they stayed friends would Cat live with the constant pain of him rejecting her? Or, like every other time, would she forget about it with in three days? Cat looked straight into his eyes, her eye brows meeting in the middle.
Smiling brightly Cat looked at him, now she knew what she could say to make it all go away. Even if that meant moving on, which never seemed easy for the red head to do. "You're one of my best friends, and I'm always going to be here. It was just a crush-" Looking down Cat got caught on the furriness of the carpet, giggling to herself she ran her fingers across her lower lip.
Beck
"I'm flattered," he told her honestly. "For a girl as amazing as you to see something in me… it means a lot Cat," he continued. Beck searched his mind for the right words, the words that would wipe the sadness from her eyes. Even through her smile he saw the dimness.
"If things were different…" he began, trailing off towards the end. "I uh, I probably don't deserve someone like you anyway. I'd just screw it up," he told her lightly. He pattered her arm awkwardly, wishing he hadn't touched her at all. The sparked flickered through him and he knew that her feelings weren't one sided.
"I'm glad we can be friends though. You're- sometimes I feel like you're the only person I can talk to," he admitted. "But that's not really fair to you, is it?"
Cat
Cat's distraction had faded, and all she could hear was the sound of her own heartbeat. It went a bit faster every time she heard his words, and the touch it made he clench her hands. If only Beck felt what she had felt when they touched, and then the kiss if he could have just put himself in her shoes.
Looking up at Beck the red head took a deep breath, "You always do that-" Cat's eyebrows met in the middle in a confused frustrated look. "You're not a bad guy like you think you are. The acrobat who threw a pipe at my brother he is a bad guy, but Beck you haven't done anything wrong!" Looking straight into his eyes, Cat had a weak smile cover her face. There was no pain anymore, she just wanted to know why he didn't like her if they were going to be friends.
"Well I feel like you're the only one who doesn't judge me. You have helped me through so many things, now I just have to do this one on my own." Looking down Cat played with her hands, trying to keep herself distracted by anything other then Beck. "Why don't you like me?" The red head knew it would be a bad idea to meet his eyes, it would hurt to hear the truth and see it too.
Beck
"I do like you Cat. I actually, I like you too much," Beck admitted. "That's sort of the problem." he continued. He watched her mull over his words before nodding uncertainly.
"You know, most of the time I love how close our group of friends is. You know?" he asked suddenly. "But sometimes I really fucking hate it," he huffed. Cat looked at him in confusion.
"What I mean is… if Jade and I were to break up, it would just- it would mess things up. It would be awkward and painful. And the whole group would suffer," he explained. "It's just… it makes more sense for me to give things with Jade a chance. Even if, even if I'm not sure how I feel about that," he added.
"Does that make sense?" he questioned hopefully.
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