Hey, I am so sorry this took so long but I finally found how I want this to go. I'm sorry if this chapter is confusing. But you'll have to wait to find out why. Not for long tho, I promise. Also, this chapter is mostly Jesse centric, Rachel's will be I do Part 2. I hope you enjoy!

A summer feeling, in January.

Jesse was finally back in New York City. After taking a week more off school to pursue...well, something, he was finally ready to face reality again. His skin was sun kissed, his hair had almost gotten highlights, and he could honestly say he hadn't known he'd missed California that much.

His phone buzzed for the tenth time that day. He checked the caller ID and sighed. It was about time he answered her calls. But he had been extremely torn about it.

Jesse braised himself for what was to come, and he hoped he didn't put anybody in any trouble.

"Hi Hannah, what's going on?" He answered breezily, like he hadn't been dodging her calls for the last twelve hours.

"Don't bullshit me, St. James. I know he's with you. So just spare both of us and tell him to call me." His ex-girlfriend demanded.

Jesse sighed, he had gotten between cross fire again. Patrick's wedding was two weeks away and he had decided to get cold feet. But and no matter what Hannah believed, Jesse wasn't the one to blame for that. Truth was Patrick was impulsive and reckless, much like himself, but he had outdone himself this time. Ditching Hannah in California was way over the line, if you asked Jesse.

"I would, if I knew where he was." He argued. He paused for a bit. "I'm sorry."

He heard Hannah clear her throat on the other end of the line.

"No. He's just like this. I should've seen this coming. But make no mistake, the wedding's still happening." She said, not much to Jesse's surprise. He'd always known Hannah wasn't one to give up so easily, even if she had to literally drag her boyfriend to the ceremony.

He chuckled slightly and said: "I know. I'll see you in two weeks."

"Tell Maddie to give me a call too." Hannah replied before hanging up.

His heart stopped for a moment. That too was something he had to take care of.

He stepped inside his apartment, holding two cups of coffee and a bag of bagels. He looked around for her but didn't find her. He left his things in the coffee table and walked over to the bedroom, where he had last seen her. Jesse noticed the sound of water running and that One Direction song blasting through the door. He smiled.

He took his jacket off and briefly considered joining her, but his phone buzzed just before he could take any action. His eye twitched at seeing who the text was from. Also, it was important to note to himself to relax; he had been developing this strange tic since his second day in California.

Jesse wondered deeply if he should answer the text or not. Maybe it would just add fuel to the fire. Maybe it would make more bad than good. No, he knew that would be the case, but instead of leaving his phone alone, he read the text once more.

I'm not leaving.

He sighed and got the sudden need to throw up. What the hell? This wasn't like her. He knew that once he told her all about California, she would want nothing more than to see him gone from her life. But no, she was being considerably off character after he had broken her heart. Again.

Or maybe he was just giving himself too much credit, and her not enough. That could be a possibility. He should answer the text. He should tell her that he doesn't want her gone either but that he's got a girl in the shower that he supposedly loves.

"Are you okay?"

He was startled for a second. He had momentarily forgotten she would come out eventually. But now he saw her: gorgeous and everything he wanted. Maddie just stood there looking at him in nothing but a towel. She was beautiful and light and comfortable. He smirked at her.

"Yeah, babe." Jesse said as he stood up from his bed and walked up to her. Holding her tight by the waist. "I was just thinking of that call I got from Hannah, of how she thought Patrick was with me."

She sighed wearily and put her arms around his neck, giving him a quick peck on the lips. She looked into his eyes affectionally.

"You didn't tell her he's back in Akron, right?"

"I don't know that for sure. What I told you is just a guess. He could be anywhere." He replied and watched her nod in agreement.

"Well, it's a place to start." She paused. "Still, I don't think she should go through with the wedding if she doesn't still know where he went."

"Yeah. I guess it's just easier for her to think he'll come back by himself." He said. "Also, remember she wants you to call her."

Maddie untangled herself from Jesse's grip and walked up to her bag, then grabbed her phone.

"I warned her they shouldn't have invited all that Carmel people to their party. Patrick was bound to do something stupid." Maddie said while she looked through her phone.

Jesse chuckled at her words. It was true.

"Yes, but I think we all did something stupid, didn't we?" He said that as he laid down on his bed and looked at her ditch her towel and look through the closet.

"Oh, you mean you cheating on Rachel?" She challenged, now completely forgetting her task to find clothes and walking up to Jesse.

"I told you, we weren't dating." He said, gulping. Completely caught off guard when Maddie saddled him, very naked.

"You still apologized to her." She kissed his neck and whispered. "That doesn't sound very casual to me."

His hands were now all over her body and he really wasn't paying much attention to their argument. He kissed her long and deep and then answered.

"It was just a cordiality." He let the words out slowly as he watched Maddie unbuckle his belt and pushing him back.

"So, you don't regret it?" She questioned as she looked to his eyes, waiting intently for an answer. But her hand in his pants didn't stop its motion.

Jesse didn't have clarity in his mind, but he knew what she wanted to hear: a lie.

"I don't."

It was 4am and he woke up needing something to drink. No, not water. Something strong and numbing to his brain. He was very careful not to wake Maddie up and headed for the kitchen. He opened the bottom cabinet on the sink and pulled out a bottle of scotch. That's where he kept the strong stuff.

Maddie had been great, at least for the week and a half she had been living with him. She had told him she would have to go back to LA, where she lived, after the wedding. But they were already discussing she moving to New York. Not for him, but for this job offer she had been contemplating. She was in fashion and apparently Vogue magazine wanted her.

He supposed it wouldn't be the worst thing to have her there. He did like her, he could almost say there was a time or two in their time together where he thought he loved her. But he couldn't say for sure.

She was just, so different from Rachel. She was inhibited, free and decisive. She always spoke her mind and never left Jesse hesitating on his feelings. She was great for him, he thought.

But then this text.

He refilled his glass and stared at his phone for a while. He could return the text, say something anticlimactic, or he could just ignore it. Maybe if he was lucky, he wouldn't run into her at all for the rest of their lives and could happily avoid the subject forever. But he knew he wasn't that lucky, or at all.

Rachel would, and he was certain, push until she got her answer. But he couldn't give her the answer that she wanted; he was with Maddie now. And although he knew Rachel still thought of him as that one person who would always be available for her, that wasn't the case anymore. And in a way, Jesse felt good about that.

It was like Maddie was finally giving him the leverage he needed to break free from the Rachel Berry drama. She was his getaway. But even as it was, Rachel still wanted to be there.

It was the first time in his life that he was conflicted about having two girls ready to be with him. He usually had a lot of fun with these types of situations. He let a chuckle out, he guessed he had changed.

He refilled his glass again, now feeling the familiar burn in his stomach. He closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them with an answer on mind.

He typed out his reply and hesitated a moment before hitting send.

He looked at his empty glass and wondered if being this new Jesse St. James had done any good to him. If anything, he thought Maddie was helping him turn to his old ways, and he hadn't disliked it. Jesse put the glass in the sink and went back to bed.

With his reply to Rachel on the back of his mind, he reviewed what his plan was exactly and what would Maddie think about it.

Maddie was dressed in a lovely black dress with stocking and high heeled boots. Her wavy blonde hair framing he face perfectly, and her blue eyes accentuated with her green eyeshadow. She looked amazing as the sun hit her face and her smile headed his way.

They were having brunch in this little restaurant with tables heading the street. Maddie was talking about her recent conversation with Hannah, and Jesse was thinking of all the ways he could tell her what he did.

"So, finally Patrick's mom called her back and told her he was with his dad in Miami." She took a sip of her juice. "She's flying over there tomorrow."

"That's great." He said and she smiled playfully at him.

"Patrick's a moron and you're not paying attention." She replied confidently, and now he smiled apologetically at her.

"I'm sorry. My mind's elsewhere today." One of her eyebrows curled at his words.

"Let me guess. Rachel again?"

He almost chocked on his coffee. What was with this girl and she knowing what was exactly on his head.

"No... well, yes. In a way." He said. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that."

Her face was blank for a second, but then Jesse saw emotion work its way back into her features. He couldn't quite read her. But he knew she wouldn't make drama.

"Oh yeah? And what's that?"

"She texted me yesterday." He confessed. "And I'm going to tell her to back off. For good this time."

"Oh?" Maddie seemed surprised. She hadn't expected him to give up his precious sophomore prodigy girl so easily. She thought it would take him more time.

"Yeah, I really want to see where this goes, Maddie. And I can't do that with Rachel Berry in the picture." He told her confidently.

She smiled fully at him and scooted her chair closer to him. She took his face in her hand and kissed him deeply.

"Thank you." She said between kisses.

On the other side of town, Rachel Berry watched intently as Kurt examined her chosen dress for their high school teacher's wedding. She was eager to know what he thought. But Kurt had a very good poker face.

"I mean, it's...aggressively saying something."

Rachel frowned at his words.

"What do you mean?"

Kurt looked at her pointedly and smirked to his best friend. It was almost cute how she could either be so oblivious or so clawed up to not telling the truth.

"That you want someone other than yourself to take it off." He said easily.

"What? My dress does not say that." She told him firmly.

"Really, Rachel? It's backless and it has a slit that could go all the way to your ass with the right heels." He argued.

"It's just sexy." She said, now taking her dress back and walking to her room. "Not slutty." Kurt snorted at that.

"Sweetie, I think even Santana would raise an eyebrow at it." He paused and sighed. "Rachel, what's going on? I mean, you know I'm all for you showing what you got to the public. But usually when you try to bring attention to yourself with these kinds of clothes is because something other than you getting a confidence boost in your closet."

She chuckled and sat down in her bed. He was kind of right.

"I do like that dress, Kurt. And I'm going to wear it to the wedding." She stated.

"Okay. I'm sorry. I am sure you will look amazing in it."

"And, well, you're a little right too. Jesse finally texted me back." Kurt's eyes went wide at her words but said nothing. "He wants to meet tomorrow."

Before he could say anything, she took her phone from her pocket and showed him Jesse's exact words.

I don't want you to leave either. Meet me tomorrow.

"And are you going?"

"Yes." She told him. "I want to get him back."

Trust me, all the questions you have will get answered in the next two chapters. Review and tell me what you think will happen next. Thx to the people who still read and like this. :)))