Saturday, 3:00am

The early morning hours: when revealing secrets and heavy existential contemplation happen under hushed tones.

Upon returning to Jade's apartment at 12am, the pair promptly stripped down and made their way to her room. What began with kissing and touching and rolling all over each other in bed, ended with lazy kisses and her head resting on his chest.

Beck ran his hand through Jade's hair until she fell asleep. He closed his eyes but his brain was wide awake, running through their conversation at the bar.

At first he did not want to disturb Jade by moving her or adjusting himself, so he opted to just lay on his back with his eyes open, willing his eyelids to become heavy enough to droop closed naturally.

After a little while he stuck his arm out to reach his phone on the nightstand and tap the screen to check the time. Repressing a groan, he shut his eyes. His brain was still wired so he tried to distract himself by evening his breath to match Jade's but found that method useless- it just made his breathing turn erratic.

Now it's 3am and his mind wanders to the sleeping beauty on his chest. He starts to picture their life together, particularly their careers and how they'll intersect...Beck starring in a film written by Jade...Jade composing music for a play he directs. His lips curl into a smile as he imagines them working in tandem on something they love.

He almost drifts to sleep when a question he's been wanting to ask pops into his head. Beck gently tickles down her back but stops when she stirs.

"Hey, Jade?" He whispers. He hears her reply "what" softly.

Before he can stop himself, he asks, "Who's Ryder?"

Jade's breath catches in her throat and she responds with a cough. Beck waits quietly.

"Wh-what?"

"Um, Ryder?" He almost regrets bringing him up, but if he could share some feelings, so can she.

Jade takes a moment to contemplate whether she should divulge her past. Ultimately, she decides:

"Maybe it's because I just woke up or maybe it's because I like you...Either way, I guess I'll tell you."

Jade moves her head off his chest and snuggles into his side. Beck loosens his arm around her waist so she can get comfortable. Her gaze immediately turns upwards to look at the ceiling.

"My last relationship was kind of messed up."

He doesn't say anything as he waits for her to continue.

"It takes a lot to gain my trust. Ry- he was my first college boyfriend. I opened up to that weenie a lot faster than I should have. He's two years older and I met him fall semester freshman year.

"At the time, I viewed his pretentious attitude as a sign of intelligence and attributed his cockiness to an inflated self-esteem, which didn't bother me at first. In retrospect, I should have realized he was just a jerk. But I was a freshman and he knew how to manipulate people to bend at his whim and treat him like he was royalty. I still can't believe I fell for it though."

Beck's arm around her waist tightens.

"I first saw him at a party he was hosting and we ended up talking. I don't think I've ever consumed as much alcohol as I did that night. We kept going, shot for shot. Eventually, once everyone left, we went to his room. I barely had the energy to makeout, so I ended up just collapsing onto his bed. I said I was going to sleep, but he asked if we could, you know, have sex." Jade pauses to gulp. Beck isn't sure she'll be able to continue, and he doesn't want to force her to continue if the story is going in the direction he thinks it is.

"Jade you don't have-

She shakes her head, takes a deep breath, and opens her mouth.

"I think I said yes, but honestly I blacked out after that. The next morning, I woke up in his bed fully clothed in a dress and tights. I should have realized right then to not get involved. But he had a danger to him that made him more exciting than any guy I've dated. He made me a smoothie that helped with the hangover, and later in the afternoon we ate pizza in his kitchen. After that we hooked up on his couch. I was worried about his roommate walking in, but he didn't seem to care so I pretended not to care either. We began hooking up regularly and after a while we started dating.

"The real issues started when we got back from winter break. He was partying a lot, and I wanted to buckle down. I started spending more time on campus, in the library writing or playing piano. I was composing music for my classes and for myself. He'd get annoyed that I wasn't hanging out with him or paying as much attention to him. Rumors began to spread that he was cheating on me with different girls at these parties.

"It went downhill pretty fast after that. It was a cycle of arguments- I'd ask him about it, he'd deny it and get angry, storm off to another party...and then, somehow, we'd make up.

"Now let me be clear, Oliver, I am not easily manipulated, but he got to me." To reinforce her point, Jade turns her body around to face him and give him a soft version of her intimidating glare. If it were any other time, he would think she looked adorable.

He takes her mini glare seriously and offers her a half-hearted smile and nod. Jade accepts his silent response and adjusts herself back to her previous position: staring at the ceiling, avoiding his gaze.

"One night, after a particularly bad fight, I decided to surprise him at a party, to see if the rumors were true. The moment I walked into the party, I asked if anyone knew where Ryder was, but no one would tell me. Finally I started checking the bedrooms." Jade's nails sink into her palms. "I found him in the first one I checked. They didn't even close the door all the way! I barged in and caught Ryder and some girl mid-sex-

"What!" Beck exclaims loudly, shattering the quiet. He's still not used to Jade's bluntness. Surprisingly, she doesn't call him out for interrupting, instead she shares his disbelief.

"I know," she growls. "He didn't get up right away, either. The girl had to push him off! I could have- and should have- murdered him. But, of course, the one time I forget my scissors..." He's not sure if she's adding that on as part of the story, or as a hidden threat that she usually has the ability to do some damage.

"Regardless, we fought it out, and I won. My name spread through the school, and throughout the rest of freshman and sophomore year I successfully turned my reputation from the 'scorned woman' into an ultra talented writer and composer. And Ryder got kicked out at the beginning of senior year for drugs." She ends her rant quickly. Officially done discussing anything else about her life.

Seeing through her strong, emotionless facade, and understanding the pain that comes with a cheating partner, Beck doesn't treat her experience lightly.

"I would never, ever do that to you." The conviction in his tone startles her but, with her eyes still staring at the ceiling, Jade nods her head.

Beck's hand goes to her cheek, turning her head to face him.

"Thank you for telling me." He tips her head to place a kiss on her forehead. She picks her face up and they lock eyes.

"I love you, Jade." The words fall out of his mouth with ease.

Jade feels paralyzed, momentarily stunned. Beck's body stiffens in response. He's not expecting her to say it back, considering how much she's already shared tonight. He's waiting for her to hit him for saying it so early on...or at least give some kind of reaction. He doesn't know what else to say. The feeling of regret and dread start to swallow him whole as they lay there with his words left hanging in the silence.

Finally, Jade replies softly.

"You're just drunk."

Beck catches a hint of amusement in her mostly-monotonous tone. This doesn't make him feel any better though.

He knows there are two ways he can handle this situation now:

1) Laugh and go along with it (he did drink more than her), then think of an excuse to get the hell out of there.

2) Stand his ground. Jade knows they're both stone-cold sober by this point. His words are out there and he can't take them back. Although he doesn't think he would even if he could (depending on how this next part goes, of course).

He also knows both options come with consequences. The first he's almost positive they would never speak again. He's well aware leaving would be a beyond dick move. If he chooses the latter option:

2a) Should he be fervent in his response? "No, Jade. I'm sober and I love you. I was with Tori for five years and I've never felt this way before. I. Love. You."

2b) Take on a more composed, less manic and dramatic approach.

Beck clears his throat.

"Jade, we both know I'm sober," he responds in a voice more serious than he intended.

His answer stumps Jade as she senses she's backed herself into a corner. Normally she'd shut down at such an intense confession, but, before she can pull away from him (literally and figuratively), Beck squeezes her closer- his firm grip around her waist thwarts her attempt to shimmy out of his grasp.

With Beck rendering her immobile, Jade has no choice but to stop and truly take in his words...and the scary fact that he might actually mean them. He loves me.

Alright Jade, this is make or break time: how do you feel?

It's no secret she's always found her emotions difficult to face, but this time it's different, there's no question or confusion for her: being with Beck feels right. So, she concludes, that it does not matter whether or not she loves him right now. What matters the most is her decision to accept his I love you.

"Fair enough," is her harmless, noncommittal reply. His silence makes her narrow her eyes in annoyance.

"Don't expect me to say anything else tonight just because you're bursting with emotion," Jade snaps. He waits until her glare becomes a smirk, and then a small smile.

"I would never," Beck teases. He tilts his head down to kiss her lips.

The bed shifts, waking her up. She opens her eyes slowly to see her partner crawling back into bed.

"What time is it?" Jade mumbles, stretching her arms out. She pulls the blanket off, inviting him back into his spot beside her- an uncharacteristically welcoming manner.

"6:00," he answers.

The next series of motions feels like a routine they've been doing for years: Beck lays down and Jade lays her head on his chest; he picks up the blanket to cover their bodies. He reaches his arm over her and slides his hand down to rest at her waist, then kisses the top of her head as she snuggles into the crook of his neck.

After ten minutes, she whispers, "Are you awake?"

"Yes."

She sighs and runs her fingers over his abs absentmindedly as she approaches a topic she had been avoiding since they started dating.

"So spring semester starts on Monday."

Beck takes Jade's hand and stops her from tracing shapes on his stomach.

He interlaces their fingers and replies, "I know."

She hates to admit it, but she's actually worried what will happen once they have schoolwork. She knows this semester is the toughest and most integral to her future, not to mention applying for summer internships...

"How should we-

"Let's work out a system," Beck says. He squeezes her hand before gently pulling her to sit up with him.

Both of them fall quiet as they try to devise a plan. Jade speaks first.

"My first class on Monday is at 12."

"Mine is at 9:00am."

"Geez, Beck. Why would you do that to yourself?" She shakes her head. He ignores her comment to keep them on track. He's more than a little disappointed he won't be able to see Jade whenever he wants.

"Okay, what if you slept over on Sunday nights?" A vision of early morning breakfasts fills his head and his mouth lifts into a small smile.

"That would be good."

With their weekly plan set up (getting together Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays), he pulls her on top of him so her legs straddle his waist. She leans down to give him a kiss and he nibbles on her bottom lip. She bites his lip in return then peels her body off of his to climb out of bed.

With a raised brow, Beck asks, "Coffee?" He catches Jade's smirk before she turns around to pull on a pair of shorts.

"You think you know me so well," Jade calls out sarcastically over her shoulder. She adds a loud scoff and, knowing he's still watching, swings her hips dramatically with every step as she walks to the kitchen.

Moving quietly and stealthily, he catches her and wraps his arms around her from behind. She sighs, content in his embrace.

"Do you really think we'll be okay once school starts again? I'm not slacking off just because I have a boyfriend," Jade twists her head to look up at him.

"Yeah, babe. We'll be alright," Beck smiles and kisses the top of her head.

A/N: I hope this was enjoyable. Let me know what you think.

Would like to add: this is not the end. There's still more story to come! :)