Beca was always great to talk to about music, she knew a lot about music production and truly loved her craft. Being able to not only see her in her element but also work with her, was something else. She was so talented, Jesse very briefly considered adding a new song to his stage musical simply because he enjoyed working with her so much.

"How did that sound?" she asked from inside the booth, having finished singing the female part in the last song from his musical— she figured she'd sing the female parts herself in the demos so that Jesse could save up some money and time, which Jesse appreciated a lot.

"Great," he told her, giving her thumbs up.

Even if it wasn't the case, she had to come out of there because their takeout had arrived and there was no way he was letting her dire need for perfection when it came to her work be the reason their food got cold.

She placed the headphones aside and left the booth to join him.

"You think we'll be done today?" he wondered.

"I'm probably gonna spend a few more days producing the song but yeah we're done recording," she let him know.

Jesse nodded in response. "Thanks again for agreeing to do this," he said next. She was working for him in her spare time which meant she had given up weekends.

"of course, man," she mumbled, swallowing. "I've never done anything like this, it's a great creative exercise. And, I'm getting paid for it." She shrugged. "So, it's not like I'm doing you a favor or anything."

"You're singing for free," he pointed out.

"Eh, singing doesn't really require that much effort."

He wanted to correct her and tell that it did, and that it came easy to her because she was that talented. It really was a shame that she didn't even consider to audition for the stage musical. She would have been perfect. He actually realized as they were recording the songs that he might have based the lead characters on Beca and Benji subconsciously. Benji got the part and Jesse knew that Beca would have, too, if she wanted it.

He grabbed his phone when it chimed with a text, swiping to unlock the screen when he saw that it was Amber that texted him.

"Everything alright?" Beca asked when he frowned reading the text be received.

"Yeah," he nodded. "It's just Amber. Been trying to get her to come spend a few days here but she's been super busy. Finally had some down time and was supposed to come next weekend. She postponed again." He placed his phone aside.

"Why don't you go to Barden instead?" Beca wondered.

"I'm busy, too," he replied.

"So, you're just gonna get all upset and do nothing about It? That's not very Swanson of you."

She had a point and he didn't have a decent answer so he decided to change the topic.

"Why are you eating like you're running out of time?" he asked, noting the large amount of noodles she was trying to stuff her mouth with.

"Because I am," she mumbled though a mouthful, placing a hand over her mouth as she spoke. She swallowed then said, "it's four o'clock and we're supposed to finish by six."

"Says who?"

"Says me," she answered. "I have a date at eight."

"Why didn't you say something. We could have done this another day, Beca."

"It's just a date, Jesse. I'm not getting married, I don't need the whole day to get ready." She grabbed the bottle of water, getting the hiccups from eating too fast. "Besides, I know you. You'll ask a million questions about the guy and give me a migraine."

"I have to make sure you're not going out with a rapist or a serial killer or both," he said, not taking offense at any of what she said because it was true. "You know how many women get killed in this city because they went out with the wrong guy? A lot." He paused. "Now tell me his full name and what does for a living. I need to look him up." He unlocked his phone again.

"I'm not gonna do that, Jesse," she deadpanned.

"You don't want to go on a date while suffering from a migraine, do you?" he joked.

"I'll smoke a blunt and be fine," she counted, smirking at him.

"Please don't do that," he mumbled despite knowing she's kidding about going on a date high.

She rolled her eyes in response.

"Okay, if you're not going to let me do a background check on him, tell me more about him. What does he do? How did you meet?"

She sighed, meeting his gaze briefly before she looked down at her noodles. "I met him while apartment hunting. He lives in the building I was checking out and told me I shouldn't rent the place because the upstairs neighbors have a pitbull that doesn't get enough walks and as a result the poor dog howls the whole day, next door neighbors are college kids that throw parties every other day, and the landlord is a racist asshole unless you're a hot twenty-something girl then he's just a creepy asshole."

"Why does he live there if it's too horrible?"

"Rent is very cheap and he has noise cancelling headphones," she shrugged.

"This might sound intrusive," he began saying.

"Probably is," she muttered and he decided to ignore her.

"But, do you really think a couple of months is enough to get back to dating after a long-term relationship?" he asked.

She sucked in a breath. "Yeah," she replied and but he wasn't convinced.

"Really?"

"I'm moving on, Jesse. That's what people do after a breakup," she said in boredom.

"I'm not gonna argue with that. I just don't think two months is enough." He shrugged.

"Good thing your opinion doesn't really matter."

"Okay, rude," he mumbled, not really offended. "this is what I get for being a reasonable and caring friend."

"This is what you get for asking about my love life." She leaned against her seat and resumed eating.

"Where are you meeting him?" he wondered.

"At a bar," she vaguely said.

"Okay." He nodded. "That's good. it's a public place. If he creeps you out you could just say you're going to the bathroom and sneak out," he reasoned before he went quiet. "Wait a minute." Jesse sat up. "I see what's going on here," he confidently said. "You're gonna get drunk then spend the night at his place and never see him again. Two months isn't long enough to go back to dating but it is long enough of a period to go without sex," Jesse thoughtfully said. "Am I right or am I right?"

"I'm not gonna deny nor confirm," she said, placing her empty food container in the bag before she shifted her attention back to her work.

"Because I'm right," he grinned.

"Because it's none of your business, Jesse," she told him.

"I'm right, though," he insisted.

"You're unbelievable," she shook her head as she wore her headphones.

Jesse didn't see Beca that often after she finished producing the demos for him mainly because she was working a lot. He also had a lot going on for him and when he didn't he'd head to Barden to spend time with Amber and Theresa.

Being in Barden made him realize that he had gotten used to living in the big city and really missed being there. So, when a chance to travel to NYC on a Friday presented itself, he took it. It was a meeting that could have easily been an email but he went anyway. He missed the busy subways. He wanted to catch a show on Broadway. He wanted to see how his own play was doing— He loved seeing his work translated on stage by such talented people— And, he also wanted to see his friends.

As he was walking into his sister's apartment with his suitcase in hand, Jesse felt at home and didn't know how to feel about that.

Jesse took off his sunglasses and made his way further into the apartment, looking for the AC's remote control to turn it on.

After a quick shower to freshen up, he scrolled down his contacts to see what his New Yoker friends were up to and if they wanted to hang out in the evening.

Only Beca was available which he found surprising (in a good way)

His meeting went super well. He spent the rest of the day roaming the streets of the city before he went to meet Beca at the bar that she picked.

"I've been reading on Migraines," Jesse mentioned when Beca rubbed her temples. "and one of the possible triggers is hormonal changes. Have you changed your birth control around the time you started getting bad migraines?" he wondered.

"I'm not having a migraine. My eyes are just tired," she clarified, grabbing her pint of beer and taking a sip. "And, no, it's the same pill I've been taking since I was nineteen," she answered.

"How about stress? You'd been stressed about your relationship. And now you're working a lot so you've got to be stressed out."

"Why is it that whenever we talk you find a way to mention a relationship that ended seven months ago?" she wondered.

"It just comes up." He shrugged. "Now, let's go back to trying to crack the mystery that is your shitty migraines."

She sighed. "I don't know. I guess I have been stressed out," she figured. "About work mainly. I work with people younger than me that have far more experience than me and I can't help but think that I wasted time by going to college. I wouldn't be a junior producer at twenty-three if had just moved to L.A. as soon as I graduated high school like I initially planned."

"College put your career aspirations on hold, yes. But, you grew a lot, Beca, in those years. You're way more emotional intelligent: you're no longer an angsty teenage with a chip on your shoulder. Music industry requires networking, and I don't think at nineteen you had the social skills to really make an impression and be taken seriously. Look at you now. You're so fucking assertive and you know your shit. You don't have that many records under your belt but you do have experience in leadership which will come in handy when the opportunity arises for a promotion involving leading a team." He could go on and on about how much she grew and how her time in Barden contributed in her growth but he could see that his words were working so he figured he'd presented her with enough arguments.

"Thank you for saying that," she smiled at him.

He held his own beer in her direction and click glasses with her. "You're one of the hardest working people I know so I wouldn't worry about your career. It's a matter of time before it takes off."

"I don't know about that," she mumbled to which he frowned. "My boss won't let me do any actual work. I've been just helping out senior producers this whole time."

"You've been there for a while, Beca," he noted. "Why did they hire you if you're not going to do actual work?"

"Beats me." She shrugged. "And I'm trying, I really am. I haven't half-assed an assignment no matter how small it was. I don't know what I have to do to get my own project." She bought her pint up to her lips and drowned it in one breath.

"Beca, if they're not letting you work just quit and find a better working environment," Jesse said.

She snorted in response. "right, because record producers with little credit to their name are so in demand. Dude, I'm surprised I even got this offer in the first place. I'm not gonna throw it away because I feel underappreciated."

"You need to stop thinking like that. You're so talented and this record label's HR person must've seen that in you. It's unfortunate that your boss doesn't but it doesn't mean no one would."

"I'm gonna get a refill," Beca said and got up.

Jesse frowned a little, looking down at his own beer. They'd been at the bar for roughly 30 minutes, he was still on his first drink and Beca was on her third. Beer wasn't a strong alcoholic drink by any means but she should slow down a little especially since she'd joined him from work and hadn't eaten yet.

"Is the food good here?" he wondered.

"As good as bar food can be." She shrugged. "The sandwiches aren't bad, though, if you've had enough drinks."

"I'm gonna get one. Would you like a sandwich, too?" He didn't want to outright voice his concerns, knowing she wouldn't too thrilled about it. They were supposed to be hanging out and having fun.

"Sure." She shrugged.

He got up just then and went to the bar to order the sandwiches.

When he came back, Jesse placed their plates and said," Hey how about you produce stuff in your free time? Indie stuff still counts as credit."

"I am trying to produce stuff in my free time. I don't have that much free time to begin because this city is so goddamn expensive that my paycheck barely covers essentials. I haven't produced that many songs."

He knew what she was talking about. Her years of playing the piano came in handy and she was giving lessons to rather privileged kids from the comfort of their homes. She also DJ'ed sometimes. So, Yeah, she was doing a lot in order to live comfortably in NYC.

Her current life style had to have a hand in triggering her migraines.

"Are you working with singers or is it you that does the singing, too?" he wondered.

She was in the process of chewing when he asked so she just pointed at herself.

"Nice," he said. "can't wait to hear them!" he beamed. "But seriously Beca don't stay at your current label if the job isn't creatively fulfilling. You can certainly do better."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." She brought for drink to her lips while simultaneously pulling her phone from her pocket when it chimed with a text.

"Ugh." She grimaced after taking one look at the screen.

"What?" Jesse asked.

"A student's dad is trying so hard to get me to sleep with him. He's married and his wife is super sweet. I showed her his texts and she asked if I could keep talking to him and let him further incriminate himself so that she could use all of these text-messages in court when she divorces him," she informed. "He's so cringy," she was saying as she showed Jesse a bunch of messages she'd received.

"Has he sent you a dick pic yet?" Jesse found himself wondering.

"Oddly enough, he hasn't."

"Yet!"

"I don't want to see his wiener. But I'm willing to see it if it means his wife gets to keep the house in the divorce settlement because he's a horny unfaithful asshole."

"Not all heroes wear capes, some look at unsolicited dick pics."

His words earned him a chuckle.

"Do you regret selling your car?" Jesse asked as they caught the breathes after jogging to catch the subway.

She shook her head. "Running after the subway is good cardio," she said and he laughed.

He sat down and so did she. They were headed to her apartment because he wanted to hear her songs. She could have just email them to him but he wanted to see her place. Besides, the night was still long and it was the weekend. They could stay up and sleep in the next day.

"I'd tell you to make yourself at home but I know that you don't need to be told so," she was saying as she tossed her keys on the counter.

"I don't," he said in amusement. "bathroom?" he asked.

"Through my bedroom," she nodded in the direction of the room while taking off her backpack and placing it on the couch.

It was quite hot and he felt gross when he realized that he was sweating through his t-shirt. He tried to wash up in an attempt to freshen up.

"What are you doing, Weirdo?" he asked as he made his way out of the bedroom and could see Beca by the stove.

"Making pizza," she informed. "you like frozen pizza, Swanson?"

"Yeah, I could eat," he nodded. "Your place is really nice, Beca," he said next, looking around him.

It wasn't too shabby by any means but it did feel like her home.

"Thanks." She filled herself a glass of tap water and brought it to her lips while fanning herself. "the only shitty thing about this apartment is the lack of air-conditioning."

"You could get a fan," he suggested, picking up the empty glass she put down to get himself some water, too.

"I have one in my bedroom," she replied. "Dude, you're sweating like a pig right now," she said, eyeing his sweaty back. "Do you want me to get you a clean shirt to change into?"

"You have a size M men's t-shirt laying around?" he countered.

"Yeah, men's t-shirts make great pajamas," she answered, already making her way to her bedroom.

She came back with a t-shirt in hand and tossed it for him to catch.

"Thanks," he said, catching it then placing it on the counter before he took off his sweaty t-shirt and used it to pat himself before he wore the clean one.

As he changed, Beca checked on the frozen pizza. "Beca, you just put in there. It's not gonna cook this fast," he said.

"I can see that, Genius. I'm just really hungry." She sighed before making her way to the working space in her apartment where she kept her music equipment and music collection.

Reaching her desk, she started her laptop then went into her bedroom.

Jesse could then hear her get into the bathroom and decided to look through her collection of vinyl records and CDs until she was back.

When she came back, Beca had taken off her makeup and her hair was up in a bun.

She grabbed her laptop and headphones and walked to the couch; Jesse followed in suite.

Jesse knew he was going to like her original music. He, however didn't just like them he loved every single song. She had a distinct style in her approach to music and he truly loved it.

"Have you put any of these online?" he asked when Beca got up to check on the pizza that should have finished cooking.

"No, not yet," she answered, pulling the pizza from the oven.

"And what are you waiting for?" he naturally asked next.

She shrugged. "I don't know."

He kept eyeing her unsure if he believed her. She had to have a reason. "I mean, I can sing alright but I'm not a singer. I don't know if it's a good call to sing the music I produce."

"That's bullshit, Beca," he said. "If you don't consider yourself a singer than who is?"

"You know singers are more than just a voice."

"I know. And, I know that you're more than just a voice. You have great stage presence and you can perform really well. Need I remind you of your accomplishments in collegiate a cappella?" he rhetorically asked. "What the hell is going on with you, Beca? Why are you doubting yourself?"

"I don't know, man." She scratched her head. "I'm around singers all the time at work and I'm nothing like them."

"No shit you aren't. You're Beca Mitchell. They're them." He shrugged, sitting up and accepting the plateful of slices of pizza that she held his way.

"You need to get over this weird self-doubt phase you're going through because you are genuinely so good at everything you do."

"Okay, that's a stretch. I'm definitely not good everything."

"You know I meant music wise. I know you suck at cooking and can't do simple math to save your life," he sighed, glancing at the tv. "Do you have cable?" he wondered.

"I have Dad's Netflix account," she said after shaking her head. "I keep messing up the algorithm by playing movies I know he and Sheila wouldn't watch just to fuck them. I'm still waiting for dad to call and tell me to knock it off."

Jesse laughed in response.

"How's your family doing, Beca?" he found himself wondering.

"They're fine." She shrugged. "Dad and Sheila are still together. Mom is still with her boyfriend and they seem pretty happy. She's terrified of messing up Gracie like she and dad messed me up so she's trying really hard to be a good mom. Nana is great, too. She recently took in a distant teenage cousin in because his parents disowned him for coming out as trans. She's full on grandma mode and loving it."

"Shame on your distant relatives but I'm glad to hear your grandma has someone she could ask if they're hungry three times an hour."

"Yeah, nana really likes having him around. Haven't met him yet but he seems like a good kid. He sent me a picture of them from this year's pride march." she reached for her phone to show him the picture.

Jesse grinned eyeing the photo of the elderly woman waving a small rainbow flag and wearing a white t-shirt with a peace sign in the pride colors.

"Your grandma is so sweet," he said.

"She really is," Beca agreed. "I'm very grateful that I have her." She eyed the photo of her grandmother for a few seconds before locking her phone.

"Sarah didn't come out to our grandmother so that she wouldn't cut her out her will," Jesse snorted. "I loved my grandmother but she wasn't the most accepting," he proceeded to say.

"Hey, how is Sarah, by the way?" Beca wondered.

"She's okay. She's visiting her girlfriend in Paris."

"Her girlfriend is French?"

"Half French but she grew up here. She just moved there temporarily to spend time with her terminally-ill dad."

"Jezz, that's awful."

"Yeah," he agreed. "What's that noise?" Jesse puzzled.

"Just my neighbors going at it," Beca deadpanned, getting up to lock the window and drown down the muffled sex noises a little before she turned on the TV.

She randomly picked a Netflix original teen romance movie and Jesse shook his head amused by her quest to mess up the recommendation system for her father.

"Are they trying to break through the wall?" Jesse found himself wondering when the thumping noises got too loud as the moans did.

"I hope not," Beca grumbled.

"This is unacceptable." He got up and walked over to the wall, pounding his fist against the wall. "Put a pillow between the wall and the bed frame!" he said loudly. "Are you fucking kidding me," he muttered when the noises somehow got louder. "You should tell your landlord about this," Jesse then said to Beca.

"I don't really mind." She shrugged. "I hardly hear anything when I go to bed and that's what matters."

"Are they shooting a porno?" he found himself wondering as he sat down.

"I don't know. Sometimes I hear them when they argue, and they argue a lot, and it almost always ends in very rough sex."

"Sounds like a very healthy relationship," Jesse deadpanned.

"Yeah," Beca snorted.

When he left her apartment, it was almost midnight. He would have stayed for longer if Beca wasn't so worn out and clearly wanted to go to bed. He could tell she liked having him around but he wasn't going to overstay his welcome. He made a stop at a 24-hour diner, craving some breakfast food, then headed to his sister's place.

The next day, he went to catch a matinée show of his stage musical. It was his baby and he was proud of it. He went backstage to say hi to everyone during intermission and was curious to see why everyone was congratulating Rachel, the actress that played the lead female role.

"Hey, man. What is going on with Rachel?" he asked Benji.

"A show she shot a pilot for got picked up by a television network."

"Oh, that's great!" Jesse beamed. "But, wait doesn't that mean she's gonna have to move to L.A. now?"

"Yeah," Benji nodded. "She won't be renewing her contract beyond this season."

"Well, that's unfortunate," Jesse mumbled. It really was because Rachel was a very talented performer, however her departure would mean he had about three-months to convince Beca to audition for the role of Jenna Leviton. Their first season's off-Broadway but next year they were gonna go on Broadway so that itself was a good reason for Beca to just consider it.

However, Jesse didn't want to take any chances so he decided to make her a slideshow with reasons to audition.

"Morning," Beca sleepily said, opening the door and leaning against it.

"Hey," Jesse said back, frowning a little because he clearly woke up her. He glanced at the time on his watch then said, "When did you go to bed last night?" he found himself wondering when he saw that it was 11:05 am.

"I don't know," she stifled a yawn, stepping back to let him into her apartment. "What's up?" she asked.

"I put way too much time into making a slides show to get you to audition for the musical that's what's up," he was saying as he made his way to the TV while grabbing her laptop from the coffee table and starting it. He then hooked her laptop to the flat screen using an HDMI cable.

"I'm sorry what did you just say?" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes.

"Why don't you go wash your face first. I'll make you a coffee and then we'll talk," he suggested, tilting his head when he saw someone get out of her bedroom. "Hi," Jesse greeted the equally sleepy man.

"Hi," the stranger retorted as he scratched the stubble on his cheek.

"I'm Jesse," Jesse introduced himself, placing the laptop down and walking over to shake hands with the guy. "Beca's friend. And, you are?"

"He's leaving," Beca spoke before the dude could, shooting Jesse a tight smile that spoke louder than words.

"Yup," he nodded. "Um, my t-shirt?"

"Right," Beca muttered. "Hold on a second." She then looked at Jesse for a brief moment and he held his hands up in the air in defeat. He wasn't going to interrogate her hookup.

She hurried into the room and came back a second later, wearing her own t-shirt and holding the man's t-shirt in hand.

She then walked him to the front door and Jesse could the guy tell her, "I had a great time."

"Me, too," she mumbled.

Jesse went over to the TV so he wasn't looking at them but he could hear them kiss before Beca closed the door and went back inside.

"Don't," she grumbled.

"Wasn't gonna say anything," he assured. She made it very clear that she didn't want to talk about her love life with him. And, despite how badly he wanted to know about it, he wasn't going to disrespect her wishes. "Sit down. I won't take too long with the presentation," he said next.

"Wait, I'm gonna go make some coffee first," she sighed.

"Okay." He set everything up and waited for her to come back with a mug of coffee.

Jesse did his presentation that had pretty solid arguments in favor of auditioning for the stage musical and that he felt really good about.

However, he wasn't sure how he felt about the disinterested look on Beca's face.

"Jesse, I'm not gonna do it," she told him as soon as he finished.

"But-"

"No, but. I appreciate the effort but I really have no interest in pursuing a career in stage acting."

"You'd be so good at it, Beca."

"I'm pretty good at giving head, you don't see me monetizing that skill," she countered.

He scratched his head thinking of how he was going to change her mind then said, "OK, how 'bout this? if you audition… if you promise to audition I will let you pick a tattoo for me."

His words perked her interest and he could see it in her face as she sat up.

He knew her so well. She couldn't pass out on an opportunity to give him a tattoo.

"I'd just have to go and sing whatever song I want and you'd get a tattoo of my choosing?"

"Yup." He nodded. "Any song you want. Any tattoo you want."

"How would I know if you'd go through with the tattoo after I do audition?" she wondered.

"Easy. I'd get it before you audition," he said with a shrug.

"Huh." She leaned against the couch. "I'll think about it."

"Great!"

"Not really. For all you know, you could end up with an awful tattoo just so I'd go and sing a mediocre song in front of a few people."

"a few people that will definitely cast you because you're absolutely right for the role."

"You sound too confident. Will there be nepotism, Jesse?" she narrowed her eyes.

"How dare you say that?" he questioned, offended that she's think he'd do something like that.

"I'm just checking, man." She got up and began making her way to the kitchenette. "When will auditions be held?" she asked.

"Some time in October, I think," he answered, turning off the TV as well as her laptop before he joined her in the kitchenette. "Plenty of time to think of a tattoo for me," he added.

"Yeah," she said in amusement. "Okay, I'll do it. I'll audition." She shrugged.

"It's gonna change your life, Beca. You won't regret it."

"Sure, dude," she deadpanned.

Jesse knew what he was getting himself into by letting Beca chose a tattoo for him. He knew she wouldn't be able to resist the temptation of giving him a horrible one. He was hoping that he'd later be able to laser it off. He also had a tiny hope that she would change her mind and audition without ruining his body with some shitty ink.

The fact that she wouldn't tell him what she was getting him made the whole thing worse. He didn't let her see how he felt, though.

"Wow," Jesse exclaimed when the tattoo artist finished drawing what he was later going to tattoo. "Unicorn Tupac!" he eyed the drawing on his arm then looked up at Beca. "Creative."

"Thanks but I didn't come up with it. I found it online after googling bad tattoos." She shrugged.

He nodded in response. "Okay, let's get this over with," he blew a breath, closing his eyes in anticipation of the inevitable.

When nothing happened he opened one eye. "What's wrong?" he questioned in confusion, looking between Beca and the tattoo artist. "Are you gonna add something to it?" he wondered, frowning when the tattoo artist left.

Beca seemed to be very amused when she shook her head. "I'm not gonna make you do this, Jesse. I just wanted to fuck with you a little."

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Wait. Does this mean that you won't audition?"

"Yeah, no, I'm still gonna do that. I promised I would. It's just not worth this." She gestured at his arm.

"Thank you," he said next, sitting up.

She shrugged. "As much as I'd like to see you with some ink, it has to be your choice, my dude." Beca smiled, running her finger up the drawing on his arm.

He liked seeing tattoos on other people but had zero interest and getting one himself and she knew that about him.

Jesse looked down at the drawing again then said, "It's actually not that bad, you know? It's starting to grow on me."

"Should I get you Chad to come and get it done then?" she wondered.

"Oh, God, no. Let's get out of here." He got up, figuring it's best to leave before she changed her mind.