The first time they are together, she tries to convince herself that it's just physical attraction, even though she knows it's much, much more than that.

There we stand about to fly
Peeking down over land
Parachute behind

His lips slowly skim the contours of her body, and she holds her breath, her eyes clamped shut. Her skin is tingling; erupting into flames everywhere he touches her. It's slow, deliberate, as if he's trying to memorize every curve, every freckle, every line.

What was that moment for which we live
Without a parachute about to dive

Her first time was hurried, get in and get out. The guy wasn't gentle, or caring, or doing any of the things that Jesse is now doing to her. Her heart is pounding in her chest. She swears he must be able to hear it too.

I find myself convincing
Blindly falling faster
How easy
Know the place I'm leaving
And the rest is just gone

He keeps his maddeningly slow pace, his light touches to her breasts and her inner thighs driving her wild. She instinctively arches up to him, her body telling him what she wants, and she can feel his lips smile against her neck as he traces them from her collarbone to her shoulder.

"Jesse," she breathes, and he stops for just a moment to look into her eyes, seeking permission. She nods, pulling his mouth down to hers as he enters her for the first time, filling her completely.

Oh the adoration
But how much strength does it take
For exploration
For split decision
Or are you stronger to remain

"My God, Beca," he murmurs in the darkness, his voice laden with desire. "Beca," he repeats as he begins to move. She can feel him trembling slightly, and she pulls his head into the crook of her neck, stroking his hair as they move together.

She is unable to form any coherent thoughts, only focusing on the sensation of his body against hers. She's breathing hard as he sends her over the edge, a million colors exploding behind her closed eyelids. He breathes her name once more before collapsing on top of her.

Her limbs feel like jelly, like even if she wanted to get up she couldn't. She feels exhausted yet completely exhilarated at the same time. She looks over at him, his chest rising and falling as he catches his breath. 'Is it always like this?' she wonders. He begins tracing the outlines of her tattoos, asking her about them, and somehow she's able to formulate sentences in response.

She tells herself she was just riding the high of their first time, that it wasn't anything special. But then there's a second time, and a third, and a fourth, and the feeling only heightens for her. She's learning what makes him sigh against her lips, and what turns him on to the point of no return. He only has to look at her in that way and she feels the gelatinous-limb effect wash over her once more. And still, she tells herself it's only physical.

I find myself convincing
Blindly falling faster
How easy
Know the place I'm leaving
And the rest is just gone

She's been with him intimately for three weeks, nearly every day in fact, when they're sitting on the quad in the afternoon sun one day. At first, he's rambling on about some nonsensical movie trivia and she's only half-listening. She glances up at him in polite acknowledgment when she notices the way the sun is illuminating his face in such a way and she just can't stop staring at him. She feels her stomach drop, as if she's just plummeted from a high place, and her hand automatically moves to cover the place on her abdomen, thinking it might stop this feeling. He doesn't seem to notice, continuing on with his rant about how he had to watch a film in his class that was only a camera zooming in on a single photograph across the room for forty-five minutes straight.

It crept up on me
Ignored all my pleas
Begging to leave
No justice to name me

She's anxious. She can't stop thinking about him. It occupies her every thought, her entire sense of being. She's never felt this way before. She's always been independent, focused, and strong. This is just, no. She can't be like this.

Fell out of the sky
Cease it to be
Without a reply
Gravity fails me

They're working together at the radio station. She's barely present, her mind a million miles away. He's trying desperately to engage her in any way, but her stomach is in a knot.

And when I awoke
I knew what was real
Hope to convince you
Lies they all torture me

"Come on Becs," he quips, "This is grade-A material here. You know my dorkiness is all part of my charm."

"I know," she sighs, "It's one of the reasons I love you."

"What?" he breathes out, as her jaw drops with the reality of what she just said.

"I mean—I," she stutters, turning away from him, unable to look him in the eye.

"Beca," he's using that tone she loves. He steps closer to her, turning her around to face him. He sweeps a stray piece of hair out of her face and looks into her eyes. "I love you too," he says simply.

"You do?" she squeaks, unsure.

"God yes," he says, "I've been wanting to tell you for so long now."

"Since when?" she asks him.

And he tries to pinpoint the exact moment he knew, but a million little things enter his stream of consciousness, and he doesn't know precisely when. "Since always," he decides on his answer.

"You're an idiot," she tells him, "There's no way that you could have loved me always, you didn't even—" he silences her with a kiss filled with passion. She doesn't even realize she's moving backward until she comes into contact with something solid behind her. He's trailing kisses down her neck and she's losing all ability to think coherently.

"What do you say we break Luke's rule, give him a little something to remember us by?" Jesse chuckles in her ear seductively.

Opened the door
Knew what was me
I finally realized
Parachute over me

She hops up on the desk, "Come here, nerd," she laughs into his lips as she pulls his t-shirt over his head.

He leaves her in her bra in case Luke returns earlier than expected, and lifts her, placing her gently on the desk before moving to stand in between her legs. He leaves his pants around his ankles, in case he needs to pull them back up in a hurry. And it's awkward, and clumsy, and rushed. But when he whispers, "I love you," into her ear softly before sliding into her, she knows it's real.

Parachute over me

She throws her head back as the waves of pleasure wash over her, and he's bracing himself on the desk, his arms on either side of her hips as he tries to catch his breath. They dress just in time for Luke to return. Luke eyes them suspiciously, as Jesse's shirt is on backwards and Beca's buttons are done unevenly, her hair a bit more mussed than when he left. "Stupid immature interns," Luke mumbles under his breath as he disappears into the booth.

They race out of the studio, hand in hand, still laughing about Luke's expression of disgust. And when they finally stop running Jesse's mumbling something under his breath about a 'damn six-pack' when Beca silences him with a kiss.

Parachute over me

"You, I love you, weirdo," she reminds him, because it's the truth.

A/N: The song is Parachute by Guster. When I listen to this song, it reminds me of what it feels like to fall in love.