She's right, he's an idiot.

You would think after nearly two years together that he would have figured out how to stop pushing her too much, but obviously he hasn't. He was even too stupid to pick up on the many not-so-subtle ways she had warned him to back off before completely flipping out on him.

"Come on Beca," he urges, "It's her wedding day."

"And I didn't ask her to get married on the same weekend as the finals, did I?" she replies.

"No, but that's just a coincidence," he argues.

"No, it isn't. I told her what dates I would be competing, and she decided it wasn't important enough for her to change her schedule so that her only daughter could attend her wedding. I don't see how this is my fault!"

"She's your mother," he insists.

"I know that, Jesse!" she snaps, "I really wish you could just take my side and shut up about it already!"

"I am on your side, I just don't want you to regret not being there for your mother," he keeps pushing.

"And what about the Bellas? Oh, you'd just love that right? It would be an easier win for you without me there!"

"Beca, that's not what—"

She holds her hands up in front of his face, "Save it Jesse, I'm done." And without another word, she walks out the door.

She's ignored him before, but it is different this time. He knows she's busy rehearsing with the Bellas and with classes, but she changes her shifts at the station, and she doesn't reply to any of his calls or texts. She's not at their usual spot on the quad after class, either.

Five days after the argument, and he's walking across campus with the intention of catching her as she leaves class. He turns in the direction of the building where her class is held and stops dead in his tracks when he sees her. She's standing in a group of at least five guys, talking and laughing with them as if nothing in her world is wrong. She smiles a genuine smile at one of them, and his insides squeeze as he recalls that it took him months to earn a smile like that from her.

It's spring, and she's standing beneath a flowering tree as she talks to these guys. A few flower petals fall from the tree, catching in her hair. One of the guys reaches out and gently pulls the petals from her hair, and Jesse's hands curl into fists at his sides.

He's an idiot.

There's just something about her that attracts not only him, but everyone to her. She never sees it, saying she isn't that pretty or special, but he knows the truth. And this scene, with the flowers falling all around her, is more than he can bear. He should be the one standing there with her, not this other guy.

He watches as she turns away from the group and heads in the direction of her dorm alone. He sees the flower petal guy say something to his friends and then chase after her. She turns around as the guy approaches and says something to her, and replies by shaking her head before walking away again. The guy just stands there, hanging his head for a moment before returning to his friends, who laugh at him and punch him jokingly.

Wait, did that guy just ask her out?

Beca continues to walk away when the flower guy runs after her again while his friends goad him on. "Beca!" the guy calls her, "Bec!"

Bec?

The guy grabs Beca by the arm, turning her around abruptly, her books falling out of her arms and onto the sidewalk.

"Dude, what the hell?" he hears her yell as she removes her ear-buds and looks up angrily at the guy. By now, Jesse's feet are moving by his own accord towards them. The guy still has her by the arm.

"Come on Bec, it's just going to be the guys hanging out watching a movie, you have to come!" the guy insists.

"Get the hell off her!" Jesse yells as he approaches, causing Beca and the guy to turn in his direction. The guy releases Beca as Jesse stoops to retrieve her fallen books, scooping them up and holding them for her as he glares at the guy.

"Want to introduce me to your friend?" flower guy says to Beca.

"Boyfriend," Jesse corrects.

She just shakes her head at both of them, and turns to leave again.

"Bec?" they both say at the same time before shooting eye daggers again at each other. Jesse runs after her, giving the guy a warning look over his shoulder telling him not to follow.

"Beca!" Jesse says again, but she keeps walking faster. When they reach her room she moves to slam the door in his face, but he blocks it with his foot.

"Are you kidding me?" she glares at him

"What?" he retorts.

"Right, you just happened to be there when Chris was talking to me. So now what, are you going to tell me who I can be friends with too?" her nostrils flare with anger.

"Wait, you're mad at me when I save you from being manhandled by some asshole creep who also happened to be asking you out?" he shouts back.

"For your information, Chris is not an asshole. He was just being friendly because we're friends. I am allowed to have friends right?"

"Yes of course but—"

"But nothing!" she cuts him off.

"You're being really stubborn!"

"Don't," she holds up her hands, "Not every decision I make is based on some ridiculous notion that I have to be a certain way to prove something no matter who it hurts in the process. Do you really think that's who I am? Because if you do, then I have no idea why the hell you're even with me!"

"Beca, if this is about the wedding, then—"

"No!" she yells, "You don't get it, do you? My whole life has been about taking care of my mother, worrying about her, trying to make her happy after my dad left. And now I finally have my own life, and something that makes me happy, and a boyfriend and friends, and I'm just supposed to ditch them and screw them over so that I can go to some bullshit wedding that will probably end up in divorce because she couldn't be bothered to change the date for me? No. Fuck that."

"Beca," he begins.

"Just go," she replies, not looking at him.

He stands there for a moment, just watching her as she looks out the window, her body rigid. He wants nothing more than to just go to her and hold her in his arms, but he knows she won't let him, so he leaves.

And the idiocy continues.

This all started because he wouldn't stop pushing her. He had to open his big mouth and tell her that she would regret missing the wedding, and he still is probably sure she will if she doesn't go. He considers calling Beca's mother to beg her to change the date, but he knows if he does, Beca will probably never speak to him again. So he does the only thing he can think of.

It's late at night a few days later, and she's sitting alone in her room at her computer, trying to focus on a new mix. She hates that she misses him, she's so angry at him. Why doesn't he understand that her decision was hard enough without him constantly questioning her about it? Of course she doesn't want to miss the wedding, but she won't abandon her friends when they need her the most. Abandoning is only something her father does.

She's staring at the screen when she hears the first few chords of a guitar playing outside. She stands, looking down onto the lawn, and there he is.

The show is over close the story book
There'll be no encore
And all the random hands that I have shook
Well they're reaching for the door
I watch their backs as they leave single file
But you stood stubborn, cheering all the while

She recognizes the song as the same one that Mark Wahlberg's character plays for Jennifer Aniston's character in the movie Rock Star. One of the many, many movies she's watched as a result of her movication.

I know I can be colorful
I know I can be gray
But I know this loser's living fortunate
Cause I know, you will love me either way

She smiles at him in spite of herself. His voice always manages to do something to her insides, making them turn to mush. She hates herself for it.

Most were being good for goodness sake
But you wouldn't pantomime
You are more beautiful when you awake
Than most are in a lifetime
Through the haze that is my memory well
You stayed for drama though you paid for a comedy and

He knows that she loves when men sing to their significant others in movies. She let it slip when they were watching this movie, of course. She had sighed at the song, "So romantic," she whispered as Mark's character asked Jennifer's character for forgiveness and love through this sweet melody. She had felt his eyes on her as he smiled and turned his attention back to his laptop screen.

I know I can be colorful
I know I can be gray
But I know this loser's living fortunate
Cause I know, you will love me either way

He also knows that she finds guitar players sexy. And while Jesse has a basic understanding of all instruments, he wants to be a composer, after all; she knows that guitar isn't his strong suit. He must have learned this just for her.

Look ahead as far as you can see it
We'll live in drama but we'll die in a comedy and

He's focusing intently on the guitar, only daring to glance up at her window for a few brief moments to see if she's watching. When he sees her there, he smiles. A few other students have taken notice of his big moment here too.

I know I can be colorful

He looks up again, and she isn't there. His heart sinks.

I know I can be gray

He just keeps going, he's gotten this far and he's going to finish the song even if she isn't going to listen to it.

And I know this loser's living fortunate
'Cause I know, you will love me
Yes I know, you will love me
I know, you will love me
Either way

He strums the last chord on the guitar and looks up to see her standing a few feet away from him

"You learned that for me?" she asks quietly, and he nods. "It was amazing, thank you."

"I miss you," he tells her.

"I miss you too," she replies. "But I need you to know, you can't keep trying to make my decisions for me. I don't want to live that way. I know I can be stubborn, but I need you to trust me when I say I've made up my mind about something."

"Ok," he says. "I'm so sorry, Bec. I just want you to be happy. You know that, right?"

She nods, "Do you honestly think I would be happy going to that wedding without you?"

He shakes his head, of course he wouldn't have been able to go, because then he'd also miss the competition for the Trebles. "I would hope not," he finally says, taking a tentative step towards her. He slings the guitar, still attached to its strap, behind his back, and he can't help the way she licks her lips when she looks at him.

"You're an idiot," she says softly.

"Yes, yes I am. Only an idiot would spend a week without you in his bed when he should've spent every moment of said week groveling at your feet until you forgave his sorry ass."

She laughs, "Don't grovel. Groveling is pathetic."

"Oh, so you've already moved on to Chris the hair flower petal removal guy?" he teases, taking another step closer to her.

"Of course, we've watched tons of movies together already," she smirks.

"Oh, you're a bad, bad girl," he smiles smugly, moving until his face is only inches from hers. "Movie tramp," he adds.

"Weirdo."

"Badass."

"Idiot."

"Lover." And he kisses her soundly on the lips. He feels her relax into him, and he pulls her flush against his body. As the kiss grows in intensity with each passing second, he picks her up, and she yelps as her knee collides with the guitar still hanging down his back.

He puts her down and goes to remove the instrument from his shoulder. "Leave it," she says, raising her eyebrows suggestively at him before taking his hand and pulling him to her room.

She's the one to slowly draw the guitar strap off his shoulder and place the instrument gently on the floor before turning to look at him, her eyes smoldering. He decides it was worth the two days of practicing until his fingers were raw, his whole body humming in anticipation as she turns and climbs up on her bed, standing on the mattress. She points at him, turning her finger around and wagging it suggestively at him, asking him to come to her. He does, and she cradles his face in her hands before slowly lowering her lips to his. He's looking up at her, and she's in control as the kiss deepens. He snakes his hands around her, grabbing her hips from behind and pressing her pelvis into him as he breaks the kiss and attaches his lips to the creamy skin of her stomach. She stands there, slowly and deliberately removing each item of her clothing until there's nothing left, and he does the same.

Many I love you's and I'm sorry's are breathed into the darkness of the night as they move together, relieved to finally be one after their week apart. He knows it's not the last time he's going to be an idiot when it comes to her, but he knows he's lucky.

Because he knows she will love him either way.

A/N: The song is The Verve Pipe's Colorful.