Chapter 6
A/N: Hi guys! So I was thinking about it, and I realized that I'm going to be going for it with this story. I had originally just set out with no thought of how far I wanted to take this, and after thinking about it hard, I decided I wanted to do this right. I don't want to do some short, shoddy job. Some AU's wrap it up very quickly, and you guys can tell. I don't want to be a member of that club. So if it's okay with you all, I'm going to put this one through its paces, and go for a legit, complete arched story. Hope its as good sounding an idea to you all as it is to me :) that being said, heres chapter 6. please let me know what you think!
xxx
Jacob Ben Israel skulked past the group of laughing glee kids. For one brief, shining moment, he had almost been a (non singing, strictly limited to swaying in the back but still important) member of New Directions.
He had also been one step closer to getting into Rachel Berry's pants, which was the whole point of him going to school every day. That, and the whole "truancy is now a crime punishable by fine" law recently passed by the damn Ohio legislature. But mainly because of the Mission: Impossible - Rachel Berry version he lived every day.
He had held onto a faint hope regarding Rachel. Since Finn had elected to dump the hottest Jew since Babs herself, Jacob had considered himself the next most eligible bachelor to lend his perpetually polo-shirted shoulder to cry on. His assimilation would have been executed like that of a rebel coup. He would charm the leading lady, then force himself into a position of leadership, and axe the weak links (read: Finn Hudson). It would have been brilliant. But it was not to be, thanks to the arrival of a strange new student whose name Jacob now associated with Satan's.
Jesse St. James.
Not only in his arrival had he come bearing the talent to fill another spot on New Directions, but he had also apparently auditioned for the much more desirable role as confidante/shoulder-to-cry-on for one Rachel Berry. It was this consistently black shirted devil that was at the center of the laughing group.
Jacob had tried to understand what it was about this Luciferian senior that made him the most popular thing to hit McKinley since the arrival of Noah Puckerman who had been deflowering seniors when he was a freshman. But in all his efforts, Jacob had yet to find any dirt on St. James to post on his blog/twitter/facebook/myspace/tumblr accounts. His minions were chomping at the bit for gossip, and Jacob simply couldn't find any. He was the picture of a clean kid.
Which was why it was so interesting to hear whilst passing the glee club that there was talk of a small party allegedly happening at Jesse's house this coming Saturday. Jacob smirked, and whipped out his iPhone. Soon, the entire school would know about the party at St. James', and hopefully the midwestern party insanity would lead to some dirt he could use to get rid of him and clear the way for himself.
xxx
Rachel walked into glee that afternoon and made a beeline for Jesse, who was next to the piano and talking animatedly to Brad, the music teacher, playing melodies and discussing the better way to construct them on the keys. Getting him to allow anyone to play his piano was an effort, but somehow Jesse had charmed his way into it, and Brad was smiling to boot. Rachel was taken aback by that. She wasn't sure she had seen Brad smile before. Ever.
"You ready?" she asked as the piano teacher left and Jesse took the vacated spot on the bench.
He jumped, not realizing she had been behind him, and smirked up at her. "I was born ready Berry"
She rolled her eyes and she and Jesse quickly ran through their vocal warmups as the rest of the club filtered in.
"Okay, so I was thinking about it and I think we should switch the song" Jesse said quickly, while Mr. Schue walked in and began talking about the assignment. Rachel literally spun around to look at him.
"Are you nuts?" she demanded, feeling an overswell of nerves fly up in wake of his words "We can't just 'switch the song' two minutes before we're supposed to go! We rehearsed Hello 12 for a reason Jesse, what other one could you possibly think to-"
"Hello by Lionel Richie. It'd be perfect." he cut in, trying to stem the word vomit Rachel compulsively blurted out when anxious about a performance "Think about it Rachel" he crooned, trying to charm her into it "it's so symbolic. It's our first duet together, and what better way to show Mr. Schuester that we can handle the epic route then by doing an epic song? Besides" he added, smirk back in place "It'll show certain other male leads what an award winning voice should sound like whilst ballading."
Rachel had to admit, he had a point. I certainly do not want to do any more love solos with him, and considering how mine and Jesse's voices are exquisite together, this could be perfect.
She tried hard not to think about the fact that she was singing arguably the most romantic song she'd ever heard with a boy she was trying hard not to think about in any way other than friendly.
She snapped her eyes from Jesse's expectant ones to Finn's stony expression at them so close together and whispering. That made up her mind in a heartbeat.
"Let's do it." she said, grinning wickedly at Jesse whose own smirk became even more pronounced.
"So guys, what have you got for us?" Mr. Schuester asked, settling into his chair in front of the room and looking expectantly towards the two on the piano stool. Rachel stood and straightened her owl sweater. Damn nervous habit she thought testily
"We're doing 'Hello' by Lionel Richie" she said. Jesse followed it up with a more smug remark in "It's basically our audition for Regionals opening number Mr. Schuester."
"Great, lets hear it" Mr. Schue said and leaned back. Rachel traced her fingers over the top of the piano as Jesse began to tap at the keys, the opening notes resounding through the wood lid under Rachel's hands. She felt her goosebumps at the sound of his voice joining the keys
I've been alone with you inside my mind
and in my dreams I've kissed your lips a thousand times
I sometimes see you pass outside my door
Hello? Is it me you're looking for?
As she joined him on the next set of lines, their voices were just as perfect together in true performance as they were in the intimate setting of her father's music room. Rachel briefly opened her eyes to see Jesse's on the piano keys, and then flicking back up to hers with a smile that she returned
I can see it in your eyes
I can see it in your smile
You're all I've ever wanted and my arms are open wide
Because you know just what to say
And you know just what to do
And I want to tell you so much
I love you
By this time she had moved unconsciously back to the stool where Jesse was seated. He moved over a bit so she could join him on it, not missing a stroke of the ivory or a note in the lyrics.
I long to see the sunlight in your hair
And tell you time and time again how much I care
Sometimes I feel my heart will overflow
Hello? I've just got to let you know
Because I wonder where you are
And I wonder what you do
Are you somewhere feeling lonely
Or is someone loving you
Tell me how to win your heart, for I haven't got a clue
But let me start by saying
I love you
xxx
I'm an idiot.
Those three words continued to pound through Jesse's mind as he sang with Rachel. Sure, he could have run with the idea that he really was trying to convince Schuester that he was the best candidate for the male leads. He could have done this to mark his territory to Finn. But he wasn't. He was doing it because he wanted to sing his favorite love song with the girl he couldn't get his mind off of for five seconds. Which was cocky (even for him), dangerous, and totally worth it he thought.
It had been amazing. Truly, even from a strictly professional approach, his and Rachel's voices together were like something straight from a Broadway dream team. He was stunned every time she opened her mouth, but her previous skills were eclipsed with this performance. Something had snapped in him, and he was hellbent to perform with her at Regionals. He had to get Finn out of the way. No way could he miss an opportunity to play off someone who was so talented in front of hundreds of people.
As the song ended, the others in the club gave off a round of raucous applause (he had expected no less), and he remembered just in time to slap on the smirk before Rachel's eyes went back to him from the applauding classmates. He swept arrogantly from the piano stool and took Rachel's hand in a bow, and went to his seat.
As Mr. Schuester continued on about their performance, Jesse's superiority complex was encouraged a bit more. As he looked over the other kids, he knew most of them wouldn't have what it took to make it. While they were all talented and had been very accepting to him once he had proven his talent, they didn't have the tunnel vision that only he and Rachel seemed to share. It was another reason that he believed she and him got on so well. They could understand each others ambitions. The drive, the perpetual want and work required to simply hold the dream set them apart from the others. It made them special. It made Rachel special.
Mr. Schue finished talking and called on Mercedes. She strutted up to the front of the room and began belting out "Umbrella", putting Rihanna's version to shame. She had the voice, that was for sure, but she seemed to be interested in the recording aspect of fame. She wanted the pop song smash hits and VMA performances. She could very well get them. But Jesse never saw the appeal of that route. You get the fame, sure, and sometimes you get the career with longevity, but for him the only future he wanted was one where he could become a legend. He wanted to originate a legendary role on the Great White Way, he wanted to be the new face in the revival of an old beloved and retooled classic show. To see his face on posters and see his name in the liner notes of an Original Broadcast Recording CD were the only things worth going after.
As he thought about things worth going after, his gaze slipped from Mercedes (who was still busy owning her song) to Rachel. She was aptly watching her teammate, as if trying to find something in Mercedes' performance that she could adapt to her own to improve it. He was so impressed with her. A sophomore who was light years ahead of everyone else. He hoped she was free tomorrow. He wanted her at his small get together, and if the stars aligned for him (as they should, he was Jesse St. James after all) he could find an excuse to capture her presence for an evening. He did kind of begin planning this whole thing for that specific reason, and he'd be damned if things didn't fall into place.
xxx
As Finn sat and watched his ex sing a completely see through love ballad with the newest addition to New Directions, his blood unexpectedly boiled. Sure, he broke up with her, but that didn't mean that he wanted to watch her have eyesex with some new dude she didn't even know! This was Rachel, not Santana or even Quinn, she didn't move on so quickly. She was supposed to still be sad over him. So what the hell was she doing singing this song with a guy she couldn't take her eyes off of?
What. The. Hell.
Jesse seemed like a nice guy. He had been appearing to be nudging his way into Finn's solo's, but after all the babydrama and the loss of Quinn, Puck, and his dumping of Rachel had left Finn pretty much only with Kurt to talk to about how he felt. And stuff.
None of that mattered right now though. He may have forfeited his rights to have a say in Rachel's life, but he didn't like the way that Jesse kid was looking at her. It felt intense. He had to intervene. If that meant trying to woo Rachel back to him, so be it.
As Mercedes finished her song and the group again burst into applause, Finn saw Jesse lean forward and whisper something in Rachel's ear. She burst out laughing and Finn wanted to hit something in a jealous rage. This wasn't okay. It was like everyone was doing things just to hurt his feelings now.
The bell rang and the club began to file out. Finn watched as Jesse was surrounded by Kurt, Santana, Matt, Mike, and Artie, all asking about the party he was apparently hosting this weekend. Finn listened closely as Jesse explained that his parents had gone on a cruise to recover from the stress of the move. Finn snorted. If there was ever a more ridiculous reason to go on vacation, he wouldn't be surprised to hear that mama and papa St. James had gone on holiday for that as well.
He walked past the group and smirked to himself. He would make an appearance at the St. James house tomorrow. Maybe bring a few friends of his won who weren't in glee, just to stir things up for the new casanova. And while Jesse was busy trying to keep his house from being destroyed, Finn could find Rachel and show her how bad Jesse was. Even if she didn't want to hear it.
xxx
Rachel had been surprised and pleased when Jesse invited her to the small get together he was having that weekend. It was the first time she had been invited to anything party-related in her entire high school experience, including after joining glee. To say she was excited would be like saying The Phantom of the Opera was only kind of popular. Understated and as far from accurate as possible.
She decided to doll up, and spent the day before heading over to Jesse's mainly at the mall trying on every dress she deemed cute. After 8 hours, she had finally decided on a simple white summer dress with a pair of red flats. It was (in her mind at least), a form of high school debutante, even if it was just with the glee kids. She had never seen them outside of doing work for the club, and she wanted to make a good impression of alternate life Rachel Berry. She had arranged for Kurt to pick her up (in exchange for letting him do her makeup), and had actually gotten an up/down and a nod of approval on her choice in duds. Mercedes of course was with him, and also gave Rachel an impressed look, for once sans of any snarky comment towards her.
"Have you been here before Rachel?" the female diva asked as Kurt thumbed in Jesse's address to the cars GPS computer.
"Never" Rachel said offhandedly, checking her phone as it beeped with a new text message from Jesse. Can't wait to see you :) She grinned automatically and put her phone away, her hands anxious for something to do until they got there. "He rarely mentions it, I don't think he is even here that often."
"Hm." Mercedes replied, exchanging a knowing look with Kurt. Rachel missed it though, she was too busy staring out the window lost in thought. "I mean, we just assumed that you had seen it before," Kurt now took over the inquiry, making a sharp left turn in front of oncoming traffic and not even messing up his perfectly combed hair. "You did seem rather cozy with him during your number yesterday afternoon..."
"That particular emotion was due strictly to the performance required by the strenuously emotional Lionel Richie. I have yet to witness anyone singing that song who hasn't had to put some acting into it to make it more plausible to the audiences beliefs" Rachel said, very quickly. She didn't want these two especially to figure out that she maybe, sort of, okay DID have a crush on her new friend. It would be all over McKinley faster than Jacob Ben Israel with a freshly charged iPhone and a Twitter app.
This did not seem to dissuade the two in the front seat however, because even as they finally pulled onto Jesse's street, they were going on and on about their suspicious amount of musical chemistry. But when they arrived at the St. James residence, their three mouths dropped.
When Jesse mentioned that his father made a lot of money in the early Nineties, Rachel thought that "a lot" meant enough to live comfortably on. By the looks of the massive house in front of them surrounded by what seemed to be the entire student body of McKinley High milling around it, he had done more than just well enough. Kurt hastily grabbed a parking spot and the three made their way up the winding drive to the house, which was blasting music and the yells of inebriated high schoolers.
As soon as they got in the door, Kurt was grabbed by Brittany and Santana who were clutching at him to share his moisturizing secrets, Mercedes was pulled into Matt and Mike's conversation, and Rachel was left alone, surrounded by people who harassed her daily, and there was no sign of Jesse anywhere.
She began to wander through the house and checked in the main rooms for a sight of her friend. She couldn't find him, but did come into the clutches of Jacob, who was wearing a pompous smile and almost leering at her.
"Oh, h-hello Rachel" he hiccuped, clutching a red plastic "Bad Decision" cup in his hand, his phone in the other. "Say I love your berries!, Berry!" and he snapped a photo of her disgusted look as he threw his arm around her and photobombed his own picture. She tried pushing him off but was only subjected to more of his drunken stupor "I love you"'s. After five minutes of his slobbering, Rachel heard a roar of laughter come from the room adjacent to the one she was held hostage in, and saw Jesse emerge from a large crowd that he apparently had just been entertaining. He spotted Rachel, and a massive grin broke out on his face. A moment later, a black shirted arm shoved its way in between Jacob and Rachel and separated the aggressor and his victim. Rachel smirked as Jacob turned to scowl at the person the arm belonged to, but then squeaked with fear as the tall senior figure of Jesse St. James loomed over him.
As Jacob turned tail and stumbled away as fast as his fifth-beer-that-night-legs would take him, Rachel turned to her knight in the dark button up dress shirt and grinned.
"Hello" he sang, his smirk in place "is it me you're looking for?" She laughed and rolled her eyes as he gathered her in his arms for a tight squeeze of a hug. She tried to be subtle as she breathed in his scent, all soap and fabric softener and something uniquely Jesse. She felt comfortable for the first time since she'd arrived.
"Sorry about all this" he said as he released his hold on her. "I don't know how so many people found out about the 'small gathering' I was having."
"It probably had something to do with Jacob and his obsessive twatting" Rachel remarked, watching as Jesse gave Jacob another dirty look.
"Well whatever he did, he certainly knows how to get people to crash a party. About 20 minutes before you guys showed up, I could have sworn I saw Coach Sylvester man-handling some Cheerios into her Suburban to go to practice." Rachel burst out laughing again a the visual, and followed Jesse through to a more quieter room.
"You have a beautiful home" she remarked, taking in the expensive looking kitchen furnishings and crystal chandelier over the stand alone cooking island. She noticed the lack of pictures on the fridge. There were none on the countertops or the walls either. From what she had heard of Jesse's family however, that wasn't a surprise.
"Thanks" he shrugged "Not much of a home though." Rachel didn't know how to respond to that. She stood nervously for a moment and then tried to bring another subject up.
"So everyone just showed up out of the blue?"
"I received a chain text about an insane party happening tonight" he said, looking at her with an air of being faux-impressed "Funnily enough the address was my own." Rachel couldn't hold back her laughter, and had to hold onto the island to remain standing. Jesse rolled his eyes and waited for her to finish, not noticing how his eyes had taken in her appearance while she was doubled up. His stomach flipped as she raked her long hair back and straightened out her dress.
"You look amazing Rachel" he blurted out, any subtlety he wanted to throw in there replaced by gut feelings. She blushed and thanked him, and for the first time, a hint of awkwardness passed between them.
He shook it off and said quickly "Lets go find some of the other guys, yeah?" to mask the moment, and led her out of the kitchen and back into the thick of the party.
xxx
For the next hour, Jesse and Rachel were the life of the night, and Rachel felt widely accepted by a population that usually just slushied her as opposed to watching her every move because they thought she was worth watching. She and Jesse played off each other well, and by the time the rest of the club (and about fifty other uninvited party attendees) showed up, the majority of the attention was on the two as they had claimed the karaoke set from the drunken Cheerios who had escaped the talons of Coach Sylvester, and had been belting show tune after show tune, much to the entertainment of the masses. The fact that most of them were wasted out of their minds had no bearing on Rachel's mind, she actually preferred them like that. They are so much more supportive of the arts whilst intoxicated she thought, after their fourth round of raucous applause.
"I need a breather," she shouted to Jesse, over the cat calls of what seemed to be most of the football team, and stepped off of the coffee table she had found herself on. He nodded at her and kept going with Bohemian Rhapsody. As she grabbed a bottle of water, she made her way through the living room and onto the patio with a few of the smokers. Taking a long sip, she rested her head against the cool wall behind her. Closing her eyes, she smiled as she thought of how wonderful this night was turning out to be. And to think I was considering leaping out of Kurt's car and running when I saw the slushers
She didn't notice how the sliding door leading from the house was opened and out came an abnormally tall figure towards her. She heard one of the smokers acknowledge a newcomers presence, and opened her eyes to find Finn Hudson standing before her, letterman jacket on, hands shoved deep in his pockets.
She stared at him. He stared at her. The smokers stared at both of them.
"Hi Rach" he said, awkwardly breaking the silence and shifting on his motorboat sized feet. She didn't respond. Maybe if I blink he'll be gone, and I'll only have to worry about possible schizophrenic like symptoms as opposed to Finn actually being by me, and talking to me.
She blinked. He was still there. She didn't know if she was more disappointed about his presence or of the lack of mental illness.
"Having a good time?" he pressed, trying to get a response. She couldn't speak, couldn't think except to reiterate over and over again why is he here, why is he talking to me? "I saw you up there-"
"What do you want Finn" she asked abruptly, interrupting him. He tried to look offended and gave up when she didn't give him the reaction he wanted.
"I came to check up on you. I saw you run out here after Jesse made you sing with him. Wanted to make sure you were okay."
She almost laughed in his face. He thought Jesse was forcing her to sing with him? He honestly believed that Jesse was the biggest problem in her life right now? She knew Finn was dumb, but this was taking it to a whole new level.
"I wasn't being forced into anything Finn" emphasizing on his name with attitude "Unlike some, Jesse actually lets me dictate what extra-curricular activities I engage in, and actually enjoys conversing with me." She took some smug satisfaction in the confused look he was now sporting after her somewhat larger sized vocabulary choices.
"I dont think you understand what he's doing Rachel" Finn said, powering on through his previous confusion "He's just using you to further his goals for glee. He just wants solos, and knows that making himself look good with you is the best way to do that"
"And how would you know that Finn?" she demanded "Could it be because you yourself actually used my feelings for you to trick me back into the club so you could get a scholarship?"
He glared at her "This isn't about me Rachel-"
"Well somebody go ahead and call the international press, Finn Hudson isn't thinking about himself for once!" she spat, hands angrily on her hips.
"Oh thats great Rach," Finn raised his voice and arms simultaneously "Coming from someone infamous for putting herself first at all times!"
"I put the team first Finn, and you would have known that if you hadn't decided to find yourself at the expense of my feelings before even giving me a chance!" she hated the quiver she heard in her voice, she hated the burning in her throat and the blurring of her vision that were indications of the tears she knew were imminent. "I'm done with this Finn! I'm done with you!" and she stormed off into the house, Finn hot on her heels.
xxx
Jesse was finishing another song as he heard the door to the back bang open and a small brunette in a white dress come plowing through the people crowded in the main room. Jesse jumped down and jogged over to meet her, a sick feeling in his stomach as he took note of the tears in her eyes and the sobs she was barely holding back
"Rachel whats wrong?" he asked, his hands on her arms, a concerned look firmly on his features. Before she could clear her throat enough to speak, a second figure came barreling through the living room and stopped when he spotted them.
"Hey!" the figure yelled, shoving people out of the way in his effort to get to the pair "Get your hands off her St. James"
Jesse shot him a dangerous look, and Rachel pushed him back from Finn. "Jesse its nothing, let it go"
"Yeah Jesse," Finn sneered "Let it go"
All Jesse's willpower went into not smacking Finn Hudson down like the hand of God in that second. Focusing on Rachel, he whispered "Go upstairs, last door on the left. I'll meet you there in a minute" She gave him a warning look, as if nonverbally banning any idea of a hand of God smackdown, and then headed off in the direction he had indicated. Turning back to Finn, he approached the sophomore and stared him down menacingly.
"You have sixty seconds to get out of my house before I employ some of your inebriated teammates to escort you out." He breathed at Finn, who hadn't backed down.
"I know what you're doing with Rachel" Finn said, ignoring the warning and stepping closer "I know you're using her. And now that you know that I know, rest assured that if it doesn't stop, I'll step in."
"Forty seconds" Jesse said, ignoring Finn's words "Thirty-nine. Thirty-eight. Thirty-seven..." trailing off, Finn stared at him angrily and then stormed away to the front door, slamming it so hard the massive glass widow above it rattled.
Jesse ignored the looks of the other partygoers and headed towards the stairs. He needed to see what exactly had happened to Rachel, and if he needed to take a trip to visit Finn again tonight.
xxx
Rachel had followed Jesse's directions and made her way quickly upstairs and to the last room on the left. Pushing open the door, she stepped into what was unmistakably the place where Jesse slept and spent most of his time while at home. This room, unlike the rest of the house which was cold and indifferent, more museum than home, was full of color and life. It was like the rest in that it was meticulously cleaned and organized, but there was something alive in the neatly framed show posters and playbill collection. The way his bookshelf was organized by author, and then sub-organized by authors subject was endearingly familiar to Rachel. The Berry household organized their family collection in the same way.
There were photos placed neatly around the room, on his desk, nightstand, and on the dressers of Jesse dating back at least since the start of his show choir days. There was a picture of him standing with a full group, grinning widely and holding a trophy that was at least as large as the then freshman St. James. Another next to it showed him with his arms around the same group of people, this time a sophomore, standing next to the winning trophy. The third showed the same group, another trophy beside them, apparently his junior year. And the final photo in the arrangement was of him with that same group, this time not in outrageously colored shirts or clutching absurdly large prizes, but in just casual clothing. It appeared that some of the girls in the group had been crying (even though their showfaces were good enough to fool a passive observer, Rachel had enough experience hiding tears), and there was a banner in the background of the photo that read "We'll miss you Jess!" This had to have been taken right before he had left for Ohio, because he looked the same as he did now, tall and self assured, if not a little uncharacteristically sad for a photo opportunity.
She continued around his room, taking in how he organized his CD's and how he had left his MacBook on the pullout keyboard of his desk as opposed to the top of it. Little quirks that Rachel found all too familiar. She settled on to the bed and waited, hoping and praying Finn wasn't causing a scene again. The aggressive side of Finn had been seen before, but not towards her. It had been justifiable then, but tonight? His antics were uncharacteristic, and completely out of line. Cornering her and demanding that she stop being around Jesse! He had no say in how or who with she spent her time. He didn't even know Jesse. He was missing who Jesse was entirely.
As the door opened, Rachel shook her thoughts aside. Jesse came into the room and shut the door quietly behind him. He gingerly sat himself on his bed next to her.
"I'm so sorry Rachel" he began, running a hand nervously through his hair "I didn't know that he would be here, and when you came in like that, I just knew it was something he did" trailing off, he caught her eye. He wanted her to understand that she could talk to him, she could let him in like he had let her in about his parents.
She let out a slight sniffle, and Jesse put a tentative arm around her, to which she immediately melted into. He hugged her tightly as she shook a little bit and her small frame released some of those earlier threatened tears into the fabric of his shirt. It absolutely killed him to see her like this, and at the hands of Finn Hudson no less.
"You know what I thought the first time I heard about your Finn issues?" he asked as she took deep, steadying breaths, shaking her head no. "I thought about a song by Dashboard Confessional. Its called Belle of the Boulevard. Its about a girl who is the starlet of where she comes from, and how even though she tries as hard as she can, she can't catch a break." She had pulled away from him now, but he was thrilled to see she gripped his hand with hers as he spoke. "It's about how this girl should never let whatever these boys throw at her get her down. Because despite what they may say, or how bad it might hurt, at the end of the day she is still holding on."
He reached a hand to tuck a strand of errant hair behind her ear, and smiled at her. "You're the belle of the boulevard Rachel. Nothing Finn says or does can take that away from you. I hope you know that."
She was looking at him so hard he thought she could see right through him. The way her eyes were red rimmed, the way the tear tracks were still fresh, the way the tip of her nose was still sort of pink, all of it made her more beautiful to him. She dropped her gaze and let go of his hand. She stood up, and he stood with her, watching closely to make sure she was alright.
She straightened her dress and looked back up at him. She took his hand in both of hers and said, simply "Thank you."
They stood that way for a minute more, until Jesse was sure her breathing was even enough to face the crowd again. He smiled and winked at her as he opened the door, and together, hand in hand, they walked down the stairs and back into the fray, the both feeling safer with each other than they had with another person before.
Review? :)