Author's Note: This is such a sappy chapter, ugh I loved it. I love writing these two characters. I literally smile like the way Stacie does when Fat Amy confessed her love for Bumper. I just ugh, I'm so giddy right now and I feel horrible for the pain I'm probably going to cause once this story gets further- BUT, let's not think about that right now. Right now, let's enjoy and celebrate with Jesse and Beca because they're so gosh darn cute.
It's been a week and Beca was miserable. Seattle was beautiful but it was nothing without her other half. A month after Jesse's little stunt of finding her a job as a lead producer, Beca packed up for Seattle. She's been here only a week. She loved her job. She enjoyed it, she was respected, she was useful. Every night, however, she'd come home to an empty apartment. She didn't even bother to decorate the place. This was temporary. This loneliness was temporary and she needed to be reminded of that.
It's 8pm and Beca is getting worried. Everyday for the past week, they'd spend their nights, eating dinner and watching a movie via video chatting. He usually calls at 7, the time he should be home from work. Beca texted and rang his phone, but nothing. No answer, and straight to voicemail every time. She shouldn't be getting worried right? He's out there. He's making money, for the both of them, might she add. He's doing what he loves.
Beca got up from her bare living room and moved to prepare her dinner. Looks like it's toast and salad for her again. She hasn't really taken the time to explore Seattle and she hates herself for it. It's a beautiful city, but she felt it was unfair to explore without the one person she'd enjoy it with. Waiting for her toast, her Macbook chimed up. She immediately ran to her laptop on her coffee table and answered the call.
"Hi, baby!" Jesse's tired yet cheerful face blew up on the screen.
All kinds of worry left Beca's face and she was just happy, so damn happy to see her nerd again. "Hey," she repositioned herself so that she was comfy on the cheap couch.
"How was your day?" Jesse asked while he chomped down on a sandwich. The sandwich which reminded her she had to eat. She grabbed the laptop and made her way to the kitchen,
"Uh, it was ok. Got some business deals done. Recorded some music. Y'know, the usual." She took out her toast and prepared her salad.
"Ah, the usual," Jesse watched his girlfriend prepare her dinner and he wanted nothing more than to be there with her, making her food. Beca was talented but not that talented. The girl could burn water if she tried.
"Did you just get home?" She asked while she mixed in her salad toppings.
"Yup. It was a long day. I went to work at like 5 am and now just got off. I stopped by a deli for a sandwich. This is my dinner. Sorry, I was late."
"No, it's fine," She turned around and moved the laptop further on the counter to place her salad in front of her. "Guess what,"
"What?" Beca rolled her eyes. What's the point of guessing.. "I saw a movie the other day,"
Jesse's brows went up, "Really?"
"Yeah, I was driving by a theater and I saw a poster for this movie, thought I'd check it out,"
"What movie was it?"
"Yours." She fed a forkful of lettuce into her mouth while she waited for him to absorb what she was saying.
"Aw, Becs. I miss you, too."
"I waited till the end credits. Everyone left the theater by then but I waited till I saw your name,"
Jesse stopped eating and repositioned his laptop so that he could look closely at her beautiful face. "I saw your name and then I couldn't leave,"
"It's only been a week, babe."
"I know but it feels like a year." Jesse pouted. He didn't like this. He didn't like it at all. He didn't like seeing Beca miserable, he didn't like feeling miserable while she was away. He had to do something about it.
"I'll check out flights to Seattle. If I can get a couple days off from work, I'll spend them all with you,"
"Jesse-"
"This apartment is so empty without you, Becs. I'm bored, I miss you and I know you miss me too. You're eating toast and salad for crying out loud." Beca laughed. What a nerd.
"I don't want you take days off just because of me,"
"Becs, I want to-"
"Jesse, you're doing what you love. You're making a whole lot, I don't want you to risk that,"
"Beca."
"Yes?"
"I want to see you. In person. I want to hug you, touch you, smell you," Beca laughed,
"Smell?"
"Yes, you smell like cherries. I miss that." Beca rolled her eyes,
"Alright, well… hurry up, schmuck. I'll be waiting," Beca leaned in closer to the screen, giving the camera a very good few of her very nice rack. Jesse leaned back on the couch, gah.
"You'll be the death of me, Becs," She just smirked.
He managed to take the next weekend off and Jesse was more than excited. It was Thursday evening and he decided to walk home instead of taking the subway. He found himself on Melrose Ave, walking by a few of the shops. It was then that something came to him. Right there, in the display window of a store. It was the answer to all his problems. Excitement and pure joy began to rush through his veins as he walked inside the store.
Friday morning came and Beca was nervous. She was supposed to pick up Jesse from the airport an hour ago. Who knew Seattle traffic was going to be this bad? She shot him a text letting her know that she was running late. A minute later, her phone rang.
"Hey, babe,"
"Hey! I'm so sorry, I didn't know traffic was this bad at 10am. I'm still trying to get used to it here,"
"Oh, no worries. We've got some time,"
"What do you mean?"
"Did you bring a set of clothes like I asked you to?"
Beca glanced at the bag sitting on the passenger seat, "Yeah, but I don't understand. Why'd you want me to bring a change of clothes?"
"Because," This was another one of his elusive plans, wasn't it?
"Because what, Jesse?"
"Ugh, Beca. Just get here, okay? Our flight leaves at 1 and I'm hungry so we'll have lunch before we go."
"Wait, what?!" Jesse sighed.
"Beca, I have a connecting flight to New York," Confused, Beca was now irritated,
"What do you mean?"
"I have a connecting flight to New York, and you have a direct flight to New York, aka we're both going to New York in 3 hours."
"Jesse, why?!"
"Beca. Just get here."
The five hour flight wasn't something she asked for but walking hand in hand with her boyfriend around Timesquare at this very moment, was worth it.
They got to their hotel room, dropped off their bags and decided to walk around the city till they went out for dinner. This sure beats the streets of Seattle. Jesse was from New York and he knew the best places to take Beca to. She was more than annoyed when they stopped by FAO Schwarz, but Beca could not hide that grin when she couldn't keep her eyes off Jesse's childish actions. His pure joy playing on that giant piano was a sight Beca never wanted to lose.
As soon as it was dark enough outside, they made their way to Radio City Music Hall and the awe on Beca's face, illuminated by the lights was so breathtaking to Jesse. He couldn't resist the urge to snap a photo of her right then and there. She was his light. He'd never seen someone so beautiful, so raw and so, simply Beca. She wasn't aware of his picture takings while she took out her own phone as well to snap a picture of Radio City's marquee.
Jesse grabbed her hand and they walked until they got to Ellen's Stardust Diner. Beca knew this place from movies and this was one of Jesse's old stomping grounds.
"Did I ever tell you I was in theatre?"
Beca sipped on her milkshake, "Mmmm, you mentioned it once or twice,"
"Yeah, I'd come here every weekend, order a burger and fries, and just sit and watch the magic unfold. I always thought I'd end up here, singing for people. I thought I was going to make it on Broadway,"
"You wanted to be on Broadway?"
"Why, of course, who wouldn't wanna be on Broadway?"
"So, when did you decide to be a composer instead?"
"I lived with my Uncle in Atlanta every summer. While I was there, I grew to love the place. I applied to all kinds of colleges and when I didn't hear back from NYU, I decided maybe Broadway was too big of a dream for me. I only did theatre my senior year of high school and I thought that even though I loved it so much, I was a bit too late. I didn't do enough shows, didn't go to enough auditions. The only singing I ever did was for my high school's theatre productions. Music has always been my number one. Broadway was just there because it was both singing and acting. But making music was a lot more different. It gave me the chance to write, to play, to sing. I wrote a small theatre production but it never left high school,"
Beca loved that she learned something new about Jesse every single day. She loved that he was a mystery, despite him wearing his heart on his sleeve. "I didn't know that," Beca was distracted with the way Jesse spoke of his dreams that she had completely ignored her food while she admired him.
"So, when I was at my Uncle's one day, I looked up Barden and I saw they had a really good music program. My mind was set on movies and making music for them. The Trebles was just a thing that happened, and I'm so grateful for that, because I got to spend more time with you. I like to believe that music brought us together. If I was still on that Broadway path, I would've been in the theatre and not at the radio station, stacking CDs with you,"
Beca rolled her eyes, "You're a dork."
"You all finished?" Jesse grabbed a napkin to wipe his mouth, that burger was oh so good.
"Yup,"
"Well," Jesse looked at his watch, "we better go. It's getting late and we've got a big day tomorrow."
Jesse paid their check and slipped out from the booth, "Why? What're we doing tomorrow?" Jesse's eyes widened, crap.
"Just.. you know, a lot more touring of the city." He grabbed her hand and they went back to their hotel.
Central Park is a beautiful place. Of course, everybody knows that if they've seen any film that was based in New York. However, it's not just that. They don't show you the things that happen in Central Park. Every little turn, you witness something magical and Jesse loved that about the place. You've got the families on a picnic, friends playing baseball, dogs running around in freedom, bicyclists, horse carriages, fishing, and more. It's a whole new world in this park and it just fascinated Jesse so much. That's why bringing her here was the perfect idea. He knew of a spot that wouldn't be busy and he knew that was the perfect spot.
It was a bright sunny day and Jesse was walking hand in hand with his girlfriend, Beca, looking beautiful as always in a summer dress. They had a long day yesterday and he wanted today to be special. He wanted this mini trip to New York to be special. Their time apart really made him think about his life. He realized it was close to nothing without Beca in it. Sure, they were still together, she was just in a different sate for her job. It is in fact, his fault that they're temporarily separated. He found this job for her because he knew she needed it. She was starting to give up on herself and he didn't like that. He didn't want her to feel that way and if getting her the job she wanted was what it'd take to make her believe in herself again, then Jesse was okay with the distance.
They've been together since the end of their freshman year of college. That was about five years ago. Now, at 24 years old, Jesse knew exactly what he wanted. He wanted Beca and nothing more.
They kept walking, making small talk until Beca saw a gazebo. She let go of his hand and made her way to it. She admired the scenery and when she didn't feel Jesse following her, she turned around. She was met with this unfamiliar look on his face. Beca's seen a lot of Jesse's expressions but this one was new. It was a mix of shock and love and awe and just about everything else. She didn't know what to make of it. He gave her a small smile and entered the pavilion with her.
"Becs," When he walked past her, he grabbed her hand and looked out at the city, Beca stood next to him, "will you share your life with me-"
He was still staring out at the skyline when Beca turned to look at him, what is happening? Pure shock was on her face but she kept quiet, "-for the next ten minutes?" After realizing his question, Beca rolled her eyes at him. She leaned on his shoulder, embracing him.
"I'd ask for ten minutes, and another ten and another ten," He looked at her with the look of love. She kissed his cheek and sat down on the bench. "We've been through a lot together, y'know-" Beca nodded. She kept quiet because she had no idea where this was coming from but the moment he got down on his knees, in front of her, Beca was more than speechless. "And what's funny is that, these past couple of years wasn't enough and…and I know, in my heart, that there are so many lives that I want to share with you and I'll never be complete until I do so," She didn't see him do it but when she looked down, he had popped open a small jewelry box with a shining ring, staring right at her in the face. She reached out to touch the box but then stood up.
"Jesse, I-" Beca's response had confused Jesse. He thought she'd want this. He thought that after all these years together, it was time. He remained quiet as he took his turn to sit on the bench. She sighed. "- you know, I'm not always on time. In fact, I'm always late but… but if you can just wait a while, I'll make it eventually. I've always been late, I'm not proud of that fact but… you know, anything other than being exactly on time, I can do," Okay, where are you going with this, Becs? He wondered. She went to sit next to him, not wanting to look at him exactly in the eye.
"I've been here before… I've seen it. I've seen marriage happen and I've seen how it failed. I don't know why people run and I don't know why things fall through, Jess, but- I know one thing…" She looked up at him but he wasn't looking at her. Instead, he kept his gaze straight forward with the jewelry box closed tightly in his hand. She looked in the direction he was looking at, feeling the slight comfort to not see the pain on his face, gripping that box, "no one could survive in this life without someone like you." Those last words were so faint, Jesse almost didn't hear her. He turned to look at her. He was amazed. Not only was she shutting his proposal down, she managed to make it sound so romantic. "My old self would… panic," Jesse was now confused. He wanted to say so many things but he just let her continue, "I'd protect myself, say no to you and then I'd run. I'd run far from here, far from you… but, Jesse- I don't want to run. I want to be your wife a-and to bear your child."
There was practically tears forming in Jesse's eyes. This amazing woman just took him on an emotional rollercoaster ride in the span of two minutes. He picked right. He leaned in, with his hand on her cheek, kissing the other. He kept going, he couldn't stop. He wanted to kiss her everywhere to let her know that he loved her. All of her. She grabbed his face in her hands and looked him straight in the eyes, "I want to die knowing that I lived a long full life in your arms and I hate you for making me sound so cheesy, but it's the truth. I want forever with you."
Jesse couldn't help his grin, "So, you'll share your life with me for the next ten minutes?"
"Yes," She smiled,
"Next ten lifetimes?"
"Mhm," They were now in each other's arms, Beca mindlessly playing with the hair at the nape of his neck,
"For a million summers?" She shook her head at him, what a dork.
"Yes, Jesse-"
"Till the world explodes?" Beca kissed his lips to shut him up. He broke apart from the kiss to slip the ring onto her finger. She can't believe she was now engaged to this nerd.
Author's Note: I'm dead. I hope you liked this. If you haven't already, check out my other Jeca fic... it's a spy fic and I'm working super hard to update all 4 of my Jeca fics and I hope you're enjoying them. So please let me know you're still out there, reading my stuff. Ok, goodbye until tomorrow.