Alright, first of all, to clear any confusion this is a Puckleberry story. I know Rachel kind of despises him now, but just give the girl some time. :)
And now, the dinner!
The scent of lasagna filled the entire house. Everything had just been cleaned to perfection, which wasn't too hard considering we were a generally neat family. I glanced at the clock once more; Jesse should be here any minute. He planned on arriving at 7:00, right after he finished Vocal Adrenaline rehearsal that want on for an extra hour on Fridays.
Finally, the doorbell rang, signaling his arrival. This is it!
My dad smiled wide at the sound, he was obviously excited to meet Jesse. I hurried to the door, hoping to get there before my dad did, but once I reached my destination my dad already had his hand on the handle. He swung the door open and smiled at the visitor. Please don't embarrass me!
"You must be Jesse," my dad greeted. "I've heard so much about you!"
Really, Dad?
"Come on in," my dad stepped aside, allowing Jesse to step into the house. He entered, wearing a dress shirt and pants while holding a large bouquet of roses in his hands. This was, in fact, the first time he had ever actually been inside the house. His eyes scanned the foyer critically before they finally landed on me. He smiled in my direction.
"Hello, Rachel," he said.
"Jesse," I said in return.
"Oh, are those roses?" my dad asked, finally noticing the roses. "How thoughtful, Jesse. Rachel, isn't this thoughtful?"
"They're lovely." Even though I told him last week that I loved lilies.
"We need to put these in some water. I'll go and get a vase for them," my dad said, running off with the flowers.
Jesse walked forward until he was standing right in front of me. He smiled before he leaned down and kissed me, "Your house is incredible."
"Your flowers are incredible," I replied, getting another kiss. "We should probably get to the kitchen. My dad doesn't really understand the concept of privacy. He'll probably barge in here any moment."
"Okay," he chuckled. He followed me down the hallway, "Do I smell lasagna?"
"Yes, I helped my dad make it earlier. Trust me, you've never had lasagna until you've tried the Berry family recipe. It's to die for."
"I can hardly wait."
We entered the kitchen just as my dad placed the flowers in a large vase. He stepped back for a moment to admire them and then stepped forward to readjust them in the vase.
"Help yourself, Jesse," my dad said, gesturing to the lasagna. "And if you need anything, don't be afraid to ask. Our house is your house."
"Thank you very much," Jesse said as he grabbed a plate.
We all grabbed our food and filed into the dining room. Jesse's roses were placed in the center of the table, the scent slowing filling the room. While my dad and Jesse seemed to think the roses symbolized love and peace, the flowers simply reminded me of Jesse's perfectionism. Roses. They were so safe. They were the general date flower. There was nothing original about them, and no reason behind the purchase of the flowers. Typical Jesse. He just had to get the roses.
"So, Jesse, you're in Vocal Adrenaline, right?" Dad asked, finishing up with his lasagna.
"Yes, I am. I go to Carmel High," Jesse answered.
"Ahh, I see. How far away is Carmel from here? It must take you a while to drive here," Dad questioned.
"Well, normally it would be about a 45 minute drive, but my parents are out-of-town so I've been staying with my Aunt. Her house is about half way between here and Carmel, so the travel time isn't bad at all."
"That's nice," Dad commented. "What else do you do for fun? Besides singing, I mean."
"I dance," Jesse answered, "and I've also been trying to write my own play."
"Really? That's great!" Dad smiled. "What inspired you to try writing?"
"Actually, your daughter did," Jesse smiled in my direction. "A small town girl with big dreams, someone had to write it down."
A smile came to my face, "Really? Why didn't you ever tell me that?"
"I was planning on it being a surprise. Someday when we are both living out our dreams in New York City, you'll get to play the lead."
I grabbed his hand underneath the table. Sure, Jesse had a lot of flaws, but all the good always outweighed the bad. He truly was an amazing guy.
The rest of the evening went great. We all sat around the table sharing stories and laughing together. It was just as I had expected it to go. Jesse fit in perfectly with my my small little family. We really had something special.
Later on, I walked Jesse out to his car. I leaned in to kiss him goodnight, but froze when I saw a serious look on his face.
"Is everything okay?" I asked him.
"Rachel, have you given any thought to what I said to you?" Jesse asked.
I gave him a questioning look, "What are you talking about?"
"I love you, Rachel." I grabbed both my hands. "I really do. I want to make sure that you know that."
"I do," I said, kicking a rock around with my shoe. "I know you do."
He looked down at the ground. That was obviously not the desired response.
"Jesse, I don't know what else to say."
He shook his head. "I'll see you Monday before school." He opened his car door and slid into the driver's seat.
"Jesse, can't we talk about this? I'm sorry!"
He shook his head again. "I've got to go. Goodbye, Rachel."
"Jesse!" I called after his retreating car. He backed out of the driveway and sped away. I let out a deep breath. What was so hard about saying it back? It's so simple. I love you too. It was simple to say, as long as you was the correct person.
As I was preparing for bed that night, my cell phone suddenly began to ring. I read the caller ID, Noah Puckerman.
I sighed as I answered the phone. "Can I help you?"
"Rachel?" he slurred, he had clearly been drinking. "Rachel! You answered."
"Noah, is there a reason you are calling me at 11 at night?" I demanded. And he wondered why I never wanted to be around him. He's so immature.
"Have I ever told you how pretty you are?"
Wait, what? "Noah, how much have you had to drink?"
"Just a teeny bit," he said into the phone. "Have I ever told you how amazing you are?"
"Noah, you don't know what you're saying," I said. "You need to go home and get some rest. I'll see you Monday, okay?"
"But, Rache-" I hung up the phone before he could continue.
And the plot thickens :) :)
Keep up the reviewing!
