Meet Me at Stagedoor

Chapter 11

"Beca, you can't just sit there with your arms crossed," Jesse pulled his seat closer to hers, "We have to pick something." They had been going at it for hours. The first hour he just threw popcorn at her while she worked on her laptop and the following hour he had tried to get her to laugh, suggesting songs like "Fancy" by Iggy and "Gangnam Style" by Psy.

"Mitchell, I'm not spending all day in here. I'm going to pick it if you don't answer in the next minute," Jesse huffed as he returned to his laptop, "How about Gloria Loring and Carl Anderson's 1986 classic, 'Friends and Lovers'?"

He awaited her smile and eventually, the corner of her mouth turned slightly upwards.

"Friends and/or lovers?" he questioned.

"God, no," she responded, a grin still present on her face.

"She can talk," he threw his hands up to the Gods, "Then, we are doing 'Somethin' Stupid' by Frank and Nancy Sinatra."

"Really, Swanson? How clique can you be? Can we do some real music?" Beca put down her own laptop to face him, a goofy grin on his face.

He was having none of her sass. They were doing that song.

Jesse began singing, his voice echoing in the empty practice room, "I know I stand in line until you think you have the time to spend an evening with me." He strummed on the guitar he had conveniently left right near his chair. He kneeled on the floor until his eyes were level with hers.

She covered her eyes with her hands, trying her best to not let a giggle escape from under her breath. A giggle...Beca Mitchell does not giggle.

But she did.

Jesse continued, putting down the guitar, "And if we go someplace to dance, I know that there's a chance

You won't be leaving with me."

He took her hands, spinning her around. By the time he finished the line, she was following his lead, twirling under his hand like a little girl. She couldn't contain her laughter, even to tell him that she was still against doing the song.

.....

He didn't listen. He never did.

The class was seated in the auditorium, restly tapping their pencils. This performance can either be mind-boggling and a duet you'll remember long after the summer was over, or it would be a complete disaster. Either way, the class was excited to watch what was going to happen.

The lights dimmed, revealing Beca sitting on a seat on the center of the stage. No one could get a read on her. While some of the people couldn't wait to hear her sing, others were secretly hoping to watch Jesse and Beca brawl it out. There was no doubt who would win that fight.

Jesse entered from the right wing of the stage, a lavalier microphone clipped to his front pocket. When the music started playing, no one could believe that Beca Mitchell had agreed to this song, but they put this idea to the back of their mind as Jesse began singing.

"I know I stand in line until you think you have the time to spend an evening with me," Jesse circled around Beca and she continued to cross her arms, turning away from him. If you were up close to them, you would see a hint of a smile graze her face.

Jesse got on one knee, putting his hand out to her, and much to the audience's surprise, she took it. "And if we go someplace to dance, I know that there's a chance you won't be leaving with me," he pulled her up so she was standing right next to him.

Taking her hands in his own, they started to dance around the stage, "And afterwards we drop into a quiet little place and have a drink."

"or two," Beca immediately continued. Laughter fell over the stage as the audience continued watching the performance.

"And then I go and spoil it all by saying something stupid like 'I love you'," Beca turned away when he sang those three little words. Still, he continued singing to her despite her retreat.

Jesse's voice rang out through the theater, commanding the attention of all the students, "I can see it in your eyes that you despise the same old lies you heard the night before." With that, Beca turned around to meet his gaze, letting out a surprised, short breath when he put his arm on the small of her back, pulling her so that she was inches away from him.

"And though it's just a line to you, for me it's true and never seemed so right before," he continued, latching his gaze to her own.

Beca sang out, but continued to keep her eyes glued to Jesse's, "I practice every day to find some clever lines to say to make the meaning come through. But then I think I'll wait until the evening gets late and I'm alone with you."

"The time is right, your perfume fills my head, the stars get red and, oh, the night's so blue And then I go and spoil it all by saying something stupid like 'I love you'. The time is right, your perfume fills my head, the stars get red and, oh, the night's so blue And then I go and spoil it all by sayin' something stupid like 'I love you'," Jesse sang while holding her tight.

The two of them were oblivious at the ogling from both male and female students alike. They were in their own little world.

Jesse smiled, singing, "I love you...I love you...I love you." He was going to sing the last 'I love you' as they had previously planned, but much to his surprise, Beca sang the words, 'I love you.'

Her voice rang out clear and for a second, Jesse was stunned. Before he could do anything she smiled, winked at him and ran off the stage.

One thing was certain...he was whipped.