99I like too many fictional couples... It's problematic.
Review?
Also, I don't own.
"Please don't do anything stupid, alright? I know how you get when you're around your friends." He laughed quietly while putting the shirt on he had deemed appropriate. "I understand that you need one last hoorah before you get married but please do not do something that makes me call off the wedding." He looked in the mirror to meet the eyes of his fiancée.
"I won't, Babe. You know it's only you for me," he smiled sincerely while buttoning up the shirt and running his hands through his hair. "Ryan just wants to be a good friend and he thinks that it requires strippers or something."
"That's what I'm worried about," she grumbled. He turned around and walked over to her slowly. She looked him up and down before smiling. "I approve. You look very nice."
"Nice?" He scoffed before gesturing to himself. "I am very nice looking. You should be appreciative that you are with me," he joked. She rolled her eyes playfully and pecked his lips.
"I am appreciative. Anyway, I'm going out. I'll see you tomorrow?" He nodded before following her to the front door of his apartment. "Be good, Jesse. I'm serious."
"Yes, Mom," he responded while pressing a kiss to her lips. "Have a good night out with your girlfriends." She smiled before leaving. Jesse ran back to his room to finish getting ready. He had been engaged to Jessica for the past year. The big day was getting closer which only furthered his nerves. He was Jesse St. James and Jesse didn't get nervous which was what he found unusual about the upcoming date.
Once he put the finishing touches to his hair he waltzed out of his apartment complex and down the busy streets of New York City. He pulled his coat closer to him and frowned at the idea of being outside much longer. "Jesse St. James?" He quickly turned around and smiled when a young woman ran over to him. "May I please get my picture taken with you?" Jesse smiled and nodded. He adored his fans. He knew he was a good performer but to have people love you was a great feeling.
"You take care, Laura," he stated while giving the girl a short hug. He continued walking down the street while trying to place the feeling in the pit of his stomach. He knew something was coming. He just couldn't understand what it was. He quickly checked his watch and frowned. He had somehow managed to be late to his own party. He hailed a cab and immediately gave the elderly man directions to Ryan's apartment.
"Dude, you are so late." Jesse smiled apologetically and hugged his friend. "Well, no time for this crap," he yelled. "Let's go down to the club. I've got everything set up for you, man." Jesse rolled his eyes but patted his friend on the back.
"Yeah, let's get this show on the road," he replied. "I'm ready to see myself some ladies." Ryan catcalled and gave him high fives.
"The rest of the guys are meeting us there, man. Let's get going. I'm paying shitloads for this place so you better enjoy yourself one last time before Jessica ties you down." Jesse chuckled before following the redhead out of his apartment. The ride to the strip club Ryan picked out only took twenty minutes which Jesse noted wasn't that bad for New York traffic.
He stepped out of the cab and sighed. The place looked pretty horrific. He plastered on a fake smile for his friend's sake and quickly emerged inside. His senses were invaded by the smell of cigarettes and sex. He scrunched his nose in distaste but brushed it off as soon as a young blonde woman walked seductively over to him. "Are you the bridegroom we're waiting for?"
"I don't know," Jesse lamely questioned while looking at Ryan. "I guess so then," he muttered. The woman grabbed his arm and pulled him away.
"Your party is in the back room," she whispered into his ear before licking the shell. "I'm Jaime." He felt the strange need to rub alcohol on his skin but refrained from doing anything hasty. The blonde pushed him down into a seat and put a strange crown atop his head. "I'll be back," she purred.
"Hell yeah, she's hot, Jesse," Ryan yelled while making use of the beer he had obtained. The rest of the guys in the room all shouted in agreement. "Here, drink some, dude," he shouted while shoving a glass into his hands. He swallowed the liquid and fought the urge to make a face. Beer had never been a favorite of his. He didn't even like the substance.
Jesse watched as the girl he had officially dubbed Bimbo 1 sashayed her way around different guys. He let his eyes wander around the room as he spotted a brunette girl sitting in one of Ryan's friend's lap. He watched as she playfully swatted his chest and wiggled around suggestively in his lap. He pursed his lips together before looking back at Bimbo 1. She was walking across the stage with a microphone in hand announcing something about a present for him. Later on in life he would realize that he wasn't doing a good job of enjoying himself at his own Bachelor party. He nodded along and clapped when other guys would cheer.
He watched as the brunette from before got out of Andrew's lap and walked slowly to the stage, making sure to sway her hips on the way. He rolled his eyes and prepared himself for some horrible karaoke rendition of an overused pop song. He was pleasantly surprised when the girl opened her voice and a melodious sound emitted. He gave the girl his undivided attention and clapped energetically when she stopped. "Dude, you don't even clap that much for yourself. You want to score with her?" Jesse sighed but thought better of it.
"Yeah, man, make it happen. You're the best man, remember?" Ryan's ears perked and he walked over to Bimbo 1 and chatted. Ten minutes later he returned with a frown on his face.
"Her name is Samantha. She doesn't do private performances. Sorry, man." Jesse rubbed his temples and stood up.
"I'm going to go talk to Jaime or whatever," he replied while pointing to the blonde. Ryan laughed and chugged more of the beer down. Jesse eagerly walked past him and to Bimbo 1. "Hey, you," he husked while wrapping his arms around the woman. "Can I get a private show from a girl here?"
"You sure can," she whispered into his ear. "Which one of my girls do you want?" He puffed out his chest and pretended to scan the room. He frowned when he realized the brunette had gone.
"The one that sang on stage." Jaime pulled back and looked at Jesse warily. "What is it?"
"I don't think that is possible, Jesse. Pick a different girl. Any of them would enjoy servicing you." Jesse scratched his chin in thought before shaking his head.
"No, I'm interested in the singer. I'll pay anything." Bimbo 1 sighed before nodding.
"I'll go see what I can do," she replied before walking away. Jesse smiled to himself before sitting down at a table. His smile immediately turned into a frown when Bimbo 2 came and straddled his waist. He gingerly pushed the girl away and grabbed a drink he had recently put down. Bimbo 1 walked back and motioned towards the back. "She's in her room." Jesse smiled gratefully before quickly sprinting past all of the people and to the back area.
"You can't go back there," a tall man barked. Jesse looked around and noted that he was the only one around. He walked up the man and stood straight.
"I can. I'm paying for it." The man laughed sarcastically before looking at his piece of paper. "Jesse St. James?"
The man nodded. "Yeah, Jaime just told me about you. Never mind. Go on back. Sam is in her room waiting for you." Jesse walked past the man and scratched his head in confusion. There were too many doors to pick from. He peered into the rooms that happened to be open. He smiled when he saw the girl from onstage sitting on a chair looking at a book. He tapped lightly on the door.
"Hello," Jesse whispered. The girl glanced up from her book and set it down on the couch. She forced a smile and walked over to him. Jesse looked at the girl intently. She was very pretty, he noted, even with all the trashy make up and slutty clothes.
"I don't usually do this stuff so you can expect to have to pay a lot," she whispered before attaching her lips to his neck and reaching for the buckle on his belt. Jesse immediately pulled away. The girl looked at him in confusion and raised an eyebrow.
"I don't want to do that," Jesse murmured while looking away. He felt remotely embarrassed by the situation at hand. "I wanted to talk." The girl slowly nodded and walked behind Jesse before shutting the door. "My name is Jesse-"
"St. James," the girl finished. "I know who you are. I've seen some of your shows before." Jesse smiled proudly and puffed out his chest. "I fell asleep though. I'm sorry," she admitted sheepishly. Jesse laughed loudly before walking over to the couch.
"May I sit here?" She nodded and he plopped down. "Actually, if I'm paying for this would you do something for me?" The genuine smile that had previously been on her face fell away.
"I knew it," she whispered to herself. "What would you like me to do for you, Jesse?"
"Can you put normal people clothes on? Perhaps take the make-up off too? I don't particular fancy this look. No offense to you at all." She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling. Jesse St. James definitely was not like the other guys that came there.
"Sure. Do you want to watch or something? Is that part of the deal?" Jesse's cheeks flushed. He shook his head furiously and stood up.
"I'll wait outside. Please let me back in when you are through though." He turned and walked outside leaving the brunette confused and somewhat intrigued by the boy waiting outside her door. She walked into the adjoining bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. She grimaced upon seeing her reflection. That girl wasn't her and it killed her knowing that it was who she had to be to survive. She reached for the remover and quickly took the make-up off.
Fifteen minutes later she pulled the door open and smiled when she saw that the man was still there. She didn't know why she was so interested in him. She had plenty of guys throwing themselves at her because of her job but this one was different.
"So, you fell asleep at my show, huh?" The girl looked away with embarrassment but nodded her head while walking back to the small couch. "Depending on the show it was I may not hold it against you."
"Some off-off Broadway show about killer shoes." Jesse groaned loudly and threw his hands over his face. She laughed loudly at the boy but quickly bit her tongue as he looked at her.
"You can laugh, I don't care," he stated. "That show was terrible. I was doing my friend a favor… Please do not tell anyone about that. Most people seem to have forgotten. Perhaps they just never knew to begin with."
"Who knew that I, Rachel Berry, would have something over the Jesse St. James?" Jesse looked at her oddly and she quickly glanced around the room.
"Rachel Berry?" She nodded slowly, still confused at Jesse's odd behavior. "They told me your name was Samantha."
"Oh, shoot," she quickly whispered. "Well, it's not like we'll ever meet again," she offhandedly stated. Jesse felt his stomach drop slightly. He didn't know why but he did want to see her again. "I changed my name so people who actually know who I am can't come find me." Jesse looked at her with confusion evident on his features. "I'm the girl who left her hometown telling everyone she would be famous. I don't want them to be able to find me working at some skank house."
"You wanted to be a singer? Was it Broadway or something?" Rachel nodded and Jesse smiled. "I can tell. It's actually why I wanted to speak with you to begin with. I didn't want to come here to by honest. This is not my scene. My best friend is throwing my Bachelor party though so I had to. Anyway, your singing was definitely the highlight of it all. I wanted to make sure you knew that." Rachel smiled and felt tears prick at her eyes.
"Thank you, Jesse," she whispered. She frowned slightly upon replaying his last sentence in her head. "You're getting married?" Jesse inwardly cursed himself. He didn't know why he had the urge to deny it but he knew he couldn't.
"Yeah, I guess I am," he joked. Rachel forced another smile and stood up.
"It's been fun, Jesse. Perhaps you should go now though. I need to go." Jesse stood up and immediately followed after her.
"Do you need me to walk you home? New York is dangerous you know." Rachel laughed and shook her head. "I'm serious, Rachel. Let me at least call you a cab."
"I can assure you that I will be fine. I always have been. I hope you enjoy the rest of your party." She turned and walked out the door leaving Jesse dumbfounded. He didn't know what propelled him to do it but he found himself chasing after her.
"What about the money?" Rachel turned around from the other end of the hall and looked at him. "How much do I owe you for your time?"
"Nothing," she smiled sadly before turning a corner and leaving Jesse behind.