you and me and this whole big city
Title: you and me and this whole big city
Author: Mary (stillxmyxheart)
Beta: Beth
Rating: R
Genre: Angst, Romance, Smut
Word Count: 2,400
Characters/Pairings: Quinn, Jesse (Quinn/Jesse)
Disclaimer: Anything you recognize? Ain't mine.
Summary: Quinn worries about the state of her relationship with Jesse.
A/N: For Laura ♥
Quinn frowns, her chin resting in her hand as she listens to Jesse and this other woman carry on about whatever it is they're talking about.
She tuned them out a long time ago, since her last attempt at joining the conversation was rebuked.
Her irritation has been increasing steadily all day, ever since Jesse picked her up from the train station and immediately started talking about this woman he's been meeting with, someone in connection to a record label.
Quinn's not exactly sure, because all Jesse's talked about is this woman, how funny she is, how charming she is, how well they get along, blah blah blah.
Her feelings have oscillated from annoyed, to upset, to hurt, to confused, and at this point, she's just trying not to cry in the middle of this restaurant.
The waiter comes by to see if they want dessert, and Jesse enthusiastically says they do, pointing at something on the menu and telling the waiter to bring two spoons.
"Maybe three," he adds, turning to Quinn. "You want some too?"
"No," she mutters as she pushes to stand. "In fact, I'm leaving, since I'm clearly the third wheel here. You two enjoy your dessert."
With that, she stalks from the restaurant, hailing a cab to head back to Jesse's place.
Jesse's in the living room when she emerges from the bathroom after her shower, and he stands as she shuffles over to throw her dirty clothes in her bag.
"What the hell was that?" he says, throwing his arms out at his sides. "How could you embarrass me like that?"
"I embarrassed you?" Quinn exclaims, turning to face him. "I'm surprised you even noticed I left. I figured you and what's her name would be happier without me there. Did you enjoy your dessert?"
"We didn't eat any, I ran after you but you were already getting in the cab, so I went back in to tell Deb I was going -"
"Deb," Quinn scoffs, rolling her eyes.
"Fine, Deborah," Jesse snaps, sharply enunciating the name. "I told her I was going, apologized for your behavior, and left."
"Yeah, well, I'm sorry I'm such an embarrassment to you." Quinn shakes her head. "It's too late to go back to New Haven now, but I'll just sleep on the couch tonight, if that's okay with you, and leave in the morning."
Jesse shakes his head, a disbelieving snort escaping him. "You don't have to leave, Quinn, I just don't get what's going on with you. You've been in a pissy mood all day."
"Maybe because all you've talked about since I got here is fucking Deb!" Quinn shouts, her eyebrows knitting together. "I haven't seen you in weeks, and lately, you've been nearly impossible to get in touch with. You reply to my texts late, if you reply at all, and our phone calls have been so brief, it's like you don't even want to talk to me anymore."
She pauses, raising a hand to her mouth and looking away from him as she fights the sudden sting of tears in her eyes.
"If you're bored with me, that's fine," she murmurs, hating the tremor in her voice. "I mean, you wouldn't be the first. But I just wish you'd tell me, instead of keeping me around out of - out of pity while you start up something with someone else -"
"Quinn," Jesse interrupts softly, walking around the couch and coming to stand behind her.
He hesitates a moment, and then lifts his hand to her shoulder, sighing when she shrugs off his touch.
"Quinn, I'm not bored with you, and I'm definitely not cheating on you." He sighs again, his hand falling to his side. "You're right. I have been an asshole lately. I've just been so caught up in this whole possible record deal thing, and Deb - Deborah's been this like, liaison for me, she's the one who can really help make all of this happen. I've been trying to butter her up, get her to like me, so she can push this thing along, but I didn't think -"
He breaks off, and sighs once more, his shoulders sagging. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for today, and I'm sorry for the past couple of weeks. I should've explained everything better to you, but I didn't want you to worry about all of this while you were busy with school, so I just - internalized everything, I guess."
He touches her shoulder again, gratified when she doesn't shrug him off, and lets his hand slide to the back of her neck, squeezing gently, feeling the tension there as he gently rubs her skin with his fingertips.
She gives a soft, shaky sigh, and he tips his head to the side, watching her eyelids fall closed and a tear slide down her cheek.
His hand moves to the side of her neck and he presses carefully, silently urging her to turn and look at him.
After a minute, she does, eyelashes fluttering as she meets his gaze, tears still shining in her eyes.
He lifts his hand to catch one as it falls, sweeping his thumb over her skin as he shakes his head.
"I'm sorry," he says again. "I'm not bored with you, and I will never cheat on you. I love you too much to hurt you like that."
She nods, her lips twitching in a small but shaky smile, and he pulls her to him, holding her tightly as she wraps her arms around him, fingers clutching the back of his shirt.
They stand like that for a moment, his chin resting on top of her head, one hand rubbing slowly over her back, and then she takes a breath, murmuring, "I love you too," against his chest.
He smiles, pressing a kiss to the top of her head before pulling back slightly, his hands moving to tip her head up, thumbs brushing over her cheeks as he dips his head to kiss her lips.
She kisses him back, her hands gripping his sides, and he slowly guides her towards the bed, bending to keep kissing her when she sinks onto the mattress.
The kiss breaks a moment later, and she scoots back on the bed, settling against the pillows and pulling her shirt off over her head, biting her lip gently when his eyes darken at the sight of her bare breasts.
He works quickly to shed his clothes, fumbling impatiently with the buttons of his dress shirt, feeling himself beginning to grow hard as he watches her tug her shorts off and toss them on the floor by her shirt, naked now as she sits back against the pillows once more.
Finally he's undressed, giving his foot a shake to free it from his trousers, and climbs onto the bed, moving over her and bracing on his hands as he bends his head to kiss her.
His mouth moves down, over her chin and the line of her jaw, settling on her neck as he shifts position slightly to lie beside her.
One hand rises to cup her breast as he kisses her neck, and he inhales deeply, taking in the scent of her freshly washed skin. Underneath the smell of soap, he catches the vaguest hint of her perfume, the one he bought her for their anniversary months ago. He catches a whiff of it sometimes as he's walking around the city, spritzed onto the skin of some nameless, faceless woman, and while the scent always reminds him of her, it's never really the same, because nobody wears it quite like she does.
She wears it all the time, he knows, and it's like it's a part of her now, part of the myriad of smells that make up her essence.
Her knee brushes his hip as she shifts, her hand rising to stroke his hair, and he sighs against the hollow at the base of her throat, wondering how in the world he could have ever taken this, taken her, for granted.
He kisses her skin again, sweeping his thumb over her nipple as he moves down the soft swell of her breast, and she sighs when his lips close over the erect nub, her body arching into him, her fingers tightening in his hair.
Moving over her again, he brings his kisses down her body, his hands sliding down her sides, and he grips her hips when he reaches them, yanking her down on the bed.
He hears her gasp and looks up to see her lips curved slightly; he smiles back and spreads his hands over her thighs, slowly pushing her legs apart.
A soft sigh reaches his ears as he opens his mouth over her, and her fingers slide into his hair again as he licks the length of her, his hands gripping her hips again as her flicks his tongue over her clit.
One hand drifts up her stomach to gently squeeze her breast, and she moans, her hips rising a little against his mouth as he pinches her nipple between his fingers.
His tongue dips inside of her, lapping at her for a moment before he opens his mouth again and sucks, humming at how good she tastes.
A quiet fuck slips past her lips, followed by a whimpered no when he suddenly pulls his mouth away and moves up her body again.
He smiles a little at the look on her face, a mix of annoyance and want, and bends his head to kiss her as he reaches between them to guide himself inside of her.
He thrusts hard and deep, making her come almost instantly with his thumb pressed hard against her clit. He keeps moving through the flutter and pulse of her orgasm, loving how tightly she holds him, her panting breaths warm on his neck.
Her legs spread wider as her body calms, her fingers pressing into his back as she touches a kiss to his neck.
He lowers his head to kiss her, nipping at her bottom lip before sliding his tongue against hers, the pace of his hips slow and deliberate as he moves inside of her.
One of her hands slides to the back of his neck, and he breaks the kiss, resting his forehead against hers, holding her gaze as their breath mixes between them, hot and quick.
Her eyes are dark, her cheeks flushed, and he wonders as he lowers his mouth to hers once more if he'll ever get over how beautiful she is.
His name falls from her lips in a strained whisper as her legs rise, thighs squeezing his hips, and he begins to move faster, wanting to make her come again before he does.
His hips slam against hers, pushing as hard and as deep as he can, certain there will be bruises on her thighs in the morning, and knowing she won't mind.
He lowers one hand to her leg, lifting it higher against his side, and her nails dig into his back when her second orgasm hits her, her head tipping against the pillows as her mouth opens wide, moaning loudly and gasping his name.
He follows right after, pressing her against the mattress as he comes with a loud groan, dropping to his forearms as he rests his head in the curve of her neck.
"I love you," he breathes, lips brushing her skin in a kiss.
"I love you too," she whispers back, her breath warm on his ear.
They lie quietly for several minutes, turned towards each other after he shifts to lie beside her, his arm around her waist, fingers tracing lazy patterns on her back, and her head tucked under his chin.
Finally he murmurs, "I should shower. You could join me."
She giggles softly. "I already showered though."
"Another one can't hurt," he replies, placing his finger under her chin and tipping her head up for a kiss. "And besides," he adds when he pulls back. "You were mad at me then. It wasn't a good shower."
She giggles again, her nose crinkling slightly. "Guess I can't argue with that."
It's late the next morning when they're awakened by the ringing of Jesse's phone.
Quinn groans as Jesse stands, turning onto her stomach and hiding her face in her pillow as he grabs his phone and moves away from the bed.
"Hello? Oh, hey, Deb."
Quinn tenses, turning her head to look at Jesse as he paces back and forth in front of the large windows of his apartment, his free hand in the pocket of his pajama pants.
"No, everything's fine now. Listen, I'm going to spend this weekend with Quinn while she's here, since it's been a while since we were together."
Quinn's lips curve, and a beat later, Jesse laughs.
"Right. Okay. Monday's great, I'll see you then."
He ends the call and turns from the windows, setting his phone on the bedside table as he climbs back into bed.
He smiles when he notices Quinn's awake, and scoots close to her, draping his arm over her waist as he touches a kiss to her lips.
"Morning," he murmurs.
She smiles back. "Morning." Her smile widens, and she bites gently on her lip as she arches an eyebrow. "So you're really all mine this weekend?"
"Mmhmm," he hums. "Just you and me and this whole big city."
"I definitely like the sound of that," she murmurs, leaning forward to kiss him again.
They lie quietly for a minute, and then she grins a little.
"What'd she say when you told her?"
He laughs slightly. "She, um, told me I was an idiot for inviting her to go to dinner with us last night, and that if I hadn't gone after you when you left, I would've blown any and all chances I had at getting this deal."
Quinn giggles, turning her face against her pillow for a moment, and Jesse smiles as he touches a kiss to her head, bringing his hand up to stroke her hair.
"Well," she begins, turning her head to look at him again, "I guess I can dislike her a little less now."
Jesse snorts and nods as he kisses her forehead, and then asks, "You want to go somewhere for lunch?"
She nods, and they kiss once more before standing to get dressed.
Author: Mary (stillxmyxheart)
Beta: Beth
Rating: R
Genre: Angst, Romance, Smut
Word Count: 2,400
Characters/Pairings: Quinn, Jesse (Quinn/Jesse)
Disclaimer: Anything you recognize? Ain't mine.
Summary: Quinn worries about the state of her relationship with Jesse.
A/N: For Laura ♥
Quinn frowns, her chin resting in her hand as she listens to Jesse and this other woman carry on about whatever it is they're talking about.
She tuned them out a long time ago, since her last attempt at joining the conversation was rebuked.
Her irritation has been increasing steadily all day, ever since Jesse picked her up from the train station and immediately started talking about this woman he's been meeting with, someone in connection to a record label.
Quinn's not exactly sure, because all Jesse's talked about is this woman, how funny she is, how charming she is, how well they get along, blah blah blah.
Her feelings have oscillated from annoyed, to upset, to hurt, to confused, and at this point, she's just trying not to cry in the middle of this restaurant.
The waiter comes by to see if they want dessert, and Jesse enthusiastically says they do, pointing at something on the menu and telling the waiter to bring two spoons.
"Maybe three," he adds, turning to Quinn. "You want some too?"
"No," she mutters as she pushes to stand. "In fact, I'm leaving, since I'm clearly the third wheel here. You two enjoy your dessert."
With that, she stalks from the restaurant, hailing a cab to head back to Jesse's place.
Jesse's in the living room when she emerges from the bathroom after her shower, and he stands as she shuffles over to throw her dirty clothes in her bag.
"What the hell was that?" he says, throwing his arms out at his sides. "How could you embarrass me like that?"
"I embarrassed you?" Quinn exclaims, turning to face him. "I'm surprised you even noticed I left. I figured you and what's her name would be happier without me there. Did you enjoy your dessert?"
"We didn't eat any, I ran after you but you were already getting in the cab, so I went back in to tell Deb I was going -"
"Deb," Quinn scoffs, rolling her eyes.
"Fine, Deborah," Jesse snaps, sharply enunciating the name. "I told her I was going, apologized for your behavior, and left."
"Yeah, well, I'm sorry I'm such an embarrassment to you." Quinn shakes her head. "It's too late to go back to New Haven now, but I'll just sleep on the couch tonight, if that's okay with you, and leave in the morning."
Jesse shakes his head, a disbelieving snort escaping him. "You don't have to leave, Quinn, I just don't get what's going on with you. You've been in a pissy mood all day."
"Maybe because all you've talked about since I got here is fucking Deb!" Quinn shouts, her eyebrows knitting together. "I haven't seen you in weeks, and lately, you've been nearly impossible to get in touch with. You reply to my texts late, if you reply at all, and our phone calls have been so brief, it's like you don't even want to talk to me anymore."
She pauses, raising a hand to her mouth and looking away from him as she fights the sudden sting of tears in her eyes.
"If you're bored with me, that's fine," she murmurs, hating the tremor in her voice. "I mean, you wouldn't be the first. But I just wish you'd tell me, instead of keeping me around out of - out of pity while you start up something with someone else -"
"Quinn," Jesse interrupts softly, walking around the couch and coming to stand behind her.
He hesitates a moment, and then lifts his hand to her shoulder, sighing when she shrugs off his touch.
"Quinn, I'm not bored with you, and I'm definitely not cheating on you." He sighs again, his hand falling to his side. "You're right. I have been an asshole lately. I've just been so caught up in this whole possible record deal thing, and Deb - Deborah's been this like, liaison for me, she's the one who can really help make all of this happen. I've been trying to butter her up, get her to like me, so she can push this thing along, but I didn't think -"
He breaks off, and sighs once more, his shoulders sagging. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for today, and I'm sorry for the past couple of weeks. I should've explained everything better to you, but I didn't want you to worry about all of this while you were busy with school, so I just - internalized everything, I guess."
He touches her shoulder again, gratified when she doesn't shrug him off, and lets his hand slide to the back of her neck, squeezing gently, feeling the tension there as he gently rubs her skin with his fingertips.
She gives a soft, shaky sigh, and he tips his head to the side, watching her eyelids fall closed and a tear slide down her cheek.
His hand moves to the side of her neck and he presses carefully, silently urging her to turn and look at him.
After a minute, she does, eyelashes fluttering as she meets his gaze, tears still shining in her eyes.
He lifts his hand to catch one as it falls, sweeping his thumb over her skin as he shakes his head.
"I'm sorry," he says again. "I'm not bored with you, and I will never cheat on you. I love you too much to hurt you like that."
She nods, her lips twitching in a small but shaky smile, and he pulls her to him, holding her tightly as she wraps her arms around him, fingers clutching the back of his shirt.
They stand like that for a moment, his chin resting on top of her head, one hand rubbing slowly over her back, and then she takes a breath, murmuring, "I love you too," against his chest.
He smiles, pressing a kiss to the top of her head before pulling back slightly, his hands moving to tip her head up, thumbs brushing over her cheeks as he dips his head to kiss her lips.
She kisses him back, her hands gripping his sides, and he slowly guides her towards the bed, bending to keep kissing her when she sinks onto the mattress.
The kiss breaks a moment later, and she scoots back on the bed, settling against the pillows and pulling her shirt off over her head, biting her lip gently when his eyes darken at the sight of her bare breasts.
He works quickly to shed his clothes, fumbling impatiently with the buttons of his dress shirt, feeling himself beginning to grow hard as he watches her tug her shorts off and toss them on the floor by her shirt, naked now as she sits back against the pillows once more.
Finally he's undressed, giving his foot a shake to free it from his trousers, and climbs onto the bed, moving over her and bracing on his hands as he bends his head to kiss her.
His mouth moves down, over her chin and the line of her jaw, settling on her neck as he shifts position slightly to lie beside her.
One hand rises to cup her breast as he kisses her neck, and he inhales deeply, taking in the scent of her freshly washed skin. Underneath the smell of soap, he catches the vaguest hint of her perfume, the one he bought her for their anniversary months ago. He catches a whiff of it sometimes as he's walking around the city, spritzed onto the skin of some nameless, faceless woman, and while the scent always reminds him of her, it's never really the same, because nobody wears it quite like she does.
She wears it all the time, he knows, and it's like it's a part of her now, part of the myriad of smells that make up her essence.
Her knee brushes his hip as she shifts, her hand rising to stroke his hair, and he sighs against the hollow at the base of her throat, wondering how in the world he could have ever taken this, taken her, for granted.
He kisses her skin again, sweeping his thumb over her nipple as he moves down the soft swell of her breast, and she sighs when his lips close over the erect nub, her body arching into him, her fingers tightening in his hair.
Moving over her again, he brings his kisses down her body, his hands sliding down her sides, and he grips her hips when he reaches them, yanking her down on the bed.
He hears her gasp and looks up to see her lips curved slightly; he smiles back and spreads his hands over her thighs, slowly pushing her legs apart.
A soft sigh reaches his ears as he opens his mouth over her, and her fingers slide into his hair again as he licks the length of her, his hands gripping her hips again as her flicks his tongue over her clit.
One hand drifts up her stomach to gently squeeze her breast, and she moans, her hips rising a little against his mouth as he pinches her nipple between his fingers.
His tongue dips inside of her, lapping at her for a moment before he opens his mouth again and sucks, humming at how good she tastes.
A quiet fuck slips past her lips, followed by a whimpered no when he suddenly pulls his mouth away and moves up her body again.
He smiles a little at the look on her face, a mix of annoyance and want, and bends his head to kiss her as he reaches between them to guide himself inside of her.
He thrusts hard and deep, making her come almost instantly with his thumb pressed hard against her clit. He keeps moving through the flutter and pulse of her orgasm, loving how tightly she holds him, her panting breaths warm on his neck.
Her legs spread wider as her body calms, her fingers pressing into his back as she touches a kiss to his neck.
He lowers his head to kiss her, nipping at her bottom lip before sliding his tongue against hers, the pace of his hips slow and deliberate as he moves inside of her.
One of her hands slides to the back of his neck, and he breaks the kiss, resting his forehead against hers, holding her gaze as their breath mixes between them, hot and quick.
Her eyes are dark, her cheeks flushed, and he wonders as he lowers his mouth to hers once more if he'll ever get over how beautiful she is.
His name falls from her lips in a strained whisper as her legs rise, thighs squeezing his hips, and he begins to move faster, wanting to make her come again before he does.
His hips slam against hers, pushing as hard and as deep as he can, certain there will be bruises on her thighs in the morning, and knowing she won't mind.
He lowers one hand to her leg, lifting it higher against his side, and her nails dig into his back when her second orgasm hits her, her head tipping against the pillows as her mouth opens wide, moaning loudly and gasping his name.
He follows right after, pressing her against the mattress as he comes with a loud groan, dropping to his forearms as he rests his head in the curve of her neck.
"I love you," he breathes, lips brushing her skin in a kiss.
"I love you too," she whispers back, her breath warm on his ear.
They lie quietly for several minutes, turned towards each other after he shifts to lie beside her, his arm around her waist, fingers tracing lazy patterns on her back, and her head tucked under his chin.
Finally he murmurs, "I should shower. You could join me."
She giggles softly. "I already showered though."
"Another one can't hurt," he replies, placing his finger under her chin and tipping her head up for a kiss. "And besides," he adds when he pulls back. "You were mad at me then. It wasn't a good shower."
She giggles again, her nose crinkling slightly. "Guess I can't argue with that."
It's late the next morning when they're awakened by the ringing of Jesse's phone.
Quinn groans as Jesse stands, turning onto her stomach and hiding her face in her pillow as he grabs his phone and moves away from the bed.
"Hello? Oh, hey, Deb."
Quinn tenses, turning her head to look at Jesse as he paces back and forth in front of the large windows of his apartment, his free hand in the pocket of his pajama pants.
"No, everything's fine now. Listen, I'm going to spend this weekend with Quinn while she's here, since it's been a while since we were together."
Quinn's lips curve, and a beat later, Jesse laughs.
"Right. Okay. Monday's great, I'll see you then."
He ends the call and turns from the windows, setting his phone on the bedside table as he climbs back into bed.
He smiles when he notices Quinn's awake, and scoots close to her, draping his arm over her waist as he touches a kiss to her lips.
"Morning," he murmurs.
She smiles back. "Morning." Her smile widens, and she bites gently on her lip as she arches an eyebrow. "So you're really all mine this weekend?"
"Mmhmm," he hums. "Just you and me and this whole big city."
"I definitely like the sound of that," she murmurs, leaning forward to kiss him again.
They lie quietly for a minute, and then she grins a little.
"What'd she say when you told her?"
He laughs slightly. "She, um, told me I was an idiot for inviting her to go to dinner with us last night, and that if I hadn't gone after you when you left, I would've blown any and all chances I had at getting this deal."
Quinn giggles, turning her face against her pillow for a moment, and Jesse smiles as he touches a kiss to her head, bringing his hand up to stroke her hair.
"Well," she begins, turning her head to look at him again, "I guess I can dislike her a little less now."
Jesse snorts and nods as he kisses her forehead, and then asks, "You want to go somewhere for lunch?"
She nods, and they kiss once more before standing to get dressed.