By Chance (A Jeremy Jordan Fanfiction)

Chapter Five - This Magic Moment

——— two weeks later ————

This trip has been everything I imagined and more so far. I go to set with Jeremy everyday, watching from wherever doesn't interrupt shooting, sometimes doing the morning stretching exercises with them. I talk with everybody from that first night still.

Ben is really special. Out of everyone besides Kara and Jeremy, Ben is my closest friend. He's really cute, but we tried going on a date a week ago on Friday and we both realized there just wasn't a spark.

But there was no denying we have chemistry, which we put to good use in friendship instead. I've even joined in one time when he FaceTimed his sister Emma and we hit it off just as well. I can't for the life of me figure out why Jeremy was so relieved when I told him my date with Ben didn't work out - I mean, he's the one who tried to set us up in the first place.

Now I'm back on Jeremy's couch, watching Friends and eating a strawberry popsicle. I've spread my limbs across the whole couch for maximum comfort. I was feeling under the weather this morning so Jeremy let me sleep in as he went off to the theatre.

When I eventually woke up to his kind note and plate of bacon and eggs in the microwave, I took a hot shower and have been lying here on the couch in my yoga pants ever since.

I hear the door start to open but I don't move, just laughing hysterically at 'The One With The Nap Partners' at the end when the gang catches Ross and Joey in the act. I can sense him walking into the living room and surveying my habitat with amusement himself.

"Comfy, are we?" He moves to sit down next to me, lifting my legs up and then putting them back down across his lap.

I turn off the tv after the episode ends and turn my head to look at him. "Guess what I finally watched today?"

He gives me the side eye, nervous at my mischievous expression. "What's that?"

I smile devilishly. "The Last Five Years."

Now it's his turn to smirk. "Hey I'm proud of that movie."

I sit up, remove my legs from his lap and stand in a full body stretch. "You should be." I say with a lighthearted tone, before I start singing:

If you had a tattoo, that wouldn't matter

I crawl on his lap and smush his hair as I sing,
If you had a shaved head, that would be cool

He laughs at me as I get up, dancing silly in front of him.

If you came from Spain or Japan or the back of a van, just as long as you're not from Hebrew school

I take off my hoodie dramatically, trying not to laugh myself as I dance around in my sports bra and yoga pants.

I'd say "Hey now I'm getting somewhere! I'm finally breaking through!"

I point at Jeremy who's still on the couch silently laughing as I end with,

I'd say "Hey! Hey! Shiksa goddess! I've been waiting for someone like you."

Jeremy gives me a slow clap as his shoulders shake and he smiles up at me. "I'm glad someone's feeling better." He raises an eyebrow.

I giggle. "Yeah, I really liked that movie, good job."

He bows his head briefly. "Thank you, my kind lady."

I sit back down on the couch Indian style, and lean my head on his shoulder before sighing.

"What's the matter string bean?" He says like a 1930s radio host.

I chuckle half-heartedly. "I just can't believe my trip is already halfway over."

He runs his fingers soothingly through my hair. "Let's not think about that right now. Let's just be in the moment."

I look up at him, and he looks troubled. Without thinking, I kiss his cheek, making him look at me with wide eyes.

"What was that for?"

I shrug, trying not to blush and I'm not sure why since that was a completely innocent thing to do. "You looked so worried about something, that was the first thing I could think of to make you feel better."

He grins at me sweetly. "Then thank you. It worked."

I smile at that, then lay back down into his side. For a while, we just sit there in silence, and it was really nice. As I sat there, an idea came to me.

I sit up quickly, startling him.

"What?" He asks upon seeing my face.

I smile excitedly. "I know what we should do right now."

"Which is..."

I stand up and throw my hoodie back on, which I didn't realize I still wasn't wearing until now. "Grab your jacket, let's go to the pier."

He raises his eyebrows but obliges nonetheless.

I quickly run into "my" room and grab my purse, sandals, sketchbook and pencils.

The pier is only a couple minutes' walk from his apartment so that's what we did. Once we found a nice green park with a beautiful beach/ocean backdrop, I stopped us. "Here is perfect."

Jeremy looks around before putting down the blanket I made him grab. "Perfect for what, exactly?"

I blush slightly, but not really out of embarrassment. "I thought it was so beautiful outside, it'd be the perfect time to draw you."

He raises his eyebrows in disbelief. "Draw me?"

I nod, unable to say more.

He gives me a playful look before using his feminine voice to say, "I want you to draw me like one of your French boys, Jen."

I laugh outright at that, shoving him a little to hide how his joking really made me feel. Something I'm not sure I'm ready to come to terms with yet.

"Okay smartass, spread the blanket and pick a pose." As I setup my folding chair.

We stay outside for a couple hours before I'm finished. Jeremy didn't break character nearly as much as I had anticipated.

Once I'm finished I let him know so he can get up and stretch. I fold up my chair before sitting on the blanket and stretching my legs. Soon after, Jeremy joins me and asks, "Can I see it?"

I nod, handing him my sketchbook as I stare into the slightly pink horizon. A moment goes by before I hear him whisper, "This is beautiful." I glance at him as he looks up. "And that's not me being a narcissist."

He glances back down at my work before looking back at me and saying. "You are truly gifted, Jennifer."

I grin at him. "Thank you, Jeremy."

As he closes my book and hands it back to me, he notices the changing sky and says, "Why don't we stay here and watch the sunset?"

I reciprocate his smile. "Absolutely."

I turn my head back to the sky, pulling my knees up under my chin. After a few minutes I feel his arms wrap around me, his cheek resting on top of my head. As we continue to sit there, I feel all my muscles begin to release and relax, one by one.