You Think You Know Me

The Things He Said

Beck didn't panic when he woke up in the middle of the night alone in his bed. It happened almost once a week now that Jade was practically living in the RV with him. They would have a calm, quiet evening and fall asleep around midnight, tangled in his red and gray sheets. She'd sneak out around two or three in the morning and usually be gone for a half-hour or so before he woke up.

Getting up and dragging to the duvet with him, Beck exited the RV and took a handful of steps before turning back and looking up. And there she was, right where he knew she would be, right where she always was.

The light from the end of her blunt flared as Jade took a drag, casting a faint orange glow against her face. The light from the full moon was bright enough that Beck could see the pale skin of Jade's arms and legs from where they stuck out of one of his old t-shirts, merch from some band he'd been in during Freshman year.

He quickly climbed the short, metal ladder on the side of the RV and joined her on the roof, plopping down beside her and spreading the blanket around their shoulders to fight off the slight chill in the air. Immediately, Jade leaning into his side, her free hand automatically tangling with his own, slightly rougher and more calloused, one.

"What's on your mind?" He asked softly as she blew smoke up towards the stars.

Jade snorted quietly, the corners of her mouth tilting up in a small, amused smile, and she lifted their connected hands so she could use the nail of her thumb to scratch at her face, "What isn't?"

She took a final drag before stubbing out the blunt and tossing it haphazardly over the roof and onto the cement driveway. She'd pick it up in the morning before Beck's dad left for work. Jade brought her knees up to her chest and rest her head against Beck's shoulder.

"What did he say to you?" He asked, knowing his girlfriend's insomnia usually flared up after strenuous arguments with her father. Their strained relationship was the reason that she spent most nights with him and not at home with him and her little brother.

"What didn't he say?" Jade replied, once again being overly cryptic as her shoulders moved in an apathetic shrug.

"Don't," Beck sighed, "don't do that. Don't shut me out."

"He said what he always says, Beck. He was his usual asshole self, it's not a big deal, okay?"

"Jade-"

"No," She snapped, pulling away from him both physically and emotionally, "Don't give me that caring boyfriend, hallmark movie, 'I'm always here and nothing can hurt you' bullshit, Beckett!"

"Stop," he countered her movements by softly grabbing her wrists and pulling her onto his lap, "Jade, stop."

He allowed her to struggle in his grip for a few seconds as tears finally started falling down her face, that's all it took for her to break down against his chest. He released her wrists when her hands fisted against his chest, moving one to circle her waist and the other to hold the back of her head as it nuzzled into his neck.

"Shh," he soothed, "Shh, deep breaths."

It took her nearly fifteen minutes of quiet coaxing before Jade wiped under her eyes with the soft skin of her wrists and placed a delicate kiss to Beck's cheek. He knew it was his signal that she was done breaking down, that she was feeling better and they could move on and pretend, at least for tonight, that it had never happened.

She shifted until she could place her head in his lap, mindful of the edge of the roof to her left as she stretched out and got comfortable. Beck leaned his weight back on a hand behind him and used the other to draw patterns against Jade's back.

"Tell me a story?" She requested after a few minutes of silence.

"Magic word?" He asked with a teasing smile, imagining the adorable little pout that he knew was unconsciously pulling down her bottom lip.

She placed a kiss on his thigh and humored him, "Please?"

They both turned their attention to the sky, "Okay. Where did I leave off last time?"

"Cassiopeia."

"Think you can still find it?" He questioned, eyes already searching the stars for the familiar construction of the queen.

It took her only a few seconds before she was pointing towards a group of stars, "There."

Beck followed the vague direction of her hand and found the constellation, "Yeah, that's her. Good job, babe. Okay, so if you go straight down from Cassiopeia, there's a group that looks kinda like a bent V. Can you see that?"

"Yeah."

"That's Andromeda, the chained lady. She's Cassiopeia's daughter and..."

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Beck could tell Jade was drifting off towards the end of his story when her quiet mumblings and interjections came slower and farther apart, and he knew he wasn't too far behind.

He wrapped up the tale and moved his hand from her back to run through her hair. Jade turned to face him, staring up at him sweetly through drooping lids. She pushed herself up and crawled back onto his lap to kiss his cheek in thanks before resting her head on his shoulder.

He turned his head and used a hand along her jaw to guide her in for a real kiss. When they broke apart he peppered her face with small pecks until she couldn't help but giggle and groan playfully, "Beck, stop."

"Let's go back to bed." He suggested, "we've still got a few hours before we're supposed to be up."

She smiled in the way that he knew she only did for him and connected their lips once again, mumbling a content "'kay," for standing and heading down the ladder. She linked their hands once Beck was back beside her and let him lead her back into the RV and under the worn covers of his bed.

Lying pressed with her back against his front, Beck kissed the back of her head, "You know what he says isn't true, right?"

"I know," she whispered.

He heard the slight hesitation she'd tried to hide but chose not to call her out on it. Instead, he simply held her a little closer and reminded her, "I love you, Jadelyn August West, and you are worth everything to me."

She lifted his arm from around her waist and kissed the back of his hand, "I love you too."

"I know."