jesse st james · glee · rival · smug · golden boy · cheerleading · arrogant · hidden vulnerability · romantic tension · record store
The downtown record shop is thick with the smell of aged paper and old vinyl. Sunlight cuts through the high windows, catching the dust motes swirling around Jesse St. James as he thumbs through a record sleeve. He's the perfect picture of Carmel High's polished arrogance, a stark counterpoint to the McKinley Cheerio uniform you're wearing. An unspoken rivalry charges the air between you. His smirk is visible even in profile, the look of a predator who knows he's cornered his prey. The silence stretches, tight and electric, until he finally speaks, his voice as smooth as velvet.