A/N: I had this idea in my head for a while now, so I thought: why not write a story and share it with you guys? So yeah, here it is - at least the first part!

Things you should know to understand everything: this is kinda AU, so everything since the second half of Season 3 never happened. Finn isn't dead because that makes me sad and I don't wanna be sad. He and Rachel just broke up in the middle of Senior Year because they realized they wanted different things and now he's having a great life somewhere else. What did happen: the Klaine engagement and the Quick reunion. They all graduated in 2012, now we have August 2016. And I think that's enough for now, so... enjoy!

When Quinn used the words Rachel, her boyfriend and double date in the same sentence, he immediately started to think of an excuse to back out of it. Maybe something like "I'm too tired", "I want to spent some time with you alone" or "I already made plans with Chris". But he knew that this wasn't going to work. His girlfriend learned to read him pretty well over the last 3 years and always knew when he was lying. And anyway, it was just one evening; he could do that. He could sit there, smile, make small-talk and just forget about the last time he saw the tiny brunette at Kurt and Blaine's wedding 2 years ago. She probably was just in Lima for a few days, to see her dads for the summer. And after that she'd head back to New York and Broadway and go on living the live she always wanted. And he'd do the exact same thing without even thinking of her any longer.

The thing was, he hadn't been really successful with this not-thinking-of-her in the last 1425 days. Hell, even before that there rarely passed a week where he didn't hear a song on the radio and wished she would sing it, or where he laid in his bed in his child's room and wondered if she already was asleep. But he'd gotten better at it. Whenever her name crossed his mind now, he'd push it as far away as possible. And whenever someone mentioned her name in a conversation, which happened maybe four times a year, he'd make himself believe he didn't care the tiniest bit. But there was still a part of him that didn't want to let go of her completely, that still had this stupid hope that one day they would finally get their chance. And he hated that part. So maybe that double date wasn't as bad as he though. Maybe he just needed to see her, know that she was happy without him, that she didn't need him in her live. Maybe he just needed the closure he didn't get all those years ago.

When Rachel first saw Quinn in the supermarket, she thought that the blonde didn't change at all in the past years. She still was that gorgeous, hazel eyed girl who walked around town with her head held high like she owned it. But when she saw Rachel, ran to her and pulled her into a tight hug, her smile wasn't anything like that icy head cheerleader and prom queen smile Rachel used to see all too often. It was much softer and warmer and Rachel didn't think it was a façade for a second. Quinn Fabray was seriously happy to see her again and she didn't try to hide it. So naturally, when her old high school frenemy asked her if she wanted to have dinner tonight to catch up on everything that's been going on in the last time, Rachel agreed without a second thought. She probably should have thought because the next thing Quinn said totally threw her off the track.

"I'm sure Puck will be happy to see you, too!"

Her heart sank to her feet. Puck. Noah. She hadn't heard that name in ages. But that didn't mean she hadn't though about him, she just didn't stay in contact with anyone who would bring up his name in a conversation. Now Rachel wasn't so sure if she wanted to have dinner with Quinn, if that meant she got to see him. After everything that happened that last time. But Quinn already pressed a paper with her address in her hand.

"Oh and of course you can bring someone with you, if there is someone? Or are you buying that steak for yourself because you're not vegan anymore?" Quinn said and pointed into Rachel's shopping cart.

"Oh um... no, that's for my boyfriend, actually. I still don't eat meat, but I'm more of a vegetarian now."

"Oh thank god! I don't think I have any vegan recipes." The blonde laughed. "But I'll make something vegetarian then. So, how about you and your boyfriend just come over at 7?" Quinn seemed to be pretty excited about all of this. Cooking for her old high school classmate and her boyfriend. Rachel wasn't so sure, but she found herself nodding before she could do something else. With one last hug Quinn was gone and left Rachel standing alone in the aisle with the cleaning supplies with the desperate urge to punch herself in the face. Why the hell had she agreed to this? She should have known that Quinn and Puck were still together. Hell, the last time she talked to him he made it pretty clear that he would never break up with Quinn, that they belonged together and just had to be together. And Noah Puckerman didn't change his mind all that often.

Now it was too late to back out. Yeah, she could still say she didn't feel very well or her dads already made plans for tonight, but it wouldn't sound that realistic and she didn't want to be rude. And maybe it wouldn't be that bad. Maybe it would be nice to catch up with them and talk about everything that happened the past years. And really, what bad could happen? Quinn would be there the whole time and she'd take Cedric with her. As long as she and Noah weren't alone, everything would be fine. At least she hoped it would.

"Hey there, Twinkle! Got everything you needed?" Cedric said as soon as she closed the door to her childhood house. They came here yesterday and were staying with her dads for two weeks. At first she'd thought it would be really awkward, sleeping in her old high school bedroom together with her 26-year-old boyfriend and her parents next door. But it wasn't that bad, it actually had been their idea.

"It's useless to stay in a hotel when you're going to be here most of the time anyway!" Hiram had said when she suggested to stay in a hotel with her four years older boyfriend. "And we want to see you as much as possible!" Leroy had added. So yeah, they stayed at her dads.

"Yes, more or less. They didn't have your favorite herb butter, but I don't think you'll taste a big difference anyway." She laughed. Her boyfriend had this weird habit to always buy the most expensive groceries, especially with things like milk and butter. He told her once it was because when he was about 10, his mother bought a different and cheaper kind of milk and when he wanted to make himself a hot cocoa, it tasted so sour that he spit it all on the floor.

"I really hope so." He gave her a soft peck on the lips and took the shopping bags from her to carry them into the kitchen.

"And I met an old... friend, you could say. She invited us to dinner tonight!" Rachel said as they put away the groceries and tried to make it sound less significant than it really was.

"Oh, okay. Anyone you've already told me about?" He asked. They didn't talk all that much about their high school lives, but they covered the bases. He knew about Jesse and Finn and Glee club, he told her about his crazy ex girlfriend Amy and his short-lived basketball career in high school.

"Quinn Fabray. She's Beth's mom!" Cedric knew Beth. He had met her the first time Rachel played babysitter for her because Shelby had a job interview at a private school in New York. And when Shelby ended up getting the job and even moved into Rachel's district, she found herself spending more and more time with the daughter of her ex boyfriend and her high school rival. She told Cedric what happened between her and her mom in high school and that she ended up adopting the child of her friends, but she didn't say a lot about Quinn, or more importantly, Puck. She felt like everything that happened between her and Noah was too private and it should stay between them. Funny, considering that she told him everything about her naïve engagement with Finn without hesitation.

"Really? I thought she didn't like you and visa versa?"

"Well, it's complicated. We had our difficulties, but that was years ago. She was actually pretty nice today, so I thought why not. I mean, if you don't want to go we don't have to, of course!" For a second she hoped he would say he didn't so she could avoid the awkwardness that was about to come when she saw Noah again. But then again, a part of her really wanted to see him, see how he was doing, hear his voice...

"Oh no, it will be nice meeting some of your old friends. Maybe they'll tell me some nasty stories of you from High School!" He said with a smirk and closed the fridge. "Anyway, Hiram called and said that he and Leroy would come a little bit later tonight because of some business dinner, so we don't have plans anyway!" Cedric pulled her to him and set his hands on her waist. "Even if I could think of other ways to spent an evening alone with you." He grinned and bend down to kiss her. Rachel smiled into the kiss, letting his tongue slip past her lips for a few seconds before pulling away.

"Wait, I have to take a shower! Quinn said we should come over at 7, that's in less than two hours!" When there was one thing Rachel couldn't handle it was time pressure. She just got super nervous and squeamish, so she tried to avoid it whenever it was possible.

Cedric just grinned. "Well then, my dear... let's head to the shower, shall we!?"

"What are you cooking?" Puck asked when he came into the kitchen after taking a shower. Even though he'd already showered in the morning - like every day - he felt the need to be fresh and... yes, he was taking this whole Rachel-coming-to-dinner thing way to serious! But he really couldn't help it. Rachel was coming to his house tonight to have dinner with him. And Quinn. And her boyfriend. This wasn't how he always imagined meeting her again. Not that he ever thought about possible ways they could meet each other again, of course. He had his life in Lima and she had hers in New York. That's the way it was supposed to be. And that wouldn't change just because they had dinner.

"Vegetable Lasagna." Quinn answered as she shoved the food in the oven.

"You mean vegetable lasagna as in lasagna without meat?"

"Yes, Puck." The blond laughed and switched on the stopwatch. "I've never tried this recipe before and I probably won't get another chance because you refuse to eat any meal without meat in it. But I promise you'll survive, just do it for Rachel." Puck swallowed. Quinn didn't even knew what that joke really meant. Do it for Rachel. Was there even anything he wouldn't do for her? Probably not. She had this mean ability to always get exactly what she wanted from him, he was completely powerless. Whether she wanted him to help her make her boyfriend jealous, cheat on him, get puppies from a shelter or cut of his legs off. She never asked for last one, but there was a time he would have at least considered it!

"Puck!" He snapped out of his thoughts when Quinn said his name. Noah just looked at her questioning. "I told you to set up the table!"

"Um yeah, sure." He already was loosing his mind over this. Rachel Fucking Berry and her sneaky ways to always get into his mind!

Rachel was nervous. And not that kind of good nervous she felt before going on stage to perform. No, this was bad. She was literally sweating! She managed to stay pretty calm while she got ready, told herself that it wasn't a big deal. That it could be nice. But now she was way past that point. She looked out of the window of her dads black Toyota, just glad she wasn't the one driving the vehicle.

"Everything alright, babe?" Cedric asked as he squeezed her thigh, a thing he did a lot. Whether they were sitting in the car, on the sofa or in a restaurant. And Rachel really liked that small but cute move. It mirrored his personality in some kind of way.

"Yeah, sure. I'm just a little... nervous."

"Afraid that I'll embarrass you?" He asked with an ironic undertone.

"Oh god, no. As if you ever could embarrass me. It's more likely the other way round!" Rachel laughed and took his hand that was laying in her lap in hers to play with it. "I just... I don't know. I haven't seen them in so long. What if we suddenly don't have anything to talk about anymore and this awkward silence comes up?"

"Oh, no problem. I'll just tell one of my self-invented, hilarious jokes and they will fly off their chairs laughing." Rachel could help but giggle. Cedric had loads of talents, but telling jokes definitely wasn't one of them. He was a lost cause.

"No offence, but I'd rather take the awkward silent then!" The brunette teased.

"Cocky, aren't we?" Cedric said, but took her hand to kiss it softly. "But seriously, you don't need to worry. If there is one person who can always come up with a new, crazy topic to talk about, it's you. Or you just break out into song! Either way, it's gonna be alright." Rachel smiled at her boyfriends words. He could always calm her down, whether it was with his words or just his presence itself. And he was right. There were so many things they could talk about and as long as no one mentioned Kurt and Blaine's wedding, she'd be alright. Everything would be alright. The more she told herself that, the more she actually believed it.

When the bell rang at 7:02 pm, Puck suddenly felt the urgent need to use the bathroom. He locked the white door behind him and went straight to the sink to splash some cold water on his face. In the corridor he could hear muffled voices and a door falling in its lock. She was here. They were here. Rachel and her boyfriend. Goddamnit Puckerman, get your shit together. He knew the longer he stayed in the small bathroom, the harder it would get to actually come out of it. He dried his face with a towel next to him and with one last look in the mirror he unlocked the door and stepped out. He could hear laughter coming from the kitchen. Rachel's laugh. His heart was already beating so fast he thought he could pass out every second. It was just now that he realized he not just hadn't seen her for 2 years, he hadn't heard her voice for that long, too.

"Puck?" Quinn called from the living room. He still stood next to the bathroom door, not having moved a meter.

"Coming." He shouted back and without his brain sending any instructions, his feet started to move towards the voices. And then he saw her. She was standing with the back to him next to the table, wearing a short, white summer dress. Her hair was hanging down her back in soft curls and her legs seemed even longer than the last time he saw her. He already was so fucked.

"Finally. It's not nice letting our guests wait, Puck!" Quinn said as she saw him standing in the door frame. But he didn't get a chance to answer because Rachel spun around and looked him straight into the eyes. It seemed like the time was standing still and he was pretty sure his heart just skipped a beat. She was gorgeous. No, seriously, she had smokey eyes and her pink lipstick matched the color of her shoes. (Why the hell did he even realize that?) And there was something in her eyes that let him think, just for a second, she maybe felt the same way.

"No worries, we don't have any other plans for today!" Cedric said and it was just now that Puck noticed the guy standing next to her with his hand on her back.

"So since my boyfriend seems to have lost all his manners... Cedric, this is Puck." The blonde said and threw him an angry look.

"Uh yeah, sorry. Hi, I'm Puck." He shook the other guys hand and tried not to ogle him too much. Thing was, he didn't really seem to be Rachel's type at all. Granted, he hadn't talked to Rachel for a long time and she probably changed over the last 2 years, but still. Cedric was about Puck's height and clearly knew what a gym was, but other than that? Not similar to any of her former boyfriends. Cedric had green eyes and dark blonde, curly hair. And the clothes he wore... he even made the simple, dark jeans look kinda elegant combined with the white button-down shirt and patent leather shoes.

"Cedric. Great to meet you, Puck!" He replied with such a civility Puck didn't think he really deserved after all the time he had spent thinking about the guys girlfriend today. But of course he didn't know that, he probably didn't know anything about him and Rachel's relationship at all. Unless Rachel told him anything about it, what brought him back to... Rachel.

"Hey Noah!" She said with a tiny smile playing on her lips, hoping it wouldn't sound as breathless as she felt. He was just so... handsome. He always had been one of the most attractive guys Rachel knew, but the time had been good to him. His hair was a bit shorter than the last time she saw him, but he still had the same muscular body with those gorgeous arms and... Don't stare at him, Rachel, dammit!

"Hi..." Noah replied softly after a few seconds. Maybe it was less, she always lost her track of time when she was around him. There was a moment she thought coming here had been the worst idea ever. They just stood in front of each other awkwardly, neither of them knowing what to do.

"C'mere." Puck finally said and pulled her into a tight hug. It felt good, being so close to him after that long. His hands were warm on her back and she could smell his aftershave, which he apparently didn't change over the last years. Rachel had told him once that she really liked it and she wondered if he remembered that. Before she could do anything stupid like ask him, a stopwatch went off somewhere and signaled that the food was ready.

"Puck can you help me with the pots?" Quinn asked, so Rachel pulled back and gave him a small smile before he turned around and walked into the kitchen with his girlfriend. Exactly, with his girlfriend. And her boyfriend was still standing next to her. For a second she panicked that he might knew what was going on in her head, but when she looked at him he just smiled and kissed the top of her head.

"Oh, you don't need to stand there! Sit down, please." Quinn said and placed a salad bowl in the middle of the laid table. Chivalrous like he was, Cedric pulled the chair out for her so she could sit down.

"Thanks!" She said and beamed up to him. He bent down and kissed her lips soundly just as Puck walked back into the room with the food.

"I made this for the first time so I can't promise that it'll be good!" Quinn laughed as she sat down across from Cedric.

"Oh, I'm sure it will!" The green-eyed guy replied politely.

"Well then, let's try it out! I'm starving." She laughed and began to hand out the lasagna.

So, the hug was kinda weird. Not the physical part of it, of course. It was great holding Rachel that close again after all that time. But there were so many things happening in his head, he though it would explode any second: her hair tickling his hand, her arms put around his waist, her heartbeat he could feel against his quest, her smell, her everything. But what was even more awkward was when he came into the living room with the food and saw that guy kissing her. It did something to him and Puck hated that. It wasn't planned like that. He was supposed to see that she was happy and then be happy for her himself. The first part seemed to be true, now he just had to work on the second one.

"So Cedric, what are you doing? Are you in the music business like Rachel?" His girlfriend asked after a while of small talk.

"Oh lord, no. I couldn't survive a day with the amount of money I'd make with my singing! I used to sing when I was younger, but my mom always compared me to a dying walrus, so I gave that up." Cedric laughed and Puck had to smile. Not really because of the context, but because he remembered the multiple times Rachel complimented him on his singing voice. And dying walrus weren't the words she used.

"I'm a doctor, actually. Cardiologist, to be exact. There always has been something really impressive about the human heart to me, the way it works and how it keeps everything else together. My grandfather was a doctor, too. That's probably were I got that whole enthusiasm from!"

"Wow, that's truly impressing! You have to be really smart and ambitious then. It takes pretty long to get a doctor title, right?" Quinn was visibly really interested what Rachel's boyfriend had to say. Granted, heart surgery sounded pretty cool, but still, it was that special.

"Yeah, doesn't that shit take like forever?" Puck interfered. Quinn hit him with her foot under the table because apparently she didn't think it was appropriate to describe studying medicine as shit, but Cedric just laughed. "Well, I'm 26 and already saved a lot of lives, so for me - everything was totally worth it!"

Such. A. Poser. Noah wondered if that was how he wrapped Rachel round his little finger. But his I'm-so-great-and-save-lives-everyday number didn't work on him.

"So how did the two of you meet?" Puck asked to change the topic. He didn't really want to know how they met, but it was better than hearing Cedric brag about his great job. Also, Rachel was surprisingly quite and even though it was a bit risky, he caught her eyes for a few seconds before staring back at his plate.

"We met in Mexico two years ago." Cedric began and immediately caught Pucks attention. Two years ago... that was right after Kurt and Blaine's wedding!

"Yeah, we were both in the same hotel for the summer. I went with Tina and Ced with his brother Nathaniel. It was just meant to be a summer fling, I guess, but then we discovered we both lived in New York and... just stayed in contact!"

It hit him like a freight train. Rachel had met him Mexico.

"Come with me!" She suddenly said, her head still on his naked chest and his fingers playing with her soft hair.

"What?" Puck laughed and looked down at her.

"Come with me. To Mexico. My flight goes tomorrow morning. Just... come with me!" He didn't know what to say, but he knew that saying nothing would be even worse.

"Babe I can't just-"

"It's just for three weeks!" She interrupted him. "We'll figure something out!" The girl in his arms sounded so hopeful and he wanted nothing more than to just say yes.

"Rach... I-I really want to, but... I can't. Not when..." He trailed off.

"Not when Quinn is still your girlfriend." The tiny brunette finished for him.

"I just have to... I don't know, think of some stuff and maybe we can-"

"Please just... don't say anything now!" She stood up and quickly pulled her purple summer dress over her head, scanning the room for her panties.

"Rach, please don't go. I'm sorry, okay. I just don't know... hey, stop!" He took her hands in his to keep her from combing her finger through her tousled hair. "Come on, let's talk about this!"

"About what?"

"About us." He said softly, never leaving her big, brown eyes.

"There is no us!" Rachel pulled her hands from his and took her purse. "Let's just see this as a stupid mistake and move on forward with our lives. Yours is in Lima with Quinn and mine is here in New York!" She turned around and walked to the door, leaving him standing there like a shot, little puppy.

"You... you can't be serious!" He breathed. Puck wanted to scream, but his voice didn't obey. Rachel couldn't really mean that, could she? This thing between them meant just as much to her as it did to him... right? But her voice sounded so harsh and he didn't find any kind of irony or disguise in her eyes when she turned around and looked at him.

"Goodbye, Noah." And with that she was gone.

And that's it for now!
Sooo what do you think? Interested in reading more?
Also: this is my first story, so I hope it wasn't too bad?
Please tell me your thoughts in a review! :)