So this is just a little experiment to see if I can write outside of my fave Glee pairing...
I'll warn everyone now all the chapters to this are short and it's written to be a series of scenes between Rachel and Sam as they become friends and eventually fall in love. I have ten written now, but they're easy to write because they're all based off of songs. Like I said I'm just trying to get out of my Faberry bubble so just wanted to see if it's any good and if there's any interest.
I think Sam and Rachel would be cute together, I'll only post more if anyone likes it, otherwise I'll take it down in a few, so let me know either way :)
Oh and I don't really see the point in adding the songs to the story at this point, but they do sing the song that the title for each chapter comes from. I'll include the title and artist at the end for anyone who's interested, most of them are pretty obvious though...don't own Glee, it's characters, or any music used.
I Know I Shouldn't, But...
Sam never really meant to fall for Rachel Berry, he only really wanted to understand Quinn Fabray, and maybe in the process win her back.
It starts on a Friday.
He spots Rachel in the bleachers after school glancing wistfully as Quinn and Finn flirt on the fifty yard line. The look on her face? He seriously knows exactly what that feels like. He splits his gaze between the sickeningly happy couple and the painful look on Rachel's face. He kind of wonders how they can be so insensitive. He also wonders how he could have been so wrong about Finn Hudson. The dude turned out to be a serious douche bag. "What the hell are you staring at Beibs?" Puck slaps him on the back and gives him a knowing look as he follows his gaze to Finn and Quinn.
"What does she see in him?" He asks out loud, not expecting an answer.
Puck shrugs. "Fuck if I know." Sam hears a little bit of disgust in his voice and then Puck throws his chin toward the brunette sitting in the bleacher. "Why don't you ask my hot Jewish home girl up there. She's still pretty hung up on him." Puck gives him another slap on the back and runs down field, leaving Sam staring in curiosity at Rachel Berry. When she looks up and catches his gaze he blushes, waves and follows in the same direction.
On Monday he finds her in the choir room.
He forgot his English binder earlier and only gets around to picking it up after basketball practice. He's surprised to see her, even though he's been told she pretty much lives between there and the auditorium. She looks up from the piano and he can't help smiling at her startled expression. "Sorry, Rachel. I forgot my stuff earlier." She looks at him with a sort of puzzled expression on her face and he realizes that this is the first time they've ever spoken. "I hope I didn't interrupt." He says as he walks further into the room toward his chair.
"Oh. No." He frowns that she doesn't offer more, but grabs his folder and heads back toward the door, her eyes follow him the entire way and don't drop back to her sheet music until she hears the door open.
He turns back to see that her expression is now screwed up in concentration as she studies the music in front of her. He smiles to himself and then steps back into the room. "You know it's like quarter to five don't you, Rachel?"
He smiles when she looks startled again. "Yes I am aware of the time, Sam, but I appreciate your concern. My father called during lunch today to inform me that he would be unable to pick me up until five thirty. While I don't mind walking, the cold air is extremely detrimental to my vocal cords. So I decided to work on my song until my father arrives."
"But...I saw you in the cold yesterday. In the bleachers...watching Finn and Quinn."
"Santana already got in enough stalker digs, but if you're going to dazzle me with your own wit, you may as well get on with it." He has to admit he kind of hates the defensiveness in her as she crosses her arms over her chest and gives him the floor.
He throws his hand up immediately. "Hey, I didn't mean nothing by that. I was just...worried or something, I guess." Sam shrugs and looks a little sympathetic. "I mean, I was sort of doing the same thing. It would be a little hypocritical of me to call you a stalker, don't you think?" He offers her a tentative smile that she doesn't return, but she does uncross her arms.
"I apologize if I was rude just then." She says after a short, but somewhat awkward silence.
"It's cool." He shrugs and points to the other side of the piano bench, requesting permission to sit next to her. She nods and he sits nervously, thinking about what Puck suggested yesterday. "Actually there was something I kinda wanted to ask you, if you have a minute." Rachel nods and he looks down at the keys and tries not to sound pathetic. "What's so great about Hudson?"
"Huh?" Which wasn't the most eloquent thing to ever cross the lips of Rachel Berry, he was inclined to believe that he had caught her a little bit off guard with his question.
"Well you're still pretty hung up on him, right? And I think Quinn wants him back. I was just wondering what's so great about him. Because I sort of think the guy's an ass hat."
"First of all, Samuel, what I like about Finn is my highly personal business, that I don't believe we should be discussing on the occasion of our first conversation. Second, language." He gives her his brightest, most charming smile. "Sounds fair. I guess I'll, like, save it for our next one then. Would your song choice be acceptable for our first social exchange."
Rachel has the grace to smile at him and gestures for him to look at the sheet music. He raises his eyebrows at her, "What's with you and the country music?"
"It's the music of pain, Sam." She sighs out dramatically as if he's the world's idiot.
He just shakes his head and smiles, gets up to grab a guitar and tunes it on his way back to the bench. He smiles again when he sits down. "The music of pain sounds better with a guitar." He plays a few chords to warm up and smiles at her encouragingly as he goes right into the song.
Rachel's not a country singer, but he thinks they pull it off pretty well. He likes her voice up close and his voice joins her vocals on the second verse, turning it into a duet. He thinks they sound so good together that if Quinn or Finn were here to hear them singing the pair wouldn't be able to resist crawling back.
Rachel cries toward the end of the song and he's wondering exactly how much she really loves the golden boy. He doesn't really know what to do so they sit awkwardly in their shared heartache and he barely resists the urge to flee. She smiles gratefully when he rests his hand on her back in an attempt to comfort her. He's sort of uncomfortable, but at least someone knows how he feels and misery loves company, right?
On Tuesday they don't acknowledge each other at all.
Lucinda Williams-Still I Long for Your Kiss