A/N: This is a loose sequel to my other story, Not Friends, but it's not necessary to read that one first, which is why I opted against loading this as a second chapter to that one.
I hope you enjoy, and as always let me know what you think!
The knock on the door startles you.
No one ever comes to your apartment; hardly anyone even knows where you live. Besides, it's nearly ten o'clock at night, which immediately rules out any mail delivery service.
You're glad you haven't begun your nightly wind down. You've been entering student schedules for the past few hours, so you have yet to shower and change into your nightly attire. You know you wouldn't be brave enough to answer the door without the prim and proper façade your clothing offers; you're not even sure if you're willing to answer it, regardless.
The unknown visitor raps again, this time a bit louder and more desperately. You can't ignore it, so you rise from your plastic covered sofa, hesitantly padding over to the front door of your condo. Once you reach the door, you stand on your tip-toes to peer through the peep hole, and you're heart skips a beat as you immediately recognize the figure.
Terri Schuester.
You last saw Terri at Sheets 'N Things, the night after you destroyed Will's reputation. Feeling alone and confused, you sought the person you knew would understand best; you just never expected her to actually forgo her bitchy disposition and soften her heart, offering you the comfort you craved.
You unlock the door, revealing a bleary eyed Terri standing before you. She's a wreck. Her clear blue eyes are puffy and swollen without a trace of makeup, and her hair is limp and mussed.
"C-come in," you manage to stutter, allowing her to step over the threshold. You're not sure what to expect; after all, you don't have a history of being entirely civil.
You honestly don't know what to say, and she offers no explanation as you lead her over to your couch, motioning for her to sit down as you move your computer and files to offer her a seat. You sit beside her, watching her carefully.
Her eyes grow watery, and you stiffen slightly as they threaten to spill over. You know this should be your forte—you've lost count of how many sobbing girls you've had in your office—but you feel nervous and out of place as Terri openly surrenders to her emotions.
You reach over to rub her shoulder reassuringly, and the simple gesture sends her over the edge. The pent up sobs rack through her body, and before you even consider your actions, you have her wrapped in a tight embrace.
"Shh, honey," you soothe, reaching to run your fingers through her tangled hair. "It's okay."
She melts into your embrace, snaking her arms around your waist as she buries her face in your shoulder. She seems so tiny, so frail, so unlike the defiant woman you've convinced yourself you know, and suddenly your only desire is to make her world right again.
Your fingers continue to work through her hair, and you whisper reassuring nothings in her ear, waiting for her hysteria to pass. Her breathing gradually levels, and she slowly pulls away. Her cheeks are wet with tears, and you gently reach out to wipe them away.
Terri manages a small smile, looking at you sheepishly through her lashes. "I'm sorry…"
"Don't be sorry," you immediately tell her, surprised that you are handling the situation with such finesse. You reach out to give her hand a gentle squeeze. "Do you want to talk?"
Terri takes in a shaky breath, nodding faintly. You keep your hand in hers, rubbing it reassuringly to encourage her.
"The divorce was finalized three days ago," she manages to choke out before the water works start again.
You stiffen slightly, reminding yourself that you need to be the strong one right now. As your arms embrace Terri's trembling form, you realize how much things have changed. Only a month ago, you were waiting impatiently for this day to come; the day where Will would be freely yours.
Now, you just feel angry and bitter toward the man you so openly loved, and your heart is breaking just as much as the fragile woman's wrapped tightly in your embrace. You rock her back and forth, saying nothing as her sobs rip through the both of you.
When she catches her breath, she dares to speak. "I didn't think I would feel this awful," she admits, her voice thick with tears. "When we signed the papers, I was able to hold myself together. I guess it felt sort of…surreal then. And even when I went back to Kendra's and we talked about it, I was surprisingly okay. But then Finn Hudson started working at Sheets 'N Things yesterday…"
"Finn Hudson?" you repeat. What does Finn Hudson have to do with anything?
"He's a student at Mc—"
"No, no," you cut her off. "I know who Finn is. I, um, just wasn't sure exactly how he relates to all this…" you trail off, glancing up at her.
She sighs, brushing her tangled hair away from her face."He's a lot like Will…or at least the way Will used to be…"
You say nothing, finally beginning to piece it all together. You reach out to rub her arm as she continues.
"He's sweet, and though he's certainly not the sharpest knife in the drawer, he's genuine. And when he smiles with that adorable crooked smile—it's like his face suddenly morphs into Will's. Emma, I've lost a lot. I knew as soon as Will stormed out that door after he discovered my lie that I had comprised so much. And to see Finn everyday, to be reminded of that…it just makes me realize the magnitude of the irreversible damage I've caused…"
She looks at you, wanting some kind of reassurance, some kind of advice.
You can give her none.
You're searching for that unattainable answer as well. Because you've messed things up too, and though your pain can't easily be compared, you've lost just as much.
She twists her fingers between yours, and you can tell your touch comforts her.
"I miss him, too," you dare to whisper.
Her eyes flash, and for a moment, you're terrified you've crossed a line.
But she sighs, the fire extinguishing from her eyes, and instead, she looks tired and spent.
"You know, if Will were half the man we both convinced ourselves he was, you'd be the one who'd deserve him," Terri tells you, almost regretfully.
You can't look her in the eye for a moment. Your throat feels hard as you suck in breath, undone by the sincerity in her words. Though her words hold a certain truth, you hate to see her broken over them. You hate to make yourself the flawless angel when in reality you know you are anything but.
"I can understand why you did it," you whisper the words softly through your tight throat. You remember telling Will the same words not so long ago; even then, you felt an innate compulsion to protect this woman.
And you're beginning to understand why. Though on the surface, you appear to be as different as night and day, you can clearly see pieces of you in her.
"I've felt that way before—you know, wanting something so much that you go too far. And you can't make yourself stop, because there's that selfish part of you that just wants so, so much."
"Yeah," Terri whispers, tightening her grip on your hand. "Funny how one man can make you mess everything up so much."
There's so much more you can say, so much bitterness and anger you could you could share. But instead, you sigh heavily, glancing at your watch. It's getting late—nearly eleven now.
But you look at Terri. She looks content, sitting with her knees pulled up to her chest on your couch, and before you even consider your words, you offer, "Do you want to watch a movie or something."
Her face brightens slightly as she nods. "What do you have?"
"Um, well, I guess we could just see what's on demand," you tell her, picking up the remote from the coffee table. You scroll through the choice, neither of you saying a word. "What kind of movie are you in the mood for?"
She considers your questions, continuing to stare at the screen as you scroll. "And explosion movie," she laughs.
Your eyes widen slightly—you were expecting her to pick a chick flick or something of the sort, but you realize how nice it would be to sit back and watch things blow up instead becoming emotionally involved in a romance movie.
"How about Eagle Eye?" you ask as you scan the titles. "That looks pretty action packed…"
She shrugs, nodding in agreement. Neither of you pay much attention as she film starts. Terri scoots closer to you, leaning her head against your shoulder. Your heart melts a little; you never imagined there could be such a sweet, affectionate woman under her self centered disposition.
"How did you know where I live?" you suddenly ask the question that had been floating in the back of your mind.
Terri's cheeks redden slightly. "Your address in written down in my address book—well, our address book I guess you could say, but I took it when I moved out. Most of the contacts are people I know anyway. I don't know why Will had your address written down in there—I don't remember him actually ever visiting you, or not that he mentioned to me…"
But you remember. "He can once—two years ago, when I first started teaching at McKinley. I got the stomach flu and was out for two weeks, and Figgins had Will stop by and drop off some papers. I just never knew he kept my address…"
"I never noticed it there until today," she admits. "I just needed to get out—to go somewhere and talk to someone who wasn't Kendra. I flipped through the address book, looking for a friend I could unload on, and I opened right up to page your address. I didn't really think about why it was there—I just knew that I wanted to talk to you…"
You smile at her, and it says more than a thousand words. You settle back against the couch to watch the rest of the movie.
When it ends, you're both dozing lightly with Terri's head still resting softly on your shoulder. You gently shake her awake as the muted glow of the television illuminates the room.
"I guess I should be going now," Terri mutters regretfully, rising from the couch.
You voice catches in your throat, and you swallow as you bite back you offer, but somehow it manages to slip out nonetheless. "It's getting late, Terri. Why don't you just stay here? Um, unless you really, uh, need to get back to your sister's… " You realize how brash your proposal sounds too late.
"Are you sure?" Terri bites the offer faster than you thought she would. "I mean, I don't want to be an inconvenience or anything…but it would be really nice to stay some place other than Kendra's cramped apartment…"
"I'm sure," you tell her confidently. "I have a spare room right down the hall. I'll go put sheets on the bed right now."
She helps you make the bed, despite your protests. You offer her one of your nightgowns, but she declines, choosing to sleep in her clothes instead.
Unlike you, she doesn't need a shower before bed, so you bid her goodnight as you head to the bathroom to take your own shower.
The shower relaxes your tense muscles, and you try not to think about what the consequences of your hasty decision could be. But you find you're not regretting it in the least; it actually makes you feel quite good inside to realize you're helping Terri in this small way.
As you pad down the hall softly in just your fluffy white towel, you hesitate beside the guest room door. You wonder if you should check on Terri or not. You press your ear softly to the door, your heart breaking as you hear muffled sniffles coming from the other side.
It takes all you have to pull away from the door, allowing her to cry in peace.
You dress in a floral nightgown, glancing at your alarm clock that reads nearly 2am. You have school the next day, but you can hardly find yourself wishing that things had gone any differently this evening. You don't bother to blow dry your hair considering the late hour, so you sleepily climb beneath the clean sheet of your bed.
Despite your heavy eyes, you can't sleep. You keep straining to hear Terri down the hall. It's been a while since you've had guests at your house, and though Terri has grown silent, you can acutely feel the presence of the other person in the house. It's a strange feeling, not being so alone, and you decide you like the comfort.
The clock read three before you eyelids start to really droop, and just as you're beginning to surrender, you hear a gentle knock on your door.
You see Terri's silhouette against the darkness, standing in the doorway. You sit up in bed, becoming fully alert as you invite her to come in.
She sits on the edge of the bed, and the soft glow of the moonlight bounces off her face, revealing that it is wet with tears. "I couldn't sleep," she mumbles hoarsely.
"I couldn't either," you admit, inching toward her slumped form. You place a hand on her shoulder.
She glances, the pain in her eyes hitting you right in the gut. She's a mess, even more a mess than you are. You've lost something you never fully had, but Terri lost half of herself.
"I've messed up so many relationships because I've been so, so, so selfish," she spills into the darkness. "And I'm sick of it…I'm sick of making everything about me. I don't want to keep messing up."
You've messed about a lot of relationship as well, though your reasons differ. But you can still relate to that feeling of messing up to the point where you feel completely and utterly alone.
And as you look at Terri through the veil of darkness, you realize you don't have to feel so alone, and neither does she. You both have a chance to make this relationship turn out right.
"Why don't you stay in here…with me?" you offer suddenly, pulling back the sheet to make a space for her in bed beside you.
"Oh, Emma," Terri whispers, and you can tell there's nothing else she'd prefer. "Are you sure?"
No, you're not really sure, if you're being perfectly honest. It's big enough that you've allowed her to stay in your house, but to allow her to share a bed? The last time you can remember sharing a bed was with your brother on vacation when you were seven-years-old.
But your heart swells beyond that, beyond the germs, beyond the potential awkwardness of the situation, and you tell her without faltering, "I'm sure."
She crawls under the sheet beside you, careful not to touch you, and you're glad she's taking the time to be so courteous regarding your quirks.
But as the silence settles in around you, the space between the two of you doesn't feel right. As you roll over, you leg brushes against hers. You leave it there, allowing yourself to scoot a little closer to her. After a moment, you take her hand. and a content feeling washes over the both of you.
"Goodnight, Terri," you whisper, reaching out to brush her hair away from her forehead.
"Goodnight, Emma," she replies, her voice soft in the darkness. "Thanks for everything."
You give her hand a squeeze, letting her know that you don't mind a bit. You feel whole again, a feeling you haven't felt since before you became infatuated with Will. And you can tell Terri feels a certain wholeness as well as her tears are slowly mended as well.
With your fingers loosely intertwined, you both drift off into a pleasant slumber.