The headlines were everywhere. She couldn't avoid them no matter how hard she tried. The worst part of becoming a household name was your entire life was at the mercy of trashy tabloid writers. Her divorce was across the front page of each magazine she saw.
Rachel walked into NYADA with her head down. There was no place she felt safe. She'd even tried returning home. But even Lima, Ohio couldn't be considered a place of refuge anymore. Nowhere was her sanctuary. This was her last resort.
"Rachel?" Cassie stopped her teaching when she noticed Rachel had made her appearance in her classroom.
"Hi, Cassie."
Cassandra smiled at the voice and then turned her attention to the students, "Class dismissed."
"You don't need to do that on my account."
Cassie waved off her concern, "I heard some news about you."
Rachel's heart sank. She knew where this was going and Cassie had been her last resort for some normalcy, "So has everyone else."
"Well yeah it's been everywhere. Your new album is coming out soon. I'm excited to buy a copy."
"My new album?"
"Am I wrong?"
"No, you're not." Rachel closed the distance and embraced the blonde, "Thank you."
"For what?"
"For offering me an escape. You have no idea how much I needed it."
Cassandra tightened her arms around Rachel, "Anytime. How are you though?"
"I'm okay. It was good while it lasted." Rachel pulled back and sighed, "It just didn't last long. The attorneys tell me that it was all very amicable. We haven't spoken in months. I thought we would be together forever."
"Rachel, some things just aren't mean to last. It's not your fault.
"How do you know that?"
"It's obvious that he's insane if he let you go. What man alive would let you go?"
"Well I'm struggling to find a man or woman that wants to stay with me." Rachel noticed that Cassandra's eyes lit up at the mention of a woman and it made her smile.
"Can I take you to dinner?"
"As a friend or as a date?"
"Which way do you want it to be?"
"A date. I want it to be a date."
"I'll pick you up at seven?" Cassie asked and Rachel confirmed by kissing her cheek.
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Rachel opened the door and Cassie's breath caught. Rachel's hair was curled and it ran down her back just begging for Cassie to run her hands through it. The short black dress left little to the imagination.
"You're gorgeous." Cassie pulled out a single red rose, "This is for you."
"Thank you." Rachel leaned forward to kiss her cheek, "You're so sweet."
"Are you ready to go?"
"Actually, I hate to do this," She looked up to the ceiling, "You have no idea how much I hate doing this especially when you look like that."
"You're canceling on me." Cassie's heart sank and she cursed herself for getting so excited in the first place.
"No! I just...I don't want to go out. Since the divorce has just been finalized I've been under such a microscope that we wouldn't have any privacy. I just want some alone time with you. Would you consider staying in? We can order takeout. You hate the idea, don't you?"
Cassie realized that she probably needed to assure Rachel that the opposite was true but she was so relieved she could only step into the house. Her answer must have been acceptable enough because, Rachel began rummaging in a drawer and pulling out menus. She placed all of them on the counter and asked for Cassie to choose.
"I'm sorry that I changed our plans. I know you were probably looking forward to a night out."
"I was just looking forward to a night with you. The where didn't matter." Cassie picked up a menu for Chinese takeout and handed it to Rachel, "Whatever you want to order is fine with me."
Cassie walked around the living room and looked at the pictures on the wall. Rachel had rubbed elbows with plenty of rich and famous people. Barbara Streisand, Idina Menzel, and Tony Bennetts' smiling faces stared back at her.
"You're impressive."
"Thank you." Rachel blushed and locked arms with her, "Would you like a tour?"
"I would love one." Cassie stopped and looked at one picture in particular, "I'm worthy of the wall?"
"Mhm. More worthy than anyone else."
Cassie leaned down and kissed her forehead, "I can't wait to kiss you for real tonight."
Rachel couldn't wait either. She smiled her way through the tour and tried not to pull Cassie into a kiss. She wanted to kiss her but she understood why Cassie would wait until the end of the night. Rachel leaned up to kiss Cassie's cheek when the blonde started complimenting her on the awards on her mantle. Just because she wasn't going to get a proper kiss until the end of the night didn't mean that she would stop with what she could get away with.
"Let me pay for dinner." Cassie pulled her money from her pocket answering the door, "I did ask you after all."
"Does that mean I can pay next time?" Rachel took the food and began spreading it out on the table.
"You want there to be a next time? We haven't even eaten yet."
"You've indulged me in my boring tour and you've let me kiss you a dozen times on the cheek even though it's very middle school."
"Believe me I'm not complaining about either. And I'll give you another date whenever you want."
"Even if it's the middle of the night?"
Cassie couldn't resist looking at Rachel up and down. The middle of the night would be the perfect time to have a date. She'd skip right to dessert, "Please, I would love to be on a date with you in the middle of the night."
Rachel's heartbeat sped up and her face turned red. Yes, the middle of the night would be a kind of date that would interest her, "Ready to eat?"
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"Thank you for dinner and the movie." Cassie rubbed Rachel's cheek and her heart fluttered when she received a kiss on the palm, "That's the best date I've been on."
"Since when?"
"Since ever." Cassie leaned down and brushed her lips against Rachel's, "Goodnight, Rachel Berry."
Rachel kissed her slowly one more time and placed a kiss on Cassie's jaw, "Goodnight, Cassie."
When Cassie walked out the door Rachel picked up her phone. Selecting the name in her phone she put it on speaker phone.
"Hello? Rach, is everything okay?"
"I'm ready for my second date."
Cassie chuckled, "Is that, right?"
"Yes, and I'm cashing in on my middle of the night date. So, are you interested? Because, I'm about to lose my nerve."
The words had barely left Rachel's mouth before the door was flung open, "Baby, I'm always interested if the woman is you. Don't lose your nerve now. Tell me what you want."
"There's something I left off my tour. It's in my bedroom. Ready to see?"
Cassie kicked the door closed and locked it behind her, "I'll follow you anywhere."