Mike Chang was sitting in the cafeteria with his best friend Matt Rutherford when she walked in, the girl of his dreams;Rachel Berry walked into the room with Santana and Brittany on either side of her , Mike felt his jaw drop. Rachel looked so beautiful in her new clothes. After sectionals Santana had taken a liking to the tiny brunette and had given her a fantastic makeover.
"Dude," Matt punched his friend in the shoulder "close your mouth or flies will get in." His best friend of eleven years laughed at him.
Mike quickly shut his mouth and smiled as the girls approached. Mike couldn't help his eyes from wandering to Rachel's fantastic legs in a pair of light wash skinny jeans.
"Hey guys!" Rachel smiled brilliantly sitting down in the seat across from the grinning Mike.
"Hey Rach," Mike grinned happily "How's your day so far?"
Rachel looked down at the table before looking back up "I wasn't slushied so it wasn't as bad as it could've been."
Mike felt a pang of guilt in his chest. The lanky asian boy had never actually thrown a slushie on the girl but he also didn't stop them and that was just as bad. "So what are your plans for tonight?" He asked trying to ignore the whole slushie thing.
"Sleepover." Puck said slyly sitting down next to Rachel and wrapping an arm around his shoulders making Mike jealous. Seriously Mike was seen green he didn't want Puck to be spending the night with Rachel.
Rachel giggled but shook her head "I have dance until nine tonight. Mike smiled as the realization hit that Puck would not be spending the night with the little brunette.
"Fuck that." Puck told her sternly keeping his arm around her shoulders.
"Noah language!" The diva squealed slapping the boy in the chest.
Brittany was pouting in her seat "Rachel all you ever do is dance." The tall blond whined pitifully and looked down at her ice cream sadly.
Rachel sighed but turned to look at the girl "Britt I told you I have to practice if I want to be really good. It's just like you and the Cheerios." Rachel tried to explain to the very sweet but very dumb blond.
"How about we come over after Rach?" Santana asked lazily from her spot next to Matt (who she was dating again.) Thank the heavenly father for that Mike was so god damn sick of hearing his best friend whine all the time about the latina.
"That's fine with me." Rachel told them smiling "You too Mike, Matt my daddies are doing a surgery in Miami and won't be home for quite a while I suppose." Mike felt another pang in his chest at the small girls nonchalance about her fathers practically abandoning her to fend for herself.
"We're going to meet you at the diner across from the studio Rach." Puck told her with an arched eyebrow.
Mike looked up surprised he didn't understand why they weren't just meeting at Rachel's house when she was finished with her classes. Mike knew better than to question Puck however and let it go.
"Noah I am fine for the last time." Rachel said exasperated.
Puck shook his head "You're getting too skinny Rach and we are getting food in your stomach tonight. Rachel you've taken this dieting too far."
Before Mike could say anything Santana opened her mouth "Why are you on a diet Rach ?You are the skinniest little munchkin."
Mike opened his mouth again only to be interrupted by Matt "Rachel you're like as big as my thigh."
Rachel giggled slightly and ran a hand through her hair "Thanks guys."
Mike was extremely worried about Rachel and tonight he would make her eat ...a lot.
At nine O'clock that night Mike found himself sitting at the small diner getting more and more antsy for Rachel to arrive. The boy just couldn't help it, Rachel just had this quality about her and it made her almost irresistible to him.
"So is Rachel seriously worried about her weight?" Matt asked Puck curiously with a hint of worry lingering behind his shining brown eyes.
Puck nodded "Yeah she's convinced herself that she needs to lose weight to be on Broadway and or be a dancer."
"That's crazy!" Mike exclaimed angrily, ready to hunt down whoever told Rachel she wasn't thin enough. Rachel was beautiful a practically perfect woman.
Puck agreed with him and clenched his fists " I know."
"Hey guys!" Brittany and Santana greeted sliding down into the booth.
"Hey." The boys greeted back smiling.
Mike kept glancing out of the door waiting to see her leave and come to the diner…to him. He finally saw her approaching and smiled.
Rachel's hair was wet lying limply against her shoulders, she was wearing black sweatpants and a huge bowling green sweatshirt that must've belonged to one of her dads. Mike noticed how not put together she was and how tired also.
"Hey," Rachel smiled slumping into the booth next to Mike "Sorry I'm late."
"That's okay your only a few minutes late." Mike told her wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
"You look awful Rach." Santana told her bluntly as Mike glared at her. If anyone ever wanted to now the truth all they had to do was ask the latina and you would most definitely get the truth.
"I know." She told her friend running a hand through her wet hair.
"I don't think you look awful." Mike told her sweetly, whispering into her ear so only she could hear.
The waitress came to the table then so Rachel couldn't thank him but he knew she would.
When it was finally Rachel's turn to order she said simply "Diet Coke and ummm a fruit plate." Mike felt his fists clench and he grew angry.
All of the friends at the table glared at her, though Brittany didn't understand why.
"She'll have a strawberry milkshake and a veggie burger with fries." Puck told the waitress as she walked away, and obviously she understood.
Rachel pouted "Noah, how am I supposed to lose five pounds in two weeks if I eat that." She groaned rubbing her face in frustration.
"Rachel, you have to eat more, you loose a lot of calories dancing." Mike told her rubbing her arm soothingly.
Rachel just sat there staring at Puck who stared right back ;neither wanting to back down from the fight.
"So what are we doing tomorrow?" Britt asked smiling as she slurped her drink. Brittany may not have been all there but she knew when to change the topics of conversation.
"Um I have class tomorrow." Rachel said nervously waiting for Puck to explode.
"Nope you're chilling with us or I call your Dad." He countered ,a huge shit eating grin plastered on his face.
"The Dad card." Matt snickered as the others laughed.
The waitress came out with the food and Mike watched as the girl he really liked just grimaced and started mixing the straw around in her cup.
"Rach, do you want to go to the zoo tomorrow," Santana asked "Brit really wants to?"
Rachel took a sip of her shake "Sure I'd love to I haven't been there since I was like ten."
"Rachel." Puck said pointing a finger at her.
She stuck her tongue out at him and ate a fry "There are you happy. Noah you know if you don't want me to lose anymore weight you could have just told my fathers they probably would have made me drink pedialyte again just like they did last year."
Matt chuckled "Do your Dads seriously make you drink that?" Mike let out a little chortle to, it was just too funny to hold inside.
Rachel nodded "If I am going to be a vegan I need all essential nutrients or at least they say I do. I should probably listen to them seeing as they are both surgeons and spent a long time in medical school but..." He voice trailed off and she looked in the napkin dispenser at her reflection.
"Rachel you really are beautiful." Mike whispered into his crushes ear confidently.
Britt smiled brushing a long blonde hair away from her face "Mike and Rachel kissing in a tree and a baby doll carriage and a puppy in a shoe." Britt singsonged as they all laughed at her.
"Maybe we should leave these two lovebirds alone." Santana smiled making kissing noises.
"Yeah, we can go to the movie store and this fine young couple can be alone." Matt smirked.
"Well then leave us here, go venture to the movie store and go back to my abode. Noah be sure to let yourself in with the key if you finish early.!" Rachel joked laughing.
Mike grinned widely she liked him. He had been too nervous to ask her out for a year and now here they were.
Puck stood up "Alright let's go get the movies and snacks, we'll meet back at your place and yes I know where the key is princess." Puck turned to glare at Mike "Hurt her and I punch your face in."
When Mike and Rachel were finally alone Rachel laid her head on his shoulder "I really like you Mike." She told him smiling.
"I really like you too." He smiled picking up a French fry from her quarter-eaten plate and put it to her mouth. " Rachel, it really worries me seeing you stress about your weight. You are like what one hundred pounds soaking wet."
She picked her head up from his shoulder and looked at him "A hundred and five, so see I need to lose five pounds."
Mike sighed at her stubbornness and softly cupped her face in his hands feeling extremely brave " You're such a beautiful girl Rachel Berry and as your boyfriend I'm telling you I don't want you to lose a pound."
Rachel's eyes filled with tears, no one had ever told her that she didn't have to change for them " So you want me to be your girlfriend."
"Yes, Rachel Berry will you be my girlfriend."
She smiled and threw her arm around him "Of course I will, Admittedly this did all happen very fast and based on high school relationship statistics…"
Mike cut Rachel off during her rambling "Did anyone ever tell you that you talk too much?" He asked pulling in her in for a soft kiss, that felt perfect to both teenagers.
"Come on." He looked at the beautiful girl as he slid out of the booth holding his hand out to her.
She took it smiling a sincere smile,not one of her million show faces "I guess we should be leaving." She giggled intertwining her small hand with his much larger one.
They silently walked to the car as Mike opened the door for Rachel as she slid in the passenger side. They rode in silence neither having to say anything, because the moment they had just had was perfect. High school is full of falling in love and breaking up but to both of the teenagers this felt different.
Mike saw both Puck's truck and Santana's car and assumed that they were already inside. The lanky Asian wished that they would go home so he could get to know Rachel better.
"Hey love birds!" Matt screamed when Mike and Rachel walked into the house.
Mike smiled proudly and wrapped an arm around Rachel's shoulders "You all are looking at my girlfriend."
Rachel blushed a deep crimson and giggled " It took the boy long enough don't you think. I felt like a girl on a daytime soap opera turned into a bunch of drama before her prince finally asks her to be his."
"I know, god Mike."Puck smirked.
Mike looked bewildered "I…I uh what?"
"I've been waiting for you to ask me on a date since you first joined glee club, but you never did." Rachel smiled putting her arm around his Finn just seemed appealing for some very strange reason and that's that."
Mike kissed the top of her head " Well we are together now."
Britt squealed jumping up and down and clapping "Eek I am so excited, lets watch the movie."
Everyone made themselves comfortable, Rachel sitting in between Mikes legs, her head resting on his chest as his arms encircled her body.
"What are we watching on this fine evening? Please tell me it isn't die hard again Noah Puckerman or I will leave this very instant and go get out my special edition of Funny Girl. " Rachel rambled rubbing her hand over Mikes' arm.'
"The hangover." Santana squealed "It's the funniest movie this year."
Puck nodded "Fucking hilarious."
As they were half way done with the movie Mike looked down and saw that Rachel was fast asleep. He smiled and kissed her forehead this had all happened extremely fast, but he wouldn't have wanted it any other way.