Today is a day that the sun doesn't shine, Rachel notes, when hazy brown eyes open to see soft light underlining the linen sheets and the orange duvet covers. There is a still calmness that she breathes in, something she only tastes in the quiet autumn mornings. Rachel is a summer-loving girl, but autumn does something to her. It makes her crave coffee and sunrises and a body for her to curl into.
She only gets two out of three, which isn't bad. Rachel rolls over to her back and sighs. Soft and breathy and warm, she hums. Rachel thinks about getting up but she recalls Kurt going away for a fashion expo for the entire week. That's when the loneliness really settles in. Rachel groans and checks the time. It is barely seven o'clock. No point in getting up, but it is such a waste to just stay in bed on a perfect Saturday, so Rachel rises up and throws her legs over the edge of the bed. Cold prickles at the exposed skin of her legs. Dressed in a bulky, red sweater, she drags her feet to the kitchen.
Rachel goes on autopilot in operating the coffee machine. She is about to measure the grounds when knuckles rap against the apartment door. Not even wondering who it could be, she almost drops the canister of dark espresso roast.
An angel is standing on the welcome mat. A serene smile. Blonde hair hidden under a grey beanie. Gloved hands holding two large cups of coffee and a paper bag. Rachel is not sure if she is still dreaming, but she opens the door wider and ushers the angel in.
"Quinn! I didn't know you were visiting!" Rachel shrieks and pulls her into a hug. Quinn feels so soft and cool in her arms, smelling like coffee grounds, her skin tasting of vanilla. Not that Rachel would know. Quinn sets her gifts on the counter and properly hugs Rachel.
"It's meant to be a surprise." She says. "Kurt told me he's going to be away for a bit and he's worried about you. So I took the earliest train out of New Haven and here I am." Quinn smiles and squeezes Rachel once more before she pulls away. "Here. Chai lattes and I only got one cruller because I don't think its vegan...?" Quinn points an inquiring eye at Rachel. "You're still vegan, right?"
"No, not anymore." Rachel says as she leads Quinn to the small table close to the window, where slivers of light dance on the wooden surface. "It's really difficult to maintain that lifestyle while still employing variety. Not to mention that school is really cruel to me at the moment."
At this, Quinn arcs her brow. She unlatches the plastic top from one of the coffee cups and slides it underneath Rachel's nose. The scent of the freshly ground coffee beans infiltrate Rachel's senses, and she feels a hint of humanity waking up inside her. "Is it your dance teacher again?" Quinn asks, and Rachel smiles when Quinn remembers their Skype dates. "I thought she's not out to get you anymore?"
Rachel shrugs. "It's not a problem. I can take it."
"I know you can." Quinn smiles and she unwraps the paper bag to split the cruller in half. "Four years of treating you like she did, I'm pretty sure she's easy to deal with."
"You weren't mean to me for the entire duration of high school, Quinn." Rachel smiles and takes the other half of the cruller. She bites into it and hums at the honey sweetness in her mouth. "But enough about me. What about you? You don't really talk much about your college life when we talk on Skype."
"That's because you complain mostly." Quinn says as she takes a sip of her latte. Rachel knows she's teasing because her eyes are sparkling and her hands are busy with her cup. "But it's been nice. There's no constant pressure of being the most popular cheerleader. No one knows me and it's both nice and… sad, at the same time." Quinn looks up at Rachel. "I'm not sure it's because glee club is such a diverse group or because I've been best friends with Brittany and Santana for years, but… for some reason," at this, Quinn pauses and chuckles breathlessly. "Girls catch my eye more often than boys do."
"Girls are nicer to look at." Rachel smiles, not skipping a beat. "I can't blame you."
Quinn sighs softly, and Rachel knows it is of relief. She reaches for Quinn's fingers and squeezes them lightly, the rustle of orange and red and brown leaves echoing outside the walls of Rachel's apartment. Quinn turns her palm over and holds Rachel's hand in hers. Hazel eyes dotted with dark flecks look at Rachel's features. Rachel's skin prickles, but she is not sure if it's the warmth of the chai latte or Quinn's eyes on her, looking so… focused.
Finally, the pretty blonde cheerleader has eyes for no one but her.
"Whoever this girl you've been looking at is lucky, Quinn." Rachel says as she sips her drink.
At this, Quinn smiles. Rachel notices the way Quinn's eyes dart from hers to her mouth, to their locked hands. Hope floods Rachel's chest, but hope for what, she is not sure.
"Yeah. Thanks, Rachel." Quinn finishes her cruller and she crumples her coffee cup, but she does not let go of Rachel's small palm and her slender fingers. Rachel finishes her own half of the pastry and drains her cup of her drink, the sweetness and the slight bitterness of the tea waking up her nerve endings. It is only then does she realise that she is with Quinn Fabray, the girl who defined the four years of her high school.
"I'm glad you're here, Quinn." Rachel says, soft and tender, like honey dripping on her tongue.
Quinn smiles, nods, and says everything without uttering a syllable.
I'm not a barista or anything like that, so I don't really know ~anything about coffee orders and their specificity. I mostly just make my own coffee anyway. But I do love crullers? Inspired by the Tim Horton's menu. Gotta love Timmies.
And no, not just saying that ~because I'm Canadian.