Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or any of the characters. I'm strictly borrowing them in order to bring life to my own little world.
Spoilers: future fic so none really.
A/N: This was inspired by the song "Someone Like You" by Adele.
Someone Like You
/I heard that you're settled down
That you found a guy and you're married now
I heard that your dreams came true
Guess he gave you things I didn't give to you/
It's been all over the papers and magazines. The newest Broadway sensation has tied the knot recently and is happily settled into married life while I remain hidden in the darkness of a piano bar, playing and singing my heart out about someone who probably doesn't remember me anymore…
No. That isn't true…
/Old friend, why are you so shy
It ain't like you to hold back or hide from the light
I hate to turn up out of the blue uninvited
But I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight it
I had hoped you'd see my face
And that you'd be reminded that for me it isn't over/
I'd gone to watch one of her shows. The distance between the stage and my seat had allowed me the freedom to admire her without restraint. I'd taken in that beautiful voice that had only matured with the years, that breathtaking body that I used to hold in my arms and that too familiar dedication that she full heartedly poured into the role. She'd been amazing, just like I remembered, but even better.
But watching her from a distance hadn't been enough, so I'd decided to try my luck among the mass of fans that awaited the starlet to come out, each one hoping they'd get noticed and receive some sort of interaction with her. I'd known they didn't have to worry. Rachel Berry loved her fans and would always make time for them, which she proved when she walked out of the backdoor and instantly smiled at the cheering crowd before taking her time signing autographs and answering the questions she could make out.
Then our eyes met and she froze. The girl who'd always had something to say had gone quiet and all I could do was smile at her apologetically while she stared at me as if seeing a ghost.
/Never mind, I'll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you too
Don't forget me, I beg
I'll remember, you said
Sometimes it lasts in love,
But sometimes it hurts instead
Sometimes it lasts in love
But sometimes it hurts instead, yeah/
She'd walked away, but I hadn't expected anything else. She still remembered me and that was more than I could've asked for.
I still love her. Throughout all these years I was unable to let go, knowing that it was my fault alone that I'd lost her. I'd lost her to fear, to cowardice, only finding the strength to fight for her when it was too late.
She deserves better anyway, so as long as her husband shows her love, I can only wish them well.
/You know how the time flies
Only yesterday was the time of our lives
We were born and raised in a summer haze
Bound by the surprise of our glory days/
I can't help reminiscing about that summer we spent together. Our three months of total bliss before the hell that was High School tore us apart, picking at our differences and flaunting them to show how incompatible we truly were. They didn't accept us and expressed it so fiercely that we eventually started doubting ourselves. And we let them win. We let them break us, I let them break us.
I should've held on to us. I should've held on to the relaxing dinners, the romantic walks on the beach, the tender caresses and the loving kisses. I should've held on to her.
/I hate to turn up out of the blue uninvited
But I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight it
I had hoped you'd see my face
And that you'd be reminded that for me it isn't over yet
Never mind, I'll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you too
Don't forget me, I beg
I'll remember, you said
Sometimes it lasts in love
But sometimes it hurts instead/
She's here. How did she find me? Does she know I'm singing about her? She must know, but the look in her eyes is unreadable to me. I pray it's from the distance and low lighting rather than my inability to read those ever-expressive orbs of warm brown.
What is she doing here? She's just standing there, alone, staring at me like she's waiting for something. Is she mad at me for going to her show? This song is my apology then. I'll let you go, I try to express through my glazed hazel eyes, Just don't forget me.
/Nothing compares
No worries or cares
Regrets and mistakes, they're memories made
Who would have known how bittersweet this would taste/
I'll let her go one day. Though no one will compare to her, I'll find someone new. I'll find someone to take her place in my dreams, but I'll never regret or forget anything about our time together. Our memories will forever be cherished and relived with tender care.
Who knew I'd find the love of my life at seventeen?
/Never mind, I'll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you too
Don't forget me, I beg
I'll remember, you said
Sometimes it lasts in love
But sometimes it hurts instead
Sometimes it lasts in love
But sometimes it hurts instead
Yeah, yeah, yeah/
She's still here. The last note has faded into nothing and she hasn't left yet.
A smile pulls at my lips without my acknowledgement and I carefully make my way towards her. My hands are suddenly sweaty and I wipe them roughly on my jeans. She's here and she remembers me and it's going to hurt but my smile widens.
The air grows thicker the closer I get to her, but I push through it. I swore I'd never let fear rule over me again. It's nearly a decade too late and I have no right to wish for anything, but at the least I can show her that I've changed.
My breath catches as expected at finally standing face to face with her. The words I'd saved in the off chance that I'd get an opportunity such as this disappear and I'm left standing here, paralyzed and trembling with nothing. My heart quickens and slows in random patterns, threatening to knock me unconscious with its instability, but my eyes remain glued to hers and she hasn't looked away yet either.
"I'm not married," she whispers and my eyebrows furrow, sure that I've misheard, "I was never married," she explains, "We're very close friends and the media assumed it was for me when he purchased an engagement ring for his girlfriend."
"You're not married," I breathe out, feeling like I'm finally breaking through the surface of the ocean I'd been drowning in.
She nods and I swallow when a small smile graces her face. "My last relationship was over a year ago," she says, "A blonde with hazel eyes."
She tried replacing me? After everything I've put her through, she still wanted me? Does she want me now?
"Rachel," I whisper, unable to string together the words I've been longing to say to her.
"There's no one like you Quinn," she states and I feel the tears fall before her soft hands cup my cheeks and gentle thumbs brush them away.
This isn't possible, I think and I grab at her hands, desperately needing to confirm that they're really touching me, that she really is here.
Rachel pulls me to her and when I feel her warm body in my arms once again, fresh tears escape me at how lucky I am that even though love doesn't always last, this time it did.