Title: Feels So Good It Must Be Love (1/2)
Author: amaltheaz / pseudohuman
Pairing: Rachel/Quinn (Quinn/Finn and Quinn/Puck never happened. Our girls are just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl. Well, not really 'lost' but you know what I mean.)
Rating: 15
Length: 5916 words
Disclaimer: I don't own Glee, or anybody in Glee. And this is not used for profit.
Spoilers: AU
Author's Note: Okay, so I shouldn't actually be distracted by another story when I'm in the middle of one. But have you tried fighting a muse? It gets bloody and messy and really, it's just painful to watch and it leaves you asking those birds flying around your head, "Hey! You get the number on that bulldozer?". So yeah, I don't recommend refusing the muse. Ever. There are only two parts to this story and I'm pretty much done with the second part which I will post in a couple of days. And then no more. No more I tells you! 'Cause y'know, I need to get back to my other story, *sheepish smile*.
Author's Note #2: My mission is to overdose you with this story filled with fluffy cheese because I have been reading so much angst lately. Awesome angst but my heart needs to not shatter for awhile y'know? So I'm loading y'all into a rocket that will bring you to the moon. Because the moon is made of fluffy cheese. Tom and Jerry says so.
Feels So Good It Must Be Love
Part One
They were all in Glee and Quinn was talking to Brittany, discussing a new Cheerio routine that Coach Sylvester had them do the previous day when she first heard it. A distinctly feminine giggle. It was just so cute and catching that she couldn't stop herself from smiling. She raised her head, looking around the music room trying to find the source. They were all taking a breather from practicing and everybody was taking advantage of the downtime. She saw Tina and Artie sitting close together, whispering softly to each other. Mercedes and Kurt were also sitting together, no doubt discussing the latest fashion trends or dishing out the latest gossip to hit Hollywood. Matt and Mike were trying to teach Finn how to pop and lock, which was not going very well judging by the haggard, annoyed looks on the two boys' faces. When she couldn't find the culprit, she returned her attention to Brittany who was then talking about the day she and Santana went to the park, and how the brunette ended up being chased into the water by a flock of ducks.
When Quinn heard it again, her head snapped up quickly and this time she saw Rachel, sitting on top of the piano gazing what-could-only-be-called affectionately at Puck playing the guitar while playfully singing I Kissed A Girl, in a ridiculous high-pitched voice. She shook her head at the display, the playful words "get a room already" barely on the tip of her tongue as she pushed down a sick feeling in her stomach which then gave way to a fluttery feeling instead when she actually saw Rachel let out that very same giggle that caught her attention earlier. She couldn't be more surprised that even with knowing that it had actually been Rachel, it still made her smile.
She had only been in Glee club for two weeks then, joining only because it seemed like fun after Santana and Brittany told her about a song they were doing. She had turned down the idea of joining the club when it started out because she already had so much on her plate, what with cheer-leading and her AP classes. But she eventually joined anyway because she figured it might be a nice creative outlet for her, just as cheer-leading was a physical outlet for her.
She didn't expect to like Glee as much as she did. The kids in Glee were pretty cool, and so obviously talented. They weren't very close friends outside of Glee but when they got on stage to perform together, the chemistry they had as a group made it all such a magical experience for everyone. No matter how many times she had seen it and been in it, Quinn never got over being in awe of the sound of their voices, united in melodic harmony. She felt truly lucky to be in their gifted company.
"What's with the smile, Q?"
"No reason, Britt. Just remembering something funny I saw on TV last night."
Brittany smiled, then turned to Santana who had just plopped down on the chair next to her, leaving Quinn to gladly return her attention to the girl sitting atop the piano. She began to grin like an idiot when she witnessed Rachel's giggles escalating into a full body laugh, unable to comprehend how utterly adorable the tiny brunette was. It was easy to tell that even doing something like laughing, Rachel did it from the heart. Like there was just no other way to do it. Quinn could tell by the way she laughed with her eyes. She marveled at how those deep brown eyes shone so brightly with joy and mirth. The Cheerio embraced the feeling of her heart clutching at that beautiful sight, knowing fully well that the seeds of a crush on the tiny singer were currently being planted. That was the moment she knew that she wanted nothing more than to cause it to happen again, to be the reason that Rachel laughed so fully and so freely; that was the moment when Quinn first knew that Rachel had her complete attention.
Quinn knew that everybody considered her to be the one of the most popular girl in the school and she knew it baffled the majority of them that the Head Cheerio was single and didn't seem to exhibit an interest in any of the boys that McKinley had to offer. And because of that, there were a lot of rumors flying around that she may have an alternative romantic preference. It was true, but Quinn never really bothered to confirm or deny them as she didn't want to give them even more fodder for gossip about her, and really, they were doing fine on their own. She figured that once she met somebody she truly liked, then rumors be damned. And she had a growing feeling that she might have found that person in Rachel.
She had first noticed Rachel Berry, the resident Broadway diva, when the brunette gave a heart-rending performance of some song from a musical that Quinn didn't really care to know at the time. Her breath caught as Rachel sang out the first line, so effortlessly and so beautifully, that Quinn imagined her like a Siren and she was being brought under the singer's spell. But one glance around the room told her that she wasn't the only one who felt this way.
It was really, really hard not to pay attention to the brunette, considering she commanded everybody's attention from the first moment she sets foot into a room, despite her small stature. Her voice was soft and almost shy when she talked, soulful and truly confident when she sang. The two girls never had much of a chance to interact except in Glee when Rachel would let Quinn know, without reservation, on the progress of her singing. Brittany and Santana had warned her about this so the blonde never took much offense to Rachel's lack of tact (which pretty much always annoyed everybody that encountered that particular trait), and the longer she was in Glee, it was clear to Quinn that was just the way Rachel was: brash, bold and just, plainly honest. She respected Rachel's candor and really admired that quality in the girl.
Outside of Glee though, despite sharing a few AP classes together however, their social circles never overlapped so they never had a reason to seek each other out. Quinn knew that Rachel had transferred from some fancy private school in the beginning of their sophomore year. And what she learned from Puck (who seemed to have a soft spot for his fellow Jew) was that, despite her brazen personality in Glee that everybody found intimidating, outside of Glee Rachel tended to keep to herself, and was friendly and immeasurably nice to anybody who approached her. Unbeknownst to Rachel, she was very popular with some of the boys when it became obvious that she preferred to wear those ridiculously short skirts that somehow made her tanned legs seem impossibly long. And Quinn had heard about some people asking Rachel out on a date but were always politely turned down.
She decided that she would worry about that later on instead as the blonde's only real immediate dilemma was that they were barely friends, mutual acquaintances at best.
And that needed to change. Soon.
She was in the middle of watching Rachel, who was concentrating intensely on the music sheets that were laid out in front of her on top of the piano, when Quinn felt a slap on the back of her head and she reached her hand back to rub at that spot. "Q, restrain yourself. Jesus, you look like you're about ready to hump her leg," Santana warned in a low, harsh whisper.
"I do not!" she denied vehemently and quietly so that Rachel couldn't hear them.
Santana rolled her eyes as she sat down, scoffing at the blonde's weak denial. "Yeah yeah, and I'm the Pope. Look, everybody and their ancestor knows you have the hots for Rachel."
"How-?"
"Please, woman, did you not hear what I just said? People in space can see that you've gone nuts for Berry."
She sighed, defeated, resigned to knowing that she couldn't deny it anymore, not to Santana anyway. "That obvious?" She cringed at Santana's vigorously nodded confirmation. "What can I do? It's like I can't stop myself! I've tried!"
"Just ask her out." Santana shrugged, as if it was the simplest thing in the world. It probably was, but Quinn had an inner drama queen and she liked making things complicated for herself sometimes. "I can't do that. What if she says no?"
"Then at least she won't give you some spiel about how she wants to wash her hair or something. She'll just tell you to shove off."
"Thanks Santana, that really boosted my confidence," Quinn replied sarcastically, just as Brittany sat down next to Santana and joined their conversation.
"Why are we boosting Quinn's confidence?" the taller blonde asked.
"Rachel," Santana answered simply and Brittany nodded, raising her head to look at the girl in question who was then humming happily to herself, completely unaware of the conversation in which she was heavily featured.
"Yeah, you should really get on that, Quinn. I think everybody's starting to get a little uncomfortable."
Brittany's advice made Quinn's jaw drop in mild shock. "I don't look at her that much, do I?"
"Let's put it this way, if Rachel-watching was an actual paid profession, you'd be a millionaire by now."
Quinn lowered her head, hoping to hide the fiery blush that she felt rising to her cheeks. She really had tried to not look at Rachel. She tried to look at other girls to see if she felt anything, that maybe the Rachel thing was a fluke. She even tried to subtly flirt with them. And while she did feel some attraction to some girls and received some interested glances, and she could actually see herself being with them, Rachel Berry had to be like a freaking magnet or something because just when Quinn thought she had a grip on the whole damn thing, her attention would inevitably come back to Rachel, and the cycle just started all over again. So Quinn gave up. She stopped looking at other girls and stopped subtly flirting with them because honestly, it wasn't actually very fair on them anyway that in every interaction, unknowingly to them, she was comparing them to Rachel.
But she had kept to her resolution of bettering her relationship with the diva, approaching her in the hall to talk or to even just say 'hello'. It seemed to surprise Rachel at first, but she accepted it quickly and always had a heart-breakingly beautiful smile for Quinn. That became the blonde's new favorite thing, to see Rachel smile in her direction. It always brightened her day, and on some days she even found herself skipping happily just because of that beautiful grin that was directed at her. She didn't want to over-think it but she thought that maybe there was always a hint of something more behind Rachel's effortless grin and happy eyes, that maybe Rachel might feel something for her too. She knew her crush on Rachel was growing into something more, something that went beyond mere infatuation. It thrilled her to no end, to feel something as strong as this for the very first time that she could barely contain herself. And it never stopped to amuse her that this crush began all because she heard Rachel laugh over a month ago.
"You don't think she knows, do you?" she quietly asked her two best friends, hoping for reassurance.
"If it has nothing with songs, Broadway or solos, she's not going to know. So no, she definitely does not know."
"Do I even have a chance at all?"
"I don't think she's really the type to go 'Oh no, you're a girl, argh!'. Might go against the whole 'I have two gay dads' thing," Brittany comforted her.
Quinn knew about Rachel's two gay dads as Rachel seemed to love advertising that very fact frequently. Almost like she was testing people to gauge their reactions towards her living situation. It didn't bother the blonde, because duh, it'd be seriously messed up to have a crush on another girl and then have some problem with her two gay dads. Quinn had only seen one of Rachel's dads dropping her off in front of the school every morning though.
Santana leaned in. "If you want, I could just threaten to knock her out unless she goes on a date with you."
Rachel chose that moment to sing quietly to herself, and Quinn returned her admiring gaze to the tiny brunette. She felt the very fierce thudding of her heart, hard against her rib-cage, and she was hyper-aware of how very alert her senses were whenever Rachel opened her mouth to sing. Quinn was utterly captivated and couldn't stray her eyes away from the brunette for even a second.
While still looking at the crooning singer, she whispered sarcastically to Santana, "While that may just be the sweetest offer ever, I'm going to go with a no on that, San. Not exactly the best way to a girl's heart by getting your best friend to beat her up."
"Thanks anyway S," she added gratefully.
Santana shrugged. "Whatever you need, Q."
When she saw Rachel walking towards her locker, Quinn pushed herself off from her own locker, heading towards to the small brunette. "Hi Rach."
Rachel jumped, startled by Quinn's appearance but still smiled happily at the blonde. "Oh hi Quinn. How's your day going?"
Quinn shrugged. "It's going alright. And you?"
"Not too bad. I'm looking forward to finding out what songs Mr. Schue has planned for us tomorrow. I hope there's no disco like last week though. While I admit that music is one of the many things I'm very passionate about, I don't think I pulled off the bright bell-bottoms look very well." Rachel's eyebrows knitted together as she pouted, recalling the hideous fluorescent clothing that their Glee club mentor made them wear the week before. Quinn sighed internally, wishing Rachel would just stop being so freaking cute already.
"I think you looked really good," Quinn reassured the girl, her voice suddenly low and thick from arousal as she too, was remembering that day. She thought of the way the tight bell-bottoms clung to the brunette's shapely behind and that wasn't an image she was very likely to forget anytime soon. She cleared her throat and shook her head to get rid of the very distracting image away from her mind, focusing her attention back on the brunette.
Rachel blushed, smiling gratefully. "Thank you, Quinn. That's really nice of you to say."
"You looked really pretty too," she added before turning to her open locker to take out a couple of books that she needed for her next class.
As she watched Rachel perusing through her locker for her books, the blonde could literally hear the uproar of ecstatic cheers in her mind that at the very least, Rachel noticed her too. "Thanks," she replied graciously.
When Rachel closed her locker door shut to lean back against it, Quinn felt her heart skipped a beat at the very sight of the smaller brunette that she was quickly falling for, peering up at her through long eyelashes. It was one of the times that Quinn was sure that Rachel had to have known about Quinn's crush and was joyfully subjecting her to this oh-so-very sweet torture. She swallowed a nervous lump in her throat. "So uh... What class do you have next?"
"French."
"I've got a free period. I'll walk you."
"You don't have to do that, Quinn. I'm perfectly capable of walking on my own. I have after all, been doing it since I was nine months old," she said jokingly.
Quinn shrugged. "I know, but, I still want to anyway, y'know, just to keep you company. If that's y'know, okay with you," she offered quietly.
She couldn't really think of anything else to say as Rachel observed her, as if she was trying to understand Quinn's motivations. But the thoughtful look cleared away, and Rachel smiled which made Quinn mentally sigh in relief. "Okay, sure. I'd really like that."
The blonde extended her arm, gesturing for Rachel to lead the way. As they walked towards Rachel's classroom, they talked about Glee and laughed about the other day when Finn missed a step and ended up falling onto Puck and how both boys scrambled quickly to get away from each other. When the two girls finally reached their destination, they stopped at the door and turned to each other to say goodbye. Quinn found herself staring into intense chocolate brown eyes that were unconsciously drawing her in that it was too late to stop herself from leaning down and planting a lingering peck on Rachel's cheek. Quinn's lips felt the soft heat before she saw the slight pink tinge on Rachel's face when she pulled away. She bit down on her lip, embarrassed by her impulsive action, knowing that it was going to fuel the rumors about her sexuality to run wild as she, Quinn Fabray the Head Cheerio had just kissed Rachel Berry (on the cheek, but wow) in full view of a classroom filled with students. But she found she didn't care about that, especially when Rachel just gave her a shy smile and walked into her class after softly saying, "Bye Quinn."
The blonde watched the girl walk into her class, her heart thumping faster than any other time that she could recall. She wanted nothing more than to feel her lips with the soft pads of her fingers and wondered if the tingling sensation would ever fade.
"So Rachel."
"So Quinn," the brunette repeated, her brown eyes shining with mirth.
It was the weekend and the two girls were sitting in a booth at a diner in town. Earlier, Brittany and Santana had suggested for Quinn to call Rachel and ask her if she wanted to hang out with them. The smaller brunette accepted, and it was decided that Quinn would pick her up. They had only just sat down when Quinn received a text from Santana, letting her know that they were "preoccupied". The blonde's blushes were evident when she had to explain to Rachel that it was just going to be the two of them. But Rachel didn't seem to mind, just nodded and asked Quinn what she was going to order.
"Are you seeing anybody?" she asked, trying to subtly watch Rachel daintily chew on her fries.
The brunette looked up from her plate, tilted her head, regarding the blonde with a thoughtful look. Quinn blushed when Rachel raised a teasing eyebrow at her. "That's kind of a personal question, don't you think?"
"Well, I figured since we're getting to know each other, might as well just, dive right into the good stuff, y'know?"
"You're right," Rachel agreed. "No, I'm not seeing anybody. Are you?"
The blonde shook her head, felt her face heating up at Rachel's curious gaze. "No."
"How come? You're one of the most popular girls in school. There is a long line of people waiting to take you out."
She shrugged. "I'm not really interested in any of them, I guess. I just..."
"Haven't found the right one?" Rachel guessed.
"Well no. I'd like to think that I have. Found the right one, I mean. I'm just stuck on what the next step is."
"Who's the guy?" Rachel asked. "Or is it a girl?" she added teasingly.
There was a momentary lull before the blonde answered quietly, "Well uh, she is most definitely a girl."
Rachel's eyes widened at the confession. Quinn knew that she could have easily lied to Rachel, but considering the fact that she actually wanted to date the girl in the near future, lying wouldn't have been the best way to go about it. To her credit, Rachel recovered quickly. "Oh, I've heard the gossip around school but I didn't think there was any truth to them. Does anybody else know?"
She shook her head. "No. Well, apart from Brittany and Santana, you're the only one." She rubbed her sweaty palms on her jeans, then brought her hands up on the table, nervously playing with her fingers. She nearly let out a gasp when she felt Rachel's warm hand over her own. Quinn could feel her heart starting up again when the brunette began rubbing her thumb over the back of her hand. "I'm really honored that you would trust me with this, Quinn. Thank you," Rachel solemnly replied, her voice soft, tinged with awe.
"You're welcome." Quinn licked her suddenly dry lips. "Um, you're... Not... Are you?"
The brunette pulled her hand away and sat back, leaning against the cushion of the booth. It looked like she wasn't surprised by the question, like she was expecting that very question considering the conversation they were having. Quinn missed the feel of Rachel's skin on hers as she watched Rachel's brown eyes cloud over to an almost dark chocolate colour and she wanted to know just what was going through Rachel's mind at that very moment.
Rachel leaned forward. "I don't actually know if I am or not. It's not actually a decision I plan to make. So far, I have only ever liked guys." The blonde felt her heart crush in defeat, and lowered her eyes to the table-top. "But," she added making Quinn look back up into twinkling brown eyes, "if I happen to fall in love with a girl, or if a girl ever asked me out, and I think I could love her, I wouldn't say no."
Quinn would think back to this moment and she would remember how everything inside her fluttered with joy at the thought that she actually could have a chance with the brunette.
"Really?"
The brunette smiled and nodded. "Of course. My parents taught me to always be open to love." Quinn watched an adoring smile appear on Rachel's face as she started to talk about her dads. She had the sense that Rachel loved her parents completely. Quinn had heard about Rachel staunchly defending her parents to the other kids in school when derogatory remarks were made about them. She wasn't like most who were embarrassed by their parents. She was actually proud of them. Rachel then revealed to her how supportive her parents are regarding her dreams about going on Broadway. They made sure that Rachel was completely prepared. They even go on a yearly trip to New York just so Rachel could get used to the way it was there.
Since they had made a promise to quit drinking, it seemed like Quinn's parents' only focus was only on her. Her older sister was already married and was raising a family. While she was glad to have her parents be more aware of her, she didn't know what they were going to think about the idea of her liking girls, let alone the fact that there was one specific girl that she really, really liked. They were devout Christians and while Quinn considered herself to love God just as much, she was pretty sure that God wouldn't deny her chance at love, even if was with another girl. She just didn't know what her parents would think, and that bothered her. But really, not so much that it stopped her from pursuing Rachel.
"Your parents sound great," she commented.
Rachel nodded. "They are. I should introduce you to them some time. I would love for you to meet them."
"You would?" she replied, unable to hide the happy surprise in her voice.
"Of course. Don't think I haven't noticed what you have been trying to do this past month or so." Rachel smiled knowingly.
"Yo- You have?" she stuttered as her heart's pace began to quicken.
"Of course. I don't have many friends," Rachel admitted, "I think I can safely say that any friends I do have are in Glee itself. But, I have never had anybody try so hard to be my friend."
Quinn let out an inaudible sigh of relief, realizing what Rachel meant. Though she felt a tug in her heart, angry on Rachel's behalf that nobody was brave enough to make an effort to befriend the girl, and she felt sorry for them because they were truly missing out on an amazing friend in Rachel. "Oh yeah, right, I just thought y'know, we got along well enough in Glee, so I thought that we could be really good friends outside of it," she reasoned.
"I'd like to think that we definitely are," the brunette assured.
They share a quiet smile when suddenly the brunette looked down at her hands on her lap, her eyebrows knitted together in a small frown, looking almost upset. Quinn's heart plummeted, not knowing why the girl looked so sad. And she hated seeing it. But before she could ask what was wrong, Rachel shook her head and looked back up at Quinn with a smile as if she wasn't upset at all. "So tell me about this girl you like. Is she pretty?" Rachel asked.
Quinn pushed aside her worry because she didn't want to pry, in case Rachel didn't want to talk about it. She paused for a moment to glance at Rachel who was wearing that very blinding, beautiful smile across her lips, the one that always made Quinn's heart palpitate wildly at an almost break-necking speed and she couldn't help but smile a serene, contented smile back in return. "She's one of the most beautiful girls I've ever seen," Quinn answered breathlessly while staring into the brunette's pretty brown eyes.
"Is she smart?"
The blonde quirked an eyebrow at the odd question but nodded. "Definitely, she's an AP student and she has crazy ambitions."
Rachel chuckled, seeing Quinn roll her eyes. "Hey! It's good to have goals. Is she a good person?"
Quinn made another perceptible nod, grinning happily. "I'd like to think that she's one of the best people I'll ever meet in my life."
The brunette then paused, as if to think about her next question. "Does she make your heart sing?" Rachel asked softly.
She focused on Rachel's question, thinking about the ways that Rachel made her feel. She thought about the way she laughed and how it never failed to make Quinn smile. Then there was the way that Rachel smiled a certain way when she thought nobody was watching. Quinn noticed how Rachel just shone from the inside, like she couldn't help but just be happy. And let's not forget about when Rachel sang. Quinn was pretty sure that she experienced a religious experience every time Rachel opened her mouth to sing. Her voice pierced through Quinn's entire being and she never felt as connected to another being as she did with Rachel.
Did Rachel make her heart sing? "Like you wouldn't believe," she replied, hoping that Rachel couldn't hear the longing in her voice.
"Sounds like a great catch," the brunette said in a whisper, a catch in her breath. Rachel cleared her throat and shook her head. "So why haven't you asked her out yet?"
"I'm scared she'll say no."
"If this girl is as smart as you say, she won't say no to you."
"Thank you." Quinn smiled gratefully, hoping that the brunette was right.
Rachel smiled as she shrugged. "I only speak the truth."
Quinn was on her way to Glee when she found Rachel already there, predictably early. The brunette was unaware of her presence so she took the opportunity to watch as Rachel trailed her fingers across the piano keys, humming a melody that Quinn couldn't really hear from where she stood. There was a dreamy expression on Rachel's face, and Quinn knew that the tiny Diva was lost in her thoughts. Rachel was wearing a short-sleeved blue shirt and her standard short-as-sin skirt. Quinn sighed lustfully at the sight of long, tanned legs stretched out from under the black skirt, quickly losing herself in her own thoughts of having those very legs wrapped around her waist. She felt that familiar heat bubbling in the pit of her stomach, and she shook her head to clear the distracting images from her head because at that moment, Quinn was a girl on a mission.
It had been a few days since that day at the diner and Quinn decided that it was time to take the next step with the brunette.
"Hi Rachel."
The brunette spun around quickly, her beautiful smile on display when she saw Quinn standing at the doorway. "Oh Quinn, hi! You're early for Glee today."
Quinn took a quick glance behind her, making sure that nobody was headed to the music room just yet. "Yeah, I uh, I kind of have something to ask you. And I'm nervous about it, so don't laugh okay?"
Rachel raised a curious eyebrow at the blonde's request. "Okay. I promise not to laugh. Good?"
Quinn nodded. "Yeah, totally. So um, I just wanted to-"
"Hey Rach, Quinn."
There were many moments in her life when she wanted to smack Finn whenever he said something really stupid or when he was being stupid. This moment qualified as one of those moments. But again, like those other times, Finn's sweet, goofy smile saved him from getting the smack-down from Quinn. She couldn't really blame the big guy for interrupting a moment that he didn't know was about to happen. But still, her shoulders slumped at the missed opportunity.
"Hey Finn," both girls greeted back where Rachel's reply was much more enthusiastic than Quinn's.
Annoyed, Quinn started to leave the room, wanting to get some air. She stopped when Rachel called out her name, took in a deep breath and turned to face the brunette.
"Where are you going?" Rachel asked, concern clearly showing in her eyes.
Quinn points to the exit with her thumb. "I'm just going to the bathroom. I need to... Wash my face."
The brunette nodded slowly. "Okay, um, maybe we can talk after Glee instead then?" she asked, worry in her tone.
"Sure," she replied with a reassuring smile that the brunette returned. God, Rachel had Quinn wrapped around her finger and she didn't even know it. With a dip of her head, she walked out of the music room, darkly enjoying vengeful images of Finn tripping over his big clown feet and breaking his nose.
Quinn was leaning against Rachel's locker, waiting for the brunette to appear. She felt a twist her stomach, nervous about asking Rachel out. After she calmed down, she came back to the music room to find that everybody else were already seated and waiting for her. She had the fortune to sit right next to Rachel, and somewhat a misfortune too as the close proximity of the brunette just made her anxiety rise as every minute passed by. Every smile, every glance, every movement; it all made Quinn tremble all over. She didn't know how it had come to this. That Rachel Berry, the small diva, midget of a girl had reduced her, Quinn Fabray, Head Cheerio, the most popular girl in the school to nothing but a nervous wreck. It shouldn't be happening to her. Rachel Berry should be the one chasing her, but there she was, waiting for her opportunity to ask Rachel Berry out on a date, where there would be moments shared that they would recount together in the future as cherished memories. Because there was something about Rachel that made her want to chase, to pursue. The amazing way that Rachel laughed with her eyes, the beautiful way that the brunette just so very easily took her breath away without even trying; and the way that Quinn just couldn't keep her damn eyes away from her. Quinn couldn't get enough of Rachel, and she just wanted more.
She didn't even know if Rachel would be interested, didn't even know if Rachel would even say yes. But Quinn knew that she had to take that chance because she didn't want to go on, never knowing what could be.
"Hey, have you been waiting for me?"
The Head Cheerio looked up from the floor to see Rachel standing in front of her, one slender hand resting on her hip, and another holding onto the strap of her backpack. Quinn moved aside to allow Rachel to get her things from her locker.
"Yeah, I, y'know-" Quinn started to say, scratching the back of her neck as a nervous gesture.
"There was something you wanted to ask me?"
Quinn wondered if it was possible for somebody's heart to sky-rocket out of their body. Her throat was dry and she could feel her nerves getting the best of her, making her stutter, "Yeah, I, well I... Y'know what? It doesn't really matter." She shook her head, scolding herself for not following through with the plan. She turned to walk away.
In the middle of berating herself, she felt a warm hand envelop her arm and she looked to see Rachel's hand moving down to grip her wrist, gently squeezing it in reassurance. She met Rachel's brown gaze. "No, please. Whatever it is, you can ask," Rachel lightly begged. "My promise to not laugh is still valid," she added jokingly.
So Quinn had a choice. She could either come up with some lame question, pretending that it was in fact what she had wanted to ask Rachel and then subject herself to even more days of not knowing what it'd be like to be with Rachel, to hold her and to kiss her. Not knowing whether Rachel could love her as more than just a friend, forever stuck in the friend-zone. And god, Quinn definitely did not want to get stuck there when seriously, her own thoughts haven't even been in the friend-zone since this whole thing with Rachel began.
She wanted to take Rachel out on a date and freaking treat her like the queen she is and by golly, she was going to freaking do it!
"I- I was wondering if you would be willing to uh, go on a date with me?"
Even if she had to stutter a little bit to do it. But whatever. At least she did it.
A few silent minutes passed so Quinn took a chance and glanced up at the brunette and a wave of insecurity passed through the cheerleader seeing Rachel's eyebrows knitting together into a confused frown.
- END OF PART ONE -