This is not beta'd so all mistakes are mine. Glee and its characters do not belong to me, etc. If that were the case, Quinn and Rachel would be togetheralready.
Maybe it wasn't the right timing, maybe they weren't even supposed to meet, to be kind of friends, to waltz into each other's lives and intertwine their stories the way they did.
Maybe the universe liked to play tricks on them.
Maybe it was just Rachel's bad (or good?) luck, having her boyfriend break up with her because he wanted her to chase her dreams. An unfortunate series of events that brought Quinn Fabray to Rachel Berry's life; Quinn to be the only one she could trust to while she was in New York. And given their rocky past, none of them would have it any other way. It seemed logical, after all, that they were finally getting it right.
And maybe it was the way Quinn pretended to be interested in musicals, and Broadway, and Rachel's roommate. Or the way Rachel would let Quinn pick most of the movies when she was in the city, just so she would get to spend some time with her and make her happy. And the way their bodies fit perfectly when they accidentally fall asleep, cuddled up against the other.
Just a series of events.
.
They took their sweet, sweet time; as if four years of high school wasn't enough.
The moment Quinn figured it out, she laughed. She tucked a lock of brown hair behind Rachel's ear —a very sleeping Rachel— and laughed again, hoping the smaller girl wouldn't wake up. All of that pent up tension between them was nothing more than what people call a crush. Except it was not a crush, it was so much more than that. It was love, and lost, and dread, and frustration, and inexplicable feelings Quinn was just getting used to now. She didn't want to think about it, but she wanted that to be all that's in her mind. She didn't want to talk about it, but she wanted to write poems and prose with those new found feelings. She didn't want promises of a future, or forever, or anything; but she did want to take Rachel out on a date and kiss her goodnight at the same time it started drizzling. She didn't want a house or a dog, but she wanted to hold hands in public places to let the whole world know that Rachel was hers.
So she laughed at the realization.
However, when it hit Rachel, she had the opposite reaction and cried. She was not expecting it, at all. It should have been obvious all along, those kinds of things don't usually go unnoticed by her, but she honestly didn't see it coming. That weird admiration she had for Quinn, that fixation on wanting to be her and wanting to be her friend, was nothing but disguised feelings. Romantic feelings. And god, how could she had been so stupid? She cried, and cried some more, because she felt as if her life had been a lie. She was in love with Finn, not Quinn. It made sense, but it made no sense at all, and Rachel was left with a head spinning around with thoughts of the blonde and her together, and she cried harder as she hugged a pillow closer to her chest and buried her head on it. Everything was just so confusing and a mess.
Laughing and crying. Always two opposites but so right for each other.
.
It was only four months later, that the girls found themselves in a fancy restaurant in the city, and Quinn was offering to pay for the both of them. It was not a date; neither Quinn asked Rachel or the other way round. But…did someone really need to ask? They had been acting flirty for the past two weeks, and even though at first it was kind of weird and awkward —because no matter how much they both liked each other but couldn't say a word, it was just plain strange going from friends to…that— they managed to make it work somehow.
This was a big step for Quinn, to finally learn to love herself and to accept herself for who she was, so that she could at least have something to offer to Rachel, if the opportunity presented itself. And oh, wasn't that night so young and full of opportunities, and chances? And it's New York City, anything could happen!
So they left the restaurant, and Quinn braved herself and took Rachel delicate hand in her own, and Rachel flashed the brightest of smiles – and she honestly thought she could start crying right there. It wasn't something they haven't done before; holding hands was almost in their nature. Maybe it was just the way Quinn's eyes dropped to their joined hands, maybe it was just the way her features softened and a small smile graced her face. Maybe it was the way Rachel's eyes followed every step Quinn took, the way she bit her lip and giggled nervously, and the way she shook her head at herself, like she was trying not to say something.
Maybe the night was just magical.
.
Coffee, and stars, and Broadway, and Central Park, and a perfect snowflake landing on Rachel's hair. The perfect winter night. Magical indeed, and Quinn laughed. Again. Maybe that was her natural reaction to happiness, to know that she found something worth fighting for, another motivation to get up in the mornings, and a sweet thought that put her to sleep – a voice that sings lullabies until she can't keep her eyes open anymore.
So she laughed.
Rachel squeezed Quinn's hand, trying to get the other girl's attention back. There was absolutely no difference between that night and others, where they would go out to eat only to finish the night watching musicals or Disney movies in Rachel's dorm. Though maybe it was the way sparkly eyes were fixed on Rachel; or maybe it was the way tan fingers intertwined with pale ones; or maybe the way Quinn took a step forward, closing the small gap between them…maybe that was what made that night different. The fact that they just knew.
The corner of Rachel's lips pulled up into a soft smile as she placed her free arm over Quinn's shoulder. There was no point in delaying it anymore; the moment was as perfect as they could make it. A romantic dinner, followed by a stroll by Times Squares and around Central Park. Quinn didn't plan it, and neither did Rachel, but maybe it was just fate; destiny bringing them back to their destination: each other's arms.
It was something they will both remember forever. Hands, brushes, and silly feather light kisses. Perfection and innocence.
Rachel's hand curled around the side of Quinn's neck and traced slow patterns on her skin, and she couldn't help the smile at the feeling of Quinn slightly shivering at her touch. She took her time to savor the moment, to memorize every single detail of Quinn's face that was quickly growing impatient.
"Rachel…" the blonde whispered, but was soon cut off by lips quickly attaching to hers. Rachel was raised up on her toes, and Quinn's hands were around Rachel's waist, keeping her in place, scared that if she let go the brunette would disappear.
Forget about fireworks, or butterflies in the stomach, and all those clichéd things people use to describe love. Fireworks turned into a battle field, and butterflies turned into bats.
Quinn was weak at the knee as she pulled lightly to Rachel's bottom lip. Her body felt so light, as if she could fly, or simply disappear. And it was the most amazing thing she's ever experienced in her whole life. She felt complete.
Hands holding, thumbs lightly touching, lips softly connected.
Rachel's extensive vocabulary completely vanished. Who needed words anyway, when one could simply just…feel? And oh she felt.
But all good things always come to an end and with a last quick peck to Quinn's lips, Rachel pulled away slowly, never letting go of the blonde's hand. Rachel dared to say it's been a perfect first kiss, but instead she simply smiled and squeezed Quinn's hand again, pulling her to her side as they started walking again.
There was really no need for words, and for once, Rachel was completely okay with being in silence. In fact, it was a breather – a chance to relieve what happened seconds ago over and over.
"I knew you'd be the first to break," Quinn commented, giggling quietly as she let go of Rachel's hand to link their arms together. She felt closer to her that way.
Rachel only raised an eyebrow, curious and challenging. "What made you so sure?"
It seemed so normal that after having a moment that changed their lives forever, they would simply come back to their usual routine and banter.
"I would have probably never said anything," Quinn sighed, not looking at Rachel. "So I'm glad you did."
Rachel squeezed her arm, trying to reassure her that it was okay and that she understood – because she did. But she didn't say anything yet.
It was Quinn the one to break the silence again. "The fact that you can't pretty much take your eyes off of me was a clue, too. It was bound to happen sooner or later." The confidence in her voice resembled to the tone she used back when she was a cheerleader, but it didn't hold malice in it.
Of course, Rachel took that as a challenge, so she laughed and shook her head, because sometimes Quinn Fabray makes things too easy. "I can assure you that I can and will take my eyes off of you, if I want to. Just try me." She said, clearing her throat. "We'll watch movies, and I won't even bat an eyelash at you."
It seemed too soon for Quinn to have a first and a second kiss in a place so publicly, so she bit her tongue not to say anything inappropriate or embarrassing, and instead she just giggled and nodded. "We'll see."
It was a magical night where anything could happen. And a night that was not near to be over yet.
.
Quinn Fabray and Rachel Berry. Who would have thought, huh?
Maybe it was fate.