Tina was a shy person. But she had no problems being best friends with guys.
Her very first best friend was Artie. Things got tense when Tina broke up with him just to be with Mike, but they both couldn't deny that they were still best friends, just like how they started. After all, he was the only one she got when all of her friends graduated, and vice versa.
Finn was the one who brought back Glee Club, and she really appreciated him for that. Since he told her that they would figure something out for her, she talked to the quarterback much more than she ever even dared to imagine before. She was happier when she found out that Finn would stay in Lima after being kicked out from the army. Even when she wasn't too happy when Finn tried to helped Mr. Schue over the Glee club anyway. Finn got it, she was mad at him because she was feeling lonely. So one night he brought her pizza and a stack of movies, hoping she would forgive him for whatever he did wrong.
And then there was Matt. They became really close as soon as Mr. Schue grouped them up along with Rachel and Puck for their first Glee dance rehearsal. Matt always adored Tina's Goth look along with her personality, and she always loved Matt the most. There was no doubt that she was the one who cried the loudest when they heard Matt would move out from town. He hadn't even transferred yet that time.
Mike was there for her when Matt moved. He tried to cheer her up by taking her to Asian camp. That's when they kissed and started a relationship. Mike felt really bad to Artie, but she assured him that Artie would understand. Mike was there for her ups and downs. He was a big brother for her. That's why when they broke up after his graduation, they kept their promises to keep an eye to each other.
Well, Puck was Puck. He didn't recognize her that much until he saw her clapping hands for his number Sweet Caroline. She had the most genuine smile among all of his fellows, even compared to Rachel. Since then he decided to claim Tina Cohen-Chang as his new best friend, even when Tina said they were just team mates. She even accused him for publishing the Glist. That wasn't until he helped her planning the revenge to Figgins when she got banned wearing her Goth costume in Gaga week. Little did she knew, Puck tried to hide his smile when she thanked him and kissed him on the cheek after the revenge. He failed.
She loved her best friends, she always does. She was also best friends with some girls, but they barely kept in touch since their graduation. So when Sam broke her heart and cheated on her with Brittany, she felt like she couldn't call the girls. Rachel and Santana, along with Kurt if you counted him as one of Tina's girl friends, would have no time with their NYADA classes, Mercedes was busy recording her new album, and she knew that Quinn was doing nothing but study in Yale. And the newbie wasn't helping either. So when she found out the news, she just ran along the hallway to her car, planning to cry by herself over the night.
But everything with her wasn't gonna go well like she planned. As always. She ended up crying at the parking lot, inside her car, hoping someone - anyone - would come and tell her that everything was gonna be okay. It took her about half an hour crying and sobbing to realize that no one would come for her. So she started her car's engine and drove home, not bothering to wipe her tears away.
She would love to have someone accompanied her at times like this, and her tears broke down again when she saw a guy sitting on a wheelchair in front of her house. Of course Artie heard the news already. She practically ran her feet to him after parking her car in her driveway. She jumped to his lap and hugged him tightly, while he patted her back telling it was okay.
"I thought you dried your eyes after crying for an hour," he smirked when she started to breath normally. She smacked him on the chest.
"It wasn't that long! And how did you know that?"
"Well I might or might not be in the hallway when you ran away," he said.
She chuckled and gave him a watery smile. Then she got up to open the door, welcoming her guest to her parents' house. She excused herself saying she would wash her face and changed her clothes.
"So what will you do now?" She asked him while taking steps on the stairs.
He laughed, "Girl, I'm nothing but my chair! What did you expect me to do?"
"I don't know. A blonde just cheated on me with another blonde, you should do something to cheer me up," she smiled weakly. He raised one eyebrow.
"Did you mean I have to get you an Asian guy so it's even or something? Because I can totally call Mike right now."
"No no no! Well, not that I don't want Mike to be here, but that's not necessary. Just ... don't. How about you sing something for me?" She sat on the couch next to him as he grinned, "That was the plan!"
He rolled so he faced her, cleared his throat, and began to sing. She suddenly smiled knowing the song.
Where it began, I can't begin to knowing
But then I know it's growing strong
Tina frowned but quickly her eyes widened as she heard someone was actually playing guitar and singing back up for Artie from outside the door.
Was in the spring, and spring became the summer
Who'd believe you'd come along
She ran to open the front door and squealed when she saw Puck. She wanted to hug him but he glared at her playfully, mentally telling her that he was playing his guitar and she couldn't just jump into him. He took a verse as Artie stopped singing.
Hands, touching hands, reaching out
Touching me, touching you
Her jaw dropped when she saw Finn appeared from the right side of the door.
Oh, sweet Caroline
Good times never seem so good
She was in Finn's embrace when Matt came from behind the bush bringing a stereo and sang his verse to her.
I've been inclined to believe it never would
She thought she couldn't be more surprised as they watched Mike dancing from his place behind his car, which Tina didn't realize it was there before. The boys grinned at Mike's dance, but Tina ran across the yard to jump into Mike's hug. He laughed with her and continued the song.
Oh, sweet Caroline
Good times never seem so good
Mike brought her back to the house and they all chorused the very last bar of the song.
I've been inclined to believe it never would oooh oh no no..
She clapped happily make them grinned. Not Puck, though. He smiled because she clapped as genuine as she did when he did the song in Glee. He took off his guitar and said, "Come on, Cee-Cee! Where's my hug?"
She laughed and hugged him tightly until she heard him whispering I-miss-you in her ear. He knew how to make her smile, she thought. And she whispered back telling him how she missed him more, hoping all of her other friends didn't hear it.
"So, may I know now what bring you guys here?" She asked them after Puck let her go.
"It's movie night!" Finn yelled as he got some DVDs from his bag. There were the same movies he brought when he apologized to her.
"I bring you salad, no chicken feet in it," Mike grinned at her.
"And pizza, and cheeseburgers, and fries, and hot dogs, and popcorn, and chocolate, and tacos, and chips, and some other foods I bought from the store along with sodas, beer - not for you or Artie though, and pretty much whatever you want, Tee," she laughed when Matt mentioned many junk food for their movie night, remembering how much Matt ate the whole time. She turned up to Puck, expecting he brought something too like the others. He just shrugged, "Hey! I played my guitar for you! Beside I gave the best hug among all of us!"
Tina just laughed and grabbed his hand so they could sit on the couch. The boys followed and set themselves around them. Matt ended up sitting next to her left, Finn was on the carpet in front of Matt, while Mike put himself on a single couch right next to a spot where Artie parked his wheelchairs. Everything was perfect for a movie night. Finn set Fast and Furious in her DVD player and Matt started to eat alone, which made Mike smacked him from across the table and grabbed some food from Matt's bag. She smiled and leaned to Matt's shoulder, her right hand unconsciously moved over Puck's under the blanket that Mike got from the guest room. His eyes didn't move from the screen, but his fingers did intertwining Tina's.
It took half an hour to make Mike and Artie bored and they jogged - well, Artie wheeled - to the room where Tina kept her computer. At that point, Matt was already in his sleep. It took 15 minutes after that when Matt got up and mumbled about sleeping on a bed, heading himself to the guest room. And it was 5 minutes after Matt left when Rachel called Finn, made him disappeared to the kitchen.
Tina thought Puck was sleeping when she felt him letting go their intertwined fingers and scooted her closer. He kissed her temple, "You okay?"
"Yeah, thanks to you," she whispered as she snuggled closer to him. He frowned, "Are you sure?"
She looked up to his eyes and smiled, "Of course I'm sure, Noah. Thank you so much for coming, I really needed you here. It was a mess without you."
He hugged her tighter. She mumbled that she couldn't breathe but he just chuckled, "I love you, Cee."
"Not again, Noah," she pouted. They had done this before, Noah confessed his love to her after she broke up with Mike but she refused to ruin their friendship.
"I really do, and to prove that ..." he was cut by Tina. "I know you do, and I will love you back as much as you do for me if you clear your mind about beating up Sam."
He sighed, "Fine."
"Really?"
"You sounded like you didn't trust me," he glared at her as she giggled.
She pecked his cheek and got up, "Let's have dinner, Matt brought too much food and we should finish them all."
They went to the kitchen finding Finn still in a line with Rachel. As he saw them coming, she motioned Tina to get closer and he gave his phone over her.
"Finn, can you please call the others while Puck set the table and I talk to Rachel?" She asked which Finn nodded, but Puck looked at her in disbelief. She just shrugged. He shook his head and chuckled before taking plates.
"Hey, Rach," Tina made sure her voice was tolerable after all the crying.
"Tina Cohen-Chang! You tell me why you did not call me! I could've flew there with Kurt and Santana immediately! And why you didn't pick up your phone!" Rachel began to rant. Oh, how Tina missed that.
"I guess I just didn't want to bother you. You have classes, like all the time."
"But it's spring break!"
"Ah, that explained why Mike's here. But seriously Rach, I'm fine now. I'm sorry I didn't call you soon," she apologized.
She heard Rachel sighed, "Fine."
Tina wondered how Rachel sounded like Puck. Jews, she thought.
"Well! Enjoy your night with the boys today. Thanks to Artie who told everything to Santana, we managed to get 3 tickets for the earliest flight tomorrow. So you better prepare for girls night. But Mercedes couldn't come. Oh, and Quinn's already on her way home."
Tina sighed, "Rachel, you know that you don't have to do that, right?"
"I'll see you tomorrow, Tina. Be strong!" Tina just chuckled to Rachel's antic.
The boys came in right after that and she started to set the food. They ate and talked a lot that night. Tina was happy that she was surrounded with her best friends, even better when most of their girls would actually come for her. She didn't realize that her left hand clasped with Puck's under the table until they all stood to clean the table. Everyone but him had to go home, so they hugged her and left. Puck chose to stay.
"Where will I sleep?"
"The guest room I guess? Unless you want the couch," she said. He shrugged and sat, so she headed to the guest room making sure Matt didn't mess the room much.
"You won't give me a chance, will you?" He shouted from the couch.
No answer.
After a few minutes, she was on his back, circling her arms around his neck through the couch. "Noah, I know what you're trying to do. But I just can't, Sam just broke my heart and I don't want you to be my rebound."
He patted his lap, motioned her to sit there.
"I want to say something, but can you just listen and not interrupt while I talk?" he asked. She furrowed her eyebrows but nodded, her arm circled around his neck again.
"I'm joining US Air Force."
Her eyes widened.
"I know it sounds crazy and stuff, but maybe it is where I'm good at. The training will start next Monday, so I guess I'm leaving. The truth is, I really don't want to leave you in this condition, broken-hearted and sad, but I have to go. They say I can come back after a few years if I want to."
At this point Tina was already sobbing in his shoulder. He soothed her back, but he needed to continue his talk.
"I love you, Cee, so much. You know that too. I can't ask you to love me back, especially when you don't. I don't know what will happen in the future, I can't promise you anything except my faith. But it's all up to you. If you think you can love me back after I finish my duty, I will come back as soon as they let me and marry you. Maybe we can move to New York, or LA, or wherever you want to be. But if you're not sure, I will move out to another country where they send me."
She couldn't breathe. Everything he just said was so sudden and made her sick. So instead gave him an answer, she just buried her head deeper under her neck.
Puck hugged her tightly, kept whispering sorry as his hand soothed her back. He never understood girls before, and he had no idea what answer Tina would give him after crying. He pulled a little and looked at her eyes, finding a glance of hurt there. And he tried so hard to not cry with her or worse, kiss her.
"I, I, I just told you that I was a mess without you, and, and a moment later you told me you will leave, what, what is that supposed to mean?" she stuttered.
He had no answer, he knew that. "I'm sorry, Cee."
She began to hit his chest and shoulder.
"You stupid badass! How dare you do that to me?" He didn't answer. His hand tried to reach her face but she slapped them away.
"Of course I love you! Of course I want to be with you! Don't you get it? I planned to wait until graduation so I can come to LA, to live with you. But now, you leave!" she screamed and hit him harder.
He looked up to her eyes making sure he heard everything right. But she refused to see him back; instead, she leaned in to kiss him. He was beyond shocked before he kissed her back. The kiss was sweet, and Puck liked it.
He pulled away for air, leaning his head on her shoulder.
"Are you really going to wait for me? He murmured.
She chuckled and placed her hands on his cheeks. "You better not die, Puckerman."
At that he laughed lightly and pulled her closer, kissed her again. Tina's face was beaming. By the night, she completely forgot about Sam and Brittany. And that was because the one and only Noah Puckerman had brought her into his embrace.