A/N: I had this floating in my head, so I decided to go for it while I figure out what to do for the next chapter of AoM. Hope you guys like it! It's based off of the song "Goodbye Summer" by f(x) feat. D.O from EXO.

As usual, I apologize for any mistakes

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. If I did, it would've done a helluva lot better.

Laughter filled the small space in the Manhattan loft owned by one Rachel Berry.

She was just about to make her debut on the Broadway stage. Years of working on off-Broadway theaters finally paid off and she was ecstatic. She was happier to be able to share this moment with one Quinn Fabray. It had been ages since she was able to see her former tormentor. They had kept in touch sparingly, but school had overtaken their lives. Both just graduated from their respective colleges and were intent on blazing a trail in their careers.

While Rachel remained steadfast in her acting career, Quinn found a love in art. She had remained in the drama department, acting as she was planning, but she also dabbled in writing, drawing, and photography. To her, it was very therapeutic to be able to release some emotions she had been unable to express previously. Rachel noticed that over the years, the blonde had become much more happy and as a result, she herself was happy.

Unbeknownst to Rachel, Quinn was just happy to be able to talk to and spend time with her dear friend. Even now as they reminisce about the days of high school.

"Oh! Remember Senior prom?"

Quinn smiled as the memory flooded her mind. "How could I forget. You won Prom Queen."

"And I'm sorry about that, Quinn. I know how much that meant to you. But I think you standing up was the highlight of the night."

"How is it that in both proms, we ended up having deep conversations?" The blonde inquired. It was a curious event indeed.

Rachel thought about it and agreed that it was something that always happened between them. "At least it wasn't in the bathroom."

That caused Quinn to let out a laugh. "At least in the bathroom, we had a bit of privacy! Santana interrupting us like that was embarrassing!"

She suddenly drew her face up like Santana's, mimicking her mannerism. "Stop making out with Berry and get to the Spanish Room. It's time to count the votes and declare me winner!"

Rachel had her arms around her waist, silent laughter causing her body to convulse. Quinn just took a sip of her wine, content at watching the poor girl try and regain her breathing.

"Oh my goodness, Quinn! That was perfect," she managed to say between laughs. The Yale graduate just shrugged smugly and wiped imaginary dust off of her shoulders which resulted in a pillow being thrown at her face. She caught it easily with a chuckle, setting it on her lap.

"Speaking of our bathroom conversations," Rachel began, after a moment of silence. "Remember when you gave me those Metro passes before graduation?"

"Of course I do. I spent a lot of money on those. For a while, I thought they would've gone to waste."

Rachel groaned as Quinn just smirked. She was never gonna let the brunette live it down.

"I already apologized profusely for that, Quinn! I even made you countless batches of my apology cookies!"

It was just so much fun for Quinn to poke fun at Rachel. She took all the chances she could get to make that little pout appear.

"I'm just teasing you, Rachel. You know that."

"I know, I know. I'm just glad that we did manage to keep in touch. You're always around when I need to ground myself."

"Hey, it's what friends do." It hurt to say that, but it was true. Despite having gotten closer to Rachel over the years, Quinn was still terrified to make her true feelings known. She was content to play it safe and remain the best friend, even if it was a label she grew to despise.

When Rachel had returned from New York after they had all sent her off on her way, she avoided Finn like the plague until he left for boot camp. During that time, Quinn was the one who had kept her company, spending as much time together as they could. Santana often made fun of them, saying that they should make out already, but gladly, Rachel just brushed it off as the Latina being her usual, crass self. Quinn made it a point to keep away from her best friend whenever she was with Rachel. She could only keep herself from strangling Santana for so long.

At the end of the summer, Quinn took Rachel to a fair outside of town. It was the last time they would've been able to hang out together before leaving for college. They had so much fun that by the time they had to leave, neither of them wanted to. So, despite knowing that it would ruin their scheduling for the next morning, they stayed up until dawn, just talking and enjoying each other's company. Quinn could've spoken her true feeling then, but the words remained unsaid as they got trapped in her throat. The former Cheerio remembered when Rachel had asked her to sing their duet again, before they had to part ways. She remembered how good they sounded then, even through tears. When they said goodbye, even though there was a good chance that they would see each other in the future, it felt as though Quinn was leaving something behind.

"Let me get another bottle. We still have a lot to catch up on." Rachel broke Quinn from her memories as she got up and moved to the kitchen. Quinn let her eyes wander around the small apartment, settling on the bookcase filled with photos. A small smile graced her features as she stood up to take a closer look. Pictures of Rachel and her New York friends and cast mates filled the fixture, but one shelf was dedicated to her life in Lima. More specifically, to the Glee Club. Her smile morphed into a sad one as her eyes scanned the photos. Each one that had her and Rachel together reminded Quinn of the fact that though she and Rachel were always close, it wasn't close enough for her.

Quinn often wondered what it was like if she had the courage to confess her feelings to Rachel; how things would've been different in their lives. If she had revealed her love years ago, would they still be together now? Would they be happy living their lives the way they are now? Would they be better or worse off? The questions never ceased to bother her, day in and day out.

Picking up the photo of the New Direction girls from Christmas one year, the blonde smiled at how close she and Rachel were standing. Her fingers gently caressed the glass surface of the frame, letting the memories flow through her mind before placing the picture back in its place.

God, she wanted to tell Rachel that she loved her. With every fiber of her being, she wanted to declare how much she loved the girl and how long she had been waiting to say it. She wanted to explain why she drew pornographic pictures of her on the bathroom wall and that she was the one who got the Glee club their page in the yearbook. The Yale graduate felt it necessary to explain why she had been adamant about keeping Finn away from the brunette or why she decided to help when Rachel wanted that nose job. Quinn just wanted to explain everything she did and that she did it because she was in love. Everything she did for the tiny, Jewish teenager that shone like the brightest star was out of love.

Most of all, Quinn wanted to hold Rachel in her arms and never let go. She wanted to always be there for the girl, through thick and thin, for better or worst.

But every time she tried, the fear would overtake her and she'd keep quiet. Just like now, when they're alone and nothing would interrupt them. The terror of being rejected, of her feelings not being returned, scared Quinn to no end just like that day before leaving for the Northeast when she said goodbye to Rachel and that glorious summer.

"Those were the good old days, huh?"

Rachel's voice brought Quinn back to the real world. She had been staring at the picture shelf for a while as she mulled over her feelings in her mind. The blonde turned around to greet a smiling diva offering a glass of wine. Grateful, Quinn took the glass and then a sip of the red liquid. Rachel stood next to her friend, looking at the multitude of photos.

"It felt like a lifetime ago..."

"Yeah..."

"You know, Quinn." Rachel turned her head to look up at the taller girl. "I still stand by what I said back then at Senior Prom. My greatest achievement was getting the chance to be your friend."

The blonde could only let out a slightly forced smile to Rachel's sweet one.

"Yeah. Me too."

God, she hated that word.

A/N: Hope y'all liked it!

Read, Review, Criticize constructively! Thanks a bunch :3