A/N: Just another Faberry one-shot for you, my fellow Faberrians. I'm finally, finally on summer break right now, free from the most hellish semester of my course and sleepless nights. And, I wanted to celebrate by writing this. Though, my summer internship starts tomorrow. :( Anyway, I hope that you guys love this, and reviews would be very much appreciated.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Glee, or the lyrics of Begin Again. Because, of course, the song belongs to the amazing and very talented Taylor Swift.
Took a deep breath in the mirror
He didn't like it when I wore high heels
But I do
Rachel took in a deep breath as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. She had her bangs full down, and wore light makeup. Finn told her before that he didn't like her new look, but tonight wasn't about Finn. The next nights of forever wasn't about Finn anymore. Rather, it was now all about Quinn.
She smiled at the thought of the prospect of spending forever with Quinn Fabray. The blonde beauty got her in every way, and she always supported Rachel in her decisions; as long as they were in the right, of course.
She could remember the day Quinn first saw her new look. Her perfectly sculpted eyebrows raised in surprise, but in the end, she told Rachel that she liked it. The blonde said that she looked fresh and beautiful, those hazel eyes telling nothing but the truth.
And Rachel… Rachel blushed at the compliment and said a small thank you.
Quinn smiled back then and gazed at Rachel adoringly. The brunette had no idea back then that Quinn Fabray had been in love with her for a long, long time.
Turn the lock and put my headphones on
He always said he didn't get this song
But I do, I do
Rachel remembered the nights where she would just lay down on her bed and plug in her earphones as she listened to show tunes. Finn never wanted to listen to any of those, and Rachel was disappointed that he couldn't at least try to appreciate the songs she loved to listen to.
Quinn, on the other hand, would lay down beside her and take one of the earphones and plug it into her ear. The blonde would smile as she listened with Rachel, and the brunette knew that the blonde wasn't just pretending to like the same songs that she did.
Quinn really did love listening to show tunes with Rachel, and it warmed the brunette's heart to see that Quinn truly and genuinely appreciated the things she loved to do.
Walked in expecting you'd be late
But you get here early and you stand and wave
I walk to you
You pull my chair out and help me in
And you don't know how nice that is
But I do
Rachel thought back on the day of her first date with Quinn at the café that she loved going to. She had her lunch break from NYADA, and Quinn asked her to meet her at the café nearby. Rachel wiggled her eyebrows and asked if it was a date. Quinn laughed lightly and asked her if she wanted it to be, to which she answered yes.
Rachel grinned and said that it was a date, then.
It was a Wednesday when she walked into the café, and Quinn stood up and waved at her. She smiled when Quinn pulled out a seat for her, thinking how Finn never did those kinds of things for her. He would immediately sit down and look confused when Rachel would frown. But she would just plaster her smile back on and just wave it off like it was nothing.
All the little things that Quinn did just made Rachel fall for the blonde even more.
And you throw your head back, laughing like a little kid
I think it's strange that you think I'm funny, 'cause he never did
I've been spending the last eight months
Thinking all love ever does is break, and burn, and end
But on a Wednesday, in a café
I watched it begin again
It was a Wednesday; it was on Wednesdays that she had her date with Quinn in that café. It was simple, they would just sit there and talk comfortably, sharing everything about themselves. Rachel would tell Quinn funny stories about when she was a child, and sometimes about the funny things that happened to her during her classes at NYADA.
And Quinn would pay attention to every word Rachel said with utmost interest, laughing at her jokes and saying the right things at the right time. Quinn never tuned her out when she rambled on and on, and the blonde would never get annoyed. The interest she showed was genuine, and it was clear that she loved getting to know Rachel better.
She loved hearing Quinn laugh; it was an angelic sound, blissful to hear. Rachel loved seeing that side of Quinn; free and happy. It was something she never got to witness when they were in high school, and she was glad that Quinn learned to smile and laugh ever since they got out of Lima.
She would watch the way Quinn's nose crinkle adorably when she was grinning too widely, or the way her beautiful hazel eyes would twinkle happily when they held hands. She loved all the little things about Quinn.
Her dates with Quinn in that café was the best thing that ever happened to her since her breakup with Finn. Ever since the breakup, all that Rachel ever thought was that all love ever did to her was break her heart in two. First, the whole fiasco with Jesse St. James which resulted in her getting egged, and then, the whole disaster with Finn that nearly resulted in her getting married fresh out of high school.
She honestly didn't know what she was thinking back then. Looking back now, she definitely believed that she was crazy for accepting a proposal from a boy that never even took the time to understand her or even just remember for a moment that she was vegan.
But just talking to Quinn and hearing her laugh… She watched love begin again.
You said you never met one girl
Who had as many James Taylor records as you
But I do
She remembered Quinn saying that she had a collection of song records from the past. The blonde chuckled when she said that she didn't know a single person in high school who appreciated old songs the way she did, but Rachel did.
She said that she also had a collection of her own, making Quinn's eyes twinkle adorably. In that moment, Rachel felt that everything she was feeling for Quinn was right.
And so, they talked that Wednesday about their song collection.
We tell stories and you don't know why
I'm coming off a little shy
But I do
Rachel would feel shy sometimes when Quinn had her full attention geared towards her whenever she told a story about herself. The blonde noticed this at all times, to which she questioned curiously. Rachel would duck her head and smile shyly, explaining that she never had someone who actually paid attention to every word she said, because all of them would just tune her out.
Quinn furrowed her eyebrows adorably back then, stating that Rachel deserved to be listened to. She said that she loved to hear Rachel talk, and that she shouldn't be shy about it.
And when Rachel heard those words… She knew that Quinn really meant it. The blonde had been nothing but honest in every little thing she told Rachel, and the brunette loved that about her. She loved how Quinn could be herself around her; how she didn't need to have her walls built so high up around her whenever they were together.
Rachel's heart just melted every time Quinn smiled at her.
As we walked down the block to my car
And I almost brought him up
But you start to talk about the movies that your family watches
Every single Christmas, and I want to talk about that
And for the first time, what's past is past
The fifth Wednesday after their café date, they walked hand-in-hand to the train station to go back to the loft, and Rachel nearly brought Finn up to compare his and Quinn's hands out loud. Whenever Finn held her hand, it felt too big and clumsy, but with Quinn, it felt just right. It was like their hands were made to hold each other.
And then Quinn smiled at her with hazel eyes full of love and adoration, and every thought she had of Finn in that moment dissipated. Having Quinn's fingers laced around hers felt right. It gave Rachel a warm feeling, a sense of safety and comfort.
It was something that only Quinn was able to make her feel.
And then they talked about how they spent their holidays with their parents, or, in Quinn's case, just her and her mom. And somehow, that conversation led to how they would spend their future holidays together, just the two of them.
Rachel loved the idea of spending her holidays with just Quinn. And in that moment, Finn was forever buried in her past.
She knew then that she wanted Quinn to be her future. She wanted to be by Quinn's side, to show the blonde just how much she loved her with all her heart.
And when they got to the loft that day, they had their first kiss.
Rachel remembered feeling a million fireworks explode around her as her lips touched Quinn's. She loved the way Quinn's soft and rosy lips encase hers in a tender and loving kiss. Her heart fluttered and soared as she relished the taste of Quinn's lips. It tasted like cherries, and Quinn smelled like vanilla.
It was the most wonderful thing Rachel had ever experienced.
And when Quinn kissed her that day, it felt like a promise. A promise that Quinn would kiss her just like that every single day of their lives together, to keep her safe and make her feel absolutely loved.
And in that moment, Rachel just knew that Quinn would forever hold her heart and keep it safe and whole.
Quinn was the one who mended her heart and made her believe in love again.
It was now a Wednesday, and four years have passed since Rachel had her first date in her favorite café. Well, it was now Quinn's favorite, too, because it was there where their love bosomed and developed. It developed over small talks and quiet laughs. Small as they may seem, it was what led them to finally realize that they were made for each other.
Rachel smiled as she pushed the door open, the sound of bells ringing catching Quinn's attention from a table nearby. She watched as hazel eyes twinkled under the light as Quinn stood up and waved at her, a loving smile gracing her lips.
Rachel's smile grew wider as she approached the love of her life, and, like always, Quinn pulled out a chair for her; something she never failed to do for the past four years.
"Why, thank you, Miss Quinn Fabray," Rachel said with a playful grin as she sat down.
"Oh, why so formal, dear Rachel?" Quinn quipped with a huge grin on her face. "You do realize we are getting married next month, right?"
At this, Rachel's eyes flickered to the diamond-banded ring on her ring finger. Her heart soared every time she looked at it, joyful at the prospect that she would soon be Quinn's wife. She truly loved Quinn with all her heart, and she was blessed to have this beautiful woman hold her heart forever.
When Quinn proposed, nothing ever felt more right to Rachel than to spend forever with the woman who made her believe in love again.
She smiled as her gaze flickered back towards Quinn, who was looking at her with so much love and adoration. She felt like her heart would explode every time Quinn looked at her that way; she never thought it was possible to love so much the way she loved Quinn.
But when Quinn looked at her with all the love in the world in those eyes, she believed that it truly was possible.
"Oh, yes," Rachel said with a bright smile. "Rachel Berry-Fabray," she said in awe as she ran a finger across her engagement ring.
"Rachel Berry-Fabray," Quinn echoed with a loving smile etched on her face.
Rachel smiled warmly as she reached for Quinn's hand across the table, and laced their fingers together. Her warm chocolate orbs shined with so much love and happiness as she gazed into Quinn's hazel ones.
Looking at Quinn Fabray in this moment – or rather, future Quinn Berry-Fabray - and seeing the promise in those beautiful hazel eyes, Rachel knew that this was right. That everything with Quinn was right.
Rachel smiled softly as she leaned in closer, her eyes fluttering shut as Quinn's lips touched hers. And she was right about what she thought when they first kissed; that Quinn would kiss her with all the love and emotion in the world every time their lips would touch.
Small conversations and quiet laughs had all led to this; a realization that Rachel's heart was always meant to lie with Quinn. And she now truly believed that love didn't break and burn and end; rather that it healed and showed her that true love could start with small things, and bosom into an eternal one. And it was all because of the Wednesdays she spent with Quinn in this small and quiet café.
But on a Wednesday, in a café
I watched it begin again
