"You don't love someone because they're perfect, you love them in spite of the fact that they're not." - My Sister's Keeper

"Yo, Mr. White!"

Noah Puckerman looked up from his desk, his red pen in his hand as he paused grading fourth period's exams, watching as Justin Sabo, a junior student of his, strolled into his classroom, his backpack hanging off one shoulder.

"Yo Mr. Pinkman," Noah joked, setting his pen down on his desk, hiding the stack of tests in his grade book while Justin strolled towards his desk, leaning against it. "What's up? You're not due here until last period."

Ever since Breaking Bad became a cultural phenomenon, there was at least one student per period who insisted on calling Puck Mr. White since he was the chemistry teacher. He didn't mind as long as they didn't ask him to cook up some meth when the principal was in the room observing his lesson. That had led to one very uncomfortable conversation which Puck had no desire to repeat.

Justin was one of Puck's best students in addition to being the pitcher for the school's baseball team. Justin also happened to love chemistry, despite the fact that it was most student's least favorite subject.

"Yeah, I know," Justin said, rubbing the back of his neck, a move Puck was familiar with. He remembered doing the same thing when he told his parents he'd accepted a job teaching in New York City and would be moving there instead of staying in Georgia where he'd grown up his whole life. It was a motion most guys did when they had unpleasant news. "I just had something to tell you."

"What is it? I'm trying to finish up last week's tests so I can get all the semester grades in before finals start," he reminded him. Thanks to all the snow they'd gotten this year, Puck and his students were in school more than a week after they were supposed to get out. He was looking forward to the end of the year as much, if not more than, his students.

"Well, my sister. She goes to that super fancy prep school on the Upper East Side You know, the one where criminals like me could never hope to be admitted. Anyways, she was telling us last night at dinner how her super advanced math teacher gave them the day off since she'd gotten engaged to her boyfriend the night before."

"How interesting," Puck said in a dull voice, glancing at the pile of completed tests as he attempted to figure out how much longer he was going to be stuck grading tests before he could veg out on his couch and marathon Arrested Development for the tenth time on Netflix.

"Her teacher's Ms. Cohen-Chang."

All the color drained from Puck's face at those words. Three years ago at a teacher convention down in Atlantic City, Puck had met a young and very beautiful teacher named Tina. She taught math at a prep school in the city and despised most of her students. They had chatted for hours, but when Puck asked her out, she said no.

It took many emails, texts, and calls, but Puck finally got Tina to agree to go on a date with him. One date turned into another, and after two years he asked her to marry him. Tina not only turned him down, but broke up with him, claiming she wasn't ready for a real relationship. Now, six months later, she was engaged. He guessed she just wasn't ready for a real relationship with him.

"Well, good for her," he said, finally finding his voice. "Glad to see she's finally found someone to be happy with." All of his students could remember the day Puck planned on proposing to Tina, and the next week when he didn't show up for class once. Everyone knew not to bring it up when he came back. Puck made a move for his grade book. "Alright, get out of here and get to lunch. I'll see you eight period."

Puck watched as Justin left the room, pulling his phone from his pocket and sending an identical message to his two best friends and co-workers.

Mayday mayday. Tina's engaged.

Puck had been teaching for nearly five years now, all of them at Abraham Lincoln High School. He'd moved to the city two months after graduating college, and a month later he was sitting in orientation, learning all about what it was going to be like teaching both basic and advanced placement chemistry. On the second day of his orientation classes, a tall and awkward-looking guy sat next to him. He introduced himself as Finn Hudson, math department.

They had nothing in common. Finn was from some backwards small town in Ohio which he left once starting college, heading for the big city instead. Puck grew up down south half an hour outside of Atlanta and loved it. Finn had been involved in theater during high school which he claimed was to impress his girlfriend at the time. Puck played football because it was the perfect way to let out his anger without being sent to juvie. Finn had been dating the same girl since he was 20 while Puck was single.

Yet they clicked. Finn invited Puck over to his apartment that weekend where he met Arthur Abrams, though he said he'd run him over if he ever called him Arthur. He preferred Artie. Artie and Finn were friends from college, and Artie was also working at the school, teaching in the history department.

Two Call of Duty marathons and four boxes of pizza later, Puck was welcomed into their duo with open arms. They started spending most weekends out drinking while Finn told stories about his crazy ex from high school, Artie told stories about his only ex, and Puck told stories about the girl he'd hooked up with the night before.

They may have been assholes at times, but they were his two best friends and they were the only people he wanted to talk to right now.

Puck pulled out another stack of exams and started grading again, doing anything to get his mind off Tina and the Asian she'd dumped him for. His phone beeped and he paused, placing his red pen on his desk as he examined the message he'd just received.

Ouch, Rough man. Beers at O'Riley's with the guys tonight?

Puck sent a quick reply to Finn, who beeped back to say he'd spread the message around to the other guys they drank with. A night of beer and wings would be great to get him to stop thinking about the woman who had ripped his heart out of his chest and stomped it into the ground. Hell, maybe he'd meet a hot girl who'd be willing to go home with him.

Sorry man. First drink's on me.

Puck smiled at Artie's message and was about to tuck his phone back into his briefcase so he could concentrate on getting a good chunk of the paper's done so he wouldn't be working on them all weekend when his phone beeped again.

Puckerman! I need your assistance and you totally owe me after I helped break you free of Marley's clutches after her bridal shower. Can you meet me at the Starbucks at 26th and 8th at around four? You're a peach! *K

Puck rolled his eyes, wondering what the hell she needed him for. Kitty Wilde was the best friend of his sister-in-law and had helped him avoid death at the hands of said sister-in-law when he'd managed to spill his wine on her dress at her bridal shower. He hadn't even wanted to be there, but his brother made him. Kitty made her see reason and Puck got to keep his head. She made him promise he owed her one and since Marley and Jake had gotten married two years ago, he hadn't heard much from her. They'd meet for coffee every so often. but that was about it.

Without having much of a choice in the matter, he sent her a message back, agreeing to meet her. Not wanting any further interruptions, he turned his phone off, focusing on his work instead until his afternoon classes started.

Since graduating college, Rachel had adopted a routine to keep herself both in perfect physical condition and keep her skills up to date for when she finally landed her breakout role. With rehearsals not starting for a week, Rachel decided to keep to her schedule, making sure she'd be ready for when rehearsals did begin. Wednesday was ballet day.

There was a little dance studio in Harlem that not many people went to. It was clean, air-conditioned, and had giant windows that faced the street, giving Rachel a perfect view of anyone walking in who could possibly disrupt her concentration.

Kurt's finance Aiden was in the city for two days, trying to figure out the best wedding present for Kurt. Of course, Kurt thought he was there on business. Aiden was spending most of those days with Rachel, getting her help as Kurt's main bitch. That also meant he was stuck at the dance studio with her for the next two hours.

From the moment she had met Aiden, Rachel always thought he was attractive. From his curly hair to his muscular beard and even his slightly stubbly chin, he was the complete package. It had always been a running joke between the two of them that if Aiden wasn't gay, they would be the most attractive couple ever. Sadly, he was extremely gay and completely in love with her best friend.

"And this is going to help me think of a wedding gift for Kurt how?" Aiden asked, an amused tone to his voice while he sat in a folding chair in the corner, watching as Rachel stood at the barre, stretching each muscle carefully. The worst thing that could happen would be for her to injure herself right before her big break.

"It will not. I just need to at least get thirty minutes of dance in today. Got to keep this body rocking," she joked, dropping to the floor as she pulled her pointe shoes out of her bag, carefully tying them on her feet.

Aiden watched with amusement as she took her place in front of the back wall of the room which was lined with mirrors. She went through her motions, her rear facing the street. He watched as guy after guy passed the studio, slowing as they caught sight of the girl in the window, watching as she moved gracefully across the floor.

He wasn't surprised Rachel got this kind of reaction from men. He remembered Sam calling him after he'd met her the first time.

"Seriously, she's incredible. She's got legs down to there and a banging body. Her lips are so perfect and her eyes. Fuck, I just want to see them looking up at me while she's sucking me off. She's literally perfect in every way Except her tits. They could afford to go up a cup or two."

"You're a pig, you know. How about talking about this girl about something other than her body."

"Why would I do that? Seriously, if you weren't all about taking it up the ass, you'd want to fuck this chick too. She's that hot."

I'm a bitch, I'm a bitch / Oh the bitch is back / Stone cold sober as a matter of fact I can bitch, I can bitch / 'cause I'm better than you / It's the way that I move / The things that I do

Aiden's thoughts and Rachel's concentration were interrupted by her phone ringing. Aiden laughed at the ringtone, curious as to whom she had assigned that particular song. His question was answered a moment later when she grabbed her phone from her bag, swiping across the screen before pressing it to her ear. "Bitch this better be good. I am going to see you when I get home so whatever it is you could have just told me then."

Aiden was only able to hear Rachel's end of the conversation, but whatever Kitty was telling her was obviously something good.

Rachel glanced over at Aiden for a moment before rolling her eyes. "Seriously? I'm at the studio and I was going to go shopping with Aiden after to help him pick out a wonderful gift for Kurt." Rachel listened to something Kitty was saying before sighing. "Okay okay, I will be there as soon as I can. Just don't leave for fuck's sake or I will give Adelaide your pillow for a chewing toy."

Rachel hung up her phone, throwing it back in her bag. She sat on the ground, pulling the pointe shoes off before grabbing her white flats out of her back, slipping them on her feet. She grabbed a grey sweatshirt, pulling it on over her blue tank top before rising to her feet.

"I have a favor to ask of you. I need to go meet Kitty downtown for something, so do you mind if I ditch you for a few hours? I would not go unless it was really important. How about we meet for dinner at around seven? I will call you when I'm home so we can figure out where we would like to go."

Aiden nodded his head and Rachel kissed him on the cheek, running out of the studio. He watched her disappear down the steps of the Subway station across the street. Aiden chuckled to himself, walking out of the studio. He pulled out his phone, dialing Sam's number as he flagged down a cab to bring him back to his hotel. He might as well see if he was busy for the next few hours.

"So, explain to me again exactly why you want me to do this?" Puck asked, sitting across from Kitty in the crowded Starbucks, sipping on a hot cup of overpriced coffee. He personally preferred DD when it came to getting his daily dose of caffeine, but he wasn't going to complain to her. She'd probably just bitch at him for bitching.

"Okay seriously, are you the dumbest person on the planet? You go to this wedding with my roommate and pretend you two are doing it like rabbits."

Puck gave her a look. "I know what you want me to do, that was simple. I just don't get why your roommate needs me to pretend to be her boyfriend at a wedding. I thought weddings were the places where people go to meet other hot, single people to have kinky sex with. Doesn't this chick know that?"

"As I seem to recall, you didn't manage to do that at your own brother's wedding," she taunted. "Not that you tried your hardest."

"Not my fault all the bridesmaids were stuck up prudes waiting until marriage to get down and dirty," he teased back, sticking his tongue out at her. "Seriously, why do you need me to do this? And why me? I would think I'd be the last person to pick when you're thinking of fake boyfriend material."

"Look, her ex fucked her over royally. I'm not going into it because it's not my place and I doubt she'd want some stranger knowing what happened. Anyways, the asshole shows up to our apartment a few nights ago, saying all this shit. I was kind of trashed and told him she was seeing someone. But since he and the groom are BFF's, he's made it so Rachel's boyfriend is expected to show up to the wedding with her. Enter you."

"But why me?" he asked again.

"Because you're a million times hotter than her ex. If she's doing this, she's doing it right. Besides, if you two idiots get drunk and end up fucking, at least she'll get laid by a guy who knows what he's doing instead of some idiot fumbling around trying to put a condom on."

"Thanks," he said dryly. "So your friend is coming down here to meet us?"

"Yes."

"Seriously, is she a dog? Like why couldn't she find someone on her own to actually be her boyfriend."

A look of anger flashed across Kitty's face. "I don't know, why haven't you found someone to actually be your girlfriend?" she snapped. "She hasn't found anyone because she's been heartbroken. She hasn't gone out to meet anyone, and any guy that has come up to her she's come within two inches of chopping their dick off for invading her bubble."

"Sounds like a bitch."

"She's not. She's one of my best friends, so don't be an ass." Kitty looked over his shoulder and waved at someone. "Rach, over here!"

Puck turned and saw two women who had just walked in. One had black straight hair that hung limply over her shoulders. She had on a 'Team Edward' shirt and sweatpants. She was also at least 200 pounds overweight and he was positive there was a potato chip in her hair. He prayed that wasn't Rachel.

Instead of her, a young, slightly sweaty, looking girl walked over to them, a smile on her face. She had tight spandex cropped pants on that ended at her knees. The baggy grey sweatshirt she wore failed to hide her thin frame. Even with her dark hair pulled back and her face free of makeup, Puck was stunned by her beauty. She was small, both in height and build. The sweatshirt she had on was practically drowning her. He gazed down at her legs, trying not to be obvious that he was checking her out. Her legs were thin, yet still muscular.

He never expected Kitty to have such a hot friend.

Rachel pulled up a chair and set her bag on the floor, taking a seat next to Kitty on the opposite side of the table, both of them facing him. Puck was mildly disappointed she hadn't chosen to sit next to him.

"Puck, this is Rachel, my roommate. Rachel, meet Noah Puckerman, your boyfriend."

Rachel giggled a little, a light and musical sound. He felt his heart melt a little at that, wanting to hear what she thought of him. No, he didn't just want it, he craved it. "Oh, he will definitely work," she said, her eyes meeting his for the first time.

They were a rich and warm brown that seemed to fit her. Long lashes extended from her lids, which covered her eyes slightly as she looked down at the table, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink. Her blush was even more adorable than her giggle. Yes, he could definitely pretend to be this girl's boyfriend.

"Well Puckerman, does she meet your requirements?" Kitty asked, drumming her fingers on the table.

Puck wanted to say that she more than met his requirements, but he didn't want to come off sounding like a loser, so he just nodded his head instead. "Yeah, she's great," he said, thinking to himself that she was more than great.

"Perfect!" Kitty said, clapping her hands as she rose to her feet. "I need to meet my boss for a dinner in an hour, so I'm going to head home and change. Besides, you two need to get to know each other if your going to be playing lovers," she teased, kissing Rachel on the cheek before grabbing her coffee and bag, walking out of the building with a wave to the faux couple.

"So, Noah?" Rachel asked. "That is not a name you hear all that often. Very biblical," she commented, taking in his appearance fully for the first time since meeting him. He was dressed in a crisp collared shirt with khaki pants and a blue tie that matched well with his eyes. His hair was neatly styled with gel, giving him a very professional look. He was clean shaven, though Rachel imagined he would look very good with some stubble as well. He had a square jawline with a dimple in his chin that was just adorable in Rachel's opinion. She could see his muscles were well-defined through his shirt. She smiled to herself, realizing how jealous Sam would be when he finally met him.

"Yeah, but no one calls me that except for my mom because she's my mom and my sister when she'd being a punk. Everyone calls me Puck. They have since I was a kid."

"Why is that?" Rachel questioned. "I think Noah is a lovely name."

Puck let out a groan. "Well, for starters, no guy wants to hear that their name is 'lovely'," he teased, causing her to blush again. "And when I was in second grade, everyone used to ask me where my boat was. Noah's Ark, you know? So I decided to start going by Puck instead. Puck's a man's name. He sounds like the kind of guy who gets the first choice of what ball he wants to play with at recess while Noah was the kid with glasses and headgear who no one wanted to play with."

Rachel laughed and he smiled, watching as she brushed a few strands of hair that had fallen from her ponytail out of her face. "You do realize how utterly silly and ridiculous that sounds, don't you?" she asked, placing a hand on the table.

"Now I do. But at eight-years-old, I wanted to be the cool kid, not the loser with the weird name. I always used to go to teachers in the beginning of the year before they took attendance and tell them I was Puck, not Noah. The only teachers who ever called me Noah were subs."

"Well, would you mind if I call you Noah? I prefer to use the names someones mothers gave them. I would much prefer to call Kitty Katherine since that is her name, but she promised to punch me in the face if I ever did."

Honestly, she could call him whatever she liked. "Sure, I guess that's okay," he said, his eyes never leaving her. He also made sure to remember Kitty's real name so he could taunt her with that the next time she pissed him off.

"Perfect!" she said with a grin. "So Noah, tell me more about yourself. I think it is customary to at least know the basic things about the man you are supposed to be making love to."

"Do you always talk like that?" he asked, scratching the back of his head as she spoke.

"What do you mean?"

"Like you're out of a book or something. You sound like the main character of those old romance novels my ma loves to read."

"Well, Kitty often tells me I belong in the world of Jane Austen. I just think the English language is something that should not be abbreviated or littered with poor grammar. I suppose that comes from the thespian in me."

"The what?"

"Actress," she clarified.

"You're an actress?" he asked, arching a brow at her.

"A struggling one, though I did recently land my first starring role in a production," she said. Puck watched as she practically bounced out of her seat at those words.

"Really?" he asked. "What show."

Rachel shook her head. "No, you are supposed to be enthralling me with interesting tidbits about your life. We will come to me much later. Now, what is it that you do?"

"I'm a teacher," Puck said, lifting his drink from the table to take a sip. "I teach high school chemistry."

"So you are like Walter White without the lung cancer and meth empire," she said with a nod.

"You watch Breaking Bad?" he asked incredulously.

"Of course I do. When everyone I know is talking about how good a show is, I absolutely have to check it out. Everyone I knew was watching Breaking Bad. Even my mother who doesn't like anything except for musical theater and vacationing in the South of France kept raving to me about how much she adored the show. Why, do I not seem like someone who would like it?" she asked.

Puck shook his head. "No, not really," he admitted with a laugh. "But you sound like my students with that comparison. They all call me Mr. White and ask me to cook some meth with them which isn't that back except when the principal hears that which leads to a long meeting."

Rachel covered her mouth with her hand as she let out a laugh. "I am very sorry, it is wrong to laugh at that. But it is very funny," she said, laughing again.

Puck let out a laugh. "Yeah, I guess it is pretty funny now looking back. It wasn't at the time, though," he added.

"No, I suppose it would not be," she agreed. "So where are you from?"

"Born and raised down South. My family's from Georgia. I lived there my whole life just outside of Atlanta. Ma's a nurse, Dad's a cop. Ma went back to school a few years ago so now she teaches too. I've got a brother and sister. Jake's 25 and Bex is 21."

"And how old are you?" Rachel asked

"29," he answered. "A bit of a range between the three of us," he laughed. "Jake and his wife Marley live in Fort Benning since Jake enlisted right out of high school. Bex is majoring in drinking and casual sex in Florida. Actually, I don't know what she's really studying, just that she's always partying and never going to class."

"They sound lovely," Rachel commented.

"They can be. Jake and his wife are having a baby in the fall, so I have to go down there for the baby shower and listen as Ma tries to set me up with every single girl at her Temple. She signed me up for a Jewish dating site right after I finished college to try and find me a wife."

Rachel arched an eyebrow. "You're Jewish? No shit, so am I."

"You should head down to Georgia with me for the baby shower. At least she'd get off my case if she thought I had a Jewish gal pal."

Rachel laughed, leaning back in her chair slightly. "Isn't that what a fake girlfriend is for?"

After talking for a few hours and getting to know one another, Rachel realized she needed to head back home if she planned on showering before meeting Aiden for dinner.

"Don't worry about it," Puck said as they walked out of the Starbucks. Rachel was apologizing for leaving since they were having a great time together, much to her surprise. "I'm supposed to meet a bunch of my guy friends for beer and wings soon anyways." He reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone. "Let me get your digits. That way when we want to meet up again I don't have to go through your roommate."

Rachel smiled a little, pulling his phone from his hand. Her fingers brushed against his palm slightly and he felt a shiver run through his body. "Excellent idea," she agreed. "Text me your schedule for the weekend. If you are free, we can work out some of the details about this arrangement." She handed his phone back to him before tossing him hers.

Puck programmed his number into her phone, smirking a little at the name he gave himself before locking her screen and giving the phone back to her. He looked at her, an awkward silence falling between them. How was he supposed to say goodbye to her? Was a hug appropriate or was it better to just wave and say 'see ya?'"

"It was really nice to meet you," Rachel said, looking up at him. She stood at least a foot shorter than him, which was absolutely adorable. They were going to be the cutest couple at this wedding, he was sure of it. "I will talk to you soon then, yeah?"

Puck nodded his head. "Definitely. I'll let you know later what the weekend looks like, and we can decide what to do from there."

Rachel stood on her toes, giving him a giant hug, surprising him. "I am really glad you are my fake boyfriend, Noah. Sam is going to be so jealous when he sees you, he will not know what hit him," she laughed. She pulled away, giving him a wave as she headed towards the closest Subway station, disappearing down the stairs.

Puck watched her walk away and kept his eyes on her until she had vanished, not knowing that his life was going to change completely because of the tiny and slightly intense woman he'd just met.

Across town, Aiden was lounging on Sam's couch while Sam sat in the chair opposite him, his guitar strapped over his chest. He let his fingers glide over the strings, strumming a tune which Aiden assumed was a new song he was working on.

Chelsea, Sam's now-fiancee, was walking around the kitchen, talking on the phone with someone who Aiden assumed was her sister. Aiden would never tell Sam to his face, but he really couldn't stand Chelsea. She was rude, mean, and cruel. During the two times he'd met her since she and Sam had gotten together officially, she always had an expression on her face that implied she was better than everyone else. She also never passed up an opportunity to bash Rachel, especially when Kurt was there. She knew Kurt was Rachel's bestie, yet she didn't care.

Sam and Aiden had been friends since high school. They met freshman year, both new students. Aiden had moved to New York from Montana and was very out of his element. He was also starting to question his sexuality, but had no one to tell. Sam had just moved from Denmark and was feeling very self-conscious about his accent , despite the fact that he spoke perfect English.

They two were in the same geometry and biology classes, and eventually became friends when Sam realized Aiden was a lot smarter than he was and could help him pass his classes. Aiden, who wasn't popular, agreed as long as Sam introduced him to his friends.

He agreed and the rest was history. The two stayed in the city after high school. Aiden went to college at NYU while Sam dropped out of St. John's after a semester, opting to form a band with two of his friends instead. With his band now having two of their songs on the radio and gaining popularity every day, that had worked out for him in the end.

Rachel and Sam had started dating first. After Aiden eventually came out to Sam when he and Rachel tried to set him up with one of her girl friends, they changed direction and set him up with Kurt instead. At first, Aiden thought he and Kurt had nothing in common. Aiden was going to school for business while Kurt was in to fashion. Aiden like sports and going to the gym while Kurt preferred Broadway shows and dancing. Aiden never saw them going past one date until Rachel invited him to a party she was throwing.

Kurt happened to be there as well. The two ended up getting drunk and Aiden woke up in Kurt's apartment the next morning, his pants on the floor. They'd been together ever since.

Of course, he and Kurt had their differences. Aiden would have preferred a small ceremony with just their families and close friends. Kurt, being the diva that he was, insisted on a lavish ceremony with hundreds of guests. At the end of the day, as long as he didn't have to plan it and Kurt said 'I do' at the right time, they could have gotten married on Mars.

"New song?" Aiden asked as Sam continued playing his guitar.

"Sort of. I've got the music all written, but I can't write lyrics for shit. That was what Rachel was always good at. Speaking of Rachel," he said, setting his guitar on the ground leaning against the chair. Sam sat up straight, staring seriously at Aiden. He sensed another argument coming over Rachel Berry. Sam had laid into him at least three times since the two had broken up about hanging out with Rachel.

In Sam's eyes, Aiden was his friend and should not be hanging out with his ex. In Aiden's eyes, Rachel was his fiance's best friend and he could hang out with whomever he wished to. Sam wasn't his mother, and he wasn't his boyfriend.

"Sam, do we have to go through this again," Aiden sighed. "I'm not going to dump her as a friend just because you dumped her as your girlfriend."

"I wasn't going to say that, honest," Sam said, looking slightly offended. "Besides, Rachel and I are on better terms now than we were a month ago." Aiden let out a skeptical snort. "Okay, she still hates me and wishes I would drop dead, but at least we can have a conversation without her screaming at me now. I went over to see her last night and we were perfectly civil towards one another."

"Did you?" Aiden asked. "She didn't mention that to me earlier."

"Did she mention her new boyfriend?" Sam asked, getting to the point of his question. "She has to be lying about that, right? I mean, Rachel can't have a new boyfriend." Aiden was shocked at how jealous Sam sounded over the possibility of Rachel dating someone else. It was pretty funny.

"No, she didn't mention him. I'll have to ask her about that when I see her for dinner. Though good for her, moving on."

Aiden heard Chelsea click her tongue disapprovingly before letting out a laugh. "Please. Don't make me laugh," the blonde said, moving into the living room and taking a seat on Sam's lap. "That poor girl is so pathetic, she still hasn't gotten over Sammy. Plus, who would want to date someone with as big as nose as she has? She's making it up just to make Sam jealous, I guarantee it."

Aiden shrugged his shoulders, ignoring all of Chelsea's mean comments about Rachel. He was going to have to talk to Sam later about getting her to stop that, especially when Kurt was around. "Well, she didn't mention anything about it, but she got a call and had to leave all of a sudden when I was with her earlier."

"I'm telling you Aiden, there is no way Rachel Berry has a new man."

"Okay, I hate to admit it, but you were right."

"What? I am sorry, can you pleaserepeat that?" Rachel teased, swirling the glass of wine in her hand once as she looked across the table at Aiden who seemed to be enjoying his meal.

"This place is pretty good, despite my original objections," he conceded. "I should have listened to you," he laughed.

"I am going to have to get you to say that once more so I can record it. Otherwise, Kurt will never believe me that it happened," she insisted, tilting her glass towards her mouth as she took another sip, finishing the small amount of wine left in her glass. Aiden reached forward, refilling her glass with the bottle of wine sitting between the two of them atop of the table.

"Believe what happened?" Aiden asked with a smirk, taking a bite of his food. Rachel rolled her eyes at him, pretending to be offended. Aiden let out a laugh, tossing his napkin at her. "Oh stop being so dramatic," he teased.

Rachel gave him a smile. "Oh fine. So, what did you end up doing with the rest of your afternoon after I so rudely ditched you?"

"Oh not much. Hung out with the DB and the bitch for awhile. Sounds like he's already missing you. Or at least not having you in his life."

Rachel arched an eyebrow at the mention of her former boyfriend. "Oh? What makes you think that?" she asked. Since seeing Sam a few nights ago, she was more convinced than ever that he was glad to have her out of his life. Why else would he be marrying Chelsea?

"He's bitching and moaning about the new song he's working on. He played me the music and it sounds awesome. But we both know my best friend and your former lover can't write for shit. He's got the music but no lyrics to go along with them. Everyone knows you were the one who had the gift of writing. I bet they crash and burn once they make it to the studio and realize they have jack shit."

"Is this your time to ask me to step in and lend a hand to my cheating ex, the one who showed up at my door a few nights ago to inform me he and his new paramour were getting married?"

"Of course not. Let the bastard burn," he laughed. "Though while we were discussing Sam and his inability to write a decent set of lyrics, he seemed quite perturbed when he brought up your newest male friend. I could have sworn he was jealous." Rachel shifted a bit uncomfortably. "And, since my future husband will interrogate me about everything that happens while I'm away from him, I figure bringing him back a bit of juicy gossip with prevent him from discovering his gift. So spill. Who is this guy and why haven't we heard about him?"

"Hell Aiden, just spring that on me why don't you?" Aiden looked at her expectantly and she realized she wasn't getting off that easy. "Look, we have not even been together that long. Just about a month now."

"Well, it's serious enough that you're bringing him all the way to Ohio to your best friend's wedding," he reminded her.

Rachel was seriously going to kill Sam. She hadn't even had a chance to tell Kurt about her fake boyfriend and Sam was running to Aiden to invite the fake beau, determined to humiliate her.

"Yeah, well it would be pretty embarrassing to show up alone. Besides, it is a great time for him to meet everyone."

"Okay, I want details. How's you two meet? Who asked who out? Has he kissed you? What's he look like and more importantly, how is he in bed?"

Rachel laughed, leaning back in her seat as an elderly couple looked over at the two of them, clearly disturbed by their conversation. "One at a time, and I am keeping this PG. You know I am not one to kiss and tell. His name is Noah Puckerman and if you write that down to stalk him on Facebook, I promise to flush your Blackberry down the toilet."

Caught, Aiden slipped his phone back into his pocket, listening to Rachel as she continued.

"He is a high school teacher, which I guess is not as glamorous as future rock star, but at least I know I am not going to find him in bed with one of his groupies. Though with my luck, I would find him doing one of his students instead. Anyways, we met at Starbucks," she said, concocting their how-they-met story on the fly. "I thought he had to be high when he asked for my number since I had just come from the gym, but I gave it to him since I was sad and desperately needed to get laid. He took me to dinner, and the rest is history."

"Is he hot?"

"Hot does not even begin to describe him," she said honestly, remembering the way Noah had looked. When she'd walked into Starbucks and saw him sitting at that table, she practically felt her knees give out. Never had a man made her feel so turned on just by his gaze, but Noah Puckerman had managed to do it.

Of course she found him attractive. She wasn't sure if there was a woman on earth who wouldn't find him attractive. From his dimpled smile to his stubbled chin, she was positive Noah Puckerman knew he was hot and used that on girls like herself. At least this time she'd be using him instead of her typical pattern of being used by guys.

"Even better. It's funny, you know."

"What is?" Rachel asked, flagging down the waiter for the check.

"Well, just a few months ago, Kurt was trying to convince Finn to set you up with one of his coworkers. Apparently, the guy was a notorious man-whore who had just been dumped by his girlfriend for another guy. Kurt never told me the guy's name, just that he thought you two would be a good fit for each other since you'd both been screwed over by exes. Looks like it's a good thing he never set you two up."

Rachel nodded her head without saying anything, a guilty feeling in the pit of her stomach. Maybe she shouldn't be doing this. She was lying to her friends, her family, everyone she loved. They all cared about her, and she was lying about one of the most important things in her life.

"Aiden..." She thought about what would happen if she told him the truth. She saw Sam's condescending smirk in her mind, his knowing look that she couldn't get over him. If he ever found out she'd made up a boyfriend, he'd never let her forget it. She had no choice but to go through with this. "You ready to go? There's a great little ice cream shop around the corner, and I have a craving for something sweet." Rachel took his arm and headed out of the restaurant, anxiously awaiting Noah Puckerman's text.

Suddenly, she was much more on board with this fake relationship.

AN: I have links to my profile for who each character's looks are modeled after. Also a link to Polyvore where all outfits mentioned in the story are, labeled with characters and chapters. Please review!