Thank you so much for all of you that are just as excited (if not more) for this story, though I feel like I'm letting you down with the news that Kurt has & for that I'm sorry. Hope you like it & please remember to review kindly! I do not own Glee or the characters or even the hot people portraying those characters….sad, I know.
"Oh, that was just Kurt. He wanted to know that I made it home safely." Rachel swallowed; a lump had formed in her throat. She reached for her glass of water. Suddenly her mouth felt like the Sahara Desert.
"That was nice of him." Sam eyed her suspiciously as she sat her glass of water back on the table. Her eyes darted around the room.
"Yeah that's Kurt for you, ever so thoughtful." Rachel babbled. She nervously dipped her straw in and out of her glass. Sam continued to watch her erratic behavior.
"I guess I never really noticed that you two had become such good friends."
"Well behind the diva facades, we're really very much alike." Rachel smiled, still playing with her straw. The waitress appeared with their meals. Rachel was ever so thankful for the distraction. She cut her food meticulously as she watched Sam move his fork around on his plate.
"You know it doesn't bite." She giggled.
"I've just never had tofu before." Sam admitted sheepishly.
"Don't worry, it's not that bad. Personally, I like it." Rachel said, resting her knife on the side of her plate. She picked up a small bite of food with her fork and daintily placed it in her mouth.
"Let me guess, it tastes like chicken?" Sam drew his mouth up into a grin. He picked up a small piece with his fork and placed it in his mouth.
Rachel stifled a giggle. "Not quite." She watched Sam chew with a semi-confused look on his face. When he was finally finished, she waited for his critic.
"I've had worse." He shrugged. She had to give him credit; at least he was trying it. It had taken her months to convince Finn to try any vegan food and Puck wouldn't get within ten feet of it. He constantly reminded her that his junk might fall off if he actually ate it. She had given up after the third time she tried to convince him that just wasn't so.
"So you really want to go to Julliard?" Sam finally said.
"It has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl." Rachel washed down her food with a sip of water.
"I always took you for a New York kind of girl." He smiled as he reached for his drink.
"Singing, dancing…that's where I need to be. And who knows, maybe even a little gig on Broadway."
"Then you must be thrilled that Nationals are in New York this year." Sam replied. Rachel's face lit up at the mention of Nationals.
"Did this huge grin give me away?" She smirked.
"You know, I think it would be cool if we ask Mr. Schue to sing a duet together." Sam suggested. He reached for the napkin in his lap. Bringing it to his face, he wiped his mouth and placed the napkin on his almost empty plate. Rachel stopped chewing and raised her eyebrows at him.
"You mean in class?" She asked, pushing her plate away.
"No, I mean for Nationals." Rachel blinked rapidly, staring at Sam. He was hoping for a more encouraging response. Rachel paused for a moment, unsure how to even answer.
"I-I've never sang a competition duet with anyone except Finn." She whispered. Sam had to strain to even hear her say Finn's name.
"Maybe it's about time you did." Sam beamed. He waited for her to agree, however she didn't. Rachel remained silent, her eyes desperately darting around her surroundings. She had a questionable look on her face. He wondered if he had come across too cocky. That was not his intention at all; he just wanted Rachel to entertain the idea of singing with him. Rachel sat up straighter in her seat when she finally responded.
"You don't understand, Sam. Mine and Finn's vocals blend so well together and we're proven winners." Sam winced when she spoke those last words. His fingers rubbed the napkin lying across his plate.
"How do you know that ours won't?" Sam asked, frustration mounting in his voice. The waitress reappeared, clearing their plates from the table.
"Well I don't." She admitted. "But why fix something that's not broken."
Sam had heard enough. He slapped his hand on the table and leaned back in his chair. The noise startled Rachel; she glanced around to see if anyone had noticed.
"It is broken, don't you see that Rachel?" Sam leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table. He stared straight into her eyes for a few seconds before he spoke. "Do you really think Quinn is going to just sit by and let you sing a duet with Finn? Competition or not?"
"It's not up to Quinn anymore." Rachel said, softly.
"Well yeah I know it's not up to her technically, but I doubt she's going to be ok with you two singing together." Sam shrugged his right shoulder.
"No, I mean her and Finn aren't together anymore." Rachel glanced up to see Sam staring at her in shock. He cleared his throat and settled back in his seat.
"She broke up with him just because they didn't win king and queen last night?" He asked. Rachel shook her head.
"No, he broke up with her because of the argument she had with me in the bathroom." Rachel regretted the tone she used as soon as the words left her lips. She ducked her head in shame. "Or so Kurt claims." Her last words were barely audible. Now Sam understood who the phone call was from.
"Is that what you wanted, Rachel?" He asked. She wondered how a nice afternoon lunch had turned into this. Now she felt like she had to defend all the reasons she felt like Quinn and Finn shouldn't be together, none of which included her misunderstanding with Quinn in the bathroom.
"No Sam, that's not what I wanted." She shook her head. She was fighting back the tears that were forming in her eyes. Yes, Rachel Berry can cry on demand, she thought, but sometimes even I can't control the hurt. Sam could see she was visibly upset.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that." Sam said, watching her use her napkin to dab at the corner of her eyes. He felt terrible for making her cry.
"I should be the one apologizing." Rachel sniffed. "We shouldn't even be having a discussion about Finn and Quinn's relationship. I should never have brought it up."
"Rachel, they both hurt us…pretty badly I might add." Sam shrugged, reaching for the bill the waitress had left behind. "It's normal to be upset." He glanced at it and winced at the total. Rachel noticed the look on his face and immediately reached for her clutch.
"Here, let me pay for mine." She offered, counting out bills from her wallet. Sam waved his hand at her.
"No, I invited you to lunch, so my treat." He conceded that he would just have to see if he could pick up an extra shift or two this week delivering pizzas to make up for the money spent.
"Ok, well next time it will be my treat." Rachel smiled, pushing her chair back and standing up. She watched Sam count out money and place it on top of the bill. He stood up and walked over to her, holding his arm out. She linked her arm in his, as they made their way out of the restaurant.
"So, that means there will be a next time?" Sam asked, opening the passenger door of his car. He waited while she slid into the seat. She glanced up at him with a grin across her mouth.
So, a lot of dialogue in this chapter, hope that doesn't bother you guys. And again, sorry to burst anyone's bubble with the big news Kurt had, but you have to remember he's just a teen, so that was big news to him! More to come…