She's got you high and you don't even know yet. The sun's in the sky, its warming up your bare legs. You can't deny your looking for the sunset – Mumm-Ra, She's Got You High
"Oh my God, Quinn! Look at you!" Rachel exclaimed, a huge grin spreading across her face as Quinn opened the door. "Your hair! It looks fantastic!"
"Really?" The blonde twisted her mouth nervously, ruffling her much shorter hair and enjoying feeling the ends swish against her fingertips, whilst Barney bounded up to Rachel, jumping up and placing his front paws on her hips, almost knocking her back with the force.
"Ooph! Hey Barn!" She ruffled the dogs head, applying just enough pressure to remove his paws from her shirt. "And yes! You totally suit it!" The tiny brunette reached out, tugging the ends of Quinn's hair, her jaw dropping with awe, "You look gorgeous." She dropped her hands, standing grinning in front of Quinn for a moment before swallowing hard, taking a deep breath and stepping away, "So what's this in aid of?"
"Santana convinced me to do it." Quinn nodded, taking the bag of snacks from the brunette and crossing to the sofa, emptying its contents onto the coffee table. "Oh rather, forced. I rang her for advice on the whole dating thing." Rachel nodded, urging her to continue, "Much to my dismay, she thought it was a great idea." Quinn rolled her eyes.
"That's because it is! And when you find the man of your dreams, you will agree." She prodded the blonde's leg with her index finger, grinning proudly.
"I have the man of my dreams." Quinn argued, bending over to coo at Barney, who panted happily, "But sure, whatever you say. Either way, she told me that if I was going to be dating, I needed to make more effort." She shrugged, "She enlisted some scary gay dude who chopped all my hair off, left a huge mess on my floor and demanded I go blonde. I thought I already was blonde, but apparently I was 'mousy' or in Santana's words 'the colour of forty cats and no friends'."
"Wow." Rachel grimaced, perching on the sofa and patting to her lap for Barney to jump up beside her, "That sounds awful."
Quinn shrugged, "It's just Santana; you get used to her." Rachel raised her eyebrows doubtfully, "Okay, most people don't get used to her, but I've known her for so long that my ears are trained to only hear the important things she says." She paused thoughtfully, "Which is nothing."
Rachel sniggered as Quinn picked up the remote, flicking through the channels and checking the time on her phone.
"Well, either way I think your hair looks awesome. You are going to knock. Finn. Dead." Rachel nudged the blonde with her elbow, and Quinn nodded uncertainly.
"Yeah, okay. So we have like ten minutes before Game of Thrones starts. Tell me about this Finn guy." She took a deep breath, giving Rachel her full attention as the girl narrowed her eyes, biting her lip as she considered her answer.
"Well…I don't know that much about him, really. But he was very sweet, a real gentleman. He opened the door for me, helped me pick up my music sheets when I dropped them and they scattered all over the floor." She rolled her eyes at the memory as Quinn snorted.
"Sounds like a scene from a bad high school rom-com."
"You love bad high school rom-coms." Rachel pointed out, and Quinn sighed wistfully.
"I totally do. So what does he look like?" She shrugged and the brunette took a deep breath.
"He's very tall. Very tall. But you know, that's often a good thing. If you know what I mean." She side-eyed Quinn and gave her a quick wink as the blonde grimaced, "So yeah. Very broad. Short, dark hair. Kind of cute. I wish I'd taken a picture for you. But he was totally up for the idea of a blind date, so why don't I call him for you?"
Quinn sighed heavily. "Fine. Go ahead. I'm free most nights." She admitted begrudgingly, and Rachel immediately squealed and began rummaging through her bag for her phone, lifting it to her ear moments later.
"Hi, Finn?...Yes, hi it's Rachel! From Anything Goes?...Yeah. Well I was wondering if you were still interested in that date with my friend Quinn?...Perfect…Yeah…Tomorrow's great! Where?...Okay. She will see you there! Thanks, bye!" She grinned as she hung up the phone, turning to Quinn, "Okay, you have a date with Finn tomorrow night at Johnny Rocket's Diner. You know where that is, yes?"
"Um, yeah. I'm going on a date to a diner?" She asked incredulously, and Rachel nodded with a shrug.
"Yeah that's where he suggested. He must prefer more casual dates. What are you going to wear?"
"Shh! Its starting!" Quinn's eyes were immediately glued to the screen, "And I don't know, help me look later."
"Okay." Rachel replied without tearing her eyes away from the TV.
-oOo-
"Oh my God." Rachel shook her head.
"I can't believe it." Quinn stared open-mouthed at the screen as the credits rolled.
"Jesus. I can't wait for next week." She took a deep breath, finally looking away from the screen to glance at Quinn. "Oh my God, for a second I forgot you had a haircut!" She giggled, "It was so weird!"
"I know! I keep looking in the mirror and forgetting." Quinn rolled her eyes, "So talking of my hair, wanna help me decide what to wear?"
"Of course." Rachel nodded solemnly, "Although, do you actually have anything to wear?" Quinn frowned, but Rachel continued, "Because you know, as much as you love your baggy jeans and old, faded, ripped, skate-brand t-shirts, I don't think guys will find it that attractive."
"Ugh." The blonde groaned, "This dating thing is already too much effort. Can I wear my converse?" She asked, wincing in preparation for Rachel's answer.
"No. You can't wear anything made by Converse, Vans, Volcom or Etnies." She shook her head fervently and Quinn sighed heavily.
"Fine. Let's go choose my outfit." She replied regretfully.
"Okay!" Rachel grinned, leaping off the sofa and running up the spiral staircase with Quinn in tow. She flung the doors of Quinn's wardrobe open, gasping as her eyes settled on the contents. "Oh my God, Quinn! This is insane! What the fuck?" She gawped at the contents, turning to gaze wide-eyed at Quinn, who shrugged bashfully.
All the clothes in the large, walk-in wardrobe were separated into piles of different items, which were then separated into piles of different colours. All her shoes were lined up neatly on low shelves around the edge of the wardrobe, whilst the items on the hanging rail were organised by colour.
"I just like it organised." The blonde shrugged, and Rachel laughed aloud.
"No kidding! It's like the OCD headquarters in here. Why is your floor so messy when your wardrobe is so tidy?" She demanded incredulously, and Quinn shrugged, "I mean...just why?! You're really letting your perfectly-organised wardrobe down." She tutted, "Still though, I do envy your wardrobe. I can't even imagine being so organised. My closet looks like Pearl Harbour." She rolled her eyes before stepping in to the closet to rifle through the clothes.
"So, something casual?" Quinn frowned, "How casual?"
"Um…I'd stay away from dresses, do you have any smart jeans? That aren't baggy or men's." She tilted her head and the blonde stepped forward with a sigh.
"Um, I don't know. There's not much choice." She grimaced, before sighing, "Okay, these ones." Rachel announced, thrusting a coat hanger holding black skinny jeans into Quinn's chest. "Now for a shirt."
Rachel hummed thoughtfully, flicking through various items of clothing as Quinn hooked the hanger over the bathroom door handle and collapsed onto the bedcover with a sigh.
What am I doing? Going on a date with a complete stranger?! He could be psychotic! Or super boring. What if he doesn't even show up? What if I make a total ass of myself? WHY AM I EVEN GOING ON THIS DATE?!
"So are you excited?" Rachel asked absent-mindedly.
"Not really." She mumbled, staring up at the ceiling. Rachel turned on her heel, crossing to the bed and perching on the edge, looking sympathetic.
"How come?" She tilted her head, reaching over to take Quinn's hand as it lay on the bed.
"I don't know. It seems like there's a lot that could go wrong. It could be a disaster." She pulled herself upright with a shrug, "It's just that…I've never been on a date before."
"So? It's easy. You're funny and sweet, your new hair looks gorgeous, you're interesting! You will have lots to talk about and he is going to think you are awesome for all of the reasons that I think you're awesome, and Santana and my dads think you're awesome. You just need to show him that. Confidence!" She gave Quinn's hand a squeeze before standing up and going back to the closet. "Okay here, this shirt will have to do, so wear it those jeans. What shoes have you got?"
"Um…just sneakers. Converse, Vans…I think I have some flip flops somewhere." Quinn shrugged, and Rachel rolled her eyes.
"Really?" The blonde nodded, her new shorter layers bouncing, and Rachel shook her head, "Okay what size are you?"
"Five."
"Good. So am I. You can wear these." She used her toes to prise her ankle boots off her feet, handing them to Quinn, who frowned down at them. Rachel stood awkwardly in her socks, "I'm going to need some sneakers for when I go home."
Quinn stared from Rachel's bare feet to the ankle boots on her lap, wondering what just happened, "Okay. No problem."
"So we're good! Let's go back downstairs." She removed the ankle boots, placing them by the bathroom door before taking Quinn's hand and pulling her to her feet, leading her down the stairs without letting go.
"I have some wine leftover from last night if you want some?" The blonde raised her eyebrows, heading into the kitchen.
"Yeah, sounds good to me. Why were you drinking wine last night?"
"Oh, Santana stuck around after that guy cut my hair." She shrugged, "I was supposed to be working yesterday but she quickly put a stop to that." Quinn rolled her eyes.
"Oh man. Sounds like a nice night though."
"Yeah, she managed to not insult me for a total of an hour and a half. Impressive." Quinn nodded admiringly, filling two glasses as Rachel giggled.
"I say again, I have no idea how you put up with her." The brunette picked up her glass and led the way to the sofa as Quinn followed behind.
"She's not all bad. She has a good heart, when it's not obstructed by her incessantly burning loins." She shook her head as Rachel chuckled, and they fell into an easy silence as they sipped their wine in the lamplight.
"Play for me." Rachel said simply, in a gentle voice. Quinn almost choked on her wine, coughing a little before regaining her composure and dropping her head onto the back of the sofa.
"What do you mean?" Quinn asked, rolling her head to the side to look at Rachel, her brow furrowed.
"Your guitar. Play it." She gestured to the acoustic in the corner, and Quinn raised her eyebrows as she realised what the brunette meant.
"Oh. Right. Why?"
"I've never head you play." Rachel shrugged, "I wanna know if you're good." She winked cheekily and Quinn snorted.
"Yes you have." Rachel shook her head, "Really? Okay then, if you're sure…" Rachel nodded enthusiastically and the blonde shrugged, crossing to the guitar and plucking it off its stand. She stood awkwardly in front of the sofa, shifting the guitar around until it was comfortable, before turning to Rachel.
"Um…I don't know what to play." She frowned, but Rachel shrugged.
"Anything. I don't care. If I know it I'll join in." She grinned. Quinn paused for a moment before beginning plucking the introduction to the song.
"I have taken a wrong turn. When will I learn? When will I learn?" Quinn stared down at the wooden floor as she sang, ensuring not to meet Rachel's eye in case she lost her nerve. "Shall I show them all my scars? Cherry red, bleeding burn."
Rachel watched the blonde, her mouth open slightly, as Quinn continued, "Like an angry apple tree. I throw my apples if you get too close to me." She began wandering around the living room as she launched into the chorus, "But if I look to my right, will I see the one I fight for? If I look to my right. Or if I turn to my left, will I see that I have kept my heart locked up? Locked up so tight."
She stood by the window as she began the second verse, staring out at the view as she played, "Love, love, love is everywhere. But not a drop for me to drink. Tie me up and bind my feet. Drop me in and watch me sink." As she sang the second chorus, she wandered back over in the direction of the sofa, sitting down beside Rachel
"If I was seventeen, I could find it in between the cushions of somebody's couch. I could find it, I could find it. If I was seventeen, I could find it in a dream. A dime a dozen kind of love. I could find it, I could find it." She punctuated her words by hitting the side of her guitar, tapping out the beat as she sang. "But I'm not seventeen, and I lost it in between the birthday cakes and past mistakes that roll by."
She stared at the wall opposite as she began the final chorus, and a small smile played around Rachel's lips as she sat and listened as Quinn plucked the final notes.
"There you go." She finished playing and sat awkwardly, her guitar resting on her lap as Rachel watched her.
"How can you say you're not interested in love, when the first song that comes to mind when I ask you to play… is that one?" She gazed at the blonde, who's mouth dropped open slightly, stunned at the girl's observation.
"Um, I dunno." She shrugged nonchalantly, "It's just a song that I know well enough to play confidently."
"So there's no reason at all why you love playing that song? It doesn't resonate with you or anything?" Rachel quirked an eyebrow sceptically, but Quinn shrugged again.
"Nope. None at all." She smiled brightly, but Rachel knew it was faked. She took a deep breath.
"Well, I liked it." She grinned slowly, and Quinn finally met her gaze, raising her eyebrows self-consciously. "I mean, I didn't know the song, but it was nice. And you sounded great. Play me another one." She nodded her head to urge Quinn on, but the blonde frowned, shaking her head slowly.
"No, don't make me." She chuckled, "You got your song. You've heard me play now, that's enough."
"Oh, come on." Rachel pouted playfully, prodding the blonde in the ribs. "Play me one I know so I can join in!" She sat forward excitedly and Quinn tilted her head, her mouth twisted thoughtfully for a moment.
"Okay fine." She frowned. "Last one though, regardless of puppy dog eyes." She narrowed her eyes in warning and Rachel giggled, giving her arm a small shove. "Okay…" Quinn took a deep breath, pausing thoughtfully before nodding, "Got one. One you definitely know."
She turned sideways on the couch, sitting with one leg curled under her, so that she was facing Rachel this time, and took a deep breath. She started whistling, and Rachel instantly grinned as she recognized the song, leaning forward to place her wine glass on the coffee table while Quinn began to play the opening chords.
"I'll be the boy." She added as she played the introduction, giving Rachel a nod, "You start."
The brunette nodded her agreement, before taking her cue from Quinn, "Alabama, Arkansas, I do love my Ma and Pa. Not the way that I do love you."
"Holy Moley, Me-oh-my, you're the apple of my eye." The blonde grinned, "Girl, I've never loved one like you."
Rachel giggled, nodding as she realised that their roles in the song were working, "Man, oh man, you're my best friend, I scream it to the nothingness. There ain't nothin' that I need."
"Well, hot & heavy, pumpkin pie, chocolate candy, Jesus Christ. There ain't nothin' please me more than you."
Rachel pointed to her chest and then to Quinn, and the blonde nodded as they both joined in the chorus, "Oh, home. Let me come home. Home is wherever I'm with you. Oh, home. Let me come home. Home is wherever I'm with you."
"La la la la, take me home," Quinn continued, "Baby, I'm coming home."
Rachel giggled as Quinn paused, comically plucking the strings, bobbing her head in time. "I'll follow you into the park, through the jungle, through the dark. Girl, I've never loved one like you." The blonde continued.
"Moats & boats & waterfalls, alley ways & pay phone calls. I've been everywhere with you."
"That's true!" The blonde interjected, and Rachel chuckled at the girl's thorough knowledge of the song. "We laugh until we think we'll die, barefoot on a summer night. Nothin' new is sweeter than with you."
"And in the streets we're running free, like i's only you and me. Geez, you're somethin' to see." Rachel shook her head slowly, gazing admiringly at the blonde as she sang, before they launched into the chorus once again.
The blonde cut the song short by leaving out the bridge and continuing straight into the final chorus, adding the beat into the song by pounding the heel of her hand against her guitar as she sang, and Rachel grinned as she harmonised with the blonde so they finished the song in perfect unison. Quinn played the last chord with a huge grin before removing the guitar strap from round her neck and balancing the guitar against the sofa on the floor.
"Okay, that was pretty good." The blonde grinned, "We should do that more often."
"Oh my God, Quinn! I just had an idea." Rachel grabbed her leg excitedly, digging her fingers into the flesh of the blonde's thigh, "There's this little club that I sing at sometimes, okay, and they do open mic nights. You should go and play for people!"
"No, Rach. Don't be silly." She shook her head firmly, "It was hard enough playing in front of you, never mind strangers."
"Well, you could come along next time I go then?" She suggested with a small shrug, "I started doing the open mic stuff and then the manager offered me a regular spot. Every other week I go and sing a few songs, I'm like the evening entertainment." She sighed as Quinn settled back on the sofa, watching her with a small frown, "I know it's not a step closer to Broadway or anything but it's a good earner on the side." She shrugged sadly, and the blonde nodded.
"Yeah, maybe I'll do it once or twice. Do you think they'd pay you extra?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I have no idea. They would probably pay you though, I'm sure. If you tried the open mic and the manager agreed to let you sing on my nights, he'd pay you as well."
"Okay. I don't really need the money, but if we'd get paid more together, then you could earn more." She shrugged, but Rachel shook her head.
"No way. If you do this with me then we split all profit equally." She replied, taking a large swig of wine. "I don't take money from friends."
Quinn rolled her eyes, "Rach, I don't mind! I have more than enough for just me and Barney, and I know you'd pay me back one day when you were better off. I really don't mind." She replied exasperatedly, but Rachel still shook her head.
"No way, what if I'm never better off and I couldn't pay you back?"
She shrugged, "Well then you couldn't pay me back and you'd have to just keep the money."
"And what if you needed the money back?" Rachel countered, but Quinn twisted her mouth awkwardly.
"Um…I don't think I would." She replied vaguely, and Rachel frowned.
"But what if you did?"
"Yeah…I don't know, my job is a pretty good earner." She shrugged, and the brunette raised an eyebrow, "Yeah. It's just, I make really specialised security systems. They're literally custom built. Obviously all of the lock systems are one of a kind, but even some of the concepts are one of a kind. People pay big money to keep their shit safe." She shrugged and Rachel's eyebrows lifted.
"Wow. I see. I didn't realise you earned so much. I mean, I wondered how you afforded rent on such a good apartment, but-" Rachel frowned, but Quinn interrupted.
"Oh, no I own it." She shook her head, and Rachel's jaw dropped.
"You own this place? I thought you rented?" She asked incredulously, gawping at the blonde, who shifted uncomfortably.
"Nope. Saw it. Bought it…Own it." She nodded awkwardly, and Rachel looked away to gaze around the apartment.
"Wow…so how do I become a locksmith?" She asked casually, and Quinn laughed loudly.
"You don't." She pointed her finger at the brunette's chest, "You go to open mic nights and get yourself a regular slot and audition for different shows and work your way up to Broadway. Then when you're world-famous and incredibly well-paid, I'll come fit the locks on your mansion."
"I'll drink to that." Rachel chuckled, lifting her glass. Quinn tapped her own against it before taking a sip and resting her head on the back of the sofa once more, staring up at the ceiling. Barney plodded across the floor, jumping up between the girls on the sofa and laying across their laps, dropping his weight down sharply. Rachel groaned as Quinn huffed, shifting the dogs back end so he was laid comfortably on her lap, frowning hard.
-oOo-
"Okay, are you sure you're good to get home?" Quinn asked, biting her lip as Rachel pulled her jacket on.
"Yeah, I'm sure I'll be fine." She shrugged, "I've only had a couple of drinks." She paused thoughtfully, "Actually, to be honest I'm probably just going to take advantage of the fact that my fathers' residence is two streets down and make use of their impeccably decorated guest room."
"Sounds like a good plan." Quinn smiled, handing the girl her bag. The small brunette took it from her and slung it over her shoulder before leaning in to pull Quinn into a crushing hug.
"Hey, um, can I ask you something?" The blonde narrowed her eyes with a small, worried frown. Rachel pulled back, her brows furrowed with concern.
"Of course you can. Is everything alright?"
"Yeah, of course." Quinn shrugged, leaning on the doorframe of her front door, "It's just…why does it matter so much to you that I start dating? Honestly?"
She watched as Rachel was silent for a second, staring thoughtfully down at the ground before meeting the blonde's gaze and taking a breath, "I just think you're funny and smart and interesting and you could have absolutely anybody that you want, if you would just let yourself." She shrugged sadly, "I know I've been the driving force behind all this but I don't want to push you if you really are against it. I just think that you could get anybody that you want, and you're so amazing that you deserve the kind of person who is going to appreciate that, and love you so much for it. You deserve to be loved, maybe more than anyone else I know." She shook her head incredulously, "And I think that secretly, deep down, you do want somebody to love and to spend your time with and I think you want somebody that you can mean everything to. I know you're not lonely or anything, but…there's more to life, you know?"
She frowned, glancing away as Quinn nodded slowly.
"I see." She gazed around the apartment before turning back to Rachel, "I appreciate that you want those things for me."
"Of course I do." Rachel replied passionately, taking a step forward to stand in front of Quinn, "You deserve the best, and I want you to find that. Because you're my best friend, and I love you."
The blonde smiled, nodding her head in thanks, "Okay. Well, it's my big date tomorrow so…I'm going to get to bed." She took Rachel's hand and pulled her forwards into another hug, squeezing her firmly, "I love you too."
"Okay, I'll see you later." Rachel gave her an extra squeeze before releasing the blonde and turning to leave the apartment. Quinn waved after her and Rachel glanced over her shoulder with a giggle before turning to jog down the stairs and out of the building.
The blonde swung the door closed with a soft click, taking a deep breath and letting it out in a long stream, turning on her heel to find Barney staring at her from the sofa. She grinned fondly at him, crossing to kneel by the sofa and ruffle his ears, placing a kiss on top of his head.
"Need to go out before bedtime?" She raised her eyebrows and he gave a small bark, jumping off the sofa and moving to wait patiently by the door. The girl threw on a plaid shirt over her thin t-shirt and shoved her feet into her old sneakers, grabbing the lead and clipping it to Barney's collar.
She took him for a short walk around the block, allowing him to use the toilet before they went to bed, and they soon returned to the apartment. She locked the door behind them and made herself a glass of water for in the morning, heading upstairs to change into her pyjamas before returning downstairs to carry Barney up to the bedroom. Throwing a blanket over half of the bed, she patted the left side and the blonde dog immediately jumped up happily, settling himself on the blanket as she pulled back the covers and squeezed in beside him.
Snuggling down in the bed, she rubbed her head back and forth on the pillow to get comfy, reaching out to turn off the lamp at her bedside before turning back to the blonde dog and throwing an arm around him, burying her face in his fur and listening as he began snoring steadily, a content smile across her face as she drifted off to sleep.