Open your heart to me
Chapter 4
The girls had spent the rest of the weekend nursing their hangovers, eating junk and watching Netflix, they didn't feel up to much else and not a lot happened on Campus on Sunday's anyway. They had both been acting a little awkwardly towards each other since waking up in bed together, neither of them had the guts to admit that it had felt nice and that it had affirmed the feelings that they were starting to develop for each other. Quinn assumed Rachel would never think about her in that way and Rachel assumed the same about Quinn, they both internally chalked it up to the alcohol they had consumed and they just tried to act like it didn't happen but it made the air a little thick with tension.
It was soon Monday and Rachel made it through a long day of classes and was happy to be heading back to the dorm room to relax for the evening, Quinn finished classes later than Rachel on Monday's so it was her day to pick up food for them both of her way back. Rachel thought she would take the opportunity of the free time to have a long shower, she definitely needed it after her dance class and she wouldn't have to worry about hogging the bathroom whilst Quinn was there. Rachel finally made it through the door, dropped her bag on her bed and headed straight for the bathroom and undressed before stepping into the shower. She always practised her singing in the shower if she knew she was alone so she spent the next twenty minutes or so singing and washing her hair and body before she decided she had been in there for long enough. She grabbed her towel and dried herself off before going back into her room and blow dried and braided her hair. She played some music on her laptop and started her lengthy moisturising routine, she always started with her face first, and then would make her way down her body. She had just started moisturising her thighs when Quinn opened the door and both girls froze on the spot.
"Oh I'm so sorry Rachel" Quinn said a few moments later as her face blushed bright red having just seen so much of Rachel's bare skin, she tried to look anywhere but at Rachel and dropped the bags of food on her desk.
"I didn't think you would be back yet, I'm sorry" Rachel replied mortified as she only had underwear on and nothing else, she grabbed the t-shirt she wore in bed and put it on as quick as she could before putting on her sleep shorts.
"The professor is sick so my last class got cancelled" Quinn said as she tried not to stare at Rachel, even though she was now covered up she still looked amazing. She sat down on her bed and wished her cheeks would stop burning with embarrassment, she was sure Rachel had noticed how blushed she was.
"Sorry you had to walk in on that, if I would have known you would be back early I would've stayed in the bathroom" Rachel replied. She noticed how flustered Quinn was and felt bad for making her friend feel awkward. She always done her moisturising routine in the bathroom if Quinn was there but if she knew she was going to be alone she would do it in the dorm room as it gave her more space.
"Don't worry, how about we eat? The food will be getting cold" Quinn replied trying to change the subject, she just wanted to pretend that she hadn't seen Rachel almost naked and got so hot and bothered about it.
"Sounds good to me" Rachel answered.
The girls ate in awkward silence whilst trying to think of something to say to each other, they had already been a little awkward towards each other since waking up in bed together and this unfortunate encounter had just made it that much worse. Quinn couldn't stop thinking about how much she was starting to feel attracted to Rachel but she felt conflicted about those feelings. If she was to ever tell Rachel how she felt it would probably ruin the friendship that they had and she didn't want that to happen. At high school she had been a little unfair to Rachel at times and there was the whole situation with Finn that had complicated things but no matter what Rachel had always been there for her and had her back, even when Quinn tried to push everyone away, Rachel was one of the few people who never gave up on her. If Quinn was to admit to herself let alone Rachel that she found herself attracted to her it would surely ruin everything. She had also never felt attracted to another woman before and that thought scared her a little. She decided it would be best to just keep how she was feeling to herself and hope that the feelings would eventually go away, it was probably just a little crush and would soon end as quick as it had started.
"Brody tried to act normally with me today but I just danced with him in class and didn't talk to him about anything else. I'm still really annoyed with him" Rachel finally spoke brining Quinn out of her daze.
"He isn't worth your time Rach, you could do so much better than him anyway" Quinn replied honestly.
"I just thought he was different, maybe it was just the drink?" Rachel said curiously.
"I'm sorry to say this but I think he is just a tool, he grabbed me round the waist at the party and said I looked hot and asked if I wanted to dance. He's just a player" Quinn said slightly irritated that Rachel was trying to justify his actions.
"Seriously? I'm so sorry Quinn. I feel so stupid that I was trying so hard to impress someone who is clearly just a waste of air" Rachel replied.
"You aren't stupid, he is an idiot. Just try to forget about him and concentrate on you" Quinn said with a smile.
"Thank you Q, you are always so nice to me even though I'm sure you think I'm pathetic" Rachel said as she looked down to her lap with a frown.
"I wish you wouldn't put yourself down so much, you are so much better than most of the people I know and you are one of the nicest people I have ever met, I genuinely mean that. I wish you could see yourself in the way I do, you are amazing" Quinn replied as she blushed.
Rachel looked up from her lap and saw Quinn blushing and couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. Seeing Quinn blush was probably one of her favourite things in the world, she knew many people never saw this bashful side of Quinn and it really made her feel so warm inside. She regretted even trying so hard with Brody and she wished that she could explore the feelings she was having towards Quinn but she didn't want to risk ruining things between them both and she was sure that Quinn would never reciprocate the feelings. But the more time they spent together the more she wished she could just kiss Quinn and wake up with her in her arms again. If this was a crush it was developing very quickly and she found herself thinking about Quinn in new and exciting ways that made her feel liberated. She had always been open minded about her sexuality and there had been a couple of women in the past that she had found herself attracted to, but it had never been as strong as how she was feeling towards Quinn.
The girl's week of classes went by quickly and it was soon Friday again and there was another party at one of the frat houses. Quinn had been sceptical about going but Rachel managed to convince her to go, they both decided that they wouldn't drink too much and they would stick together and avoid Brody or any other over flirtatious guys at any costs. They just wanted to have fun and unwind after a busy week. Rachel decided on a black cold shoulder dress whilst Quinn chose a red lace dress. Both girls helped each other perfect their hair and makeup and were soon ready to leave.
They made their way there and over to the table for a drink and sat down on a nearby couch. Quinn knew a few people from her own classes and chatted to them for a while before the music was turned up even louder and they found it difficult to be able to hear each other.
Rachel had gone to get another drink for herself and Quinn, and as she gave Quinn her drink and sat down on the couch she saw Brody make his way over to them with a smirk on his face.
"Hey Rachel, fancy a dance?" he slurred as he looked Rachel up and down.
"No thanks Brody, I'm here with Quinn and we are just about to dance, right Quinn?" Rachel said as she looked at Quinn who was looking back at her with wide eyes.
"Uh yeah, I guess" Quinn replied with a shrug as Rachel pulled her up by her arm and dragged her over to where a group of people were dancing.
The pair danced for a while but their bodies never touched, both were too nervous to allow any contact to happen as they were internally dealing with their attractions towards each other that they were still sure was one sided. However a few songs and several drinks later they started to get closer and closer to each other. Rachel had been holding Quinn's hand and dancing with her before she had put one of her arms round her waist, surprisingly Quinn had put an arm around Rachel and they danced innocently together to a song that was slightly slower. Rachel pulled Quinn closer slightly and looked into Quinn's hazel eyes and was breathless for a few moments, she always knew Quinn was beautiful but seeing her this close made her realise how truly stunning she was, she looked down to Quinn's lips for a second before blushing and looking to the floor.
Quinn pulled her into a hug and rested her chin on Rachel's shoulder for a minute before separating the hug to looking back into Rachel's brown eyes and found herself mesmerized. Nobody had ever made her feel so giddy before and she found herself loving the feeling, she truthfully wanted to just be brave and kiss Rachel and finally explore the feelings but she felt way too nervous to do that and was terrified of being rejected.
The girls danced for a couple more songs before deciding they had had enough and wanted to go back to their dorm room, the frat house was too hot and there was now a lot of people there so it was starting to get a little unbearable. They thought they would both be more comfortable in their own room and much to Quinn's amazement Rachel had stole a bottle of drink for them to share together. Laughing at Rachel having the guts to do so, the girls made their way back to their room as they tried not to fall over in their high heels. They eventually made their way through the door and Quinn kicked of her shoes before falling back onto her bed with a thud which made Rachel erupt into laughter once again.
"Could I tempt you with a drink Miss Fabray?" Rachel said between giggles and grabbed some glasses they kept in their room.
"That would be delightful Miss Berry" Quinn replied as she started to unzip her dress whilst Rachel was pouring the drinks.
Rachel turned round from the desk where she had been stood pouring the drinks as she saw Quinn pull her dress up over her head leaving her standing in her underwear. She met Quinn's gaze before blushing and looking at the floor. "Sorry Quinn, I didn't realise you were getting undressed" she said shyly.
"Oh oops" Quinn laughed and then blushed and hid her stomach as she felt self conscious about her stretch marks "I'm sorry you had to see that"
Rachel shook her head and walked over to Quinn, taking one of her hands in her own and looking into her eyes intensely for the second time that evening "Quinn you are so beautiful, I mean that. You don't need to hide" Rachel said sincerely.
"I just feel so unconfident with my body, well particularly my stomach. Not many girls our age have stretch marks, not from having a baby anyway" Quinn replied honestly, she didn't regret having Beth or giving her up for adoption but she knew some people judged her for getting pregnant so young.
"You aren't most girls Quinn and you shouldn't compare yourself to others. You grew a beautiful baby in your body and that is so amazing. You made Shelby's life complete by giving her the gift of a child. I think you are incredible" Rachel replied as she stroked Quinn's hand she was holding with her thumb.
Quinn found herself smiling and pulled Rachel into a hug. Rachel always seemed to know what to say and she almost felt herself believing what she had said to her. "Thank you Rachel" she whispered into Rachel's shoulder.
Rachel relaxed into the hug for a moment before Quinn pulled back and the next thing she knew Quinn's lips were on her own.
