Something Borrowed Part 6- Do What You Want to Do
AN: Wow, I'm being good with the super quick updates. huh? I'm just really feeling this story and I hope I'm doing the characters, plot, the book and movie justice! This chapter is heartbreakingly angsty with a touch of raw tension and drama! Enjoy!
The tension is thick in the air as the group gather around the beach with their bikinis and linens sipping their mango juices and revelling in the heat.
Finn sneaks glances at her and Jesse avoids her gaze at all cost, the words exchanged between them raw as she tries to summon his gaze with hers. She sighs, leaning back against the beach chair as the wind hustles against her skin.
They've never fought like this before. Jesse has always been her confident, he had the same drive, the dry humour and sensitivity she had. She feels like she's losing everything, her best friend, her first love, her sanity. God, why is this happening to her? She just wants a peaceful life without this predicament. She wants this to be over.
The Hamptons are supposed to be an escape, a getaway place but the thick air between the two friends make her feel trapped and unable to breathe.
Quinn is by the beach with Finn, swinging her bat in a friendly match of badminton when Puck joins in determined to make it a competitive sport. Quinn squeals as Puck swings the bat, hitting the cork with force, as she ducks to avoid the target. She smiles at the team.
For a second everything feels normal again. Too bad it doesn't last as the blonde usher her to play and Puck drags Jesse in.
'Come on, dude.'
Jesse mumbles, feigning interest. 'Nah, not into sports.'
'God, can you be more gay?'
She bursts into laughter then.
Brittany butts in. 'Hey! That's rude!'
Quinn jerks him up as she stands up. Might as well have a little fun to make her thoughts fade away in the back of her mind. She couldn't be more wrong.
'Ok, I'll play,' Jesse says willingly.
'Only if we share secrets for every swing a team gets.'
She eyes Jesse warningly.
'Oh, I already your secret lover boy,' Quinn trails her finger in Jesse's chest as he breaks into a confused look.
Oh boy.
The swings are forceful as Jesse bats aiming for Finn with rage bursting out of his arms as he eyes the guy with a viscous look. God, he hates that guy for what he's doing to her.
Rachel tries to stay out of it as the guys battle each other.
'Man, this is getting competitive.' Puck remarks, watching the game with a smirk.
'Come on, let's cool off', Rachel screams.
'Yeah, let's take a break', Finn adds, avoiding their gazes.
'No let's hear a secret, come on.' Jesse yells, adamant to stop.
Rachel eyes him with a mean look. Why does he have to ruin everything? Why can't he just let it go?
Quinn laughs. 'I know a secret. Jesse and Rachel are doing it', she says playfully.
'What?' Rachel opens her mouth to speak. 'You dragged me into this?' Finn eyes her with panic.
'Er, it just happened.'
'You know what.' Jesse shouts. 'Screw it! Are you gonna tell them or should I?'
'Rachel is...'
Whack.
Jesse holds his nose, bleeding from his septum. 'You broke my nose.'
'I-I didn't mean to'. She had to make him stop.
He walks away and she chases after him profusely apologizing.
'I'm sorry...you were being an ass.'
'So you swung you bat in my face to keep your secret?'
She gasps as he puts his hands in the air in surrender.
'You know what; count me out this little soap opera. You're never going to ask him to choose and she's never going to let you win.'
His words cut through her like a blade in the heart.
'You guys deserve each other.' He spits, walking away as her eyes fill up with tears.
'ASSHOLE!' She screams after him.
He turns around to offer a bitter smile.
'I may be an asshole but I'm the only one who cares about you.'
He disappears into the distance as her breathing rags, her hands wiping away the tears, kicking the water in the ocean with her bare feet.
Finn and Quinn are squabbling about what happened on the beach, the blonde prying the tall guy with questions about what secrets he's hiding from her. She looks on sadly.
The straw in her mouth slurps as she sips her melon juice. Brittany comes to sit by her.
'So he's not gay is he?'
Rachel eyes her with sympathy. Poor girl. 'No', she shakes her head.
'So are you two...?'
She interrupts. 'No, we're just...it just happened. Look Brittany, you're going to find someone.'
The daffy blonde wipes her teary eyes and nods. 'I tried, right?'
She smiles bittersweet as the girl walks way. At least she tried. She gave up 6 years ago.
She looking straight ahead as Finn approaches her in the bar.
'You told him?' He asks
She nods. 'He's my best friend.'
He looks at her intensely his face painted with a range of conflicted emotions.
'What am I supposed to do?' His voice breaks as he looks to her for validation. She tears her eyes away. She can't do this anymore. She can't keep getting sucked in only to want out.
She puts her drink down and gets up to walk.
Turning to him with a broken look, he sighs.
'Forget what you're supposed to do and do what you want to do. Teach. Or live in the big house or don't. Just decide.' She walks away.
Rachel walks into the bar with her backless black dress, her hair tied up with neat curls framing her face. She breathes in as his eyes find hers among the crowd of noisy students drinking away in celebration of their last exams. His face breaks into a smile which makes her melt as she blushes. He waves her to him, walking forward to find her as he places a soft kiss on her temple. His touch on her skin feels like heaven as she breathes softly, his hands closing in on hers as he leads the way to a stall.
They're giggling as he sips his beer, their hands brushing on the opposite's sides of their places from the seats, his fingers lingering on hers.
'So there's 7 minutes of heaven and as the bottle pointed to me, I go into the closet and give myself a kiss. One of the best kisses of my life.' He smirks as she bubbles up in laugher, her cheeks filling out making her even more adorable as he fails to take his eyes off her.
'So...' his eyes search hers.
'My first kiss was at midnight, on a golf course, by my best friend. He was 15 and I was 13.'
He smiles, nodding. 'Wow.'
Their comfortable silence is interrupted by a brassy blonde who sits herself down, eying Finn.
'Oh, he's okay looking. Not anything special', she says playfully.
A Rachel smile at her best friend as Finn looks on offended.
'Er, Finn this is Quinn, Quinn this is Finn.'
'I know who it is, silly! You've only been talking about him non-stop for the last year.'
She gulps as Finn finds her gaze, smiling a little.
'Well, he's been a great friend and study partner', she mumbles.
Finn ducks his head, disappointed. A friend. Right.
'Calm down, your tarts are over.'
'It's torts', Finn corrects.
'Let's play truth or dare.'
Rachel shakes her head warningly at her friend as Finn eyes her.
'Finn, admit you want to be more than friends with Rachel here and ask her out on a real date.'
Rachel laughs nervously as Finn open his mouth to speak.
'We're friends!'
He closes his hurt, his face painted with faint feelings of hurt that disappear as Quinn turns to him.
'Fine, ask me out!'
'Er', Finn looks between the two girls.
Rachel fights the urge to cry and forces a smile.
'Go on, I'm not stopping you!' She says with fake enthusiasm.
He turns to the blonde. 'Are you always this obnoxious?'
'Always.' Quinn laughs.
Rachel watches as they giggle and flirt, excusing herself.
'Excuse me,' she says faintly.
She makes it to the bathroom mirror and looks her blotched tear stricken face, wiping it away with a makeup remover from her purse. Gosh, why does she always do that? She always storms in and steals her thunder, her men, her chances, her opportunities. She breathes in to calm herself down, ironing her hair with her hair and fixing herself up.
She walks back to find them face to face caught in conversation.
'I'm leaving, you two have fun' she squeaks.
Finn gets up. 'Let me take you home.'
'No', she says softly. 'I'm fine. Just have fun.'
He eyes her gaping as she walks away, hunching her shoulders and fighting tears.
She's halfway down the street when she hears him yell her name.
'Rachel!'
Please go away, please go away, please go away.
'Rachel wait!'
She turns slowly to find him catching to her a mere feet apart when he takes her in, her eyes teary and her smile forced.
'Yeah?'
'I just-I just...' he stutters. 'Are you okay?' He steps toward her, stroking her face as she revels in his touch one last time. Her hands shadow his and his touch makes her tingle.
'Fine', she closes her eyes.
'It's just...me and you...we're...'
'Quinn's great.' She adds.
He eyes the floor as she takes her hand away from her cheeks, creating a distance.
'Goodnight.' She whispers and he leans in to kiss her cheek.
'Night, Rach.'
She walks away, letting the tears fall free. That was the night she let true love get away.
He stands watching her go, his throat dry, bubbling with words he wishes he could say.
She's drenched as the rain thunders against her skin, dressed in a short dress, her hair sticking to her puny face as the tears mix with the rain falling from the sky. She sobs uncontrollably walking away with no direction, wanting to get away and the streets deserted wind her along. She stops to breathe out. She has to go back.
She runs back, wet head to toe with water dripping from every pore of her body and shivering. She rushes back to the bar, skipping along and holding onto the hem of her dress.
He's standing there waiting for her when she steps forward to be within eye level.
'I'm sorry I left', she cries.
He offers her an understanding smile, his hands reaching to touch her wet hair. 'It's ok.'
She shakes her head. 'No it's not okay. It was never okay. You and Quinn. I should never have walked away 6 years in that bar. I should never have let you go.'
He strokes her face with tear stricken eyes.
'Rachel...'
'I love you' she declares. 'I love you; I always have, all through law school and all these years apart. I wanted to forget you, I did...I just couldn't.
He looks at her, wiping the water of her skin and he pulls her in by the waist.
'Cancel the wedding', she asks. Their eyes lock as he looks down on her, her chin tilted up to meet his gaze.
He just stares at her, more conflicted than ever. God, why does this have to be so hard?
'I want to live my life and I want to live it with you.' She continues, the pads of this thumb stroking her cheek as they stand under the roof of the bar, sheltered from the torrential rain.
A tear rolls down his cheek as he swallows. Her face is begging for him and he doesn't know how to make her happy.
'I can't,' his voice breaks. 'I'm sorry.'
She steps back from his hold and nods coldly. 'Jesse was right.'
She turns so he won't see her cry for him; he's not worth her tears.
She runs back in her previous direction as he calls after her, tuning him out.