"If you'd have told me during our freshman year that you and Quinn Fabray would end up in a relationship I don't think that I'd have been able to stop laughing for at least a week." Kurt had listened with rapt attention as Rachel had recounted the events of that night and indeed, the other encounters she and Quinn had shared over the last few weeks.
"Ha ha." Rachel said dryly, ignoring Kurt's look of glee. "And we're not in a relationship."
"No, but you want to be."
"I don't know what I want."
"But I thought you just said - "
"That I need to know for sure before I do anything – that doesn't mean that I know what to do." Rachel sighed heavily and Kurt pulled her into a hug. She rested her head on his shoulder, feeling no less conflicted than she had when she'd stepped inside the apartment that night – she'd hoped talking to Kurt more would have helped, but apparently not. Not yet.
"But you like her." It wasn't a question; it was a statement, and they both knew the truth in those words.
"Apparently so."
"Do you think you liked her back in high school?" Kurt's voice was curious, and it made her curious too; she hadn't really thought about the past much.
"I don't know. Maybe? I guess I always looked out for her, I always wanted to be her friend, but… I was with Finn."
"And so was she, once upon a time." Kurt snickered then, and Rachel turned her head to face him, raising a questioning eyebrow. "Sorry, it's just that, well, Quinn's gay and she used to date him, Santana slept with him and now she's gay too, and you now like Quinn. So it seems that Finn has extremely limited luck with the ladies." They both shared a grin at that, the mention of Rachel's ex not hurting her quite as much as usual.
"Do you think it's too soon for me to be focused on someone else?"
"Honestly? No, I don't think so. Your relationship with Finn wasn't good for a long while before you officially broke up; if your feelings for him were lessening during that whole time then it's almost like you broke up months ago. And then if you really did have repressed feelings for Quinn all that time ago, then it's not really like it's someone new…"
"You really think I was repressed? And what about what you said yesterday? About playing the field?"
"I don't know, Rach, only you can know that. As for what I said yesterday... well, I didn't want you to rush into anything. And then I didn't know you felt so strongly about her. Why don't you think about it a little more? I can tell this is all new to you; you need time to figure it all out. And considering you have work early tomorrow, you should probably head to bed soon because it's nearly three."
"Oh, shit." It was the first time Rachel had noticed the time since she'd gotten back from Quinn's, and she cursed herself for not keeping an eye on it – she was going to look like hell in the morning. "How am I supposed she sleep now?" She let out a frustrated groan and Kurt hugged her tighter, kissing her on the forehead lightly.
"I'm sure you'll manage, you must be tired. Try not to think too much, there'll be plenty of time tomorrow."
"Easier said than done," she muttered as she stood and stretched, letting out a sigh of contentment as her joints popped. "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow."
"I'll have coffee ready in the morning!" She smiled softly as she shut the door of her bedroom, knowing how lucky she was to have someone like Kurt in her life. She didn't know where she'd be without him after everything that had happened recently.
She collapsed straight onto the bed without turning the light off, realising belatedly that she should have taken her dress off first. With some skilful manoeuvring she managed to take it off without standing, and it was only then that she remembered that she hadn't checked her phone since she'd gotten back home.
The red light was blinking in her purse, and she fished it out to see a missed call and two messages, and she felt inexplicable butterflies as she read who they were all from: Quinn.
Hey, Rach, I just wanted to check that you got home safely. I'm glad we talked tonight, I feel better with everything out in the open. Good luck for your shows tomorrow (not that you need it), and I'll hopefully see you soon? Night xx
The second was sent an hour and a half later:
Hey, I'm sorry to bother you again but I like to worry a lot and I can't help thinking that you haven't replied because you're lying at the side of a street somewhere, so just let me know you're okay? xx
And the call came thirty minutes later. She cursed herself for letting the blonde worry, and typed out a quick reply, her fingers flying over the keys.
I'm so sorry, I ended up staying up talking with Kurt and completely lost track of time! I apologise for worrying you, and I assure you I'm not typing this from the side of a street somewhere. ;) I'm glad we talked too, and I had a good time tonight. I will definitely see you soon; we can sort it tomorrow when I'm not half asleep. Night Quinn, thank you for being honest tonight, I appreciate it more than you probably know. xxxx
Rachel leant back on the bed as soon as the message was sent, exhaustion finally setting in. She was glad; maybe she would be able to sleep tonight after all. Her phone blinking again made her force her head up, eyes scanning the reply Quinn had sent.
It's fine, don't apologise, I may have slightly overreacted but I'm glad you got home safe. Of course we can sort out plans tomorrow, now stop talking to me and get some beauty sleep – not that you need it. Sweet dreams. xxx
She turned her phone off after setting her alarm, deciding it was best to reply in the morning lest she lose even more sleep. She replayed the texts last few words while she made herself comfortable under the covers, their meaning not lost on her – Quinn thought she was beautiful.
She fell asleep with a smile on her face that night.
x-x-x
The next day Rachel woke up early, after a fitful night's sleep. A quick glance at the clock told her that it was nine – far too early; she was rarely up at this time, especially after going to bed so late. She debated trying to get back to sleep for a few hours, but doubted it'd work, so with a sigh she dragged herself out of bed and into the kitchen.
Kurt took one look at her face before shoving a mug towards her, and she glanced in it to see coffee, freshly brewed, that he'd no doubt been about to drink himself. "Do I really look that bad?"
"Just drink the coffee, Rach." She sighed but did as she was told as he busied himself making another cup, and she held her own between her fingers, letting the heat sink through and warm her hands.
"What are you up to today?"
"Not much. I was gonna head out and do some food shopping, if you wanna make a list? And then I've got to be at rehearsals at four."
"Not long until your big debut."
"Nope." He looked nervous, but she knew he had no reason to be – she hadn't been allowed to see the rehearsal, no-one outside of the cast and the crew had, but she knew how good Kurt was, she knew he had nothing to worry about. He'd ace it.
"Don't look so worried, you'll be fine."
"You haven't seen it yet."
"Don't need to. I know you have talent."
"You're the best, Rach." He brushed past her with his fresh mug of coffee in hand, ruffling her hair playfully on the way past as he retreated into his bedroom. "I'm gonna have a bath, make a list!"
She let him go, drumming her fingers on the now-empty mug still clasped in her hands. She still felt exhausted, and hoped that the caffeine would kick in soon. Glancing outside of the window she saw that the sky was clear, there was no sign of rain, so she decided to do something that she hadn't done for a while, something that would hopefully help her think and clear her head all at the same time.
Ten minutes later Rachel was back in the kitchen, dressed in running gear that she rarely used. She grabbed her iPod from where it was lying on the kitchen counter, slid her phone securely into her pocket, put on some uptempo music, and left the apartment, choosing to jog down the stairs.
When she opened the front door of the apartment building she was blasted with cold air, immediately making her more alert. To ward of the chill she adopted a quick jog as she headed for Central Park, just a few blocks away, dodging past the people littering the sidewalk.
She was there within five minutes, and once within the grounds she lengthened her stride, a soft breeze assaulting her cheeks as she focused soley on her breathing. In, out, in out. In. Out. But she couldn't focus her thoughts for too long – all too soon, a face rose up in her mind, a beautiful blonde face with haunting hazel eyes.
Rachel sighed, pushing herself harder, as though she could run away from her confusion, even though she knew it was futile. Quinn was still there, in her thoughts, seemingly taking over her life and she'd only moved to the same city three days ago.
She thought back for the thousandth time to last night, to Quinn revealing the reason for her hostility in high school. All along, for four years, Rachel had had no idea how the blonde had felt – but then again, she supposed that had been the point.
Although, that wasn't strictly true – looking back, she could start to see moments that could have been explained by Quinn's feelings. The memory of Puck's graduation party stuck clearly in her mind, when she'd found the intoxicated blonde out in his backyard, staring at the sky.
She'd been confused at the time, as to why Quinn seemed so sad, to the motivation behind her actions, no understood so clearly the pain she'd seen in those gorgeous eyes when she'd told her to go to Finn.
It all made sense now.
She couldn't imagine that, how much it must've hurt for her to be with someone else right in-front of the blonde. Didn't want to imagine it, didn't like knowing that she'd been responsible for hurting Quinn. It made her own chest ache – or maybe that was also due to the fact that she was desperately out of breath.
The brunette slowed to a walk, trying to control her rapid breathing. She was definitely out of shape. Damn Quinn and her stupid perfection. Damn her to hell for confusing her so much. She let out a frustrated groan, earning a slightly worried look from the guy she was passing who was walking his dog, and pushed herself forward again into a sprint. At least if she ran so much that she passed out then she wouldn't be saddled with such infuriating thoughts.
It didn't last for long though, and she was forced to slow to a halt after a few minutes, lungs burning and legs aching. She stepped to the side of the path she was on and rested her hands on her knees, hoping that the nausea she was feeling would pass and she wasn't going to hurl into the nearby bushes.
She felt her phone vibrating in her pocket and tugged it out, seeing Kurt's name and already knowing what he was going to say before she'd even answered. "You didn't leave me a list."
"I know, I'm sorry, I completely forgot."
"Jesus, what've you been doing? You sound like you're dying."
"I am, a little bit. I went for a run."
"Since when do you run?"
"Whenever I need to clear my head. Like now."
"Uh-huh. And how's that working out for you?"
"Awfully."
"Aw, Rach, I'm sorry. Things will sort themselves out, I'm sure."
"Mm, I'm a little dubious about that but for now I'll take the advice. And as for groceries, just buy whatever. You did fine last time without a list."
"Alright, but you don't get to blame me if I buy stuff you won't eat."
"As long as it's not meat I think we'll be fine."
"Damn, there goes my plan to secretly convert you to a meat eater to save me the trouble of finding decent vegan food." She heard the jest in his voice and grinned, already feeling marginally better. Her heart rate was slowing and her breathing returning to normal, which she took to be good signs. "Okay, I'll leave you to it. See you later. Don't run too much, I don't want to end up at the hospital so close to opening night."
"Funny." She deadpanned, and he laughed before hanging up. She dropped the phone from her ear but before she had the chance to put it back in her pocket it was ringing again. "Jeez, what d'you need now?" She asked, not checking the caller ID, assuming that it'd be Kurt ringing her back because he'd forgotten something.
"Uh, hello to you, too?" She froze at the sound of the laughing voice, her heat skipping a beat – she hadn't expected to speak to her so soon. Quinn.
"Oh, shit, sorry. I thought you were Kurt."
"Should I be offended?"
"Not at all, I'd much rather it be you, you're much prettier to look at," she teased, unable to help herself, and she heard the blonde's breathy laugh once again on the other end of the line. "What's up?"
"Well, I was just wondering if it was you I saw sprinting in Central Park but I can now see you and just answered my own question."
"What? Where are you?"
"Turn around." She did, and saw the blonde approaching, holding her phone in one hand and a plastic Starbucks cup in the other. She was wearing jeans that were so tight that they clung to her hips and legs perfectly, and a black coat that was tied securely at her waist. "Hey," she murmured as she came to a stop in-front of the brunette, her cheeks flushed from the cold.
"Hey. What are you doing here?"
"Thought I'd go for a walk, wanted to clear my head."
"I was actually doing the same," Rachel replied with an easy grin, already relaxing in the blonde's presence.
"Except you were running."
"A mistake I'm sure to regret when I wake up tomorrow morning, but it seemed like a good idea at the time." The brunette tugged at the long sleeves of the thin running t-shirt that she was wearing, acutely aware of how it clung to every inch of her skin (as did the stretchy pants that she wore), leaving little to the imagination. She noticed Quinn's gaze flicker down at the movement, hazel eyes raking over the brunette's figure on the way back up to meet her gaze.
"At least you look good while doing it," the blonde said with a wink, and Rachel blushed. "Want me to leave you to your run?"
"No," the brunette's response was far too quick, and she blushed even deeper, looking away from the blonde and missing Quinn's soft smile. "I mean, you don't have to. I was pretty much done anyway."
"Oh, so what were you going to do, then?"
"Well, firstly I'm in desperate need of a shower, and then after that I don't really have much of a plan. Want to come back to Kurt's with me and we can spend the day together? Or some of it, anyway – I'll have to leave at three."
"That's fine; I have some errands to run later anyway." They fell into step beside one another effortlessly as they made their way back to Rachel's apartment, making small talk as they went. Kurt was still absent when they got back, and Rachel was glad – she didn't want him acting weird and tipping Quinn off that she'd been talking to her roommate about the blonde.
"You can stay in here if you want, or in my room. Up to you." The brunette saw the indecision raging in the blonde's eyes, but she eventually chose the living room, settling down onto the couch and turning the TV on. Rachel was slightly disappointed – she was kind of curious as to what reaction she'd illicit from the blonde if she stripped off her running gear in-front of her.
Shaking off that train of thought quickly she stepped under the hot spray of the shower, letting it soothe her aching muscles. She was out of there in record time, not wanting to keep the blonde waiting for too long.
She didn't bother with anything other than her underwear while she dried her hair, not wanting to get her clothes wet. She'd just finished drying the last strands when she heard the door crack open followed by a gasp, and she whirled around, taking in the sight of a wide-eyed Quinn standing in the doorway, Rachel's phone clasped in one hand and her eyes trying to desperately look anywhere other than the brunette's uncovered body before her.
"I… Your phone… went so I thought I'd… bring it to you in-case it was i-important," the blonde eventually managed to stutter out, and Rachel finally snapped out of the trance she'd been, taking slow, deliberate steps to where the blonde stood and plucking the phone from her hand.
"Thank you, Quinn," she murmured, looking up at the blonde through her eyes lashes. They were so close, just a breath apart, and she could see the raging desire in the blonde's eyes as she met the brunette's, tension crackling in the ait between them.
"I… I'll let you get changed," the blonde muttered, turning to leave but Rachel reached out a hand, catching her wrist and stopping her in her tracks. She didn't know why she'd stopped the blonde, it had been automatic – she just hadn't wanted her to leave. She wanted to know what would happen if they were left alone, wanting to see where the heat she was in Quinn's gaze would lead them.
She pulled the blonde back into her bedroom, shutting the door behind her, ignoring the questioning glance Quinn shot her, and not dropping her hand from the blonde's wrist. They were still so close, and Rachel couldn't think with Quinn she close, didn't want to think, not any more. She'd done too much thinking already that day and now, now… Now she just wanted to feel.
"Rach? Are you okay?" Quinn's fingers pressed gently into her chin, lifting her head so that she was forced to lock eyes with the blonde.
"I'm fine," she breathed, biting her lip as her gaze flickered down from hazel and onto the blonde's lips. Don't think; just feel. Just do.
So she did. She leant up and paused so that their lips weren't touching, so that there was just the tiniest gap between them. She could feel the blonde's breath on her lips, feel the pulse racing underneath her fingertips.
Rachel couldn't say how long they stood like that, barely any space separating them, so close to getting what they wanted, neither one wanting to break the unbearable but undoubtedly perfect tension. It felt like hours, but it could have only been seconds before it became too much, and the brunette leant farther forward, closing the gap and brushing her lips just once, against the blonde's.
It was barely a touch, barely a kiss. It was her testing the waters, her first taste of the blonde, something that she hadn't even know she craved until it was right there in-front of her. And with that first touch of their lips together, she felt Quinn's tenuous control snap, as though she'd been waiting for the brunette to make the first move but then as soon she had done was unable to hodd herself back.
The hand that had been cradling Rachel's chin slid into her dark hair, curling around the strands and pulling the brunette's head towards her, their lips meeting again only this time, this time it was more than just a brief touch – this time neither one of them wanted to separate, ever again.
Quinn's lips were soft, softer than Finn's, softer than any Rachel had kissed before. It was a refreshing change, and she pressed herself closer to the blonde, eager to feel more of her, and was rewarded with a soft moan, possibly both the sweetest and sexiest noise that she'd ever heard – a noise that she wanted to hear again as soon as possible.
The blonde's lips moved with hers in a perfect rhythm, and she released Quinn's wrist to grasp at her hips with both hands, nails digging in as she pushed the blonde harder back against the door, any space between their bodies eradicated by the move.
Her body was on fire, dancing with every move of Quinn's mouth, and when she felt the blonde's tongue swipe along her bottom lip she opened parted them and let out a moan of her own when their tongues met, each desperately seeking to explore the others mouths until they couldn't breathe any more.
The hand that wasn't buried in the brunette's hair ghosted up and down her sides softly, eventually settling on Rachel's ass, fingernails scraping gently over the brunette's skin through her underwear, and she moaned more forcefully then before, causing Quinn's hand to tighten even more in her hair, tugging her impossibly closer.
Rachel's hands, still digging into the hipbones of the blonde, chose to be idle no more and one crept up inside the blonde's shirt, feeling the muscles of her stomach clench under her fingertips. Emboldened by Quinn's soft gasp at the contact she moved higher until she felt lace underneath her hands and squeezed softly.
The blonde's reaction was immediate – her head dropped back against the door, mouth leaving the brunette's only to groan out "fuck Rach," as her hips bucked slightly, just slightly, against the brunette, but they were pressed so close that she felt it.
Their eyes met, Quinn's darker than Rachel had ever seen them, burning with desire and Rachel felt like if it were possible to be devoured simply by the heat in someone's gaze, that that look would be the one to do it.
Rachel closed the distance between them again, pulling the blonde's bottom lip into her mouth, desperate to be kissing her again. Once wasn't enough – nothing would ever be enough. She'd never felt like this before, never felt such a connection, never felt like she needed to be kissing someone as much as she needed air.
And yet that was she felt in that moment as Quinn's lips moved with hers, hands still holding her close, and the brunette slowed the kiss down to a more languid pace, knowing that if she didn't slow down that she'd throw the blonde down on her bed and they wouldn't leave that room until they'd been fucking for hours and that, that, wasn't something that she was sure she was ready for – that was too fast; she wanted to do this right.
But when she felt the blonde's hand clench again, squeezing her ass and pushing her forward so that one of the blonde's legs fell in-between her own and pressed exactly against her centre, exactly where she needed the pressure, she gasped, wanting, needed to feel that again, but knowing that if she did she wouldn't be able to stop.
And she needed to stop.
But god, the feeling of Quinn's hands on her, lips on her, pressed tightly against her… she didn't know if she could stop. She didn't think she had the willpower to stop something that felt so amazing, that felt so supremely right.
But she was saved the trouble of stopping when the door that she was pressing Quinn against moved, someone pushing it from the other side. "Rach? Are you okay in there?" Kurt's voice, concerned, came through the door and the pair froze, moment shattered.
"Y-yeah, Kurt, I'm fine." Rachel's voice was breathy, and Kurt pressed against the door again, pushing Quinn's thigh once again into her, and she bit down on her bottom lip, hard, as her eyes flickered shut.
"Then why is the door not opening?"
"Because it's not, I'll be out in a second, okay?"
"Okay?" His voice came back, confused, and Rachel regrettably pushed herself away from the blonde, not taking her eyes off her hazel ones as she backed away and tugged on a pair of jeans and a tank top.
Quinn opened the door wordlessly, eyes still burning with desire, and she followed Rachel out of the brunette's bedroom. Kurt was stood a few metres away, and his eyes widening when he noticed the blonde.
"Oh, hey Quinn, I didn't know you were here."
"Why would you?" Rachel didn't like the tight smile that the blonde gave Kurt, and liked it even less when she said her next words. "Well, Rach, I'd better go, you need to get to your show soon anyway, right?"
"It's only eleven, Quinn, she doesn't have to be there until three." Kurt was looking confused, glancing between the two women, but Rachel only had eyes for the blonde.
"Oh. Well, I have some stuff to take care of, so…"
"You're not going anywhere." Rachel said, glaring at the blonde and even stamping her foot a little for effect. "Not without me." The blonde's eyes met hers, and the brunette couldn't read the expression in them. It should have been warm, open, after what had just happened but it wasn't – it looked almost… scared. "Don't you think we should talk?"
Kurt watched the staring contest occurring before him, still baffled, and watched Quinn cave as she looked away with a sigh. "Okay. Let's go have lunch somewhere – but you're buying."
"Deal." Rachel's eyes flickered over to Kurt, who raised an eyebrow, but she just shook her head. He knew what that meant – not now. "I'll see you later." He nodded and watched the pair of them leave, still completely mystified and wanting desperately to know what he'd interrupted in that bedroom… but then, on second thought, perhaps he didn't want to know.
x-x-x
They left the apartment and made their way onto the street in silence. Quinn's mind was still reeling – she didn't think that she'd be able to talk even if she knew what she wanted to say. Rachel had kissed her. And it hadn't been a little kiss, either. It had been a mind-blowing, earth-shattering, fucking amazing kiss. She could still practically feel the brunette's body pressed against her own, her mind still overcome by the memory of Rachel in nothing but her underwear.
"Are you ever going to say anything?" Rachel was the first to break the silence, stopping the blonde in the mouth of an alley, pulling her into the shade it offered and crossing her arms across her chest, looking more vulnerable than Quinn had ever seen her.
"What do you want me to say, Rach?"
"I don't know. What are you thinking?"
"I should be asking you that."
"That doesn't answer my question."
"Okay, fine. I'm thinking that that was possibly the greatest moment of my life so far and that I'm going to replaying it in my head for a long time yet. Happy?" She didn't know why there was a challenging note in her voice, or maybe she did – she was scared. Scared that she'd be rejected. Sure, Rachel had made the first move, but that didn't mean a lot. She could have done it for any reason, not necessarily because she wanted Quinn the way the blonde wanted Rachel.
"I… I don't know what I'm feeling." Quinn flinched, and the brunette realised her mistake immediately, reaching out for the blonde's arm – it was unbearable to not to be touching her in some way after they'd just been so close. She felt like she'd lost something until her fingers wrapped around the blonde's wrist and tugged her forward until their bodies were touching. "That's not what I meant. I don't regret it, Quinn. I'm glad it happened. I just… I don't know what I want now."
"Well, I know what I want. What I've wanted for years." The words slipped form Quinn's mouth easily – it was simple, now, after last night, to tell the brunette exactly what was on her mind. Whether or not that was a good thing, though, remained to be seen. "You."
"I know that. And I… I shouldn't have kissed you until I knew I wanted the same thing, I know that, but I just… I couldn't help myself. And I'm sorry for that. But…"
"But?"
"I know that I do have feelings for you. I know that I don't want to lose you. I know that that kiss… that kiss was one of the best moments of my life, too. I've never felt anything like that, I've never been kissed like that before. And I know that I'd love nothing more than to do it again."
"So where does that leave us?"
"I don't know. I still need to think things over."
"I can respect that, I guess. I've had a lot longer than you to process this. So… I'll wait. I'll give you time to think. But Rach?" The brunette glanced up into unreadable hazel eyes, wishing she could name the emotion that she saw in their depths. "I've waited for so long already, I don't think I can take much longer."
"I know, Quinn, I'm sorry." Her arms wound around the blonde's neck and she pressed closer into a hug, feeling strong arms envelope her waist. Quinn breathing in the scent of the brunette, remembered the way her body had responded against her touch, burning it into her memory – she didn't want to forget that any time soon.
"You don't need to apologise," she breathed into dark curls, before stepping back, the feeling of Rachel's breath in her neck making it necessary for her to put some distance between them before she ending up kissing her again. "Now, how about that lunch?"
They turned back onto the street, Rachel leading the way, her arm hooked through the blonde's. Quinn let her mind wander again, running over their conversation – she hadn't been completely shot down, that was good. There was still time for it to happen, but she was feeling a little less terrified than she had before they'd left Kurt and Rachel's apartment.
"There's a cute little café around this corner, I found it while I was at NYADA, I think you'll really like it."
"I'm sure I will," came the blonde's response, slightly distracted because she swore that she could hear someone calling Rachel's name, but the brunette didn't turn around so she shook it off. But then the voice came again, louder this time.
"Rachel! Rachel Berry!" The diva finally noticed and turned around, puzzled look on her face that soon split to one of realisation as her eyes landed on a tall, dark-haired guy that was rushing towards them, one hand held out in a wave. Quinn took one look at him, noticed the way that his eyes ran down the length of the brunette's body before doing exactly the same thing to her own, and decided that she didn't like him already.
"Hey! What are you doing back in the city?"
"Got a two week break in my tour, so I thought I'd head back here and catch up with some friends. How are you? I haven't seen you for ages!" He glanced to Quinn once more, eyes flickering to where her arm was linked with Rachel's, and then his gaze zeroed in on the brunette's left hand – where her engagement ring had been, Quinn noted. If she hadn't liked the look of him before, her dislike only intensified at the grin that spread across his face when he realised that no ring sat on Rachel's finger any more.
"Rach?" The blonde asked, causing two pairs of dark eyes to turn to her curiously. She knew that there was hostility in her voice, but she couldn't help it – she didn't want him anywhere near the brunette. "Aren't you going to introduce us?"
"I'm Brody," the guy cut in, extended a hand with a cocky smile. "Brody Weston. I went to college with Rachel. And you are?"
"Quinn Fabray."
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Quinn." His eyes ran along her body again, pausing for a brief second on her chest, and she felt her lips curled in disgust – guys like this were why she was glad that she was gay. She felt Rachel lean closer to her, though the blonde didn't know if it was because she sensed her disapproval of Brody or because she'd noticed his gaze and was being possessive.
She sincerely hoped it was the latter – that meant that they were making progress, at least.
"So, what were you gals up to?" Brody broke the slightly strained silence that resulted, letting his hand drop back down to his side when Quinn refused to shake it.
"We were just about to grab some food."
"Oh, really? Because I'm starving! And it'll give us a chance to catch up, right Rach? You don't mind if I tag along, do you?"
"Uh, well, I - "
"Great! Lead the way." If he noticed Quinn's glare, he gave no sign of it, all he did was fall into step beside Rachel as she reluctantly continued to the café she'd been talking about before, dragging the blonde along with her. Her day had started off okay, become amazing, and now seemed to be rapidly deteriorating with the arrival of an idiot that she couldn't help think would be the result of Finn and Puck merging together.
Well, I guess this is my karma for enjoying myself so much this morning, she thought, a little bitterly, as Brody propped the café door open and allowed the two women to slip through and inside. They chose a booth, and even Quinn admitted that Brody had some skills, because he managed to squeeze past the blonde so that he could sit beside Rachel, forcing Quinn to take the seat opposite them. Rachel glanced at her apologetically as she glared once more at Brody, who studiously ignored her.
It was going to be a long lunch.
A/N:
Okay, so I hope this chapter lived up to some of the expectation - I didn't want their relationship to be rushed; but I didn't want to drag it out too much either, so hopefully it's somewhere in the middle.
I'd love to know any thoughts you guys have, and once again thank you for sticking with this story!
