A/N: hey guys! so i'm back with another chapter!
i cannot wait for you guys to read the chapters when they are finally in canada, alot of fun! woo :)
hope you guys liked the polyvore site, it's alot of fun making it &i'll have these outfits up soon!
leave a comment or like it please!
.
Chapter Ten
Rachel's eyes fluttered open as she rolled over and found the spot next to her empty. It was cold, meaning Puck must've gotten up earlier and now there was a note on the pillow. She took in a deep breath and glanced around to see the sky was darker than the other day's they've been in Ohio. She closed her eyes for another moment before sighing and blindly reaching to grab the note Puck left her.
She unfolded it and opened her eyes to read it, 'Rach- went to grab us some breakfast. Didn't feel like cooking this morning; come down when you wake up. –N.P.'
Rachel let her hand fall as she let go of the note and pulled back the blankets. She sat up and ran a hand through her hair before standing and crossing the room to look out the window. The sky was a light grey with no sun in sight, most likely meaning that it was going to rain later on in the day. She sighed and turned around checking the time on Puck's alarm clock to see that it was a little past 10AM.
She knew they were the only ones in the house so decided against changing out of her pajamas and just grabbed one of Puck's old hoodies to put on. It was grey and baggy and read 'McKinley' on the front. After quickly going to the bathroom, she brushed her teeth and went downstairs in search of her 'boyfriend'.
"Puck?" Rachel called out after landing on the second step.
She heard shuffling in the kitchen and then saw Puck's head stick out of the doorway, "Good morning, sleepy-head!"
"Good morning," Rachel smiled and took the last step before going into the kitchen, "You could've woken me up."
"Meh, I was already up," Puck shrugged pouring Rachel a glass of orange juice and placed it on the table where a box of muffins, danishes, and donuts were all placed, "I mean seriously, someone was sawing some fuckin' lumber."
Rachel gasped, "I do not snore!"
"Trust me, babe- you seriously do," Puck stated and turned to grab a couple plates.
"Do not!" Rachel shook her head embarrassingly.
"Sure," Puck nodded, "And I'm the not the hottest male on this planet."
"Okay, you just admitted that I don't snore," Rachel laughed and sat down as Puck placed a plate in front of her.
"Shut your mouth and eat," Puck rolled his eyes before sitting down himself and throwing a joking smile towards her.
Rachel laughed lightly and grabbed a strawberry Danish before taking a bite out of it, "Oh, God this is good."
Puck smirked at her, "Hm…"
"What?" Rachel asked, cupping a hand over her mouth as she spoke.
"I've heard that a lot in my life, but not over foo- hey!" Puck yelped as Rachel hit his bicep.
"Don't be gross!" Rachel cautioned, "I was just stating that this Danish is extremely good. Mike would shoot me if he saw me eating this."
"Mike?" Puck huffed out, taking a bit of a donut.
"My personal trainer," Rachel informed, "I told him that I'm not on my diet between California and Ontario and he made me run another 500 yards."
Puck rolled his eyes, "Girls and their need for personal trainers."
"Oh, like you've never gone to a gym before!" Rachel finished her Danish and glared at Puck.
"Yeah, I do go- I mean, how else am I going to look this good?" He motioned to himself, "But I don't need stupid trainers to tell me what to do."
"I've known Mike since college!" Rachel narrowed her eyes slightly, "He's more of my friend than my trainer. Plus, he's good for me and he calls me on my shit."
"Whoa! I can be that guy," Puck admitted, "I can help you at the gym if you wear less clothing than you are now and look all glistening and sweaty. And I'll happily call you on your shit. You don't need this Miles guy."
"Mike," Rachel corrected.
"Whatever," Puck waved it off.
"Jealous?" Rachel laughed and took a sip of her orange juice.
"What? No," Puck furrowed his eyebrows, "Why would you say that?"
"I don't know, maybe because Mike gets to see me with less clothing and looking all 'glistening and sweaty'," She smirked.
"Oh please," Puck rolled his eyes, trying to make his voice sound monotone although he was, indeed jealous. He stood up and went to the cupboard to grab a coffee mug, sighing heavily when he heard Rachel laugh.
"Awe! You are too!" Rachel teased, "You are jealous!"
"Yeah, well you snore!" Puck shot back.
Rachel gasped, "Well, you're just going to have to deal with that, aren't you!"
"And you'll have to deal with me being jealous, now aren't you?" Puck snapped.
"Oh so you admit that you're jealous!" Rachel stood up and crossed the room to stand in front of Puck, "Admit it, you are!"
"Admit you snore!"
"I'm not going to admit something that isn't true!" Rachel crossed her arms.
"Whatever," Puck grumbled and turned around, reaching to grab the coffee pot.
Rachel sighed slightly and stared at Puck's back before smiling slightly. She'd be lying if she didn't say she enjoyed seeing the jealous Puck; it was entertaining.
"Noah," Rachel spoke lowly.
Puck took in a slight breath and licked his lips before looking over his shoulder to see Rachel smiling slightly. He made a 'hm' noise and turned back, pouring the coffee slowly. Soon, he felt Rachel's arms wrap around his waist and her head press against his back.
His breathing stopped and he tilted the coffee pot back so he wouldn't spill it, "Rach?"
"Thank you," Rachel tightened her arms slightly around his stomach.
"For what?" Puck breathed out. His heart was beating a little faster and his hands were getting a little sweaty.
"For agreeing to let me meet your family," Rachel shrugged, "For… breakfast and I guess for last night and whatever you have planned for today."
"Babe, I don't think anyone would turn you down if you asked them to cuddle with you," Puck laughed lightly. Rachel shook her head and laughed, pulling her head away and loosening her arms. Before she could pull away, Puck turned around and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, "And you're welcome."
Rachel pulled away and leaned against the counter across from him, "So, what do you have planned for today?"
"Well, some of the stuff that I bought you is upstairs and you need to change," Puck nodded.
"Where are we going?" Rachel shook her head slowly.
"Have you ever slept in a tent, Rachel?" Puck smirked.
"You're taking me camping?" Rachel laughed.
"Somewhat," Puck shrugged, "When I used to live here- that's what Finn and I used to do all the time. There's this place a couple hours away- just outside of Lima- and it has a river and this campsite and all these different trails and it's really pretty up there," He trailed on, instantly lighting up as he remembered his teenage years, "In Cinnci, you showed me that you really like interior designing and how your childhood was like," Rachel bit her lip and nodded as Puck smiled sadly, "Well, I'm going to do the same to you."
"You like interior designing and you had a horrible childhood?" Rachel teased through the small sadness scratching at her heart.
"Shut up," Puck smirked, "I'm going to show you where I grew up and where I had my first beer and where Finn and I read the Playboys that I stole- and I'm going to show you where I decided that music was going to be my career," Rachel smiled at him and Puck nodded, "I'm going to show you all that."
"Yeah?" Rachel bit her lip.
"Yeah," Puck nodded again, "And you're not going to complain at all about the wildlife there and about sleeping in a tent."
"Is there bears? Wait, on the ground? We're sleeping on the ground?" Rachel gasped.
"I have an air mattress but we have to share because my back cannot take the ground and it's cold there anyway," Puck laughed, "So we'll have to snuggle again tonight."
"Oh is that so?" Rachel raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Yeah, sorry," Puck smirked before making a straight face and nodding once, "And yes, there are bears."
…
Soon, Rachel went back upstairs as Puck began loading the truck up with stuff in the garage. He ordered her to go into his suitcase and pull out the two shopping bags and put the stuff on, and after doing that, she would pack up their suitcases and leave them by the door for Puck to come and get.
She sighed lightly as she pulled out the two bags; one had clothing and the other had a box, instantly clueing Rachel into knowing they were shoes. She pulled out the clothes and smiled a little as she looked at the shirt. It was black and a bit oversized but it looked comfortable; on the top right it had a bright yellow star with an 'R' on it. She knew it was from the energy drink that Puck was signed with but she knew Puck picked it especially for her. The jeans he had bought for her were low-rise, blue and faded, with a couple rough patches on them.
She quickly got dressed and smiled as they fit perfectly. Next, she took out the box and opened it, revealing a pair of low-top bright pink converse with another star and an 'R' on the side. After slipping those on, she looked at the mirror Puck had on his dresser and laughed. She didn't look like herself, but she did look like Puck's girlfriend.
"Hey, you ready?" Puck's voice came through the door as Rachel threw her hair up into a messy pony-tail.
She crossed the room and opened the door, "How do I look?"
"Wow," Puck breathed, stepping into the room as Rachel did a spin for him, "I knew I was good but… damn, I'm good."
"I love the clothes," Rachel smiled warmly, "Thank you."
"No problem," Puck shrugged and glanced over her one more time before grabbing the suitcases, "The truck's packed. And your other stuff is downstairs."
"You bought me more stuff?" Rachel raised an eyebrow, "Puck, you really shouldn't have."
"To be quite honest, it didn't cost anything," Puck laughed, "Well, okay yeah- maybe a little. But I got a discount because I'm signed."
"You're insane," Rachel shook her head.
"Do you like my clothes?" Puck smirked, gesturing to his black hoodie with 'fox' sketched across the chest and a pair of faded blue jeans, "I have converse too, but I'm wearing these for now."
"We're matching," Rachel remarked, smiling.
"Yeah, you're all into the 'couple matching' thing- so it's whatever," Puck shrugged, "You ready?"
"Yeah, is it cold outside?" Rachel asked, following him out of the bedroom and downstairs.
"A little," Puck nodded, "I packed your UGGS, there in the truck and I got you a new coat that has a liner which doubles as a sweater- it's sick."
"Thank you."
Rachel smiled to Puck who motioned for her to go outside before him so he could lock up. She glanced up at the sky to see that it was still a dark grey color and it was fairly chilly out. She noticed that there was a huge four-wheeler in the back and it was tied down; she also noticed that the back seat of the truck was full. Everything from a large storage bin to a camper stove and their suitcases were in it. Puck unlocked the truck and quickly got in as Rachel did the same.
After Puck pulled out of the drive way and drove out of the town, making sly remarks to Rachel about the short time it took to drive out, they were riding down the highway.
"You're going to make me ride that huge thing in the back, aren't you?" Rachel sighed amusedly.
"It's faster to ride that than it is to walk to the campsite," Puck shrugged, glancing over to her quickly.
"We have to ride it to the campsite?"
"Like I said, it's better than walking," Puck shrugged again, throwing a quick smirk to her, "I can't drive the truck in because the trees are low, so I'm going to park at the entrance of the site and just do trips to the truck for the stuff we need."
"Is it secluded? I mean, does like everyone camp there or…?" Rachel questioned.
"Nah, it's pretty secluded. It's not like an actual camp site that a lot of people know about," Puck explained, "You'll understand a lot better when you see it for yourself, but it's pretty much this huge forest and people have made campsites there with trails and stuff for dirt bikes and quads," He nodded, "After we get everything settled, it'll probably be around 4 so I'll take you for a ride and show you around. I haven't been there for a while so it'll be fun seeing it again."
"The look on your face makes it seem like the best place on earth," Rachel smiled.
Puck scoffed, "Don't make me sound like such a pansy."
…
"This… is… incredible, Noah."
Puck smirked and nodded as Rachel walked around the truck to stand beside him. They had just arrived at Puck's 'fort' and Rachel was awestruck. There was tall trees that were lined with little pine trees and shrubs; a huge gravel road that went throughout the entire forest so other campers could get to their sites and a huge river that had traveled along the road and was now rushing under the bridge. Rachel understood why Puck liked it here so much; it was peaceful and calm and absolutely gorgeous.
"I think it may rain later so we should get a move on," Puck glanced up at the sky and jumped up to the bed of the truck, "Watch out, please?"
"Wow, some manners," Rachel teased and moved away from the tailgate as Puck pulled the four-wheeler out.
"Shut up," Puck scoffed, glancing around the road quickly before pushing the quad out and onto the road with a loud noise, "Oy."
Rachel raised an eyebrow, "Is that okay for the shocks?"
"No," Puck shook his head, "But it'll be fine. Do you mind getting the tent out from the back seat?"
Rachel shook her head and did as she was asked, pulling the tent bag out from the backseat and gave it to Puck who put it on the back of the four-wheeler. Puck then reached into the back of the truck and pulled out two helmets; one pink and black while the other one was grey and black. Rachel smiled as Puck offered the pink one to her.
"Hope it fits," Puck shrugged.
"You have this whole pink thing down, huh?" Rachel laughed, taking the helmet.
"Comes with matching goggles too," He smirked, stepping forward and placing his helmet between his knees to help with Rachel's, "Alright, so-" Puck cleared his throat and awkwardly moved to grab the helmet from her and placed it over her head in the air, "Going to leave your hair up?"
"Is it okay if I do?" Rachel asked, obviously new to this whole four-wheeler stuff.
Puck smiled and nodded, "Yeah it's fine. It just may feel awkward- Sarah said that it's better when it's up because it doesn't get dirty while riding." Rachel nodded and watched as Puck winked to her before lowering the helmet down to her head; it slipped on easily and Puck grinned, "Perfect fit."
Rachel laughed, "Do I look like a chipmunk?"
Her cheeks were pressed against the padding of the helmet and now that she was laughing, Puck couldn't help too either, "Kind of. But it's fine, you look good."
"Sure I do," Rachel laughed again and Puck grabbed the helmet from his knees before grabbing the mouth of it and reached into the back once again to grab the goggles. He placed his helmet on the wall of the truck and slipped the goggles onto Rachel's helmet and over her eyes. Rachel took a step back and lifted her arms while twisting her hips in a model pose, "Do I look like a rider?"
Puck smirked and laughed lightly, "You look like a natural."
"Get your helmet on so I can see how good you look," Rachel placed her hands on her hips and waited as Puck smirked again and grabbed his helmet, slipping it onto his head; not bothering with the goggles.
He lifted his hands and stroke a pose before mocking, "Do I look like a rider?"
"You're such a nerd!" Rachel laughed and pushed Puck's chest.
Puck laughed as well and licked his dry lips as he watched Rachel shake her head and get onto the back of the four-wheeler, situating the tent between her back and the heavy duty box. Her stomach was doing flips and the butterflies were settling in her throat with the nerves of being on a four-wheeler but she trusted Puck.
"You're not going to kill me, are you?" Rachel joked.
Puck laughed and rolled his eyes, quickly getting on and starting it up. It roared to life and he glanced back to Rachel, "Trust me, I won't. It'll be a quick ride anyways, just a little down there," He pointed while calling over the engine. The little hill that led to an uneven dirt road was lined with short trees and shrubbery, "Not even a two minute ride. I'll set up the tent and leave you there while I come back for the stuff." Rachel nodded and leaned back slightly only to have Puck look over his shoulder again, "Okay, I'll start off slow because of the hill; it's bumpy so you can hold on to the grid on the back or me- it doesn't really matter, just hold on."
"You'll start off slow?" Rachel asked but Puck turned back to the front and smirked as he shifted gears and pulled forward to go down the hill.
He sat back slightly to even the quad and ignored the weird feeling in his stomach that was due to Rachel not choosing him to hold on to. Puck started down the hill and about halfway down he shifted gears and pulled the throttle towards him, making the quad go down quickly and hit the rock at the bottom. This caused Puck to laugh as they bounced onto the ground and even out but Rachel screamed and clutched onto Puck, causing him to laugh harder.
Once they reached the campsite, Puck turned off the quad. Rachel quickly hopped off and took off her helmet, throwing it at Puck. He caught it and laughed, jumping off the seat as well. The short brunette growled and crossed her arms as Puck placed her helmet where he was previously sitting and turned back to look at Rachel.
"God, you're such a jerk!" Rachel shouted.
"Oh come on," Puck rolled his eyes, lifting his hands to take the helmet off. He shook his head and placed the helmet beside the pink one and took a step forward to Rachel who took a step back, "Hey, I'm sorry."
"No you're not!" Rachel pouted, "That was my first time on one of those and you scare me half to death!"
"Babe, I'm sorry," Puck mock pouted as he took another step forward and Rachel took a step backwards.
"Don't call me babe! Not right now!" Rachel glared.
"Come on, stop stepping away from me," Puck tried to catch her but she took another step backwards and bit her lip to try to hide the smirk, "Rach, stop."
"What are you going to do, huh?" Rachel tilted her head and dropped her arms.
"Nothing just… come here!" Puck quickly took a step forward and tried to reach for her again but Rachel stepped away and turned, running while Puck ran after.
"Rachel!" Puck whined, "Stop!"
Rachel laughed and sprinted away and around the large campsite, "No!" She giggled and stopped abruptly, turning around to see Puck stop a few feet away. She bent slightly and moved from side to side as Puck followed.
"Rachel Barbara Berry!" Puck tried, standing straight and glaring at her, "Stop running away from me."
Rachel narrowed her eyes slightly with a smirk on her face, acting as if she was considering it. She shook her head and jumped to run away again, "No!"
Puck lunged quickly and caught her around her waist as she was running. She groaned as the wind came out of her lungs and then laughed. Puck laughed quietly as well and turned her around in his arms, "Now, are you going to run away again?"
Rachel shook her head with a grin on her face, "No."
"Promise?" Puck smirked and lowered his voice.
"I promise," Rachel whispered as she continued to grin.
Puck blinked slightly and realized how close they were. His smirk fell faintly as his gaze flickered between Rachel's lips and eyes. Rachel noticed his slow advance and swallowed slightly before clearing her throat and looking away, stepping back.
"Uh… you should uh-" Rachel stammered as Puck nodded and cleared his throat.
"Yeah, uh… I'll set up the tent and… stuff," Puck trailed off, swallowing and turning around to walk across the site.
…
Puck and Rachel sat around the fire that Puck had started a little while ago. The sky was dark and the wind was breezing through the trees. The campsite was set up; the tent was ready with the multiple blankets and the air mattress. The meal food was back in the truck and the snack food was beside them on the table but would soon be in the heavy duty box on the back of Puck's quad.
It was around 10PM and they decided to stay at the campsite for the day and would go out four-wheeling tomorrow. They had had dinner and Puck showed Rachel some of the walking trails that led off of their campsite after that. Once it started getting dark, Puck started the fire and got dressed into some sweatpants and his heavy sweater while Rachel layered up. She looked two times the size she actually was as she sat in the canvas fold up chair Puck had brought. Her UGG-clad feet were currently propped up on Puck's knee and her face was buried into her coat, only showing her eyes and forehead.
"Cold?" Puck smirked, glancing at Rachel as she stared at the fire.
"You didn't tell me it's this cold at night!" Rachel snapped, not tearing her eyes away from the fire.
"It's not my fault you didn't bring warm clothes," Puck scoffed, glancing at his sweatpants that Rachel had borrowed.
"And it's my fault you didn't tell me I should bring warm clothes?" Rachel finally looked at him.
"Oh, you're pissed at me for bringing you camping?" Puck rolled his eyes, "You know, if you're just going to complain, we can just go home; all you have to do is ask."
"Oh, you'd like that wouldn't you?" Rachel finally lifted her chin out of her jacket and glared at her 'boyfriend'.
"What are you talking about?" Puck raised an eyebrow.
"You'd love for me to ask you to take me home because then you can use this against me!" Rachel raised her voice slightly, "'Oh Rachel Berry can't handle the cold'."
"Shut up," Puck dragged out, rolling his eyes and rolling his neck around, "God, you're so dramatic all the time!"
"And you're so annoying all of the time!" Rachel shot back before standing up and turning towards the tent.
"I take you here so you can see how I grew up," Puck shook his head as Rachel turned back with crossed arms, "But if you're going to be a brat we can leave right in the morning."
"Oh, I'm so scared," Rachel mocked and rolled her eyes. A large growl came from the trees and both Rachel and Puck snapped their attention towards the forest in front of them. Puck stood up quietly as Rachel turned to look at Puck before whispering, "Oh, I'm so scared!"
"Tent!" Puck whispered, "I left the air horn in there, come on."
Rachel nodded and quickly but quietly headed towards the tent as Puck unzipped it and gently shoved her inside, grabbing the air horn before zipping the door back up and quickly moving to grab all the food to put away. He blew the air horn and heard shuffling in the forest while he put the snacks away. He blew it again once he reached the tent and went inside to see Rachel hiding under the blankets, making him scoff.
"Do you honestly think the bear wouldn't find you?"
Rachel pushed the blankets away from her head and quickly sprung up, wrapping her arms around Puck and bringing him down on the mattress, "Oh God, I didn't actually believe you about the bears!"
Puck pushed himself slightly up with his palms as he landed on Rachel and glanced down at her, "Do you honestly think I would lie about that?"
"Yeah," Rachel scoffed.
"Why would I do that?" Puck tilted his head slightly.
"Because you like scaring me," Rachel informed, "Take the four-wheeler earlier today for example."
"Oh that was a joke," Puck rolled his eyes and smirked, propping his chin into his palm as he continued to lie on top of Rachel.
Rachel shook her head and grabbed the hair from his unkempt mohawk, tugging on it slightly, "Just so you know, we're shaving this before the MMVA's."
"Uh, no," Puck shook his head, pushing Rachel's hands away from his hair, "I have tour right after, it's a tour thing."
"Well, you can grow it on tour since I won't see you everyday," Rachel bargained, "But as for now, we're shaving it before we have our first public appearance after we announce our relationship status."
Puck rolled his eyes, "No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
"No!"
"If you don't," Rachel began, "I'll tell everyone we're waiting until marriage."
"Waiting? Waiting for what- oh… oh," Puck clued in, shifting slightly as he stared at Rachel straight on, "Wait… But then… my… my image will be a lie and the rep that I have gained will be for nothing!"
"So I guess we're shaving your head in Canada then, huh?" Rachel smirked in triumph.
"You're evil," Puck glared, "Pure and complete evil."
"You love me," Rachel smiled warmly as she stole his line.
"You bug me," Puck mocked back before smiling faintly.
Rachel laughed slightly as Puck shook his head and once again realized their closeness. He blinked and glanced between her lips and eyes. Rachel stopped laughing as she realized that Puck was slightly more tense than before and realized what he was doing. Before she could turn away, Puck had leaned forward and connected their lips.
Puck's lips were warm and soft which was surprising in this type of weather. Rachel's were probably chapped and cold since she hadn't put on any chap stick today. She felt Puck place his hand on her neck and softly turn her head before opening her lips with his own and let his tongue roam her mouth.
Rachel found herself kissing him back and lifted her hands to rest on his hips. Everything about him was warm and his lips had touched her before; well, never like this, always on the forehead or temple, never on the lips. They didn't seem soft or warm like this, just like another pair of lips kissing. It didn't seem real but more forced.
But the way Puck was kissing her right now seemed more real than forced and that scared her. She hadn't kissed someone in a while; well, once but that was for a video so it didn't technically count. And this kiss wasn't for the public like their relationship was because it happened when they were alone and secluded in a random forest with bears and tons of different trees.
Puck had kissed her and was still kissing her and this was only going to make their 'relationship' more complicated then it already was. They weren't even in a relationship! It was more of a partnership and it was made on a contract! So what was happening now?
Noah Puckerman was complicating their partnership.
But what was worse was that Rachel could feel the warmth and softness of the kiss.
Rachel Berry was a supportive partner in this complicated agreement.
Puck pulled away slightly and swallowed, opening his eyes to meet Rachel's closed ones. He sighed softly and Rachel opened her eyes to see his faintly hooded ones. She swallowed as well and Puck shook his head softly before rolling off of his 'girlfriend' and onto the empty space beside them.
Puck stared up at the thick walls of the tent and sighed, knowing he shouldn't have kissed Rachel. It was a bad decision on his part but he still did it and he couldn't take it back now. He knew this was going to complicate things a lot more than they already were but the small butterflies were still flying in his stomach as he thought back to the kiss.
Rachel was currently staring at the top of the tent as well and biting her lip nervously. She needed to glance at Puck to see what he was doing but she knew that he was thinking deeply and didn't want to be disturbed.
This definitely complicated things.