She didn't want to wake up yet; it was far too early. Years of waking up early on a nearly daily basis to exercise was definitely taking its toll, and Rachel slowly opened her eyes. She could always lie in bed for a while, or if the inspiration struck her, she could do some additional time on the elliptical this morning. Opening her eyes, she was greeted with a shock as the first thing she saw was Quinn's face, inches from her own. The blonde was still asleep, and Rachel couldn't help but smile at the relaxed expression on her face. She was so used to Quinn being in charge and focused; this was a change from her normal demeanor. Not that she had never seen Quinn relaxed or happy, but this was on a different level from those times. The last time the two had shared a bed, Rachel had jumped up as quickly as possible in embarrassment, and hadn't taken the time to really look at her friend. She laid there, watching Quinn's calm expression for a few minutes, hoping that Quinn wouldn't wake up and catch her staring. As her eyes played over her features, she realized that their faces were so close all she would need to do would be to lean forward slightly, and she'd be able to press a kiss to Quinn's lips.
That was a thought she didn't need to be having. Immediately shaken out of her reverie, she sat up slowly, so not to wake Quinn, and climbed out of bed. She slipped on a sweatshirt over her clothes, the house was colder than she was used to it being, and she quietly left her bedroom. Rachel took the stairs as quietly as she possibly could, hoping to be able to enjoy some peace in the kitchen. As she entered, she saw her dads standing in front of the coffee maker, and realized they were up early because it was Thanksgiving. So much for peace and quiet.
Her dads immediately turned and smiled, pouring her a cup of coffee. She went to the table and sat down, Hiram following with the paper. As he skimmed it next to her, Leroy turned and looked at her. "How was your night? Did you and Quinn have fun?"
Rachel sipped her coffee, realizing her dads must not have looked outside and seen Quinn's car in the driveway, because that most likely would have been their first question if they had. But before she could answer, she heard someone on the stairs, and she stiffened, hoping her dads wouldn't get the wrong idea. Hiram lowered his paper, and Rachel caught the look her dads exchanged. Quinn stepped into the kitchen, her hair slightly messy, wearing a sweatshirt over the clothes Rachel had lent her. She felt her face heat up as she noticed how short the shorts she had lent Quinn were on her, and she prayed that her dads didn't notice.
"Well, good morning, Quinn," Leroy said, being the one to break the silence. "Would you like a cup of coffee?"
Quinn nodded, and Leroy poured her a cup, offering her cream and sugar as well. When her coffee was fully prepared, Quinn walked over and sat down across from Rachel.
"I don't think I noticed Quinn's car in the driveway. You two must have gotten in late last night that I didn't even see that," Hiram said, looking at his newspaper again.
Rachel had no idea what to say, but Quinn seemed to have woken up from her few sips of coffee. "Yes, we were both tired, and Rachel offered for me to stay overnight. I'm still a bit nervous driving, and I think she wanted to make sure I was okay."
"That was very considerate of you, Rachel," Hiram replied, and she honestly had no idea how to interpret the way he was talking to her. Was he mad she had invited Quinn to stay the night? It's not like she had invited a boy over, especially Finn, but her dads were almost acting like she had.
"It was my fault Quinn got into the accident last February. I don't think I could have ever forgiven myself if something had happened while she was driving home late," she explained, hoping that would be good enough for her dads for now.
"Rachel, it was my fault. We've been over this. I was the one texting and driving. I should have pulled over or called you. There's no point in arguing this again."
Rachel caught the second look her dads exchanged, and she concentrated on drinking her coffee. Pacified for the moment, Hiram went back to his newspaper, and Leroy began planning what time he needed to be at the various stores to pick up their meal. Rachel felt Quinn's eyes on her, but she didn't feel confident enough to say anything without seeming obvious or suspicious. Quinn finished her coffee first, and walked over to the sink to rinse out her cup, before turning and heading back upstairs.
"Finn never cleaned up after himself," Hiram muttered, turning the page in his newspaper.
Rachel stood up immediately and took her cup over to the sink, not wanting to continue this discussion any longer. She turned and headed back up to her room, finding the door shut when she got there. Realizing Quinn was probably changing, she went back downstairs to wait for her. A few minutes later the blonde reappeared, wearing her clothes from the night before and holding her purse.
"My mom is probably wondering what happened to me. I'm supposed to help her with the meal before Frannie gets here with her husband this afternoon. Did you want me to wash the clothes you lent me?"
Rachel shook her head quickly. "No, it's fine, I can take care of it."
Quinn smiled and nodded. "Thank you for letting me stay over, Rach. I appreciated it. I feel like we don't get to talk as often as we used to, and it was nice to be able to see you."
Rachel was about to reply, but then Quinn's arms wrapped around her, and she lost all thought for a few seconds. When Quinn pulled back, she finally felt confident to talk again. "Thanks for agreeing to go get dinner. I really liked seeing a new restaurant."
"Santana and I are probably getting together on Saturday. Would you want to meet us somewhere? She'd never admit it, but I know she misses you."
"Of course. Let me know where, okay? I should be available on Saturday."
"I'm still waiting to hear from her, but I'll let you know as soon as I do. Thanks again, Rach," she said, opening the door and stepping outside. Rachel watched as she climbed in her car, waving as Quinn drove away. She turned back inside, deciding to put in some time on her elliptical to clear her head.
Two hours later, Rachel stepped into the kitchen, feeling immensely better. Her dads were sitting at the table, drinking another cup of coffee each. She decided she might as well confront the situation, and went over to sit with them. Both her dads smiled at her.
"Well, we finally get to talk to you alone. We haven't had the chance to see you without either Kurt or Quinn since you've been home. How are things, star?" Hiram asked.
"I think I'm in love with Quinn," Rachel blurted, realizing what she had just said as she said it. She felt her face turning red, but it was too late now. Her dads had gotten her to finally admit the thing she had been denying for weeks now.
"If that's the case, we might have to set some rules for sleepovers," Leroy said. Her dads didn't seem overly phased by her admission, and she wondered just how much they had known.
"You're not upset? Or surprised?" she asked. Even though she knew it would be somewhat hypocritical of her dads to be upset, a part of her still worried. She didn't want to be the epitome of the gay parent stereotype, especially with all the grief her dads had received over the years.
"I admit we're a bit surprised, but certainly not upset. We love you, and want you to be happy. And Quinn is certainly a much better choice than Finn," Hiram answered. Rachel bit her lip, realizing just how much her dads loved her that they had been willing to let her marry Finn. Or at least entertain the idea.
"I never really gave the idea that I was attracted to women much thought until this year. I would say I still am attracted to men as well, but there's something that has developed for Quinn in the past few months. It's quite possible it was always there, and I was simply repressing it." Memories flooded her, of how she had always found Quinn beautiful, how jealous she had been of Quinn, the way they had fought with one another. Perhaps their feuding had never been about Finn at all, but rather a way for her to sublimate her feelings. "I don't think she feels the same way."
"You never know until you take a chance, star," Leroy offered. "It's possible she feels the same way but is worried about expressing it. Especially with the way Quinn was raised. Whatever you decide to do, your dad and I are behind you, always."
Rachel nodded. Quinn had been thrown out of her house for being pregnant, who could even guess what would happen if she were gay? Although her father was no longer in the picture, and he seemed to have been the one that was behind the decision to throw her out of her own home. There was a chance Quinn's mother would be much more understanding, especially having already nearly lost her daughter twice now. She didn't know if it was a chance she was willing to take. "Quinn is one of my best friends, no, my best friend. I don't want to ruin our friendship."
"It is your decision to make. But again, you will never know until you try. You need to make the decision that feels right, for you."
She sighed, knowing she wanted nothing more than to find out if Quinn felt the same way. Now that she had admitted it to herself, she couldn't figure out why she had kept all of this hidden for so long. "I don't think I'm ready to make a decision yet. I'm still kind of trying to come to terms with all of this. If I'm prepared for what it could mean for our friendship. It took so much for Quinn and I to become friends in the first place. This isn't really a decision I can make lightly."
"Your dad and I are always here to talk, Rachel. Whenever you make your decision, you can always run it by us. We want the best for you."
She glanced over at the clock, suddenly feeling a need to clear her head. "Is it too early to pick up any of the food?"
Leroy smiled at her. "I'm sure something is ready. If you want, I can give you the list, and you can run out to the store and check up on it. Your dad and I can start getting other things ready while you go and do that."
She picked the list off the table, and stood up. "Thanks, Dads," she said, hugging both of them. "I'll be back later." She needed to think, and sing along to the radio. She put on her coat and walked outside, climbing in her car. As conflicted as she now felt, a part of her was relieved that she had stopped denying everything. It would be easier to figure out what to do if she was honest with herself. Rachel turned the car on, and tried to find the perfect song on the radio as she drove away.