AN: Ahhhh, thank you guys so much for sticking with me through this. Sorry to those who have been around from the very beginning and have had to wait for updates, I appreciate you sticking around! And a big thanks goes out to the people that are just now finding this story!

There are about three more chapters left to this particular story, including an epilogue. I'm going to try to work on my other story A Little Gossip Never Hurt, and I have a new idea that has popped up that I think will be interesting, so keep posted!

As per usual, I do not own Glee, nor it's characters. However, all other ideas and characters are mine

He could honestly say he was livid.

Of course Finn would go and fuck everything up, it was that kids special talent.

But he never thought that Finn would stoop to the lows that he had heard Rachel tell Teasley about.

That shit's messed up.

But at least he now understood. It never had made sense why Glee was suddenly so strained after everyone came back from Winter Break. He had thought that everyone had worked out all their issues and that they would finally finally all be able to move on. But of course, it could never have been that easy.

It also now made sense why Rachel was so damn reluctant to let him in. And if he was her, and was looking at all his past decisions and actions, yeah, he'd be reluctant too.

That's why he had pulled back from her for the past week since he had overheard the conversation that she had with Teasley in the auditorium.

And it seemed like that was what she wanted too. She hadn't even approached him to practice.

Which is why he finds himself all alone in his cabin, staring up at the ceiling listening to music that's probably too loud, while everyone is off getting ready for their Showcase performances.

There's a soft knock at the door, so he slides off the bed and reaches over to turn down the volume.

He answers the door fully expecting one of the other campers or counselors to be on the other side bitching about his music, and so he's shocked to see Rachel standing there.

She looks just as good as ever in her shorts and tank top, but the look on her face? Yeah. No. He doesn't like that. She looks like she's questioning her entire existence.

"Hey Rach. Sup?"

She bites her lip, and it almost kills him. He doesn't understand how Hudson could have been such an epic idiot.

"Hello Noah. Ijustwantedtostopbyandapologizeforbeingsoawkwardan dbusy." She's talking a mile a minute and he's pretty sure that only a chipmunk could have possibly understood what she just said. Her shoulders are so scrunched they're almost to her ears, and her entire being screams tension.

"Uhhhh..okay Rach. Come in and we can talk. But dude, you gotta relax." At this, she breathes deep, pauses and lets her shoulders relax while stepping over the threshold.

They both settle onto a bed and he can tell that she really hasn't relaxed at all. She's as taught as a mis-strung guitar, one tap and all her strings are gonna snap. He might as well delve into this as long as she's on edge. He scoots forward a bit and rubs his face with his hand, a clear tell of just how aggravated he really is.

"Look. I'm gonna be honest with you because I think it's what we both need." she quirks her head to the side letting him know that she's listening, "I'm not going to tell you that I regret kissing you. I've never regretted a single time you've let me be with you like that. Ever." This is the hard part, the part she's not gonna like. "But, I heard you talking to Teasley last week," her eyes are as round as saucers at this point. "and I want you to know and understand that I'm not fucking Hudson. I know that I've made so many mistakes in my past, but...I would never...I could never do that to you. You're too important. And I want for you to think about letting me show you that."

His eyes fall to his hands as he says this. He can't handle it if he sees rejection all over her face. He hears her shift, and glances up in time to see her slide to the floor to kneel in front of him.

She can't believe what she's just heard.

Did he...? Did he just say what she thinks he said?

She gets up from her spot on Ayden's bed and kneels in front of him. She has to see his eyes.

She had fully expected to come here to apologize for being a coward, and then practicing for their showcase performance that is happening in two days.

She definitely did not expect Noah to tell her that he had overheard her embarrassing tale of woe. Nor did she ever expect for him to tell her that she was too important.

He's studiously trying to not make eye contact with her, so she reaches up and cups his cheek, locking his eyes to hers. "What does that mean Noah?"

He breathes sharply in through his nose and brings up a hand to intertwine with hers that's on his cheek, "It means that I can't stop thinking about you. The way you smell, the way you blush, or the fact that you always kinda taste like a grape slushie."

She can feel herself blushing, and for the first time ever, she actually notices the way his pupils dilate when he sees her pink cheeks.

He clears his throat, grips her hand a little tighter and continues, "I know we tried being together before, but I wanna try again."

At that she shoots to her feet, hand still entrapped with his.

"Rach. Please...don't run."

He skates his thumb in circles over her pulse point, and it does nothing to help slow down the thoughts threading through her brain.

She's already in way too deep with him. They've already tried going down this road, and it didn't work. Who's to say that it would even work again? This could prove to be so much worse than it was with Finn.

But then she hears Teasley in the back of her mind, telling her that not every guy on Earth is just like Finn Hudson and that she shouldn't run from every prospect of happiness.

And she realizes that Noah makes her laugh. He makes her feel comfortable. And there's always been that intense spark of attraction and chemistry between them. What if Noah just so happens to be the one guy who can be just as crazy about her as she is about him?

She looks down at their hands that are still clasped together, and then looks back into his eyes, finally relaxing for the first time in a week.

"Okay."

I know it's short, but I'm hoping it was sweet?

Reviews are love, and kinda like crack :)