Here you go, my fellow gleeks, chapter eleven. How many of you were stoked for the Puckleberry reunion tonight? They were this close. Sigh. I guess I'll just have to keep writing to keep their love alive. As always, please review, I love to hear your thoughts. Good or bad, but I usuall just hope for good. :) PS- is it just me or did Mark Salling look totally hot during Run Joey Run?
CHAPTER ELEVEN:
The Fucking Man
"Hey Rachel." Finn said softly, scratching the back of his neck nervously. "Can I come in?"
"I guess so." She stepped away from the doorway allowing the tall jock to enter her house. Crossing her arms over her chest Rachel just stared at him. "What are you doing here, Finn?"
"Uh, I'm not really sure… I-"
Rachel arched a brow when he trailed off "You?"
"I-" It was then that Finn noticed what Rachel was wearing, that she was all made up. "Wow, um, you look really nice Rach."
"Thank you." She waited out a few more beats of silence. "You still haven't told me what you're doing here."
Finn sighed "I heard that you were going on a date with Puck tonight."
She nodded. "And?"
"He told me you were his girlfriend." He blurted out.
She nodded again. "And?"
"And… Why, Rach?"
"Why what?"
"Why are you dating him? I thought that we- that you and me had something. Like a connection or something."
"I." Rachel corrected. "You and I."
"Yeah." Finn nodded eagerly, mistaking her correction of his grammar for an agreement.
"Look Finn," Rachel said warily, rubbing her temples in frustration, "You can't do this. It's not fair."
"What's not fair?"
"You! Coming here, talking about connections! It's not fair! You have a girlfriend. A pregnant girlfriend."
"I know, but-"
"No." Rachel cut him off. "There's no but. You were perfectly content with Quinn when I wanted you, but now that I don't you're not? That's not right. You can't have us both. And frankly it's come to my attention that I never really wanted you as much as I thought I did."
"What? But Rachel-"
The tiny diva just shook her head. "That's really all there is to it Finn. I enjoy singing with you in glee and I hope that we can remain friends, but I'd really like you to leave. My boyfriend's coming to pick me up for our date and I'd really prefer for you to not be here when he does."
"But-"
Rachel all but shoved the football player out the door. "Goodbye Finn. I'll see you at school." She closed the door before he could say another word.
Taking a shaky breath Rachel sunk onto her living room couch. She pulled her legs up against her chest and rested her forehead on her knees. She wasn't going to cry.
Puck shifted nervously on Rachel's front porch. Taking a deep, steadying breath he knocked on the door. Why was he nervous? It's not like he'd never been on a date before…
Hearing Rachel's muffled voice yell out that 'the door was open' he pushed his way into the house. "Rachel?" Hearing a sniffle he turned toward the couch. "Rachel, baby, what's wrong?"
The brunette looked up her eyes were shiny and wet, but she hadn't shed a tear. She sniffled again as Puck started towards her, the small bouquet of lilies he'd bought for her held limply at his side. "You're sure I'm not in love with Finn, right?"
"Fuck." Puck swore to himself "What'd he do? I told him not to fucking mess with you anymore…" Kneeling in front of the couch Puck pulled Rachel's legs down, so they were on either side of his body, and looked her in the eye. He cupped the side of her face and stroked his thumb across her cheekbone tenderly. "You're not in love with Finn Hudson." Then pulling her forward he kissed her gently. "Okay?"
Rachel, eyes closed and her lips turned up in a dreamy smile, nodded. "Okay."
Puck smirked, he was kind of proud of the fact he could render her virtually speechless- virtually, because c'mon she was still Rachel Berry… "Fuckin' right."
Her eyes opened and her smile turned into a slight frown. "Noah, you know that expletives are just a vocabulary crutch, don't you?"
He quirked an eyebrow and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "English?"
"Stop cursing."
Puck rolled his eyes and kissed her briefly again, then he pushed himself off his knees and out of her way. Picking up the forgotten flowers Puck watched as the tiny brunette got up and adjusted her outfit.
Her jeans were riding dangerously low; right on the tilt of her hips, and her tops had ridden up revealing most of her toned stomach. "God, baby you look… fuck-" He didn't finish his sentence; as his girlfriend had pulled down her shirts, planted her hands on her hips, and was giving him her best 'what did I just tell you' look- one he was very familiar with. His mom was the goddamned queen of it. He thrust the flowers out, trying to distract her. It worked, obviously, because he was the fucking man. "Here."
"Noah," her whole face softened and she didn't so much say his name as breathed it "are those for me?" He just nodded lamely. She took the lilies held them up to her face and breathed them in. "No one's ever gotten me flowers before. Well, my dads, after a recital or a show, but that doesn't really count…" She sniffed at the flowers again and smiled up at him through her lashes. "Thank you." He nodded again. "I'm just going to put them in water and grab my purse, and then we can go." She stopped in the kitchen doorway and threw him a look over her shoulder. "Really Noah, thank you."
As she disappeared into the other room Puck stuffed his hands into his pockets and grinned. There was no way Rachel was in love with Finn fucking Hudson, she was all his and damn if it didn't feel good. He was definitely the fucking man.
"Really, Noah," Rachel asked, shifting in her seat "where are we going?"
"Just relax, Berry." He pulled his truck into the parking lot of a small Italian restaurant, one Rachel knew her fathers loved and frequented on their date nights. Leaving the vehicle running Puck pulled off his seatbelt. "Wait here."
"What?" Rachel just blinked as Puck started getting out of the truck. "We're not going in?"
Puck just smirked. "Just wait here." Rachel huffed and crossed her arms over her chest; the jock couldn't help but leer. "Trust me babe. It'll be worth it."
Rachel couldn't help but crack a smile. "Don't call me babe."
"You like it." Puck teased. He shut his door and jogged toward the building. "Be right back!"
"I can't believe you left me sitting in the parking lot for 15 minutes by myself."
Puck sighed "I left the truck on, it's not like you were freezing or anything, plus when I came back you were totally rocking out to the radio."
Rachel pouted "At least tell me what you got from the restaurant."
"Not a chance." He smirked.
"Noah… Where are we?"
"My house."
"What-"
"Just come on." Puck stuffed his keys in his jacket pocket, grabbed the bag he'd picked up from the restaurant and hopped out of the truck. He waited for Rachel to get out and when she rounded the truck he grabbed her hand.
Instead of leading her into his house he took her around the side, to his backyard. When he opened the gate Rachel gasped. "Noah."
The Puckerman backyard wasn't huge, but it was beautiful. Rose Puckerman, Noah's mom, was quite the gardener, there were flowerbeds everywhere and even now, in the fall, they were a riot of colour and scent. But the best part was the tree, the one that grew next to Puck's bedroom window, was draped in fairy lights. The twinkly white lights cast a romantic glow that lit up the picnic blanket he'd set up below it. "And-" Puck announced, pulling a small remote control from his jacket pocket. He pointed it at his bedroom window and Rachel all but melted when Frank Sinatra started to play. "So, do you forgive me for making you sit in the parking lot by yourself?"
Rachel nodded and kissed him enthusiastically. "I didn't know you were so romantic."
Puck shrugged and started pulling food out of the takeout bag. "I'm not really, Mike helped me."
"Did he hang the lights?" Rachel asked, straight faced "'Cause I hear he's good at climbing trees."
Puck laughed "You know about that?" She nodded; a small smile on her face. She opened her mouth to say something else when her stomach rumbled. Loudly. Puck raised an eyebrow. "Hungry?"
"Starving."
30 minutes later the pasta, chicken parmesan, and the most delicious tiramisu Rachel had ever eaten were devoured and the two teenagers had pulled the blanket into the middle of the yard so they could stare up at the stars.
Puck was lying contentedly, with one hand under his head and the other wrapped around Rachel, his thumb idly stroking the strip of skin between her shirt and jeans. "You know, I'm pretty sure this is the best date I've ever been on."
Rachel tilted her head so she could look at him. "Really?"
"Yeah, well I'm not much of a 'dater'." He turned his head so they were looking at each other. "What about you?"
"This was my first date." The diva admitted softly.
"Like, ever?" Rachel nodded. "So how'm I doing?"
Rachel kissed the corner of his mouth. "Best ever."
"Good." He grunted squeezing her lightly.
"You're kind of a softie, aren't you?"
Puck growled and rolled over so he was on top of her. "Are you questioning my badassness again?"
Rachel bit her lip to keep from grinning at him. "Wanna make out?"
