Puck watched as Rachel flounced away from him, instantly missing the swish of the skirts she had worn back in high school. She turned and glanced at him over her shoulder and grinned before opening her car and getting in. He stood there as she pulled out of her parking spot and then onto the road.
Damn but she was even more beautiful than she'd been the last time he'd seen her. He wouldn't have thought it was possible. But there she was with a more mature, but still very Rachel look about her. Her smile was still brighter than the stars and her legs still went for miles.
Singing with her was a fucking dream. He was quickly becoming addicted to it. She had somehow gotten better and he was in awe every time she joined him during their practices. Her notes were crisper and her range had broadened.
Rachel Berry had grown up.
She was less frantic and more relaxed. She was happy to share the spotlight. He noticed that she didn't speak out as quickly as she once had, content to sit back and enjoy the conversation around her.
Sometimes it was all he could do not to stare at her. She was the moon and he was the ocean. Time hadn't changed the control she held over his tides. She moved and he moved with her. Or maybe she was the sun. The point around which his world spun on.
There was a song in there somewhere.
Puck trekked not towards his truck, but back around the school. He climbed the familiar bleachers and watched as the football team was coached by Sam. They didn't look half-bad. Better than their teams had been in school, that was for sure. They sprinted through their drills as Sam stood by with a clipboard and whistle.
Sam; he tried not to resent his old friend. He'd been good to Puck over the years. And he knew that he couldn't pull the guy code out because Puck was dating his ex as well. But knowing that did little to comfort him as he thought about Sam and Rachel together.
Sam was a good guy. And Rachel deserved a good guy. She had put up with a lot of bullshit over the years. Between Finn stringing her along and that Brody dude banging other chicks for money. Puck's knuckles popped as he thought about it. If that dick had given Rachel something, Puck would have torn him apart.
Then again, he knew Rachel hadn't been blameless. Not with either guy. She'd slept with Finn while Brody waited for her in New York. And she'd done a lot of scheming to get Finn while in school.
But fuck, Puck still loved everything about her. And he didn't doubt for a second that she was with Sam because they were both lonely and he sometimes did things that reminded her of Finn. The good things at least. Sam was better than Finn had been. He was less selfish, more kind.
So why did Puck want to blacken his eye?
Puck moped on the bleachers for another hour before deciding he'd put off going home for long enough. He shook his head as he got into his truck. It wasn't his home. It was Quinn's apartment.
He couldn't help but think back on what Rachel had said during practice. The way his chest and shoulders had suddenly felt looser, like a weight had been lifted. The sad smile on her red lips as she had acknowledged how he'd felt for her back in school.
She didn't seem to understand that nothing had changed. If anything, he'd missed and loved her more with a little distance. And wasn't that just a kick in the teeth? He and Quinn wanted to kill each other whether they were in the same room or in different states. As he trudged up the steps to Quinn's apartment he knew what he had to do.
It didn't matter that Rachel thought he'd gotten over her. It didn't matter that she was with Sam. Well, it mattered a little.
But he and Quinn were kidding themselves. Nothing they did now would give them another shot with Beth. They would never be happy together. Beth was happy and healthy and beautiful. And Shelby was a great mother.
He knocked on the door and when she opened the door they just stared at each other. As she stepped aside to let him in, he knew they both knew why he was there.
In the end their break-up was easier than their relationship had been. As Puck sat and drank a cup of coffee across the table from Quinn, he felt good about his decision.
"Do you think it's strange that we don't live together?" Quinn asked, starting the conversation they both knew was needed. "That we said forever and yet we never took that step?"
Puck tapped his nail against the mug in his hands. "Did you really ever believe we were soulmates, Q?"
Puck saw the shame on her face before she'd even opened her mouth to reply. "Losing Finn," She paused, looking away. "It changed everything. It changed everyone. And maybe I didn't think he was my happy ending at that point, but it hurt so much. Everyone was pairing up and," She wiped away a tear. "I didn't want to be alone anymore."
Puck brushed a tear from her cheek. "But did you really want me? Or just someone."
Quinn met his gaze and he had his answer. "I needed something, someone familiar. I wanted Sam and you wanted Rachel. But she was grieving and he still wanted Mercedes. And," She choked on a sob. "And I knew you'd end up with Rachel and I didn't want to be alone."
She seemed to be waiting for his anger, but it didn't come. "She told me she wasn't Finn's girl. But you knew that, didn't you?"
She nodded, tears falling quickly now. "I'm sorry. I am."
Puck rubbed the back of his neck. "Do you love me Quinn? Are you happy?"
Quinn wiped furiously at her tears. "I should love you forever. We have a child together and history. And you're a good man. It should be easy." She climbed into his lap and buried her face in his shoulder. He sighed and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"But you don't." It wasn't a question and she knew it.
"No," Her answer was muffled by his shirt. "I don't."
He rubbed a hand down her back as she cried. "I know, Q. I wanted to make this work. I really tried."
She cried harder, leaning back and wiping a hand across her face. "I know you did. I didn't make it easy but you tried so hard."
They sat for a while as Quinn cried herself out, whispering apologies between sobs. When the tears had stopped, Puck brushed the blonde hair away from her face and pressed his lips to her forehead. "I love you, Q. But not the way I should. I want more than this. I want to be with someone I'm not always fighting with. Don't you think we deserve that?"
She nodded, pressing her cheek against his chest. "I don't know what's going to happen, Q. But I think we need to stop forcing this."
"I know." She whispered.
He held her as the reality of their choice fell around them. And for the first time in a long time, they didn't fight.
