A/N: I know this took me forever and I'm so sorry! I don't even have an excuse, really... I was just fucking lazy and didn't feel like writing. And then I wrote the whole chapter just to decide that it sucked afterwards, so I had to start all over again. But I promise I won't just stop writing and leave this story unfinished, so even if I don't update for 2 weeks it's not because I'm done, but simply because I'm a lazy sloth. So yeah, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

Just when Rachel was slipping under her covers, ready to go to sleep, her phone beeped, signaling a new text. She smiled when she saw his name on the display.

NP: U rly dance around your house naked?

Of course he was still thinking about this. He was such a boy. (Maybe she even liked him a little bit more for that.)

RB: Maybe I'm doing it right now.

She sent back, not bothering to lay the phone down cause she knew he'd answer within a few seconds.

NP: Jeez u can't say stuff like that. Fucking tease.

Rachel had to giggle. She didn't mean to be a tease (most of the time), but it was just too easy with Noah. And she knew he secretly loved it.

RB: Now you know that's not true Noah. Most of the time you are the one teasing me.

NP: Fuck yeah, I am. Wish u were here right now babe. Miss ya.

She wondered what he was doing at this moment, but didn't dare to ask. If he was lying in bed next to a sleeping Quinn, she really didn't want to know.

RB: It's really not that hard to actually spell words out. Especially not when said words contain just three letters.

She sent, before writing another text.

RB: But I miss you too.

Cause she did. She missed him way too much.

Just two hours ago she had talked to Cedric over the phone. It lasted about 5 minutes, he just said sorry for not calling her sooner and that the surgery went well and his patient was probably going to be alright. He also apologized again, for leaving her so soon, but this time when she answered that It was okay and He shouldn't worry, she was fine, Rachel knew it wasn't a lie anymore. When he had left she had been mad at him, angry even, and it definitely hadn't been okay. But now she had spent so much time with Noah and even though that made her a horrible person, she knew that the time with Cedric wouldn't have been as great as the hours with Noah.

So it was okay. He wasn't the one who should be apologizing. It was her who cheated, or... was cheating on him. And yes, Rachel felt bad about lying to him, but she didn't want to do this over the phone. Breaking up over a text or phone call was just about the cheapest thing she could imagine and he really didn't deserve that. No one did. So she didn't tell him about Noah, just said she spent most of her time reading and sleeping when he asked and returning his I love you at the end of the call. Because she did. She still loved him. She just wasn't in love with him anymore. And she would tell him that as soon as she was back in New York, no matter what happened with Noah until then.

"Morning." Puck said as he stepped into the kitchen. Quinn was always up sooner than him, but in the last few weeks she didn't even bother to wake him up anymore. He wasn't so sad about that, to be honest.

"Good Morning, Puck!" The blonde smiled shortly before continuing to spreading the cream cheese on her bagel.

"Are you going somewhere?" He asked, taking a cup and filling the rest of the coffee Quinn hadn't drank in.

"We'll test some cakes for the wedding today. My mom should be here in about 5 minutes to pick me up."

He was such a lucky bastard.

"Oh cool. And... when are you going to be home?" He asked casually.

"Well, after the tasting we'll go back to the little wedding dress boutique to pick up the dress, so it could get a little late." Quinn set her bagel down and stepped towards him. "I'm sorry I was so busy these last few days. But I promise you that after the wedding, I'll take some time off again. Maybe we can go on a little holiday together. Just the two of us." She wrapped her arms around his neck which left him no choice but to put his hand on her hips. It felt weird to be this close to her. He really couldn't remember the last time they stood in front of each other like this, talking and really looking at each other.

"It's alright. I know how excited you're about the wedding." He said, shrugging it off. He wasn't mad at her for being away so often, it was quite the opposite.

"No it's not, but I'm glad you're not angry." She pecked his lips and pulled away to look into his eyes. "What do you think about Europe?"

"Huh?" Puck asked confused.

"For our holiday. We could fly to Spain or Italy, spend some time in Germany or go to Paris! I always wanted to see the Eiffel tower." She looked at him with those beaming eyes and for one second, he thought that maybe this wasn't bad idea. Maybe they really could manage this, overcome all of their problems and fall for each other again. But then she kissed him, really kissed him and not just pecking his lips, and he knew that he couldn't do this.

Puck didn't feel anything. No butterflies, or fire, no passion, or anything else. The kiss wasn't bad, it just didn't mean anything to him.

He smiled and let out a sound that could either mean yes or no when he pulled away. To his benefit, the doorbell rang and he didn't have to answer anymore. He ran his hand through his hair before leaning against the cupboard behind him. He really had to do something about this. They couldn't continue living like this and he was sure Quinn felt it too. Nothing was like it used to be and they both knew it.

About 3 minutes after Quinn had left, Puck pulled out his phone and typed a new message.

NP: R u home?

It took her about 30 seconds before she answered.

RB: Yes, I am. Just got back from Walmart. :)

(Even though she always sounded so formal when she texted him, her weird emoticons were kinda cute. Don't tell anyone.)

NP: Gr8. Be there in 10.

Just as Rachel had put away all the groceries and other things she bought (a woman could never have enough hair ties and clips!), the doorbell rang, announcing a visiter. She knew it was him since he had invited himself over just 10 minutes ago through a text message. And she didn't even think it was rude, rather... sweet. (Yep, something was seriously wrong with her.)

"Hey babe." Noah grinned when she opened the door. He wore a light blue shirt and simple, dark shorts. It wasn't fair how good he looked when he clearly didn't put much effort in his appearance.

"Noah, hi! Come in." Rachel smiled, stepping inside so he would follow her.

"What are you doing?" Puck asked as he closed the door behind him, kicking off his shoes and placing them neatly on the foot mat. (Yes, she had lectured him the last time he just threw them into the corner. He definitely wouldn't do that again.)

"I was actually getting ready to bake something. There is a bake sale at temple tomorrow and since my dads aren't really good with this kind of thing, I thought I'd bake something on my own." She shrugged, leaning again the sofa.

"Huh. And what are you planning to bake?" Puck asked.

"Lemon meringue pie..." She answered quietly, biting her lip.

"That's my favorite!" Puck said, his eyes getting bigger as his smile grew wider. (Boys and cake. It was really that simple.)

"I know." Rachel answered softly. "I-I mean, that's not why I choose to make it, but... I just... I thought people would..." Rachel stuttered, trying to talk herself out of it. Without any success. Puck had this smirk on his face and stepped closer to her, pulling her to him by her hips.

"Admit it, you totally thought about me while choosing it." Puck raised his eyebrows, already knowing he was right.

"I... it helped by my decision, yes." Rachel blushed, playing with the collar of his shirt. (Sometimes she hated how obvious she was.)

"Sweet." Puck laughed, nudging her head with his so she'd look at him again. "Nothing to be embarrassed about. I mean, I totally get that you can't stop thinking about me, I'm pretty awesome like that." He said cocky. Rachel laughed, shoving at his chest playfully.

(But really, she was such a lush. He didn't even move a centimeter.)

"Are women really into this narcissistic act?" Rachel shook her head, stepping away from him so she could move towards the kitchen.

"That's not an act, babe. I am a stud. Fact." Puck answered, following her.

"Uh huh. Keep telling that yourself." She laughed, leaning against the kitchen door frame. He looked at her for a second before smirking.

"You're really doubting me? Well then... I think someone needs a legit prove here!"

(They didn't start baking for two hours.)

"So, what do you actually need for this pie?" He asked when they finally were ready to bake after two hours and several rounds of him proving that he in fact was a stud. (She didn't deny it any longer.)

"Let me see..." Rachel took a piece of paper and leaned against the kitchen unit. "We need white sugar, flour, butter, eggs, salt, water, cornstarch and of course lemons!"

"That's it?" He asked, taking the recipe out of her hands to check. Seriously, if he had known it was that easy he could have made one himself. (He wouldn't but he could have.) Quinn wasn't really into cake and pie, so if she baked than it were cupcakes, which, hey, he had no complains about. He just really liked pies and sometimes a guy wasn't satisfied with that cupcake shit of hers. Sue him.

"Yes, Noah, it is in fact that easy. So go and wash your hands so we can get started!" Rachel ordered, making him roll his eyes. Why did every woman in his life always try to tell him what to do? He wasn't a little boy anymore, he had a job, a house, he was a fucking grown up. No one needed to tell him shit about what to do, especially since - most of the time - he just didn't listen on principle. Except when it came to Rachel, then he didn't actually mind. (He wasn't going to question that.)

"Yes mom..." He groaned, letting her see his smile so she knew he was joking, before following her order to wash his hands. He knew from experience that following her orders? Often to his benefit.

He was staring at her. And it was driving her crazy!

They had finished the pie and put in into the oven, then did the dishes and now he was standing next to the fridge, watching her put all the cleaned bowls and cutlery away. Normally she liked the attention, especially if it came from a man that attractive, but right now it was just stressing her out. "What?" She laughed, closing the last cupboard and looking at him expectantly.

"Nothing." Noah shrugged, still smiling.

"No, tell me! Do I have flour on my face? Sometimes when I bake I just-"

He stepped towards her and grabbed her hands to stop her from trying to wipe something off her face that didn't even exist.

"There's nothing on your face, Rach." He laughed, shaking his head. "You're just..."

"What?" She asked softly, looking into his hazel eyes.

"You're gorgeous."

It were moments like this that made her heart flutter. Sure, he told her she was beautiful and sexy all the time, but that happened more than often when she was already half-naked or he was inside her. Or he used it just as a form of greeting. ( "Hey gorgeous." "Hi babe, you look great." "You look great in that dress. I think it would look even better on the floor next to your bed.") Now though, she was covered in a thin layer of sweat, wearing simple, dark red cotton shorts and a white baggy shirt that didn't flatter her figure at all. He hair was in a messy bun and she still smelled like raw cake dough. The fact that he looked at her like this and told her she was gorgeous? Totally made her knees go weak.

"I... I'm all sticky and my hair smells like dough and lemon." She laughed, not being able to break the eye contact. Something about this felt so intense, she couldn't explain it.

"Don't care." Puck answered softly, taking her face into his large hands. "You always look gorgeous."

And that was really all it took for her to press herself against him and pull him into a deep kiss. It wasn't just the compliment, she loved getting those, but there was more to it. It was the way he looked at her, like he meant so much more than he could say. It felt familiar and still totally new. And she could get lost in his kisses, the way the brushed his lips against hers and made her feel completely boneless. When her lungs felt like they would burst any second, she broke away, leaning her forehead against his.

"Noah?" She asked hesitantly.

"Mhh?" He smiled, still stroking his thumb over her cheek.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Go for it."

"Would you... do you want to come to the bake sale tomorrow?" He pulled away a bit so he could look into her eyes.

"Babe, it's a bake sale at temple. There are gonna be old, chatty woman gossiping about anything and everything just so they're less bored. And if I show up, I'm gonna be their topic number one." Puck huffed. Having a past like he did wasn't always easy. Especially when you were jewish and lived in a small town like Lima Ohio where you could only escape the accusing glances and whispering by moving into another state.

"I know, I know, but... I'll be there too." She smiled, looking at him from under her lashes.

"Yeah, and I won't be able to look at you cause then I wanna touch you and if I touch you I'll probably have to take you against the nearest flat surface and Rabbi Greenberg isn't going to be thrilled about that. Nor will be your dads. Or, god forbid, my mom! I mean, she'd be ecstatic that it was you, but having sex in the middle of a sacred place-"

"Alright, I got it. That was a stupid idea. I guess I just... I don't know, I wanna do something else than just sit around my house and do nothing."

"You consider really hot, hour-long sex as nothing?" Puck smirked, making Rachel giggle.

"You know what I mean!" She laughed and crossed her arms.

"Hey... if you wanna do something else we could, I dunno, drive somewhere... There is this weird summer festival right now, with bands and stupid stalls were you can win plush unicorns and shit. Chris told me he was there with Jess and it's just an hour away, so if you want to... I mean I could pick you up at 10 tomorrow and I dunno, we can just see for ourselves how much it really sucks..." Puck shrugged, looking to the ground. He was being incredible cute right now and Rachel couldn't help herself but tell him exactly that.

"That's really sweet, Noah." She said, taking his face into her hands and giving his lips a soft peck.

"It's... whatever. I mean, if you wanna go somewhere then we'll... do that. I guess." He tried to down play everything. Driving an hour to some stupid festival for a girl that wasn't even his girlfriend? Totally not badass. But Rachel knew it meant something. Much more than he let on.

"I would love to drive to that festival with you, Noah." Rachel smiled, crossing her hands around his neck.

"Yeah?" He asked sheepish.

"Yes." She answered and kissed him again. Noah slipped his hand into her long hair, moving his thumb back and forth behind her ear just like he knew made her crazy. When he pulled away, he swiped his thumb just under her bottom lip.

"Cool." He said, staring into her deep, brown eyes.

"Cool..." Rachel breathed, laughing softly when he did.

"Then I'll pick you up at 10."

Please tell me that chapter didn't totally suck.
I just don't know, this story transformed into something completely different from what I had originally planned and I'm not sure if I like it or not.
So, like always, it would be great if you gave me some feedback.
And until next time, where we'll make a little excursion to the fairground!