A/N: Thank you for reading my story and the response!
Disclaimer: I do not own Glee and its characters.
He didn't kiss her.
She knew his gestures. The way he pushed a pile of her bang aside from her forehead, the way he caressed her cheek with his knuckles, the way he looked into her eyes, and the way he said he liked her in a ponytail.
But he didn't kiss her.
"Rachel."
Rachel felt someone shake her. She slowly opened her eyes and blinked a few times before spring up. She turned her head to Jason. "I'm so sorry, Jason. I didn't mean to fall asleep. Why didn't you wake me up? How long have I passed out?" Embarrassed, she looked down on her laps.
Jason chuckled. "Uh, about an hour? It's okay, Rachel. You looked very peaceful. I didn't want to interrupt your peace." He soothed her arm up and down with his hand. "I know you've been busy. But you have too much on your plate. You should take care of yourself more. And eat."
Rachel blew out a breath before nodding.
"We can stop by a restaurant on our way back home." Jason suggested. "You really should eat." He began to tidy their stuff up. "Alright, before we go, I think you want to fix your hair." He pointed to her hair which slightly was messed from her sleep.
Embarrassed again, but she immediately composed herself and redid her hair in a ponytail.
"Okay, I'm ready." She stood up and smoothed her dress.
When they got on his car, Jason reached his hand to her bang and pushed a pile of it aside from her forehead as Rachel fastened her seatbelt. "I like you in a ponytail."
Rachel stared at him for a while before whispering. "You've said that before." Her heart beat faster a little.
Jason arched his eyebrow. "Did you do that for me today?"
"Maybe. Maybe not." Rachel cast down her eyes, waiting for his next move.
Jason caressed her cheek with his knuckles, looking into her eyes.
But nothing came.
Okay, she didn't make a move either. She knew she shouldn't be upset. She was the one who had avoided getting into somewhere romantically during the summer except for the last moment in NY. She was the one guarding her heart not to get hurt, being sacred to step out of the last relationship and jump into a new one.
Jason had told her everything and anything about him so far. About his family (loving St. Patrick's Day more than Christmas), about the complicated story between his farther and his sister, about his exes (he had two exes, one in middle school, one in high school), about his school and friends (mostly about his best friend Aaron Greenberg), about his outside school activities (he was working at music shop and giving free piano lessons for kids there), about his favorites (he's a huge baseball fan, his idol was Billy Joel).
Rachel too told him almost everything about herself.
Almost.
She had no courage to tell him about her last relationship. That was because she hadn't healed. Because she didn't know when was the right time. Or because she would possibly scare him off if she told.
She was so caught up in her thoughts that she lost her appetite when they entered a restaurant on their way back home.
Although she knew she had no right to be upset, she couldn't help but in silence at the restaurant. Jason didn't say anything. He didn't seem to be upset by her mood swing.
He just kept telling her silly jokes. He just held her hand and squeezed it when they left the restaurant. And all she could do was squeezing back his hand for appreciating his thoughtfulness and patience.
Puck had been out of sorts recently.
First, a school counselor loudly declared that he couldn't graduate at this rate, let alone get in any colleges (not that he wanted to go to college anyway). Second, Shelby and Beth had moved to NY which meant as Rachel had pointed out that he would less see his daughter than ever.
Quinn even didn't care where her daughter was going to. She started dating a frat dude who was a promising quarterback during the summer, like as if her own value should be measured by a guy who loved her. Don't get him wrong. Not that he was going to win her over. He knew he didn't deserve her with a pang in the first place.
Well, that didn't matter at this point.
He always had been thinking he would get out of this sleepy town after graduation and go to LA or somewhere incentive where he could expand his pool cleaning business. But seriously? There were countless in LA. Even if how many rich cougars told him they could put in a good word to their acquaintances, that was not realistic, right? So, what now?
Puck glanced down at a blonde chick who entangled her leg in his sitting next to him in a bar. "I'm going to get another round." He stood up before walking over to the bar counter.
"Island Girrrrl for meeee!" She called out to his back, held up her empty glass, already trashed.
When he gestured a bartender to come get his order with a knock on the wooden surface by his knuckles, an upset voice came behind his shoulders.
"What are you doing here?"
Puck found Rachel standing crossed her arms there as he whirled around.
He made a face. "I'm having fun. What are you doing here?" He turned his head to the bartender to order his drinks.
"Do you or do you not know how to use a cell phone, Noah?" Rachel questioned in an answer. "Your mother kept calling me where I did know you were."
Shit.
Puck pulled his cell phone out of his back pocket. He missed 6 calls from his mother, 3 calls from Rachel, 2 calls from Finn. "Sorry for causing trouble. I'll call her later. So you can go now." He grabbed his beer and a glass of cocktail for the girl who was waiting for him at the table.
"I promised your mother I would take you ho…" Rachel did a double take as she followed him. "Stephanie?" With widened eyes, she turned her head to Puck, glancing at the blonde receptionist out of her eye. "What, how do you know each other?"
"Racheeel? Ooooooh, Racheeeeel!"
Rachel raised her eyebrow in amusement as she looked at her drunken state. "Care to explain?"
"I worked at the Hell Gate during the summer since David was occupied with his band thing. You know what I'm good at." Putting the glass in front of Stephanie on the table, Puck said, dodging Rachel who tried to take his beer away from his hand. "Can you drive her home?"
"Your mother was worried about you, Noah. So was Mr. Schue. He said you didn't decide the course to take after graduation." Ignoring his imploring, Rachel continued.
Puck groaned. "Do you know the word 'meddling'?" Puck turned his body to the dance floor, sipping his beer, following Stephanie's walking over to the dance floor with his eyes.
Rachel sighed. "You're always saying you'll go to LA and run your pool cleaning business after graduation. Don't you think it's a little wildcat?" She ignored his glare. "I honestly said that you should be a psychologist or something like that."
"I have no brain to be that kind of thing." Puck said in a boring tone.
"I meant that you could use your gift. Look around here, Noah. A bartender is needed to have an eye for people, an ability good judge of character. That's what you're good about. You'd get what you love," Rachel smirked, "boobs and booze." Rachel paused, studying his expression. "You should come to NY with us, Noah. You're not allowed to work as a bartender in LA or Lima at your age by law. But in NY you could." She saw his skeptical look appearing on his face. "I researched on the internet."
Puck snorted. "You really are meddlesome. It's annoying."
"Well, it's not the first time that I was told I'm annoying." Rachel huffed, tucking a pile of her hair behind her ear.
Puck chuckled. "Why don't you worry about yourself before others, Rachel? Besides, I'm in danger of failing and not graduating. Not that I care."
"So? You still need time. Get a tutor. Mike or Artie could help you." Rachel, ignoring his last sentence, suggested.
"You're not dropping this, are you?" Puck sighed. "Alright, I'll think about it. Now go home. Leave me alone." He pointed at the door in order for her to leave before nudging her arm.
Rachel stumbled a little. "Noah!" She collected herself quickly. "I'll go home, but before that, you better call your mother, now." She demanded. "And no more alcohol and drive Stephanie home responsibly."
Puck rolled his eyes, pulling his cell phone out of his back pocket. "You really are annoying, Grandma." He murmured.
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