Disclaimer: I do not have any relation to Glee or any of the writers on Fox. Purely fictional.
"Cory?"
The giant man sat up at her soft voice over the receiver.
"Lea? How are you? Are you okay?"
"Cory, where are you?"
"I'm at the parking lot. But hon, I can't get up there anymore. Theo's on his way up and if I'm there, it's just going to make things more complicated."
"Oh okay."
"You think you're gonna be able to hold it out for a bit longer? I'll drop by tonight."
"I guess."
"Hey, if Theo's up to no good, get him in the nuts. That'll shut him up."
"Cory!" She giggled.
"You're the soldier, go for his weakest point. You'll knock him right off cause that's how strong my baby girl is."
"Cory!" She laughed again. "So uh, I'll see you tonight then?"
"I'm already counting down." He added with a smile before hanging up.
Lea didn't know what spurred her. She wasn't supposed to be seeing him again, Ryan made it clear. They were two artistes under the same company. If anything happened between them, it could cause a lot of mess for everyone around. Having publicity was good, but it would inject a greater amount of risk if things didn't work out. For now, while she loved him with all her heart, Lea herself wasn't sure if they were the real deal. Time would tell. If Ryan needed them to prove that this was serious, then spending more time with Cory would make assert the fact that this can be forever.
"Knock knock. How are you lee lee?" Theo walked into the room and Lindsay stood up.
"Hi, you must be Theo. I'm Lindsay, Lindsay Pearce. We spoke on the phone?"
"Oh yeah, hey. If you don't mind, Lea and I would like some private time here." The man smirked at the girl in bed.
"Oh yeah, sure." Lindsay packed up her things and started towards the door.
"Theo, anything you want to say, you can say it in front of Lindsay. She has the right to know about every single detail of my life."
"Oh yeah? So I guess you know about that big Gigantor who's trying to ruin everything for us then?" He faced at her assistant who stood awkwardly by the door, unsure of her next move.
"Theo!" Lea sat up.
"Mr. Stockman, I'm sorry. As much as I appreciate you coming here to visit Lea, I politely request for you to step out. You are evidently not making things any better and Lea deserves her rest from the shock this morning. So if you please." Lindsay pointed towards the exit.
"This will show you why I have the right to be here!" He switched on the tv screen and the commotion from half an hour ago appeared in front of her.
"She's one of my favorite person in the world. She's like this ray of sunshine, and every single day when she's not around, I think, my life will get better soon. If anyone even attempts to mess with her and her life, they are not just answering to her fans, they would have to answer to me."
"And me."
Lea smiled at his face. She was glad that despite everything, Cory and Amber had been her rock to lean on when everything fell apart.
"Wait, hold on! Where's the part about me?" Theo whined.
Lindsay tried to stifle a giggle.
"Theo, stop it. Just let it go. It was never really about us was it? You've travelled all the way from New York just to get your minute of fame, and you did. But that's over now. It's mindless gossip, and one day it will outgrow everyone here and be gone. Broadway is where you belong, and that's where you'll be. To engage in scandals like these, it's just going to disappoint the people who still support you. Please, don't do anything else to embarrass yourself further than you already have. Don't do anything else that will wash away the respect that I still hold for you." Lea spoke up.
She had to finish things off. Theo was capable of much more credit than he made himself out to be. While fame was important, it distracted him from his passion for the arts and she wanted to remind him that he was worth more than this.
He hung his head, then he walked towards her and sat at the corner of her bed. "You think there are people out there who still appreciates me?"
"I know so. I mean, I still do."
"If I could go back in time, I would change things you know. I shouldn't have let you go like that. You were special Lea, you still are."
"No Theo, you would have done the exact same thing, because that's who you are. You chase after things that you want. We had it going on for a while, but sometimes things don't work out the way you want it to be. You taught me that. Even if we got back together, it wouldn't have worked out because let's face it, Broadway will always be more important than I am. Someday, a girl is going to come along. And she will be the one who will make you realize that there are other things that are important too."
"Are you mad? About what I did?" He remembered about their times together, and while he blurted out to the media that she was a whole new person that he didn't recognize, he was wrong. Lea was still the one who could make him see things that he lost sight of.
"It happens I guess. I mean, if it wasn't you, it might have been someone else down the line. Nobody's perfect and it's bound to happen. People bring you down. That's just how the society works. Someone once told me that you just have to be strong enough to believe that you're worth more than what they say about you. And being in this world for a while now, I see it. I'm not mad at what you did, I was just disappointed that you allowed yourself to stoop to something so low."
He looked into her eyes and said the most genuine apology he ever did. Something that he had been meaning to tell her since their break up a few years back. "I'm sorry Lea. Really, I am."
"That's okay Theo. Really. I'll be fine. Just like how I was after you first left."
Cory slipped on his hoodie over his head and looked down as he rushed through the quiet hallway of the building. As his sneakers squeaked across the hospital floors, he made it to her room in record time, heaving a sigh of relief as he closed the door behind him. It was dim, lights only emitting from the television and a lamp by the bed. When he took off his sunglasses, he saw that she was lying on her side. With her back facing him, he couldn't tell if she was awake or asleep, so he crept gently to her side.
"You'd be a horrible thief you know that." She added with a smile as she turned towards him.
"Aw man, busted!"
She giggled and sat up. Then, she pouted as she opened her arms, hinting for a welcome hug from him. He smiled as he settled himself on the bed beside her before leaning in to wrap his arms around her.
"In my defense, I still think I'd make an excellent thief."
"Please! With the way you sneaked around like that? I'm sure every patient on this floor would have heard you by now. How are you going to get past security even if you managed to snag something away?" She teased as he released her.
"Hey, I would be the perfect ninja. Stole your heart there without you knowing now, didn't I?" He replied with a wink that made her heart flutter with excitement.
"Oh god. How corny can you get Monteith? Now I see why you've been single all this time. It's your horrible cheesy pick up lines that don't work for us anymore. It's true about what they say. You'll lose game once you're near the 30 year old mark." She joked as she reached out for his fingers.
"Still worked for you." He added with a smile and he leaned in, impatient to get a taste of her cherry red lips that he missed so much.
I missed out on uploading a chapter yesterday! And I'm so sorry for that! I was working on my Quinn/Puck one shot "Fell Down Into The Quick World", and it's been up! Do have a read if you've got the time! But anyhow, here's a chapter 34!
I hope this clears up a bit on the confusion from bananappancakes, PerfectFinchel and AnnPatrick! I'm not sure how the media industry works in the US, but I know that for certain countries like Taiwan; some artistes are required to sign a contract, agreeing that there will be no romantic entanglements involved. It's just to save them from getting any bad press I guess. Still hoping that you'll love this :')
Tazzie-mae, finchel-frankenberry-gleek, noro, honoursarah, Mirioni Toku, HAI HAI HAI! All of your energy is getting to me! Which is why I was so pumped up to write a new story! Quick's another couple I ship, so do have a read because it's dedicated to all of you! Sending you lots of love with what I've uploaded from the previous night and this morning! Xoxo, Ashley.
Finchel21, Hello love! Don't worry, it's not a big issue, but definitely adds up to the big finale! You're such a sweet heart, so you go you amazing person you :')
PaochiCute, Tell me about it! I'm super excited for "The First Time" And your energy is just bursting through your comment. I mean, the whole pregnancy thing? You cracked me up! Go do your paper love, my story will always be here. So I wouldn't hold it against you if you put me off :') Here's a good luck to you that you'd be able to rush the deadline and score an Asian A for it! :')
CarCarBeepBroom, Hi hon! You're back! Did you read the notes from a couple of chapters back? I mentioned you cause you were on my mind for that day! Missed you love! So happy to see you back! Of course episode 4 was absolute love, I've been watching it at least once everyday since it first came out! Thanks love for leaving me a review to let me know you're back. Hope you'll enjoy the rest of your holidays! :') Ps, as long as my bf doesn't find out, we can go on secret dates. Just tell me when and where ;)