A/N: Day 24! Sorry again for the delay, but-at this point-these are just gonna come out whenever I finish them. We're in the home stretch here, only six more days, and I will do my best to keep them coming as soon as possible. Anyway, here's a part two to the previous chapter about arguing.
Day 24: Making Up Afterwards
Sitting on the subway, Quinn stares blankly at the wall opposite her and ponders the day's events.
She had been looking forward to the party tonight, with Rachel, but her excitement was quickly trampled by their argument. She went to the party alone, watched as everyone talked and laughed and drank while she politely made her rounds, talking to people, and played back her conversation with Rachel over and over in her head.
All night, Quinn thought about her girlfriend. Every time someone asked where Rachel was, or why Rachel wasn't with her, or how Rachel was doing, it forced her mind back to thinking about her, as if she wasn't already constantly on her mind, and it made her feel even worse about their argument. Quinn knows she wasn't in the wrong, but she can admit that she wasn't entirely in the right either. However, Rachel's words had come as quite the surprise to her and had struck a few sour chords within her.
Since she was eight years old, reading Lewis Carroll and L. Frank Baum, being called another name, almost as if it were another lifetime, Quinn has dreamed of publishing a book of her own. She fell in love with literature from a young age, and she is a writer at heart. A story-teller, much like Rachel, actually. They both have always longed to tell stories of vastly different characters facing all sorts of struggles. For Quinn, this desire is met through her writing.
When her novel was published, it was one of the greatest days of Quinn's life. It wasn't her Great American Novel, but it certainly was one that she was (and is) immensely proud of. She had been working on it for close to five years, and it was finally out to the public. And it was an instantaneous hit.
Quinn was so glad to be recognized for her efforts, to be lauded and praised by numerous critics, to receive letters and emails from readers telling her how much the story touched them. It was personal to her, a memoir of sorts, told through the lens of a girl named Dawn. It was twenty-six years of existence, of life, of love, of loss, of regret and mistakes and forgiveness and acceptance, all culminated into one story, twenty-four chapters, over eighty thousand words. Her perfect thing.
And to find out Rachel has been resenting her success? Well, it definitely hurts a bit.
She never thought she would see the day when Rachel wasn't incredibly supportive of her endeavors. That's what they did, what they've always done, after all. They support each other. Even in high school, they were each other's biggest supporters despite any tension between them. But hearing Rachel say she was tired of going to her parties and thinking she's flaunting her success in her face didn't sit well with Quinn. At all.
She said some harsh words earlier, and, as she walks off the subway to her apartment building, she can't decide whether she's hoping to find Rachel still awake or not. Quinn wants to work this out with her before it can fester into something worse, but she's exhausted and just wants to fall in bed with her girlfriend and leave it for the morning. Unsurprisingly, Rachel is still awake when Quinn walks in, never one to leave a fight like this unresolved. She's sitting in the corner of the couch, legs tucked underneath her, chewing on her lip nervously as Quinn sets her things down and heads into their bedroom.
She hears Rachel call, "Quinn?" as she walks in, leaving the door open behind her, and peels off her dress and heels. She throws a pair of shorts on and is pulling a shirt out of their dresser when Rachel walks in. She pauses in her steps, eyes suddenly growing wide at Quinn's state of (un)dress.
"I was just changing," She explains, turning around to take her bra off and throw the shirt over her head. Usually, she wouldn't bother with this kind of modesty in front of her girlfriend, but it feels necessary given the circumstances.
Quinn turns back around to see Rachel still standing in the entrance to their bedroom. Exhaling deeply, she walks and sits on the bed as Rachel moves a few steps closer to her, still leaving a wide gap between them. She meets her girlfriend's eyes, seeing an amalgamation of emotions buried within them.
It's silent, almost unbearably so, before Rachel says, "I, um, I got a callback while you were out."
Quinn's eyes grow wide. "You did?" She asks.
Rachel nods, explaining, "It's for Moulin Rouge. They're just workshopping it right now, but—"
"Rachel, that's amazing!" Quinn cuts her off, overwhelmed with excitement for her girlfriend. Moulin Rouge could be a huge role for her, but Rachel doesn't seem excited in the least. Instead, her face remains despondent, a frown firmly in place on her lips.
"I'm sorry." She mumbles.
Quinn's heart melts at the pain in Rachel's voice, and she's about to respond when Rachel continues, "I am so sorry, Quinn. I love you so much, and I love that you have been so successful, and I am so happy for you."
"Do I–Have I been… rubbing my success in your face?" Quinn asks softly. "Because I don't want you to feel like I have been, but these events, where I'm expected to make appearances, they're a part of my job. It would be no different than if you had interviews and red carpets to go to for shows or movies."
Rachel shakes her head in embarrassment. "You haven't, and I see that now. I was just insecure over my own professional shortcomings, and I displaced those onto you, and I can't apologize enough for that."
Quinn nods in response, but she still feels uneasy about the whole thing. "I'm sorry for what I said, too. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions so quickly or been so harsh. It just hurt to hear you say that seeing my success hurts you. I don't like feeling like I'm committing some kind of felony when I'm just doing what I've always wanted to do."
"You aren't, Quinn." Rachel promises. "You deserve all of the success you have gotten, and I'm sorry if I made you think otherwise. I know how long you have wanted to write a book, and you deserve your success so much. Maybe more than I do."
"Rach, no," She says. "You deserve all of the success in the world, and I know you are going to get there. I know you are. It's just taking a bit longer, and that is perfectly fine. You will be fine. I believe in you."
Quinn holds her arms out, beckoning her girlfriend to come closer. Rachel shuffles over to her, stopping a foot in front of her, and Quinn grabs her hands, pulling her to stand in between her legs which are dangling over the side of the bed. She tangles their fingers together and watches a shy smile paint its way onto Rachel's face as she drops her gaze to the floor. Squeezing her hands, Quinn leans forward and nudges Rachel's head up to look at her.
Rachel meets her eyes, pure adoration shining back at her. "Thank you. I really am sorry. I am so proud of how far you have come, and how well your book is doing, and how much you so, so deserve all of the recognition you have gotten."
"Thank you," Quinn replies. She pulls Rachel forward, and Rachel giggles as she falls on top of Quinn on the bed. The weight of Rachel's torso atop hers is nothing short of comforting, just as it should be, and the mere thought makes Quinn smile. "I love you, Rachel."
Rachel smiles back and closes the distance between their lips, capturing hers in a sweet kiss. Quinn hums into the kiss, releasing Rachel's hands to bury them in her hair, threading her fingers through brunette locks. Rachel cups Quinn's face as she pulls away and presses short pecks to her lips.
Quinn's grinning widely between Rachel's kisses when Rachel says, "I love you, too."
Smirking, Quinn grabs Rachel's waist and flips them over, pinning her to the bed. Rachel giggles as Quinn tilts her head and begins pressing kisses to her neck. She relishes the feeling of Rachel's body squirming beneath hers, the little noises she makes when she brushes over particularly sensitive spots, and Quinn knows she can't get any better than this.
"So," Quinn says with a grin, "Tell me about Moulin Rouge."
A/N: Watch The Last Five Years! It's free to watch on YouTube! And watch Moulin Rouge! I think it's on Amazon Prime or Hulu or something... Take a look!