Chapter 9: Staying Grounded Part 1
"I'm still shocked that you can even reach the gas pedal." Quinn quipped, stepping out of the car.
Rachel turned the car off and grunted. "One of these days, Fabray. One of these days."
"What? Bam! Zoom! Straight to the moon?!" Quinn exclaimed and executed a perfect eyebrow arch at Rachel.
Damn those glorious eyebrows! Rachel mentally cursed to herself. She scanned the street in search for some marching band or parade to pop out. Sadly, neither occurred, and the petite brunette stood in front of a timeworn, sad-faced building. "What is this place, Quinn?"
"It used to be an old office building and before that a parlor for clothing. Now it's a small and dingy cafe. The owner is a nice old man named Jeff Houdon." Quinn's chest swelled with a suppressed joy at seeing one of her "hideaways". She hooked her arm with Rachel's and guided her inside. The walls were made of the original building's red brick; the walls strewn with original paintings, most depicting the same humanoid gray blob. One caught Rachel's eye in particular. The painting featured the gray blob leaning against a dark, almost black blue wall, and the colors mixed, as if the blob's aura was blending with it.
Rachel sat down at the booth Quinn suggest and her eyes flickered over to the girl in question. She studied her slim figure with amorous intent. Quinn's backside stood out the most to Rachel. Physically, of course. But that was before she turned around. Rachel's gaze wandered up Quinn's body, from her feet up to her eyes. God those eyes, Rachel thought. Rachel could melt into those seas of emerald. In that moment, green became her favorite color. "Rachel? Here's your coffee. I also got you a raspberry-filled croissant."
"Huh? Oh, forgive me Quinn. I should have went up to the counter and paid for myself." Rachel started. She pulled out her pink floral wallet, but was stopped by Quinn's hand.
The corners of Quinn's lips perked into a "barely there" sort of smile. "If I had the intention of making you pay, I would have mentioned it beforehand."
Rachel grinned in response and hesitated before drinking the contents of the coffee cup. "Soy cappuccino?" She questioned.
"Oh, well, you're a vegan and I didn't think you'd enjoy cow fluid in your cup." Quinn giggled, a soft blush appearing upon her cheeks.
If Rachel hadn't fallen for Quinn before that moment, she had definitely won her over now. Maybe she shouldn't be surprised by the notion of Quinn actually thinking about Rachel's dislikes and translating that into her coffee choice. Besides, most soy products in Lima were more expensive than its counterpart, so Quinn must have spent more on Rachel than she did herself. "Thank you for thinking of me like that, Quinn." Rachel smiled graciously.
"No problem, shorty." Quinn teased and tilted her chair back a little bit, taking a long sip of her own coffee.
Rachel took a bite of the croissant and moaned quietly. "Mmm, Quinn! This is fantastic! What'd you say what it had in it?"
"Raspberry." Quinn grinned shyly, the pink from her cheeks now becoming evermore present.
Rachel's moans died down and she swallowed. "I don't really have a palate for raspberry, but this is simply incredible. Who makes the food here?"
"I'm guessing the cook, whose name is Anthony." Quinn supplied and scrunched her nose in question. "Why?"
Brown eyes burst into a look, one that sent shivers up Quinn's spine. Rachel's determination was a force to be reckoned with. "I must find him and thank him for this delicious food." Rachel was already standing up when Quinn sat her chair back down.
"I don't know, he might be busy Rachel." Quinn muttered, rubbing the back of her neck and avoiding Rachel's burning eyes.
Rachel huffed and grabbed her purse along with her wallet, and pulled Quinn along with her. Her eyes peered around the cafe, eventually landing on a door with a sign that said "Employees beyond this point only". Quinn's feet grew heavier and heavier until finally Rachel turned around and put her hands on her hips. "Are you coming with me or not, Fabray?" Rachel groaned in frustration.
"It's rude to disturb someone while they're working, Rach. Besides, we can't go in there. We're not employees." Quinn reasoned.
A part of Rachel knew that Quinn was right and she didn't know why another part of her wanted to go into the room guns blazin'. Rachel's shoulders sagged in reluctance. "I guess I can leave a note on the counter?" She suggested.
"I think that's a great idea Rachel." Quinn smiled and squeezed Rachel's hand soothingly.
What the hell? When did she hold my hand? Oh God. Is my palm sweaty? There's definitely some moisture there. Why am I acting like such a Finn? Rachel reddened and ripped her hand away from Quinn's grip, laughing nervously. She subtly wiped her hands and dug around in her purse for a sticky note and a pen. After she finished writing a thank you note, she made it official with her signature and a gold star beside it.
"Do you do that every time you write your name?" Quinn asked, eyes twinkling with amusement.
Rachel stuck out her bottom lip. "I'll have you know that when I'm famous, my autographs will be worth hundreds, thousands even! Might as well start practicing." She stuck her nose in the air and turned her back to Quinn, swishing her hips proudly as she left the cafe. Quinn quickly followed after, chuckling softly behind Rachel. They both piled into the car and Rachel turned up the radio.
She hummed quietly to the pop song as Quinn laid her head against the window. Rachel turned the radio to a classic rock station, singing gently to a ballad. Quinn's eyes grew in size as if Rachel had grown a second head. "What? I don't listen to just show tunes, Quinn. I happen to have a deep fondness for other aspects of music too."
"It's just unexpected I guess. I thought you'd be all about Broadway musicals. I'm even surprised that you knew that pop song you were humming a minute ago." Quinn explained, closing her eyes in relaxation.
Rachel shrugged and stole glances at Quinn. It was totally not fair. Even while in a sleepy state, Quinn still looked like a goddess, maybe even more so! Rachel cleared her throat, trying to distract herself from the wetness that was pooling in between her thighs. "Finn actually introduced me to exploring classic rock. Despite all of his shortcomings, especially in regards to our past relationship, this might be the one thing he did right." Rachel snorted.
Quinn's face broke into one of the most beautiful expressions Rachel has ever seen. A face of pure joy. The crinkling of her nose, the splitting of Quinn's lips in a grinning position. Rachel couldn't see, but she could guess that her eyes were shining brightly underneath her eyelids. That fact alone kept a warmth in Rachel's stomach.
Xxx
"'Bout time you bitches get back. Where's my snacks, blondie?" Santana snapped.
Quinn rolled her eyes and tossed Santana a plain brown bag. "Fourteen jelly-filled donut holes just like you requested, your highness."
"That's more like it, Fabray." Santana said, but barely intelligible seeing how five of the fourteen were already stuffed into her mouth.
Rachel grimaced and shook her head. She yawned and headed upstairs. She spotted the clock on her desk reading "5:43PM". Time was a cruel mistress. Quinn and most likely Santana too would have to leave soon. She slowly changed into a baby blue silk nightgown, brushing out her chocolate curls. She stopped many times to gaze at herself in the mirror. In just one day, she had grown attached to her house being filled with laughter and yelling opposed to the silence she met every day that her fathers were gone. It wasn't that they wanted to be away from their daughter, but Broadway was expensive, and it was Rachel's dream. It was worth all the pain they had to endure away from home. She placed the hairbrush on her dresser gently and headed downstairs. Santana was stretching out across her couch, groaning in relief as her limbs popped. Rachel winced at the noise and looked over at Quinn whose eyes were closed. She looked like a beautiful statue.
"Hey Lesberry." Santana greeted with a twisted grin.
Rachel rolled her eyes and sat in the arm chair across from Santana. "Nice one, Lopez. What time will you and Quinn be heading home?"
Santana looked at Rachel in confusion. "It's Saturday."
"Yes, but tomorrow is Sunday. I figured that you'd want to go to church." Rachel shrugged.
Santana guffawed, slapping her leg. "Bitch, I almost never go to church. Sunday is for sleeping in. Plus I prefer you to not be alone." She admitted with a careless shrug.
Rachel's heart swelled and she jumped on Santana, wrapping her arms around the taller girl rivaling the squeezing of a python.
"Jesus Rachel, you're gonna fuckin' kill me if you don't let go of me." Santana murmured, but nonetheless returns Rachel's hug.
Rachel wiped away tears that were quickly forming. "I'm sorry. It's just, no one really wants to be around me, even though I go out of my way to be approachable."
Santana's face darkened. "Anyone that doesn't wanna be around you is a loser. Probably mentally deranged as well."
"Santana that's not nice." Rachel swallowed a wet chuckle and glanced over at Quinn. "Do you think she'll be able to spend the night?"
The Latina shrugged. "Honestly, probably not. Her mom doesn't force her to go to church, but Quinn is super Jesus savvy. Like, she really believes strongly in him." Santana looked at the sleeping beauty and smiled slightly. "She really is something, isn't she?"
Rachel nodded quickly. "She is." Her chest swelled with pride and she held Santana's hand. "You should talk to Brittany. She does not deserve to be lonely. No one does, really." Rachel smiled and leaned into the cushy confines of the couch.
Santana slapped her hand to her forehead. "I knew I forgot something!" Santana yelled, jumping up and running into the next room on her phone.
A melodious laugh rang throughout the otherwise quiet room. Rachel's eyes glazed over as she saw Quinn yawn and stretch with a lazy smile. "Kinda wish she didn't wake me up. I was having a good dream." Quinn said sheepishly.
Rachel swooned. "W-well I apologize profusely, Quinn. I had to remind Santana to talk to Brittany before she'd get on the bad side of Brittany." She paused and then muttered. "If there even is a bad side."
"Oh, there is, but only for good reason." Quinn giggled. Quinn curled into the back of the chair. "Did you have a good day, Rachel?"
Rachel beamed brightly. "I did indeed, Quinn. Most of it was due to you though." She ducked shyly and shot glances at Quinn whose face was lit up like a child's on Christmas.
"Good! I had a great time with you today."
Rachel frowned slightly. "It's a shame that it has to end."
Quinn looked at Rachel in question. "Why does it have to end?"
"You have to go home."
"Why?"
"You have church in the morning."
Quinn's cheery demeanor dropped into a serious one. Rachel's throat swelled tightly. She had been on the end of such looks before, and they didn't really provide the best outcomes.
"I can skip it." Quinn shrugged.
Rachel's mouth dropped. "Quinn! I won't allow myself to destroy your relationship with your religious beliefs!" She exclaimed, almost scolding Quinn for saying such a thing.
"It's not going to destroy it. Missing one service that's most likely a topic I don't really care to hear about isn't going to send me to hell." Quinn rolled her eyes.
Rachel sighed. "I know how much it means to you, though. You're sacrificing further advancement in your relationship with God for me. Even I'm not that special." Rachel whisper and she avoided looking at Quinn.
Finally, the blonde made her way over to Rachel and kneeled in front of her. "Look at me. You're worth it. Don't let me or anyone else ever get you to think that you're anything less than special. You're amazing Rachel. I'm staying the night." Quinn ended with a note of finality.
Rachel resigned and nodded. "Alright. Thank you, Quinn. It means a lot coming from you." Rachel smiled bashfully.
Quinn blushed and shrugged. "No problem."
They shared a quiet but pleasant stare. Rachel's eyes dropped dangerously to Quinn's pink plump lips. Wow, Rachel thought. I wish I could have just a taste...
"Sup bitches?" Santana yelled, startling Quinn who jumped back like she had just been caught. She had two bottles of tequila in her hands, shaking them vicariously. "It's gonna be an interesting night with these two bad boys, eh?" Her eyes had a wicked glint in them.
Rachel stared at Santana in exasperation. "Put those away Santana! You already owe me half the liquor cabinet!"
Santana smirked and held them above her head. "Maybe if you can reach them?"
"Not fair! I'm only a couple inches shorter than you!" Rachel crossed her arms. "Give it here!"
Santana sprinted off, leaving Rachel and Quinn behind in the dust. "Have to catch me first!"
Rachel followed in hot pursuit for the bottles with a nicely paced Quinn behind her. Eventually, Rachel ran out of breath and leaned against her front door's hinges. "Fuck me!" She groaned.
Quinn blushed and put her hand to her mouth. "Rachel! You curse?"
"It happens sometimes!" Rachel panted.
Santana took the opportunity to start dancing and singing, as well as trying to juggle the two bottles. "Berry can't catch me!" Santana boasted.
It didn't last long because Rachel's blonde hero tackled the prideful girl.