Chapter 43
The McKinley High performance of the classic Broadway musical "West Side Story" is outstanding; the students delving into their roles only seen previously on only the very upper levels of theatre…...The performance pushes boundaries with the clever artistic innovation of weaving the Jets into the performance of "America" and full credit to the directorial team at McKinley for taking this bold step….Blaine Anderson is a charming, incredibly likeable Tony who plays second fiddle only to the portrayal of Maria by Miss Rachel Berry. While the entire show is memorable, this young lady draws the audience in with a voice that manages to capture the essence of the struggles Maria faces along with a maturity that is remarkable considering she is only 18 years of age. We here at the Lima Time cannot wait for the day that we see this young star at the very peak of her abilities; possibly as a Broadway star?"
"Oh my god" Rachel says giggling, covering his cheeks with her hands to hide the blush. She was sat in the choir room sitting with Tina, Kurt and Blaine while Artie read out the review of the musical. School had finished for the day that Thursday and the five of them had been the first to arrive in the choir room for Glee club rehearsal. It was just under three weeks until sectionals and their set list was starting to take shape.
"We were awesome, yo" Artie replied smirking as he put the paper down on the spare seat next to him. They had put on a full week of shows and apparently sometime during the week a reporter had come and watched them perform.
"I cant believe how much they enjoyed the musical; its amazing that they thought so much of it to write an article in the local paper" Blaine said smiling widely.
"Obviously they recognize talent" Kurt added as he sat next to Blaine; their arms linked. Rachel grinned at them all, she couldn't believe how amazing the show had been going. All throughout the week the performances had been sold out as people flocked to watch the show. It was the first time that she had that experience of a full capacity crowd watching her in a musical and it only served to make her want the dream of going to New York even more.
"And just think Artie, you had your doubts about whether you were good enough to direct the musical" Tina added, resting a hand on his arm. The other two boys nodded their heads as Artie blushed.
"Yeah Artie; a lot of this is down to you. Thank you for being so amazing" Rachel added, nudging his shoulder.
"Thanks, it really means a lot" Artie replied.
The five of them sat there talking for around a further ten minutes before more of the Glee club and band started to enter the room. Admittedly there weren't that many still among them, considering the fact that Brittany, Santana and Mercedes had left to join the trouble tones; but Rachel watched as she saw Quinn enter the room along with Puck, who winked at her playfully, Finn entered with Rory and Mike while a few steps behind James finally walked in as he smirked while talking on his phone.
Rachel smile widened as she watched him raise a hand and wave at her as he made his way through the door, talking on the phone to someone. They had talked and dealt with their issues on the Monday of that week and the three days since had been perfect, just as they had been before they hadn't spoken to one another. The two of them had sat in her room watching movies and cuddling that night after spending a fair amount of time kissing and reminding each other that they loved the other immensely.
Her Dad Leroy had come up to tell her dinner was ready and Rachel had bit her lip to stop herself from giggling as he had looked surprised to see James at the house again after a weeks absence. She hadn't told her Dads, nor had he explained to his parents, what had happened between the two of them but Rachel was glad that they didn't press either of them for an explanation; they just accepted that they had put it behind them.
James had stayed with her that night, and on each of the subsequent two nights; Rachel had stayed at his house, sleeping happily in his bed with him as she settled in his arms. Even though they had fought and drifted away for a week, Rachel couldn't help but feel more comfortable and closer to him; the fact he had told her that he would wait for her to be completely sure she was ready to give herself to him swelled her whole being with love.
"Alright Dude" She heard him say he sat down next to her, Rachel smiled as he laughed before talking again "Yeah, we will; Yeah see you then buddy"
"Hi" She murmured before he turned to her and kissed her gently. Rachel eyes droped at the sensation, he had been taking care to kiss her more tenderly, caringly over the past few days; not that she was complaining but he seemed to want to make up for lost time and also to remind her just what she meant to him.
"Hey" He replied, licking his lips as his hand found hers and linked their fingers together. "You okay?"
"I'm perfect" She said grinning at him. "Who was that on the phone?"
"Jake" James replied "He wants to make sure that we're still going to Akron Saturday"
Rachel nodded; they'd made the arrangement a couple of weeks ago, before their falling out. Jake parents were letting him throw a huge 18th birthday party at his house with his friends and of course that extended to the two of them. Kurt had also been invited but had to decline, he was going out of town with his Dad and Mom for Burt's election campaign and even if he hadn't; Rachel was sure that he would have found a way to get out of it, simply so that he wouldn't have to spend time in close proximity to her.
They were going to drive up Saturday afternoon and stay at his house overnight after the party before driving back to Lima on the Sunday. Apparently Jake's family were rich and lived in a huge eight bedroom house, plenty of room for the two of them and a couple of other guests to stay now that his three older siblings had moved out and gone to college.
"You still want to go Rach?"
"Of course, I haven't seen him since my birthday" Rachel replied "He was kind enough to come for mine, the least we can do is return the favour. Not to mention you know, he's one of your friends"
"Yeah Jake's awesome" James said smirking at her. She knew that the two boys visited each other quite a bit over the last few years, not just during the summer. Jake had gone with James the previous weekend to watch the Seahawks game in Seattle with James father and uncle.
"Alright Guys" Mr Schuster's voice filled the room and Rachel snapped her gaze to the front of the choir room. "Before we start, I want to give a special recognition to all of you who are involved in the school musical; I'm not sure if you guys have seen it but the McKinley High production of West Side Story was featured in the Lima Times last night and the review was amazing!"
Rachel grinned widely as the room applauded, with Puck and Finn patting Artie on the back.
"Well done everyone and even those who weren't playing parts but helped set it up; thank you so much" Mr Schuester said with a warm smile. Rachel knew that he meant James, who rather than play a part had been helping out with the choreography and organising the ticket sales. Turning to him she squeezed his hand and gave him a wink as he smiled at her. "Now; Sectionals are just over two weeks away guys and we need to start some serious work to make sure that our setlist is finalised and completely prepared. The Ohio show choir board will be sending out a letter early next week that will tell us who our competition is and I don't want to worry you but I've got a strong feeling that we'll be put up against the Troubletones"
"We'll have to compete against Brit, Santana and Mercedes?" Finn asked glumly. Rachel glanced around and saw that several of the members were looking downtrodden at that. It was one thing to compete against the Warblers last year when they had known Kurt and Blaine but the circumstances around the three girls breakaway from New Directions would make it tough.
"Unfortunately" Mr Schuster admitted "But don't worry about that guys; we know they're good and we they have Shelby but come on, we haven't lost a sectionals in the last two years and with all the hard work we've been doing; we can make it three years!"
"Yeah come on guys" Blaine added, standing up. "They might be good, but so are we; we're going to win this thing"
"That's the spirit!" Mr Schuester said smiling, clapping his hands together. "Alright, so lets take it from the top!"
….
An hour and a half later, the glee kids were walking out of the school each with a smile on their face. Rehearsal had gone well, the whole club had put a lot of effort in to making sure that the routine they had already decided on as well as practising a couple of other songs. Rachel felt proud of her fellow glee clubbers for stepping up to the challenge that Mr Schuester had put before them.
As she walked out of the choir room, hand in hand with James, she couldn't help the smile that was on her face. This year, Mr Schuester was being hard on them and serious about them rehearsing and ensuring that they were going to fully prepared and ready for sectionals in a few short weeks. Rachel respected how much effort was getting put in to the glee clubs set list.
"You were great in Glee club today" James remarked as they headed to his car. He'd started taking her to school again, mostly due to the fact they had stayed at the same house but also he was determined to make things right between them. It might be a little self-centred but Rachel loved it when he drove her about; a commitment and display of love that made her heart warm.
Rachel nodded at him and nudged his shoulder with his nose. "Thank you, so were you"
"Well you know; dancing in the back is easy" He smirked at her, squeezing her hand. "At least, you get to sing up front even if it is with Finn"
Rachel felt her smile fade a little as she heard his words, looking up at James and seeing a sad smirk on his face. "James, it's not my fault that we don't get chance to sing together. Mr Schuester –"
"Rach, I'm kidding come on" He interrupted her, squeezing her hand. "You know I don't care about you singing with Finn"
"I know, but you haven't exactly been overflowing with opportunities since you joined" Rachel murmured, turning so she was stood in front of him in the school yard, wrapping her arms around his waist. James smiled at her and moved one of his hands to rub her arm while the other came up to her neck, stroking her tenderly.
Yeah" He replied sighing "Maybe I wish that that Mr Schuester would give me a chance to sing in Glee a little bit more"
"I know" Rachel murmured, leaning up to press her lips against his. "I promise that we'll sing together in the car, at home; whenever you want. And don't forget Jake's birthday this weekend, I'm sure he'll have a karaoke machine and we can show those Vocal Adrenaline guys how amazing we are"
James laughed at her and when his face erupted into a wide smile, Rachel couldn't help but grin back knowing that she had made him feel better. "That sounds great to me"
A half hour later and the two of them were walking into James' house after a car drive over from school; Rachel gladly fulfilling her promise to sing with him as much as possible as they sung along to the radio. It felt good to just easily fit back into their routine together after the week and a half of the two of them not speaking outside of greetings and exchanging smiles in their class room.
"Mom" She heard James say as she followed him through his front door, putting her bag down in the hallway. "Mom, I'm home and Rachel's here with me"
"In the kitchen sweetheart" Andrea's voice came as she followed him in down the corridor towards the open doorway, his mom was stood cooking at the stove; a warm smile on her face. "Hello Rachel"
"Hi Andrea" Rachel beams back, she definitely missed talking with her during the time she wasn't talking to James. Rachel had never had a real mother figure during her life, but in the three and a half months she'd known his mom; Andrea had always been there for her, a kind caring woman who would be there for her when she needed someone to talk to.
"I saw the article in the Lima Times today" Andrea said smiling widely, Rachel blushed and bowed her head as James grinned at her.
"Thank you so much, Andrea"
"You were amazing Rach, you're going to take the world by storm" James added, winking at her.
"Are you joining us for dinner, sweetie?"
"If you don't mind, I'd love to" Rachel replied.
"Whats for dinner; I'm hungry" James asked as he moved around the kitchen, opening a cupboard and taking out a bag of chips. Rachel rolled her eyes at him as he walked over to his mom and looked over her shoulder.
"Don't snack before dinner" Andrea replied, snatching the bag of potato chips from him and putting them down on the counter. "We're having vegetable risotto"
"Sounds delicious" Rachel says smiling as James smirks at his mom before kissing her cheek.
"It does and I'm sorry" He murmurs, squeezing his mom's arm before he walks around the counter to his bag on the kitchen table.
"How was school today?" Andrea asks.
"It was aight" James shrugged "nearly weekend so that's the only good thing"
Rachel bites her lip as she watches him slouch into his chair as he pulls out his homework. Andrea frowns at her son and points the wooden spatula at him. "You make sure you pay attention and get your work completed, young man, or I won't let you go to your friends this weekend"
"Mom" He rolls his eyes before glancing at her and smirking. Rachel smiles as she hears him continue "I'm dating the schools homework taskmaster. As if I could get away with not doing it the day I was assigned it"
"Well, I'm just glad that Rachel is having such a positive effect on you"
"I know that was supposed to be teasing but I'm very proud of the fact that I'm improving your school grades" Rachel replies smugly as she stands behind him and runs one her hands through his hair. Adding before she leans down and kisses the top of his head; "I also love the fact you listen to me when I tell you its important"
"Yeah well, you're cute when you get on to me about it" He murmurs, tilting his head up to ask her for a kiss. Rachel giggles and leans down to meet their lips as they share several short, chaste kisses.
"I'm assuming you're staying with us tonight, Rachel sweetie?" Andrea asks with a smile as she watches her son and his girlfriend. Rachel rubs her lips together as she nods at Andrea before taking a seat next to James, watching him do his school work.
"My Dads are working late again tonight" She replied smiling.
"Sweetheart, you know you're more than welcome in this house" Andrea stated in a motherly tone. "Robert has gone home to Oregon so it's just me and James around for the next few weeks; it's nice to have another person with us"
Rachel nodded and smiled warmly, glancing at James to see his hand clench the pen in his hand a little tighter at the mention of his father; she knew that even though things had improved between them that his fathers departure still hurt James more than he let on.
The two of them sat there for a further twenty minutes as she watched James do his homework, giving him suggestions when he needed it as the two of them stayed with his mom. A further quarter hour after that Rachel helped James set the table as they sat down to eat the delicious meal Andrea had cooked for them; eating at James' was always fantastic, Rachel glad for the fact she could take advantage of enjoying a real chef prepare food for them.
Half of that night was spent watching TV with his mom as Rachel sat cuddling with James as he was forced to sit through soap operas with the two girl woman. After nine, they moved upstairs to his room after bidding goodnight to his mom. Rachel fell asleep leaning her head against his chest, listening to his heart beat; the slow rise and fall as he breathed lulling her to sleep.
The next day at school passed by quickly, spurred on by her weekend trip to Akron with James. Not only that but she had only four more performances of west side story left, that Friday evening and the first three days of the following week. After the school day ended, she kissed James at the end of glee before she went home for a brief amount of time alone before going to school for the performance.
Her Dads met her after the show, another amazing performance in front of an almost full auditorium and the three of them went for dinner before heading home. After speaking on the phone for a few minutes with James before bed, confirmed when he was going to pick her up so that they could go to Akron she fell asleep with a smile on her face.
…
The next day, Rachel spent the morning around the house; having breakfast with her Dad while Leroy was at work and helping him clean up, appreciating the bonding time even if it was over a meticulous task. The two of them went to the market and picked up some groceries as well as enjoying looking over the thanksgiving decorations that were about Lima.
James was coming to her house to pick them up at around four before they would set off to drive to Akron, and after arriving home over an hour or so before that; Rachel packed her bag for staying the night at Jake's house. As the afternoon dragged on, she eventually settled down with her Dad in the kitchen, reading her copy of Barbra Streisand's biography for what must have been the hundred thousandth time, pausing every couple of pages to take a sip from her green tea.
When she heard the door bell ring, her face split into a grin as she jumped up and skipped towards the front door, knowing who was going to be on the other side filling with excitement and happiness, opening it to reveal James stood before her; hand in his jean pocket and other hand scratching the back of his head as he shot her a wide smile.
"Hey" James said smiling at her. Rachel grins back at home before pressing her body up against him and pulling him into a short embrace; pulling away to lean up and press her lips against his in a shot tender kiss, he was looking too cute and she couldn't help herself.
"Hi" Rachel replied, taking one of his hands in hers and leading further him into the house, closing the door behind him.
"You look beautiful" He complimented her as she turned her attention back to him, his eyes flicking over her before settling on hers.
"Thank you" Rachel blushes slightly as she kisses his cheek before they walk side by side. "How was helping your mom?"
"She stands there watching me do all the work" He replies, shrugging his shoulder casually as he adds; "Same old stuff really, I'm just glad that I'm here with you now"
"Charmer" Rachel remarks before kissing him, feeling his smirk against her lips before they walk into the kitchen.
"Good afternoon Mr Berry" James says as her father looks up from the paper as he sits at the kitchen table.
"Ah James, good to see you" Hiram replies, looking up from his newspaper over the top of his glasses. "How are you son?"
"A little exhausted from helping my mom with chores around the house but I'm good" James responded with a smile. "Leroy is working?"
"Unfortunately, though I suppose it's not the worst thing in the world considering you and Rachel aren't with us this weekend" Hiram said, "Are you driving?"
"Yes he is, I don't really know the way to Akron" Rachel replied, her hand squeezing James' a little tighter. "James has made the trip up to stay with Jake a few times since he moved"
"Speaking of which, are you ready to go; if we set off now we can get some dinner before we get to Jake's" James asks, smiling at her as Rachel nods her head at him.
"I think so; I just need to go get my coat and my bag" She adds, kissing his cheek before stepping away from him and calling over her should as she walks towards the stairs. "Won't be a minute!"
"I'll be waiting" Is James response, causing her to smirk as she skips up the steps towards her bedroom. A couple of minutes later after collecting her things, Rachel enters the kitchen again smiling as both her Dad and James look up at hearing her footsteps.
"Okay, I think I've got everything" Rachel says dropping her bag in the doorway, walking over to where her boyfriend and father are sat; wrapping an arm around his shoulder and kissing the side of his head softly. "You ready to go?"
"I am if you are, angel" He replies, winking up at her; Rachel giggles as he rises from the chair and takes her hand in his.
"You two make sure you are careful" Hiram speaks softly as he stands up. "Look after each other and call when you get there sweetheart"
"I will do Dad" Rachel replies, hugging her dad and kissing his cheek. Stepping away from him, Rachel turned and took James' hand again, grinning up at him as she added; "Let's go"
After putting her bag in the back of James' car, Rachel waved at her Dad from the front passenger seat as they pulled out of her driveway; turning and smiling at her boyfriend as he started to drive them to Akron. Taking her iPod out of her bag, knowing he would always let her pick the music, Rachel plugged it into his car and flicked through her playlists for the one they had created together; a combined one full of their Favourite pop songs.
"When your dad said to be careful" James spoke as she found the playlist and shuffled it; a smile as she heard Avril Lavigne start to play. "I assume that's because he knows that there's gonna be alcohol there tonight?"
"I haven't told him, but I think he is definitely assuming there is" Rachel replied, biting her lip as she glances at him. "There is going to be right?"
He nods at her slightly and speaks again; "There will be yeah; and if he knows there will be, I'm a little surprised your Dads agreed to letting us go"
"Me two" Rachel murmurs, reaching and taking his hand that's resting in between their seats. "But they trust us, to be responsible right? And I know you'll take care of me"
"I will" He says pointedly and Rachel smile widens at her. "Do you want to drink tonight? You know I'm not a heavy drinker and if you don't want to then we can just stay on soda together"
Rachel is glad that he's her boyfriend; its moment like these where she realizes just how amazing and special he is. Not only does she realize this but apparently her Dads are aware of just how considerate he is of her; a few months ago there is no way they would have allowed their daughter to several hours away to an un-chaperoned party where there is alcohol. But clearly, they knew that James would make sure their daughter was well looked after. "I might have one or two, it'd be nice to let my hair down after the last few weeks but I don't want to go crazy"
"Sounds reasonable" James replies, nodding his head. "When you wan to stop, just tell me and I'll stop with you"
"I love you" Rachel says softly, grinning at him as he turns his slightly and winks at her.
"Love you too"
...
They arrive in Akron a couple hours of later, after a stop or two at the service station to get a snack and drink, Rachel looking out the window eagerly to spot Jake's house. From what she heard from James, and judging by the fact that his house was big, when he had stayed there; Jake's house must have been huge.
"Have you ever been to this part of Akron before?" James asked as they turned down a street.
"No" Rachel replied, biting her lip. "I didn't come to Akron much when I dated Jesse...he preferred to stay in Lima or for us to hang out at my house, I suppose I should have realised that was a little suspicious when he said that he was living with his uncle but he didn't want me to meet him"
"Don't beat yourself up, he's an idiot" James stated, smiling warmly at her. "Besides, he didn't realize how amazing you are which is fantastic news for me"
Rachel returns his smile, giving his hand in hers a quick squeeze before releasing it. "How much further is Jake's house?"
"It should just be right around..." James replied, pausing as he raised his hand hand and pointed out of her window. "That one"
Following his gaze and outstretched hand, Rachel's mouth dropped as she saw the size of the building; it looked like a manor house fit for dozens of people as she glanced at James and saw his smirking face before looking back at it.
"I told you it was big"
"Wow...what exactly do his parents do for a living?" She murmured, gazing back at James as he pulled into the driveway.
"His Dad, Frank, has a ton of property and runs a firm that's been in his family for years. His mom, Chelsea, comes from a rich family" James replied softly as he parked his car. "Basically they're rich"
"I thought your house was the biggest that I'd seen" Rachel commented, still feeling taken aback. "But this"
"Wow...suddenly, my type of rich isn't enough for you?" James replied and Rachel turned to look at him with horror on her face.
"James! You know that's not why I love -..." She began to explain only to be greeted by his laughing face. "You suck"
"Oh come on babe, I'm just joking" He replied, leaning forward and kissing her. "I love you too"
Rachel giggled, covering his cheek with one of her hands to hold him close as the two of them shared several short kisses before pulling away. "Come on"
James kissed her cheek one final time before the two of them climbed out of the car, Rachel watched as he opened the back seat doors and pulled out their bags containing a couple of changes of clothes for that night as well as for the next morning. Taking his hand in hers, they started walking together up the short pathway towards Jake house, stopping outside for a few seconds after ringing the bell before they heard footsteps followed by the sound of it opening.
"Happy Birthday Dude" Rachel watched as James spoke before offering his hand to Jake; the blonde boy clasping it before pulling her boyfriend into a bear hug. She couldn't help but smile at the sight of the two boys warmly greeting each other as they patted one another on the back.
"Thanks man, so glad you could make it" Jake replied as they seperated, a wide smile on his face as he released James and turned to her. "Hey Rachel, good to see you"
"You too, Happy Birthday" She said with a smile as she gave Jake a small hug.
"So you haven't dumped his lame ass yet?" Jake teased, hitting James' shoulder playfully.
"Not yet, but there's still time" Rachel giggled, winking at James who was shaking his head; a small smirk on his lips. "Especially now that I've seen your house"
"It's pretty fucking awesome right?" Jake replied grinning.
"Alright, munchkin; you're real funny" James murmured, rolling his eyes at her as she reached and took his hand in hers.
"You know you're the only guy for me, baby" She cooed, biting her lip as she steps closer to him; watching as he licks his bottom lip and leans down.
"Good answer" He responds and closes the distance to kiss her.
"Jesus...i didn't invite you all the way out here to watch you make out in my hallway" Jake voice snaps them out of their trance, Rachel giggles and cuddles into James side. "Come on, I'll show you to one of the guest rooms"
After a short tour of the house, well around a quarter of the space in the building, during which Rachel became increasingly impressed by the lavish interior Jake left them at the room they were staying in, saying that he had a few finals things to double check before his friends from Carmel would be arriving.
Rachel was, again, left suprised by the sheer size of the room; easily bigger than her own room at her family home.
"You stayed here when you visited in the summer?" She asked, turning around to see James already lying on the king sized bed decorated in a beautiful purple quilt.
James nodded at her, a smile on his face, as he stretched out. "Yeah, his mom was nice enough to let me stay here. There's a bathroom through there if you want to freshen up"
"I think I will" Rachel replied as she walked over to her bag and taking out her night bag, kissing James on the cheek and adding; "I won't be long"
"Wake me up if I fall asleep while you're in there" He teases and she punches his shoulder playfully before turning and disappearing into the bathroom.
After a short amount of time, having taken a few minutes looking around, Rachel reappeared in the bedroom seeing James talking on his phone; kissing him softly on the cheek before pulling out her change of clothes for the party. She had decided to wear a short skirted yellow dress and some black tights underneath. Since their talk a couple of weeks earlier, Rachel had felt more comfortable in their relationship and she was quite happy to get changed in front of him; shooting James a smile as he sat down on the bed before pulling her jumper over her head and removing her shirt.
"Alright mom, I better go; yeah I will, love you" He murmured, his eyes trained on her as she stood before him. previously, Rachel might have been nervous about being so revealed in front of him but the way he was taking her body in made her feel absolutely beautiful.
"Enjoying the view?" She asked as she saw his eyes linger on her exposed legs.
"You are gorgeous" He replied and Rachel couldn't the blush that covered her cheeks as she sat down next to him, reaching down to pull her tights up. "I'm the luckiest guy in the world to get to see you like this"
"Do you always have to be so charming?" She giggled as he smirked back at her. "I'm beginning to think you should be banned from complimenting me"
"That's not fair, there is a lot of good material" He replied and Rachel rolled her eyes at him as she stepped into her dress and pulled it up her body. Moving her hair to expose her back and the zipper, she looked over her shoulder at James.
"Will you zip me up?" She asked, biting lip as he nodded before rising from his seat and walking towards her. Rachel closed her eyes as she felt one of his hands tenderly caress her exposed skin while the other pulled up the zipper. When she felt his lips kiss her neck, she couldn't the way her neck tilted to allow him more access.
He peppered her skin with several soft touches before whispering in her ear; "All done"
"Thank you" She murmured, turning round and moving her arms up to wrap around his neck. "Do you like it?"
"You look stunning" He replied, licking his lips as his eyes roamed over her body. "As I said earlier, I'm the luckiest guy in the world"
"Good answer" Rachel giggled, moving forward to kiss him. They stood there enjoying each others company for several minutes before she pulled back breathlessly and rested her forehead against his cheek. "I love you"
"love you too" He murmured in response, kissing her cheek before stepping back. "I'm going to take a shower and get ready; I'll meet you downstairs?"
"Yeah" She nodded. "I'll find Jake and see if he needs any help"
"I won't be long" She heard James say as she walked towards the door, pausing to glance over her shoulder; a smile crossing her face as she saw James pull his sweater over his head, catching a glimpse of his body before she disappeared into the corridor.
Rachel took a few minutes looking around at the picture decorating the walls in Jake's house as she made her way back down towards the hallway. As she reached the bottom step, walking through the open archway into what looked like a lounge, she heard a whistle.
"Looking good Berry" Jake's voice carried and she turned to see Jake stood with a group of five other teens. Rachel blushed, trying to hide it behind a smile as she made her way over to them, recognising a tall blonde as Kelsie.
"Hi Rachel" The blonde said happily pulling her into a hug. Rachel returned it before pulling back and smiling widely. "It's so amazing to see you again"
"You too Kel" Rachel replied, taking the blonde's hand. "That's a really beautiful dress"
"Thanks" Kelsie said, steering her over to the group. "You look stunning yourself"
Rachel bit her lip and bowed her head. "That's nice of you to say"
"Wow, Rachel you look really, really hot" Jake murmured and Rachel punched his arm. "Where's Jimmy?"
"Getting ready, he takes longer than me sometimes" Rachel replied, laughing along with Kelsie and Jake.
"Well, I'll introduce you to the guys" Jake continued, turning and pointing to each of the other four. "Rachel these are some of my friends from Carmel; Brad, Rob, Allie and Susie"
"It's lovely to meet all of you" Rachel replied, smiling at each one of them as they greeted her. "Are you all in Vocal Adrenaline?"
"I'm not" Brad, a guy with long brown hair down to his shoulders spoke up. "The rest of these guys do"
Rachel nodded, glancing between the other three while biting her lip; seeing if she could recognize any of them from when Jesse had egged her in the car lot outside of McKinley her sophomore year.
"Don't worry; none of us where involved in Jesse's little prank a couple years ago" Jake assured her with a warm smile. The four of us weren't part of his little clique or inner circle; we were just sophomores. All of the ones who did that were seniors"
Rachel smiled, letting out a small sigh of relief. The six of them made conversation for a few minutes, Jake left them for a few seconds to let Stacey and a couple more of his house and just after James came down the stairs and was pulled into an embrace by Kelsie and Stacey.
"I missed you two girls" He laughed as they released him, his hands still at their waists.
"What's the excuse this time mister!" Kelsie laughed, resting her head on James shoulder. "You don't live in Oregon now, We thought you'd come visit us more"
"I'm sorry" James replied, Rachel watched with a smile "It's been crazy since I moved; I'll try harder to get up and see you in future"
"You better" Stacey said as Kelsie kissed his cheek and pulled away. Rachel stood taking a sip of her drink as she watched James greeted each of the others; she had to admit to herself she was impressed how he remembered all of their names but she wasn't too surprised considering how James was; he always paid attentive attention to detail and made a point of trying not to leave anyone out.
Five minutes or so later, as Jake went to answer the door again; Rachel turned to face her boyfriend as he moved over to her, leaning down to kiss her softly. She couldn't help but smile against his lips as they exchanged chaste touches.
"Hey" James murmured as he pulled back, his hand coming up to rest against her neck as he ran the fingertips of his other hand over her bare shoulders.
"Hi" She replied, resting her hands in the small of his back. "Did you have fun seeing everyone again?"
"Yeah" He nodded "First time since summer I've seen most of them"
Rachel nodded her head gently, her eyes taking in his appearance for a few seconds; He had worn a tight fitting white shirt along with a new pair of jeans that he had bought when they had gone shopping the weekend before.
"Jake made any crass comments about how you look yet?" James asked, smirking at her to let her know he was amused rather than jealous.
"He might have mentioned that I look hot" Rachel shrugged, giggling as she saw James roll his eyes.
"Well, I can't say he's wrong" James murmured, running his tongue across his bottom lip. "I might have to keep my eyes on you to make sure none of these guys get any ideas about my girl"
"My girl", huh?" Rachel teased as he nodded at her, a small smile on his lips. "I like it…but I think I might have to worry about Kelsie and Stacey stealing you away"
"Maybe only for a song and dance" James assured her, "Come on beautiful, lets go find the others"
Rachel nodded her head as she threaded her fingers through his and let him lead her towards where the party was going on. Jake's house had a large function room where a small stage had been constructed, a DJ stood behind some decks staring at his laptop. The room was huge, easily bigger than her basement and was decorated in banners and balloons all with some form of Happy birthday or Happy 18th Jake.
"How many people are coming exactly?" Rachel asked as they walked towards the twelve or so teens that were there.
"Most of the senior class, as well as all of the guys in Vocal Adrenaline" Jake replied, offering the two of them a drink. Rachel raised her eyebrows, "What can I say, Berry; I'm a very popular guy"
"You have a huge ego as well" James teased with a smirk
"Says you; tell me, how you doing in that small club over at McKinley; they aren't exactly the Scale Blazers, huh?" A guy called Tom retorted, causing a few laughs amongst the group.
"Nah, they're not; but I'm good" James replied, meeting her gaze for a moment and they both shared a smile before raising their cups to their lips.
"All right, all right; this is my birthday so let's have some fun!"
…..
A couple of hours later and Jake's birthday party was in full swing. Rachel was with Kelsie and Stacey, laughing and giggling away as the three of them dancing away to some dance music. The room was packed with a ton of people and honestly, it was the most fun she'd had in a long time; a true chance to let her hair down. She had lost track of James was, but she knew that he'd be around somewhere keeping an eye on her even if they'd all had a couple of drinks of alcohol.
"I need a drink, I need to sit down" Stacey said smiling widely as Rachel and the other blonde laughed at her.
"Come on let's go get a drink then grandma" Kelsie teased as the three of them pushed through the crowd towards a spare few chairs, sitting down after collecting a couple of cups.
"This is so much fun" Rachel said, letting the straw drop out of her mouth.
"I'm so glad you could make it; James too" Stacey replied,
"Speaking of James, how are you two?" Kelsie asked, running her hand through her hair.
"We're good" Rachel said smiling. "We had a bit of a tough patch a few weeks ago but we're better than ever"
"It wasn't serious was it?" Stacey asked softly.
"Just a big misunderstanding; you know I can't stay at mad at him" Rachel continued, giggling.
"It's those brown eyes of his" Stacey said and Rachel giggled as Kelsie nodded her head.
"They are beautiful" Rachel sighed
"James is a really good guy, you're lucky to have him" Kelsie added and Rachel couldn't help but grin.
"Yeah he is" Rachel nodded, "I love him a lot you know?"
"We know" Kelsie giggled. "Where is he? I'm determined to get him to sing with me"
"He's here somewhere" Rachel announce, waving her hand around. "Just look for his cute smile and that sexy body of his"
"Let's go find him!" Stacey added, and the three of them stood from their seats and made their way through the crowd of people trying to find James. After a couple of minutes Kelsie pointed out where he was stood along with Jake and a few other guys from Vocal Adrenaline. Rachel grinned and, in no short thanks to the alcohol, ran over to him and threw her arms around him
"Baby" She cooed, leaning up to kiss him; pulling back to see his smirking face. "I missed you!"
"Hey" James said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and kissing her forehead. Rachel closed her eyes instinctively at the contact, enjoying the feel of his lips against her skin. "Having fun?"
"Yes!" Rachel exclaimed, drinking a sip out of her cup. "You look so handsome"
James laughed and Rachel stood there running her hand up and down his chest. "I'm serious you are so handsome, I love you"
"I love you too" He replied, kissing her forehead. "I think you've had a little too much to drink"
"That's rubbish!" Kelsie exclaimed swatting his chest.
"You girls having fun right?" Jake said, putting an arm around Stacey.
"The best time! But we want James to dance with us !" Kelsie said taking James cup out of his hand put it down on the table behind the boys and taking his hand.
"Yeah baby, come dance with us!" Rachel agreed, linking her fingers through his free hand.
"Okay, girls, I'll come dance with you" He replied, laughing at them.
Rachel grinned happily, as the three of them walked hand in hand towards the open space that had been set aside for people to dance; Rachel wrapping her arms around his neck and standing close to him when Kelsie released him. James put his hands in the small of her back.
The three of them spent about thirty minutes dancing together; laughing and giggling away as they simply enjoyed being in the happy environment until Kelsie was dragged away by Stacey to sing on the karaoke. Rachel eyes closed as she swayed with him there, taking a breathe when she felt him whisper on his ear.
"You know; you're the most beautiful girl in this room"
Rachel pulled an inch away to look up into his eyes, the look of pure affection and love making her heart beat faster as she moved one of her hands to cup his cheek, gently edging his face closer to hers. "I love you"
"Love you too Rach" He responded, closing the small distance and kissing her tenderly. They shared several of them before parting and as the song that was being played changed; Jake and Kelsie appeared out no where.
"Thanks so much for coming bro" Jake said, hugging James who was just grinning
"Hey man don't even mention it" He replied. Rachel just watched; the night was perfect, with her boyfriend celebrating; enjoying the chance to just let her hair down and relax. It was going to be a long night of dancing.
...
Here we go :)
Just a little chapter to show James and Rachel are back to being okay. Next chapter might be up tomorrow; It's going to be good for Rachel and Kurt!