A/N: i am so thankful to anyone still reading :) the next chapter is the party and it's got some actual faberryness i promise.
Thanks again. And any mistakes are purely my own.
Birds chirp outside her windows. Sun beams shine in through the gaps in the blinds, reflecting on particles of dust, casting playful shadows. Quinn lies face down in her pillow, seeming dead to the world. Across town a different scene plays out. Rachel is the complete opposite. She has been up for almost an hour now. Morning routine is vital in her schedule, it has been since she was six years old. Of course the routine has become far more complex as the years have gone on, but that makes Rachel all the more determined to keep to it. Every morning she wakes at 5:30 am. In which she heads directly to the elliptical. At six am she is in the shower. 6:20 am she usually emerges fresh as a daisy. Then her daily moisturizing begins. This can vary anywhere between thirty to forty minutes. Satisfied she has exfoliated thoroughly she proceeds to get dressed for the day. By 8:20am, after the hair drying and make up and various run through of potential outfits she is ready.
Today is like any other day, except that it's not. She's meeting Belle. Coffee to be exact with Quinn. She keeps going back and fourth between the two names in her head, it's really rather confusing.
She's sitting at the kitchen table casually eating some fruit, not really paying attention, more preoccupied with her own thoughts. "I really hope by the end of this coffee date, meeting, I will know definitively which name to use." It then dawns on her that she never actually set a time for their coffee meet up, and she begins to chastise herself. I am such a fool sometimes, i just walked right out of her house before letting her speak. Before actually even receiving a yes from her. She slowly lies her arms down upon the table, and begins to let them slide forward so that her fore head is now lying on the cold tiled table. I wonder if this is how Noah feels after every idiotic thing he has ever done...Noah!
Would you by any chance have Belles/Quinns number? I arranged to have coffee with her today, but i forgot to actually set a time. RB.
She hits send, it's quite early, too early for Noah to be awake but she has no other options. Unless she was to show up at the girl's door for a second time in a row unexpected. Best hope Noah is a light sleeper.
She feels her phone vibrate before she hears the ring tone makes its presence. Reaching into her cardigan pocket she pulls out the phone, unlocking and reading the new message.
U may be my jew princess but dont eva txt me so early on a sat. Ive attached her no. though. Ur welcome. Night.
She runs her fingers over the buttons on her phone, trying to think of the best possible way to start a conversation, one that doesn't make her seem like a complete stalker. First she somehow gets Quinn's home address, now her mobile number. If she wasn't Rachel Berry, she would be weary of Rachel Berry.
Sorry to bother you this early. It's Rachel Berry by the way. I believe we have a coffee date, but I didn't give you a moment to confirm a time. Hence the text message. If you could get back to me at your earliest convenience that would be appreciated. :)
She had contemplated putting a kiss, but seeing as this was a first text it seemed a bit much, the smiley face would suffice.
Quinn Rolls over to hit her alarm clock off, it had been going on and off for the past hour as she was so succumbed to sleep that she mistakenly hit snooze three times in a row. Stretching to wake herself up a bit she then rolls on to her side, reaching beneath her pillow to grab her phone, and proceeding to turn it on. She learnt a long time ago that going to bed with your phone on would usually result in a few things. One, someone would text just as you where about to fall asleep. Two, phone calls from withheld numbers at all hours of the morning. And Three, probably a combination of the two previous reasons. So now her phone was always turned off before getting into bed, it results in a uninterrupted sleep.
She staggers out of bed, heading towards the bathroom. Mid brushing her teeth she hears the familiar sound of what is signalling a new text. Only person other than her mum, dad and brother, that have her phone number is Puck,
"He must be checking that I'm still on for tonight."
Opening the text she reads not a text from Puck but Rachel. A text that mentions a date. She lets out a slight squeal before registering what she had done and flings herself to her bed in embarrassment. Even alone in her room she is embarrassed at her actions. "People use the word 'date' all the time when speaking of coffee. Stop getting your hopes up! Stop shouting at me. You do realise you are giving off to yourself right?"
She scoffs at her thoughts before returning to her phone. Carefully typing up the perfect reply,
Hi Rachel. You don't need to put Berry every time you mention your name, I know who you are ;) How about coffee at noon. x
She feels slightly bolder through text, allowing herself to flirt with Rachel. Although it's quite early in the morning there is a pep in her step. Once or twice she may do a small twirl, but no one will ever know.
Face washed, teeth cleaned, hair brushed, make up on and what feels like the hundredth outfit later-Quinn stands staring at herself in her length size mirror. She can admit that she knows she is beautiful, she's been told so all her life. And yet, even that is not enough. If she where to stop denying how she feels and that is a big If she needs to be more than just a pretty face. Even though she has barely spoken to Rachel she's never felt this alive around anyone. Since the moment she bumped into Rachel she has had butterflies, at first they where welcoming, but now they were just proving to her that it wasn't a momentary lapse, there was something special about this girl. And no matter how hard she tried Rachel wouldn't leave her thoughts. She had tingles in her hands since she hit send, almost as if they wanted to write so much more than they did. Yes Quinn was a mess, some would say lovesick. Those people would be right. Love at first sight rarely happens, but it does and it had happened to Quinn.
That would be fine. I hope this time you find my house all right, I'm joking of course. See you at noon. x
It's not much more than a confirmation of time, and a slight jesting, but Quinn smiles all through breakfast. Quinn even smiles the whole way to Rachel's house. She has been smiling so long that as soon as she sees Rachel wave as she leaves her house the nerves come crashing down on her all at once. Causing her to honk the horn, spooking Rachel and sending a crimson red blush across her face.
"Real smooth Fabray."
The drive to the coffee shop is one filled with only music, purely because Quinn has no idea how to recover from honking the horn and afraid that once she opens her mouth something else idiotic will occur. Silence was her friend for once.
They choose the same booth they had sat in the first time they had coffee. It's purely coincidental on Rachel's part, but to Quinn it's now their booth.
"Can i take your order dearies?" her name tag reads Carol and her voice is soft and aged. Ink stains her fingers as she waits for the two girls to reply.
"I'll just take a black coffee."
"And i'll have vanilla soy latter please."
Carol writes down their orders and replies with "that'll be a few minutes girls," clicking her heels and walking away to prepare their drinks.
"So why did Noah refer to you as Quinn. You told me your name was Belle. Is he wrong or are you lying?"
Quinn had sat up for a large part of last night trying to think of a cover story for the Quinn/Belle dilemma, and for the life of her could think of nothing better than,
"It's my middle name."
"Yesterday you said it was complicated, do you honestly think she is going to believe that bullshit lie?"
"That's hardly convoluted Belle, you could have told me that in five seconds yesterday but you didn't. And you dragged Noah out of glee practice so quickly simply for calling you Quinn. So i highly doubt that is the real explanation," while Rachel spoke this, Quinn's entire complexion became whiter and whiter. The butterflies where subsiding and being replaced by nausea.
Her brain whispers a very simple, "Told you."
Rachel maybe persistent, and stubborn and pushed as far as she could to always have her way, but she was also compassionate and thoughtful and natural caregiver. So when Quinn looked like she was about to pass out, she stopped her train of thought and rushed to her side.
"Are you okay? If you don't want to tell me it's fine, just please don't make yourself ill over it." Shushing Quinn while gently rubbing her back, the girl regains some of her colour back, just as Carol returns with their coffee.
"Here drink this Belle; it will make you feel a little bit better."
The coffees have finished. They still sit side by side, but now Quinn has her natural glow back in her cheeks.
"Thank you for not pushing. I really would tell you if i could," she offers. It's enough to satisfy Rachel's previous disappointment in not knowing the truth.
Conversation turns to topics of less importance. How are you finding Ohio? How many brother and sisters do you have? Casual chatting among new friends. That is until she hears a loud "Hey Rachel," coming from behind them.
Both girls turn to where the sound originated from to see Finn Hudson. Walking towards them with a goofy grin on his face, and hands in his pockets. He really should have them out just in case; just looking at the boy she can tell he is uncoordinated. Almost as if his height has left the bottom half of his body a split second behind his top half. "That just reads disaster."
"Oh hello Finn. What are you doing here?"
"Yeah, Finn. What are you doing here?"
The boy looks to Quinn almost confused. "Who is she? Oh yeah the new girl from glee. Why is she looking at me is if i ran over her dog?" The whole while he is having this conversation in his head, the girls continue to stare. One with "the look"and one patiently as if this lag in answer happened a lot.
"I was hoping to run into you actually Rach. Can we talk," he looks to Quinn and back to Rachel, "in private i mean."
Rachel excuses herself, informing Quinn that she will just be gone for a moment. Following Finn over to a nearby table. Finn taking four steps, and Rachel needing seven to match the distance.
She awkwardly twirls her empty coffee cup, trying to look disinterested, when really she was using the skills she perfected as a child. Eavesdropping.
"Come on Rach. We were meant for each other. You know we are going to get back together eventually."
"Please Finn, I can't handle this right now."
"Actions are better than words," he thinks, "i'll kiss her and she will remember us." Without listening to Rachel's pleas, he leans in claiming her lips.
"Finn what are you doing? Did you even listen to a word I just said? This is why we aren't together anymore. You never listened. It's over, for real this time."
She turns on her heel leaving a wounded Finn standing baffled, he was sure his full proof plan would work. As she is turning she catches a glimpse of Quinn's blonde hair storming out of the Lima Bean entrance.
She drives recklessly, yet again, out of the parking lot. Lima really should install more speed cameras, or least more traffic lights.
"I'm so stupid. Of course she has a fucking boyfriend." She's screaming in aggravation. In anger. At herself, at Finn fucking Hudson. At letting even the notion of her and Rachel inhabit her brain.
Her phone begins ringing in the empty seat beside her; she glances quickly to see that it is Rachel. "Fucking ring all you want. I am not answering."
She knows she is shouting to no one, but the yelling helps the anger subside. Until all she is left with is hopelessness.
It's only two pm but she has only one destination on her mind, the Puckerman's place. She stops a block away from Puck's house. Clutching her phone she dials.
"I'm down at the bottom of your street. Hurry up, I have a fake I.D. We are getting alcohol and then we are drinking."
Before he has a chance to reply she has hung up, not that he had to think about the request. He throws his jacket on and runs out the house and down the street, jumping into Quinn's car.
"Liquor and back to mine Q. Parents are already gone. Let's get this party started."
She smirks; having Puck back in her life was proving better than expected.