A.N. A few delayed shout outs: to fresch who always senses where things are going and was on track with the jealousy bits—and more are to come; to Lizzay_Martini who laughed with me about the awkward sex conversations from the previous chapters. And new shout to BittyAB18 who ever since Junior Year told me what she was hoping for with the Finn/Quinn/Josh situation—more happening on that front here. More on the Josh/Rachel friendship and Quinn situation for Maiqu. Also to kezztip—it's Jesse's first appearance with more to come! And thanks to kaelaelameee & Nova802 for continued encouragement with your reviews :)
See my profile for full links or add these to youtube for new photo album: /watch?v=L3RgGtxZbgY
and playlist: /view_play_list?p=922DEF7137D7B245
Disclaimer: I do not own Glee, songs, or anything familiar. Photos are of real people and I've borrowed them for this story.
…
Rachel was weak in the knees after the most beautiful experience ever—Noah Puckerman serenading her on piano with Just the Way You Are. And of course, she also had tears in her eyes.
"That was the most beautiful, wonderful, sensitive, amazing,-" Rachel was cut off by the lips of her boyfriend crashing into hers for a passionate kiss. The patrons at The Perch were applauding, both for the song and the sight of two young beautiful people kissing.
Rachel blushed as she heard the sound, but she didn't break the kiss. When they finally finished, Puck looked at his girl and said, "You really liked it?"
Before Rachel could answer more than "Oh, yes!" Josh cleared his throat.
"That was quite a warm up. Ready to get the show going?"
Puck rolled his eyes but slid off the piano bench and relinquished it to Rachel as he took his place with his guitar. "Yeah, yeah. Let's do this."
Vivian officially introduced the band, which already had a few fans just based on Puck's emotional piano solo. With the piano instead of a keyboard, they performed particularly a good version of Gavin Rossdale's Love Remains the Same, followed by Your Side Now, a duet Josh and Rachel had been singing in honor of Josh's feelings for Quinn (as with all the other duets and most of their new songs). As she sang, Rachel thought back to a few days ago when she'd first learned these songs that she was asked to play with Josh. She'd told him that if he would have sang Your Side Now to Quinn that infamous night—when instead he chose to sing Shattered and then proceed to insult her to get her to break up with him—if he'd only made a different choice, maybe Quinn would have listened. At the time, Quinn hadn't wanted to choose between Finn and Josh. She just wanted to date casually. But neither guy was really satisfied with that. If Josh would have made his case instead of forfeiting the competition (in the worst way ever), maybe Quinn would have done what this song said, "…please believe in something. Start believing in us."
As Josh was singing Your Side Now, he looked at Rachel and remembered what she'd said to him. Maybe she was right. He shouldn't have made Quinn think he only wanted to date her for sex he never got—even if his motives hadn't started out so innocent. As he sang, "Cause it's a long drive home; it's a long drive alone," he thought about how he and the guys really were in for a long drive home. Maybe he would call Quinn and find out if she really was still happy with Finn. If she truly was, then he would leave her alone for sure. That's the decision he'd made before—that she would always have feeling for Finn and that she would be better off if he didn't mess up that perfect high school picture for her. But he still wasn't over her. Now he was a little worried that if he told her he still had feelings for her, it would ruin this friendship they'd started, which was kind of cool too (even though he'd initially thought it would be impossible to be friends with her). So the song One Thing that they were about to play totally embodied his feelings about taking that step—of crossing the friendship line. Of course, now Rachel was practically shoving Vivian down his throat, but Josh didn't see that going anywhere.
…
Rachel left the piano and moved to a seat in the café to watch the rest of the performance after the songs she participated in were over. She thought the cover of Finger Eleven's One Thing was well received, but her eyes widened when she saw Josh give an evil grin to the guys and then start playing that terrible Yeah Whatever song while looking right at Vivian. And Vivian first turned pale, surely thinking of the f-word that was part of the song. Then she flushed red with anger as she started storming toward the stage. Rachel watched in horror as all the guys smiled widely at the sight. But before Vivian reached them, the dreaded line was spoken—with a subtle replacement of "dead if you don't" for the original "f***ed if you don't".
Vivian sighed and shook her head at the band before taking the seat next to Rachel. "The look on your face tells me you didn't know they were doing that song either," Vivian whispered.
"I promise I had no idea," Rachel whispered urgently. "I will be giving them a piece of my mind!"
The guys enjoyed the looks on the girls' faces as they finished up their set. They weren't at all surprised when Rachel immediately met them after the show while Vivian took to the microphone to announce the next band.
"What exactly was that supposed to be?" Rachel asked.
"I just wanted to fuck with Viv's head. Pretty funny to see her eyes bug out like that when we started playing," Josh laughed.
Rachel grinned. "Ah, so you thought it was fun to tease Vivian? I see…"
Josh rolled his eyes at her, and Puck accused Rachel of being a yenta.
She protested indignantly. "I am no such thing. I just like to see my friends happy."
"Oh, so Josh is your friend now?" Puck sounded skeptical. But that hid the truth—he figured they were, but he was unsure he liked this idea. "Really?"
"Yes, of course. Why wouldn't I consider Josh my friend? We're friends, right, Josh?"
"Yeah, we're friends," he agreed easily.
"Fine, you guys are friends," Puck said sourly. "But you're friends with Quinn too, aren't you?"
"Yes, we have also developed a friendship, as you know. And you also know that she's dating our other friend Finn. So why wouldn't I want to encourage our friend Josh to pursue interests in other girls?"
"Alright, you win. You're perfectly within your friendly rights to be all pushy about Josh and Vivian," Puck said dryly.
"Josh and Vivian what?" Vivian asked as she approached the band. She received several blank looks in return. Then everyone looked at Puck to explain his comment. Even Rachel turned to him with a satisfied smile. So he turned it around on her.
He looked at Vivian with as innocent an expression as he could manage. "I was actually talking about Rachel, so I think she should fill you in. Rachel?" Then he turned to face Rachel with an evil smile on his face.
"Oh, you're so proud of yourself, aren't you?" she scowled.
"Totally," he grinned.
She rolled her eyes at him, but he caught her smile.
Rachel opened her mouth to explain her intent to Vivian when Josh stepped in front of her. "Rachel suggested that the band needs a break. Our trip to New York is almost over and we haven't done anything around the city besides play shows. And go shopping. She was trying to convince the other guys to go along with her to talk to me and you and also Liv about flaking on our other shows."
Rachel gaped at Josh's explanation…for three reasons. First, she was displeased with his interruption. Second, she was impressed with his quick-thinking. Third, she realized he was right. They hadn't done any sight-seeing at all; they had just hauled themselves from show to show and practiced. Aside from the salon and a few shopping trips which were 'music-business-related' too, they hadn't done anything just for fun. And Noah would be leaving soon. She didn't want this trip to end.
Vivian bought Josh's story easily. And she made a great suggestion. "You do deserve a break. Of course I don't mind at all if you don't play a show here tomorrow before you leave. You know what you should do? Drop off your stuff at Liv's and head out to Coney Island! They have free concerts in the summer on Thursday nights!"
"And today's Thursday!" Trey said. "Awesome! We're so there."
"Would you care to join us, Vivian?" Rachel asked sweetly. "You're more than welcome."
Puck rolled his eyes at Rachel's brand of subtlety, but she got the job done. Vivian agreed, just like Rachel wanted.
"If you all brought swimming suits, we could hit the beach now before the sun goes down. Then we can check out the boardwalk before the concert," Vivian suggested.
"Awesome!" Trey repeated.
"You know," Vivian addressed the band, "you guys shouldn't have been afraid to tell me yourselves that you didn't want to play here tomorrow. But Rachel, I applaud your take-charge attitude. Have you ever thought about business school as a future education path?"
Rachel was surprised by this suggestion and a little offended. "I know I wasn't featured heavily in today's show, but did you hear me sing? No, I'm not planning on going to business school. My career path is fully within the arts realm. My dream is Broadway."
"Of course. You have an amazing voice. But you might be interested in looking into some business classes as well. Your leadership abilities would take you far in the business world, and there's a lot involved in the music business that might be beneficial to your music career. I'm surprised nobody's ever mentioned that idea to you."
"No, they haven't. At my school my independence and leadership traits are considered…abrasive," she glared a bit at Puck.
"Ah, I see. Yes, some people are still in the dark ages. The same qualities that are praised in men are often found to be unattractive in women. We get called bitches when a man would be called assertive."
"Hold up," Puck said. "I hate to break up the feminist rally here, but you don't know what Rachel's like at school. If she were a guy, she'd still get called…what did you say?"
"Abrasive," Rachel snapped.
"Yeah, abrasive. Baby, I love you, but you're abrasive as hell sometimes."
"Thank you for your honesty, dear," she bit out.
"Hey, I love that you're abrasive. It's hilarious—as long as I'm not on the wrong end of it," Puck laughed and brought Rachel into a hug. "Calm down, crazy."
"Don't call me crazy," she sighed. "You're abrasive too, you know," she pouted as she settled into his arms.
"Damn right I am. And proud of it. You should be too. You're a badass, Rachel Berry."
She giggled. "Fine. I'll own it," she said with mock smugness. "You and I can be prickly together."
Puck released her from his hug and held her at arm's length. "No. Not prickly. That doesn't sound awesome at all. If we're gonna own it, repeat after me: We can be badass together."
She rolled her eyes, but repeated, "We can be badass together."
"Alright," he grinned and pulled her close again.
"Can we get going? We're burning daylight here," Josh said. "Beach, boardwalk, concert, remember?"
Rachel nodded sheepishly, and Puck told her that wasn't badass at all. "See, give a single nod, like this," Puck told her as he gave Josh a head nod. "Then say something cool like, whatever."
She thanked him for the lesson with a hint of sarcasm, and Puck continued to teach her more badassness as they separated from the group so they could head back to hotel to change into clothes for the beach. They both enjoyed the playful banter.
Back at the hotel, Rachel packed a bag so they'd have clothes with them after they finished up at the beach and headed toward the free concert. Puck didn't pack anything related to swimming, since when he thought of New York and playing shows, he hadn't thought about hitting the Atlantic Ocean at all. Rachel said she was sure there would be shops around the Coney Island beach front where they could pick up some essentials.
Rachel was right.
They met up with the guys and Vivian, and Viv led them right to a shop where Puck bought swimming trunks and a beach towel. Next they stopped to get some snacks to have with them on the beach. Puck was too excited to get in line for a few hotdogs, while Rachel hung back to determine if she could find anything vegan—or at least vegetarian—on the menu. When she looked up at Puck ahead of her in line, she felt compelled to take a picture of her hot boyfriend in his sunglasses, tank top, and board shorts. She called to him to look at her for a picture.
Puck rolled his eyes, and then jokingly puckered his lips into a kiss. Rachel captured the moment, and giggled with joy when she saw the result.
"It's perfect!" she called to him.
He shook his head and was just glad he wasn't the subject of more pictures in public for the moment. Rachel managed to get a veggie sandwich, and they all headed to find a spot on the beach.
Puck was a little, just a little bit concerned about the guys seeing Rachel in her bikini since they'd already basically admitted to picturing her naked. But he figured that it was a beach, so there'd be tons of chicks there for the guys to check out. And they'd probably be really interested in seeing Vivian in her swimsuit since they'd all been drooling over her anyway.
Puck was right.
The guys avoided looking at Rachel once they finished eating and she took off her sundress. And when they did look at her, they made an obvious effort to only look directly into her eyes. He wasn't sure if Rachel noticed anything unusual, but Puck noticed. It was also the strategy he used with Vivian. He didn't want to get into any trouble for looking at the skinny blonde's fine-ass-body.
Shit, he looked.
Puck stole a glance at Rachel who was lying next to him. She didn't seem to notice. "Wanna get in the water?" he asked her.
She turned over onto her stomach. "Ten minutes of sun on my back, and then, yes, I'll join you for a swim."
"Cool," Puck closed his eyes and enjoyed the sand and the sun with his girl by his side. He could get used to this. He opened his eyes minutes later when he felt a light back-handed slap to his arm.
"Dude," Trey said. "Vivian said we can rent body boards and shit to take out in the water. You up for it?"
"Yeah, man. Hey, Rach, I'm gonna go with the guys. You wanna come with?"
Rachel told him to go ahead and she'd join him after she finished basking in the sun. After her ten minutes were up, Rachel turned over and looked around for everyone. Vivian was still tanning on the beach a few steps away. All the guys were in the water, and Rachel thought it would be the perfect time to get another picture of Noah. She caught him in an inner tube with Trey heading toward him. Then put the camera away and asked Vivian to watch her bag while she joined the boys in the ocean.
When Puck caught a glimpse of Rachel running into the water toward him, his heart leaped into his throat.
Fuck, she was so hot. He was one lucky sonuvabitch.
…
As the sun was setting, the gang decided it was time to move from the beach to the other Coney Island attractions. They walked along the boardwalk, Puck holding Rachel's hand. But she slipped out of his grasp, saying she was going to talk to Vivian for a few moments. Puck nodded and started talking to Josh as they continued on to Seaside Park for the concert. Then Puck stopped dead in his tracks. They were about to pass one of those Make-Your-Own-Music-Video shops—the kind where someone sings karaoke style and makes a video that's broadcast outside for all to see. Once he actually realized he'd stopped walking, he picked up his pace.
"Shit, don't let Rachel see that," Puck said to the guys.
"What? Why?" Trey asked.
"More like, how?" Eddie said. "How can we stop her from seeing it?"
"Too late," Rachel said crisply as she pushed past the boys and entered the store.
"Oh no, here we go," Puck groaned.
"Dude, what's your deal?" Josh asked. "Rachel always sounds amazing, and you know it. Hell, you remind us of that almost as much as she does."
Puck chuckled and held up his hands. "Yeah, don't get me wrong; I'm not saying I don't like hearing her sing. My girl can sing. I'm just worried about what Broadway song we're all gonna have to hear and see on the big screen." He pointed to the screen where the music videos were broadcast. "She can make any song sound awesome, but show tunes get old. We're not eighty."
The guys all nodded in understanding. Yeah, Broadway standards were not on their list of favorites. But they were all surprised to hear the hip hop beat of Alicia Keys' No One over the speakers.
"Damn," Puck said as Rachel's voice filled the air. "That's my girl!" he boasted. She sounded awesome—better than the original he thought—and the small crowd of people who stopped to watch her performance probably thought so too. Puck thought she looked super-hot as she danced around looking at him through the television screen. The best part was…she was singing about him, about them.
"I just want you close, where you can stay forever. You can be sure, that it will only get better. You and me together, through the days and nights. I don't worry 'cause everything's gonna be alright. People keep talkin', they can say what they like. But all I know is everything's gonna be alright. No one, no one, can get in the way of what I'm feelin'…"
Applause of her friends and strangers greeted her when Rachel emerged victorious from the singing booth, and after thanking her fans, she looked at Puck expectantly with her hands on her hips. "So, what do you have to say about that?"
"I get a copy of that, right?"
That got her to smile—the kind that starts out small and then spreads so big that she looks like she's about to burst with happiness. She bumped him with her hip and then slid under his arm.
"Yes, of course you get a copy. It's for you."
"Thanks. You rocked it, baby."
"Thank you, Noah. It was all for you."
He held her tighter as they walked on toward the free concert. Puck kissed the top of Rachel's head and she looked up at him for a kiss on the lips.
"You're right, Josh, they are too cute for words," Vivian's voice carried up to the couple, who turned to see the rest of their little group smirking at their public displays of affection.
"That's not exactly what I said," Josh assured Puck and Rachel.
"Oh really?" asked Rachel with skepticism in her voice and a smile on her face.
"Yeah, that's really not what he said," Eddie affirmed.
"I would never use the word cute," Josh said. "I said that I was speechless, and I was gonna hurl."
"That sounds about right," Puck nodded. "But screw you," he said, bending down to give them all a show—full on tongue.
Rachel squeaked and pushed him away, but he held her tight and she finally got into it and kissed him back. Everyone else groaned at the sight—even Vivian. "Come on, you two," she said. "Quit making the rest of us loners jealous."
Puck ended his little performance, and Rachel blushed when she faced the others. She flushed even redder when Puck gave her ass a smack. "Noah!" The sundress over her bathing suit did little to shield her skin from his hand. "Not only is that inappropriate, but it hurt!"
"Can't help it, babe," he shrugged. "You're hot. But sorry, I didn't mean to make it hurt." He lightly massaged the cheek he had previously abused.
"Apology accepted, I suppose," she huffed. "But please try to be more respectful in public."
"Yeah, what she said," called Trey. "I think we're all about to puke back here. And I know my eyes are burning!"
Everyone laughed, and Puck flipped them all the finger behind Rachel's back before holding her hand in a harmless display.
They all had a great night at the free concert, taking in the sights and sounds of New York's Coney Island. The guys played a few of the games and Rachel snapped a few pictures for her memory calendar and scrap book. They also decided that they had packed so much tourism into this one day, that they really did want to play one last show. So they kept their last booking for an evening show at LIV.
As Puck and Rachel parted ways with Vivian and the guys in the band to go back to their hotel in the city, Rachel's phone rang. She managed to dig it out of her giant bag before it went to voicemail.
"Hello? Daddy!"
"Hi, sweetie," Marshall Berry said. "We hadn't heard from you for awhile, and we wanted to find out how your little vacation between camps is going."
"Oh, I'm sorry I haven't called," she looked at Noah and put her finger to her lips to indicate that he should stay quiet. "I have actually been quite busy preparing for camp, but I've been enjoying this break very much."
"Good to hear," her dad said. "Your father and I were thinking it might be fun if we take a little vacation of our own. We could come see you and spend the 4th of July in New York together! How does that sound?" he asked enthusiastically.
"Oh, Daddy, that's such a nice idea, but…" Rachel thought it was a sweet thought, but she wanted to spend time with Noah alone instead, so she lied. "A few of the other campers arrived early to settle in before the camp starts, so we're going to hang out and get to know each other… It might be easier for me to make friends if I'm here without my parents…"
"Of course, that sounds like a wonderful opportunity, honey. Then we won't join you this time. We'll just wait and see you at the end of your camp. You'll have a final performance for the parents, right?"
"Yes, that would be wonderful if you would attend the Family Finale instead! Maybe I could ask Noah if he can come with you? Would that be ok with you?" She asked her father, but she looked at Noah while she said it, to see if he was interested. He nodded with a half-smile.
"Well, sure, honey. I suppose we can invite Noah along. Of course we'll have to talk to Deb Puckerman."
"Of course. Feel free to invite her and Sarah too if you like."
Now Puck was not so happy about the idea of his mom and sister coming out to New York too—he shook his head no vigorously. Rachel just rolled her eyes at him.
"We'll do that, sweetie. We could call now as soon as we hang up with you."
"Oh, no!" Obviously that would be bad. "Why don't you wait until after the 4th of July holiday to call? Actually, I'll ask Noah about it first, and after I've talked to him to make sure it fits with his practice schedule for football, I'll let you know."
"Ok, we'll wait until you give us the green light. We are perfectly happy to invite your boyfriend, but it might be nice if it's just us, the family, don't you think?"
"You've had 17 years of just us, Daddy. You'll have to get used to the idea that I'm growing up."
"Your father and I aren't ready for you to be too grown up yet," Marshall Berry protested. "But we'll work on it—maybe by the time you're 18 we'll be ready for the fact that you'll be leaving us to go to college and on your way to your destined stardom."
"Sure, Daddy," Rachel smiled into the phone. "To practice, you can share this trip at the end of Broadway camp with Noah; so I can share that moment with my three favorite men."
The thought worried Marshall Berry, but he agreed. He told Aaron the bad news before passing him the phone so he could talk to Rachel too.
…
In Brooklyn, Josh had a phone call to make around the same time. He was ready to ask Quinn if she just wanted to remain friends or if she was open to possibility of trying a real relationship. At least, he thought he was ready.
He totally chickened out.
Instead, he just mentioned Vivian in passing, to see if he could detect a reaction—any hint of jealousy.
He couldn't.
She seemed happy for him. So it seemed like he was staying on the friendship side of the line.
Fuck.
"Well, I guess it's late and you have cheer camp early tomorrow…"
"Yes, that's true," Quinn said.
"So, I'll just call you tomorrow before our last show. You know, just to say 'hey' or whatever before we start the drive back to Lima."
"Sounds great. I hope you have a lovely show and a safe drive home."
Josh chuckled. "Thanks. But it won't be 'lovely'. More like 'killer'," he boasted.
"Fine. Have a killer show," Quinn rolled her eyes with a smile. "Call me during the drive home if you get bored and want to talk."
They said their goodbyes and Josh still didn't know exactly what Quinn thought about him.
Quinn didn't know either.
…
July
Friday was the first day of July and near the end of the New York trip for the band. They had to get back to Lima for the 4th of July holiday so they were leaving on Saturday. That meant time for one last show and any last sight-seeing plans for the group. But fortunately, Puck was staying with Rachel, so they had two full days to look forward to without the band—without anyone else in the world to stand in their way. They were both so excited for those days alone, so much so that their last show with the band in New York breezed by in a flash.
The group all decided to dress up a bit for their show at LIV and then enjoy the club scene, with the minors respecting the alcohol laws of course. They played lots of crowd favorites with a few of the band's original songs mixed in the set list. Sure, they never got discovered during their week of gigs in New York, but they got a taste of their futures—which seemed pretty damned good.
The guys were leaving early Saturday morning from Liv and Jake Jordan's house, so Rachel and Puck said goodbye to them at the end of Friday night. Rachel even got a little teary-eyed. Puck rolled his eyes at her and said, "They're just going back to Lima. That's where you'll be in two weeks."
"I know," she sniffed. "But this week has just been so wonderful, and I feel like we've all become good friends, and I'm just sad that it's ending."
"It's just temporary, Rach," Josh smiled.
Puck flinched at Josh using a nickname for Rachel, but he didn't say anything.
"Temporary?" Rachel asked.
"Yeah, you know, because we're all gonna finish our senior years—ours in college and you guys in high school. Then we'll all be moving to New York, right? That's still the plan, isn't it?"
Eddie and Trey confirmed their plans. Rachel nodded rapidly and began smiling widely. "Yes, that is the plan! I can't wait!"
Puck didn't say anything. He didn't say anything when Rachel hugged Josh. He didn't say anything when Trey and Eddie stepped up for their Rachel-hugs either.
Rachel didn't really notice Puck's uncomfortable silence. She was too happy. She spent the subway ride back to the hotel looking up sights they should see together during their weekend alone. Rachel planned out all kinds of must-see trips to take, along with watching the fireworks over the Hudson River.
Puck was pretty sure the only must-do on that list was the fireworks show.
He was right.
Saturday they ended up only emerging from the hotel room to eat.
It was fuckin' awesome.
They had an afternoon nap that they both agreed capped off a perfect morning alone in bed with no particular reason to do anything but be together.
Rachel drifted off to sleep first and turned away from Puck in her sleep. So in a familiar ritual by this time, he ran his hand along the S of her body, from her shoulders to her thighs, before bending his knees into the backs of hers and settling his head behind her on the pillow. As he moved into place, Rachel lifted her arm to move her hair, giving him access to his favorite spot on her neck.
"You awake?" he whispered, in case she wasn't.
She didn't answer, just continued breathing deeply. She must have just sensed his movements and responded. In the moment he realized that she had made that little move in her sleep, he also realized he felt tears stinging in his eyes and tightness spreading warmth in his chest.
"I love you so fucking much," he whispered to her vehemently.
He knew if he ever told anyone about the way that little gesture made him feel he'd be called a giant pussy.
But fuck the world.
He had his girl. He loved her and she loved him.
And that's the only thing that really mattered.
…
Rachel woke up from her nap about an hour later feeling refreshed and jubilantly happy. She couldn't name the reason for her fabulous mood, but she thought it was because of the boy sleeping next to her. She turned under his arm to face him.
He was so beautiful.
She loved him so much.
She kissed him softly as she crept out of the bed, careful not to wake him. She hopped in the shower. That was a necessity. She knew they'd have to venture out of the hotel to get some food eventually, and she also thought she could get a few things accomplished while she let her boyfriend sleep in peace.
…
Saturday afternoon during the never-ending drive through Pennsylvania, Josh called Quinn while Trey napped in the passenger seat of his van. Eddie was driving ahead of them in Josh's Buick. They didn't talk about anything special, but it was a nice way to pass the time for Josh.
It was for Quinn too. She took her cell outside and walked around her backyard on the phone, enjoying the summer sun and her mother's roses.
When Eddie headed toward an exit to stop for some food, Josh told Quinn he had to go.
"Bye, Josh, get home safely," Quinn said. She heard footsteps on the stone walkway, and she turned around to see Finn looking confused and hurt.
"You were talking to Josh?"
"Yes, I was. But it's no big deal," she told him. "We started talking again while he was with Puck and Rachel in New York. We're all friends again."
"If it wasn't a big deal, why didn't you just tell me?"
"Because it wasn't a big deal," she repeated. "I didn't even think about it."
"Then why are you blushing?"
"I am?" She pressed her hands to her cheeks even though she could feel the heat rising to her face almost as if cued by his words.
"Yeah, you are."
"Maybe that's because you're yelling at me about it and it's making me feel defensive."
"I'm not yelling," Finn said. He wasn't. "If you'd told me in the first place I wouldn't be upset. Well, maybe I would… I thought you were my girlfriend again," he finished sadly.
"I am! Haven't we been having a good summer?"
"Yeah, I thought so. I thought I'd been a good boyfriend."
She thought about it and she definitely agreed. He took her to the movies she wanted to see, to the all the parties they were expected to attend. It was going very well. "You have been! You are!"
"I tried sharing. I did that for you. It doesn't work for me. I know we're just in high school and I'm not trying to get married or anything, but I want someone who wants to be with just me." Finn took a few breaths and watched as Quinn's eyes filled with tears. "Look, maybe we should take a break. When you figure out what you want again, let me know." He turned to leave.
"Wait!" she rushed to him, clinging to his t-shirt. "I don't need any time. I choose you. You're my boyfriend."
"Well, I need some time," he said firmly while gently removing her hands from his chest.
"How much time?" she asked plaintively.
"I'll let you know."
Quinn watched him go as her vision blurred and the tears fell silently. She never wanted to hurt Finn, but that's what she always seemed to do. Silent tears gave way to full shoulder-racking sobs, and she ran inside the house and up to her bedroom.
She was a terrible person. What had she done?
…
Sometime within the hour, Quinn's phone rang, and she answered it with a hopeful "Hello?" hoping it was Finn.
If she would have looked at the caller id, she probably wouldn't have answered the phone.
"Hello, Quinn," said Rachel. "Is this a bad time? You sound sick."
Quinn sniffed. Then she lied. "It's just allergies. I'm fine. How are you? I haven't heard from you since I tried to call you a week ago."
"I know. I'm so sorry, Quinn. That's why I'm calling. I want to return your call, even though any urgent information will have expired."
"Oh, I didn't want anything important," Quinn said. "I was just checking in to see if you and the guys were doing ok."
"That's what I thought. And speaking of the guys, I wanted to share a bit of news with you," Rachel said happily. "I think I've found a good match for Josh so that he can get over you. Did you know he's been basically pining over you this entire trip?"
"Really?" Quinn asked, trying to keep the hope out of her voice. "No, I had no idea. We only recently discovered that we don't hate each other," she said truthfully.
"I didn't ever think you hated each other," Rachel said. "And that's why I thought you'd be happy to know that I found a beautiful girl here in New York who is interested in him—at least she seems to be. And he used to like her a few years ago. Of course, she lives in New York and he'll be in Lima, but that will change next year, when we all move to New York!"
"Right. When you all move to New York," Quinn echoed. "I don't know if I can do New York," she said in a daze.
"Oh, of course not! I'm not expecting you to move there too. I assumed you'd feel more comfortable in Ohio. Especially since Finn will probably try to get a football scholarship to one of the state schools."
The sound was muffled, but Quinn could make out Puck telling Rachel to hurry up and get off the phone so she could get on his pole or something dirty like that. That was followed by Rachel exclaiming "Noah!" in an offended tone. Quinn shook her head. Typical Puck and Rachel stuff.
"It sounds like I should let you go, Rachel," Quinn said. "How about we talk again later?"
"That would be great, Quinn. I'm sorry about Noah. But we do only have a few more days together. I was trying to get a few things accomplished, and I didn't realize he'd be out of the shower so quickly."
"It's no problem. Enjoy the rest of your trip in New York," Quinn said.
"Thank you, Quinn, I will."
And she did.
…
Saturday and Sunday were spent together lounging in the hotel—mostly in bed—often engaging in vigorous activities that wouldn't necessarily qualify as lounging. But Monday they both agreed that they wanted to enjoy the Independence Day festivities in the city—outside the hotel room. They tried to pack in as much as they could. First stop was Magnolia Bakery, but the line was miles long, and they didn't want to waste time just waiting. They moved on to Central Park.
"I'm sorry we didn't get to share a cupcake at Magnolia Bakery," Puck told her with a half-smile.
"It's ok, sweetie," she smiled. "We'll be back. There will be plenty of time in the future to try a treat from the famous Magnolia Bakery. We'll go next time we're here."
"Next time?"
"Yes, of course there will be a next time. Once we move here, we'll have all the time in the world."
Puck ignored the prickling sensation in his stomach at the thought. Instead he told himself to pull his shit together and give Rachel the best day they could possibly have.
It worked pretty well.
They headed to Pier 84 early to get a spot to view the fireworks show over the Hudson River. The online guides said the space was limited. As they wandered around, Rachel decided to snap another self-portrait of the two of them. That's when Liv and Jake spotted them.
"Hi, you two," called Liv from a few feet away. She and Jake made their way to the young couple and offered to take their picture.
"Thank you, Liv," Rachel said. "Being from the hospitable Midwest, we are unsure if it is safe to ask a stranger to take our picture. We really appreciate it."
"No problem," Liv replied. "Usually anyone you ask would be happy to take your picture, I'm sure. But it is probably better to be safe than sorry."
The girls talked for a while and the guys talked sports and music while they waited for the fireworks. As darkness fell and the fireworks synched to music began, Rachel settled into Puck's arms.
They both sighed happily. They were completely content.
…
And late that night when they finally made it through the crowds and back to their hotel, Puck succeeded in making the day and the night the best one possible.
"I'm gonna miss this," Puck told her before settling into their official sleeping position behind her.
"Which part?" she asked, not bothering to turn to face him, but enjoying the comfort of his arms around her and his breath on her neck.
"All of it."
"Me too," she said. "I love you, Noah."
"I love you too, Rach. So damn much."
She turned in his arms to give him a second goodnight kiss.
They finally fell asleep an hour later.
…
The alarm at 4:00am came way too early. Rachel jumped into the shower and set the alarm to go off again in 20 minutes in case she wasn't out to wake up her sleepy boyfriend. Today was her first day of camp, but she was going to take a detour to ride with Noah to the airport, and then use the same cab to make it to the theatre. She couldn't believe this day was already here.
Rachel was freaking out that Puck hadn't finished packing by the time she finished blow drying her hair.
"Relax, baby," he said. "I'm almost done. I just have to shove a few more things in the bag."
"I'm calling for the cab now, so you better be ready when it gets here!"
"I'll be ready," he assured her.
His only regret in getting those extra few minutes of sleep that delayed his packing time was the fact that he didn't have time for a quickie. If he had more brain cells firing this early, he would have totally gotten his ass in gear and given her one last good drilling.
It was still dark as hell outside when Puck and Rachel met the cabbie outside the hotel. They got in the cab and Puck told the guy to take them to JFK. As he leaned back, Rachel said his name and snapped a picture.
"Damn, Rach, I can't see anything after that flash!"
"I'm sorry, Noah, I had to get one last picture. And it's a good one too, see?" she showed him the result.
"Just don't forget to send me some of those pictures of us—and some of you." Then he lowered his voice to a growl, "I need some of you." He ran his hand up her leg.
Rachel put her camera away and shoved her bag aside. Another make-out session in a cab seemed an appropriate farewell.
…
While Puck wasn't a fan of saying "I love you" constantly, he was on board with the words in general and to use every now and then—to keep them special. So he meant it when he told her that he loved her and would miss her.
Rachel melted in his arms, but had to return to the cab instead of spending more time.
After waving goodbye to Rachel and paying for his part of the cab ride, Puck felt a little hollow. He supposed it was the effect of already missing her, even as he watched the cab pull away. In the airport and on the flight, he thought about the week that had passed and the weeks ahead. He could picture a life in New York in the future, totally. But he could also picture one in Ohio, closer to friends and family—closer to where his daughter would grow up.
Everyone else, especially Rachel, was so sure about New York. He knew that it wouldn't be long before they'd be back in New York. It was where Rachel belonged.
Puck just hoped he belonged there too.
…
Rachel didn't have too much time to wallow in her misery over her boyfriend's departure. She had to get to the theater by 8am for the first call and introductions for Broadway camp. She rushed into the auditorium with a few minutes to spare.
"Hey, girl!"
Rachel heard a voice that sounded a bit like Mercedes with a New York accent. She turned to see three girls waving her over.
"Me?" she asked tentatively.
"You don't recognize us?" the girl laughed. "We're on your floor at the hotel. I'm Lilli, this is Jen, and this is Alexa."
"Oh, so nice to meet you, I'm Rachel."
"It's ok," smiled Jen. Her auburn hair was in a messy ponytail, but Rachel could tell she was very pretty—all three girls were. They just weren't in the category of shockingly beautiful that made Rachel a little uncomfortable to be near. Not like she felt around Quinn Fabray sometimes.
Jen continued, "You seemed pretty distracted, and understandably so."
Rachel furrowed her brows and the girls laughed.
The slender brunette Alexa piped up, "Is he your boyfriend?"
"Oh, you must have seen me with Noah!" Rachel realized out loud. "Yes, he is my boyfriend."
"Damn, girl, he is fine!" Lilli exclaimed. "Where is he?" All the girls looked around hoping for a glimpse.
"I just came from dropping him off at the airport," Rachel said, a hint of sadness causing her voice to shake. "He's on his way home."
"Oh, sweetie," Jen wrapped her arm around Rachel. "It's ok. Of course, I'm sad too since I don't get to see that muscled god," she joked. "But you'll see him after camp, right?"
Rachel was surprised that these girls seemed so friendly to her right away. It was so different than any of her experiences in high school or in any of her previous summer camps. She smiled sheepishly. "Yes, I'll see him at the end of camp. I'm a little over-emotional. And I'm a little dramatic, but maybe that's something we all have in common here."
The girls laughed and agreed. They all took a few minutes to get to know each other and made plans to meet up at lunch before the camp directors started the first session of Broadway Camp.
…
Rachel was in a different small group than Lilli, Jen, and Alexa, so after her session she headed to the Arte Café where they had agreed to meet for lunch. She had just finished learning a dance routine for camp and it was a humid day in the city, so she felt grimy. Rachel frowned when she saw her reflection in the glass door—her face was shiny and her hair was very curly. But she figured her new friends wouldn't pick on her appearance—not like the girls at McKinley. Here they seemed to like her automatically—maybe because she had a hot boyfriend. Rachel smiled to herself as she entered the café and decided to claim a table. She spotted an empty one next to a table with a lone male customer sipping an iced green tea—her favorite summer beverage. The curls of his hair looked familiar too.
"Jesse?" she asked hesitantly.
The boy turned around in his chair.
"Rachel Berry!" He stood up and held out his arms for a hug. "I was hoping I'd run into you in the city this summer."
Rachel cautiously stepped into his hug. She'd talked to him at the beginning of the summer, so he knew she would be here this summer for camps. And she knew he was moving to New York for college, and of course Broadway. But the last time they spoke, Noah had just beaten him up for reasons she didn't entirely understand. Jesse had promised to explain, but they hadn't reconnected since then for Rachel to get the whole story. "What are you doing here in July? School doesn't start for more than a month!"
"It's true," Jesse nodded. "But I couldn't wait to get here and get out of Ohio. Can you blame me?"
She shook her head no. "But the dorms wouldn't be open yet."
"My father has a one bedroom apartment in the city that he uses for business. So I moved in. I'll have to sleep on the couch when he's here on business, but that's a small price to pay," he shrugged with a smirk.
Rachel agreed. They chatted for a few moments, but Rachel kept glancing around the café looking for the girls.
"I'm meeting some friends here for lunch," she explained. "So I don't think you and I will have time to talk about all of the things I'd like to discuss."
Jesse nodded in understanding. "Of course. We should meet up again while you're here in the city. You should come by and see my apartment!"
Rachel started to agree, but then she felt a tug of concern. "Just to be clear, Jesse, I still have a boyfriend. I'm still dating Noah Puckerman."
He dismissed her concern. "Don't worry. Just a visit between friends, Rach. I promised you an explanation, didn't I? And wouldn't it be nice to talk shop together? You know, Broadway talk? I'm a step ahead of you on the path, so I could give you some advice for what you should be doing." He dangled the prize that he knew she'd find irresistible.
"Ok, as long as you're clear, then I'd be happy to meet you later," Rachel beamed.
"Great. Let's take a picture to commemorate this moment, shall we?" he asked as he grandly pulled out his camera phone.
"Sure," Rachel smiled. "I like to capture memories too."
He held out his camera and snapped the picture. "Great, I'll send it to you. Your number's the same right?" He called it and sent her the picture.
Rachel thanked him for the picture and hesitantly gave him the goodbye hug he started. She didn't want the girls to see her and get the wrong idea.
They did.
"Girl, you're a little player, aren't you?" Lilli exclaimed from behind Rachel.
"Oh, no! Really! That's just my friend Jesse."
Jesse heard his name and turned back around instead of exiting the café.
"Hello. I'm Jesse St. James. Would you care to introduce us, Rachel?"
So Rachel did.
"Well, I'll leave you ladies to your lunch. See you later, Rach," he flashed a grin before leaving.
Once he exited, all the girls were buzzing around Rachel.
"Wow, he's cute too!" marveled Alexa.
"And charming!" exclaimed Jen.
"So, since you've got your bouncer of a boyfriend, do you think your friend Jesse is available?" smirked Lilli.
"I don't know if he's in a relationship, but I can find out," Rachel promised.
...
Meanwhile, by the end of football camp on Tuesday, it was clear to Puck that something was up. Finn seemed to be completely ignoring Quinn, which was not at all what things were like when Puck left.
"What's up with you and Q?" Puck asked Finn. He got the basic story.
"Sorry, dude. That sucks. So I guess that means we can hang out, just us guys?"
"Yeah, I guess," Finn shrugged then slumped his shoulders.
"Don't sound so happy about it. I might get the wrong idea," he joked to lighten the mood.
"Sorry, I just...yeah...it sucks. I mean, hanging out with you will be cool and all..."
"Yeah, I get it. I guess Quinn's a hard girl to get over."
"Yeah."
"Just don't do what I did when I was getting over her."
"What's that?"
"Hook up with Rachel."
Finn gave a half smile. "Too late."
"What?" Puck exclaimed, trying to not punch out his depressed and possibly delusional friend.
"I did that the first time. Remember?"
"Fuck, yeah. Shit."
"Don't worry though."
"I'm not worried, dude. Please," he said smugly. "She's with me now. She wasn't then."
Finn nodded. "Yeah." Finn wanted to say more, about how boyfriend status didn't stop Puck before from going after Quinn when they were together. But from the way Puck winced, Finn figured he thought about it too—just a little late.
"Fuck, sorry. Just please do not try to get me back like that."
"I won't. And Rachel wouldn't. I know she wouldn't."
"I know she wouldn't too," Puck said defensively.
"Maybe we can hang out later," Finn said slowly. "I need a day to forget about you with Rachel,
and I need a lifetime to forget about you with Quinn."
"Dude? Really?"
"Nah, a day will work. Let's hang out tomorrow."
...
Rachel was enjoying the rigors of Broadway Camp. And she was really enjoying the fun of having a group of girlfriends. After the sessions ended for the day, the girls went back to the hotel together and planned on meeting again for dinner. They dressed up and headed out to Bond 45, an expensive restaurant a few blocks away. Rachel sent her boyfriend a text to let him know she'd met some new friends and would be out late at dinner.
She ran out of characters before she could mention her encounter with Jesse.
She didn't send a second message.
Rachel decided it would be best to tell him later in a phone call.
Then after an awesome night goofing off with the girls—with a picture taken by their cute waiter to prove it—the only thing Rachel could talk about that night on the phone with Noah was how much fun she was having. He had to go to bed to get up early for football camp, so she never had a chance to describe the part of her day that included seeing Jesse.
Upon ending the call, she decided she'd tell him about it after she visited Jesse. That way, there would be a whole story to tell.
…
Wednesday after football practice Finn and Puck decided to hang out and play Halo. With the way Puck bragged about his relationship with Rachel, it might not be surprising that Finn started asking him for advice about Quinn.
"You're the expert now, dude. What do you think I should do about Quinn? She's still talking to that Josh guy—your friend Josh. The whole thing just bums me out. Should I end the break with a break up? How do I know what to do?"
"Easy," Puck said. "If you think you can live without her, then you probably can."
"Is that how you feel about Rachel? Like you can't live without her?"
"Well, it's not like I would literally die of heartbreak or anything gay like that. More like it would really suck without her. Like if these weeks without her over the summer were forever, it would totally suck ass."
"Uh-huh," Finn said thoughtfully. "…So did you feel that way about Quinn?"
"Well, yeah, I kinda did. You do realize I loved Quinn, right?"
"I guess," Finn said bitterly. "If you couldn't live without Quinn, then what happened?"
"Well, it helps when the feeling is mutual," he said ruefully. "And I have that with Rachel. It's a million times better, and it's kinda…amazing."
"That's pretty gay," Finn joked.
"If you think that, then you're probably not in love with Quinn. Because then you'd know what I mean."
"Well, I sorta felt that way the first time with Quinn, and with Rachel, but then it turned out that I did live without them, you know? So I don't know what to think. Maybe I loved them both…"
"Probably," Puck nodded. "Seems like a common problem."
"Well, that doesn't help me figure things out at all."
"Sorry, man. I don't know what else to tell you. The question is, what do you feel now? I guess I just go by the whole how would I live without her feeling. Oh, and sometimes there's this weird feeling in your chest, around your heart I guess, like when you look at her. I think that's love."
Finn raised his eyebrow. "This coming from Puckarone, the sex shark himself?"
"Funny. Yeah," Puck said dryly. "And I'm still a sex shark, dude. Just with, you know, only one prey or whatever."
"Whatever you say, man," Finn grinned. "One prey, huh?"
"Hey, let's keep this between us, got it? We're only 17—no need to worry about the future too much, right?"
"Sure, Puck, whatever you say."
Puck punched Finn in the arm. "Let's get our Halo on."
…
Thursday was fairly similar to the day before for both Puck and Rachel. With two main exceptions for Rachel: 1) she did not run into Jesse St. James on Thursday; and 2) she auditioned and landed her first role in the small group productions at camp.
That evening, she called her boyfriend before dinner. "Noah, I'm playing Evita! Can you believe it?"
"Uh, no?" Puck said what he hoped was the right answer.
"You remember, right? Evita is on my list of top roles I want to land on Broadway? This isn't really the same thing of course, but it's close. Please tell me you remember."
"Yeah, yeah, I remember. Evita. That's the Madonna one, right?"
"Yes, that's right," Rachel smiled. He did listen to her. He did remember. "But now we'll have to start calling it the Rachel Berry one," she joked.
"Huh?"
"Nevermind. I can tell you're distracted."
"Yeah, sorry. I'm having a Halo marathon with Finn."
"Isn't that what you were doing yesterday?"
"That's why they call it a marathon, Rach," he smirked.
"Of course," Rachel sighed. "Well, can you give Finn a message for me? You just have to repeat what I say, so it shouldn't be too distracting."
"Sure. Go."
She sighed again and began her message.
Finn was sitting next to Puck playing Halo, and soon realized that Puck was actually talking to him.
"This message is from Rachel," Puck started, parroting his girlfriend's words.
"I hope that in the midst of this emotional turmoil… Seriously, Rach? Remember this is Finn you're talking to here," Puck said into the phone.
Finn was about to protest, but then he realized that while he's busy trying not to die on Level 2, it would probably be easier to have a pre-translated message from Rachel rather than trying to strain his brain to interpret all of her giant words.
Puck started again. "Finn, I hope that in the middle of your difficulties with Quinn, with the help of these male bonding activities, you will do some soul-searching to find what makes you happy. …Is that all? Yeah, she's done. You can stop listening now, Finn."
"Cool," Finn said. "Tell her thanks."
"Finn said thanks."
They said their goodbyes with Puck telling Rachel that he'd call her back when he was alone and could sex her up over the phone.
"Noah!" Rachel exclaimed as she overheard Finn groan. She blushed as she was hanging up the phone.
And while that conversation was somewhat productive, it left her feeling unfulfilled. She decided to call someone else who would share in her joy over her role; someone who had already told her that singing Don't Cry for Me Argentina was inevitable.
She called Jesse St. James.
…
A.N. Thanks for hanging in there, readers. The story is almost over. Also, in spite of the date this was posted, several parts of this story were written before the recent Glee episodes, so similarities you may see were actually unintentional since this is an alternate Puckleberry universe.
Disclaimer: One scene inspired by A History of the World in 10 and a Half Chapters.