Ch 5 Summer Fun? Part 1
A.N. I'm sorry for the delay in my approximately weekly updates. Busy life plus difficult chapter combined. But the story is almost over. Thanks to everyone for your feedback!
Links are for parts 1 and 2 of chapter 5. See my profile for full links or add these to youtube for new photo album: /watch?v=4LtEumBeHFU
and playlist: /view_play_list?p=FE5FBDDF210D9BC9
Disclaimer: I do not own Glee, songs, or anything familiar. Photos are of real people and I've borrowed them for this story.
…
On Thursday after leaving her boyfriend to his Halo marathon with Finn, Rachel called Jesse to tell him the good news about landing the role of Evita at Broadway Camp.
Of course, she received the type of reaction she was looking for from someone. She felt like she was the center of attention and had such a bright future ahead of her as she basked in Jesse's praises.
They chatted for about an hour, agreeing to meet in person the following evening. After hanging up with Jesse, Rachel immediately called Noah.
"You're probably still having your marathon," she said right away, foregoing the traditional 'Hello'.
"Yep," answered Puck. "What's up?"
"I just made plans with Jesse for tomorrow evening, and I want to let you know that after I finish my scenes on Friday, we'll be hanging out. Then I realized that it might be considerate if I check with you first, to make sure you're ok with that."
"Yeah, sure, that's cool. With Jenny, you said?" Puck vaguely remembered Rachel mentioning some girls she met. It seemed like one was named Jenny, another named Lilly, and maybe an Alice or something like that.
"No! Jesse!"
"Oh Jessie, sure. Yeah." Naturally, in Puck's distracted state, he assumed Rachel was talking about some chick named Jessie.
"Well, thank you. I appreciate your trust in me." Rachel was pleasantly surprised at Noah's casual attitude, but it just confirmed her original notions that being friends with your ex-boyfriend is perfectly acceptable and that she and Noah have a very mature relationship.
"Yeah, of course I trust you. Just don't run around New York too much just the two of you. Dangerous shit."
"Don't worry, we won't. We both know our way around," she smiled into the phone.
"I'll probably do something with Finn anyway. Since he's kinda working things out about Quinn. But we'll still talk that night and later on the weekend, right?"
"Of course. But don't forget, I have late rehearsals for our showcase. We're doing a camp showcase on Tuesday as preparation for the Family Finale. So my schedule is going to get more hectic than it has been so far."
"Ok, break a leg, babe," Puck said. He was really kicking some ass in Halo. "Give me a call before you go to bed so I can put you to sleep right."
"Why don't you give me a call when you're…alone," Rachel told him. She knew what he meant and the conversation he was referring to having at bedtime was not one she wanted to take place in front of Finn Hudson.
"Oh yeah, that makes sense. I'll totally do that. What'cha gonna do while you wait for my call, baby?" he asked with a grin.
"Noah! We're not starting this now!" Rachel exclaimed. "Not until you're alone," she said in a lower voice—even though she was alone in her hotel room.
"C'mon, he can't hear you," Puck said. He glanced at Finn innocently and realized that Finn was looking less than amused. Apparently he was paying some attention to their conversation.
"Noah Elijah Puckerman, I will not have phone sex with you while you're playing video games with Finn," she said through clenched teeth. "You know better than to even ask!"
"Yeah," he grinned. "But it's fun to hear your reactions. You're pretty hilarious. Hell, I think I might have to end this Halo marathon early so we can get to it."
"Well, then end it already!"
Puck laughed. "I love that you're so impatient. You want me so badly. Admit it, Berry."
"Dude!" Finn exclaimed as he punched Puck in the shoulder. "Too much info! Save it for when you're at home."
Rachel overheard Finn and blushed furiously. "Noah, I'm so embarrassed," she wailed.
"Just admit, and I'll leave so we can talk about it," Puck teased. But he had already quit his game. The phone was silent for a few moments before Rachel finally sighed.
"I admit it." Quietly she said, "Of course I want you. I miss you so much. I never knew how lonely sleeping can be until I was able to sleep next to you and wake up in your arms every day."
"Damn, you're good, baby. I'm leaving right now." Puck waved goodbye to Finn and was out the door in a flash. "I feel the same way. It sucks that we won't be able to do that even once you're back from camp. Unless I sneak over every night. Oh, I'm totally sneaking over every night!"
"Yay!" Rachel laughed and her mood was lifted. Then her practical side chimed in. "That seems very risky though—I'd hate for you to get grounded and forbidden from seeing me."
"Are you kidding? My mom would probably give me her blessing and invite you to move in with us!" He was only half-joking. Part of him thought that his mom really was crazy enough to let Rachel move in even without being preggo like Quinn was when she moved in.
"That might need to happen," she sighed, "if my dads ever caught you staying the night without permission."
"They still don't like me much, do they?"
Rachel couldn't bring herself to admit that she was afraid he was right. Instead she said, "They're very overprotective, as you know. Oh, and speaking of my dads, I forgot to mention earlier that they'll be calling your mom about coming to New York for the Family Finale at the end of camp."
"Shit," he groaned.
"Would it really be that bad?"
"Yes," he said firmly. "I've gotta take care of this shit. I'm gonna talk to Mom when I get home, and then I'll give you a call back. I'm still gonna give you my personal bedtime phone treatment," he finished smoothly.
"I'll be waiting," Rachel said seductively.
"I'll hurry," Puck promised. Damn, sometimes Rachel Berry still surprised him. She could go from uptight to sex-fiend in two seconds flat. "Don't start without me," he told her before a better idea came to mind. "Forget I said that. Feel free to start without me and tell me all about it when I call."
"Oh, Noah!"
"Bye, baby," he grinned.
"Talk to you soon, sweetie," she smiled.
Puck shook his head at her pet name for him, but it was a small price to pay for everything he got in return by being with Rachel. He had a pretty sweet deal.
Moments later, Puck walked into his house and spotted his mom and sister on the couch, watching the end of some stupid tv show.
"So, you and the kid aren't going to New York, got it?" he said immediately.
"Hello to you too, Noah," Deb Puckerman said.
"But Noey!" cried Sarah. "I wanna see Rachel! I wanna hear her sing!"
"Oh really? Do you really wanna see her do a boring political play about South America? It's probably all in Spanish so we won't even understand it. I'm pretty sure even Rachel Berry can't save it. I'm not even interested in it, so I can't imagine you'd want to suffer through it," Puck said in his most serious voice.
Sarah wrinkled her nose. "Oh, not really then. I could just see Rachel when she comes home."
"Good decision," Puck nodded. He was pleased that his mom didn't contradict him. But then he realized his mom probably couldn't afford a last minute trip to New York for all of them. He felt a little bad, but not bad enough. "I'm still going, Ma, ok? I've gotta support my girlfriend." He thought emphasizing that last word might do the trick and persuade his mom to let him go.
Deb Puckerman was already planning to grant her son permission to go with the Berry's and she was already planning to take the option off of the table for Sarah because she couldn't afford it. "Yes, I agree, it's important to support your girlfriend. If you can pay for your own way, then I give you my permission to go to New York…again."
"Thanks, Mom! You're the best!" He kissed her on the cheek, tousled Sarah's hair, and said good night.
"Hey!" Sarah swiped at him as he messed up her hair. "Why are you so excited about going if you say it's going to be so boring? And why are you going to bed before I am?"
"No one pulls one over on you," Puck grinned. "I'm looking forward to going because I miss Rachel. And I'm going to bed early so I can talk to Rachel before I go to bed. I've got football camp tomorrow, so I have to get up early. You're lucky it's summer, Squirt. Otherwise, you'd be asleep by now instead of bugging me about Rachel."
That seemed to satisfy Sarah. Or at least shut her up. She stuck out her tongue before turning her attention back to whatever crap she was watching on tv.
"Thanks again, Mom," Puck said before running upstairs to call Rachel.
…
"Let's get right to business. Are you ready for this?" Puck asked.
"I think so. I'm getting better at it, don't you think?"
"Totally," he assured her.
"It helps that I'm the only one in this room—unlike when I had Tina has my roommate a few weeks ago," Rachel said. She realized she was rambling a bit, but these activities always made her a bit nervous.
"Yeah, but let's not talk about that stuff now, ok? Remember what we talked about? How to get in the mood?"
"Yes, of course. My apologies." Rachel settled in under the blanket. "I'm here, in the dark, lying in bed. I have the pillow next to me. But really it's you. I'm in my lace lingerie, and you're here."
"That's right," Puck said smoothly. He brought out his best sex talk. "Can you feel me? With you in the dark? Can you feel my hands? They're traveling up your legs, parting your knees."
"Noah…"
"That's it, baby. Say my name, Rachel."
"Noah…"
"My hands move to your thighs. You feel me slide off your panties. Tell me what you want, baby."
"Your hands…they're …magical."
Puck smirked. Magical hands? Sounded a little Disney, but he'd take it. (Disney was his substitute for gay in most instances.)
He told her what to do to imitate what he wanted to do to her. He hoped she followed his directions. "You're restless now, you're ready for me. Do you feel ready for me?"
"I'm ready. I want you so badly. I miss you so much."
"I want you too. So fucking much." His pulsing dick was only partial proof of that. "That's what this is all about—until we can really be together."
"I can't wait," she breathed.
"I know," Puck said before going back into his fantasy. "That's me. Between your legs. A drop of sweat rolls down your thigh. I lick it and you shiver under my tongue."
"Noah!" she exclaimed, in a combination of offense and distress.
"What? Just trying to mix it up a bit."
"Don't you find that…gross?"
"If I did, I wouldn't be phone sexing you about it, would I?"
"No, I suppose not. I'm sorry for interrupting."
"Alright, let's get back into it, B. Tell me something you like about me," he commanded.
"Your arms. I feel them wrapped around me. Your arms are lovely."
"Lovely? Do you always have to say that? Try sexy or badass or something manly like that."
"Badass? Really, Noah?" she asked skeptically. "That's better than lovely?"
Puck sighed. "Focus, Rachel, this is important."
"It is?"
"Well, yeah. How else can I survive without you?"
The line was silent while Rachel pondered her response. "Hold on."
"What? No." But when his phone buzzed moments later with a picture message, Puck was more than happy that Rachel told him to wait. He now had a totally inappropriate picture of her on his phone. Fuck yeah. That should really help him out. She was getting much braver. Ok, there weren't any nips showing, but still, partial frontal nudity was so hot.
"Baby, you know what I need," he told her when she returned to the phone for their 'conversation'.
"I was hoping that would…improve the situation," she said as seductively as she could manage.
"Totally. Just the right thing."
"Care to return the favor?" she asked.
"Oh hell yeah!" Puck exclaimed. "I love it when you get into it, baby! Any requests?"
"Your face! And your chest! And your abs!" Rachel laughed. "I can't decide. You're too good. Too sexy."
"Oh yeah, that's more like it. Your wish is my command," Puck replied.
They didn't have any more trouble the rest of the night.
…
Friday was Puck's man date with Finn, and Rachel's meeting with Jesse St. James. Finn and Puck decided to take a break from Halo marathons and get out of the house. They had a few regrets about that choice later.
Rachel had some uncertainty about her decision to meet Jesse. She wasn't sure what to expect and the girls were teasing her (in a good-natured way) about being a magnet for men or something silly like that. Honestly, she'd never been 'accused' of something so ridiculous in her life. It didn't help that in her small group she was playing the role of Evita and she was becoming friends with the two male leads. Blake was playing Evita's husband, Juan Perón. Rob was playing the narrator, Ché. The other girls were in different small groups with different roles, but for some reason they hadn't introduced any of their male leads to the group. Of course, Rachel insisted that Rob and Blake were just trying to make friends with similar interests. And even if they weren't, Rachel assured the girls that she was not at interested in anyone besides her boyfriend.
"Yeah, that boy's too fine. I can't imagine anyone around here measuring up to that," Lilli told her.
"It's not just about looks," Rachel protested.
The girls looked at her skeptically. Rachel smiled shyly, "Though I'm sure Noah's exceptional attractiveness does nothing to hamper my feelings for him." She smiled wider at the laugh her answer garnered since it all seemed friendly.
It was.
This was a nice change for Rachel—to make friends easily and have their joking seem friendly instead of spiteful (the way many of her interactions at McKinley had often gone).
The girls also got a kick out of Rachel's vocabulary. "You always talk like that, don't you?" Alexa asked tentatively.
"What do you mean?"
Jen explained. "Like everything you say is this mouthful of words. You sound really smart. But you also sound like you're about fifty years old."
"Oh, I see. Thank you for the compliment and the explanation. I'll try to sound more youthful when I converse with my young peers," Rachel vowed.
Again the girls looked at each other with smirks on their faces. "Just keep it real," Lilli advised. "It's obviously been working for you so far. You have to beat off the men with a stick!"
Rachel again protested—saying that in fact, it hadn't been working for her, and that she somehow managed to obtain Noah in spite of her speaking habits. When she had to excuse herself to meet Jesse, the girls had a few things to say—mostly more teasing about how Rachel was getting some on the side.
"You know that's not true!" Rachel exclaimed. "Besides, didn't I say I'd find out if Jesse's single? Better be nice to me ladies, or I won't put in a good word for you," she grinned mischievously.
"Alright, girl, you go meet your friend," Lilli said. "Tell him how great we all are—and some of us, meaning me, actually live in New York."
"I will be sure to tell him," Rachel smiled.
She headed to the Arte Café, where she had agreed to meet Jesse as a neutral site before heading on to his apartment. Rachel was a little unsure what to expect. She couldn't imagine that a discussion about why her current boyfriend had pummeled her ex-boyfriend would be very delightful. But Jesse had said that he wanted to explain the details, and Noah had already told her his side of the story, so Rachel was taking this opportunity to hear from Jesse.
She made it to the café and spotted Jesse right away. She took a seat at his table and said, "Hello."
"Sorry you kept me waiting," said Jesse.
"Excuse me?" Rachel asked, taken aback by his manners (or lack of).
Jesse chuckled. "Lighten up, Rachel. I'm just joking."
Rachel smiled…hesitantly. "I'm sorry, were you waiting long?"
"I suppose I was just anxious, making the time pass more slowly than it actually was."
"You, anxious?" Rachel raised an eyebrow. "I thought Jesse St. James doesn't get nervous."
"I don't get nervous for performing," Jesse corrected. "But I do get anxious before meeting a beautiful woman—especially when I have to tell her unsavory things."
Rachel went from blushing at his subtle compliment to worrying about what he had to say. "Is this something we should discuss in private?"
"I'd prefer it," Jesse nodded. He stood and held out his arm for Rachel to take. She did so…hesitantly. "Let me show you to my humble abode where we can converse freely."
Jesse led her out of the café and to the subway station to take them out of the Theater District. Since they needed a light topic of conversation, Rachel decided it was a good time to bring up Lilli and the girls' questions about his relationship status. Of course, she didn't think about how it would sound to Jesse.
He thought she was asking for her own curiosity, using her friends as a cover. "To answer your question, I am single, Rachel. I'm planning to focus on getting my life in New York, my career started, so I haven't really thought about dating. But it's always nice to find compatible people for friendship and maybe more."
"That's excellent. Very mature outlook on dating, Jesse. And I'm sure Lilli will be especially pleased to hear that. She wanted me to emphasize that she lives in New York, so she won't be leaving when camp ends like the rest of us will be."
Jesse nodded, appraising Rachel to determine if the whole Lilli thing was the ruse he'd thought. Now upon reassessment, Jesse thought that Rachel really was asking these questions on Lilli-somebody's behalf.
Apparently, he had been staring at Rachel too long.
"Is there something wrong? Is my mascara running or something?" Rachel quizzed.
"On the contrary, you look beautiful. You changed your hair, didn't you?"
A faint blush colored Rachel's cheeks. "Yes, thank you for noticing. I cut my bangs last month, and I got my hair styled just over a week ago at a salon here."
"It suits you."
"Thank you," Rachel said demurely, barely aware that she tucked her hair behind her ear and smoothed out her sundress.
When they emerged from the subway the humid evening air greeted them. As they walked the several blocks to Jesse's apartment, Rachel noticed a bead of sweat rolling down her forehead.
"Oh, I'm such a mess."
"You're hot," Jesse assured her.
"If you're referring to my temperature, then you're exactly right."
"I was referring to both, I suppose," Jesse said, stopping to wipe the sweat from Rachel's brow.
"How can you do that? Don't you find it disgusting?"
"Not at all. In fact, quite the opposite." He gave her a half-smile and looked her in the eyes.
Rachel looked away uncomfortably. "What is it with guys and sweat?"
"Are you saying that you don't find a little sweat sexy?"
"Well…no, I wouldn't say that." She was suddenly aware that Jesse was glistening with perspiration as well. "It seems more common to think of men's sweat as sexy and women's sweat as…unladylike."
"I don't think so. Or if that's true, we like it when you're a bit unladylike. I'd conjecture that a light sheen of sweat reminds us men of the vigorous activity of sex, so of course we like it."
"Jesse!"
"What? I'm just being honest," he shrugged before grinning, "You used to love that about me."
It took Rachel a moment to compose herself. "I still…appreciate that quality."
"I'm glad to hear it since that's what this meeting is all about, right? Me being honest with you."
"Right."
They arrived at the St. James apartment—a sparsely furnished but well decorated room greeted Rachel. Certainly plenty of furniture and space for Jesse and his dad, she thought abstractly. "Is your father here on business this weekend?"
"No, actually the family is at my uncle's place in the Hamptons as we speak. In fact, I'll be joining them shortly."
"That sounds fabulous! As they say, what is summer in the city without the Hamptons?"
"Exactly," Jesse smiled. "You should come." He hadn't even thought about inviting her, but the opportunity was too good to miss.
"What?" Rachel squeaked.
"You know, this is the only time we'll be in the same city together for a while...At least for a full year, I imagine. You should come out to the Hamptons with me. Meet some of the family, relax…we could go sailing!"
"Sailing! I'd love to go sailing!" Rachel exclaimed without thinking. "Wait, I don't think I have enough time off from camp to go off to the Hamptons. We have rehearsals every day from 8am until 6pm. Then we'll have our camp showcase on Tuesday and the Family Finale this weekend. Then I'm leaving."
Jesse nodded resignedly. Then Rachel piped up again.
"Wait!"
"Again?" he grinned.
"I just remembered that after the showcase we get a break! The directors are going to evaluate our performances and in the meantime there's an optional excursion to explore the Theater District. I could meet you out in the Hamptons instead!"
"That sounds perfect, Rachel! It would be great to spend a day with you there. Since I'd already be there, maybe you should invite a friend along so you two could travel together. I'd hate for you to make the trip alone. But I'd meet you, of course."
"I'll ask Lilli!" Rachel was thrilled at the kismet.
"Sure," Jesse chuckled. "Ask Lilli. I'd like to get to know her a little before you have us betrothed."
Rachel gave him a playful swipe. "I'll ask Lilli if she would like to join me. And let me ask Noah if he minds, then I'll let you know.
He scoffed. "Well, I already know what the answer will be to that. It's been nice catching up with you, Rachel. I hope you have a fulfilling life."
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked with narrowed eyes.
"I think you know. Your boyfriend will not approve of you coming out to the Hamptons with me, even for a purely platonic visit. So if you ask him, he'll say no. I know you, Rachel, and you won't want to lie to him. And I know him fairly well from all of our encounters, and given the beating he delivered upon our last meeting, it's safe to conclude that he hates me. So I know you won't be going. It's just too bad because this is the only week we'll both be in New York before you go back to Ohio…"
"I haven't said no yet. Let me call you tomorrow."
"Ok…fine," he said skeptically.
"I'll have you know that Noah was completely fine with me meeting you today," Rachel said defensively. "So I see no reason why he'd have a problem with me visiting you and your family next week. Especially since Lilli would be joining me."
Jesse was surprised. That Neanderthal may have evolved in the past two months. Or perhaps he trusted Rachel—and trusted Jesse to keep his word that he wasn't going to pursue Rachel (this year).
Interesting.
He smiled at Rachel. "I must say that I'm surprised. But good for him! And good for you! Good for you both! You two have a very progressive relationship mentality. I also think you make an excellent point about the addition of Lilli or another one of your friends. That should alleviate any concerns your boyfriend might have. I really assumed that he hated me."
"Speaking of that, you were planning to tell me your side of the story," she reminded him.
"Let me offer you a beverage, and I'll begin. Please, make yourself at home. Have a seat." He gestured to the couch. "I should have some iced green tea in the fridge. Would you care for a glass?"
"Yes, thank you. That's my favorite summer drink," she beamed.
"I remember," he smirked. "Be right out." Once the hosting duties were out of the way, he took a seat next to her and breathed deeply. It was time to admit the truth—most of it.
Jesse told her about his arrangement with Shelby Corcoran and how Shelby backed out of it without a good explanation. Of course, this was a shock to Rachel, and she was understandably upset. He kept her from leaving though, by offering her more truth.
Rachel sat back down on the couch, reluctantly.
He told her that in the process of spying on her, he totally fell for her and so he was actually glad when he didn't have to report back to Shelby. He also told her how Puck found out and what he did (by overhearing some of his idiot friends talking at Nationals in Orlando). Then he described how Puck showed up in Carmel and beat the hell out of him. He wasn't too proud to go into the details of his attacker's handiwork. In fact, it seemed to make Rachel more sympathetic toward him.
Jesse told her that he promised Puck that he wouldn't pursue her. He only left out one thing…the fact that he included the condition that Puck had this year without Jesse's interference. But after that, all bets were off. So Jesse didn't tell Rachel the part about how building up her trust and friendship now might eventually lead to him pursuing her romantically when she moved to New York next year.
When he finished, he scrutinized her face for any indication of her feelings. She just looked overwhelmed. "Why don't you take some time to digest that?" he suggested.
"Yes, that sounds wise. It is a lot to ponder. I do thank you for telling me. It's late, and I should be going."
Jesse sent her back to her hotel in a cab so she wouldn't have to take the subway alone at night. He offered to go with her, and he offered to let her stay overnight, but she refused.
He knew she would, but it didn't hurt to try.
…
Meanwhile, Puck was struggling to figure out something to do with Finn that didn't involve playing Halo, picking up chicks, or engaging in illegal activities that were likely to get him in trouble (either with the cops or Rachel). This was harder than he thought it would be. Lately Puck had been spending most of his free time practicing with the guys in the band. He hadn't been hanging out with his high school friends as much, especially not Finn—they'd only recently realized that they could stand each other again. And before Rachel left for her camps, she was Puck's main extracurricular activity. So he wasn't sure how to get back to how things were before that with Finn. He supposed that normally on weekends they'd go to a party if they didn't just hang out at home playing Xbox or Wii. But at a party they ran the risk of running into Quinn, who Finn didn't want to see right now.
"How about bowling?" Finn suggested.
"Fuck no! Is that your go-to date place? You may have forgotten, but I haven't forgotten your little friend date with Rachel. She told me it was bowling—and she told me that it was kinda awkward considering the first time the two of you went bowling. Since I don't want you to kiss me on our man date, I say no to bowling."
"Hey, she's the one who kissed me!" Finn protested. "And I like the bowling alley. It helps me clear my head."
"Whatever. No bowling." He paused to think and came up with another option. "Batting cages?"
"Sure, that's cool."
They headed out to the local batting cages, and Puck took a picture of the two of them on his phone and sent it to Rachel. "So she'll know it's just us guys," he explained. Puck was a little surprised when he didn't get an immediate flurry of texts from Rachel, but he shoved his phone in his pocket and concentrated on the menu for their "dinner". Hotdogs, nachos, french-fries…why choose? He ordered all three.
So did Finn.
…
Meanwhile, Quinn was miserable. She sat on her bed, doing her homework and listening to music. Yes, homework on a Friday night. As Love Save the Empty filled her room, she thought about all the mistakes she'd made…with Puck, with Finn, with Josh, with Finn. She never really gave love a chance.
But she was young. Maybe she needed to be Just Quinn for awhile. Not Quinn and Finn or Quinn and Josh. Even Quinn and Puck. She'd been Quinn and Somebody forever.
Well, she supposed there'd always be Quinn and Puck for some things because of Diana Isabel. But that was more like Miss Quinn and Mr. Noah.
She was not going to cry. She was not going to run to Finn. She would wait for him to work things out on his own. She just hoped he'd hurry up and decide already. Here she was, alone on a Friday night, while Finn was probably…
What was Finn doing?
…
Puck felt his phone vibrate in the middle of a mouthful of fries. He smirked. "S'probably Rachel," he told Finn. "Be right back."
Finn nodded and continued working his way through his massive meal of junk food.
"S'up, girl?" he answered his phone.
"Puck, it's Quinn," she said, sounding peeved at his greeting.
"S'up, girl?" he repeated, even sexier this time. He figured it would either piss her off or make her laugh. He'd take either reaction.
"Puck!"
Ooh, pissed. He smirked. She still hadn't answered his question (what's up), so he just waited for more.
Quinn huffed when she realized he wasn't going to say anything else. "I'm just wondering what you're doing… You're with Finn, right?"
"Maybe."
"I'm in no mood for this, but since I'm going to ask for a favor, I suppose I'll have to deal with your childish behavior."
"That's right. Wait, I'm not childish," Puck defended. "Apologize or there's no way I'm doing whatever favor you're asking for." He loved having the upper hand.
She sighed, but she apologized. "This is the first weekend since Finn declared our break…I'm really hoping he won't go out…and do something he regrets…"
"Well, I was gonna be his wingman to help him score some tail."
"Puck, no! Please!"
"Shit, Q, I was kidding."
"This is no time for jokes."
"I guess not. Damn."
"I'm asking you to keep an eye on him—and not as a wingman or whatever—but as a good friend to him and to me—a friend who wouldn't want another friend hurting. A friend who-"
Puck interrupted her. "My head is hurting from all your blabbing, woman. Chill, we're just hanging out at the batting cages. I won't let him do anything too stupid."
"Ignoring your insult, I'll say thank you, Puck."
"You're welcome. And just so you know, he hasn't even mentioned hooking up with someone else during this little break you're on, so I guess he's taking it seriously—like he really wants to think about things. That's not the easiest thing to do for anyone, especially not Finn."
When Quinn spoke, Puck could hear the smile in her voice, so he figured his little joke did the trick. "I appreciate that, Puck. I'll let you get back to enjoying your boys' weekend."
"Later, Quinn." After he hung up, Puck sent Quinn the picture he'd sent to Rachel to show Quinn proof of their innocent boys' night. He headed back to the bench where Finn had just finished off his food and was clearly eyeing Puck's nachos.
"Don't even think about it!" Puck called.
…
In the middle of batting practice, Puck got a text from Rachel. He glanced at the time—10:30. She was clearly pleased with the picture he'd sent to her. He stepped out of the batting cage to call her back.
"Noah! You must have just read my messages!"
"Hey, baby. Glad you liked the pic. I sent it to Quinn too just a minute ago."
"Really? Why?"
Puck told the story of Quinn's favor. He ended by saying, "That girl can't take a joke."
Rachel laughed, but then she said soberly, "Well, they are in a very difficult situation. We should be sympathetic."
"Yeah, I was…eventually. I told her I'd keep Finn out of trouble."
"Good. I'm proud of you—and your sensitive side."
"I'll show you sensitive," Puck quipped.
"Such things will have to wait, won't they?" she said calmly. She was getting used to his typical banter. "Anyway…so Quinn is really into Finn then…" Rachel pondered out loud. "I half-expected that she'd run to Josh."
"She seems to be freaking out about Finn. Never mentioned Josh," Puck shrugged.
"Well, then let's hope that Finn and Quinn will work this out soon."
"Speaking of, I should probably get back to Finn. Will you be up later?"
"I'm actually quite tired," Rachel admitted. "I heard some old, but disquieting news today, so I'm a little upset. I'll probably go to bed early."
"You wanna talk about it now?" Puck asked worriedly.
"No, that's not necessary, but thank you so much for being the best boyfriend ever," Rachel smiled. "I'll tell you all about it tomorrow when you have a break from the Finn Watch."
"Sounds good. Thanks, babe. You're the best too, you know?"
"Thank you for being wonderful, Noah."
"Back at ya', B."
"Dude, who knew you could be so…sappy?" Finn called.
Rachel giggled as she hung up the phone.
…
She had every intention of going directly to bed after showering the grime of the day away. Instead, she ran into 'the girls' in the hotel lobby and they had to find out how her meeting with Jesse went. And unfortunately, Blake and Rob were heading up to their rooms from the hotel pool. After making some small talk in the elevator all around, Jen spoke up. "So is it official that we're having a little gossip party in Rachel's room now?"
"Gossip party?" Rob raised his eyebrow. "You girls have fun."
Once Rachel got over the shock of finding herself about to host an impromptu social gathering, she realized this was a good opportunity. "Actually, it won't be a gossip party, but I could use some advice. So Rob, you and Blake are more than welcome to stop by my room with us if you like. I assure you we won't be staying up much later because I'm exhausted and we have a long day tomorrow."
Blake and Rob looked at each other, shrugged, and agreed to join the girls. Gossiping girls were annoying, but it was hard to pass up the opportunity to hang out with four hot leading ladies.
…
After Rachel told a much-abridged story, she asked, "What do you all think?"
"Well, I sure as hell wanna go to the Hamptons," Lilli said, "so thanks for thinking of me, girl!" She reached over to hug Rachel. "I think it would be great. And I've been kind of kidding about the whole hookin' me up with Jesse thing, but I won't turn down a trip to the Hamptons with a fine guy and a great gal pal."
"Aw, thanks, Lilli! I'm sorry I didn't ask for invitations for everybody," Rachel apologized. "But what do those of you who are unbiased with a trip to the Hamptons think?"
Alexa bit her bottom lip. "This is a tough one."
Jen piped up, "I think what your boyfriend doesn't know won't hurt him. If you wanna go, just go."
"Maybe you're right. What about you, Blake, Rob? I need some male opinions."
Rob shook his head no. This was dangerous territory. He thought he should mimic Alexa and not answer. Besides, Alexa was cute, so he didn't want to risk saying the opposite of whatever she may think.
So the task of speaking on the behalf of all men everywhere fell to Blake.
"Uh, ok," started Blake. "If you think he won't want you to go, then I don't think you should go."
"Oh. Really?"
"Yeah. Imagine the roles reversed. Would you want him spending a weekend with his ex?"
"That's completely different," she protested.
Blake laughed. "Oh really? How?"
Rachel was not about to reveal the details of Quinn and Noah's past sexual relationship and her lack of one with Jesse. "It just is. It's personal."
"Ok, put it another way. If you go, will you feel guilty?"
"…Maybe…" she fumbled. "Not that I'd do anything at all for which I should feel guilty," she said quickly. "But I don't want to put Noah in an uncomfortable position if I do ask him for his opinion. I don't want it to bring up unnecessary stress. You see, in their last encounter, Noah punched Jesse several times—causing enough damage that Jesse would have been within his legal rights to press charges; however, when I asked him if he was comfortable with me meeting Jesse tonight, he was completely fine with the idea."
"He was?" Rob couldn't help asking. "That seems weird. So, he goes from kicking your ex's ass to being perfectly cool with you hanging out with him alone? Maybe he would be cool with you heading out to the Hamptons."
"Right?" asked Rachel hopefully. "Maybe Noah worked out all of his aggression already, and he has moved on. We have a very mature relationship," she stated, more smugly than she intended.
"Well, if it's so mature," Blake said, "then you should just bring it up to him. He should be able to handle it without flying out here to beat up your ex or he'll be honest enough to tell you that he's uncomfortable with it. It sounds like the clear answer is that you should talk to him."
Rachel nodded. "That's just what I thought originally. Then after hearing Jesse's story about the pummeling, I thought perhaps I shouldn't bring up anything that might spark any negative feelings. Noah will be flying here for the Family Finale, but I assume Jesse will be in the Hamptons, so encounters should be safely avoided."
Alexa nodded. "I agree, Rachel. Honesty is almost always the best policy."
"Definitely," Rob nodded.
Rachel suppressed her smirk. Rob and Alexa—her next match-making goal? "Well, thank you all so much for your help and thoughtful advice. If you all don't mind, I'd like to have a shower and get some sleep."
Before they realized exactly what was happening, the guests were all expertly herded to the door with goodbye hugs and thank you's.
As the hotel door shut, Lilli looked at the others. "Damn, she's good."
"We were just kicked out, weren't we?" Jen marveled.
Alexa nodded with a smile. "Goodnight, Blake, Rob. Enjoy your rehearsal tomorrow with our little drama queen."
Rob and Blake smirked. "I'm sure we will," Rob said. "Goodnight, girls."
…
Saturday morning Josh called Puck. "Dude? What time is it?" Puck grumbled into the phone.
"It's nine, sorry, man. I know it's last minute, but those all-ages places kinda worked for us out in NYC, and the guys and I had gotten out of those places once we turned 21…But this opportunity came up to play at the CoffeeHouse, so I was hoping you'd be up for it."
"When?" Puck sighed. He did not want to get up early on his day of rest.
"Be there at 11, show starts at noon."
"Yeah, ok. Cool."
"You can invite your friends if you want," Josh suggested.
"You mean Quinn?"
"You can invite her…and her…boyfriend, if you want to, but I just meant in general so we'd have a friendly crowd."
"Yeah right, sure," Puck knew better than to believe that line of crap. "I'll see you at 11," he settled back into the comfy side of the pillow. "Wait, where is it again?"
"The CoffeeHouse. It's on 4th and Lindsley."
"Got it." Puck rolled over and promptly fell back asleep.
…
An hour later, Puck called Finn to invite him to the show. Even though he knew it could end up being hella awkward. Thankfully, Finn had plans. He was going to a baseball game with his mom, Kurt, and Kurt's dad. They had to drive to Cleveland, so Finn wouldn't be around that day or that night.
Puck was officially off Finn Watch.
He called Quinn. "So, you should come, if you want to—no pressure. And invite some people. Josh just wants to have some friends in the crowd so we don't look lame. We need some people to clap for us and shit."
"Is Finn going?" she asked right away.
"Nope, he's going to Cleveland for an Indian's game for the day."
"Well…ok…I suppose it wouldn't hurt. I am trying to prove that I can be friends with Josh and still be a loyal girlfriend to Finn."
"Exactly," Puck said. As if he cared.
"And I wouldn't want you boys to feel lame," Quinn smiled.
"Now you're talking," Puck said. "So, call up your fellow chicks, boy toys, whatever, and get to the CoffeeHouse on 4th and Lindsley for some lunch and some happenin' tunes."
"You're such a dork," Quinn laughed.
"I'm a future rock star; be careful how you treat me now, or I may just forget you when I'm famous," he teased.
"You could never forget me," she told him.
He agreed.
…
Quinn called Brittany and Santana, who called Mike and Matt. Puck realized he probably should have called more people if they really wanted to avoid looking lame, but it didn't turn out too badly. The place was small, and there was already a pretty good-sized lunch crowd.
"Dude, why'd you only invite chicks with boyfriends?" Trey lamented.
"Sorry, man, I don't know too many single ladies anymore," Puck shrugged, mentally slapping the Beyoncé tune out of his head. "I'm sure I could dig up some Cheerios."
"Some what? Why would I want cereal?" Trey asked.
"They're—never mind."
Josh told the guys he also had a gig set up for them on Sunday night at The Tavern.
"Sunday?" asked Eddie. "Not tonight?"
"We lost our Friday and Saturday night spot by heading out to New York. But if we do well with the Sunday crowd, I'm sure we can get back on top. Everybody in?"
The guys nodded and took their places at their instruments. The band played a laid-back set similar to what they'd done at Vivian's café back in New York. It seemed to go pretty well. It only got awkward after the show.
Puck decided it wouldn't hurt to introduce his high school friends to his bandmates. Maybe that was a bad move. Trey was blatantly flirting with Santana and Brittany—despite the presence of Matt and Mike. Eddie was trying to rein Trey in, but he seemed to be starting at Santana just as much as Trey. Quinn didn't have Finn by her side, and she felt obligated to say something, anything to Josh.
"Nice show. It's nice to be able to attend without breaking any laws," she said, referring to their illegal entries into their shows at The Tavern.
"Thanks. Glad you could make it. Sorry your boyfriend couldn't be here."
"Yes, well…we're on a break right now," Quinn admitted.
At first, this was music to Josh's ears. But he could see that Quinn was pretty down. And he'd played his songs that were all about her, but she didn't seem to notice. It seemed clear that Josh shouldn't attempt to cross the friendship line. "So, we can be in the same room and stuff now, huh? That's a pretty big change," Josh said lamely.
Quinn smiled weakly. "It's still a little strange, I think. But I do want to try to be friends. If you're still interested in friendship, that is."
Josh took a step backwards. "Sure. I'm here, behind the friendship line. Let's make an effort to be friends—since we never really were friends. Deal?"
"Deal," Quinn smiled.
"And hey, the manager asked if we want to play tomorrow afternoon—at 1pm instead of noon. Would you like to come by? I promise, we'll play some different songs so you won't get too bored…"
"Um…sure. I can stop by after church."
"Invite your friends," Josh nodded toward Brittany and Santana. "As long as they don't mind the way Trey and Eddie are falling all over themselves to talk to them. Though I wouldn't blame them if they want to stay away."
Quinn laughed. A real laugh.
Josh was elated.
Quinn was surprised…but pleasantly. "I'll ask them," she said, "but I think their boyfriends might be more upset than they are. They seem to be enjoying the attention."
"Maybe I better call them off. We have to practice anyway…especially since I just told you we'd play a different set! See you tomorrow, Quinn." Josh jogged off to corral Trey and Eddie.
Quinn smiled and shook her head. Being friends with Josh just might work.
…
By the time Puck finished his show at the CoffeeHouse, Rachel had already been rehearsing Evita for over five hours. Their director, Carol, held them over late, but she was very nice about it. She was just a perfectionist, which Rachel could appreciate. They all had time for a quick lunch before returning to the stage.
Carol praised Rachel's renditions of Don't Cry for Me Argentina and You Must Love Me. She couldn't wait to tell Noah, her dads, and Jesse.
This—so near to what life would be like as a star on Broadway—made Rachel feel so at home.
She was loving it. And this time next year, she planned to be back in New York.
…
With no Finn to keep an eye on (for Quinn's sake) and two shows for the band the next day, Puck had time to head over to Josh's to practice. And of course, Josh wanted a new song in the mix for their second CoffeeHouse show.
"Guys, they have a piano we didn't even take advantage of really. I know without Rachel we can't do Percussion Gun," started Josh. He was interrupted by Trey's disappointed cry of "Aw, man!" Josh continued, "But we can do songs that need one guitar and a piano with Puckerman on the keys. I think we should add one more song to the mix—just one."
"Well, I'll see if I can learn it in time. Because knowing you, it'll be some obscure thing I don't already know."
"Yeah, I guess it is." Josh handed him the music to Inside These Lines. "While the original meaning is different, I'm interpreting it about me and Quinn-,"
"Of course you are," Puck rolled his eyes.
"Yes, about me and Quinn and navigating our way through relationships, friendships. Whatever, you don't need to know the meaning, just the notes."
"Yeah, I could've told you that," Puck muttered.
"What's that?" Josh asked.
"Basically," Puck said loudly, "I don't really give a shit about the meaning. If it's a good song and it's easy to learn, I won't have a problem playing it."
"Well, break out the keyboard and let's do it."
Puck realized he had the upper hand—again. Awesome. "Since I have to play piano on this new song—which I'll probably have to practice at home to be ready in time for tomorrow afternoon—I want another solo in exchange. I don't need to play it at our next show, but definitely at our first show we have when Rachel's back." Puck finished with a sly smile.
"Fine."
"Fine."
Trey looked at Eddie. They were thinking the same thing. This was gonna be a long day.
…
A.N. Part 2 will be up as soon as possible, using the same playlist links (so the current playlist and album have 'spoilers' for Part 2). Oh, and I should say there is a Chapter 6 of this story as well—I just have to write it.
Disclaimer: One line inspired by Covert Affairs on USA.