After about a week Rachel's milked her new single status for all it's worth and is ready to move on to something better. Something better and lean, with light caramel skin courtesy of the hot summer Sun. Something better with eyes too beautiful to ignore and a smile that steals hearts. Luckily she knew exactly where to find that something. She dedicates the day to him, whether he knows it or not. She sleeps in just to make sure she looks rested, skips her workout and devotes the time to finding the perfect outfit. It's all a little ridiculous she knows, but she's been waiting for this forever. All any girl wanted was a guy who understood her, who captivated and adored her. She'd found that in Noah, was finally willing to acknowledge it, and that alone warranted a day of primping.
He doesn't know if he's more surprised to find her at his door or the fact that it took her so long to get there. Noah had been counting the days since the party and even if Rachel took the long way to his house, she should have been there days ago. He'd never admit it but he'd started to think that maybe he'd read the signs wrong. Maybe she hadn't given them the green light. Thankfully Santana had set him straight before he could drive anyone crazy with his paranoia. It's sad really, that with all of his experience and prowess, he's can't do anything but stare at her. Stare at her, and grin like a damn fool. He was hopeless for her, with her soft eyes, and flawless skin. She was on display for him in a pair of linen shorts and an off the shoulder blouse that exposed her taut dancers stomach. His girl had come here on a mission.
If it weren't for the expression on his face she might have been worried. He just stood in the doorway, looking like sex personified staring at her like he hadn't seen a woman in years. The giggle that escapes is uncontrollable, it did wonders for her ego that she could reduce him to this. When he reaches for her, her breath catches. Then it's his turn to laugh. He tugs on her curls and she knows he knows. She spent hours on her hair, curling it to perfection for him. Because he loved to curl his fingers around the ends only to pull it free, because she knows for a fact that he likes to be the reason they lose their perfection. The sigh that escapes changes the entire mood, gone is the humor and the feeling that replaces it nearly has her climaxing from the anticipation alone.
He knows she feels it. He can tell by the way her cheeks blush and her breaths shorten. She knows exactly what's going to happen the minute she walks through the door. But this isn't about sex. It never has been when it came to her. It's about emotion, and possession and the best feeling he's ever known. She needs to know that, he needs her to say it. That this wasn't a one time deal, wasn't a test drive wasn't an experiment,. This wasn't about seeing if they could work. This was a commitment, a promise to make sure they would always work. He wasn't naïve, he knew things changed. Things could go bad, fuck he could pretty much guarantee things would go bad. He needed her to be willing to fight first though. She needed to be willing to fight for them.
She can see the doubts swirling in those all too beautiful eyes. Never had she thought that between the two of them, he would be the one that needed reassurance. It does funny things to her heart to know that he cares for her so much that he worries about losing her. It's ridiculous though, she wasn't going anywhere. She could sooner stop breathing than deny the passion between them, the understanding, the love. She could tell him that. She could sit him down and detail all the expectations she has for their relationship. She could make such a big deal out of this, but she'd rather surprise him. She pushes him inside, closing the door with her foot. To his questioning gaze she simply smiles, brushing past him to make her way up the stairs. When he calls her name, she doesn't stop. Just looks over her shoulder and calls down to him, "we should probably get started, my dads are expecting us for dinner".
If he wasn't in love with her before, God help him now. He stands there for a moment, maybe two. He wasn't really the kind of guy you brought home to your parents, and Rachel said it like it was nothing. Like having dinner with her fathers was a staple in their relationship. And then he realizes it probably would be. That's what she was telling him. In their relationship they would have plenty of sexy time but they were more than that. They were in the type of relationship he'd never had, always wanted and would never let go of. He sprints after her more eager to get this relationship started than he was for the new left4dead release.
She doesn't know what she was expecting. Maybe if her brain would turn back on, she could think about it but until then. It's like auto pilot. She showers, throwing her ruined curls into a ponytail and redresses. She forgoes her blouse for one of his band tees and follows him out to the car. He's got this satisfied grin on his face and it has nothing to do with the pleasure she gave him. She'd try to cut his ego down a notch but she really can't. He gets to feel as pleased with himself as he wants to because she really was that sated. She was no blushing virgin but the things he'd made her feel, the attention he'd paid to her pleasure… it was no wonder she'd blacked out. Not that he noticed, oh no, because she'd kept responding, kept battling for dominance, kept rocking his world. She just couldn't remember any of it. Oh she felt it, loved it, craved it. But if you asked her what happened after orgasm number three well you were shit out of luck buddy.
He can't help but laugh at the lost expression on her face. It was adorable really, and the best compliment he'd ever received. When she'd asked him how she'd ended up on top he thought she was joking. But her eyes gave her away, she really had no clue. She'd lost the last half-hour of their sexapalooza. Sue him, he was proud. He knows she spends the car ride trying to piece together lost time. He'd done that. Fuck yeah. He laughs even harder when she demands he wipe some of the satisfaction off his face before they enter her house. If day one was anything to go by, this relationship with the best decision he'd ever made.
Their first summer is where they lay claim to each other. Or more correctly where she reclaims them. It's where Rachel realizes that being in a relationship doesn't really change anything about them. Minus all the physical contact, they still do the all same things. He still plays guitar for her youtube videos, and she still takes his sister out for girl time. She still watches chick flics with his mom and he still helps her dad fix things around the house. The boys still chirp him over L4D, and the girls still gossip over mani/pedis. They still fight, about everything and nothing. They work just as well as they always have and it breaks her heart a little that it took her so long. That she wasted so much time. Because they're perfect. He fits her in a way Jesse and Finn had never come close to. She doesn't lose herself in him, as much as she is a part of puckleberry, she's still Rachel. Still her own person who did her own things, and he didn't fault her for it. He didn't demand all of her attention or dedication. She did her thing and he did his and they met in the middle to support each other. He was a refreshing change.
Their first summer is where he found himself through her. It sounds weird but it's the truth. It's as if the entire month is Rachel Berry Presents: The Real Noah Puckerman. He still drinks with the boys, still hits on every female he sees, still cleans pools and cares for his daughter but it's like he's doing it all for the first time. He's not drinking because his life sucks and that's the way his father taught him to deal with his problems. He's not a flirt because he needs to spend a night proving that he's at least good at something. He doesn't work a menial job because that's all he'll ever a mount too anyways. And more importantly he doesn't help Shelby because he needs to do everything in his power to prove that he isn't a dead beat. She says things, little things. Like how the boys always have more fun when they're care free. Or how his ego is just a reflection of how unintentionally charming he is. How it's admirable that he's willing do what it takes to provide for himself and his family. She tells him, at night when their watching over Sophia who is seconds away from sleep that he deserves to be a father a thousand times over. She was more than he'd ever thought to hope for.
FIN