Chapter 4

Rachel awoke Saturday morning with a languid smile on her face, basking in the warm memory of her first date with Noah. They may have met under the most bizarre circumstances, but, so far, it felt like the stars were finally in alignment for her. Since her understudy would be performing in today's matinee, she decided that it would be a good day to go to synagogue. Because of her work schedule, she wasn't able to attend services often, and she felt particularly compelled today so as to say "thank you" for her blossoming relationship.

When she was able, Rachel attended a Conservative synagogue about six blocks from her apartment. They had an eclectic congregation, a mixture of older couples, young families, and single people, both gay and straight, reminding Rachel of the synagogue her fathers belonged to back in Shaker Heights. Even though she wasn't able to participate often because of her work schedule, she always felt welcomed.

Once services had ended, Rachel left the building feeling uplifted, softly humming the melody of the closing prayer. Lost in her thoughts, she was startled back to reality by hearing her name called out, punctuating the relative quiet of the early afternoon. "Rachel! Hey, Rach, wait up!" resonated in the air, and she felt the tiniest shiver of excitement as she recognized the warm timbre of his voice.

"Noah, Good Shabbos," she said to the man who had just jogged up beside her.

"Same to you, Rachel," he replied. "Boy, you move pretty fast when you want to," he teased. "You look nice today, by the way" he complimented, looking at Rachel admiringly.

"Thank you, Noah," she replied. "It's great to see you. I had no idea you went to this Synagogue."

"Before I moved here, I promised Ma that I'd go, and this is the closest one to where I live…I don't think I've seen you here, because I'm sure I would have remembered you," he commented with a smile.

Rachel blushed (he really brings that out in her), answering, "Unfortunately, I can't go often because of Saturday matinees, but I like to attend when I'm able."

"Yeah, don't you have to work today?" he inquired.

"Summer Williams…she's my understudy…well, her parents are in town visiting and they wanted to attend the afternoon performance," she explained. "She asked if she could go on today, and I was happy to oblige. It gives me a rare Saturday afternoon to myself," she concluded with a contented smile.

"What're your plans, if I may ask," he politely queried.

"It's a beautiful day, so I'm taking Maisie to the dog park after lunch," she answered. "Basically, just enjoy the day before I have to go in for the evening show."

"Mind if I tag along?" he requested.

"Of course not, Noah; I'd love the company," she happily invited him.

"I'd like to change, so why don't we stop by my place first?" he suggested. "If you'd like, I can make us a quick lunch before we go pick up your dog."

"That sounds wonderful, Noah," Rachel acknowledged. "Are you sure you don't mind?"

"If I minded, I wouldn't have offered," he affirmed. "My apartment's this way," he instructed, taking her hand and leading her toward his building.

Once inside, Noah excused himself to remove his suit and changed into more casual attire. In his absence, much as he did last night, Rachel looked over his abode. It was definitely masculine, yet homey, with a leather sofa and recliner and a black baby grand piano. The bookcase was practically overflowing with books, and there was a large, flat screen TV on the wall, along with pictures of family and friends and a framed and matted Marc Chagall poster. Rachel had walked over to examine his library at closer range when Noah emerged from the bedroom in a pair of jeans and a dark plaid shirt.

"You have quite an eclectic collection, Noah," Rachel admired.

"Thanks, Rach; I like to read," he admitted with a grin. "What would you like for lunch?" he inquired. "You mentioned you were vegetarian; do you eat dairy?"

"Yes, I do, but not before a performance," she advised. "Thanks for checking."

"Of course; how about a veggie omelet?" he suggested. "I've got mushrooms, red peppers, zuchinni, spinach…"

"That sounds wonderful, Noah," Rachel accepted, "but only if you let me help."

"Ordinarily, I'd welcome it," he admitted, "but you're dressed too nice and I don't want you to get your clothes dirty."

Rachel smiled; he was such a gentleman. "OK, Noah, but next time, I'll do the cooking," she acquiesced.

"That'll definitely work for me," he admitted, "and don't think I won't take you up on it."

Noah was apparently adept in the kitchen and had a lunch on the kitchen table in short order.

"This is delicious," Rachel admired after taking a bite.

He accepted her praise with a grin and replied "Thanks! We take turns cooking at the station; most firefighters are good cooks…self-preservation, and all..."

"Well, this is lovely; truly an unexpected treat," she acknowledged.

"Ya' know, Rachel, you're the first woman I've cooked for, aside from my family, in more years than I can count," Noah admitted.

"Why's that, Noah?" Rachel questioned him.

"Well…" he began sheepishly, "Most of the women I've dated…pretty much they were random hook-ups." Rachel was taken aback, somewhat, but did her best to cover her feelings and let him talk. "We met each other's needs, I never brought them here, and I doubt they even knew my name beyond 'Puck'. I'm not proud of it, but I'm not ashamed, either," he explained. "It just 'is what it is', ya' know?" He looked at Rachel to gauge her reaction, and she looked at him questioningly.

"Somehow…it's different with you, Rachel," he continued. "Even though we just met the other day, I really like you," he earnestly admitted.

Rachel smiled gently, asking, "So it seems that I've 'broken the mold', is that what you're saying?"

"Yeah…kinda," he quietly replied.

"I'm glad to hear that, Noah, because I really like you, too," she affirmed, looking into his eyes reassuringly.

Confessional moment over, the remainder of lunch was consumed over friendly small-talk, as each continued learning more about the other. All too soon, the meal was over, the dishes washed, and the pair was on their way to Rachel's apartment so she could change and take the dog for her outing.

Once in Rachel's apartment, she requested, "Noah, would you please let Maisie out of her crate while I change?"

"'Course, Rach, happy to oblige," he replied, walking over to the crate as she entered her bedroom, closing the door behind her. "Hey, there, puppy," he said to the dog as he unlatched the crate door. Maisie stood up and stretched, and then left the crate, looking questioningly at Noah as she sniffed his leg. He began to pet the dog, gently talking to her, attempting to gain her trust. When Rachel emerged from her room, now in jeans and a hoodie, she found Noah squatting down, talking to the dog, rubbing her tummy while she was flat on her back with her legs outstretched in "cockroach" position.

"Well, I see you two have bonded," Rachel teasingly announced. Noah grinned and stood upright and the dog scrambled up, teeth chattering excitedly when she saw Rachel holding the leash. "Here, baby," Rachel motioned to Maisie, who came up to her, allowing the leash to be latched to her collar. "OK, guys, let's go," Rachel instructed, and the two humans and one Greyhound began their journey to the dog park, a couple of blocks away.

The dog park was bustling with individuals and families enjoying the afternoon with their pets. As soon as they were safely inside and the gates securely closed, Rachel let Maisie off her leash. Initially, she stayed close by; soon, she spotted a familiar dog, and she trotted over to "say hello", Rachel and Noah following close behind. After the "meeting", which primarily consisted of sniffing (and we won't say where), Maisie did what Greyhounds often do when they get a burst of energy: they "zoom". The dog began racing around the perimeter of the small park as Rachel looked on in amusement and Noah in awe.

After a couple of laps, the dog came up to Rachel, dropping her front legs down, backside in the air in "play" pose, looking at Rachel expectantly. Rachel bent down a bit, grinning, and questioning the dog "Are you playing with me, baby girl?" The dog immediately began running again, repeating the cycle once more, until she returned to the couple, panting heavily. Rachel and Noah moved to a park bench, where they sat down, Maisie following closely behind. Rachel removed a dog bowl and a bottle of water from her tote, and she proceeded to pour some water into the bowl, placing it on the ground. The dog took a fast drink, and then plopped down at their feet, still panting, recovering from the exertion.

"That was incredible," Noah commented.

"Watching them run is like 'poetry in motion'," Rachel observed. "I never tire of it."

"She seems to have," Noah noticed.

"They're sprinters," Rachel explained, "They have short bursts of energy, and then they need to recover."

"She's a very cool dog," he admired.

"Thanks, I think so, too," Rachel agreed with a gentle smile. "She's my 'baby girl'."

"D' you want kids some day, Rach?" Noah quietly inquired, almost surprised at his own words, yet feeling compelled to ask.

"Yes, I do, very much," she shyly admitted, "but Maisie is 'it' at the moment. How about you?" she asked, looking at him inquisitively, effectively turning the tables.

Noah's face took on a far-away look, and he smiled wistfully. "Yeah, I do. Actually…" he looked away before continuing, "…well, I kinda already…well," he cleared his throat before continuing, "…back when I was a sophomore in high school, I got my best friend's girlfriend pregnant." Rachel drew her breath in, remaining quiet and listening without judgment.

"I was barely 16 and she was 15 and we'd been drinking. She gave our little girl up for adoption to this couple in Akron," he explained.

"Have you ever met her?" Rachel gently asked.

"Yeah, a couple 'a years ago, when she was 13, she asked about her birth parents, and I flew in. We really hit it off…she's a great kid," he proudly revealed. "We email a couple 'a times a month, now."

"And the mother…" Rachel lightly prodded.

Noah frowned slightly before stating, "She married some guy and moved to Columbus; she wrote Beth…that's my daughter…that she had little kids who wouldn't understand, and maybe she'd consider meeting her when they're older. She was pretty cold; well…basically always."

He looked at Rachel carefully, asking, "Does that bother you, I mean, me havin' a kid and all?"

Rachel answered, "Not at all, Noah; why should it? I'm glad you felt comfortable enough with me to share that."

Noah exhaled, unaware up to that point he was even holding his breath. He smiled, putting his arm around Rachel's shoulders and drawing her in. "Thanks for being so understanding," he acknowledged. Rachel smiled, saying nothing, letting her body relax into his side.

"You must have some 'skeletons', Rach," Noah teased.

"Not really," she replied quickly, pondering the question before continuing. "Well…I was engaged for a little while back in high school."

"In high school?" he incredulously echoed her.

"My boyfriend at the time was worried about me moving to New York, that I would leave him behind and forget about him," she explained. "I got caught up in the romantic notion, but that didn't last too long, and I broke it off."

"What happened?" he asked.

"He married a nice girl from Cleveland, they have two kids, and now he lives about a block from his mother and stepfather. I run into them occasionally when I go home to visit."

"Any regrets?" he interrogated.

"None whatsoever," she averred. "We're both living far better lives apart than we would ever have together."

"Just think," he admitted, gently caressing the knuckles on her hand closest to him with his thumb, "if it hadn't been for that fire, we wouldn't have met."

"In my wildest dreams, if I ever thought that I'd meet a great guy due to a fire, I would've considered setting one months ago," she teased.

"D'you really mean that?" he queried.

"Well, probably not…but I'm awfully glad we met," she admitted. Noah smiled, turned his head toward Rachel, and leaned in for a kiss, which they shared, at first chastely. He attempted to deepen the kiss, and she obliged, responding in kind. After the kiss ended, their foreheads pressed tenderly together, he smiled languidly and quietly avowed "Me too."

As the afternoon drew to a close, Rachel and Noah both needed to get ready for work. Maisie was reattached to her leash, and they made their short trek to Rachel's apartment. Noah accompanied her upstairs, and after the dog had been released into the apartment, she walked Noah back to the door. "Thanks again for a lovely day, Noah," Rachel stated.

"I'm glad we ran into each other," he commented. "I'd like to see you again."

Rachel's blinding smile gave him all the answer he needed, even though she replied, "That would be wonderful, Noah; I'd like that too."

"I'm working tonight, and between work and school, I won't have a free day 'till next weekend," he explained.

"Monday's my day off," she reminded him.

"How about lunch on Monday?" he offered.

"I'd love that, Noah. What if I stop by the station?" she suggested.

"That'd be cool," he accepted with a smile.

"I'm looking forward to it," she commented.

"Same here," he agreed.

Noah took Rachel in his arms and kissed her tenderly. "Call me tonight when you get home?" he requested.

"I'm meeting Kurt after the show, but I'll let you know as soon as I'm home," she explained. "Thanks for your concern. It means a lot." This time, Rachel initiated the kiss, and Noah increased the intensity.

"If I don't leave now, you might just miss that performance," he whispered in her ear, and she giggled, shooing him out the door, insisting "That'll never happen, Lieutenant. Rachel Berry does not miss performances."