A/N: Thank you for the people that have reviewed. I am sorry that I updated late. I do not have a regular schedule due to work commitments. However I can promise that I will update when I have free time. Enjoy! Please feel free to give a review and what not. Sorry this chapter is quite short.
The ride to Quinn's apartment was awkward. They chose to go by taxi because carrying Rachel's shopping would be a hassle in the Subway. Rachel kept looking at Quinn and she in turn always without fail averted her eyes. Quinn seemed to be battling some sort of war in her head. Rachel at the same time was slapping herself internally, groaning inwardly why she invited herself over.
What is wrong with me? What if Quinn does not even want my company? What if she was actually trying to get rid of me? Stupid stupid stupid! Let's just get this over with and if she really does not want me there I'll just disappear and never see her again.
Quinn fiddled with her keys at her front door nervous as hell. In the taxi Quinn frantically tried to picture her apartment, questioning whether it is clean.
Oh god! Did I put away the pizza box last night? My laundry basket's in the kitchen! How gross! What would Rachel think? I haven't even made my bed yet! What is wrong with me!
Quinn finally put the key in the lock and pushed her door.
"Welcome to my abode of peace!" What in the world? Abode of peace! Of all the words in English for home I chose abode of peace?
Rachel went in and gingerly put her shopping bags near the door in case she would need to bolt out of the apartment. She made her way into a living room and sat down on one of the sofas that Quinn pointed out.
The both of them sat down and did not say anything. Rachel seemed to be looking around the apartment while Quinn sat in the armchair, wringing her hands staring at Rachel with her mouth open.
Rachel was really nervous and kept looking anywhere but at Quinn. She knows Quinn was staring at her and purposefully averted her eyes. Truthfully, Rachel would rather be talking normally with Quinn instead of this staring-and-avoiding thing going on right now.
"So… what have you been doing the past 5 years? Have they made you the editor yet?" Rachel smiled at Quinn, noticing that Quinn physically shook her head as if to clear her thoughts and responded.
"Erm.. no. I wish that I can be editor one day though. I mean, I can see that the magazine would need some improvements and as the assistant I can't do anything about it. They promoted me last year as the assistant instead from junior assistant position. That's at least progress, I guess."
While Quinn was talking, Rachel can see the old Quinn, full of energy and passion when it comes to something that she loves. But now when Quinn finished talking she went back to staring at Rachel. So Rachel thought that it was up to her to ask more questions seeing as Quinn appeared to be useless without any encouragement from Rachel.
"That's good Quinn! Just give it a few years and you will take the magazine by storm. They would not even know what hit them!"
"Thanks Rae. I hope so. I mean, sometimes there are things that I think have simple solutions but the writers just ignored me as I am just an assistant. They see me as someone who books restaurant reservations, tickets and who can make the coffee. I could do better than that you know. I know that sometimes rosemary with roast chicken can work well together, even if the go to herb would be thyme. I know when you put butter under the skin of the turkey will make it moist and succulent while giving it that buttery flavour. I know these things and yet they will not give me the light of day!"
Quinn was standing on her feet and gesturing wildly with her hands while describing the things that you could do with turkey and chicken. Rachel found herself to be mesmerised by the way Quinn described things. When Quinn was in the middle of talking she did not realise that she sat next to Rachel and looking into her eyes. It was as if time pauses when Rachel looked deep into Quinn's eyes while she was ranting about food.
"Like when they said that a particular five-star restaurant on Wall Street served the best burger I was actually itching to tell them that a little shop near here has better burgers. Heck! They have the best burgers in New York! But do they care about small restaurants? No they don't. They just think that all the 5-star restaurants have all the best things life can offer. You know?" Quinn finishes, realising for the first time that day that she was talking to Rachel, the woman who has plagued her thoughts for the past years.
After what seemed to be a long moment saying nothing while looking into each other's eyes, with Quinn struggling for breath after her long winded rant Quinn cleared her throat and spoke nervously.
"Are you hungry? I can whip up the pasta that you like. Yup, I'm gonna do that! Sit tight while I make it. It won't take long!"
Rachel snapped out of her reverie. She did not even give any indication that she was hungry. Quinn just raced out of the living room and went into the kitchen. Rachel sighed when she hears pots and pans banging in the kitchen.
Back in the kitchen, Quinn was banging her head on the pots. She cannot believe that she was rambling about nonsense. She can see that Rachel just stared at her with her big beautiful brown eyes not saying anything.
She must think that I am so boring and weird! Quinn groaned inwardly.
After abusing her head for a given period of time like she always does when it comes to Rachel, Quinn began to prepare the pasta. She was concentrating on the seasonings of the pasta sauce when a timid Rachel went in the kitchen.
"Hi…" Rachel did not get to finish her greeting when almost automatically Quinn head turned quickly that she banged it on the pots and pans hanging on the hooks on top of the kitchen island.
"Owww…"
"Oh my goodness! Are you alright Quinn? Your head looks very red! Let me see your head!"
Quinn just sat on one of the kitchen stool while Rachel inspects her head, hoping to all that is good that Rachel will not suspect that she had been banging her head purposefully just a few minutes earlier. She just sat there smiling contently with the fuss that Rachel made. When the sauce on the stove threatened to burn Quinn reluctantly stepped out of Rachel's oh so smooth hands to tend to the sauce.
"Quinn Fabray! Forget about cooking for a second and come back here. I need to look at your head some more. It looks really bruised and I am sorry I scared you." Rachel added feeling guilty as she was the cause for Quinn's injury.
Quinn just chuckled at Rachel's oh-so-cute guilty face. Little did she know that she banged her head on purpose before Rachel came in the kitchen.
"No! No! It's fine. It gets red easily. Don't worry about it. Grab a stool, the pasta's nearly ready."
"What are you making Quinn? I like all the pastas that you've made me before so I want to know what scrumptious dish I will be eating today." Rachel looked expectantly at Quinn while waiting for her answer. Quinn made a little happy dance in her head when Rachel complimented her.
"Pasta with zucchini and creamy white sauce. I sautéed the zucchini in a little bit of roasted garlic and finished it with a little bit of vegan friendly butter and soy milk."
"You remembered that I am a vegan! How very sweet of you Quinn."
"Of course I remembered. You are my best friend after all!" Quinn replied.
Rachel smiled at that, happy that at least Quinn did not want her out of the apartment and that she still considered Rachel as her best friend.
"Voila! Zucchini pasta for the lady and vegan friendly of course!" Quinn presented the finished dish to Rachel.
Rachel and Quinn talked about the olden days where they reminisced about high school days. They recalled Santana and her Lima adjacent comments, Brittany with her funny and yet so very smart comments and the rest of the Gleeks.
"How is Santana now Quinn? I have not talked to her since forever!"
Quinn hesitated in answering Rachel, feeling that her answer could lead to questions on the night of her kissing Rachel.
"I have not talked to her since I left Lima actually."
"Really? I contacted her before I left Finn, wondering where you were and whether you've talked to her." Rachel said nonchalantly while eating.
"You were looking for me? Why?" Quinn could not believe that Rachel would care enough about her that she would come looking for her.
"I needed to see my best friend. I needed your advice on the problems me and Finn were having at the time. I was on the fence before I talked to Santana and then after talking to her I was finally convinced that Finn was not the one for me. My One Day wasn't actually the day that I married Finn. But I have faith that I will realise the One Day dream that I had."
Quinn remembered the album that Rachel showed her, remembering in particular the image of a groom holding his bride- the happiest look on their faces- while little hearts littered around the words ONE DAY on the page. Quinn was happy that Rachel did not refer to Finn as her one and that somehow gave her hope. Hope to what she did not know yet. But she was slightly angry that she wasn't there to comfort Rachel at her time of need and that Santana had to fill in the shoes of best friend to Rachel. She admitted to herself that she was slightly jealous that Rachel confided in Santana. But she understood that it is logical to turn to Santana who was the former HBIC's best friend to ask where Quinn was.
"I am sorry that I wasn't there for you Rachel. I know I said that I would be there for you anytime you need me but it's just…" Quinn trailed off, not quite ready to approach the subject of her kissing Rachel.
Rachel understood and did not want to press Quinn to discuss the event. So she just nodded her head and smiled at Quinn.
"No, it's fine Quinn. I understand. So, care to give me the recipe for the pasta? It is more delicious than I remembered."
Quinn smiled back, relieved that Rachel did not want to ask Quinn about the night that she kissed her. She stated out the recipe while Rachel enthusiastically asked questions about the recipe.
The rest of the evening went well. Rachel and Quinn fell into comfortable conversations centring on food, work, the Gleeks and life. When they fell silent however it was comfortable and not at all strained. Quinn thanked Rachel for coming to her apartment and Rachel thanked Quinn for cooking the delicious meal. It was in the middle of the night when Rachel finally asked to leave. They exchanged numbers, promising each other to keep in contact.
When Rachel goes to leave the apartment, Quinn hailed her a cab feeling that it was too late to let Rachel walk home. Rachel thought that was sweet of Quinn. Finn would've just sent her to the door and left her to make her own way home. After just hours of seeing Quinn, Quinn was more chivalrous to her than Finn ever was.
After loading Rachel's shopping bags in the backseat, Quinn and Rachel felt the awkwardness return.
"Well, thank you Quinn for tonight. It was lovely seeing you again. I really missed you, you know. I hope tonight will not be the last I see of you. I want my best friend back."
Quinn smiled and nodded. They hugged good bye and Rachel kissed Quinn's cheek. The little action made Quinn deliriously happy.
Once back in her apartment, Quinn cannot stop smiling while she cleaned the remnants of dinner. Without realising it, Quinn caressed Rachel's napkin that she used to wipe her mouth.
"Oh my! I am falling for her all over again! How pathetic…" Quinn groaned while putting Rachel's napkin in her laundry basket.
In Rachel's apartment, Rachel was singing to herself in happiness, twirling around while arranging the things that she shopped for earlier. She sang and hummed Do You Believe in Magic by The Lovin' Spoonful. Even when she bumped her head on an overhead compartment in her walk-in closet, Rachel did not falter. She touched her bruised head and thought that now she and Quinn have the same bruise. She fell asleep happy, dreaming about her and Quinn singing in the rain while the signature cabs of New York surrounded her and Quinn.
