It was the summer after high school, and it was her and Quinn and a road trip she would never forget ...
"Rachel?!" *tock* The noise made her jump. *tock* Rachel awoke with a start and her eyes travelled to her window where another pebble hit. *tock* "Rachel?" *tock*
Rachel got up from her bed and hurried over to the window to open it, hastily dodging another pebble.
"Sorry!" a familiar voice whispered outside her window. "I didn't mean to hit you!"
"Quinn! What are you doing here?" the brunette asked in a low voice.
"Can I come in? I don't want to wake your neighbors or your dads! Pretty please?" Even if it was dark outside, Rachel could see that Quinn gave her best puppy-dog eyes.
"Okay, okay, here is the key." Rachel hastily dug through her bag looking for her key and when she found it, she threw it down to Quinn. "But please be quiet!"
She heard how somebody quietly opened and closed the front door. It didn't take long and the blonde entered her room.
"I wanna see the ocean, are you in?" Quinn burst out, her face was beaming with excitement.
"What?" Rachel looked at her completely bewildered.
"I want to do something crazy, something adventurous, something I will never forget before I go to university," she explained. "Real life will call way too soon. I want to see the ocean, so I was thinking of going on a road trip. Are you in?" Quinn was looking at her anxiously.
"Wait, wait, wait! You wanna see the ocean? You mean you want to go to, errr, California? In a car? Isn't that too far? I have to ask my dads, if…" Rachel babbled, raising one eyebrow.
"Oh, come on, don't be a party pooper!" the blonde interrupted her.
"No, I'm sure they will allow it. You don't know my dads, oh god, they are the queens of craziness. They will love this idea. They always tell me to loosen up a bit. Did you know that they went to every single Madonna Girlie show world tour concert in the States, not to mention the Spice Girls World Tour?" Rachel couldn't hide a smile when thinking of her dads going absolutely wild at all these concerts and dancing, waving their hands in the air, singing along to every song.
"So, what are we waiting for? Grab some clothes and stuff and we are up and away." Quinn looked around and spotted Rachel's travel bag in a corner. She hurried over there and grabbed it, tossing it onto the bed a second later. Rachel looked at her, then jumped up from the bed and stormed to her closet, ripping the doors open.
"Who else is coming with us?" Rachel asked from the depths of her closet.
"Well, it's probably just the two of us. I asked the others and they are all busy with their summer jobs or summer school. Are you okay with that? I mean that it's just you and me?" Quinn's eyes drifted to the floor trying to hide her insecurity.
"Sure!" Rachel loved the idea of spending time alone with Quinn. Despite their explosive beginning they had grown closer over the last years and had become good friends. She really liked her but she still she wanted to get to know her better, she wanted to delve deeper into the mysteries that surrounded the former HBIC once in a while.
They managed to pack most of the necessary things into Rachel's bag and were ready to go fifteen minutes later.
Rachel had to do one last thing before they could leave.
"Dad, daddy? " Rachel opened the door to her parents' bedroom cautiously.
"What is it, sugar pie?" one of the men murmured drowsily from inside.
"I'm going on a road trip with Quinn. She wants to see the ocean and you said that I should loosen up a little and so I thought this would be a great idea, I will be back in a couple of weeks."
"Yes, that's a great idea!" the voice mumbled. "Have fun!"
A big smile appeared on Rachel's face and she closed the door silently.
"I told you!" she laughed.
"Do you think they really understood what we are up to?" Quinn asked with a smirk on her face while walking down the stairs.
"I don't know, but let's go before they change their minds!"
"RACHEL?!" A deep voice sounded through the house.
"Oh no, I hope this is not a bad sign! YES, DADDY?" She hurried up the stairs and stumbled into her dads' room.
"Why don't you take our SUV? We don't need really need it over the next weeks. It's filled up and it's way more comfortable than Quinn's matchbox car!"
Another voice interrupted him. "Leroy, don't be mean. Quinn's pocket rocket has such a beautiful color!" Giggles came from the dark room.
"You didn't just use the word pocket rocket, did you?" The giggles turned into an outburst of laughter.
" … the keys are on the table, don't forget the emergency credit card and … call us when you go skinny-dipping in the ocean!" The sounds of laughter filled the air again. Rachel shook her head and smiled widely.
"Is everything okay? They sound so … cheerful?" Quinn asked curiously when the brunette came down the stairs.
Rachel's smile grew even bigger. "Yeah, they are definitely morning people, always 'cheerful' … even in the middle of the night! They suggested to take the SUV, it's bigger and more comfortable than your … I quote … 'pocket rocket' and that seems enough for two grown adults to go into spasms of laughter …" Rachel's rambling was forcefully choked off by a hearty laugh. She looked at Quinn with big eyes and mouth agape.
"Let's go and get my stuff from the 'pocket rocket', come on!" Now both burst out into broad laughter and the blonde slung Rachel's bag over one shoulder and opened the front door.
"Bye dad, bye daddy!"
The two girls retrieved the bags from the blonde's car and stowed everything in the trunk of the family SUV.
"Nice car!" Quinn stated briefly and hopped into the driver's seat.
"Let's get on the road …" She turned around impatiently. "Rach, where are you?"
"Just a second …" After closing the trunk lid with a loud bang she ran back to the house just to return seconds later with a pillow in one hand and a pink blanket with big gold stars on it in the other.
She tossed her belongings in the back seat and climbed in the passenger seat. Quinn smirked and started the car.
"I'm ready! Let's go! I thought we will need a lot of good show tunes for our journey!" she said with a wink and whipped out her iPod.
"California, here we come!" Quinn beamed as they hit the road.
xxxx
Their first stop was just on the outskirts of Lima at a 24 hour supermarket. Rachel said that they definitely needed some food and equipment for the perfect road trip. Quinn tried hard not to give in because she finally wanted to get on the highway but Rachel's puppy eyes got to her.
"Okay, fine. But let's make it quick, okay?" she replied with a grin on her face, theatrically rolling her eyes. She knew that quick would be easily understated if it came to Rachel's perfectionism. She let out a sigh and resigned to her fate.
It took them more than an hour to get all the supplies they needed (and a lot more). Rachel dashed through the aisles as if their lives depended on it, excitedly dragging her along. Quinn dutifully pushed around the cart while Rachel flitted through the aisles picking up this and that.
After exactly 66 minutes and what felt like supplies for the next 3 months, they propped everything onto the conveyor belt. When Quinn looked down at the enormous pile in front of her, she shook her head as her lips spread into a grin.
"We are going on a road trip!" Rachel slipped in over-excitedly while handing her credit card to the cashier. "This will be so much fun!"
She signed and bolted towards the exit, when she heard a voice behind them and turned around. It was the cashier with Rachel's credit card. In all her excitement she forgot to retrieve it.
"Oh, ladies, you forgot this important thing here, enjoy your trip."
They stowed all the bags in the back of the car and the newly acquired ice box in the backseat and finally hit the road. Rachel fiddled around with Quinn's iPod until she got it on shuffle.
"We need music!" she exclaimed looking at Quinn with sparkling eyes.
"But … you are not ready for my extensive collection of wonderful show tunes and so I decided that I don't want to torture you with my music yet! Not yet!" she said with a wink. The blonde only reply was an amused giggle.
It didn't take long till Rachel snuggled up on her seat, eyes closed and sucking her drink noisily through the straw. The blonde tried to focus on the road simply enjoying the music and the tranquility while drifting along a still empty highway. Once in a while she cast a glance to the brunette in the passenger's seat who seemed to be asleep.
"Oh, I know this song …" she suddenly heard from the seat next to her. Rachel opened her eyes and yawned.
"You are all I need, I'm in the middle of your picture …" she gently hummed along to the melody. Quinn raised an eyebrow and turned her head meeting Rachel's eyes.
"What? Isn't it Radiohead?" Rachel grinned.
"Well, I would have never guessed that you like this genre of music." Quinn said a little surprised.
"I know, you all think that I only listen to show tunes, but I don't. I prefer many songs and many genres. Music is like colors. Just because you like one color doesn't mean you only buy clothes in this color. Variety and diversity are important! So the entirety of my musical preference isn't solely show tunes." Rachel stated, pouting slightly.
"That's true … I guess you really shouldn't judge a book by its cover," the blonde said softly, turning her attention back to the road.
It took them a little over three hours to reach Indianapolis. When they saw the first road signs pointing out the route to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Rachel put on her serious face and shook her head.
"I never really understood why people would pay to watch loud cars go around in circles for hours while drinking crappy beer. Have you ever actually tried to watch a race? Finn made me watch some race in Florida on TV once. I seriously couldn't and can't get through a whole race without falling asleep. What is it with men and noisy, smelly things?" Quinn, who had just been sipping on her Starbucks coffee, choked at her comment.
"Men need to compensate for the loss of power at home. I'm an outspoken enemy of all these horrible devices. Oh, oh, don't get me started! Leaf blowers! Do you know how else they call them? Crotch rockets!" The blonde spluttered out her drink, trembling, laughing. But Rachel continued with a mischievous grin on her face.
"I regard them as penises. The only people that like them are men. They literally and figuratively give them power. The blowing stimulates the sewing of a seed combined with control. The only way they will go away is if the penis goes away. What a great way to give a man a motorized penis!" She lost Quinn, who broke out into a hysterical laughter, with the p-word. She needed to pull over to the roadside, tears running down her cheeks.
"What?" Rachel asked with a confused look on her face, but soon after she also burst into laughter joining the blonde.
'You're such an adorkable little thing sometimes, Rachel Berry! How could I ever hate you? No ... I never hated you …' Quinn tried to collect herself, still tears in her eyes and still a cackle escaping once in a while.
"Come on, you rocket specialist! We are almost there!" the blonde chuckled with a wink.
"Hey! Watch it!" Rachel huffed nudging her side with her elbow. "I am actually a specialist in many fields, you just know some of my qualities …"
Quinn couldn't hold back her laughter anymore. "Please, Rach, you need to stop … or I will die here from laughing so hard!" she chortled.
"Where are we going anyway?" Rachel asked curiously.
"Oh, I want to see the IMA, the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Is that okay?" Quinn looked at Rachel who was nodding enthusiastically.
xxxxx
The museum was a modern building with beautiful gardens surrounding it. They decided to stroll around the gardens later following their tour through the museum.
"Did you know that it has a very respectable collection? Just about all of the important names are represented, plus a lot of work from some African and American Indian artists, too!" Quinn explained and Rachel was already enthusiastic about the museum. At least about Quinn's stories. She loved to listen to her talk about the beauty of the paintings and tell little fascinating tales from the painter's life.
They spent hours in there discussing viewpoints and colors, interpreting the painter's intention or just staring at the paintings without saying anything.
When they reached a painting by Camille Pissarro, Quinn went into detail how pointillism is an optical illusion. While listening, Rachel's eyes darted to the painting and then back to Quinn. She was absorbed by her enthusiasm, it was almost intoxicating. Suddenly her eyes wandered off as well as her mind. Quinn's lips kept drawing her attention, finding them utterly fascinating, mesmerizing even and she couldn't seem to take her eyes off them.
'You are so smart and beautiful, Quinn Fabray. And you are talented and funny … simply every way …' she thought to herself.
"Rachel, what do you say?" Quinn turned and caught her staring. Rachel's eyes shot up and met hazel ones. Rachel's heart skipped several beats and breathing became difficult. She quickly snapped her eyes away.
"Errr … come again? I was distracted by … your stories." the brunette replied bashfully.
"What do you say if we take a break of all this art talk and explore the gardens?" Quinn said with a wink.
"Oh, yeah, that sounds great!"
On their way to the gardens they bought a little snack and some drinks in the coffee shop. As they stepped outside, Rachel looked around with big eyes.
"Wow, these gardens are stunning … look at this beauty!" she shouted and took off. She skipped happily along the path followed by Quinn who had a wide smile on her face.
After a while they found a beautiful spot to sit down and eat their snacks. Rachel slumped down on the grass and Quinn joined her. Their unwrapped their food and ate silently just enjoying the relaxed atmosphere and each other's company. When they were finished with their little picnic, they lay back on the grass putting their arms behind their heads and watched the clouds. Minutes passed before Rachel broke the silence.
"Thank you!" she said softly.
Quinn turned her head with a confused look on her face. "Why are you thanking me?"
"I'm just glad that you had this wonderful road trip idea and …" Rachel almost whispered. "… that you are here with me!" She was facing Quinn now. Their eyes locked and now it was Quinn's heart that skipped a beat.
She turned her eyes away, feeling irritation rise within her. It only took a few seconds and their eyes met once again.
"I'm having a wonderful time!" the blonde admitted. "If someone had told me a couple years ago that I would spend time alone with Rachel Berry, I would have laughed."
"A lot of things have happened since then and you know I believe in giving people second chances!" Rachel replied, never breaking the eye contact.
"Yeah and I'm really happy about that and …" Quinn paused for a short moment. "… that you are here with me!"
A broad smile spread across Rachel's face and Quinn shyly turned her gaze back to the sky, accidentally brushing Rachel's fingers, which startled both of them.
"Did you know that Indiana is the top popcorn-producing state in the nation? 90% of the world's popcorn is grown here!" Rachel explained out of the blue, trying to diffuse the situation.
Quinn let out a hearty laugh at Rachel's comment. "You're such a dork sometimes!" she chuckled.
"Hey!" the brunette squealed and smacked her shoulder playfully.
"Come on, let's go!" Quinn said with a bright smile on her face and got up, extending her hand towards Rachel offering help to get up. The brunette nodded, grabbed her hand and Quinn pulled her up.
"Why don't we race? Loser pays for dinner later!" the blonde shouted already running towards the car.
"Hey, that's a little unfair! I'm vertically challenged and your legs are definitely longer not to forget that you were a Cheerio!" Rachel yelled, already chasing after her trying to catch up.
"You owe me dinner!" Quinn said cheerily and a little out of breath when Rachel finally reached the car.
"Deal! But I get to choose the restaurant!" she replied, breathing heavily.
"Sure thing!" Quinn hopped into the car and started the engine.
"Can we look for a hotel first! You've definitely worn me out, I need a shower and I need to change into something more fitting! And you hopefully know that I'm high maintenance and won't settle for less than a Hampton!" Rachel answered grinning like a Cheshire cat.
"And I'm classy enough for this here!" she replied with a wink, pulling the car into a hotel parking lot.
"Uuuuuh, a Marriott! You know how to make a girl happy!" Realizing what she had just said, she giggled and blushed. "This didn't come out right."
Quinn smirked and got out of the car, closing the door behind her. "I'll be right back!" she said and disappeared in the lobby.
When she returned, Rachel was already unloading the bags in anticipation of taking a refreshing shower soon.
"Hey, I can't believe it. There is a gun convention here in town and they only had one room left. And we are the lucky ones that got the room. But it only has a King size bed in it. Is that okay with you?" Quinn asked while she was approaching Rachel.
Rachel looked up and met Quinn's hazel eyes again. "Sure, it works for me!"
"Okay then we're set. Room 211, wait I help you with the bags!" Quinn picked up her bag and the ice box and dragged everything towards the hotel lobby. When they arrived at their room, she opened the door with the key card.
"Welcome to our humble abode!" the blonde said and entered the room. "Will this do?"
Rachel stumbled into the room. "Wow, this is really nice! Me gusta!" she giggled. Santana had definitely rubbed off on her. Quinn still leaned against the door frame and laughed while Rachel plunked her luggage on the bed.
"Come in and close the door! What are you waiting for?" Rachel was already on her way to the bathroom.
"Hold on, I have to get the ice box first. It's still in the hallway!"
When she reappeared, she stopped dead in her tracks. Rachel had removed most of her travel clothes and was on her way to take a shower.
"I'm sorry," Quinn stammered. "I didn't realize …"
Rachel turned around and beamed a smile at her "No problem! I have nothing to hide!" she replied with a grin and vanished in the bathroom.
The blonde was flabbergasted by Rachel 's coolness. The image of the brunette's almost naked body was still haunting her. She shook her head and began to unpack.
She needed to change into something nicer for dinner and chose a yellow sundress. Rachel was still in the bathroom and so she decided not to wait to get changed. She pulled her shirt over her head and removed her pants when she suddenly heard a voice behind her.
"Nice underwear!"
Rachel stood behind her, a towel wrapped chastely around her body.
"Well, I thought, I'd save us some time. Aren't you hungry?" she said while turning around and caught the brunette staring.
"Like what you see?" Quinn winked and tried to play cool despite her own heart beat picking up pace for some inexplicable reasons.
Rachel pulled her gaze away and blushed. "I know you must hear this all the time, but you're beautiful, Quinn!"
'I can't really remember the last time I heard it. I think it might have been you, Rachel Berry, who said it. At Prom and at some other occasions.' She thought but didn't dare to say it out loud.
"Thank you," she said shyly biting her lip.
Rachel sensed her friend's hesitation. "No, really, I'm serious. You are the most beautiful girl I've ever met. When you walk into a room, you turn heads."
"You aren't so bad yourself either!" Quinn said with a wink, reaching for her dress.
That winking thing made Rachel somehow nervous.
"Have you decided what you want to eat?" Quinn subtly changed the topic. "I can check for a good place on the internet then while you are getting dressed."
"I'd love to have Italian food."
"Italian it is. Take your time, I'll be in the lobby." Quinn disappeared in the hallway and Rachel got ready.
xxxxxx
Quinn was immersed in a book, sitting on one of the couches when Rachel emerged in the lobby. She didn't seem to notice her at all and Rachel couldn't resist. She sneaked up behind her and brought her mouth close to her ear.
"Are you ready?" she whispered from behind, lightly brushing her ear.
Quinn shivered and was startled by her action. "Oh god, Berry, you scared me!" she gasped almost dropping her book.
"Well, that was part of the plan …" The brunette grinned mischievously.
Quinn smacked her shoulder and rolled her eyes. "Let's go, I know the perfect place and lucky us, they have a table for us. I've already called them!"
It didn't take long until they reached their destination. Quinn parked outside a small, but beautiful and sweet looking restaurant called 'Bazbeaux'. A waiter greeted them friendly and led them to a small table in the corner.
"What can I get you two lovely ladies today?" the waiter asked and they ordered their entrees, coincidentally the same thing at the same time. They shared a smile and started to talk about whatever came to their minds. They had become good friends over the years and it was so nice not to think about anything and just chat with each other.
The main dishes - a Quattro Formaggio for Quinn (the waiter had pointed it out as masterpiece and the perfect taste of Italy) and the Bazbeaux Special for Rachel (a vegetarian pie and taste of heaven, according to the same waiter) was served.
"Enjoying your food?" the blonde asked after looking a Rachel who was totally absorbed in her food, only to be met by a strange noise which sound somewhat like a 'Yes'. Quinn laughed, completely entranced in that moment.
"Rachel Berry, you're an adorable little thing sometimes!" Quinn giggled. Rachel tried not to blush, but Quinn was looking at her with blazing hazel eyes and a charming smile and so she quickly diverted her gaze.
"Delicious! Impeccable! I can't think of any more adjectives to describe the food …" Rachel mumbled in between bites, a bright smile plastered on her face and Quinn broke out into laughter.
"What? I like good food!" Rachel said with a wink.
'Oh god, I'm doing that winking thing, too.' she thought and tried to concentrate on her food again.
Quinn waved down a waiter and charmed him into bringing them some free dessert samples.
"Here you go, ladies! A mud pie and a chocolate meltdown for the beautiful ladies!" said the waiter, putting down two plates in front of them. "It's on the house! Enjoy!"
"Seems as if not everyone is impervious to my charms!" Quinn laughed.
"Trust me, I've no doubt you could charm anyone into doing anything for you!" Rachel smirked.
Quinn felt her heart jump in response to Rachel's flirtatious behavior.
"Oh, Quinn, you must try this!" the brunette gasped, pulling the fork out of her mouth. She speared a piece of the chocolate meltdown onto her fork and fed it to her. "Here! Try!"
" .God!" the blonde moaned. "I think I just had a foodgasm."
Rachel looked at her in bewilderment.
"What? Oh, it's like an orgasm but for food instead of you know …" she tried to explain through her embarrassment.
Rachel burst into laughter. She was laughing so hard that tears were running down her cheeks. The blonde stuck her tongue out at her and tried to eat more of that delicious piece of chocolate heaven, savoring the flavor. But the sound of Rachel's laughter was so infectious that she was laughing along with her soon.
The evening ended far too soon for both of them. Rachel paid and they left the restaurant, walking over to the car. Quinn wrapped one arm around Rachel's waist and smiled at her.
"Thank you for the invitation!" the blonde said with a warm, bright smile.
Rachel was overtaken by gentle flutter and leaned into the hug.
"Thank you for this wonderful evening and this unbelievably good restaurant. Have I already said that the food was so delicious? Oh god, it was like an orgy for my taste buds …" Rachel groaned and Quinn's heart filled with joy.
"You are so welcome! See, I really know how to make a girl happy!" she giggled and got into the car.
"I'm such a lucky duck!" Rachel replied with a grin playfully raising her eyebrows hopping onto the passenger's seat.
They headed back to the hotel and returned to their room soon after.
"It has been a long day, but I enjoyed every single minute of it!" Rachel said while she was discarding her shoes.
Quinn looked at her and sighed contently. "Yes, me too! And there will be more to come!" she said while disappearing in the bathroom.
"Yay …" Rachel giggled. It didn't take long for Quinn to get ready for bed.
"Oh, my turn, you know, I do this moisturizing routine and that can take a while …" the brunette said, grabbed her wash bag and headed to the bathroom to start her nightly routine.
Quinn looked after her and smiled. She got under the covers and opened her book to read a few pages.
It took Rachel about half an hour to finish her routine and to change into a T-shirt and pajama pants. When she opened the bathroom door, she stopped short in the doorway. Quinn was curled up on one side of the bed, her face on her book and sound asleep. Rachel wished she had her camera here, Quinn look so peaceful and really cute. She sneaked over to the bed and under the covers, turned her face towards the sleeping beauty next to her and couldn't help but stare at her.
'She's really beautiful, even more when she's asleep! Oh how cute, she's smiling in her dreams!' She was lost in her thoughts. Her hand was unconsciously moving over to Quinn's face and she let her fingertips graze her cheek lightly. Rachel stopped for a short moment. Quinn sighed in her sleep but didn't move, and so the brunette continued and ran her fingers gently over the blonde's lips. She was overwhelmed by the softness of her skin.
'Oh god, what am I doing here?' she thought to herself and withdrew her fingers cautiously as Quinn opened her eyes only a little bit.
"I … I didn't mean to fall asleep, I'm sorry. I won't do it again …" she mumbled sleepily.
"Just go back to sleep, it's okay. It was a long day!" Rachel said quietly. "This here didn't look very comfortable …" she continued and removed the book Quinn had been sleeping on.
"Oh … thanks for saving me …" she murmured and closed her eyes to fall asleep again. Rachel's heart melted at the adorable sight of this.
"Good night … and thanks for taking me with you!" the brunette whispered while turning off the light and she snuggled up on her side of the bed with a content sigh.
X*X*X*X*X*X
'Road trippin' with my two favorite allies
Fully loaded we got snacks and supplies
It's time to leave this town
It's time to steal away
Let's go get lost
Anywhere in the U.S.A.' RHCP
So, I'll take you on that road trip ;) What do you think? Should I continue? The next update will take a while (but it will come, I promise). Review if you like my little story ;)