Disclaimer: I don't own anything
Authors Note: Thank you so much for the reviews and many follows. They keep me really motivated to write more...
A couple of hours later the girls are still lying on the blue picnic blanket right in the middle of the stage, their fruity snacks long gone. Their hands are intertwined as they share stories of their past. Both are on their backs staring up to the ceiling as they play the question game, covering the basic information. So far, Rachel learned that Quinn's 22 birthday was only last month, that her favorite color is a light green and that she loves Passion Pit. The blonde also told her everything about her classes at NYADA and that she earns some money by giving piano lessons to children.
In return, Rachel told Quinn all about her plans of being a future award winning Broadway star, the scarce accomplishments of her high school glee club and she vented about her terrible dance teacher.
My uncle told me that she used to be a successful dancer on Broadway. But she had some kind of public meltdown and has to teach because no one would even think about casting her for a play anymore." Quinn tells her and lazily traces her finger across the back of Rachel's hand.
She actually didn't know that. But it made her behavior somewhat understandable to Rachel. She would be devastated if some incident like this would sabotage her career.
"No one ever told me that before. That kind of explains why she is so unbearable in class. She must be terribly depressed."
"I heard some interesting stories from some friends that had to take her dance classes. She must be a pain."
"She is, but let's not talk about that woman anymore. I believe it's my turn to ask you a question now."
Rachel already shared the rather embarrassing story of how she once had a ludicrous crush on her old glee club coach after they sang a romantic duet to educate her fellow glee clubbers on the significance of ballads. Quinn had asked what her weirdest crush was and even though this anecdote is far from being her favorite Rachel shared the truth even though it was quite embarrassing. So she believes that it is only legitimate to ask the blonde a more personal question now.
"Tell me about the worst kiss you ever received." She smirks as Quinn scrunches up her face and visibly shudders thinking about it. "That bad?" She gives her hand a soft squeeze in encouragement and the blonde starts talking.
"Urgh, definitely freshman year of high school during my first real party. I was dancing with my friends and then this weird boy came up to me and just grabbed me. He shoved his tongue into my mouth before I could even react. It was awful. I had his spit all over my face and that's not even the worst of it. Turns out he was so wasted that he mistook me for his girlfriend, who saw the whole thing and punched me right in the face." Quinn winces and brings up her unoccupied hand to touch her nose, "Someone even managed to catch it on video and people called me bloody-nose-girl for the rest of the year."
Rachel bursts out into laughter picturing the incident. She manages to get a few words in between her spurts of laughter, "That story is awesome."
"I didn't laugh at your crack girl story or at the creepy crush you had on your teacher." Quinn pouts and pulls her hand out of Rachel's to cross her arms over her chest. Rachel's heart drops at the loss of contact but she is quite appalled at what Quinn is saying and defends herself, "It was not creepy. I was just misguided and that could have been any other emotionally unstable girl at our school. In fact I was not even the first girl to become a victim of his musical charm. Suzy Pepper was even forced to change schools because she was stalking him."
Rachel shifts to lie on her side and scoots closer to the other girl playfully poking her side with her index finger. Quinn giggles and squirms away from Rachel's poking, "I'm very ticklish."
"I'm sorry I laughed, but your story was quite entertaining." She realizes that Quinn is just playing her but the pout and puppy dog eyes are rather adorable so Rachel decides to entertain her, "I'm giving you a free pass to laugh at me the next time I do something embarrassing. And I promise I won't get mad."
The pout disappears instantly and Quinn turns to lie on her side as well, facing a smiling Rachel. "I would never laugh at you Rachel," she admits with a flirty smile and catches her eyes, quickly losing herself in the sparkling chocolate brown orbs of the brunette.
Rachel's heart rate picks up at Quinn's flirty comment and intense look and with any other person she would still be too afraid of rejection to make any kind of move, but she is already so smitten with her and she never felt as comfortable with any other person either. So without spending any more time possibly over thinking this, she leans forward and boldly presses her lips against Quinn's, who is caught off guard at first but quickly reacts and kisses back. Rachel feels her sigh into the kiss as one of her hands slowly moves up Quinn's back and then grips on to the back of her head, holding her in place. The position is awkward, both girls lying on their sides and straining their necks to hold up their heads.
Quinn reacts to the uncomfortable situation and gently nudges Rachel to lie on her back and hovers above her, not once breaking their kiss. A tingling sensation spreads in Rachel's stomach as Quinn traces her tongue against her lips and she opens her mouth without hesitation. Both of them moan as the kiss shifts from shy and tender to passionate and Rachel pulls at the blonde's hips to pull her further down. The weight of Quinn lying partly on her body feels comforting to Rachel and they continue their intense kiss for the next few minutes.
Once air becomes an absolute necessity they pull away, both breathing heavy and with a smile on their faces. Quinn presses another soft peck on the corner of Rachel's mouth and lies down next to her, placing her arm on her stomach.
"My turn now." The blonde whispers and snuggles into her date. "Tell me about you family."
Rachel sighs contently at the feeling of Quinn pressed into her side and moves her arm around her so that she can put her head on her shoulder. "I'm an only child, which meant I got the undivided attention of my parents, so I never asked for a little brother or sister. That would have been more complicated than in other families anyway, because I have two dads." She pauses for the perplexed reaction she normally gets when she shares this information and smiles to herself when Quinn remains quiet. "My dad is an architect and my daddy is a pediatric surgeon."
"You call one of them daddy? That's cute." Quinn chuckles and continues to softly draw patterns on Rachel's stomach, scrunching up her silk top in the action. But Rachel doesn't mind the wrinkles as long as Quinn continues.
"Well, what would be the alternative? Dad and Pops or maybe Papa? Dad one and dad two? I think these would be even more ridiculous."
"That's true. But it's still cute. You're so adorable."
Rachel is happy that Quinn can't see her flushed face for once and returns the compliment. "You're adorable too, Quinn. When I first saw you I was really intimidated by your outer appearance, but you are not only beautiful on the outside. You are so smart and kind and you went out of your way to organize this awesome date for me. You know that I would have been happy with dinner and a romantic comedy, right?"
Quinn shuffles around to face Rachel and smiles at her "Thank you for saying that. But who says you're not going to get the customary dinner on this date? I made some reservations at a nice restaurant for later but I also wanted to spend the day with you." She explains and snuggles back into Rachel's side.
"You see, that's what I mean. How am I going to top that when it's my turn to plan our next date?" She only realizes what she implied after she said it out loud.
"So that means I'm going to get another date?"
The hopeful tone in Quinn's voice gives Rachel the confidence to tease her a bit. "Well, so far I'm still enjoying your company but we'll have to see at the end of the night."
Quinn shoves her lightly and scoffs, "Don't fool yourself Rach. I know I have you wrapped around my finger."
"You're right, I was just kidding. I'm already brainstorming possible date locations and activities."
"Please no pottery painting or horseback riding." Her last date actually took her to Color Me Mine. No wonder that it didn't work out.
"Okay, I'll keep that in mind."
"And when would that possible date take place?"
"Hmm, I suppose Friday or Saturday would be appropriate for the things I have in mind." Rachel offers.
"But that's almost a whole week from now." Quinn quickly shakes her head in protest. "Far too long for my taste."
Rachel has to laugh at the blonde's antics and softly caresses her back in response. "I'm not saying that we won't see each other until then." She won't tell Quinn how happy and relieved it makes her that the other girl is so eager to see her again. And she didn't know that is was possible but she is even more smitten now. Quinn really knew how to charm a girl.
"Okay, I'll accept." She softly hums against Rachel's shoulder. "Now tell me some more about your family.
"My dads were always very supportive of my dreams and ambitions. They paid for every voice and dance lesson I insisted on and they attended every recital and competition without ever being annoyed. They are really proud that I got into NYADA."
"They sound really nice."
"They're the best parents I could ever ask for. When I was fifteen my biological mother suddenly turned up in Lima and they never made me feel guilty because I wanted to get to know her." She still remembers the day her birth mother stood in front of her without any kind of warning. One day she turned up on their doorstep and said that she wanted to be a part of her life. Rachel had appreciated the chance to finally have a woman to talk to because some things are simply too hard to for a teenage girl to discuss with her gay fathers. She nearly died when her dad tried to explain the changes her body will go through during puberty. And then they almost had heart attacks when she asked for her first bra.
"It must have been hard to be suddenly confronted with her after so many years."
"It was hard, but the support of my fathers made it easier. I had always wondered about her and I was too afraid to ask my dads because I didn't want them to think that they're not enough." She explains in a soft tone, "But it is nice to know where you come from. I got my voice from her and we actually look alike. She teaches music at my old high school now and we talk to each other on the phone or through emails from time to time."
"Does she have other kids?" Quinn asks
"She adopted a baby shortly after she moved to Lima." Rachel explains, "A little girl. But I don't see her as my sister. I don't even see Shelby as my mom, she is just my birth mom and became a good friend over the last few years. Do you have siblings?"
"I do. My sister Frannie is 15 years older than me and lives in New Jersey with her family. But we don't talk very often." Rachel notices that Quinn's mood darkened a bit so she decides it's better to let the topic go for now. She is sure that Quinn will share her story when she is ready to talk about it.
"I only get to see my parents on special occasions now. We're all too busy to visit each other most of the time. So it comes down to holidays and birthdays."
She is not above admitting that she misses her fathers a lot of the time. She never had any real friends during her years in Lima, so naturally she was very close with them. But they talk on the phone at least twice every week and she makes sure to fly home during her breaks from school.
"But you have some good friends right? Brody seems very loyal and reliable." Quinn offers to lighten the mood, which has gotten a bit sad during the last few minutes.
A soft smile plays on Rachel's lips at the thought of her best friend. "Yes, after he finally understood that I'm not in the least bit romantically interested in him he became a very good friend. I can always count on him."
"He came on to you?" Quinn screeches and then spends a moment thinking about it, "Well of course he tried to hit on you, who wouldn't?"
"I walked in on him in the shower when I was still living in the dorms. That boy doesn't have a single ounce of modesty. He pranced around all naked and thought he could impress me with his body." She quietly chuckles at she remembers the shocked look on his face when she actually turned him down. "Thankfully he learned to put on some clothes and we never had a naked incident again."
"Yeah, he must be really proud of his body. Whenever he stays with Madison for the night, he struts around the apartment in his boxers the next morning. Not something a gay woman likes to see during breakfast. And he always eats my cereal." She tell her with a pout.
Rachel giggles at the image of a still sleepy Quinn coming out of bedroom to find a half naked Brody at her kitchen table munching on her favorite cereal.
They continue to talk for the next hour until Quinn notices that it's almost time to leave, so that they will make it to the restaurant on time. "We'll have to leave in a few minutes. I made reservations for 6." She mumbles against Rachel's shoulder and then pushes herself up on her elbows to look down at the other girl. "This is your last chance to sing on a real Broadway stage for now." She shoots her a suggestive look and raises one of her eyebrows.
Rachel thinks about it for a moment and decides that Quinn is probably right. This is the first time she has ever actually been on the stage and not just in the crowd and that moment must be rightfully honored. She nods quickly and gets up holding her hand out to help Quinn up as well.
"I'll go and sit in the center of the front row and cheer you on." Quinn gives her an excited smile and nudges her to stand in the front of the stage.
Rachel watches her as she disappears behind the stage without another word and frowns in confusion. "Quinn? What are you doing?" The theater suddenly darkens with only one light illuminating the stage right where Rachel is situated.
Quinn comes back with a content smile on her face, "We have to do this the right way Rachel. Otherwise it might be bad luck." she gives her a teasing wink and hops off the stage to sit in one of the front row seats. "Whenever you're ready."
"What should I sing?" Rachel bites her lip in contemplation. Never before has she not known what song to sing.
"Something from Funny Girl, of course!" Quinn offers.
"Of course!" Rachel agrees and goes through the possible choices in her mind. My Man wouldn't be appropriate and Don't Rain On My Parade needs an intense vocal warm up, but she can do Funny Girl without running scales beforehand.
She clears her throat and smiles when she notices Quinn shifting forward in anticipation. Rachel steps right into the stage light and takes one last look at the beautiful blonde in the front row before she closes her eyes as she always does right before singing.
Funny
Did you hear that
Funny
Yeah, the guy said honey
You're a funny girl
That's me I just keep them
In stitches dug out in half
And though I may be all wrong for the guy
I'm good for a laugh
I guess it's not funny
Live is far from sunny
When the love is over
And the jokes are you
A girl ought to have a sense of humor
That's one thing you really need for sure
When you're a funny girl
A fellow said a funny girl
Funny, how it ain't so funny
Funny girl...
Whenever Rachel sings a solo she can't hold back the tears leaking out of her eyes and this time is no different. She opens her eyes at the sound of Quinn's loud clapping and her stomach flutters at the look of admiration on the blonde's face.
"That was amazing Rachel." She quickly gets up from her seat and walks back on stage. "Really worthy of your first real Broadway performance."
Rachel is pulled into a tight hug by the other girl and she doesn't hesitate to put her arms around her back, "Thank you so much for this Quinn." She mumbles into her neck and breathes in deeply, taking in the sweet scent of her date.
Both stay close together even after they pull out of the hug and Quinn moves her thump to wipe away a remaining tear on Rachel's smooth cheek, and then gently cups her face connecting their lips for the third time that day.
"I have no doubt that you'll make it. One day soon you're going to be back here as the star of the show and the theater is going to be filled with thousands of people waiting to hear you sing." Quinn whispers softly as the pull away, still holding Rachel's head in her right hand.
"Why are you so good to me?" Rachel quietly asks her while her heart beats heavily against her chest, her eyes tearing up once more.
"Because you are amazing Rachel and you deserve to be told all those things." Her lips graze against Rachel's when she talks, "I never had someone believing in me and I wouldn't want anyone else to feel that way." She gently connects their lips again in a slow kiss.
Rachel decides that she definitely has to bake Brody another few batches of cookies, because there is no way that one would be enough to thank him for introducing her to this woman.
Quinn playfully nibs on her bottom lip one last time before pulling away with a bright grin on her face. "Come on, let's get some dinner."
It still feels like thousands of butterflies are whirling around in her belly when she is getting into bed a few hours later. The whole day has been so perfect. No one has ever put so much thought into planning a date, let alone made an effort to woo her like Quinn did. In the past, a date normally consisted of dinner at some restaurant where she couldn't even eat half of the food they offered. Her high school boyfriend even had the decency to take her to a steak house. But Quinn managed to fulfill one of her livelong dreams after only meeting her a few days prior.
She is so smitten with the other woman already and she is not afraid to admit it. They talked for hours without running out of topics and Rachel feels so comfortable in sharing personal stories and experiences. For every embarrassing moment she told her about, Quinn shared a similar story herself.
And today was the first time that Rachel got the impression that the blonde has some hurtful memories as well. She seemed especially uncomfortable when talking about her family and after Rachel sang she mentioned having no one believe in her. She hopes that she can get her to open up some more and maybe Rachel can be the one to make her feel special again.
Conversation during dinner had been light again and they shared a lot of laughs and intense glances. Quinn took her to an actual vegan restaurant and was very chivalrous all night, opening doors, pulling out her chair and she even walked her home again. The butterflies swirl around again when she remembers the moment they said goodnight. Quinn's kisses always give her tingles throughout her whole body and leave her wanting more. And if the way she acts is any indication, Quinn feels the same way.
She turns off her bedside lamp and snuggles into her cover. It's not long before she falls asleep with a content smile on her face.
The song is Funny Girl by Barbra Streisand. Read and Review please :)