Hey guys! So, instead of having it end with them getting together, I'm going to add a little bit of a twist since one of my readers suggested it. There's gotta be some conflict, right? Obviously, though, Monchele will end happily ever after.
Cory POV.
The day Lea told me that she and Theo had broken up was the best day of my life. The day I thought she'd cheated on me was the worst. And hey, guess what? They were within three days of each other.
I was waiting anxiously inside her and Di's apartment when she walked up. She had her key and was about to stick it in the lock but I threw the door open for her.
Looking surprised, she gave me a cautious smile. "Hey," she said.
"Hi," I replied. This was awkward. Things were never awkward with us. Why was this awkward?
She jerked her head towards the living room couch. Apprehensively, I sat down next to her. Something big was going to happen, I could almost feel it. Dianna had practically told me so, and why else would she and Chord speed out the second Lea got here?
"So what's going on?" I asked.
She took a deep breath. "Cory… Theo and I broke up."
It was like a huge weight lifted off my chest. Relief. I like to think I'm a pretty decent guy, and having a crush on – nay, being in love with – a girl who's got a fiancé was eating at me. It just felt uncomfortable, and wrong, considering what a great person Theo is. Now at least "MonChele" was a possibility… right? The unspoken question hung in the air.
"We ended it fine," she added. "Um, we're going to be friends and everything. But, uh… I just wanted to tell you."
I didn't know what to say. She ducked her head, biting her lip and twisting the hem of her shirt between her hands, hair falling gently over her face. God, she was beautiful. When she looked up at me with those big brown eyes and helpless, what-do-we-do-now look, I did what any remotely reasonable guy would do in my position: I kissed her.
If I thought our kiss in my own drum room was magical, this – this wasn't tied down with the aftertaste of the fact that she was engaged. This wasn't a catch 22 with hidden threats, this was the true Superman of kisses.
People come in and out of your life for a reason. Chance takes over, and you realize that most of your old friends and enemies were there just by chance, and they leave without making much of a dent in your life. That's how it is with half the Glee cast, or the cast of any movie you make.
And then there's the small handful that are put there with you so you can hold onto them, cherish them, as best friends for life, or at least the next several years. But the rare few – heck, the rare one – are people who are made for you. It's not a question of maintaining a relationship. The idea of dropping them or not talking to them is absurd. Never, in a million years, could you go without being with them, not even for a day.
For me, that person is Lea Michele.
After we broke apart, she tugged my arm around her shoulder and leaned into my chest, giving a little sigh.
"You okay?" I asked.
She thought for a moment. "Of course," she replied, looking up at me.
"Cool," I said. "Then, um, I need to ask you something."
She sat up, pulling out from under my arm. "What is it?" she asked, alarmed.
I laughed and pulled her back over to me. "Relax. Gosh. Okay, here goes." I rubbed my hands together, as if preparing for a huge, rehearsed marriage proposal, and asked, "Lea Michele, will you go out with me?"
Her face completely lit up. I wanted to preserve that moment forever. I mean, how often does the love of your life look at you with as much love as you feel for them?
"Yes," she said.
So that was the best day of my life. I mean, we'd hooked up (sort of) before, but this was the real stuff. We were in heaven, and unfortunately, it showed. The media blast that all of this caused was freaking insane. I mean, c'mon, people.
Look, I like being a star and all. I love what I do. But to be honest, it does get kinda tiresome, not being able to walk down a street without screaming fans and obnoxious paparazzi yelling out your name and the most random things: "Cory! Hey, Cory! How are ya, man? What's your favorite movie? What's your favorite ice cream?" "How's it goin'? Cory, look over here. Cory!" "CORY!"
You get the picture. Ha, that was a pun. Oh man… I'm such a dork sometimes, it's a miracle anybody wants anything to do with me.
Anyway.
After shooting one day, I ran around looking for Lea. We had a casual dinner date planned out and Di was going to be third-wheeling, as usual.
I finally found Chord hanging out with Heather and Dianna in Matthew's trailer.
"Hey, man," Chord said, fist-bumping me. "What's up?"
"Nothing," I said distractedly. "Have you seen Lea?"
Di looked up sharply. "No, she left right after we wrapped."
"Dammit." I took a seat begrudgingly. Heather slid a paper plate with a piece of pizza across the table to me, saying sympathetically,
"Greasy cheese and stale crust makes everything better."
I laughed ruefully. "Thanks, Heather. Where's Matthew?"
"Ryan dragged him off for an impromptu rehearsal with Jayma." Chord paused. "Everything okay?"
I didn't know why I was getting so aggravated. Geez, it wasn't like Lea was my property. I just didn't have a good feeling about this. I mean… I don't know.
I ate the pizza, wondering why my girlfriend had disappeared and was now failing to respond to my texts. Mark stopped in, looking for Naya, and then left.
"Did you try texting her?" suggested Chord. I nodded.
Di sighed. "Nobody can tell me anything," she snapped.
"What?" I exchanged confused glances with Heather.
Dianna slid out of her seat and leaned forward, resting her elbows on the edge of the table and looking me straight in the eye. Calculating. That look that girls get when they've got information they know you want to know, but can't decide if it's worth it. Finally, groaning, she said, "Okay, look, I know where Lea is."
"What? Di! You have to tell me now!" I scooted closer to her. "Come on."
"No," she said. "I can't tell you, okay? You'll take it the wrong way and freak out and you just need to let her do her thing! If you become all crazy and jealous when you guys have been official for literally less than 72 hours, well… that doesn't bode well."
"Does Chord know?"
She shook her head, glancing at Chord, who, I realized, had been sorta staring at her. Well, okay then.
Heather stood up, pulling her hair into a ponytail and yawning. Chord took a seat next to Di and shrugged.
"Sorry, bro," he said.
"Can I just say that I think you're overreacting?" said Di in exasperation. "Look at you! You're all broody just because your girlfriend doesn't text you about her every move. She'll be back in time for our date."
Chord's head snapped up, one hand frozen in a bag of Doritos. "Our date? What?"
"Oh, no," she said, realizing what that had sounded like. "I'm third-wheeling."
"Oh." Chord looked taken aback, then said slowly, "Well… the fourth wheel is what makes it a car.
Dianna raised an eyebrow. "What?"
Heather was cracking up. "Oh, man, that was so bad," she said, grinning. "I don't even have the words."
"What?" pressed Di, looking confused.
"He's asking you out," said Heather helpfully.
"Shut up!" said Chord. "No, I'm not, I promise." He paused, trying to read Dianna's expression. "Or… I am. Am I?"
She turned away abruptly, but I saw the smile that spread on her face. "If you want to fourth-wheel, you're welcome to."
"So now that that's all straightened out," I said loudly, "Di's going to tell me where my girlfriend is."
"Cory, you're almost too in love with her," said Heather. She checked her watch and did one of those dancer stretches where you grab your ankles and pull on your calves. "I'm off to rehearsal, but I recommend you take a chill pill between now and your date tonight." She grabbed a water bottle from the mini-fridge. "See ya."
"I am not too in love with her," I protested to her retreating back. Okay, that was a bit of a lie.
"Fine." Di pulled out her phone and was texting furiously. "She's with Theo – but," she raised her voice before I could say anything, "it's not like that. They're not… I mean, they're just talking things out."
"Talking things out?! I thought they did that, you know, when they broke up!" I said, hearing my voice raise but unable to stop it. If Theo and Lea got back together… if they reunited… okay, Heather was right. A chill pill would be nice.
"Whoa, no need to yell at Di," Chord said defensively.
"I'm not yelling." I lowered my voice. "Sorry. I just don't get why… Theo's a good guy. Don't get me wrong. But he and Lea were engaged forever, and I'm sorry, I don't love the idea of them hanging out together. Alone."
"They're not alone," said Dianna. "They just went out for coffee again."
"What?" Coffee meant getting back together, everyone knew that. When two exes "get coffee sometime", it means they're getting back together, or at least one of them wants to. I didn't have time for this.
I grabbed my keys. "Thanks, Di," I said half-sarcastically, and went out to my car.
So, I'm stopping there, since I want to switch POVs, but let me know what you thought! I know that Cory's jealousy may seem uncharacteristic in many ways, but I'm kind of combining his character with Finn's and although I have no doubt he is a great boyfriend to Lea, I dunno, I thought there ought to be some conflict, and some worry that she might get away. So please don't, like, rag on me or anything for sticking that in there :)
As always, thank you for your support and views and reviews, it means the world to me! I will get a new chapter up as soon as I can!