Apologies for the delay but I've been having a torrid time at work...but hey let's not talk about that. Massive thanks to Eyghon for the ever efficient proof reading - no-one else would be so happy about my typos! Hope this reaches you before your flight Pebblez24 - cheers for the encouragement :)
Kurt checked the time on his phone again. It was 30 seconds later when than he last looked at it but at least an hour after Rachel had raced out of the apartment as if her room was on fire. Considering how long Rachel had been gone she obviously didn't mean their local corner shop as she could have been there and back on fifteen trips in the time she'd been gone. He drummed his fingers a few more times on the table until the past-their-best flowers came slowly into focus. And that was another thing, the usual Thursday bunch of flowers had failed to materialise today. Kurt was unsure how the recently subdued Rachel, the lack of flowers and Rachel's unexpected sprint out of the apartment were related and she'd all but banned him from asking. He sighed and glanced at his phone again. As flat mate it was legitimate for him to be concerned about Rachel's well being; it was dark out, it was late and the area they lived in was decidedly shady. Besides if anything happened to Rachel, Ms July would be ripping him apart judging by her reaction when she thought he'd left Rachel home alone dying of Meningitis. When it came to Rachel's heartfelt disappointment in him versus Ms July's ire directed at him there really was no contest. He phoned Rachel's number - he just wanted to check she was okay.
A faint 'don't rain on my parade' ringtone sounded from Rachel's room. He tracked it down with his phone held tightly against his ear. Rachel's phone was on her bedside table along with her wallet. How could she buy anything without money? In fact the room was a bit Mary Celeste-ish now he came to think about it, almost as if Rachel had disappeared mid hair drying. He looked at her phone but beyond his missed call there was no other information available because of the screen lock. Kurt sighed replacing the phone at a similar jaunty angle to the cabinet edge, as he'd found it. That was odd too because Rachel always liked things parallel or perpendicular - maybe she was testing him? He quickly scurried out of her room - he didn't want to be caught invading her privacy again. He perched on the edge of the couch and ran through what he knew. Rachel had exited the building like a rocket without her phone (hadn't she once said something about always being ready for the call to stardom no matter what the time?) or any money, (so she wasn't really buying anything), leaving her room untidy (Rachel was obsessive about tidying everything away and didn't even realise that such behaviour was odd) and he wasn't supposed to be worried. Kurt was uncertain what to do short of scouring the neighbourhood. He scrolled down his contact list and his finger hovered over Quinn's number. If anyone knew what was going on with Rachel it would be Quinn. He didn't have a choice.
An out of breath Quinn answered on the third ring with a concerned "Kurt, is Rachel okay?"
"She's fine," he grumped back automatically before asking, "why do you think I'm calling about Rachel? Can't I just call you because we're friends?"
Quinn's amused laughter irritated him further.
"Okay friend," said Quinn teasingly, "to what do I owe the pleasure of a phone call if it isn't you seeking advice or information about Rachel?"
Kurt was momentarily stumped for a response and then he improvised rather than letting Quinn be proved right.
"Well I was ringing to invite you to New York as my guest to surprise Rachel," he said," so indirectly my phone call is related to her."
"Oh," was all he managed to get out of Quinn.
"She's been a bit down recently and well I don't need to explain to you about how you always cheer her up," managed Kurt awkwardly. "Anyway," he hurried on, "she's performing at Ms July's farewell shindig next Friday and I thought you could come along as my guest."
There was a silence on the phone and Kurt worried that he'd inadvertently done something wrong. There had been no flowers today he suddenly remembered.
"I mean... um... Unless you two have... er... fallen out," he managed.
"No, no of course we haven't," replied Quinn before adding in a hesitant small voice, "Do you really think Rachel would want me there?"
It was Kurt's turn to laugh.
"I can't think of anyone she'd want more to be there," he stated confidently. Honestly Quinn should consider a career in performance as her shy uncertain act was just so convincing.
Quinn struggled to keep her hopes in check at his words.
"Okay then yes," Quinn replied trying to keep her excitement out of her voice. Maybe she could have a heart to heart with Rachel then. The mere thought filled her with an interesting mix of hope and fear.
"Excellent," said Kurt. Maybe him organising Quinn to come on a surprise visit would mean an end to this ridiculous pretence that nothing was going on between the pair of them. Rachel would be able to talk about her difficulties of being in a long distance relationship rather than moping about like someone had killed her puppy and avoiding him because of her inability to keep a secret otherwise.
"Your visit is to be a surprise so no warning Rachel before hand," he pointed out.
"Yes Kurt," replied Quinn dryly, "I do understand what is meant by a surprise."
Kurt asked about how things were going at Yale in a bid to eventually work the conversation round to Rachel's exceedingly odd behaviour that evening. Quinn was mid a-funny-thing-happened-in-my- seminar tale when Kurt received a text from an unknown number. It was Rachel letting him know she'd 'become side-tracked' so might be a bit late coming back but she didn't want him to worry. He half listened to Quinn as he stared at the screen wondering what to reply. Once the conversation with Quinn was finished he pushed aside the urge to send a concerned parent text (Where are you? Who are you with? What time will you be back?) and settled instead for something briefer and allowing a hint at his irritation to creep in.
Cassie relaxed her hold on Rachel once she finally managed to process that this was indeed happening, Rachel was in her arms possibly crying tears of relief or happiness if the dampness on her neck was anything to go by. As the first few drops of rain began to fall she gently pulled away from Rachel so they could stand with their foreheads just touching. The urge to steal a taste of Rachel's much thought about slightly quivering lips was extremely hard to resist particularly when the tip of Rachel's tongue nervously moistened them like that. She mustered all her resolve.
"We really should talk," croaked Cassie. There was a heart racing moment as Rachel's gaze swept over Cassie's lips and her eyes momentarily closed when she thought Rachel would take the decision out of her hands and kiss her but the sudden increase in rainfall intervened. Suddenly they were reaching for the diner door laughing, breathless and a little damp from the downpour. Cassie led Rachel to the still empty booth where she'd sat earlier and then once they were seated an awkward silence descended. Cassie placed her hand over Rachel's as she thought about where to start. They were interrupted by a gum-chewing waitress with a hostile manner that suggested she didn't gain much job satisfaction in her current role. She managed to pop her gum twice whilst asking, "what d'ya want then?" before her disapproving gaze settled on Cassie and Rachel's linked hands. Rachel's attempt to move her hand was prevented by Cassie holding it a bit tighter and rubbing her thumb across the back of Rachel's hand reassuringly.
"We'd like two coffees and a bit of privacy," said Cassie firmly before focussing her gaze on Rachel again.
With an audible harrumph of disapproval and a final snap of gum, the waitress left.
Cassie moved her other hand so she could cradle Rachel's hand between hers. Both times she'd met Rachel away from NYADA premises she'd had to apologise. She fervently hoped this would be the last time such an apology was needed.
"Although I was a thoughtless and insensitive jerk last Thursday and don't deserve your forgiveness, I'd like to explain why I acted the way I did," she finally managed to blurt as her voice shook with emotion and her vision was suddenly slightly blurred with tears.
"It's not important," soothed Rachel, uncertain she wanted to hear some confused explanation about Cassie wanting to punish her for making her feel things she was afraid of. A rather awkward stilted conversation with Quinn along the same lines had been an experience she'd vowed never to repeat.
Cassie looked at Rachel in surprise. Not important?
"Of course it is," insisted Cassie before trying to lighten the suddenly tense atmosphere, "Wouldn't want you thinking I deliberately set out to hurt you."
Cassie's weak attempt at a smile was halted as she realised Rachel's gaze had slid away from hers and was now fixated on their hands. It caused a sharp pain in her chest as she realised that was precisely what Rachel believed.
She managed a pained, "oh."
Cassie fought her instinctive reaction, which was to be angry that Rachel had such a low opinion of her and her motives. A bitter 'well if you think that, then there's little point in continuing this conversation or relationship' balanced precariously on the tip of her tongue. In her head the voice of reason - it sounded suspiciously like her brother's - was pointing out that Rachel had every right to think her capable of setting out to deliberately hurt her as that was precisely what she'd done in her office before the start of term. She swallowed her angry words.
"I just thought...well now that I'd moved on from denial and told you how I feel," Cassie paused to take a steadying breath 'and given up my job for you' added the still angry voice in her head, "that we'd moved on to a different stage in our relationship." She brought Rachel's hand up to press against her cheek but Rachel's gaze remained fixed on the table top, "I," she bit back the 'love you' she nearly said. It was too soon for that and this was hardly the right time or place, "I don't want to see you hurt, I want to stop anyone from ever hurting you and I'm ashamed I inadvertently did so."
"I' m sorry that I thought," mumbled Rachel before being cut off by Cassie gently reaching out and gently lifting her chin so her gaze met Cassie's.
"You have absolutely nothing to apologise for," Cassie insisted before her voice softened, "and every reason to think the worst of me but my intentions were in the right place even if my actions were misguided..."
Cassie was back to holding Rachel's hand against her cheek forcing a closer proximity between them as she related the overheard conversation that had led her to giving Rachel a rough ride in her class. She was aware of Rachel's eyes searching her face for the truth of what she was saying.
Rachel couldn't help feeling a little foolish as Cassie relayed the overheard suspicions and her decision to counter the claims by a public display of disdain. She couldn't help feeling that she was yet again a victim of her high school experiences and the expectations they created that people wanted to hurt her just because they could. Obviously she hadn't moved on as much as she hoped. Cassie was adamantly refusing to let Rachel apologise and yet that didn't stop her feeling guilty about her part in their recent drama.
"I appreciate that you don't think I need to apologise," started a teary Rachel, "however I think it's important I explain why I reacted the way I did."
The pause Rachel took to gather her thoughts was interrupted by the firm setting down of two coffees causing the drinks to spill on to the table. The sudden silence was punctuated by the obligatory snap of gum.
"Two coffees, if you can find a spare hand to drink them with," stated a hard disapproving voice.
"Thank you for both the coffees and your concern," replied Cassie calmly without breaking her hold or gaze from Rachel's. The slight surprised smile she detected was all she needed to focus on.
There was some exaggerated teeth sucking before the waitress finally left them alone. It was enough time however for a lone tear to make its way down Rachel's cheek. Cassie gently wiped it away with the back of a finger but soon, much to her increasing concern, the tears were flowing far more frequently. Finally Rachel pulled back from Cassie's touch, wiped her tears away and straightened her shoulders. She flicked a glance at Cassie and then focussed on her hands firmly interlocked in front of her and resting on the table.
"When I was in high school," was the opening phrase that finally allowed Rachel to begin to talk about experiences and feelings that she'd thought she'd dealt with. She kept her gaze away from Cassie as she didn't want to see pity or annoyance at how pathetic she was. While she was secure in her belief in her talents through whatever was thrown at her, her school experiences had convinced her that as a person she was annoying, difficult to be around and high maintenance - and that was just for starters. So while she recounted in a matter of fact manner the things she had already revealed such as the slushyings and the name calling - all of which she mainly linked to jealousy of her prodigious talent - her voice wavered as she moved on to how no-one dared partner up with her for school projects for fear of being targeted too, of how she was the only one not to receive invites to girls nights, parties and basically any social gatherings involving her high school peers. All of which, although disheartening and potentially depressing, would have been bearable because she had plenty of friends outside school through her involvement in dance classes and choirs...
What really had been the most distressing was the constant raising up and then crushing of her hopes. How small kindnesses would build up into supposed tentative friendships and she'd just be beginning to think that maybe she'd turned a corner in her relationships with her school peers only for there to be some humiliating grand finale where she was left sitting alone in a cafe, standing forlornly outside a movie theatre or arriving at the supposed venue of a party to find only a darkened house. If she was lucky she would only need to keep herself busy the requisite amount of time to be able to return home with her Dads none the wiser. If she was unlucky then there would be a group ready to hurl insults and the occasional slushy as they berated her for her belief that someone might actually want to be her friend. It was only a small but highly influential hard core of girls who revelled in tormenting her and it was only a few incidents before she hardened her heart to supposed approaches of friendship but it had left her always waiting for the other shoe to drop if someone was nice to her. It was why she had thought the worst of Cassie's motives when she had gone suddenly from friendly and supportive to all out bitch. It had brought back painful memories.
Cassie had been prepared for the name-calling and slushying tales. She knew from the cyber bullying she'd seen on Rachel's MySpace page that it was a little more personal than just the jocks picking on the non-jocks but still the viciousness and the carefully planned cruelty shocked her. She hadn't realised that she'd started crying until Rachel became blurry in front of her. Strong emotions of anger and shame surged within her and she was lost for a suitable response as Rachel finally finished speaking. She couldn't undo what had happened to Rachel in high school nor could she undo the pain she had caused.
A silence hung over the table so Rachel braved a look at Cassie to gauge how ridiculous and pathetic Cassie might consider her to be. She didn't know what to make of the fact she had a tearful Cassie in front of her. She had never said anything to anyone about her school experiences - beyond that completely fruitless attempt to get Mr Schue to step in - so she was unsure what response she expected. She'd managed to upset Cassie and that hadn't been her intent. It was just natural for Rachel to want to offer comfort so without thinking about it she reached out to rest a hand on top of one of Cassie's. The move provided Cassie with the impetus to speak.
"I'm so sorry. I can see how my apparent complete change in attitude and you having no-one to talk to would have triggered painful reminders of school." Cassie gave a heartfelt sigh, "it was never my intention to hurt you and I'm so sorry I did."
Rachel felt a bit guilty and a need to underplay her experiences once she'd noticed Cassie's reaction.
"Things did become better in my final year," reassured Rachel, wondering whether she should maybe have censored her tales a little bit, "I did have some good times." Mainly performing in Glee club and by ignoring the often-unfriendly attitudes towards her she realised. Finn had provided some distraction but his inability to stand up for her had made her believe she in some way deserved what happened. Cassie had stood up for her more with her challenges of the waitress than Finn had managed in their months together.
"Rachel, please don't minimise your feelings in order to spare mine," Cassie looked intently at Rachel, "total honesty is what we need if we're going to work," she added softly, as a sarcastic voice in her head asked when she had suddenly become an expert on relationships.
Cassie's slight opening of her arms was all the invitation Rachel needed to throw herself into a comforting if somewhat awkward hug. Even the sneering look directed their way by the waitress couldn't diminish the emotional high Cassie was on just from having her apology accepted and Rachel in her arms. She'd explained and Rachel had forgiven.
Rachel pulled slightly away to be able to watch Cassie's face as she cleared away the last thing that was bothering her.
"In the interests of total honesty," Rachel paused and looked slightly uncomfortable with a hint of guilty. Cassie drew in a steadying breath even as her heart dropped. It was as she suspected. She steeled herself for Rachel to confess to some kind of involvement with Quinn and tried to think about an adult calm response even as the very idea caused her insides to churn, "I made the remark about your lack of sobriety because I was trying to hurt you."
Cassie was unsure whether to cry or laugh with delighted relief. She settled for a neutral stance even as a grin danced around the corners of her mouth. Rachel's body language and gaze screamed sincerity.
"Nothing more than I've deserved over the years," she said, initially waving the remark away before taking in Rachel's expression more fully. Damn this total honesty idea, "but it was undeserved at that point and it did hurt."
Cassie took in Rachel's crestfallen features.
"Rachel if you need my forgiveness you have it." Cassie raised a hand to cup the soft smooth cheek of Rachel's face to keep their eyes locked. "But it's a small thing. Far more importantly, thank you for trusting me with your school experiences."
Cassie was impressed with how calm she sounded when really inside she was raging at how Rachel had been treated. It felt like a topic that would need to be visited several times although now was really not the moment as Rachel had her tears under control and was once again holding on to her tightly.
"So how did Kurt figure in your schooldays?" asked Cassie in a bid to find a happier aspect to Rachel's recollections. Rachel had implied she'd been friendless at school so Cassie was keen to find out just how Kurt and the enigmatic wonder kid Quinn fitted into Rachel's past seeing as they all seemed quite close now.
Rachel drew away from the hug, her face suddenly pale. Her gaze shifted to take in the time on the clock above the diner counter.
"I said I was just popping out to the shops. He'll be worried about where I am," Rachel was half out of her seat before a thought struck and she asked Cassie for her new phone. She quickly sent a text message. Cassie was impressed that Rachel could recall Kurt's mobile number until Rachel revealed she memorised numbers as short musical snippets with each digit assigned a different note. Cassie's usual number was a particularly discordant cacophony of sound. She didn't think it was a memory aid that would catch on.
Rachel harrumphed at the text she received in reply to hers. Cassie raised an inquiring eyebrow.
"I can tell he's really annoyed with me," stated Rachel as she passed over the phone, "all that text speak and not even a proper sentence at the end."
Cassie watched Rachel rein in what was obviously a common topic of complaint and glanced at the text in front of her.
Thx 4 letting me no. Mite not w8 up.
Cassie read the message but was none the wiser. She'd take Rachel's word for it.
"So you and Kurt at school?" she prompted keen to gain some insight into the boy. Her opinion so far wasn't yet bordering on favourable.
"He was targeted too. He did a lot of dumpster diving, endured the same slushy attacks and verbal abuse. He was even seriously physically threatened at one point," explained Rachel skirting around commenting about him and her.
"So you and he were friends through shared experiences," stated Cassie, her opinion of Kurt beginning to creep into positive territory until she noticed Rachel's hesitancy. Her eyes narrowed, "or maybe not at first?" she suggested.
"We didn't really get along at first but we're past that now, I mean I'm sure the makeover here was his way of apologising for that excruciatingly embarrassing high school one where he set me up," explained Rachel hurriedly, only realising her error as Cassie's expression hardened and she echoed "set you up?" back at Rachel.
So after a sip of lukewarm weak coffee to settle her nerves Rachel gave a potted history to Kurt and hers rather antagonistic relationship through high school with the diva-offs, the friendship when he wanted something and the makeover she'd really rather forget about. How he dealt with his bullying by picking on her rather than empathising with her. She countered this with their shared interest of anything Broadway, their impromptu performance on the wicked stage and how they'd become closer over their similar career ambitions. Her relating Kurt's Midnight Madness challenge as an act of friendship to help her keep her ego in check had Cassie biting her lip to stop herself from expressing her outrage. Midnight madness was a well-known device used mainly as a tool for punishing anyone who dared to be too talented. The audience was packed with seniors whose hopes were already being crushed and who were ready to take it out on some young upstart. Voting was usually rigged beforehand but the difficulty was always in finding a challenger who was prepared to be seen winning despite an inferior performance. The most generous interpretation she could come up with was that Kurt had been unaware of how it all worked and had naively taken part. Yet it still rankled. Kurt's opportunity to enter NYADA had come as a result of Carmen's rush of blood to the head on seeing a flawless Rachel perform. His way of thanking Rachel was to challenge her to a midnight madness contest. Somehow she didn't think Rachel was the one with ego problems.
Cassie found the urge to punch Kurt didn't diminish even as Rachel moved into relating their happy times. It seemed from where she was seated that Kurt was extremely effective at manipulating Rachel into doing what he wanted and her recent conversation with him when she was worried about Rachel had revealed a young man solely focussed on himself and how Rachel's behaviour affected him rather than worrying about her. Throw into the mix his 'not-so-secret girlfriend' revelation that had caused her so much angst and his position on her shit list was sealed. Cassie somehow doubted he'd managed to relay that part of their conversation to Rachel. That kind of casual outing spoke volumes about his character. Still, he was Rachel's friend and it wasn't her place to interfere in that. She wanted to move the conversation on to the Yale wonder kid.
"So if not Kurt, at least Quinn was there for you during the tough times," suggested Cassie before instantly regretting it as she took in Rachel's pained expression. It was slowly dawning on her that Rachel stating she had no friends at school was a fact rather than dramatic story telling hyperbole.
"Um well she... Er," prevaricated Rachel before hurriedly adding, "she was one of the instigators but it's not surprising when you consider the rigid bigoted household she grew up in with its focus on being seen to be upstanding. Never mind the relentless condemnation of difference," Rachel's pause for breath allowed Cassie to speak.
"One of?" she asked calmly as 'slap Quinn' joined 'punch Kurt' on her fantasy to-do list.
Rachel squirmed in her chair before adding, "Okay so maybe she was the main instigator of everything directed my way but her family were so repressive, hateful, homophobic and xenophobic that she didn't..."
A sudden flash of inspiration hit Cassie
"Quinn is SkySplitz," she breathed, more in disbelief than anger. Rachel instantly looked flushed.
"She was young and..." blustered Rachel
"Cruel" interrupted Cassie, stony-faced.
"I was going to say foolish but it all changed after the pregnancy, losing the cheerleader captaincy, her family throwing her out, losing Beth to adoption," Rachel sighed, "she didn't need the additional punishment of being temporarily paralysed in a near fatal car accident while rushing to prevent my ill-advised but eventually aborted wedding."
Cassie stared dumbfounded at Rachel. She understood the words individually but together they made Rachel's or rather Quinn's life sound like a badly written soap. Had Rachel said wedding?
"It's a long story," soothed Rachel as she stroked Cassie's cheek, "but suffice to say despite an initial antagonistic start we're now good friends."
Cassie's incoherent grunt suggested she was unconvinced. She was still distracted by the idea that Rachel had nearly gotten married. It just didn't fit with her preconceived notions of Rachel as a sexually inexperienced yet majorly ambitious individual. She really needed to spend time on getting to know Rachel better but for now it was important for Rachel not to be so isolated from her rather motley ill-chosen set of friends. She considered suggesting Rachel deleted her MySpace account or at least the comments there before deciding it wasn't any of her business and hoping those comments still plagued Quinn as reminders of her outrageously poor judgment. Instead she was going to ensure Rachel had support in case they, heaven forbid, fell out in the future and her lack of respect for Rachel's closest confidants was irrelevant. She certainly didn't think she'd survive another misunderstanding that resulted in Rachel withdrawing from her. After all, she'd had her brother to talk to and keep her sane, Rachel had had nobody.
"I think you should choose which of your friends you want to let in on the secret about us," Cassie started as she watched Rachel's expression change to one of bewilderment, "just to make everything less... stressful."
"But what about, I mean we're not a secret if we tell people," spluttered Rachel. It was Cassie who'd been so adamant about secrecy so why the sudden change?
Cassie smiled in what she hoped was a reassuring manner, "I'm only suggesting one of your close friends is in the know. It's just an idea so you're not so isolated."
Rachel quickly considered a rather short list of possible candidates. Lydia was by far the kindest most likely to be non-judgemental friend and yet Rachel didn't think she was the right choice. She rather doubted Kurt's ability to keep a secret although admittedly not having to sneak about to make phone calls or meet up with Cassie would improve the quality of her life immensely. Then there was Quinn; based on nothing more than a gut feeling she felt Quinn would be disapproving. Then Rachel felt a twinge of guilt, what did it say about her or rather Cassie and her if she didn't want to tell anyone about them? Cassie appeared to be getting restless so she'd opted for Kurt and, in a triumph of hope over experience, tried to persuade herself that he would have her best interests at heart and so keep their secret. She fervently hoped this wouldn't be a choice she would come to regret but admitting she wasn't prepared to tell any of her friends hardly seemed an option.
So it was less than fifteen minutes later they were stood outside the door of Rachel's apartment each summoning up the courage for the next step. The walk back had been mostly silent as Rachel struggled to find the right words to express what a phenomenally bad idea this was. 'I don't want to do this' stuck in the back of her throat and in the meantime Cassie was sending her all these reassuring looks. Rachel's trepidation was escalating by the minute - no, make that by the second.
Cassie could tell Rachel was nervous - she wasn't exactly doing much better herself. She knew this was the right thing to do even if it meant giving some snit of a boy the power to make her life difficult. This was about Rachel and what she needed. As a hesitant Rachel began to pull back the door in front of them she reached for her free hand so they could interlace fingers. The feeling of dread was matched only by the nervous racing of her heart. From the look of Rachel she was faring little better. With a deep breath Rachel stepped forward gently coaxing Cassie with her. They were met by a silent rather dimly lit living space. Loud relieved exhales of air were followed immediately by Rachel throwing herself into Cassie's arms muttering, "Thank God". It wasn't quite the reaction she'd been expecting but the touch of Rachel's arms around her neck as she pulled their bodies closer together wasn't something she could ever imagine complaining about.
A husky "I'm not ready to share you" in Cassie's ear was enough to have her quickly moving from surprised to weak kneed and positively melting. She stuttered her way through explaining she thought Rachel needed or wanted someone to confide in beyond her as Rachel's warm breath on her neck seriously impeded her ability to make a sensible argument.
"What I really want or need is for this evening to never end," murmured Rachel as she hugged Cassie tightly again, "I'm finding it hard to believe we're here together and I'm afraid that if you leave..." Rachel tailed off as she realised her planned end of the sentence made her look insecure, clingy and possibly a bit unhinged.
"I know what you mean," Cassie whispered back. It was while they were apart that doubts would set in so now they were only recently reconciled, it seemed risky to separate. Yet they could hardly stand hugging in the dimly lit apartment all night.
Rachel pulled back to look at Cassie as she asked nervously with a blush painting her cheeks
"Stay with me"
The physical reaction in Cassie was immediate and she wrestled to bring her libido under control even as her nipples hardened and all sensation promptly focussed on a small but highly influential area between her legs. As she tried to gather her scrambled wits together to list all the reasons that staying would be a really bad idea Rachel pinned her with a coy pleading look and a desperately needy "I just want to be held by you. Please."
It was hardly a fair contest leaving Cassie idly wondering whether she'd ever be able to refuse Rachel anything when she deployed that look against her even as she caved to the request. She was having stern words with herself about lines she shouldn't cross as they made their way to Rachel's room. Rachel's breathy reassurances that Kurt was a heavy sleeper and a late riser did little to help rein in Cassie's racing imagination.
A furtive trip to the bathroom combined with an attempt to squeeze herself into one of Rachel's t-shirts later and she was ready for bed. She could feel Rachel's eyes focussing on her abs visible because of the shortness of the shirt she'd been given. Rachel moistening her lips with her tongue as she did so suddenly made Cassie aware of the enormity of the task ahead of her. Resisting temptation had never really been her forte. Electricity raced up her arm as Rachel gently reached for her hand to draw her to the bed. In no time Cassie was laying on her back with Rachel cuddled tightly into her side, head resting on Cassie's shoulder and a hand gently stroking Cassie's abs. A contented Rachel was just happy to have finally managed to touch the abs she'd thought so much about ever since first glimpsing them. They were smooth and deceptively soft. It was all she could do to stop herself from bringing her lips down to taste them. A rather overheated Cassie was biting the inside of her cheek and fighting the nearly overwhelming urge to grasp Rachel's hand from where it was teasing her abs and move it further southward to where its ministrations were desperately needed. She was so sexually frustrated that the mere thought of Rachel touching her intimately had her on the edge of an embarrassing climax. She directed her thoughts to the next day's song choice in a bid to distract herself. The change in Rachel's breathing and her feeling a little heavier pressed up against her clued her in to Rachel being asleep. Now she dared to press a light kiss to the top of Rachel's head and softly ran her hand along her cheek. Rachel turned a little so her legs were entangled with Cassie's and there was suddenly pressure just where Cassie had needed it. It was an exquisite kind of torture. Cassie sighed as she dared to run her hand down Rachel's back and thought about resting it on Rachel's rear - it was going to be a long night.