A/N: Thanks to chelle2911, xMaple Leafx, and Kay for reviewing the last chapter. You guys are awesome! Also, thanks to all those who favorited and/or alerted the story.
Just an FYI, the song at the end of this chapter is called Good Life, by the awesome OneRepublic. I strongly recommend giving it a listen while you read. It really sets the mood. On that note, enjoy!
They were at her favorite place in the world: Starbucks. Quinn sipped slowly on her americano, listening quietly as Ryan told her more about his internship at the hospital. They worked together. It was how they'd met, actually. He was an intern at the same hospital she'd interned as a nurse at. She now had an actual job at the hospital, while Ryan still had a long ways to to go before he was officially a doctor.
After awhile, the conversation turned quickly into uncomfortable territory. "So," Ryan said, leaning forward with a hopeful look on his face, "how would you feel about having dinner with my parents tonight?"
Quinn looked up at him in surprise. "Tonight?"
"I know it's a little spur of the moment, but they've been wanting to meet your for awhile now and they're both going to be in town this weekend, a rare even in itself, and I don't know…I just thought I'd throw the idea out there."
She hadn't thought she'd ever be happy about this little Glee reunion they were having, but now she couldn't be more thrilled for the excuse to avoid meeting his parents (once again). "Ryan, I'm sorry, but I can't. Rachel and Finn are having an engagement party tonight and I really do have to be there."
"Oh." Ryan's eyebrows knitted together as he looked down at the table. She felt guilt bubbling in her stomach; it really looked like he was disappointed. He looked back at her a second later, smiling softly. "Rachel's the one who's in that play, right? The one we went to see a few months ago?"
Quinn nodded. "She's got a huge party planned out and a bunch of my old friends from high school are coming in for it. You understand. I just can't miss it."
The fact that she'd rather brave seeing Puck again than meet her boyfriend's parents should have been a silent warning that maybe she was wasting Ryan's time. She ignored it, though. She would meet his parents eventually. She just wasn't ready yet. Yes, they'd been dating almost six months, and yes, most girlfriends had met their boyfriend's parents by then, but she was taking things as slow as she possibly could with Ryan. He was the first guy she had dated since Puck and because of that she still needed some time to adjust.
"Of course," Ryan said, giving her a reassuring smile. His hand reached across the table to rest on top of hers. "My parents will understand too. We'll just have to have dinner another time."
"Another time," she agreed, forcing a smile.
Why did Ryan always have to be so understanding? She would feel so much better about being a horrible girlfriend if he was a horrible boyfriend too. But Ryan was perfect, or at least the closest thing to perfect. He never questioned her and gave her the time and space she needed without even having to ask if she needed it. He was patient and kind and completely selfless. In an ideal world he would be the perfect guy for her. He was real marriage material. But this was not an ideal world - this was her world, and her world included Puck, and as long as he was in that world, even if he existed simply in memory, she would never really be able to fully give herself to Ryan.
It was for this reason that she had tried to keep things superficial between them. She kept him from getting to know her closest friends. She never mentioned a word about her life in high school, except that she was a cheerleader. He didn't have a clue that she used to sing in the Glee club at her school, that they'd even won nationals her senior year. And of course he didn't know that she'd had a baby at sixteen. That would be the last thing she ever told him.
She knew it was wrong keeping all this from him when he was so open about his life with her, especially when it was clear that he was very serious about her. It was wrong to lead him on like this. But he was a safety net. He was there when she needed him to be and gone when she wanted him to be too. It was a good deal, really. He was the guy she thought she'd marry if all other options fail.
That thought was like a punch in the gut. She was such a horrible person. Seriously. She had an amazing guy on her hands and yet she considered him to be her back-up plan. She was using him for her own selfish reasons. She had thought she'd grown up since high school, but apparently she hadn't.
"Are you alright, Quinn?"
Ryan was studying her carefully, his eyes narrowing in obvious worry for her. She sent him a gentle smile. "You're a really good guy, you know that?"
His lips twitched into a grin. "Yes, but it's always nice to hear." She squeezed his hand and he squeezed back. "You're pretty amazing yourself."
If only he knew. He didn't know her. Not one bit. She wanted him to know her, though. Here, in this moment, she wanted more than anything to move on from the life she couldn't let go of, from him, and to open herself up to this wonderful man who could really make her happy.
And maybe she could. Maybe this party would be the closure she needed to allow herself to really be with Ryan, to let him know the real her.
Or maybe it would just make things worse. Maybe seeing Puck again would just strengthen the bond they had, would make it impossible for her to imagine ever giving herself to Ryan in the way she had to Puck.
She knew it was going to be one or the other. There would be no middle ground. Either way, this weekend her life was going to change; she could only hope it would be for the better.
888
Puck had thought being in the city again would be hard. He was right. He didn't like being back. It was uncomfortable. He was out of his zone. He'd liked it here when he first moved here, mostly because it was so distinctly opposite from Lima. He'd moved to New York with thoughts of becoming a new and improved Puck. He could have a fresh start here. That was what he'd thought, anyway. Nothing had turned out the way he wanted it to. He was still the same old Puck. Maybe a little bit buffer, and maybe a little bit wiser, but otherwise, he hadn't changed. Not a bit.
"Puck!"
He turned around. He'd recognize that voice anywhere— the loud and sassy black girl from Glee. He grinned. He'd actually kind of missed Mercedes. Not that he'd ever tell her that. Of course Kurt was by her side as she headed his way. Four years after graduation and still those two were inseparable.
"Hey, guys," he said, sending them nonchalant smiles. "Long time, no see."
Mercedes pulled him into a side hug. "Hell yeah. It's been like three years, right?"
"Since Tina and Artie's wedding," Puck replied with a nod.
"I see you've maintained the mohawk-less look," Kurt mentioned with a nod to Puck's head.
Puck ran a hand along his shaved head. "It comes back from time to time. I like to keep things interesting." They all started walking out the airport towards the street, where Kurt announced he would be the one to hail a taxi, since it was one of his life dreams that he had yet to achieve.
"So how's LA been?" Puck asked as they waited for a cab to come their way. He held back a laugh as he watched a ridiculous looking Kurt jump up and down, trying to gain the attention of a driver.
"I'm not gonna lie, for awhile, it wasn't great, but these past couple of months have made up for it." Mercedes beamed at him. "I got a record deal!"
Puck raised an eyebrow. "Whoa. That's amazing."
"It's not a major record label or anything, but it's a start."
Kurt took a break from his taxi hailing to wrap an arm around Mercedes. "She's on her way to becoming the next Mariah. Minus the mental breakdown, of course."
Mercedes laughed. "And Kurt's working on his fashion line. He's already got a ton of customers."
Kurt waved her off. "Nonsense, Mercedes." He grinned over at Puck. "I've just got a couple good clients who happen to have connections, that's all."
Puck mustered the most enthusiastic smile he could. He already knew about Kurt, because Burt was always bragging about him, but he'd never actually congratulated Kurt about it all in person. "That's pretty awesome, Kurt."
Kurt finally managed to grab a taxi and soon they were all on their way to Mercedes and Kurt's hotel. Kurt and Mercedes quickly got into in depth conversation about what they would be wearing to the party, a conversation he was happy to be left out of. Hearing about how well Kurt and Mercedes were doing didn't exactly make him feel good about himself.
He was still living in Lima, still working at the same auto shop he'd worked at his senior year of high school, and he was still living with his mom. His life was pathetic compared to these two. Compared to everyone really. Puck had heard that Tina was going into psychology and Artie was going to law school. Rachel was going to be the next big Broadway star and Finn was on his way to becoming the next Mr. Shue. Quinn was a nurse and Santana was modeling. Mike was working at a huge accounting firm and Matt had gone on to play football for UCLA. Even Brittany was successful; last he'd heard she'd gotten a job as a back-up dancer for Beyonce. They were all going somewhere. And Puck? Well, Puck was pretty much going nowhere.
It was humiliating, really, when he thought about it— which was why he tended to not think about it most of the time. But being here, around Mercedes and Kurt and soon everyone else, he knew it was going to be a struggle to act like he was actually happy with his life. He was starting to dread this reunion more than ever.
It was awhile later when they pulled up to the Hilton, where Kurt and Mercedes were staying. He'd chatted a bit with Mercedes and Kurt on the way there, which had done a good job of passing the time, even though some of the topics had been a bit uncomfortable. Mercedes had brought up Quinn at one point, before thankfully catching on to his discomfort and changing the subject. When Mercedes had asked Puck what was he was doing in his own life, Puck had told them the truth—that he was still working for Kurt's dad. For some reason, lying about his life seemed more pathetic than the truth.
He hopped out of the cab to help them into the hotel. He'd seen them loading their stuff into the taxi at the airport and knew they were gonna need all the help they could get. He pulled Mercedes' huge suitcase out of the trunk. "Seriously, Mercedes? All this for one weekend?"
"A girl needs to be prepared. Kurt's even worse."
He glanced back to see Kurt struggling with his two big, fancy-looking suitcases. He just shook his head and grabbed one of Kurt's suitcases before walking into the hotel lobby and dropping them off by the front desk, where a bellhop loaded them onto a cart. "I'll see you guys later tonight."
"You're not staying here?" Mercedes asked.
He shook his head. "Rachel and Finn insisted I stay with them." They knew he was short on money. He had refused them at first, not wanting their charity, but Rachel refused to give in to his stubbornness and he'd been forced to give in.
"We'll see you in a few hours then," Mercedes said. She gave him another little hug, which he awkwardly accepted. "It's really great to see you again, Puck."
He gave her a small smile. "Yeah, you too." He smiled at Kurt. "Both of you."
He headed back towards the cab, not exactly looking forward to the rest of the night. It wasn't long before the taxi pulled up to Rachel and Finn's apartment building. They had moved since he'd left New York. Their new building looked much bigger and much more impressive than the shabby one bedroom apartment the three of them had bought together when they'd first moved here.
As he stepped into the building and headed over the elevator, he wondered if anyone else would be there yet. The party started in a few hours, so he wouldn't be surprised if some of his old friends had arrived early to help get things ready. He just hoped Quinn wouldn't be there yet. He knew he was going to see her tonight, there was no getting out of it now, but he wanted their reunion to be amidst a large group of people, where he could easily escape if things got awkward.
He was on the sixth floor now, which was his place to get off. He took his time as he walked slowly through the dimly lit hall until he reached their door. His nerves were already getting the best of him and probably for no good reason at all. Quinn couldn't be in there. She was probably just as worried about seeing him again as he was. She wouldn't come early when she knew he would be there early too.
Feeling a bit better (and cursing himself for being the coward he was), he finally knocked on the door. It swung open almost immediately and before he could even blink he was enveloped into a tight, knock-the-wind-out-of-you hug. He awkwardly patted the top of Rachel's head, which barely reached his chest, and smiled down at her.
"Good to see you too, Rachel."
She pulled away and beamed up at him. "Oh, Puck, I'm so glad you're really here!"
"Did you think I was going to back out or something?"
"Well, I didn't- I had complete faith in you, but Finn on the other hand..."
Finn appeared behind Rachel and sent her a playful glare. "Way to stick by your fiancé." He turned to grin over at Puck. "And she's exaggerating. I knew you'd come, but I was also trying to prepare myself in case you didn't. Doesn't hurt to be a pessimist sometimes."
"I wasn't going to miss this, Finn," Puck said. "I wouldn't do that to my best bro."
Finn just smiled a reassuring smile. "I know." He pulled Puck into a short hug. "It's good to see you, man."
It turned out a few people had shown up early. Tina and Artie were in the living room, Tina helping with the decorations while Artie typed away on his cell phone. When they saw him, they both stopped what they were doing and came over to greet him. He gave Tina a hug and Artie a good pat on the back. He hadn't seen them since their wedding three years ago, so needless to say, he'd missed them.
After their initial greetings, Puck and Finn both fell onto the couch while Tina and Rachel went off into the kitchen. "So how's married life been treating you, Artie?" Puck asked.
"Pretty great," Artie said with a grin.
"I'm thinking about trying it myself," Finn said, chuckling. He nudged Puck. "You should too."
Puck held back a grimace, instead letting out an awkward, unconvincing laugh. "Yeah, that'll be the day."
He didn't like to think about marriage and all that came along with it anymore, because the last time he had, he'd ended up screwing himself over. He could have been married now, he could have been happy like Artie and Tina and Rachel and Finn, but instead he'd chosen to end the best relationship he'd ever had just because of his stupid pride.
Artie cleared his throat and decided to change the subject to something that made Puck almost as uncomfortable as the previous topic. "So, Puck, how have things been going for you?"
"Okay. I'm still working for Burt."
"You always were an awesome mechanic," Artie said, giving him one of those sincere, caring smiles that made it hard for Puck to believe that Artie was looking down on him, like he'd assumed all of his friends would. "You fixed Tina's old Jetta more times than I could count."
Puck chuckled softly. "Yeah, that car really did suck."
Artie agreed with a laugh and Puck began to wonder, Quinn aside, why he'd been so worried about this night in the first place. These were his friends, his real friends. Glee club had been all about accepting a person as they were. That hadn't changed since then and he was beginning to see now that it never would.
They talked for awhile longer and Puck let himself relax. Tonight could be a good night if he'd just let it be. Even seeing Quinn again could be good. He would talk to her and tell her he was sorry for leaving the way he did, and then maybe they could start from scratch and be friends again.
Artie excused himself when Tina called for him in the kitchen and, when Artie was out of earshot, Puck turned to Finn, feeling the need to apologize for pretty much the last two years in general. "Finn, I'm really sorry about not being around these last couple of years."
"It's okay," Finn said. "I get why you did. You were just trying to move on from the life you lived here and to do that, you had let us go, for awhile at least."
"It was stupid, though. I thought that by going home, all my problems would be solved, that I would be able to find myself there, but instead I just went back to the same dreary existence I'd hated so much in the first place."
"So you regret leaving?" Finn asked.
He sighed. That was a complicated question. There were a lot of things in his life he regretted. Mostly, though, he regretted giving up on Quinn. "I regret how I left things, but I don't know if I actually regret leaving. My mom really needed me. You know about her breast cancer. I would have moved back anyway because of that. Mostly I just regret being a horrible friend to you and Rachel. And then of course there's Quinn…"
He felt Finn's hand on his back, a sign of comfort that he didn't feel like he deserved. He looked back up at Finn and, unable to help himself any longer, asked the one question he had kept from asking for the past two years. "How is she?"
"She's good," Finn said. "I mean, I don't see her a lot nowadays, because she works like crazy, but I know she's doing pretty well for herself." He paused and looked a little conflicted as he went on, "She's dating someone, though. I know that."
That was something Puck could have done without learning. He knew by asking about her he could be opening a can of worms that could lead to heartbreak for him, but he needed to do it. He needed to know if she was okay, if she was happy. And it seemed she was.
"How long have they been together?"
Finn shrugged. "Around six months, I think. I've only met him once, but he seemed pretty decent." He sent Puck a little smile. "He's the type of guy you'd hate - tall, blond, looks like a model, and he comes from a rich family like Quinn's. He's gonna be a doctor."
Finn was right- that was the type of guy Puck hated. But what could he do? When he'd broken up with Quinn, he'd given her free reign do date as she pleased. He would be an idiot to think she would still be waiting around for him to come back, ready to jump right back into his arms and forget the past two years they'd spent completely ignoring each other's existence. Really, all he wanted was for Quinn to be happy - she deserved it after all he'd put her through - and if she was happy with this doctor guy, then Puck would suck it up and try to be happy for her too. It might hurt like hell for him, but he'd made his bed and now he had to lie in it.
"If it makes you feel any better," Finn said, "I really don't think they're gonna last. Her heart's not in it. She hasn't been the same since you and her ended."
It did sort of make him feel better. It gave him some hope in the midst of what he had thought was a hopeless situation - hope that she hadn't moved on, hope that maybe he might still have a shot with her.
Artie and the girls came back into the room with drinks. Puck took a long, refreshing sip of his beer and found himself actually looking forward to tonight - and not just to catching up with all his old friends. He was actually looking forward to seeing Quinn. Because no matter what happened tonight, whether Quinn had really moved on or not, he planned on making sure that he and Quinn came out at least understanding each other and why they had made the choices they had. He was going to fix things tonight and maybe after he did he would finally be able to fix himself.
8888
Here it was. The moment she'd been dreading for two weeks had finally arrived. She stood in front of Rachel and Finn's door, feeling nauseous with nerves, and resisted the strong urge to run back to the elevator, out the building, and as far away from their apartment, and therefore Puck, as possible. But she couldn't. It really wasn't even an option. As much as she was dreading this, it was something that was going to happen - that needed to happen.
Through the door, she heard the muffled sound of laughter. Puck was in there somewhere, she thought with a jolt. She moved a hand to the doorknob. Her heart felt like it was beating a million times a minute. She hated that she was making such a big deal out of something that would probably end up no big deal at all, but that was the way her mind worked. She had over thought the situation until it literally made her stomach ache with the nervousness she'd brought on herself.
Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and slipped as quietly as she could into the apartment. People were scattered all throughout the apartment, talking in small groups as they caught up. Those closest to her where mercifully the people she'd been looking forward to seeing the most.
"Mercedes," she said, releasing the breath she'd been holding in.
Mercedes twisted around at the sound of her voice, a huge smile taking over her lips. "Quinn!"
Quinn felt herself immediately relax as Mercedes pulled her into a hug. She'd been worrying so much about seeing Puck again that she'd practically forgotten that she would be seeing Mercedes for the first time in over a year. Mercedes had been one of her best friends in high school and years later they remained close, but they rarely saw each other now that Mercedes lived in California and Quinn was here in New York.
"I've missed you, Q," Mercedes said after she finally let Quinn go.
"I've missed you too. All of you." She grinned over at Tina and Kurt, who Mercedes had been standing with, and hugged them both. She glanced around quickly, catching sight of Mr. Shuester, who was talking to Matt, Mike, Santana, and Brittany. Rachel was in the kitchen talking at the speed of light to the former Ms. Pillsbury, now Mrs. Shue. Surprisingly, Puck was nowhere to be found.
"Is everyone here?" she asked.
"Yup," Tina said. "You're the last one to arrive."
"Decided to show up fashionably late, did you?" Kurt asked with a chuckle.
"Kind of," she replied, unable to keep her eyes from scanning around the rest of the living room, just in case she'd missed him the first time. Truthfully, Quinn had put off coming until the very last second. She'd wanted to be as late as she could without having to make a big entrance.
"Quinn!" Rachel had caught sight of her and was now waving her over into the kitchen. Quinn slung her arm through Mercedes and the four of them headed over to Rachel and Mrs. Shue. "Mrs. Shuester and I were just talking about you," Rachel announced.
"It's Emma, remember, Rachel?" Mrs. Shuester said. "I'm not your teacher anymore." She smiled warmly over at Quinn. "Hello, Quinn."
Quinn smiled in return. "Hi, Emma," she replied. It felt extremely weird to call their former guidance counselor by her first name. She wasn't even going to try with Mr. Shue. That just wasn't going to work.
"Rachel was telling me that you're working full-time at the hospital now," Emma said, adding with a grin, "and that you're even dating a doctor."
She shot Rachel a look; trust Rachel to bring up one of the few things she really didn't want to talk about tonight. "Well, technically he's not a doctor yet. He's still an intern."
"Still," Emma said, "it's sounds like you're doing very well for yourself. I'm proud of you, Quinn."
"Thanks," Quinn said, smiling softly. She remembered the many times she had spent in Emma's office, discussing the chaos her life had been during her pregnancy, and afterwards as well. Emma had even helped her with her decision to become a nurse. So, really, Quinn owed a lot of who she had become to Emma.
The sound of drums suddenly filled the room, the strumming of a guitar quickly following. "Looks like Finn has finally gotten around to showing Puck and Artie the music room," Rachel said. Quinn followed Rachel's gaze to open door at the far end of the living room, which led to what Finn had deemed as his music room. He had his own little band set up there, amps and all, although Quinn was quite sure he only ever used to drums. She should have known that was where Puck was.
Mercedes looked excited as they started playing the beginning of one of their Glee club favorites, Somebody to Love. "Now the fun begins." She sent Quinn a quickly look of approval. "Mind if I join the boys?"
"Go ahead," she said.
Mercedes rushed off, Kurt, Rachel and Tina following quickly after. Not even a few seconds later, Mr. Shue and the others headed in the same direction, leaving just Quinn and Emma. Music had been what tied all of them all together, so it was no surprise that as soon as the music started playing, everyone was drawn to it.
"Are you okay?" Emma was looking at her with a small frown. "You look kind of pale."
"I'm fine," Quinn said. "I've just been kind of...nervous about tonight."
A look of understanding dawned on Emma's face. "You're worried about Puck?"
Quinn looked at her in surprise. "You know?"
Emma chuckled. "Will and Puck see each other a lot, what with Will's horrible history with cars. Puck's always having to fix something or other. But they talk a lot, too. Puck even helps out with the Glee club from time to time. So, needless to say, he told Will about your breakup and Will told me." Her lips twisted into an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. I'm probably out of line bringing it up."
"No, it's okay," Quinn said, giving her a reassuring smile. She really didn't mind at all, actually. Emma was a guidance counselor and if there was one subject Quinn needed guidance on, it was this. "It's just that we didn't leave things on the best terms. I mean, the last thing I said to him was that I didn't want him here. He wasn't happy in New York, you see. He had come to the city with a list full of expectations and after over a year of living here, none of them had been met. I was going to school to be a nurse and he'd dropped out of the community college he was going to, and he just felt like he was going nowhere. One day, he just decided to leave. I begged him to stay, but he had made up his mind. He straight up told me that he didn't think our relationship was a good enough reason to stick around. And that…well, obviously that hurt. A lot. And so I told him to go, that I didn't want him here either, that he was just holding me back, and so he left."
"You know," Emma said, "I have a really hard time believing either of you really meant what you said. Just from what I've heard from Will's conversations with Puck, I know he regrets leaving things the way he did. So maybe tonight will be a good thing. You and Puck can clear the air about how you left things."
She sighed. "Yeah..."
Emma put an arm around her shoulder, giving her a reassuring squeeze. "The hard part is going to be seeing each other again for the first time. Once you get past the awkward hellos, you'll both get back into the old spring again and you'll wonder why you were worrying so much in the first place."
"I hope so."
"Well, I know so." Emma lips twisted into a grin. "Trust me. I'm a professional. Now how about we go join the others? I think they're missing their twelfth member."
Quinn nodded, knowing she'd have to go sooner or later. They walked together to Finn's music room. There was something comforting about her former counselor and it was good to have her by her side as the moment she'd been dreading for weeks finally came to fruition. The room was much too small to be holding the eleven former Glee clubbers, as well as their former coach, and so she and Emma decided to stay in the doorway. The earlier song had just ended. Finn signaled the start of a new one with the tapping of his drumsticks, and then the guitar came in and a familiar voice started singing:
Woke up in London yesterday
Found myself in the city near Piccadilly
Don't really know how I got here
I got some pictures on my phone
Her eyes fell to the corner of the room. Her stomach lurched. There he was. He looked the same as when he'd left her, meaning he looked amazing. His eyes were closed, lost in the lyrics, a smile on his face as he passed the song on to Finn.
New names and numbers that I don't know
Address to places like Abbey Road
Day turns to night, night turns to whatever we want
We're young enough to say
He joined Finn again in the chorus, and she listened, captivated by the voice she'd missed so much. A smile came to her lips; she couldn't help it, she'd missed hearing him sing so much. Above all, though, she'd just missed him.
Oh this has gotta be the good life
This has gotta be the good life
This could really be a good life, good life
Say oh, got this feeling that you can't fight
Like this city is on fire tonight
This could really be a good life
A good, good life
He took over again. Her eyes were latched on him; she couldn't look away even if she wanted to. His lips twisted into a huge smile as he looked around the room, and that was when he saw her.
To my friends in New York, I say hello
My friends in L.A. they don't know
Where I've been for the past few years or so
Paris to China to Colorado.
Finn started singing:
Sometimes there's airplanes I can' t jump out
Sometimes there's bullshit that don't work now
We are god of stories but please tell me
What there is to complain about
Their eyes locked. His smile faded; hers didn't. In fact, it only widened, because she hadn't thought seeing him again would feel so amazing. Then, as if encouraged by her, his smile returned and he joined Finn once more:
When you're happy like a fool
Let it take you over
When everything is out
You gotta take it in
Oh this has gotta be the good life
This has gotta be the good life
This could really be a good life, good life
Say oh, got this feeling that you can't fight
Like this city is on fire tonight
This could really be a good life
A good, good life
His eyes never left hers, his smiled never faltering. She met his gaze with a confidence she hadn't even known herself capable. It was as if here in this moment, everything that had happened between them had been thrown out the window, and all of her worrying had been for nothing.
Hopelessly
I feel like there might be something that I'll miss
Hopelessly
I feel like the window closes oh so quick
Hopelessly
I'm taking a mental picture of you now
'Cuz hopelessly
The hope is we have so much to feel good about
Oh this has gotta be the good life
This has gotta be the good life
This could really be a good life, good life
Say oh, got this feeling that you can't fight
Like this city is on fire tonight
This could really be a good life
A good, good life
Finally, he tore his eyes away from her, focusing on the others as he and Finn came to the end of the song.
To my friends in New York, I say hello
My friends in L.A. they don't know
Where I've been for the past few years or so
Paris to China to Colorado.
Sometimes there's airplanes I can' t jump out
Sometimes there's bullshit that don't work now
We are god of stories but please tell me
What there is to complain about
Quinn realized a few seconds too late that the song had ended. She quickly joined in on the enthusiastic rounds of applause, her eyes still on him. He set his guitar down, high-fived Finn and Artie, and began making his way through the others, towards her. She watched him come, heart pounding uncontrollably in her chest as he sought her gaze once more. She suddenly felt like they were the only people in the room.
After what felt like ages, he finally closed the distance between them, his smile gentle as he stared intensely down at her. "Hey."
She took a deep breath. This was it. "Hey."
A/N: Yes, I'm leaving it on that wonderful little cliffhanger, but who knows, maybe if you guys leave me some nice reviews, I might write faster and therefore get the next chapter up faster too...just a suggestion :D
