I was still trying to write, I had the story, I had the characters, I had the muse, but, that same muse was the reason I couldn't focus on my work at hand.
Curiously thing… the window of my room had a straight view of the Moulin Rouge, and more specifically, to the elephant room. I could almost see the figure of Quinn on the roof, I wanted to see her again so bad, that maybe I was just fantasizing with her, or maybe not?
I looked again through the window and she was indeed there, walking into the night, wearing a red dress, the light of the moon was lighting her so beautifully, she looked indeed like a real angel.
And I remember that I though, that maybe my luck of the day wasn't over yet…
… And how right I was.
- CHAPTER 5 -
The Elephant Love Medley
Quinn was pacing on the roof on the elephant room, her mind was a mess, she couldn't stop thinking about that petite girl with that tremendous voice and talent.
—A Duke? I'm not a Duke or Duchess. I'm a writer and singer…- -…He wasn't trying to trick her or anything…- -…It's about love. It's about love overcoming all obstacles.—
Her voice was still spinning around in her head, and more than that, her heart was beating in a pace that she wasn't used to, this can't be happening to her, she thought.
In the instant she really looked into that big bright brown eyes, Quinn knew she was in trouble, it was something weird, something she definitely didn't had expected, and don't get her wrong, she has had women as client's before, that city had everything, from people who live their sexuality freely, to people who in front of the society was against all that wasn't in the way of the social expectations, but secretly were worst that those who they accused.
Being with a girl was a good experience, she couldn't lie. She found out that doing it with a girl was softer and nicer that with a man. But then again, she didn't felt anything for those women. Since that love stumble she lived years ago, she had never let herself felt anything for anyone, at least not in a romantically way.
She looked to the front, a window suddenly called her attention, and when she looked again, she saw her. Rachel was there looking at her too.
After years of faithful obedience, her mind and her heart were acting like a seventeen year's old girl again. It was exciting and frightening at the same time, frightening because she knew that it was against the rules of her job, because she could end up hurt again and mostly… because she had just met her that very day for god sake!
No, she shouldn't waste her time in that, she had a show to do, she had to do it right if she want to be something more than just a courtesan who can sing, she wanted to be an actress, and from above all, she wanted to be free. To be who she was, to love who she wanted, to go where she wanted, yes, she needed to be free.
She looked again at the window, but Rachel wasn't there anymore. She felt free now to express her feelings… singing.
"ONE DAY I'LL FLY AWAY, LEAVE ALL THIS TO YESTERDAY,
WHY LIVE LIFE FROM DREAM TO DREAM, AND DREAD THE DAY…
WHEN DREAMING ENDS."
Rachel was climbing to the roof of the elephant room too, she tried to resist the urge to see her again, but she failed miserably. Now she was standing behind Quinn listening her sing.
"ONE DAY I'LL FLY AWAY… FLY, FLY AWAY…"
When Quinn finished, she turned around to go back to the room, but she gasped/screamed when she saw Rachel there.
"Sorry! I didn't meant to— I saw— I saw your light on and climbed up the—" Rachel was a little nervous.
"What?" Quinn asked, acting like if her presence wasn't affecting her at all.
"I couldn't sleep, and I wanted to thank you for helping me get the job"
"Oh. Of course. Yes, Tina— Tina was right. You're— You're very talented."
"Oh" Rachel said, she wanted to ask her something, but the didn't know how.
"It's going to be a wonderful show. Anyway, I' I'd better go because we, uh— we both have a big day tomorrow" Quinn said turning around to leave, she needed to put distance between them, this girl could melt her brain and make her forget the million reasons why this could be wrong.
Rachel panicked, she felt that if she didn't ask her now, she could lose all chances. "No, wait. No, please, wait." She turned to face her "Before, when we— when we were— when you thought I was the Duke or Duchess, you said that you loved me, a—and I was wondering if—"
"If it was an act?" Quinn said interrupting her.
"Yes" Rachel confirmed, she could feel her heart beating wildly.
"Of course" Quinn lied, she saw the disappointed look in Rachel eyes, and she felt her own heart ache.
"Oh, It just felt real" Rachel tried to not show her sadness.
Quinn felt terrible for causing this to the girl "Rachel, I'm a courtesan. I'm paid to make people believe what they want to believe." She tried to explain.
"Yes. Silly of me, to think y—you could fall in love with someone… like me" she was fighting the urge to cry.
Quinn lightly chuckled ironically "I can't fall in love with anyone"
"You can't fall in love?" Rachel asked incredulously "but a life without love, that's terrible!"
"No, being on the street, that's terrible" Quinn tried to defend herself
"But love is like oxygen"
"What?"
"Love is a many-splendored thing, love lifts us up where we belong, all you need is love!"
Rachel couldn't believe that the other girl had willingly refused to love anyone! No, her perfect Angel should be happy, and there was no other more powerful thing that love to make people happy.
"Please, don't start that again" Quinn tried to leave again, she needed it! Before her willpower begins to crumble.
"ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE" Rachel started to sing, maybe it could work on her again.
"A girl has got to eat" Quinn kept walking to leave.
"ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE"
"She'll end up on the street"
"ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE…" Rachel reached her before she entered the room, turning her around and looking into her eyes.
And that was it, in that moment Quinn knew that her willpower was over. And the proverb already said it, 'if you can't beat your enemy, join them', so she started to sing too.
"LOVE IS JUST A GAME" she said singing, smiling to Rachel and making her more confident.
"I WAS MADE FOR LOVING YOU BABY, YOU WAS MADE FOR LOVING ME"
"THE ONLY WAY OF LOVING ME BABY, IS TO PAY A LOVELY FEE" Quinn flipped her hair back.
They started to walk towards the roof again.
"JUST ONE NIGHT, JUST ONE NIGHT"
"THERE'S NO WAY, CUZ YOU CAN'T PAY"
"IN THE NAME OF LOVE, ONE NIGHT IN THE NAME OF LOVE"
Quinn chuckled " YOU CRAZY FOOL, I WON'T GIVE IN TO YOU" she turned around and start to leave once again.
Rachel saw her tying to scape again, and her confidence drop a little, she needed to think fast, she couldn't fail now, she knew this moment could change all her life for good.
"Don't… LEAVE ME THIS WAY…" Quinn turned around to face her. "I CAN'T SURVIVE, WITHOUT YOUR SWEET LOVE, OH BABY, DON'T LEAVE ME THIS WAY" Rachel looked into her eyes, trying to see if she was even considering this. But she looked away, and started to walk, but she wasn't leaving this time, now she walked through the roof.
"YOU'D THINK THAT PEOPLE WOULD HAVE ENOUGH… OF SILLY LOVE SONGS" Quinn sang with her eyes lost in the horizon.
"I LOOK AROUND ME AND I SEE, IT ISN'T SO" Rachel responded chucking "Oh, no"
"SOME PEOPLE WANT TO FILL THE WORLD, WITH SILLY LOVE SONGS" she looked like she was having a inner fight.
"WELL WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT, I'D LIKE TO KNOW…" Rachel leaned ending with her face so close to Quinn's, but the girl walked away again. "'CAUSE HERE I GO AGAIN" Rachel ran over to the elephant's head and stand on top of it to sing with all the power of her lungs, even when it was very dangerous.
"LOVE LIFT US UP WHERE WE BELONG—"
"Get down! Get down!" Quinn asked her very worried.
"—WHERE EAGLES FLY, ON A MOUNTAIN HIGH"
"LOVE MAKES US ACT LIKE WE ARE FOOLS—" she finally could grab Rachel's hand and pulled her down from the elephant's head. "—THROW OUR LIVES AWAY, FOR ONE HAPPY DAY" she started to walk down towards her room again, she was afraid Rachel could do another fool thing up there.
"WE COULD BE HEROES!… JUST FOR ONE DAY" Rachel started to follow her again.
"YOU, YOU WOULD BE MEAN"
"No, I won't!" Rachel chuckled.
"AND I, I'LL DRINK ALL THE TIME" Quinn entered her room, she was having trouble with finding excuses to keep saying no. Rachel knew it, she could feel it. It's now or never, she thought.
"WE SHOULD BE LOVERS" Rachel was around the corner of the room
"WE CAN'T DO THAT" Quinn looked up at her.
"WE SHOULD BE LOVERS, AND THAT'S A FACT" Rachel was getting closer to her.
"THOUGH NOTHING… WILL KEEP US TOGETHER"
"WE CAN STEAL TIME…" she took Quinn hand's into yours and looked directly at her eyes. And Quinn couldn't fight against her and herself anymore. She was tired of looking reasons to say NO, what if… what if she says YES? It could be that bad? What if this girl could change her world and her life, for good?. She decided to turn off her head, and let Rachel try to open her heart. And signing was the best way at the moment, so, she begun to sing with Rachel.
"—JUST FOR ONE DAY" Rachel moved even closer to Quinn, she was trilled the girl finally had stopped trying to run away. She could almost swear that her smile was wider that ever.
"WE COULD BE HEROES, FOREVER AND EVER…
WE COULD BE HEROES, FOREVER AND EVER…
WE COULD BE HEROES…"
"JUST BECAUSE I… WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU" Rachel was lost in that beautiful hazel eyes.
"I CAN'T HELP LOVING—" and Quinn in that brown bright eyes.
"…YOU" they both sang.
"HOW WONDERFUL LIFE IS…"
"NOW YOU ARE IN THE WORLD"they finished the song.
"You're gonna be bad for business. I can tell" Quinn said smiling. If she was going to break her own rules, at least she would let herself enjoy every second of it. She put her arms in Rachel's shoulders and leaned down to capture her lips with her own.
As they kissed, they both felt as if fireworks went off in the sky. Rachel instinctively put her hands on Quinn's waist, pulling her even more close to her. This was her very first kiss. It wasn't at all how she had expected, but it was perfect, just like the girl who was kissing her.
When they broke the kiss because of the lack of air. They pressed their foreheads together smiling to each other. Quinn kissed Rachel's cheek before walking towards the window where they had entered the room, closing it, along with the curtains, making the room a little darker so they could have more privacy.
"Come here" Quinn whispered taking Rachel's hand and walking her to the bed. Rachel sat on the edge and Quinn pushed her until she was lying on the bed with Quinn on top of her. Rachel could feel her heart beating so fast again, but then again, she couldn't do anything, only being amazed by her luck this day, by this beautiful perfect Angel who was kissing her neck, who was caressing her skin underneath her shirt. God, this room is getting hotter by the second?, Rachel thought.
Quinn was lost in the scent of Rachel's skin, in her softness, she could feel it in every kiss she gave her, in every touch, and soon, she found herself again wanting to explore and kiss every inch of her. So she started to unbuttoning her shirt, she wanted to see her again, and now be able to kiss her.
Rachel could feel her body responding to Quinn's actions. She had never felt this before, this heat, this sensation of being kissed and touched. But when she felt her chest uncovered, she reacted from her dreaming state, she glanced at Quinn's eyes and now they were dark.
She suddenly felt like a piece of meat about to being eaten. This was going too fast, when she felt Quinn's lips getting closer to her chest moved away from her, against the will of her own body who was trilled by all this.
"Wait… wait… stop" Rachel was trying to catch her breath "What-What are you doing?"
"What I am doing?" Quinn chuckled "I'm doing what you ask me to, what are YOU doing?"
"What?" Rachel was a bit confused, or maybe her mind was still fuzzy.
"You begged for one night with me but now it looks like you don't want to" Quinn raised her eyebrow
"What? No, no, I didn't want just one night, I want us to be lovers"
Quinn chuckled again.
"What?" Rachel asked slightly annoyed.
"Do you know what 'being Lovers' means?"
"Of course I know!" Rachel said getting out of bed and stomping her foot in the floor "Be lovers means when two persons love each other romantically with all their hearts"
Quinn laughed slightly
"Are you laughing at me?" she didn't like when people laugh at her, even when they could look pretty as hell like Quinn.
"I'm sorry, you are really cute, it's just that… that is the romantic meaning of the word, but the actual meaning, at least here, is totally different" Quinn tried to explain.
"And what is that?
"Here, to be Lovers means just to have sex, without romantic bonds"
"WHAT?" Rachel was shocked "How-how people can do… that… without love?, I mean, that's why it's named 'make love' right?"
"I take it like… you haven't had a relationship before?" Quinn was really interested in Rachel's reaction, she haven't met someone like her before.
"Ammm…" Rachel suddenly blushed "No… the-the truth is… that… actually you were my first kiss" she looked down shyly.
Quinn didn't expected that at all. "Seriously?" she asked as her eyebrows rose wide.
Rachel only nodded still blushing. Quinn, felt a little guilty, a first kiss should be special, gentle, and she… she had just kissed her without warning. She took Rachel's head between her hands looking at her directly to her eyes.
"You really are serious about having a romance with me?" Quinn asked, she needed to be sure.
"Of course I am serious about that, call me crazy, but… since the first time I saw you… You trap me… and it wasn't just because you are gorgeous, because you are, but… I don't know, I just felt something happening inside of me, you know? Like… like you could change my whole world"
Quinn tried to read Rachel's eyes, she was good telling when the people lie just looking at their eyes, but Rachel was real, she was telling the truth, she was talking with her heart. Suddenly she wanted to kiss her again, to kiss her, hug her and never let her go. "It's a little bit funny… this feeling inside?"
Now was turn for Rachel to chuckle. "Yes, exactly"
"You know what is also funny? Quinn asked now putting her arms around Rachel's shoulders. She shook her head no.
Quinn leaned in so she could whisper in Rachel's ear "I felt it too". When she leaned back she saw Rachel's eyes wide open. "You-you… really?" Quinn nodded; Rachel's eyes were sparkling from the happiness.
"It's getting late, I don't want it, but you should go, tomorrow we have work" Quinn kissed Rachel's cheek.
"I don't want to go yet" Rachel smiled at her.
"You know?… you can stay and sleep with me if you want to…" Quinn offered.
"He-here with… with you?" According the last two times they had been in a bed, she wasn't sure to try it again this soon.
Quinn saw the doubt in Rachel's eyes and chuckled. "I promise I won't do anything you don't want to"
"That's the problem… that I DO would want to, it's just that… I think I'm not ready… yet" Rachel said blushing again.
"Oh… Ohh!… Yes, yes, I totally understand " Quinn realized that if she was her first kiss, obviously Rachel haven't been with anyone in a more intimate way. This was a big responsibility for her. She already had ruined her first kiss; she didn't want to ruin her first time too. "How about this? I promise you, I won't do anything, until you tell me you are ready"
"Would you do that for me?" Rachel asked awed
"Of course bright eyes, so, we have a deal?"
"Yes!" Rachel squealed "Thank you" she said hugging Quinn. "But, now I have a little problem" she added, causing Quinn to raise her eyebrow in a 'now what?' way. "I didn't brought pajama" when she heard Quinn's chuckle, she decided that was the most beautiful sound she had heard so far, and she wanted to hear it everyday.
Once they had changed into more comfy clothes, they were lying on bed, facing each other.
"Thank you" Rachel said smiling.
"Why?"
"For everything, for letting me stay here, for letting me be close to you, for believing in my words and my feelings about you… for giving us the chance to change our worlds."
"You don't need to thank me, it was all you, for being so stubbornness of not taking a no for answer, even when I was trying to run from you and the things you make me feel… in fact… I feel like I need to apologize to you" Quinn looked down.
"Why would you apologize?"
"Because I was too intense with you, and because I took your first kiss without warning, it should have been special, and not the way I did it" when she raise her glance and looked again into Rachel's eyes, the brunette could actually see the guilt in Quinn's eyes about that.
"What? Are you crazy?… that was the most perfect first kiss in the history! We were singing, and dancing, it was magical to me, so never ever that say again that you are sorry about that, do you understand?" Rachel took Quinn's hand in hers and gave them a kiss.
"Okay, but… let me do something for you instead" Quinn got closer to Rachel
"You don't need to do anything, just by being here with me right now is amazing to me"
"I know, it is to me too. But, I want to, please let me do it"
"All right, what do you wanna do for me?"
"Anything you want, just ask for anything you want, and if I am in the possibility, I will do it, I promise"
"Are you sure?"
"Positive, take it like a wish from a genie"
"And I need to choose right now?" Rachel said a little afraid, she couldn't think anything right now
Quinn chuckled, she noticed that nobody could make her feel this free and happy before, make her truly laugh, without having to faking it. "Of course not, you can think about it, and when you know what do you want from me, just come and tell me"
"Mmhh… ok, sounds like a Deal to me" Rachel said happily
"Want to seal the deal then?"
"seal? How?" Rachel was confused.
"With a kiss of course, I mean if you want to" Quinn said shyly, she didn't want to push Rachel.
"I would love to" Rachel said before leaning in to meet Quinn's lips halfway.
This kiss was different, more tender, sweet, without rush, they both took their time to explore each other, to give little kisses through each other's face.
"Wow" Rachel said then they ended the kiss, putting their foreheads together
"And THAT is how a first kiss should be" Quinn said proud of herself caressing Rachel's cheek
"Well… in that case, you can kiss me 'for the first time' whenever you want" she said releasing a glee sigh still with her eyes closed.
They stayed like that until the tiredness of the day fell over them.
"Quinn?… are you awake?" Rachel whispered
"Mmh?… barely, tell me"
"Can I ask you for something?"
"You already know what do you want for your wish?" Quinn opened her eyes intrigued.
"What? No, I don't know that yet… I want to ask you for another thing"
"Oh, yes, tell me Rach"
"Can I— Can I hug you… and sleep like that?" she said blushing
"You are the most adorable thing ever, I swear" Quinn leaned in and give her a chaste kiss before turning around in bed and letting Rachel spooning her. "Like this?"
Rachel moved closer to Quinn's body and hugged her from behind. "Yes, this is perfect"
"Good night bright eyes" Quinn said interlocking their fingers and kissing Rachel's hand.
"Good night Angel" Rachel kissed Quinn's shoulder.
"I'm far from being an Angel Rachel" Quinn whispered half asleep.
"Not to me, to me you are perfect" Rachel hugged her closer to her body and let out another happy sigh before closing her eyes too.
How wonderful life was now that Quinn was in the world…
I knew it at the very exact moment I saw her, that she could change my world. And I could change hers.
And I was right
I usually am.
She was my first in basically everything about love, all the amazing and wonderful things, and in the most painful things too… but, we will get to that eventually.
That day, was my lucky day indeed,
That night, I fell in love…
With a beautiful Angel.
- End of Chapter 5 -