For the next week things mostly went back to normal. Rachel kept meticulous count of the number of hugs you received every day and always made sure to hit her quota. So as you sit at the kitchen table, sipping your coffee and reading the entertainment section of the paper, she casually asks what you're doing tonight, "I'm going out with Ethan. We're going to go eat a pizza and watch the game."
You glance over the top of the paper and see jealous burn in her eyes. She doesn't try to hide it anymore and it makes you giddy that she's jealous. You've explained that Ethan is just your friend now and was the one that physically forced you into your apartment for the talk. She questions, "Game?"
You turn back to the paper, "The Knicks and the Cavs. Its the playoffs." You look back at her because you know what question is coming next and her face is adorably contorted into a look of confusion.
"What's a Knick?"
You chuckle because her face is just like you thought it would look, "You're quite possibly the worst New Yorker ever."
"Am not! I'm singing on Broadway for goodness sake." She indignantly replies and crosses her arms.
You outright laugh, "Okay." You can see her tilt her head and watch you, thoughtfully, for a few seconds. You get nervous under the gaze. She's been doing that a lot lately. You don't know why. And you're not really sure how you two should proceed from where you are now. Everything is out in the open and you're just sort of stalled. You're waiting on her to confirm that she does in fact love you more than platonically and after that you're still lost. You're in a sort of limbo with her, just waiting to see how the pieces fall.
"I forgot to tell you," she drops her section of the paper and brings one foot to rest on her chair so that she can rest her chin on her knee, "I'm going to Lima Thursday and you are coming with me."
You completely drop your section of the paper onto the table, "Ha, ha funny."
"I'm serious. I don't want to go alone." She stands and picks up both of your empty coffee cups. "It's Mr. Schue's wedding, we have to go."
"It's what?" this is the first you're hearing of this. Honestly you figured that he'd probably already gotten married and had a couple of curly haired kids.
"He's getting married and he invited all of us. Brittany told me that she and Santana are going, although most of the time Santana doesn't remember," she refills both of your cups and adds the proper dressings before setting yours in front of you and taking her seat, "I just finished sorting the mail that has been piling up on my dress and found the invitation that I got a month ago. You're supposed to tell me about the mail."
"I don't open your mail. I just pick it up from downstairs." You defend yourself, although you'd happily open it and read it to her if she asked you to.
She waves her hand, dismissing the conversation, "From now on you have permission to open my mail. Anyway, we're going."
You shake your head, "I didn't get invited." You surprised that you didn't get invited, if she, Santana and Brittany did. Especially Santana.
"I'm sure your invitation was sent to your old address. You have to go."
You simply state, "I don't want to go."
"You don't want to go because if you go my dads will interrogate you or because you'll feel the need to tell your mom about your attraction to me because they're reciprocated?" She asks, holding your eyes.
You frown. She knows you so well, "Maybe a little of both," you pause and she rolls her eyes, "Okay a lot of both. Besides I have to show a flat Friday morning."
"That's good because we're leaving Friday afternoon," she smiles triumphantly.
You shake your head, "I hate weddings." You like pretending that Lima is a fairytale land that only exists in stories. You don't want to go back.
Her eyes get wide like she can't believe what you just said, "How can you hate weddings?"
"I have to get dressed up and buy an expensive gift and drink cheap champagne," you pick up the paper again, hoping to end this conversation before she talks you into going, "I didn't even like my own wedding."
"For the record, I wasn't even at your wedding and I didn't like it," she adds lightly. When you look at her, she's smiling at you. You know that smile. It's her I'm-trying-to-get-you-to-do-something-I-want-by-looking-cute smile.
You bite the inside of your cheek to keep from smiling back. You move the paper in between you so that you can't see her and she can't see you.
"Quinn Fabray!" she exclaims, snatching the paper out of your hand.
"What?" you crack a smile.
She stands from the table and puts her hands on her hips, "I will call Santana over here."
She's so adorable you can't help, but giggle, "I'm not scared of her."
"Then Brittany and her kitten will come over and pout." She huffs, getting frustrated with you.
You finally give in. It's not like she couldn't convince you to go eventually anyway, "Fine. When does the plane leave?"
She grins wickedly, "Who said anything about a plane?"
"You're going in a car?" Santana asks, when you're having lunch with her later that day. You're seating at an iron table of a deli across the street from NYU.
You nod, "Eight hours."
"Eight hours alone in a car with Rachel Berry," Santana smirks, "I'm leaving after my class Thursday because it's my uncle's anniversary, but I'm flying because the party starts at eight."
"What about Brittany?" you ask.
"She's flying in on Friday," Santana explains, "She took the weekend off. Second time in a month. I think the world is coming to an end."
You smile. Although Santana seems cynical about it, you know that she's excited. "Where are you guys staying?"
"Her parents' place," she pops a fry into her mouth, "My parent's house is going to be insane because of the anniversary. What about you?"
"Oh I'm definitely staying with my mom," you state. You couldn't handle a weekend with the Berry men along with a wedding after an eight-hour car ride with Rachel. Your nerves are already shot and you have a couple days before the trip.
"Finn's going," Santana casually mentions.
Fantastic. Someone else to avoid while in Lima. That'll be fun. "How do you know?"
"Puck told B," Santana shrugs, "He's going too. From what I've heard pretty much everyone is going to be there."
More people to avoid. Not that you don't love your former glee club, you just figure that once gossip fiends, always gossip fiends and news of your divorce has probably already reached them. Plus, a few minutes under their scrutinizing gazes, they're know something is up with you and Rachel. "If you could push me in front of a taxi, that'd be great."
She laughs, "C'mon it can't be that bad."
And for the next few days, you kept telling yourself that. But as soon as all your stuff was packed into your car, you start to get nervous. Extremely nervous.
You feel two soft yet strong hands kneading the knots out of your shoulders while you sit on the couch. Her voice is soft and comforting when she tells you that it'll be fine. She won't leave your side if you don't want her to. That gives you the courage you need to stand up and walk out to your car. She takes the first shift behind the wheel and you recline in your seat, trying desperately to remain calm.
The highway lulls you to sleep after about an hour of just listening to music. She doesn't push you to talk or anything like that. When you wake up the sun has gone down and it takes you a little while to remember where you are and where you're going.
"Hey," Rachel smiles when you sit your seat up straight, "You're up."
You nod slowly, "Yeah. Do you want me to drive?" You check the clock. You've only been on the road for two and a half hours, but you have to offer. You know she doesn't really like to drive.
"Please," she answers sweetly, "I think at the next gas station, we should stop and get something to snack on."
You nod, "Okay." Within twenty minutes, you find a decent enough gas station and both go inside.
"They never have my name in anything," you mutter as you and Rachel peruse the novelty mugs, pens and key chains.
"Boo all the Eliot and Steve mugs are gone." She sighs.
You grin and tap her shoulder. When she turns around you present her with one of each. You were going to give them to her dads in a weak effort to get them to like you more, but since she was looking for them to you give them to her.
She giggles and lifts them out of your hands, "We need a Judy one as well. And Frannie. What was your sister's husband's name again?"
"Mud," you state with a straight face and turn back to the key chains, "They never have Frannie either. My parents never wanted us to have truck stop mugs and key chains apparently."
Rachel purchased all the novelty items she could find with someone she knows name on them and take them to the register. Then you grab some snacks for both of you and meet her in the car.
When you open your door, you find a teddy bear in your seat with your name embroidered on it's stomach. She picks it up and smile, "Where'd you find this?"
"I had to ask man behind the counter," she smiles, proud of herself. "They were in a back." You want to show her your gratitude. Preferably with a kiss, but you find when it comes to her, you're like the lion from the Wizard of Oz. No courage. So you just smile at her and tell her that you love it. "Thank you."
"No problem," she grins with a wink.
After an hour of driving, Rachel looks around at the tree lined two-lane highway you're on. She locks the door and leans closer to you, "Quinn, I think we should stop."
You look around. You'd be lying if you said you weren't a little creeped out too. "Stop where? I haven't seen anything in half an hour."
"Are we lost?" she asks.
You take a deep breath. The fact that she's on edge puts you on edge. You have to admit, you've seen more than one horror movie that starts like this. "No. The GPS says we're going the right way." You don't add that none of this looks familiar though. Of course you've never driven this at night. You could be on the right track. But you're not sure.
"Quinn," she reaches over and takes your hand, "Can we please stop at the next hotel? It's late and I'm freaking myself out."
You nod and give her hand a squeeze, "Sure."
Within five minutes you roll up on a roadside motel. It looks almost as sketchy as the highway did, but you pull into a parking space anyway. "I'm going to go get a room. You stay here and lock the doors okay?"
"No," she nearly shoots out of her seat and into your lap, "I wanna go with you."
You nod and you both get out. You take her hand and both walk up to the office. You feel her sigh in relief when the person behind the counter is a kind looking old woman.
"Um, we just need a room," you say when Rachel stays silent next to you.
The woman smiles, "Car trouble?"
"No," you shake your head, "We're just tired." Why would she think there's car trouble? Oh my god you are in a horror movie where the people of the town make potholes in the ground so that strangers get stuck in the town.
She nods, "Of course. It's late." You hand her your credit card, which she swipes and hands back with a room key, "Second floor at the end. 204."
You glance down at Rachel who is looking suspiciously around the room. You pull her outside and back to the car. You both grab one of your bags each before running up the stairs into the room because you heard a twig snap. The small part of your brain that is still rational tells you that you're overreacting, but the rest of your brain that is bogged down from driving for so long in the dark disagrees.
You fumble with the key before getting the door open and letting Rachel run in before you. When you're both in the room, you close the door and lock it, leaning against it. She stands next to the bed and looks at you for a moment in the light of the street lamp outside the half open blinds of your window, before a smile breaks out on her face. You can't help, but smile back. You start to disintegrate into a fit of giggles and she follows suit. Soon you're both laughing so hard that you're crying and falling onto the bed.
Once you're done laughing, your abs ache. She's catching her breath next to you in the darkness of the room.
"We're ridiculous," she sighs and you can see her face lit up because she's facing the window.
"I know," you reply with a grin. You roll on your side to face her, "But we're fun."
"We're totally fun." You feel her slide her arms around your waist and pull her body up against yours. Your head tucks itself under her chin and she runs her fingers through your hair once. You smirk against her collar, "I think this counts as cuddling."
"It does not. Its a laying down hug." She state matter-of-factly and you both get lost in a mess of giggles again.
After you both settle down she mentions, "We should have left New York earlier."
"Mhmm," you murmur into her. You like just where you are and you wouldn't change a thing about the past couple hours. You burrow as deep as you can into her and close your eyes, feeling exhaustion overtake you.
When you wake up in the morning, you find Rachel, slowly waking up next to you. You lay there for a few minutes smiling at each other before she sees that her dads had called her eight times already wondering where she was. She calls them back and you call your mom explaining what happened last night (car trouble) before you both quickly change before getting back on the road, which looks a lot less threatening in the daylight. In fact it was a beautiful drive. You wonder how tired you both were last night to get that freaked out. But it was worth it. You were now cruising with the windows down and music blaring. Her hair was up in a ponytail, but little wispy strands were dancing in the wind. When you looked at her for a few seconds, you fall for her all over again. She's so beautiful and even though you can't see her eyes behind her sunglasses you know they're closed as she just feels the air race around her face.
After a couple hours, you finally pull into Lima. You drop Rachel off at her dads' house with a promise that you'll come visit them later. That promise comes after a five minute 'discussion' on why you need to see them anyway. Of course she wins.
When you get to your mom's house, you find her and you sister baking in the kitchen. They both hug you and ask you how the drive was. You tell that that your car is okay and you're not sure what happened last night. Then your mom tells you that you're all going to lunch with the Berrys. You thought that was bad until she tells you that you're having lunch with them at their house.
"How about I go pick up some wine and meet you there?" you ask in a desperate attempt to delay the inevitable.
"No need," your mom hands you two bottles.
You huff and sink into a chair while they put the cupcakes into a plastic container to take with you. You turn to your sister, "Where's Ryan?"
"Sacramento," she states with no emotion in her voice, "On business."
You quirk your eyebrow, but shrug. You had no idea accountants needed to travel so far on business. She asks how your singing career is going and you look at her like she's crazy. She laughs, "That video of your singing has gone viral in Lima. Mostly because me and mom emailed it to everyone we know. It was even on the news like a week ago."
"Are you serious?" you ask incredulously. You turn from your sister to your mom, "Why didn't you tell me?"
"You've been busy," she shrugs with a coy smile. You narrow your eyes at your mom, but she just laughs.
On the way to the Berry household, you get a text from Santana. She ran into Sam and Lauren at the airport when she went to pick up Brittany. Apparently there aren't that many planes coming into Lima today. Anyway, they're all meeting a bar later and she wants you and Rachel to come. You text her back and tell her that you'll be there. You don't know about Rachel, but after this lunch you're sure you'll need a drink.
"Judy, Frannie, Quinn!" Eliot smiles from the doorway. He hugs all of you, giving you an extra special squeeze. You're not sure if he likes you especially or it was a warning of what was to come, but you force a fairly convincing smile and follow your mom and sister inside.
You sort of hide behind your sister as you all walk through the house and to the backyard where Steve and Rachel are peering at the grill. They seem to be in the middle of a heated argument over whatever is on top of it. Rachel stops you, she pokes her dad in the shoulder, "Tell him Quinn. Ten minutes on each side."
"Of what?" you ask and walk over to them, staying closer to Rachel than her dad.
"Black bean burgers," Steve tells you with a slight smile. You think that he can tell that you're nervous which makes you more nervous.
So you turn your attention to the vegan burgers, "Um, seven minutes on each side."
"Ha!" Steve turns to Rachel, "I told you."
Rachel playfully narrows her eyes at you, "You're supposed to agree with me."
"Sorry?" you shrug. Steve pulls you into a bear hug and you tense at first, but ease into it when it doesn't involve any pain. When Steve releases you, Rachel opens her arms. You step into them and she whispers into your ear, "One."
You smile and pull back. You both share a knowing smile before you turn back to Eliot and your mother and sister. They're moving back and forth from the kitchen to the patio table bringing things out.
"Quinn, sweetheart," Rachel puts her hands on your shoulders and turns you back to the grill, "Man the grill with my dad. I have to go grab my phone." Without giving you a chance to respond, she quickly walks into the house.
You look panicked from the retreating form to her dad's. He lets out a smile and loops his arm around you, "Don't worry. Just because you and Rachel like each other doesn't mean that we're not still thankful for you. We love Rachel unconditionally and we're glad that you take care of her." You relax under his arm, finally comfortable with him. Of course it didn't last long, "You do realize though, that we're going to have to have a long talk if you two ever start dating though."
You slowly nod as your whole body tenses. "Um, sure. Of course."
He chuckles, "It's not going to be horrible Quinn. We've already had the hard talk. It'll be easy. I'll cover three main points." He takes his arm off of you and checks off on his fingers, "Treat her well, Remain faithful to her, and no matter what brown is not a wedding color."
You blush at his mention of a wedding, but nod. That conversation doesn't sound hard at all. You already treat her well and going on dates with Ethan felt like cheating so you know you'd never cheat on her. He seems so sure that you'll end up together. Like he's sure of Rachel's feelings. You glance back at the house where Rachel is. You want her to be sure like her dad.
Lunch was easier than you anticipated. Apparently your mom and Rachel's dads have done a lot of hanging out since they got back from New York. She and Eliot started going to the same pottery class on Monday nights, although from the sound of it, it was mostly a gossip circle.
You catch Rachel looking at you. She's seated cross the table from you and she bashfully smiles when you catch her. She's so cute when you catch her doing things she knows she shouldn't be doing. You tap her food with your own under the table. "Santana texted and said that when she picked up Britt, she ran into Sam and Lauren at the airport. They're going out in like an hour. Wanna go?"
"Yes," she grins. You know that she's been dying to have some sort of reunion so they can all see that she wasn't crazy in high school. That she was right when she said she was going to be something someday.
"Awesome," you smile back, "Just let me know when you're ready."
After all the food was gone, the cupcakes were busted out. You were delighted to find that your mom had made vegan cupcakes as well as traditional ones. You find that your sister has taken to Rachel as well. She's not as in love with her as your or your mom, but she likes her enough to hug her when you and Rachel head to the bar.
"You didn't tell me it was a bar," she states when you pull to a stop in the parking lot, "It's barely two o'clock."
You grin, "It's five o'clock somewhere."
She rolls her eyes but laughs and gets out with you. The second you two step into the bar, you spot a table of your former fellow glee clubbers. Sam, Lauren, Brittany, Santana, Puck, Finn, and Mercedes are all standing around some tall tables. You tell Rachel that you'll be right there and pit stop at the bar to get you and Rachel a drink. You decide that since Rachel is a little cautious about drinking so early in the day, you get her a mimosa and get yourself a rum and coke. When you join them at the table Mercedes practically pulls you across the table in a hug. Then you hug Lauren, although you weren't that good of friends in high school, it's still good to see her. Puck squeezes you in the best bear hug you've had in a while before you hug Sam. Then when Finn is the last one of the non-New Yorkers left, you give him a hug. It's familiar and he's sweet about it. Although when you pull away, Rachel looks less than pleased.
You put your arm around her shoulders and give her a gentle squeeze, accentuated when a smile, trying to get her to remember that you love her.
She smiles back sheepishly and nods, understanding what you're saying.
"Oh my god guys, I forgot to tell you," Mercedes says setting her drink on the table, "Tina's pregnant."
A round of awws came from the girls of the group except you. You swallow hard and look at Finn. He's looking at you with the same sorrowful eyes. You just give him a curt nod before excusing yourself to go play pool. Puck follows you to the table and picks up a cue as you set up the balls.
"So how's New York?" he asks, sitting his beer and leaning back on a pool table next to the one you're playing at.
You nod, a light smile playing on your lips, "I like it- love it actually. I heard that B is trying to get you to come out and visit." When he nods you add, "You should. You can stay with me and Rachel. It'd probably be safer for you than staying with Brittany and Santana."
He chuckles, "You're right. Sometimes I can hear Santana breathing into the phone, listening to what I'm saying."
You see his eyes flicker across the room. You pray that he's not looking at Brittany. For his sake. But when you follow his eyes, he's not. You grin and turn back to the table, lining the heavy white ball up for the first shot, "What happened to you guys? I thought you two were like, a match made in badass wrestling heaven."
He takes a sip of his beer, "What always happens? I'm an idiot."
"Well at least you admit it," you break and stand up surveying the table. Then she lean back on the adjacent pool table next to him and nudge him toward your table, "Why don't you go ask her out? Buy her a drink? Tell her that you're an idiot."
He gets up and looks over the table before lining up a shot, "I should huh?"
"Definitely," you nod, "Like right now. While she's still looking at you." You see him look up and totally miss his shot, but when a smile spreads across his face, you know he doesn't car. He hands you his stick and walks off to Lauren who hasn't dropped his gaze since he caught her watching.
"Lose your opponent?" a familiar voice asks next to you.
You smile softly at Finn and nod, handing him the stick Puck just handed you, "Yeah. You up for a game?"
He nods with an awkward, crooked smile, "Always." He picks up where Puck left off and makes a shot, "How's New York?"
"It's nice," you say, "I like it there."
He nods after his shot and watches you as you get up, "Good."
You look around the table and glance at him as you place your hand on the table and the cue on your thumb, "How's the tire shop doing?"
He shrugs, "You know, it's the same. It's almost snow tire season so that'll be good."
You take your shot and sink one, so you stand up, looking for your next shot, "You know, Rachel and I drove here and I could definitely use some new tires before we drive back. We had to stop in Pennsylvania last night because of car trouble." You wiggle your eyebrows at him, "I really don't want to get stuck in a sleazy motel on the way back especially because if we get back to New York late, Rachel will miss another one of her shows which will probably result in a panic attack and then a diva demanding a private jet to pick her up at the motel."
He chuckles and nods. The look in his eyes means that he knows what you're trying to do, but he says, "I'd be happy to take a look at it for you and get you a new set of tires."
"Thanks Finn," you smile and lean over. You can feel her eyes on you so you wiggle your butt a little and peer over your shoulder. Her cheeks are a deep red as she averts her eyes. God she's so adorable. Of course if that were Puckerman, you'd march over to him and kick his ass. But it's Rachel and she could get away with murder with you. You figure that you're going to have to ask her out soon. If she does tell you that she's ready by the time you get back to New York, you going to ask her out. You nod to yourself. You're going to ask Rachel Barbra Berry out on a date. So there.
You shoot again and miss so you stand to let Finn see the table, "So what's up with Santana and Brittany? Aren't they married yet or something?"
"Soon," you smile over at the pair who is laughing with Mercedes and Sam about something. They share a glance between them that only comes for years of knowing the other. "You know Santana."
He nods with a laugh, "Yeah."
As your game goes on, Sam makes his way over and joins in on the conversation. You ask him all about how he likes Texas. He says he loves Austin and the weather and all the outdoor things he can do there. He's a big thing in the music scene down there and is signed to a small label that is owned by one of the much larger record labels. If all goes well over the next few months you may be hearing Sam Evans on the radio, he jokes.
You're proud of him, of all of your high school friends. Once Sam migrates back over to the group, you ask Finn how his parents are. Burt is still working on getting his cholesterol down and Carol is still fussing at both of them to eat better. You let out a small smile. They were once your family and you loved them. You still love them because they were so good to you.
He asks about your mom. Your mom didn't really get along well with Burt and Carol so large family gatherings were few and far between, usually saved for your birthday. You tell him that she's doing well and is now taking a pottery class in her free time. He snorts and you smile because it's funny. Your mom always made fun of women who took classes like pottery and yoga. Yet a couple weeks at Eliot Berry's BFF and she's making misshapen ashtrays with every other bored housewife and man who is reliving is high school art class prowess. It amazes you how things change.
Speaking of change, your biggest one is at the other side of the bar, huddled with Brittany as they survey the selection of music in the jukebox. "Uh oh."
Finn follows your eyes and smiles, "That didn't take long." He leans on the table next to you and nudges your shoulder, "I saw your video by the way, you and her singing. It's was really awesome."
"Thanks," you drop your head. Everyone you've ever met has seen that dumb video.
He pats your back and says, "I'm glad you're singing again Quinn." Before returning to the game.
It takes him a few more minutes to wipe the floor with you. He teases you about it, but you don't mind. You put the cues back and make your way back over to your friends.
"You let that happen?" you ask Santana, sliding up next to her and jerking your head toward the jukebox.
She smiles, "Like I could stop them."
When Kurt and Blaine walk in together the whole bar cheers, mostly because the only people in the bar at three in the afternoon are the former National Show Choir Champions. They tell you of their harrowing journey from LA and how they had to run from one end of the airport to another only to find that their flight had taken off without them. But they made it and are happy that they did.
"Blaine!" Rachel squeals as he picks her up and spins her around. Karaoke duet partners through the last two years of high school were back together and god help anyone who tried to rip them away from the jukebox.
Rachel saunters up to you with a look in her eyes that mean she wants something you're not going to like. "So…while you were in the bathroom yesterday panicking about your hair and your dress, I put my portable karaoke machine in the trunk of your car and hid it under a bunch of blankets. Can I have the keys to go get it?" She gives you her best please-think-I'm-cute-so-I-won't-get-into-trouble smile.
You feel like you shouldn't be surprised. You put your hands on your hip and scrunch your lips to one side, hoping that it effectively hides your smile. Her smile gets wider letting you know that it hides nothing. You roll your eyes at yourself and tell her, "They're in my purse on the table."
She throws her arms around you and kisses you cheek, "Thank you Quinn." And just like that the whirlwind is gone, digging through your purse to extract your keys.
It only takes Rachel two minutes to sweet talk the bartender into hooking the jukebox up to her machine. It take her two more minutes to pick out a song with Blaine then two more minutes to explain to him why she is the only person on the planet that can use to pink bedazzled microphone. Of course the first song they whip out is by Adele.
Brittany and Santana are dancing close in the middle of the bar because Brittany has taught you that nowhere is a bad place to dance. You feel a tap on the shoulder and turn around to find your ex-brother-in-law offering you his hand, "It seems we've been abandoned by our roommates in favor of each other so would you like to dance."
You giggle and take Kurt's hand. He's still an excellent dancer and he still dresses with a flair that you wished you weren't scared to display in high school. You played it safe and cute and looking down at your floral dress with matching belt and cardigan, you still do. You're a little suspicious of how he says 'roommates' but you push that down. Now is not the time to be paranoid. Besides, you've missed Kurt.
"How's New York?" he asks, "Blaine and I are thinking of moving."
"Really?" you smile and look up at him, "That'd be awesome." You loved having him for a brother-in-law because when he'd come to town you could go shopping and do all the fun things that Finn wouldn't do. Although Rachel likes and practically forces you to do all those fun things, Kurt was always great company.
"I heard you're the go-to real estate agent in the big city," he grins and spins you before pulling you back against him.
You nod, "That I am, Mr. Hummel. Are you thinking high rise loft or rustic brownstone?" Your faux professional tone makes him laugh.
"I have to consult with my dearest, darlingest boyfriend, but when I convince him that I need to the be closer to the New York fashion scene and there are just as many kids in New York that he can teach music to, you'll be the first person we call," he tells you.
"Miss Fabray," you hear Rachel's voice sing over the speakers of her karaoke machine. You hadn't notice the music stop until she called you. You slowly turn around in horror when you see the rest of the people in the bar looking at you. She shoots you a reassuring and coy smile, "These nice people have been asking for an encore of your stunning singing debut."
Kurt starts pushing you toward the karaoke machine and before you can stop him, Blaine hands you the extra microphone. Rachel starts the music before you can protest. She takes your hand and pulls you close to her as you hear the beginning of one of her your favorite songs. Luckily it's a short song so you huff and start singing with her.
Fly me to the moon
Let me play among the stars
Let me see what spring is like
On a-Jupiter and Mars
In other words, hold my hand
In other words, baby, kiss me
You're conscious of your joined hands swinging between you two. You look at her and remember how beautiful she is when she performs. She puts herself out there into every song and every expression. It makes you smile wider and sing harder. You love this song and you love her and they both go together so well.
Fill my heart with song
And let me sing for ever more
You are all I long for
All I worship and adore
In other words, please be true
In other words, I love you
As you sing the last line, you wonder if she picked out this song because she knows you love it or because she's trying to tell you something. She gives you a playful wink before squeezing your hand. You decide to not over think it and have fun.
Fill my heart with song
Let me sing for ever more
You are all I long for
All I worship and adore
In other words, please be true
In other words, in other words
I love ... you
The bar erupts in applause. While you were singing Mike, Tina, Artie, and an unknown woman showed up. You hug Tina and Artie before turning to Mike. He introduces the unknown woman as his girlfriend. You politely shake her hand and hug Mike. But your mind is still on the song and Rachel. You turn to look at her and find her looking at you with a dreamy smile. You reflect that smile and watch as she runs her teeth over her bottom lip, nervously.
As soon as you get to New York, you're asking her out. For sure. No more waiting. You're going to do it. You're going to ask her out. No more waiting. For sure. So there.