Chapter 6

It wasn't too far from the restaurant to Quinn's apartment, so the girls agreed they would walk the distance instead of calling for another taxi. Still buzzed from their drinks, they walked in silence, breathing the night air and watching as they passed locals who were out enjoying the night. Neither of them said a word, but this time the silence wasn't uncomfortable, they were simply enjoying each other's company. Occasionally, Quinn noticed Rachel's hand brush against her own as they walked. She had once read in a magazine that a girl does this on purpose if she wishes to hold your hand. Though Quinn very much doubted that was the case, even still, every time she felt the soft skin of Rachel's hand touch her own, she shuddered slightly.

Soon they arrived at Quinn's home, and Rachel waited as Quinn opened the gate for her to pass through. The building was fronted by a little courtyard. A wide brick path lead to the front door of the building, and the rest of the yard was a small garden. On a bench sat a couple of Quinn's neighbours, cigarettes and cups of wine in hand. They greeted the girls as they passed. It was late, but it was not uncommon for them to be out like this at night.

The two girls made their way up the stairs to Quinn's floor, where she fumbled with her keys to unlock the door. Rachel laughed at Quinn's struggling fingers, and eventually the two of them went inside. Quinn took Rachel's coat and hung it up in the hall. Then, she lead Rachel to the living room, where they both sat on the couch.

"This is a lovely apartment, Quinn. It's quite big," Rachel said, looking around.

"Thanks. I think it's a bit small sometimes for two p-" Quinn stopped in her tracks. Shit. Why did I have to go and say that? Rachel looked at her, confused.

"You don't live alone?" She asked. Quinn closed her eyes. I'm such an idiot. I guess I'll have to tell her, now, She thought to herself.

"Um. No. I live here with Émile. He's my..." Rachel's eyes sank to the floor. She looked embarrassed, for some reason.

"He's my roommate," Quinn said. Wow, so now you're lying to her. That's just great, Quinn.

"Oh, wow, is he nice? Why isn't he home?" Rachel asked. Quinn was still kicking herself for the lie she just told.

"He's um, well, he's away on business. In London, actually. For two weeks. So I have the place to myself," Quinn said, and stood up, changing the subject. "How about a drink? We have some wine in the fridge, or I could mix something up if you feel like a cocktail."

"I'll drink whatever you're having," Rachel replied, smiling up at Quinn, who turned away and walked into the kitchen. She felt ashamed that she was hiding Émile from Rachel, but she was afraid that the small chance she had with her would be lessened even more if she knew. Besides, if anything did happen between the two of them, Émile certainly wouldn't remain her boyfriend for very long.

Quinn returned to the living room with two glasses filled with a strong concoction she'd mixed in the kitchen. Rachel sipped hers eagerly, and almost spat it back out once she tasted it.

"Quinn, this is awfully strong..." She said, laughing as she looked at the glass. Quinn smiled.

"You said you wanted whatever I was having. I guess it's a shame if you can't keep up," she teased. Rachel looked at her and pursed her lips.

"Quinn Fabray, you know I can never back down to a challenge," She said, and lifted the glass to her lips. In one swift move, she gulped back the rest of the liquor and slammed the glass on the coffee table. She winced and gagged, and made a noise of disgust. Once the taste had passed, she looked up at Quinn, who was staring at her, wide eyed, mouth open in awe.

"Rachel, that was straight whiskey. It's really strong..." She said, and looked down at her own glass. "Are you okay? How do you feel?"

"Drunk," Rachel replied, and leaned back into the couch cushions. She giggled at herself and looked at Quinn.

Quinn watched Rachel and smiled at how adorable she was. Fuck it, She thought, and downed her own drink in similar fashion. Rachel laughed excitedly and clapped her hands.

The girls spent the rest of the night drinking, and reminiscing about their past together. They also talked about their present lives, and all that they'd missed in their time apart. Eventually, Rachel's cell phone rang.

"Oh shit... It's Anthony," She said. Quinn looked away. Now that she was drunk, her jealousy might be a little harder to hide. But, Rachel simply pressed a button and ignored the call. The two of them sat in silence for a long time before either of them spoke again. Quinn stared down at her lap, and played with the ice cubes in her empty glass. She's probably trying to think of a way to tell me she has to leave, she thought. She has to get back to her boyfriend. She felt angry that Anthony, the jerk that he was, got to call Rachel his own and she didn't. It didn't seem fair.

"It's not real, you know," Rachel said, her words slurred from the alcohol.

"What isn't?" Quinn asked in response.

"My... relationship. With Anthony. It's all fake," Rachel said. "He thought it would be good for the play. I... I haven't slept with him." As she spoke the last sentence, she started to edge closer to Quinn. Eventually, she pulled herself up, and rested her head on Quinn's shoulder. Quinn didn't know what to say. She was relieved that Rachel wasn't involved with Anthony, that was for sure. Right now, her heart was hammering in her chest because of her physical proximity to Rachel.

"I don't even like him," Rachel continued. "I don't even like..." her sentence trailed off and she turned her face to look up at Quinn. Quinn also tilted her head to look Rachel in the eye. Their noses were almost touching, they were so close. Quinn's heart was racing, and she was having trouble keeping her breath steady. She could smell the chapstick on Rachel's lips, and the alcohol on her breath. She closed her eyes, and let the moment wash over her. When she opened them again, Rachel had grabbed a throw pillow and placed it in Quinn's lap. Clumsily, she let her head fall onto the pillow, and reached her hand up to pat Quinn lightly on the cheek.

"You're awesome," Rachel said. Quinn snickered. She had definitely grown much bolder with the alcohol in her system.

"You know, awesome is the least descriptive word in the english language. It doesn't really mean anything," She said, looking down at Rachel's face in her lap.

"Fine," Rachel replied defiantly, and sat up straight. "You're sweet, and you're thoughtful, and you're great company. You have a very pretty face, and you're... unbelievably sexy!" Rachel spat the last two words and whipped her head around to look Quinn right in the eye. Quinn's breath hitched as she took in what Rachel had just said to her. She felt flattered, but she also felt a bit angry that she was being lead on. No matter how much hope she had, she knew that Rachel didn't want her like that. She was straight, and she was currently giving Quinn false hope. She didn't want it.

"Why did you say that?" Quinn asked, it was easy to hear in her voice that she had taken offence. Rachel looked surprised at this.

"I was just... being honest," she answered, more careful this time. "To be honest, I expected a more joyful reaction... Unless I'm so utterly repulsive that the idea of me finding you sexy offends you. In that case, I'm sorry."

"What? No, Rachel. I don't find you repulsive, don't be ridiculous. You just... You can't say things like that to me, alright?"

"Why not?" Rachel looked at her with wide eyes. Quinn was getting exasperated.

"Because you're straight, Rachel! I can't take... being lead on like that. Not by you. Okay?" Quinn said, keeping her eyes fixed on her hands in her lap. She saw Rachel move closer to her on the couch out of the corner of her eye, and then she felt Rachel's hand rest on her shoulder. Quinn looked up and made eye contact with her. Once again, the two of them were very close. Quinn felt a chill roll down her spine as Rachel's hand moved up from her shoulder and rested at the back of her neck. Rachel placed her free hand on Quinn's leg, and gently pulled Quinn's head down to her own level.

"What are you do-" Quinn whispered, but trailed off at the end of her sentence. Rachel opened her mouth slightly, and took a quick breath in. Then, she closed the gap between them and pressed her lips to Quinn's. Quinn stayed motionless, her heart pounding in her ribcage. She couldn't believe what was happening to her. Rachel's lips were soft, and felt good against her own. This was the kiss she'd been waiting for, and after all this time, she has to think to herself that it was well worth the wait.

After about a minute, Rachel broke the kiss, but kept her face close to Quinn's. The two girls stared at each other in silence. Quinn was shaking.

"I know why you asked me to come here," Rachel said softly. "And now you know why I came." This was the only prompt Quinn needed. This time, she kissed Rachel, finally letting all of her feelings control her. She let her hands caress Rachel's skin as she leaned further into the kiss. Her hand moved up to support the back of Rachel's head as it lowered to the meet couch. Her lips pressed hard against Rachel's, and eventually wandered further, across her jawline and to her neck. She could feel Rachel's pulse on her kisses, and her heart was beating almost as fast as her own. She couldn't help but smile to herself. She'd spent the whole night thinking about how oblivious Rachel was to her feelings for her, when really she'd been the one who was clueless. Quinn brought her face back up to meet Rachel's and kissed her lips once more. For the first time in a long time, with her lips pressed against Rachel's, she felt like she was home.