A/N: Howdy! How's everyone?
I know its been a really long time since I updated this story and I'm sorry! :( I've just been really busy with exams and stuff, but I've now finished college until september (YAY) so hopefully I should get chance to update this story a lot more often. I've tried to make it up to you all by making this chapter a little longer than some of the others.
I'm not sure there is anything else to say right now :/
Please R+R! I'd love to hear any suggestions/ideas/criticisms etc etc etc so yeah, let me know what you think!
lots of love and virtual hugs!
xoloveJBox
The choir room was silent when Nikki arrived that afternoon. She was surprised, because Noah had text her to ask if she could meet him there early. The lights were still off, so the only light in the room came filtering in from the solitary window that still had the blind open, and the glow that escaped from the corridor. The sounds of chatter from outside the room sounded distant, as if it were far away and not a part of the same building at all.
"Noah," Nikki hissed in a whisper. She was beginning to feel a little uneasy. She knew that most children feared the dark when they were young, but it was something she had never grown out of. Not even thinking to flick the switch on, scared of disturbing the eeriness of the room on her own, she turned to leave again.
Nikki let out a scream when she collided with something solid, and she flung her arms out to get away. However, she was greeted with an amused laughter, and when she looked up, she was greeted with Noah's cheeky, school-boy grin.
"Noah!" She exclaimed, pushing past the feeling of her heartbeat in her throat, reaching out to punch him in the arm. "You scared the hell out of me!"
"I'm sorry," he replied, but the tone of his voice told Nikki that it wasn't very sincere. "It was just too easy."
"I'm glad you found it funny." She snapped, only half-joking. But all her anger suddenly dissipated when Noah lowered his head to press a kiss on her lips, and she could feel his warm hand on her cheek.
"I'm sorry," he repeated when they separated, sounding more genuine the second time around. Nikki begrudgingly accepted his apology. She gripped Noah's hand tightly to keep her own from trembling, because she wasn't going to admit to being scared of the dark, feeling childish for it.
However, apparently she wasn't as discreet as she had hoped, and Puck furrowed his brow when he looked at her.
"What's wrong?" He asked, his face full of concern.
"Nothing." Nikki shrugged. "You'll laugh."
"I won't laugh." Puck argued defensively "Please tell me?"
"I don't like the dark that's all." She admitted, waiting for him to burst out into hysterics. But he didn't. Instead, he rubbed her arm gently, and silently walked across the room to switch the light on. The bulbs buzzed on, and the room was bathed in an artificial yellow light that immediately made her feel better.
"Why did you want to meet early anyway?" Nikki asked, hoping to divert the conversation.
"I just wanted to make sure you knew that if Kurt and Quinn know about us, then the whole glee club does by now. There'll be no secret any more." When Nikki looked at his face, the seriousness there, and the sincerity surprised her. They weren't things she often associated with her boyfriend, but she could see the loving concern in his eyes, and she could tell that he really did love her as much as she loved him.
"I think that kiss you planted on me this morning kind of gave us away Noah." She laughed to diffuse some of the sobriety.
"You kissed me thank you very much," Puck replied with a broad grin, and before Nikki could stop him, Noah slipped her glasses off her face and put them on his own.
"Come on Noah, I can't see without those." Nikki sighed, feigning annoyance, though when she reached out blindly to retrieve her glasses; it wasn't part of the act, because she really couldn't make him out from the rest of the blurs in the room.
"Jeez, these are so strong." Puck muttered, dodging Nikki's hands.
"If I could actually see you, I would tell you how ridiculous you look." Nikki told him jokingly. She had stopped trying to reach her glasses because Puck was too tall and he had the advantages. Instead, she looked mock-sternly in what she guessed was his general direction with her hands on her hips.
"How do you know?" Puck retorted "I might look damn hot for all you know."
Puck took advantage of the fact that Nikki couldn't see and snuck up behind her, scooping her up into his arms. He laughed as Nikki screamed slightly in surprise.
"I think you probably look better in them though." He told her quietly, and waited for her to take her glasses and slip them back onto her own face.
"Thank you."
"You're very welcome."
Before Nikki could say anything in response, Puck crushed her lips with his own, and for a little while they were immersed in each other.
"I love you." Puck whispered softly when they finally emerged from each other, and even as the words escaped, they both realised that it was the first time Puck had said them aloud to her. He had thought it millions of times, but he had never actually said it, and he couldn't help but notice how amazing it felt. Nikki beamed and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"I love you too." She replied quietly. For a minute, they both felt like they were the only ones on the planet. Until, that was, Finn entered and shattered the little world they had started to create for themselves.
"Oh, err...Sorry." Finn mumbled awkwardly "I'll go."
"Finn," Nikki called as the other boy turned to leave again "It's ok, really." She assured him before turning to Puck "Put me down, please."
Noah begrudgingly placed her gently on the ground and Nikki set about adjusting the skirt of the dress she had been forced into that morning. Despite the fact that she wouldn't have chosen to wear it herself, Nikki liked the dress, and the stream of compliments she had received during the day had made her feel good. None of them, however, had made her feel as good as the look on Noah's face when he had first seen her in it. Nothing could top that.
"I'm going to use the bathroom before rehearsal." Nikki told the two boys to break up the slightly awkward atmosphere "I'll be right back."
The each watched Nikki leave, and for a few seconds, neither of them said anything.
"Look man, I'm sorry about walking in on you guys like that." Finn apologized, looking sheepishly at his feet.
"Don't worry about it," Puck grinned, still reeling from the proximity with Nikki in his arms.
"I guess it's true what Kurt told me this morning then, huh?"Finn laughed, moving further into the room and dumping his bag on the floor next to one of the chairs. "You guys are really dating now?"
"Yep."
"For how long?" Finn asked as they each took a seat, waiting for either Nikki to return, or the other glee club members to arrive.
"A few weeks now," Puck admitted "We didn't want to tell anyone at first."
"You seemed different with Nikki than I've ever seen you with a girl before." Finn commented casually.
"I feel different man. Nikki's not like any other girl I've dated before. It just feels...better." Puck told his friend honestly, with a small, telling smile on his face.
"How did she take it when you told her about Beth?"
Puck felt like he'd ran into a brick wall. Beth. He had been so caught up in how loved up he felt about Nikki, he hadn't even thought to tell her about his daughter. Shelby and Beth had gone to visit Shelby's parents for a few weeks, so he hadn't been to see Beth at all in the time he had known Nikki, so the subject had never come up. He couldn't believe that his child had so easily slipped his mind with the feelings he had for Nikki. Puck was dragged back to earth with a bone-shattering jolt by the sound of Finn's voice again.
"Dude, you have told her, right?"
Puck opened and closed his mouth several times in an attempt to answer him, but no sounds came out, and Finn took it as a 'no'
"Puck, you have to tell her. This isn't something you can keep a secret from her. Not if you really are as serious as you say."
A hoard of the other glee club members entered at that moment, chatting happily, clearly oblivious to the stifling atmosphere in the choir room. Puck tried to push the thoughts from his head for a little while. He knew that Nikki could walk in at any moment, and she could read him like a book. He needed to tell her, but he needed it to be the right time and place. It wasn't just something he could drop into normal conversation.
"Hey pretty mama," Mercedes suddenly cooed, and when Puck looked up, Nikki was walking through the door, looking confused.
"Why did that guy out there just ask for a pair of my underwear?" She asked, taken aback.
"Afro, dorky glasses and squinty little eyes?" Santana asked, as everyone had a pretty clear idea about who went around asking girls for their underwear. Nikki nodded, though she didn't think that was the kindest description Santana could have given her.
"Jacob Ben Isreal." Most of the girls said together, and Nikki wasn't sure how to react at how little they all seemed to be bothered, as if it happened a lot. At seeing the other member's dismissal, Nikki shrugged it off and took a seat next to Puck. She smiled at him, but none of the good feelings Puck had had before remained. They were all tainted by his wondering how he was supposed to explain to his girlfriend that he had a daughter.