Jules-Day: You'll definitely be seeing more of Zoe, Emma, and dance class.

Chapter 12 – Saturday Night

Rachel looked at the clock; she only had forty-six minutes left of work, but time seemed to be standing still. It was one of those rare times of the day when the coffee shop was virtually empty. She much preferred the hectic pace that normally came with working as a barista because time usually passed quickly, and before she knew it, it would be time for her to go home. This afternoon, however, seemed to be an entirely different matter.

"I think you have an admirer."

Rachel looked at her coworker, April, and then followed her gaze. There was a man sitting near the window, who did appear to be looking at her. Rachel looked back at April and rolled her eyes at the other woman's cocked eyebrow and smirk.

"He's probably just looking at the menu," Rachel remarked.

"I don't think so," April replied. "He's been staring at you for the last twenty minutes.

Rachel snuck a glance at the man, and just as she looked his way, he looked back at the book he was reading. He was definitely her type with his dark hair, dark eyes, and strong jawline. She had to admit he was good looking even though he was slightly on the preppy side compared to the guys she had dated in the past.

"Do I sense interest on your part?" April asked, wrapping her arm around Rachel's shoulders.

"You know I don't have time to think of frivolous things like dating," Rachel stated, shrugging her off.

"You're nineteen," April replied.

"Yes, I'm nineteen, but I do have a child that I have to worry about," Rachel argued.

Not only would she feel guilty about leaving Beth for the evening to go out, but she also didn't know how men would react to the little girl. Dating had always been a challenge for her—she wasn't typically pretty and guys didn't generally seem interested—but Beth brought on a whole other set of challenges. For all intents and purposes, she had a daughter. She didn't know if this was something she should bring up quickly with potential boyfriends or if it was something she should keep to herself for a while. Beth was such a large part of her life now, though, and not bringing her up would feel like a lie to Rachel.

April sighed. "I just think you deserve to have some fun."

"I do have fun," Rachel replied with a frown.

"Yeah, for a fifty year old," April retorted.

She really couldn't argue. She had heard the same thing from Kurt many times, way before Beth ever came into their lives. During high school, she only attended one party, which she threw in an ill-fated attempt to become more popular and get Finn back after he dumped her for the second time. Or maybe it was the third time—she really couldn't remember at this point. The party only resulted in tears and her becoming even more ostracized than before. She was a little more active the past two years, going to parties or bars with friends. Kurt would still sometimes tease her about coming home so early, but she had learned how to go out and have a good time.

"You know it's not so simple for me," Rachel replied. "Kurt works most evenings and I can't ask him to take off or watch her on his night off. He already does so much and it just wouldn't be fair. Besides, nothing says that guy is actually interested in me, so I don't know why we are having this conversation."

"Maybe not, but I think you're about to find out," April rushed out in a harsh whisper.

"Excuse me." Rachel's eyes widened and she turned around to find the guy on the other side of the register.

"What can I get you?" Rachel asked.

"Actually, I know you probably get this a lot, but I wanted to know if you would be interested in going on a date," the guys said, flashing his perfect smile.

"Told you," April mumbled as she walked past Rachel.

"I'm Ben, by the way," he said. "I've been in here a few times, and I guess I finally got the courage to come up here."

"I'm Rachel," she said, looking down.

"So, are you by any chance free on Saturday night?" he asked. "I don't know if you like poetry, but there's this reading a few of my friends are involved with."

"I—" Rachel took a deep breath. She really didn't want to turn him down; he seemed like a sweet guy and he looked so hopeful. "It's not really a good time right now. There's just a lot going on in my life."

His face fell a little as he nodded. "You can't blame a guy for trying." He gave her a small smile as he reached into his messenger bag and pulled out a piece of paper and a pen. "If you change your mind or ever decide that it is a good time, give me a call."

He handed the paper over with his phone number at the top; it was a flyer for the poetry reading. She nodded as she looked up, giving him a smile, which he returned. Without saying anything else, he turned and left the coffee shop.

"What is wrong with you?" April hissed. "That man was gorgeous."

Rachel certainly couldn't deny it. "I told you, I have other things to worry about than dating."

"For him, I would have found a babysitter," April said, shaking her head.

Rachel sighed and then looked at the clock and groaned when she saw that she still had thirty-eight minutes left of work.

As Rachel slid the door closed behind her, her nose was immediately hit with the delicious smell of fresh baked cookies. She was a little surprised that the smell was inside her apartment—Kurt didn't usually bake—but someone had definitely been baking cookies. When she walked toward the kitchen, Kurt was sitting at the table and, sure enough, there were chocolate chip cookies sitting on a plate next to him.

"You've been busy," Rachel said, looking around.

"Beth's idea," Kurt replied.

"Where is she?" Rachel asked.

"Taking a nap," Kurt said, holding out the plate of cookies. "Want one? We followed your recipe."

Rachel selected one from the plate and sat down. "Thank you."

"How was work?" Kurt inquired.

"Slow," Rachel said as she broke the cookie in half; it was still a bit warm, just the way she liked it. "At least the last hour and half was. Evidently no one felt the need for coffee this afternoon. I didn't think my shift was ever going to end, and to make matters worse, April was being her usual self today."

Kurt laugh. "What was she doing this time?"

"A guy came in today and asked me out," Rachel replied, trying to sound nonchalant about it. "Of course I said no and she spent the last half hour asking me why I turned him down when she knows perfectly well why."

"Was he ugly?" Kurt asked.

"No, he was very good looking," Rachel conceded.

"Did he have a mullet?" Kurt asked.

Rachel shook her head. "He had very nice hair."

"Did he have bad body odor?" Kurt asked. "Was he wearing a tracksuit? A shirt declaring his support for a republican candidate? Was he shorter than you?"

"No—"

"So, what was wrong with him?" Kurt interrupted.

Rachel huffed. "There was nothing wrong with him.

"Then why did you say no?" Kurt asked, raising his eyebrows at her.

"You know why," Rachel stated dryly.

Kurt tilted his head as he looked at her. "Sweetie, you are allowed to go out and have a life, you know."

"I already feel like I don't spend enough time with Beth," Rachel said.

You are home with her every evening and in the morning three or four times a week," Kurt argued. "You spend more time with her than most parents spend with their children; there is nothing to feel guilty about."

"Fine, but it wouldn't be fair to ask you to give up your Saturday," Rachel stated. "You didn't ask for any of this, but have been so wonderful, and I'm not going to let you give up your night just so I can go on some date."

"Why not?" Kurt asked. "One of us should have some fun, and I don't think I'm about to be asked out this weekend. I'm sure I'll be here with Beth anyway, so it really makes no difference to me. Plus, you're not asking me to give up my Saturday; I'm telling you to go."

Rachel sighed. "I suppose I could call him; he did give me his number in case I changed my mind."

"Wonderful," Kurt said as he leaned forward and rested his chin on his hand. "Now, tell me about the guy!"

As she looked at Kurt, she wondered how she got so lucky. She hadn't had many friends during her life, so she knew how special it was to find someone like him. Though things started out rocky, now she couldn't imagine her life without him. She didn't know how many friends would do as much as he had done in the past few months. Now, he was even giving up his Saturday night so she could go on a date. It made her feel guilty and like she was being a terrible friend to him. As she said to him, he didn't ask for any of this. She was the one that decided to be Beth's guardian, not him. Sometimes she wondered if he would get tired of all this one day and move out. She really wouldn't blame him if he did; this was a lot to take on for anyone, especially someone as young as they were and was pulled into it without much of a choice.

"Thank you, Kurt," she said, looking away when she felt the first hint of tears coming to her eyes.

Kurt waved her off. "I want to hear about the guy."

"Okay," Rachel relented with a light laugh as she composed herself. "He was—cute. He looked a bit like that guy in the new version of Much Ado About Nothing that we saw last summer."

"The main guy, the uncle, or the lovesick guy?" Kurt asked.

"The conniving guy," Rachel replied.

Kurt nodded his approval. "What was he wearing?"

Rachel laughed; it was always one of the first questions he asked. "He was kind of like a cross between—" she hesitated.

"A cross between who?" Kurt asked.

Blaine and Mr. Schue," Rachel finished.

"Oh," Kurt replied.

She hated bringing up his ex-boyfriend and wished she had thought of a different example. Blaine was someone they rarely talked about, and even after a year and a half, it was still a sore subject. Blaine broke his heart when he cheated on Kurt, and it took him a long time to get over it. Sometimes she wondered if he even was over it. They had reconciled briefly the previous year, but Kurt could never move past the cheating and things ended pretty quickly.

"At least he sounds well dressed," Kurt said after a moment of silence.

"He asked me to a poetry reading," Rachel added.

"So he's cultured, too," Kurt replied. "He already sounds much better than a certain past boyfriend of yours."

She didn't have any doubt who Kurt was talking about as she said, "He wasn't that bad."

"I love my dear stepbrother, but no matter how many times I tried to tell him bowling and Breadstix was a terrible idea for a date, he just wouldn't listen." Kurt sighed. "He was always such a typical teenage boy."

"I can't argue with that," Rachel replied.

"You should definitely tell this guy to meet you here," Kurt stated. "I want to meet him and make sure he's good enough for you."

"His name is Ben," Rachel informed Kurt. "And I think if he still wants to go on a date, I will meet him there. I appreciate the sentiment of wanting to meet him, but I simply think it would be easier."

"Are you going to tell him about Beth?" Kurt asked.

"I don't know," Rachel admitted. "I don't really know the proper protocol for it. I will obviously have to tell him if we went out again because he would need to know what he's getting into if he were to want to see me again. If it comes up, I don't want to lie, but it's not exactly first date conversation." Rachel sighed. "I think I'm getting ahead of myself; I don't even know if he will still want to go out Saturday. He may have already asked another girl out who said yes."

"There is a way to find out," Kurt stated.

Rachel looked at her phone for a moment and then looked at Kurt again. "I'll call him later this evening."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Why not now?"

"I'm eating a cookie now," Rachel said, taking a large bite to prove her point.

"That is the lamest excuse I have ever heard from you, and that is saying a lot," Kurt said, shaking his head. "You better call him or I will do it for you."

"I will," Rachel replied.

"Now, it's time to get ready for work," Kurt said as he stood up. "Maybe a cute guy will ask me out, too. And at least I will have the decency to accept."

Rachel wanted to throw the rest of her cookie at him, but it was far too good to waste. Instead, she settled for glaring at him, but he only laughed and kissed the side of her head.

Rachel nervously looked around for Ben as she stood in front of the small bookstore she was supposed to meet him at. It wouldn't be hard to miss him since it wasn't overly crowded, so she assumed he wasn't there yet. She was a bit early, after all. Part of her wondered if he was going to show up—the nerves she had been feeling all week about this date were getting even more intense—but then she saw him as he was crossing the street.

"I'm not late, am I?" he asked, looking down at his watch.

"No, I'm early," Rachel said, smiling at him. "Being a performer, I'm habitually early to things."

"You wouldn't want to be late for an audition," he replied.

"Exactly!" Rachel brightly said, happy he understood.

"Are you an actress?" he asked as he held the door to the bookstore open for her.

"Actress, singer, dancer," she replied. "It had been my dream since I was three to be on Broadway. I'm studying musical theater at NYADA."

"Are you from the city?" he asked.

Rachel laughed lightly. "No, I grew up in Ohio. Coming to New York City was another dream of mine; that one came true and I am confident that my dreams of performing on a Broadway stage will also come true."

He put his hand on the small of her back as he said, "I think there's some empty seats over there."

Rachel nodded and followed his direction to some seats near the side of the room. It was a little far from the small stage, but at least they would have a fairly unobstructed view.

"So, are you attending school?" Rachel wondered.

"I go to Columbia," Ben said, sitting down after she was seated. "I'm premed; next year will be my last as an undergrad."

"Wow, that's amazing" Rachel said, impressed. "Are you from here originally or did you come for school?"

"I'm from Pennsylvania," Ben answered. "A pretty small town just over the West Virginia border."

"So you know what it's like to go from a small town to New York City," Rachel commented.

Ben laughed. "All too well. My first month here was terrible. I got lost countless times on the subway, I foolishly bought some concert tickets that turned out to be fake, and while I was moving into my dorm, someone made off with half my stuff. Where I grew up, people didn't even lock their door half the time; here, I have four locks on my apartment and I still get a little paranoid."

"I guess I should consider myself lucky," Rachel replied. "At least I was never robbed. I did buy tickets to a musical that was no longer running, but that happened while my high school glee club was here for the National Show Choir Competition."

"You were in Glee Club?" he asked.

Rachel hummed. "Yes, and we were quite good if I do say so myself. We lost that year, but we took first place the next year. Unfortunately McKinley High has never been able to repeat that win since many of us graduated."

"Glee wasn't really a thing at my high school," Ben stated. "I think we might've had a choir or something, but most people were into sports."

"Oh, it wasn't really the popular thing to do at my high school, but other than the cheerleaders, we were the only ones to bring home a national championship trophy in years," Rachel explained.

"Were you a cheerleader?" Ben asked.

Rachel laughed louder than she intended as she shook her head. "No. I wasn't very popular; I think a lot of people didn't understand my ambition and mistook it for something else. I'm fairly certain if I tried to join the Cheerios I would have either been laughed out of Lima or one of them would have tried to kill me."

Her thoughts immediately went to Santana Lopez. She was the only person Rachel ever truly feared. Quinn was horrible to her, but she preferred to inflict emotional damage, slushies notwithstanding. Santana, however, was not against getting physical. Thankfully, Rachel usually avoided that by staying out of her way and keeping her mouth shut. There were several times when the other girl did try to attack her, but there was always someone there to hold her back.

"Sounds like fun," Ben replied.

"It was the best four years of my life," Rachel sarcastically said. "I guess part of me is thankful in some ways. Okay, maybe thankful is the wrong word. I just mean if it wasn't so bad, I may not have fought so hard to get where I am now, so maybe there is a reason for it."

Rachel really didn't know why she was telling him all of this. She generally kept all the less than glamorous parts of her life—namely high school—to herself while on a first date. She never wanted her dates to pity her or think she was weak in any way. She had made it through one of the worst high school experiences she could imagine and came out on the other side a stronger and more confident person in some regards. She may still be a little insecure about her looks due to the many taunts from peers, but her confidence in her singing ability never wavered. Plus, if she could make it through high school, a little rejection while auditioning was nothing.

"So, you said you have some friends involved in this poetry reading?" Rachel inquired, hoping to change the subject.

Ben nodded. "One of my roommates and his boyfriend."

"Oh," Rachel said, nodded. "That's nice."

"That's not a problem, is it?" Ben asked, his brows furrowing slightly.

"Of course not!" Rachel immediately replied.

"Good," Ben said, a small smile crossing his face. "My last girlfriend wasn't very cool with it."

"Well, I am more than fine with it," Rachel replied. "My roommate, Kurt, is gay. He has also been my best friend for the past four years."

Rachel decided to leave out the fact that she was raised by two men. She wasn't ashamed of them by any means, but she would rather the conversation not shift in that direction. If she did, Shelby might come up, which would undoubtedly lead to Beth.

"Hello, everyone, and welcome to Wonderland!"

Rachel was saved from saying anything else by a woman talking into the microphone. She was standing on the small stage, which was only just big enough for the three stools and microphone stand that was sitting on it. As she looked around the rest of the room, she realized how neat the bookstore looked. There were old, rustic bookcases all around the room, which held equally old looking books. There were battered looking signs hanging around the room, declaring what genre was featured in each section. White fairy lights were also strung along the ceiling and it looked like the nook near them was made for people to sit down and read.

As she continued to look around, she decided she would have to come back there one day while an event wasn't going on, so she could look over the shelves. She also wondered if Quinn had ever been there and made a mental note to tell her about the place in case she hadn't.

Rachel set her purse down with a sigh and heard the television immediately turn off. Before she could even take three steps, Kurt was walking into the room with an expectant look on his face.

"Tell me everything," he demanded. "I need to live vicariously, so leave out no details."

"I don't know if there is a lot to tell," Rachel admitted as she walked past him and into the living room to sit down. "The date started off fine, but—"

"Oh no," Kurt interrupted. "You didn't tell him about Beth and he panicked, did you?"

"No," Rachel replied. "I quickly realized there would be no need to bring that up because there would be no second date."

"He was a dud?" Kurt asked.

Rachel sighed. "Completely. He was nice and smart and good looking, but there was just no spark. I thought everything was going well in the beginning and that he definitely had potential, but it was all downhill."

"Oh, sweetie," Kurt said as he sat down. "What happened?"

"Everything was fine at first," Rachel said, setting her phone on the table, and curling one leg underneath herself. "After he got there, we were talking, but then the event started." Rachel gave a halfhearted huff. "Other than both coming from a small town, we had nothing in common. We barely talked at dinner except enough for me to learn that not only does he not like musical theater, but he doesn't even like music."

Kurt gasped and put his hand on his chest. "How can anyone not like music?"

"I was just as shocked as you," Rachel said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"I'm surprised you didn't walk away immediately," Kurt remarked.

Rachel laughed. "It crossed my mind." She looked around the room and noticed Beth's little easel sitting out. "Did you two paint this evening?"

"No," Kurt said, following her gaze. "She drew something with her markers while we watched Shrek." He leaned forward, grabbing the drawing from the table, and handed it to Rachel. "It's us."

"Is this Times Square?" Rachel asked.

"I think so," Kurt replied, looking over to get a better look.

"You even have your crown," Rachel said, nudging him.

Kurt glared at her, which only made her laugh. It was always nice coming home to him after a bad date. He always managed to make her feel better without even really trying. She just wished she could find those same qualities in someone who was romantically interested in her. She hadn't been in a relationship for over a year and she really missed it.

"Did you at least have a fun time with Beth tonight?" Rachel asked.

"More fun that you, it sounds," Kurt replied.

"This is why I should never listen to you," Rachel joked. "I could have been home watching Shrek, too."

"I think someone is calling you," Kurt said, nodding to her phone on the table.

Rachel leaned forward to see who was calling. "It's Quinn."

"Are you going to answer it?" Kurt asked, his eyebrow inching up.

Rachel briefly thought about letting it go to voicemail, but she knew that would be rude, so she quickly grabbed her phone before it stopped ringing. "Hello?"

"I didn't wake you, did I?" Quinn asked.

"No, I just got home, actually," Rachel said.

"Sorry, I know it's a bit late to call, and this is last minute, but this guy at work gave me three tickets to The Lion King," Quinn explained. "They're for tomorrow night. There was some family emergency, so he can't go now, and I thought maybe you and Beth would like to go if you don't have plans. Like I said, I know it's last minute, but I just—I don't know anyone else who would want to go."

It was last minute, but Rachel didn't have any plans for the following evening, and she knew it would be something fun for Beth. She was always apprehensive about spending any extended period of time with Quinn, but turning the offer down seemed ridiculous.

"Actually," Rachel glanced at Kurt, "Beth and I are completely free tomorrow. What time is the show?"

I will give you guys the same warning I put at the end of the last chapter of I Want You to Want me. I went from having no job to working full time, so I might have to update my stories less frequently. Instead of posting two weeks and then having a week off, I may have to go to posting every other week. Hopefully it doesn't happen, but I'm letting you know it's a possibility. It's just really hard to keep up right now, but maybe I'll be able to once I get settled in a little better.

As always, reviews are appreciated.