Open your heart to me

Chapter 3

The first thing Quinn felt as she woke up was the pounding in her head, the second thing she felt was that someone's arm was around her waist holding her tightly. She could tell it was a girl from the body pressed against her, but she didn't yet know who it was. She slowly opened her eyes that were sensitive to the light and realised that thankfully she was in her own room and was in her own bed. It wasn't until she slowly turned her head and saw who it was that the memories of the previous night came back to her.

"Come on Rachel, we should get back to our room" Quinn said as Rachel was helping herself to another drink but stumbling as she done so. She had taken a break from dancing with Brody but unbeknown to them both he had found a new girl to dance with instead.

"Just a little while longer" Rachel pleaded.

"One more drink then we are going Berry" Quinn replied as she rolled her eyes and laughed at her drunk friend.

Rachel smiled at her remark and pulled Quinn in for a hug, before going back into the crowd to try and find Brody. Quinn had definitely drunk enough that she could confidently dance now but she didn't really feel like it so she stayed back and sat where she had been most of the evening. Not even two minutes later she saw Rachel coming out of the crowd with tears rolling down her cheek.

"He was dancing with some other girl and she was trying to kiss him" Rachel cried in disappointment.

Quinn wasn't surprised to hear this information about Brody, but she didn't like seeing Rachel upset so she brought her into a hug and said that they should head back to their room. Rachel agreed and a short while later they were back in the comfort of familiar surroundings. They both used the bathroom separately and got into their pyjamas.

"Why am I so stupid?" Rachel cried as she flopped herself down on her bed.

"Rachel, you aren't stupid. Why would you say that?" Quinn replied softly.

"Because I try so hard to be like everyone else and I always end up being hurt" Rachel replied through her tears.

"How do you try to be like everyone else?" Quinn asked curiously.

"I don't even like drinking that much but I do it anyway because it's the normal thing to do in college, and I never dance like that especially with someone I hardly know, but I was just copying everyone else even though it made me feel really uncomfortable" The brunette replied crying even harder.

"Rachel Barbra Berry you should only ever be yourself. You don't need to do what other people are doing if it makes you feel uncomfortable" Quinn softly soothed.

"Can I have a hug?" Rachel asked so sweetly that Quinn couldn't say no to her.

"Of course" Quinn replied and lifted her blanket up and held out her arm in invitation for Rachel to lie beside her.

The girls hugged for a few minutes before Rachel turned to lie so she was facing the ceiling and sighed before speaking again "I just wanted Brody to like me; I just wanted to impress him"

"Rach I promise you that people will like you more if you are yourself, you don't need to be someone you aren't to impress others" Quinn said as she brushed Rachel's fringe away from her eyes.

"I've been myself for all these years and I always get used and hurt. Everyone else is so much prettier than me and guys just move onto someone better than me" Rachel sobbed.

Quinn felt her heart ache slightly. She had felt similar insecurities about herself through high school but she had realised the hard way that the only thing you can be in life is your true self and people have to either like it or lump it. She hated that Rachel put herself down so much and Quinn wished she could see herself in the way that so many other people did. "Rachel you are absolutely beautiful, and anyone would be lucky to have you. You are one of the most talented and kindest people I know" she spoke sincerely.

"Do you really think I'm beautiful?" Rachel asked as her eyes grew wide.

"I really do, I have done since the first moment I saw you" Quinn replied with a smile as she felt Rachel hold her hand. The feeling made her have butterflies in her stomach for yet another time that night.

"I can't believe that Quinn Fabray thinks I'm beautiful" Rachel grinned.

"I would have to be blind not to" She replied as she squeezed Rachel's hand.

The girls laid in comfortable silence for a few minutes as thoughts went through their heads, which felt a little cloudy because of the alcohol they had consumed that night. Quinn thought Rachel had gone to sleep for a moment until she turned round in the bed and was face to face with her.

"Quinn, I saw you watching me and Brody dancing earlier and you looked kinda annoyed. Was there any reason why?" Rachel nervously asked.

"I, uh, I just don't really like Brody. He seemed to be way to full of himself and arrogant and I didn't like how he was dancing against you like that" Quinn managed to stumble out. She wasn't going to admit that for some reason, a part of her had wished that they were dancing together like that. She knew Rachel would probably just think she was joking or saying it because she was drunk.

"There was me thinking you liked me or something" Rachel laughed but had a look of seriousness in her eyes.

Quinn looked to the ceiling and felt her palms start to sweat and she was sure her heart was beating faster than it should be. She could admit that part of her felt jealous of Brody and that she was starting to have new and strange feelings for Rachel that she had never had before, but the thought of admitting those feelings terrified her. She was straight, she had never been with a girl before and what she felt for Rachel was probably just admiration. Girls can admire other girls and it not mean anything more, but there was a part of Quinn that really wanted to explore these feelings too. She couldn't deny that her stomach would somersault when she would accidently catch a glimpse of Rachel in her underwear when she was getting changed, or that when Rachel's brown eyes would look intensely into hers it took her breath away. How when Rachel would sing it truly was the best voice she had ever heard and she could listen to her talk about her passions all day long. That she thought the noises she made in her sleep were so cute and when Rachel would bring her food home after classes and always made sure to have her favourites it made her feel so special because nobody had ever cared enough to do that for her before. The thoughts went round and round in her head for long enough that both girls had fallen asleep completely forgetting that they were in the same bed.

"I'm...oh...erm Quinn?" Rachel gasped from behind the blonde she was tightly cuddled up to "Why am I in your bed?"

"We must've fallen asleep when we were talking last night" Quinn nervously replied.

"Oh, I'm sorry" Rachel said as she removed her arm from around Quinn's waist and tried to get out of bed before the pain in her head forced her to lay down again.

"It's ok, don't worry. Do you remember much of what happened last night?" Quinn asked wondering if Rachel remembered any of their conversation.

Rachel took in a deep breath and rubbed her temples with her palm. "I remember being at the party and Brody dancing with some other girl, and I was crying, but that's it. Did I do anything stupid?" Rachel asked, worried she had done something embarrassing or inappropriate.

"No you didn't do anything stupid. You had drunk quite a lot for someone who never normally drinks so I think it took effect on you pretty quickly. You were upset about Brody so we came back here and got ready for bed, and were talking when you asked if you could have a hug" Quinn replied.

"Oh that's so embarrassing" Rachel laughed feeling silly at the thought of her asking Quinn for a hug.

"No it's not, you were upset. Anyway we just talked for a while and we must've both fallen asleep because the next thing I know, I'm waking up with your arm around my waist" Quinn said as her cheeks blushed slightly.

"I'm sorry Q. I hope I didn't say anything bad" Rachel nervously responded.

Quinn knew she could say that Rachel had been so happy to hear Quinn call her beautiful or that she had jokingly said the comment about wondering if she liked the brunette, but she knew it was probably down to the drink and that Rachel would be embarrassed if Quinn mentioned it now. She knew she had said her fair share of embarrassing things when she had been under the influence of alcohol and had been mortified when people had told her the next day. She decided she would just play it cool and not mention anything.

"No you were just talking about Brody and the party" She answered carefully as she slowly got out of bed and made her way over to the mini fridge Rachel had brought with her and grabbed two bottles of water and some painkillers.

Rachel watched as Quinn made her way over to the mini fridge and grabbed two bottles of water and some painkillers. She couldn't remember much of what had happened as the night before had ended, but she did remember the look on Quinn's face as she had been watching her dance with Brody. At first she thought it looked like she was annoyed, but then it looked like it was almost a look of desire. Rachel thought that Quinn might've been eyeing up Brody but Quinn looked at Rachel the same way that evening whether she was with Brody or not. She had been looking over at Quinn often when she was dancing and wished that she was the one dancing with her, she couldn't explain why but being with Quinn was starting to make her feel happy in a way she had never felt before. She had gotten butterflies in her stomach when she had walked into the room as she left the bathroom and saw Quinn sitting on bed waiting for her so they could leave for the party. She had always appreciated Quinn's beauty but there was something about her sitting there that made her thoughts go into overdrive. Rachel had tried so hard to convince Quinn to dance with her and there was a feeling of disappointment when she refused. When she had put her hands around Brody's neck and looked over at Quinn minutes later there was this undeniable wish that their roles were reversed, she wanted Quinn to be the one standing with her. She had assumed that these feelings she had last night were just because she had drunk and that she just felt happy to have Quinn as a friend. After all the years of high school they had spent together and the arguments and drama along the way, it was an amazing feeling to be able to call Quinn her friend.

But the more she thought about it the more she couldn't help but think about Quinn in a way she had never felt before. She loved that Quinn was respectful of her beauty routine and that she would tidy up after Rachel if she forgot as she was in a rush. The way Quinn's face would light up when she brought her food back and how each time she fell asleep with her laptop on her bed Quinn would take the laptop and put it on the desk every time made her heart melt a little. She loved listening to her talk about her classes and how she was so determined to do well and succeed. They way Quinn would always stick her tongue out when she was doing her mascara and sing when she was in the shower always made her smile so wide.

She certainly couldn't deny how waking up with Quinn in her arms had felt so comforting and that when she noticed her hand was around Quinn's waist it had sent a feeling she could only describe as being similar to electricity through her whole body.