Echo (6/?) II
When school is finally over, Rachel makes her way to the parking lot, the weight of 'String Theory, Volume 1. An Introduction to the Bosonic String' mocking her as she walks. She shakes her head trying to ignore the residual embarrassment that still makes her flush.
Her Daddy is about to go grocery shopping when she arrives home, so she runs to her room, throws her stuff in a corner and joins him. After the short trip, she helps him empty the bags of food and he tells her to go do something while he makes dinner. Rachel's phone beeps with a message when she enters her room.
Wanna study 2gether? I dont want 2 b alone. -Brittany
She answers it immediately.
Of course! You can come whenever you want. -Rachel
Three minutes later, the blonde is knocking on her door.
The usually bubbly and giddy girl looks positively depressed. Rachel can only imagine who's the cause. She helps her with her homework, shows her the difference between a phone and a calculator and when they finish she invites her to stay for dinner. Brittany eagerly accepts.
"There's no one home," she says sadly. "Usually when my parents leave with Claire to a competition, I stay with-" 'Santana' "I stay with someone."
"Oh!" Rachel perks up at the idea of an impromptu sleepover. "You can stay here with me for as long as you want!"
"Really?"
"Of course!"
"Yay! Thank you, Rach!" Brittany lunges for her, engulfing the petite brunette in a crushing hug and jumping a little. Rachel decides to take the responsibility of making the girl smile like that for as long as she stays under her roof.
That night, they lay together in Rachel's bed watching Moulin Rouge because Brittany remembers she likes the songs a lot and there are really good dance numbers. When the movie ends, Brittany also remembers she hated the end because it always made her cry. She curls herself into Rachel, crying softly into her neck while the brunette rubs a comforting hand up and down her back. Rachel's heart breaks a little when a cracked sob breaks through Brittany's body, calling out something similar to "San…" and she realizes the blonde is finally letting out all the pent up frustration of her very complicated relationship with the Latina.
Brittany stays with Rachel for a few days and the brunette has almost no time to think about other matters concerning herself- read: Quinn- because she knows how much heartbreak hurts and she wants to do everything in her power to help the blonde. She walks with her to their classes, distracts her when Santana is in a ten feet radius, all the while throwing the Latina death glares while she flirts with Puck in the hall, and sings 'You've Got a Friend in Me' Toy Story version for her during Glee.
At home, she fills her dads in what is happening and they join the 'Make Brittany Smile' movement, with things like preparing her favorite food and letting her win during game night, even if the blonde tries to check mate Rachel's top hat metal token with her Scottie dog one.
Rachel even talks with Quinn and explains the situation to her so she can hang out with Brittany while she is in dance class. They go to the park one afternoon to feed the ducks, Brittany, Quinn and her and Quinn gets a call from Santana. The blonde moves a few feet away to talk to her, but Rachel still makes out the angry, disappointed tone in Quinn's voice and words like 'acting like a moron', 'get your head out of your ass' among others.
Brittany's parents call Friday after class and tell her they're already home. Rachel tears up a little when the blonde girl packs her things to leave. It's stupid because she has only been living with her for a few days and she's only going to be a few streets away, but she's a very sensitive soul, or so she tells Britt when the girl asks why she's crying.
The ditzy blonde smiles sweetly and hugs Rachel, a little less effusive this time, planting a chaste kiss on the shorter girl's lips.
"You're a good friend, Rach."
…
After Brittany leaves, Rachel plops herself on her desk chair with a sigh and lets her eyes rake her room slowly. She had quite the stressing week. And she would do it all again, everything not to hear Brittany's broken sobs calling out for a person that, even if she misses dearly, has only been hurting her.
Brown eyes fall finally to a thick, blue book that must have fallen from her bag and it's resting halfway under her dresser. Rachel smiles and blushes a little at the memory, her thoughts focusing on Quinn for the first time since that eventful day.
Rachel recalls Sam and Quinn's conversation and how Quinn's lie suddenly made sense in her mind. It also meant that Quinn was finally accepting her attraction to her and that was a huge step. She then remembers her conversation with her Dad and that half-cooked plan to get Quinn to trust her and confess, or at least subtly show her that she has nothing to be afraid of and that Rachel will be extremely accepting of the fact that Quinn likes her.
Yeah, wonder why that is, Rachel thinks with an eye-roll.
She needs a way to be with Quinn outside of school, where they can be alone and have a conversation without being interrupted. It also has to be a place where Quinn feels at ease.
Rachel starts making a mental list.
Her house is out of the equation- seeing as it's somewhere Quinn wouldn't feel familiar with- and it's not like she can auto-invite herself to the Fabray residence. She can't ask Quinn out to Breadsticks or a café or anything, not yet, lest the girl freak out and move back a couple steps. Santana's or Brittany's are a 'no' too, because one, she's sure neither of the girls are up to it right now and two, they wouldn't be alone.
Rachel groans. Well, she's still blank.
Brushing her fingers through her hair, her eyes fall again to the book under her dresser. She shrughs.
"Well, might as well."
…
"Daddy, pass me the potatoes, please."
"There you go, Rach."
The Berry family is having a nice dinner but a little more quiet than what they've been used to this past week.
Brittany definitely gave a new enthusiastic air to everything she touched.
They discovered that, when left free, the blonde could talk in lengths that would defy Rachel Berry's monologues. Brittany's were completely different though, most of them didn't make sense and were highly amusing. It was like having your own comedian at home.
Now the Berry family is strangely quiet.
"So…" Rachel finally says. "Did you know that the universe is believed to be circular?"
Her dads look at her like she just said an insanity and well, for them, she just had.
"What?"
"I've been reading a book about the universe. It's very interesting, something I'd never expected."
"Honey, why-" 'You don't want to go there, Leroy.' "You know, that's great, Pumpkin," he says instead.
Rachel beams at him, then takes a deep breath. Both Hiram and Leroy recognize this sing as 'Rachel Berry preparing herself for a tirade about whatever it is she just found out and it's excited about' and Hiram soon comes to their rescue.
"Leroy, honey, didn't you say you needed to go shopping?" He looks at his husband pointedly. 'Humour me, Lee, or we'll have to endure Rachel's endless theories about the universe- And honestly, what is that about?'
Rachel huffs mildly offended.
"Oh. Oh! Yeah I said that didn't I?" Leroy nods slowly. "Yes, because… I need a new… tracksuit! Yes, for my spinning class." 'That is true actually, mh.' "Wanna come with, Rach?"
She looks bewildered. "Since when do you go to spinning class?"
"Since after summer, honey. I need to do some sport if I want to keep my slender figure."
Rachel chuckles. "Right." Then she frowns at her peas. Her Daddy was right, sport was important and she had been neglecting her elliptical- for obvious reasons- for almost a couple months now and she was getting out of shape. She got tired in dancing class the other day, for Barbra's sake! She needs to find some kind of activity that makes her exercise like her elliptical.
"So, do you want to come shopping with me tomorrow?"
But Rachel isn't listening anymore. The idea strikes her with its simplicity and brilliantness.
Tomorrow, she's going running. And killing two birds with one stone, she's not going alone.
…
Waking up with the thought that she's going to work out again is surprisingly refreshing for Rachel. Or maybe it's the knowledge that she has finally taken the initiative with Quinn.
Yes, that's right. Last night after Rachel had the sudden epiphany, she went straight to her room and dialled Quinn's number:
"Rachel?"
"Hi, Quinn!" Rachel exclaimed, a little hyper with her idea.
"Hi," the blonde answered clearly amused by Rachel's out-of-breath greeting. "What's up?"
"Well, you see." Rachel paced on her room nervously. "I've been thinking of trying new exercising methods lately. Something… happened with my elliptical and I'm not too keen on using it again and I thought some outdoor activities will do me good. If I remember correctly, which I'm sure I do since I have an exceptional memory, you go running on the weekends, right?"
"Uh, I- y-yes, yeah, I do," Quinn choked on her answer.
"And would you mind if I joined you tomorrow?" There was silence in the other line for a moment. "Quinn?"
"No." Rachel stopped dead in her tracks and gaped wordlessly at her phone. "I mean, no! I mean, not at all, I don't mind. You can come, if you want. It'd be great if you come. To have some company, that is."
"Great! That's great." Rachel jumped a little on her toes. "I will see you at 7:30 at the bus stop halfway to your house?"
"Sounds good to me."
"Great."
With the conversation still fresh on her mind, Rachel puts on her black running shorts and an old gray sweatshirt with the neck cut out and puts her hair up in a ponytail, securing it firmly with her always trustworthy pink headband.
She beams and gives a firm nod at her image on the mirror.
Rachel steps out of her front door and into the street the way she does absolutely everything, with a consuming intensity. She feels the chill air of the morning, her breaths condensing a little as they escape her mouth, but nothing can spoil her good mood.
The walk to the bus stop seems longer than ever. Rachel wishes she had brought her iPod to have something else to focus on apart from the exhilarating but also nerve-racking feeling that she's walking towards a stage to perform a song she hasn't rehearsed. A song she doesn't even know. But carrying the little device and not using it in favor of talking to Quinn- which is what she really came for today- would be a little suspicious.
Rachel's enthusiasm diminishes when she eyes the bus stop. There's only an old lady standing there and the starlet checks the time again to make sure she's on time.
Well, perhaps I'm a little early, Rachel thinks. But as she approaches the place, she catches a pair of trainers, attached to crossed, pale legs, the owner of which seems to be seated on a bench behind the bus stop advertisement.
"Quinn!" Rachel greets excited when she confirms that the girl stretched out in the bench who has her head leaned on the glass wall and her eyes halfway closed is, in fact, her running buddy. "I didn't see you there for a moment and I thought you might be late but it was you just being a lazy bum. Aren't you supposed to be stretching and warming up instead of nodding off?"
"Good morning to you too, Rachel," Quinn says sarcastically eyes still closed, then yawns. "I'm not much of a morning person."
Rachel frowns as she stretches. "Still you relinquish precious, weekend sleep hours to go running?"
Quinn shrugs. "I wanted my abs back," she rubs a her eyes, finally opening them, "so I started to-" 'Holy. Freaking. Shit.' "t-to go running to, ah… get rid of- of the baby fat." 'For the love of everything holy, are those shorts even there? And what's with the off-the-shoulder sweatshirt? That neck is just begging to be bitten, Christ! Could she make it harder for me?'
"You seem to have achieved your goal rather successfully," Rachel mutters loud enough for Quinn to hear as her brown eyes rake over Quinn's usual running attire. The same pair of running shorts as that morning at the Pierce's and a red sports bra. She lingers on the cheerleader's midriff. Definitely got back the abs.
'Is Berry… flirting? No way.' "W-we should uh, probably go. We don't want to be too hot- I mean! We don't want the sun to be too hot! While we are still… running." 'Geez, you can shut your mouth now, Fabray. Nice. Now stop with the ogling too!'
"I agree," Rachel wheezes out, feeling already too hot for this time of the day.
They start trotting at a regular pace down the street. "Where to?" Quinn asks staring ahead.
"Where do you usually go?"
"Well, there's a nice park halfway between Santana's and-"
"And Brittany's, yes I know," Rachel cuts off as they take a turn towards the park.
Quinn dares a quick glance at Rachel. "You do?"
"Yeah, they've taken me there a couple of times," the brunette says rather proudly.
"They must really like you then," Quinn adds with a smile and this time, there's not a trace of bitterness or jealousy in her voice. 'I can see why.'
"I guess… I'm more tolerable outside of school. And when I'm comfortable with someone." Rachel shrugs, the hem of the neckline of her sweatshirt slipping a few inches down her arm.
'Her skin is seriously perfect. It's like bronze or something,' Quinn thinks briefly before averting her eyes. Rachel bites back a smile as she pushes the fabric back in place. "Wow, that means you are comfortable with Santana Lopez? Who would've thought that months ago?"
"Who would have thought I'd be going for a run with Quinn Fabray of all people?" Rachel points out teasingly.
"Fair enough." Quinn laughs. "I have noticed you are pretty cool when you relax. Does that mean you are comfortable with me?"
Rachel rolls her eyes at Quinn's smirk. "I guess."
Suddenly the blonde's face saddens. "I still- I can't understand why you wanted us to be friends. Why would you- why give me a chance?"
"Why not?" Rachel asks, although she knows what Quinn is talking about.
"Because…" 'I don't deserve it. I don't deserve you.' They reach the park and begin following a path that must be familiar for Quinn. "I've been nothing but awful to you since we've known each other."
"That's not true," Rachel argues, "we were good friends in kindergarten. The first day I lent you my crayons and you told me my dress was pretty."
Quinn laughs good-naturedly. "Oh God. I completely forgot about that."
"I didn't."
"Yeah, but everyone is friends in kindergarten. After that… after that I was a bitch to you."
Rachel nods. "You were. But I always knew that sweet girl was somewhere inside of you." She shrugs, like she doesn't know how to explain it. "I've known you for twelve years, Quinn. We may not have been friends these past years but we still know each other better than most and I knew what being a Fabray entailed. Being under the pressure of your parents, of what people expected of you in school; it was only right for you to tear down the unpopular, greatly misunderstood, talented girl. It didn't make it hurt any less, but at least I had the hope you'd stop caring about what other people thought one day and you'd be that shy girl with the kind smile that complimented my favourite dress."
Quinn gapes at her, her face focused on Rachel and the brunette worries for a second Quinn is going to crash into something.
'How is she- what on earth did I do to deserve someone like her? Here you are, Quinn Fabray, royal bitch and tormentor, and there she is, being all adorable and forgiving and for God's sake, finding good in you, you didn't even know existed!' Quinn finally coughs and looks away with a blush. 'This moment is as good as any other to do what you've been wanting to do since… well since the first time you saw her smile disappearing because of you.'
"I'm sorry, Rachel." Quinn avoids looking at her. "God, I'm so sorry. I know it's… useless now to apologize because the wrong is already done but, I'm truly, terrible sorry."
"It's never useless to apologize, Quinn." Rachel smiles, then bumps her shoulder to Quinn's. "Besides, I already forgave you. We're friends now, right?"
'Only friends… I'll take what I can have.' "Yeah."
They fall silent for a moment, the only sound their slightly laboured breathing and Quinn's jumbled thoughts.
'That wasn't so hard… should've done it before. Feels good to be forgiven. Maybe we could do this every weekend.' Quinn's lips curl upwards briefly. 'We could be running buddies… it'll be our secret. Being alone with her is awesome… I don't want to share her with Santana and Brittany.' This time, the blonde shakes her head. 'That's stupid, they were her friends before... I wonder what would have happened if I had been the one to check on her? Maybe I could've apologized earlier… maybe we'd be more than friends…'
Rachel feels the first drops of sweat tickling her neck. Without thinking, she grasps the edge of her sweatshirt and pulls it up to her face to wipe her sticky skin, leaving her stomach uncovered and even flashing a tiny sliver of white sports bra.
'Yeah, right, like she would ever want toooh holy shit! OH FUCK!' "Ow, ow, ow."
"Quinn!" Rachel cries when she catches up with what just happened. The blonde seems to have tripped on something and she's now sitting on the ground and cradling her ankle with a pained expression. "Oh my God, are you okay?"
The brunette quickly kneels in front of her, her hands hovering over her leg and her eyes frantically assessing the damage.
"No…" Quinn whimpers. Rachel notices she's biting back tears. 'Come on, don't be a pussy. Tears are for the weak.'
"Come on, let me help you up." Quinn shakes her head. "Yes, Quinn, I know your ankle hurts but you have a very ugly scrape on your knee that needs to be cleaned."
Quinn sniffles, glancing at her knee. She winces. "Okay."
Rachel drapes an arm around the Cheerio's waist, pulling her up carefully. Quinn winces as she jumps on her good leg to position her body up against Rachel's smaller one and throws her arm over the brunette's shoulders.
"Come on, I saw a fountain a few trees away."
Rachel carries the girl with some difficulty and Quinn giggles, mumbling something about Rachel's short stature. She lets it go with a head shake because it's distracting the blonde from the pain.
"There," Rachel says softly as she helps Quinn sit on the edge of the small fountain. "Let's put some water on it, okay?"
"Yeah," Quinn rasps.
Rachel cradles some water with her hands and pours it on Quinn's knee carefully, getting it cleaned of sand and small pebbles. She repeats it a few times under the intense gaze of the blonde.
'She's so kind. It's just… the way she does everything. Shows how big of a heart she has… I can't believe I ever judged her so harshly…'
"There, all clean," Rachel announces softly. She wipes the droplets of water that are running down Quinn's calf and looks up at the girl. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to take the shoe off to see if it's swelling and if we need to go to the doctor."
Quinn gulps. "Okay."
"It's going to hurt a little." Rachel smiles sympathetically as she rubs Quinn's calf with one hand comfortingly, the other taking the heel of Quinn's trainer and pulling it out carefully.
"Ow, ow, ow…" Quinn winces. She bites her tongue to stop the tears that threaten to escape.
"All right, it's out. Doesn't look too bad. Now I'm taking off your sock too so you can put it under the water. The cool will do good to it," Rachel explains as she takes the sock off swiftly.
Quinn hums as she bathes her ankle into the cool water. "It's swelling a little," she mumbles annoyed.
"Yeah." Rachel frowns up at her. "How did it even happen?"
"Uh…" Quinn blushes profusely. "There was a rock. I didn't see it."
"How?"
She gulps. "I got distracted."
"By what exactly?" Rachel asks with a raised eyebrow, although she already has a fair idea.
'By you! Showing off your abs and- and Jesus Christ, I think I saw her bra.' "I can't remember." Quinn pulls her foot out of the water, moving it a little from side to side. "It doesn't hurt that much."
"Good, that means it wasn't anything serious." Rachel goes back to rubbing Quinn's calf with her hand, her eyes piercing on the blonde's flushed face. "Your house is not too far away, I can help you walk there. We should put some ice on this."
"Mhm…" Quinn nearly purrs at Rachel's gentle rubbing.
"All right, let's go then."
The walk to Quinn's place is silent and only slightly awkward. Part of Quinn keeps mentally berating herself for her clumsiness while the other is trying to contain her mental flailing for being so close to Rachel. These last thoughts are making the brunette blush and be even more aware of their flushed bodies and the way Quinn's skin feels under her hand on her waist.
Rachel pushes the Fabrays' door open with the hand not holding Quinn and the blonde guides her through the house (the mansion, Rachel thinks), and to the living room where she falls into the couch with a groan.
"Is your mom home?"
"No, I think she's at, uh…" 'Alcoholics Anonymous,' "breakfast with friends or something."
Rachel forces a smile, swallowing the guilt that always comes with finding out a secret that someone is so clearly trying to hide. Something Quinn is ashamed of and she should never, ever know. It's not her place and she has nothing to do with it. Rachel feels a little sick to her stomach but tries to ignore it for the time being. There are more important things to do than ponder the morality of her power.
"Right. Well, first things first. Where is the kitchen?"
"That door over there," Quinn points. "There has to be some ice in the freezer."
"Be right back."
A couple minutes later, the petite diva appears with the ice and a couple of bottles of water. "Here, this is for you," she gives Quinn a bottle then sits on the couch next to her, carefully moving Quinn's foot to her lap. "And this goes here…" the blonde gasps as the ice makes contact with her ankle, "oh you big baby," Rachel teases.
"It's cold!"
"Well, of course it is. That's kind of the point." Rachel tries to hide her amused smile.
"Shut up," Quinn mumbles.
They stay in silence for a few minutes, during which Quinn throws her head back, sighing contently at the subsiding pain and Rachel moves the ice pack from time to time to see how the swelling is going. It looks to be decreasing which is a very good sign.
Suddenly a phone starts blasting from another room.
"Shit, that's my phone."
"Do you want me to get it?"
"Yeah, please. My room is the second to the left down the hall."
Rachel leaves Quinn to nurse her own ankle and rushes to her room, not wasting a second to inspect until the last corner of the blonde's sanctuary like she would have liked, instead she quickly spots the phone and runs back to the living room.
"Here."
Quinn glances at the screen and rolls her eyes. 'This is getting old pretty fast…' "What now?" She says to whoever is at the other end of the line.
Rachel takes her previous position, her eyes never leaving the blonde's expressive face.
"I was out. Running." There's a pause. "No, I haven't heard from her." Quinn rolls her eyes again. "You are a big girl, S. Do whatever you have to do."
Rachel "ooh's" quietly to herself.
'Like hell she doesn't know, she's just scared shitless.' "Yes you do, S," Quinn says. She inspects her nails, listening to Santana for a moment before cutting her off. "S, S! Stop it, just- Good lord, just go to her and tell her. You both are just going in circles around it and prolonging the inevitable-" Quinn abruptly stops, then rubs her hand on her face. "Do you even believe that, San? Everyone seems to know how B feels for you but you!"
Rachel nods to herself and Quinn sends her a small smile at the gesture.
"Suck it up, S. Just… stop being afraid, or you'll never know." Suddenly Quinn's demeanor changes. Looks like Santana said something that made her uneasy. She watches Rachel out of the corner of her eye. 'It's not the same situation at all.' "I don't know what you're talking about." Quinn sighs. "Yeah, whatever. I have to go. I'll talk to you later." There's a pause. "Bye."
"For a girl as smart as Santana Lopez, it's taking a while for her to realize what Brittany's reason for being upset is."
"It's not that. She knows perfectly well that Brittany's not happy that she's sleeping with Puck."
"Then what is taking her so long?" Rachel asks, a little exasperated.
"Santana…" Quinn starts with a long breath. "She might want to pretend she's this tough girl from the wrong side of town, that doesn't give a damn about anyone, but she does. She's just afraid of what would people say, what it would do to her status, what it would… mean to admit that those feelings are real and be in a relationship with Brittany." Quinn looks lost in her thoughts. "She's also not sure that Britt and her are in the same page. Like, she thinks B might be jealous just because they were also sleeping together, nothing else. She's not only scared that if she were to open up about her feelings she would lose her HBIC position but also lose her best friend in the process. So she turns to Puck every now and then, when her insecurities get to her."
"Wow," Rachel breathes out. "Who knew Santana Lopez was capable of feeling so deeply. How do you even know about this?"
"Like you said before, S and I could have had our differences in the past, but we've known each other since we were toddlers. We are kind of best friends turned enemies turned frienemies." Quinn shrugs airily. "These things you just know."
"I don't think Santana has anything to be afraid of," Rachel says finally after a minute of quiet thinking.
"Couldn't agree more."
"I mean, even if it wasn't obvious that Brittany's feelings go more deeply than a superficial jealousy caused by her on and off sexual partner sleeping with someone else." Rachel turns to face Quinn completely. "Even then, she should just go for it."
Quinn eyes her curiously. "What do you mean?"
"I guess, what I'm trying to say is, if you really want something, just go for it. You shouldn't stop yourself from pursuing a goal only because you are afraid of the consequences. Like, look at me for example," Rachel explains intently, "I know setting a goal as high as Broadway won't be easy. Will that stop me? I don't think so. The taunting, the bullying- caused mainly by obvious jealousy of my talent and predictable future outside of this hellhole; did those stop me? Never."
Quinn smiles, a tiny burst of pride rushing through her body.
"The case of wanting someone is just the same," Rachel continues, suddenly seeing the perfect way to make Quinn understand. "Even if you are scared, even if you feel that person might not feel the same; you just can't stop yourself from trying because if you do, there will come a day when you will look back and you will ask yourself, what if? And sadly, the moment to know the answer would have passed and you'd never know."
Quinn gulps hardly. 'Is she telling me something…? No. No, that's ridiculous.'
"And how many times do we miss the signs that are right in front of us? What about when you are too busy hiding feelings- or trying to suppress them because you are scared- to notice those hints that tell us that there's no reason to? That the sign we were waiting for is right in front of us," Rachel finishes softly. She looks pointedly at the blonde, trying to convey the true meaning of her words. "It may be my musical-inspired way of seeing life, but I strongly believe that if you really want something, it is always worth the risk."
"I… guess." Quinn shifts on her seat. 'She's definitely telling me something. But oh god, what am I supposed to do now? I- I'm not- I can't just come out and- oh lord.'
Rachel sighs quietly. Well at least she's not at square one anymore. They stay silent for a moment, the brunette attentively listening to Quinn's internal battle of 'Say something! No, don't. She practically told you she would be okay with it! No she didn't, she was talking about Santana. You know at the end she wasn't. Well, what if she was? But what if she wasn't? It could end in disaster. But she told you not to be afraid. Well, but I am!' and so on.
"Anyway, I should go home," Rachel finally says, patting a distracted Quinn on the leg and the blonde moves it so she can stand. Rachel is about to say goodbye when Quinn also starts standing. "What are you doing?"
"I'm… walking you to the door?"
"You shouldn't be walking."
"I'm fine," Quinn mumbles, her mind still buzzing with ideas and fighting with herself.
They walk to the door and Rachel steps out, glancing at the empty street before turning back to the blonde. Quinn is holding the door with one hand, the other closed tightly into a fist and looking intently at some point somewhere around Rachel's waist.
"Okay, so, I'll see you on Mon-" Rachel starts before Quinn cuts her off.
"I read the newspaper," she suddenly squeaks. Rachel gapes at her for a few seconds and waits for her to elaborate with raised eyebrows. "Every morning, I read Lima's Voice while having breakfast. My dad used to read the Economy pages and give me the rest; he said it was important to be aware of all the events happening in our town and now I can't get rid of the habit. Not that I want to, because it's a really good habit, but it just, sometimes it reminds me of him and I don't know how I feel about it, but I still read it anyways…"
As much as Quinn's nervous rambling is utterly endearing for Rachel, she wonders if the whole thing has a point. "That's definitely a nice habit, indeed," she nods slowly.
Quinn looks up at her finally and rolls her eyes. 'Way to make a fool of yourself, Fabray.' "I just… I read this article; it said something about Lima's Community Theatre celebrating the fifty years anniversary of its inauguration… and I think I remember it saying something about a play, uhm… I think it was the Phantom of the Opera and… I guess I just, kinda, thought of you." Quinn stops, changing her weight from one foot to the other. 'Oh god, just, just spit it. Out. Just say it. You've come this far. Just ask her.'
Rachel bites her lip anxiously, mentally cheering on the girl to finally ask her. Come on Quinn, I'm going to say yes! She thinks.
"I mean, it- it reminded me of you because you like musicals and- and Phantom of the Opera is like, one of the most epic ones, so I was wondering if- if maybe…"
"Yes!" Rachel says a little too over-enthusiastic but she doesn't really care.
Quinn smiles crookedly. "You didn't even know what I'm going to ask you."
"You're going to ask me if I want to go with you to tomorrow's play at eight." Rachel beams at her. "And I'm going to say yes."
"How did you…?"
"See? This is just more proof for you that I am, in fact, psychic."
Quinn squints her eyes playfully. "Or proof that you also read the newspaper."
Rachel mock-gasps. "How did you know?"
Quinn chuckles making Rachel's stomach flutter pleasantly.
"So you wanna go with me?" The usually confident cheerleader asks, like she somehow got it wrong.
"Yes. I expect you to pick me up tomorrow at seven thirty sharp," Rachel nods. Then in a rush of courage and confidence, she adds. "It's a date."
'Wait a minute, did she really-' "A d- are you sure?" Quinn asks looking completely dumbfounded.
"Absolutely." Rachel bites her lip before stepping close to the hazel-eyed girl and reaching up to kiss her cheek sweetly, savoring the proximity and Quinn's scent that envelopes her and makes her mind dizzy like a drug. "See you tomorrow, Quinn."
'She just- I can't- this is- Rachel just- I have a- with Rachel- I just- she said yes- and we are- holy shit.' "Okay," is all Quinn manages to squeak through her internal meltdown, the word going unheard by the tiny, beautiful brunette that is currently walking down her street with a little spring in her step.