Life Change - 5/30
Summary: Sometimes you need a new life. And you don't know what things will come with your choices... but they could surprise you.
Puck was pretending to be busy on his laptop while Mike, Ade and Sam played videogames in the living room, but in actuality, he was mulling over what Adah had told him earlier. Her brief speech had been filled with strong concepts; her wishes about having a mom and a family. He wanted nothing more than to give her what she wanted, because he wanted that too - to see her happy - to have a family.
Puck sighed and got up to look for a beer.
Sam was still grinning like an idiot after he had come back from his date. He hadn't given any details but by the look on his face everyone could tell that it had gone well. Puck knew that Sam had been disappointed in the past few relationships that he had been involved in, and the asshole was a romantic despite how he wanted to pretend otherwise. The guy deserved to have a decent date with a nice girl.
Mike and Puck laughed when Ade whispered something to Sam and he turned bright red.
"Ade!" Sam hissed.
"What? Grownups kiss when they like each other, so I want to know if you kissed her," she grinned wickedly, "did you?"
"Yeah, did you, Evans?" Mike prodded and Sam glared at him.
"Shut up," Sam grumbled and then leaned forward and said something to Adah's ear.
It looked like the smile that crossed her face was going to break it in two and the sharp squeal she let out said everything.
Puck just lifted his beer bottle as a congratulation to his friend and mouthed a finally, before he sat down in his armchair. His mind wasn't really there, though. He was trying to come up with a strategy to ask Rachel on a second date.
He just needed a bit of courage. Worst thing that could happen: Rachel could say no and that would suck and hurt like a kick on the balls.
"Daddy?" Ade asked and Puck smiled at her. "You look funny."
"I'm just tired," he replied quickly.
"Yeah, tired of being a pussy," Mike muttered under his breath and soon Puck smacked him upside the head and Ade slapped his leg.
"Don't say that about Daddy!" She admonished him and Puck smirked. "Apologize," she huffed and Mike rolled his eyes. "Uncle Mike!"
"Yeah, yeah, sorry, dude," Mike mumbled and Puck and Sam snickered. "Happy, Miss Adah?" Mike smiled at her and she grinned and nodded. "Okay, let's play again." Puck watched them for a while and then finished his beer. He went to the kitchen and chucked the bottle into the trash bin.
He had to do something. He had to stop thinking about Rachel and how much he wanted to see her again because the dopey look didn't go with him.
His hand reached for his cell phone in his pocket. He browsed through his contact list and lingered on Rachel's phone number. He just had to call. It was right there and nothing was stopping him.
After a deep breath he decided that his balls were big enough to take a no. He dialed and soon he was waiting for her to pick up.
He walked back to his bedroom and Mike and Sam gave him a curious look.
Puck felt like time stood still and then he heard her voice.
"Hello," Rachel greeted merrily and he could feel her smiling through the phone. The thought of her dazzling smile made him smirk.
"Rachel," he replied softly and locked the door of his room to lean his back against it. "It's Noah," his own name felt foreign but he loved how she said it, so he gave her the hint.
"Noah," Rachel repeated and Puck felt a knot in his throat, "how are you? How is Ade?"
"Fine, we're fine," he smiled. "Are you busy? I shouldn't have called you, you must be working and-"
"Oh, no, don't worry," Rachel said and looked around the café. "Quinn just got here, so I have a few minutes," she walked back inside the kitchen. "This was supposed to be my day off, but she had things to do and since she covered for me yesterday morning-" she trailed off and smiled to herself remembering their date.
"I'm sorry you lost your day off because of our date," he gulped. He really didn't think it had been a date, he wanted more from her and to give her more from him. A true date was supposed to be full of flirty moves and lines. He wanted to seduce her, to show her the real Puck.
"I had a great time with you and Ade," Rachel responded sheepishly. She really hoped that he didn't regret the date, because apologies generally meant regret.
"That-that's why I was calling," he continued.
Rachel paled. What if he called her to tell her that it hadn't worked for him? Or that he needed someone to babysit Adah? Or…
"Rach," he sighed. Rachel loved his deep voice, how velvety it felt and she closed her eyes expecting the worst. "Would you like to go out with me? Just the two of us."
She stopped breathing. She was sure she hadn't been this nervous since the first time she stepped on a stage.
Noah was asking her out on a second date, alone, but wait! She hadn't said anything yet and she didn't know the details. He was waiting and she didn't want to play hard to get. Sure, a little mystery helps but no guy likes to pursue a girl that wants to seem too busy just to play with his head.
Puck was freaking out. She hadn't said a word. This was worse than a no. What if she had hung up?
"Rach?"
"I'm sorry," she muttered and Noah braced himself and waited for the rejection. "I would love to go on a date with you, again."
He let out a big sigh of relief and Rachel heard him. Was he as nervous as she was?
"I thought you were gonna say no," he chuckled and Rachel giggled. "You sure had to think about it. Sorry if the last one wasn't as good as you expected to be."
"No, it's not that. You just took me by surprise, Noah," she breathed with more ease now. "I wanted to call you, but I was scared that you were busy or that you weren't interested." She confessed and felt silly about it.
She was so sweet. How could she even think that he wasn't interested? And she had wanted to call him, which it proved to him that she had enjoyed their time together too. He just wanted to have a date with her-alone - and lose himself into her deep brown eyes.
"Rach, I asked you out the first time. I think that proves that I'm interested."
"It could've been because of Adah," Rachel mumbled and Noah sighed.
He had feared that too. "Did you say yes because of her?" He asked and Rachel smiled to herself.
"Yes, partly. She's a sweet girl, but her father seems very interesting too." She knew she was blushing and it was embarrassing because the boy that helped her in the kitchen was staring at her and he had a smirk on his face.
Puck chuckled. He was dying to see her again, to see if her skin was as smooth as it looked like, if her lips were as soft as he imagined them and if her hair was silky between his fingers.
"She wanted to see you but I wanted to spend time with you too," he slid down the door and sat on the floor. "I want to see you again." He whispered and looked at his feet. It was awkward to confess that like a young boy with a crush on the new girl.
Rachel bit her lower lip and fought back the need to squeal. "What about tomorrow?" She offered softly because she didn't want to be heard by anyone, especially not the very amused boy that was baking a lemon pie behind her.
Puck shut his eyes tightly and shook his head. "I can't. PTA meeting," he replied and choked a laugh. He never imagined giving an excuse like that seven years ago. "Tuesday?"
"I have to bake a birthday cake and I'll be working till late," Rachel sighed and plopped down on a stool.
"Babe," Puck's complaint was barely a whisper but Rachel couldn't help the grin that took over her face. "Wednesday? Please tell me you can, because I have a pretty busy weekend with hockey and basketball games, unless you wanna wait until February or April after the season ends."
"Noah," Rachel drawled and snickered. "I think it's an exaggeration but Wednesday is a good day. I don't have a problem with it."
Puck smirked. "Good, then we should go for a drink and just have grownup fun," he joked and heard Rachel's giggles. "You have no idea how many cartoons I have to watch on the weekends."
"I know Adah watches the games with you. It's impossible that you can complain about it."
"Do you know when was the last time I was able to watch a PG-13 movie? I mean, just that, nothing more. I think Ade was six months old and I had insomnia." He told her and Rachel smiled at the thought of him with a baby in his arms, taking care of her, but she also felt sad about his sacrifices.
"Well, if you are a good boy we might watch a movie where there's actual kissing and a few expletives," Rachel mocked him and Puck snorted a laugh.
"Don't tease, Rach, not nice," he jibed and Rachel laughed.
"I'm very nice and polite," Rachel retorted. "I just think we should keep our date simple, maybe a drink and dancing?" She asked hesitantly.
"I could do that," Puck answered and then felt a pounding on the door.
"Daddy!" Ade cried. "Daddy, Uncle Sammie and Uncle Mike are fighting over Mario Kart again. I need you to play with me and yell at them. Please?"
Puck laughed. They always did that and sometimes he felt like Adah was babysitting them instead of the other way around.
"I gotta go, Rach, Ade is having some issues with the sitters," Puck said as he stood up.
"The uncles?" Rachel asked and Puck let out a yes. "Okay, so…"
"I'll call you later to set up a time and get your address to pick you up, okay?"
"Sure," Rachel smiled, "Say hi to Ade."
"Bye, Rach, see you," he smirked to himself while he heard the yelling from the living room.
"Bye," Rachel said and they waited for a second before they hung up.
Puck tossed his cell on his bed and a smug smile spread across his face.
When he opened the door Adah almost fell to the floor. Once she steadied herself, she looked at him with wide eyes and blushing. She had been caught.
"Were you eavesdropping?" Puck narrowed his gaze and Ade huffed.
"Nope," she frowned and folded her arms across her chest. She had his attitude after all. "I just wanted to know why you were hiding. Who were you talking to?"
"I wasn't hiding, Adah," Puck scowled. "It's not nice to be nosy. You don't wanna get old like your grandma."
Ade gasped and looked at him with utter shock. "You can't say that about Nana!"
"You keep that little mouth shut," he said amusedly, "or I'll tell Rachel to not give you more cookies."
"You're mean," Ade pouted and glared at him.
Puck laughed and flicked her protruding lower lip, which made her smile.
"I was talking to Rach, nosy duckling," he smoothed her hair with one hand and she grinned widely before raising her arms, demanding to be lifted by her father. She hugged him. "She said hi."
Puck started to walk down the hall with Adah perched on one hip and remembered something. "And you better not tell grandma any of this."
"Why-" Ade muttered and Puck frowned. "Okay." She drawled. "Nosy Nana." She added and Puck chuckled.
Once they reached the living room, he saw Mike and Sam fighting over the game.
"Stop it!" Puck called loudly and his friends shut up and stared at him. "You're supposed to be the adults here, not Ade, so just behave as twenty-seven year-old men and not like kids." He released Adah who stuck her tongue out at her uncles and retrieved her control.
"She's an evil dwarf," Mike muttered and Sam nodded.
"She deserves her punishment," the blonde man said.
Suddenly Ade squeaked and felt how Mike and Sam were tickling her. She started to giggle and scream in the middle of the floor as her uncles laughed.
Puck smirked at the scene. "By the way, I need someone to babysit Ade this Wednesday, because I have a date with Rachel."
The three kids playing stopped immediately and stared at him with wide eyes as Noah walked and disappeared into the kitchen.
"Wait, date?"
"When?"
"How?"
"Daddy!"
They all ran behind him.
"I have a date!" Quinn heard and turned her head around to see a smile that seemed bigger than Rachel's actual face.
"Puck?" Quinn asked and Rachel nodded. "Second date? That's great!"
"I know," Rachel spoke in a high-pitch voice and Quinn snickered. "I hope I didn't sound too desperate, but I really want to go out with him again. Ugh!" Rachel frowned. "I hate that I feel like a teenager around him, it's stupid. I shouldn't, I'm a grown woman. I've had dates before, but-" she sighed, "he has something. I don't know what it is but it feels so good."
"And you haven't even touched him," Quinn muttered to herself but Rachel heard her.
"Quinn!" She admonished her. "I don't mean it like that."
Quinn laughed and nodded.
"Anyway, where were you? What was so important that you had to go out on a Sunday?" Rachel questioned her and Quinn gulped.
She didn't want to hide her date with Sam, because she'd had a great time and she liked him. She really wanted to talk about it with her friend, but Rachel could get mad if she knew that she had been a topic of conversation. But she was Quinn's friend, so Rachel couldn't get mad if her friend was happy, right?
"I had a sort of date," Quinn mumbled and Rachel smiled.
"Really? With whom? Why hadn't you told me?"
"I just met him a few days ago," Quinn replied nervously.
"Where?"
"Here."
"Do I know him?" Rachel asked curiously. "Was he nice? I really hope you didn't just date another jerk, because you want a sweet guy, that's what you need and you keep dating pricks that don't deserve you Q." Rachel saw the small smile on Quinn's lips. "So?"
"He's so sweet, Rach," Quinn's smile grew into a grin, "He's great and he's funny. He likes kids and-"
"I thought it was a first date. Don't you think talking about kids is a little-too much? You don't want to scare him, do you?" Rachel joked and Quinn looked at her guiltily.
"Okay, don't get mad at me-"
"Why would I?" Rachel was suddenly frightened. "Oh, God. He has kids." Suddenly Rachel felt sick. It could be any guy but what if Puck was playing with them? What if-
"No, he doesn't."
Rachel let out a heavy sigh. Thank God.
"He's - he takes care of Ade," Quinn said. "He's one of Puck's friends, the one who works at the radio station."
"Uncle Sammie?"
"Sam," Quinn smiled. "Yes, he just came by the other day to-" Quinn trailed off.
"To what?" Rachel arched an eyebrow.
Quinn paled. She couldn't just tell her that Sam was checking on her and that's how she had met him, much less that they were conspiring to get her and Puck together and that she was comparing notes with Sam about her date. She was going to kill her right there, maybe stuff a pie with her remains.
"Rach, don't get mad."
"Quinn," Rachel drawled. "Just say it, why are you being so mysterious?"
"He just wanted to see who we were, because Ade had been talking a lot about you - I mean, us -and well, he was concerned about the people that had been taking care of Adah. He was being a good uncle and-"
"He wanted to approve me? To see if I was dating material?" Rachel spoke in a fake calm tone.
"Not exactly-" Quinn gave her an apologetic look.
"Did Noah send him? Or he just convinced him to date me?" Rachel's voice felt small.
"Neither," Quinn shook her head. "Sam just wanted to help Puck and protect Adah. Just like we did with Kurt and Tina-" Dammit! Quinn scrunched up her face. She shouldn't have said that.
"What did you do?" Rachel was stunned.
"We might have tried to get some information from Mike, through Tina, but-"
"How?"
"She kinda seduced him-" Quinn offered sheepishly.
"Oh, my God," Rachel shouted. "What is this? Why can't you just stop meddling! I appreciate the concern but I'm a big girl and I'm sure Noah hasn't agreed to his friends spying on us either, so can you just leave us alone, please?" Rachel threw her arms up in the air and huffed before making her way back to the kitchen.
"Promise to share details about the date though," Quinn said and Rachel chuckled.
"I'll have to otherwise you're going to use binoculars and costumes and I wouldn't like to call the police to get rid of walking plants," Rachel joked and Quinn snickered.
"I'll tell you all about Sam," Quinn followed her. "He's so sweet, he has this long blonde hair that's so soft, and he's cute. He loves music and plays the guitar, and his lips are so good, his kisses -" Quinn moaned and Rachel laughed.
"Glad someone is getting kisses," the brunette scoffed.
"Oh, shut up, I bet you get more after this next date, because you know that during the day we had to keep the PDA to a minimum-"
"Quinn! I won't-" Rachel screeched and Quinn arched an eyebrow at her until she blushed. "Well, maybe I want to kiss him but that doesn't mean I will."
"Bet he wants more than kisses," Quinn mocked her and Rachel shook her head. "Anyway, Sam is just perfect…"
After that Rachel spent almost an hour hearing every detail about Sam: how his eyes were lovely, the way he smiled and how Quinn had felt his rock hard body while they were kissing.
That didn't help to her expectations on the date with Noah.
He wasn't nervous. Puck wasn't nervous… or at least that's what he kept telling himself.
Adah was happy staying at home with Mike and Sam. She had wished him good luck and promised to not tell anything to his mother, but she was very excited about this date.
Mike had handed him a condom and waggled his brow while he told him that it wasn't a problem if he wanted to spend the night out. A phone call would be enough to let them know that he had scored.
Puck smacked his head and shoved him away.
Sam just advised him to be nice. Nice? Well, he wasn't a kid to be told to behave, but he got what his friend meant that if he wanted to keep Rachel around he had to be more romantic and less of a douche, like he was with his one night stands.
Puck took one deep breath of freezing air before he called at the intercom outside Rachel's apartment building.
"Yes?" Her voice called and he smiled.
"Rach-"
"Oh, Noah, I'll be right down," he heard nothing more and less than ten minutes later she was in front of him.
He liked that she could recognize him only by his voice.
"Hey," he said softly and she smiled. "You look great," he smirked and she giggled.
"Noah, I'm wearing a coat. I doubt this qualifies as an outstanding outfit, but I appreciate the compliment," she replied. "You look very handsome."
"Ade pre-approved."
Rachel chuckled. "Well, she has a good taste then." She approached him and looked into his eyes. "Shall we?"
She looked perfect and Puck couldn't help to glance at her plump lips. He wanted to wrap an arm around her and pull her tight against his body.
"Yeah, we should go," Puck smiled and shoved his hands into the pockets of his pea coat.
They made small talk during the cab ride to the club. He talked about the PTA meeting and how boring some parents and teachers were and she talked about the café, cakes and customers.
Finally, when they got to the place he was able to appreciate the outfit under the coat. She was wearing a simple purple dress and black leather booties. Her legs were amazing and the curve in her lower back just screamed for him to touch it.
But he behaved.
"You look beautiful," Noah said when they were going to order a drink.
"Okay, now I can believe you," Rachel responded with a flirty smile and he snickered.
The club wasn't too crowded and they looked for a place where they could talk while they had their drinks. It wasn't like they would complain about the noise when that gave them an excuse to be close to each other.
"I feel so old," Puck blurted out when he looked at the dance floor.
"What? Why?" Rachel quirked an eyebrow, "You don't look old and if you're sixty you look quite well for your age."
Puck snickered, "I'm twenty-seven, thanks." He sighed. "I mean, I could be any of those guys, y'know? Having fun all night long, not caring about shit-Sorry, I-"
"Hey, grownup time, it's okay if you use a few curses." Rachel smirked wickedly and then whispered. "I watched an R-rated movie last night, so I don't have a problem."
Puck snorted a laugh. "Awesome way to not make me feel old."
"Aw, Noah," Rachel cooed and patted his chest softly. "Don't be like that." They smiled. "Finish what you were saying. Why you feel old?"
"Because I have to worry about stuff, take care of people, and sometimes I wish things were simpler, and then I remember the guy I was before and I know I couldn't be like that and have Ade. And she's my daughter so-Fuck, I'm a softy, see? Old." He chuckled.
"You shouldn't feel old, it's not that. You're mature and have lived more than most people at your age, but I think it's… attractive," she smiled coyly at him. "You know what you want from life and that's hard to figure out. It took me years to realize that what I dreamt wasn't what I really wanted or needed."
"Broadway?"
"Yes," she exhaled heavily.
"You say it like you're old," he added.
"Well, I shouldn't tell you this because it's not polite to ask a woman's age, but I'm twenty-five, not so old," she paused and took a glance at his face, the chiseled bone structure, the deep color of his eyes. "I was on stage since I was a girl, I loved it. It's fun to act, sing and dance, and I never knew another lifestyle, but two years ago I felt empty and realized that I needed something else. The applause didn't work for me anymore, it was always about pleasing everyone else and I needed something that made me happy, just me." Puck's hand reached for hers and she felt his warm and firm grasp, the calloused fingertips grazing the back of her hand. It was comforting. "I realized that I like to do nice things for people, to get a thank you and a smile as a reward. To see happiness in one face does more for me than a whole theater clapping over a performance." She chuckles softly. "It doesn't make sense, does it?"
"It makes perfect sense," Noah dropped a kiss on her hairline and Rachel closed her eyes feeling his lips against her skin. "It was brave to give up all that for a new life."
"You did the same for Adah." Rachel squeezed his hand and he didn't move but looked at their entwined hands.
"Guess so," he responded.
"Okay, let's stop this non-sense about feeling old and all that," Rachel grinned at him and Puck chuckled. "Do you dance?"
"Well, that depends; compared to you, I'm probably awful."
"Oh, c'mon," she looked at him through her eyelashes. "You have to dance with me. Please?"
Puck laughed. She was just adorable and funny. How could he say not to that and her sensual attitude and body? He nodded.
Rachel was happily surprised by him. He was a very good dancer, not perfect, obviously, but his rhythm was great and he didn't make awkward movements like some other men on the dance floor. She even dared to think that he looked sexy.
She loved how he wasn't shy about touching her, seducing her but never going so far to make her feel uncomfortable.
Noah was entranced by her. She was a dancer after all but her body moved with confidence and sexily on time with every beat, perfectly. Every time she brushed against him, he felt the need of kissing her more and more, to take her and press her against his body. His hands looked for her and he couldn't help it.
He had dated (fooled around) with a bunch of sexy and pretty women, but none of them made him feel like Rachel. She was looking for the same things that he wanted, she already knew what she wanted, needed, and she was open about it.
They talked some more, about his job and his life in general. She told him about the life on Broadway, why she felt like a social pariah because she'd had private tutors since she was eleven, never had friends her age and how she missed that.
"Not a big deal," Puck smirked, "It saved you from a lot of drama."
"Still, it must be better than to behave like an adult when you want to be a kid or a teenager," Rachel replied and Puck now had enough confidence to caress her cheek.
She blushed because his fingers barely brushed against her skin.
"Wanted the whole fantasy with proms and dances? The teen movie?" He joked and Rachel sniggered.
"Maybe, I've always thought I would be the geeky girl that blossoms after high school," she looked into his deep hazels.
"I was a meathead," he blurted out and Rachel laughed. "We would've been a great cliché together, like every teen movie."
"Noah," Rachel drawled amused by his words. "I can't believe that you have changed that much."
"That's what parenthood does to you." He smirked.
"Glad I met you now, then." His hand was now ghosting over her forearm. "Or maybe I wouldn't have liked you very much."
"I'm glad too," he leaned towards her to talk to her ear, "but I wish I would've met you sooner."
Rachel felt his breath tickling her and a shiver ran down her spine. She dropped a teasing kiss on his cheek next to his mouth.
"I'm tired," she muttered and Noah sighed.
"Wanna go home?" She bit her lip and nodded.
He didn't really want to end the date. He was having a great time and her sole presence was enough to keep him interested, but if she wanted to go home, he was going to comply and make sure to be good so she would say yes when he asked her out again. Because he had to see her many more times.
They had a quiet trip back to her place, commenting the night and loving how comfortable they felt around the other, even when they were in silence.
"Am I gonna see you again? Or you bored already?" Noah asked when they were standing outside her building.
Rachel chuckled and shook her head. "I haven't gotten enough yet," she said in a sultry voice and Puck snapped. He wanted a bit more right then and there.
"Good," he took a step forward and there was just a few inches between them, "I haven't gotten enough either," his whispered huskily.
He snaked a hand around her neck to cradle the back of her head and Rachel knew what was coming.
She clutched the sides of his coat when she felt his lips crush against hers. His kiss was passionate and slow, taking his time to invade her with a warm feeling that started to run through her body and melt her.
He felt how her lips were soft and pliant under his. She kissed him back leisurely, teasing him and he loved the consuming fire in her kiss, the feeling of her hands gripping his sides. He wanted more.
She smiled a little when Noah licked her lip with the tip of his tongue for the briefest moment, just to see if she wanted a bit more. Rachel granted him access and she felt his smirk before he deepened the kiss. He was driving her crazy.
Air, it was missing but they didn't care until they couldn't help it anymore.
"Would you like to have a cup of coffee? Talk?" Rachel asked while still panting and Noah kissed her forehead.
"D'you want me to go up? See your place?" He muttered and Rachel bobbed her head. "Okay, if you want."
"I'm being a good host, Noah, nothing else," Rachel excused her question and he let out a throaty laugh.
"I like it hot."
"Beg your pardon?" Rachel widened her eyes.
"The coffee," he smiled. He loved a nice innuendo. "Sweet and hot. Yours?"
"I like it when it keeps me wide awake," she smiled mischievously and he liked her a little more.
"I know what you mean," he curled his fingers around her waist, feeling the fabric of her coat and imagining her tight body underneath it.
She opened the door of her building and soon they were making their way upstairs.
Rachel bit her lip and Noah waited expectantly while she unlocked the door of her apartment. She flicked the lights on, and just like that they had entered into a new territory.