Fanfiction: Glee - The Finest Organic Suspension Ever Devised
Had Rachel looked at the name flashing on the screen of her phone, she would have ignored the call. She had no reason to talk to Quinn Fabray three years after they had moved on to college. When she realized who was on the other end, she had planned on agreeing to nothing. She didn’t owe Quinn anything.
But then Quinn admitted to being lonely since moving to New York, and she offered to take Rachel out for coffee to catch up. Rachel wasn’t about to say no to an offer of free coffee. She did, however, stipulate where they would meet. She didn’t want to be drinking coffee from an inferior establishment.
Things started off awkwardly. They exchanged hellos, but then stood there silently. It was cold out so Rachel had her hands shoved in her jacket pockets, unsure of how one was supposed to greet former tormentor turned casual acquaintance. No physical contact won out.
“So what’s good here?” Quinn asked trying desperately to get things going.
“I always get the French press,” she pointed to one a boy at a table nearby had on a nice platter. “The Honduran blend is their best.”
“How much is that? At least three cups?” Quinn said and Rachel nodded enthusiastically in response. “Yeah, that might be a little too much coffee for me.”
“I hope that you are not implying that you could share some of my coffee, Quinn,” Rachel said. “You were the one who invited me, and I fully intend on enjoying my drink.”
Quinn looked as though she was about to give some snide remark but then thought better of it. “Sorry, I just meant I’m not the coffee connoisseur that you obviously are. Do you have any suggestions for something sweet, but still has some coffee taste?” She was trying.
For the first time, Rachel thought that maybe things had changed over the years and that the girl before her truly did want a chance at friendship. “I like their caramel latte, if I’m in the mood for something sweet. Although you would probably like yours without the soy milk.”
“Perfect,” Quinn smiled and Rachel returned it with one of her own.
Rachel figured that would be the last of it. A couple hours of not exactly smooth and not exactly painful conversation and they both would go their separate ways. But when Quinn showed up outside one of her classes holding a hot cup of perfectly brewed Honduran coffee with a touch of soy milk, she certainly wasn’t going to turn her away. In fact she was a little flattered Quinn remembered how she took her drink.
They met up more and more frequently, usually under the guise of coffee that Quinn, more often than not, provided. Rachel once protested that Quinn shouldn’t carry the financial burden as they were both struggling college students. But Quinn pointed out that they usually hung out at Rachel’s because Quinn’s heat was broken and that made them even.
Rachel didn’t know if she agreed with the assessment, but she also wasn’t going to argue with the person who caused a surge of affection to flood through her by simply handing her a hot cup of coffee.
Before long, Rachel realized that for the first time in her life, she had a genuine best friend.
//
“I have good news, and I have bad news,” Rachel said when Quinn picked up. Her friend was used to her not bothering with phone greetings by now. “The good news is, despite one blonde being late for our study date, I have in fact commandeered said blonde’s favorite overstuffed chairs and small round table on the fourth floor of the library.”
“And the bad news?” Quinn’s voice came through phone.
“The bad news is while facilities such as the library are open, all campus retail establishments, including coffee shops are closed for Veteran’s day.”
“Well, then good thing ‘said blonde’ took matters into her own hands when she realized this,” Rachel whirled around at the sound of Quinn’s voice behind her.
Quinn had her phone still pinned between her ear and shoulder, a smirk on her face and a Styrofoam cup in each hand.
Rachel grinned and took the coffee. “How did you pull this one off?”
“What can I say? I’m resourceful,” Quinn said with a shrug.
Rachel shook her head, recognizing the words as code for flirted until there was no choice but to hand over coffee. She was about to take a sip when she stopped and eyed Quinn suspiciously, “This isn’t from the Psychology Department is it?”
“No,” Quinn laughed, “I would never subject you to that brown water ever again. I went to the Chemistry Department for the real stuff.”
“I still don’t understand how Folgers can remain in business. Hmm, this definitely is the real thing,” Rachel hummed appreciatively as the warm liquid slid down her throat. She felt the familiar rush of affection for Quinn as she cupped the aromatic liquid just beneath her nose. “You keep this up I might just fall in love with you.”
Rachel didn’t really think about the words before they came out; they just did. In fact she had only thought of Quinn in a strictly platonic manner until that moment.
“And that would be such a bad thing,” Quinn tone held her usual sarcasm, but her darkening blush gave her away.
“Not necessarily,” Rachel returned with what she hoped was an air of easy banter.
Quinn gave a small smile before turning to her work that caused Rachel to reassess her assumption that the jitters that plagued her stomach when they were together were just the caffeine.
//
It was a late study session; both Rachel and Quinn had started to fall into that undefined, giddy, sleep-deprived realm. Rachel wasn’t sure how it started, probably with one of them throwing something at the other, but the next thing she knew, Quinn had grabbed her coffee and had run off.
“Quinn Fabray, if you value your life, you will return that to me right now!” Rachel commanded. Quinn was smirking down at her while she held the mug just above Rachel’s reach.
“I don’t know. You probably won’t be able to kill me without spilling this last little bit,” Quinn laughed.
Rachel’s exaggerated scowl brightened when Quinn began to bring the coffee down, only to be replaced with a look of horror when the blonde quickly gulped the last of it.
Rachel tackled Quinn to the couch with surprising force but was only met with contagious laughter. The mug clattered to the floor, forgotten.
“So pinning me to the couch was your master plan?” Quinn finally got out once the two of them had stopped laughing. Rachel had herself braced above her, face flushed with exertion.
“No,” Rachel breathed out, suddenly aware of how close her face was to Quinn’s. It wasn’t the perfect moment she had planned or imagined, but Quinn’s expression was urging her to do something more.
“This was my master plan,” Rachel said. And though it was the last thing she intended, she leaned down to capture Quinn’s lips in a kiss.
It started slow and tentative, but Quinn eventually returned and then deepened the kiss. Rachel was thankful when they pulled apart because her brain was on overload and all she could register was that Quinn was soft beneath her and tasted, unsurprisingly, of coffee.
The next morning, when Rachel took a sip from her tumbler, all she could think of was the feeling of Quinn against her lips.
//
Rachel was vaguely aware of Quinn getting up, but it wasn’t until her girlfriend got back in bed and curled into her side that she actually woke up.
“I thought you had class,” Rachel mumbled into the pillow.
“I do,” Quinn whispered. “I just want a few more minutes to snuggle with you.”
“I approve,” Rachel said, while somehow managing to press her body back even further against Quinn.
Rachel had every intention of getting up with Quinn, but the gentle tracing of Quinn’s fingers over her bare arm effectively lulled her back to sleep.
Rachel emitted a groan when the warmth behind her disappeared, but moments later when the aroma of fresh coffee began to waft into the room she couldn’t help but sit up and smile. She really did have the best girlfriend.
Her favorite mug waited for her at the kitchen table, and coffee was waiting in the carafe. Rachel had still yet to convince Quinn to invest in a French press of her own because she insisted she had not yet mastered the technique. This way Rachel was assured of a good cup when she stayed over.
Clad only in her underwear and a tank top, Rachel shivered at the cool air. She should have grabbed a pair of shorts, but the promise of hot coffee had been too enticing.
“Good morning,” Quinn kissed the side of Rachel’s head and moved to finish straightening up the kitchen.
“Morning,” Rachel said with a smile. She cupped the mug between her two hands while a contented sigh escaped her lips. “I love you.”
Quinn’s double take would have been comical, if the words had not shocked Rachel just as much as they had Quinn.
“What did you say?!” Quinn asked.
Rachel lowered her mug a bit to stare into the incredulous eyes of Quinn. “I…uh…” Rachel cursed her sleep addled brain for failing her.
“Were you talking to your coffee?” Quinn’s tone was less shocked and more indignant now.
Rachel recognized this was a pivotal moment in their relationship. Had she been more awake, she would have laughed that, once again, it centered on coffee.
Rachel crossed the distance between them and cupped Quinn’s face in both hands. “Quinn, I love you,” Rachel said softly. “I’ll admit there was a time when my affection for you and coffee was blurred. But if I could only spend the rest of my life with either you or coffee, I would choose you every time.”
The profession was sappy and she was standing in the kitchen in her underwear. Nothing with the two of them ever went the way she planned.
“Really?” Quinn voice was small and hopeful.
“I have never spoken words I mean more,” Rachel said as Quinn searched her eyes for sincerity. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” Quinn said. “Probably for longer than I am willing to admit.” She pressed a hard kiss to Rachel’s lips.
“But if you ever make me compete with your love for coffee again, there will be consequences,” Quinn said and walked toward the bedroom. “You coming?”
“What about school?” Rachel asked.
“I think today we have better things to occupy our time. Don’t you agree?” Quinn called over her shoulder with a seductive sway of her hips.
“Definitely,” Rachel said. She snatched the mug off the table and quickly downed as much as she could. It was clear she was going need her caffeine this morning.