Fic: An Enduring Fate (11/?)
Title: An Enduring Fate (11/?)
Rating: NC-17 overall, PG-13 this chapter
Pairings/Characters: Will/Rachel
Spoilers: Follows canon through A Very Glee Christmas; uses ideas from rest of season 2
Disclaimer: All things Glee belong to Ryan Murphy and Fox. I’m just borrowing them.
Summary: They say life is a series of starts and stops. For Will and Rachel, that couldn't be more true.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
NEW:Chapter 11
A/N: Thank you all for reading. I'm a little nervous about this chapter but I hope you all like where this story is heading. I am hoping to update more regularly now. I appreciate all the feedback!
~~~~~
FOUR YEARS LATER
So much has changed, Rachel thought to herself as she looked around the small apartment. Boxes were still full; the furniture wasn’t quite right yet. She hadn’t really expected to be here but she was happy about it, kind of excited actually. It had become her dream and to be living it just out of college was a little overwhelming - in a good way. It may not have been what she wanted since she was a little girl but she could honestly say she wouldn’t change how things turned out.
It felt strange though; it was weird to think of herself as an adult, having the responsibilities that she now had. Smiling, she straightened a picture she had just hung and stepped back to admire it. Little by little everything would fall into place, and she would start to feel like the person she always wanted to be. She walked back to the couch to rest. Sighing contently, she looked around her new living room. She was home.
o0O0o
Will took a breath as he entered the faculty lounge, looking around for a friendly face and seeing none. Classes wouldn’t be starting for two weeks but there was preparation and meetings that he had to attend. After 13 years as a teacher, it didn’t take long for Will to get his classroom set up but this year, he was trying something new. He had lost a lot of his drive the past few years, and he wanted to get that back, so he was changing up his lesson plans and assignments, hoping to come into the year fresh. He needed a little more time than most of the other teachers did to prep because of it. He placed his lunch on one of the empty tables and walked over to pour himself some coffee; he was grateful someone made it.
“Hey, Will,” he heard Shannon behind him. He smiled over at her, as she sat down with her lunch, and finished pouring his coffee.
“Hey, Shannon,” he said softly, joining her at the table. “How was your summer?” he asked.
“Oh, it was pretty good. Doug and I took a trip up to Canada, a few different places, which was exciting,” she said, taking out an elaborate meal from her lunch box. “We had practice this morning. I’m hopeful it’s going to be a good year… How are you doing with everything? I saw that Em’s office was cleared out,” she mentioned, a little hesitant.
Will looked down at the faint tan line on his ring finger. “Yeah,” he nodded, “the, uh, the divorce was final in June and Emma decided she didn’t want to come back. She got a job up at Carmel. I think she’s excited about it… I’m okay though,” he said with a small shrug. He didn’t know if it was the truth but if he said it enough, maybe it would be. “We both wanted different things, you know? We wouldn’t have been happy in the long run. We weren’t happy at all.”
Though that was their situation, Will could get over the fact that he was twice-divorced before he was even 40. It wasn’t exactly where he thought he would be at 36. He thought he’d be happily married, with children, and successful with his career. He really wanted children.
“I know it’s a disappointment,” Shannon said softly, almost reading his thoughts. He looked up and gave her a faint smile. “I know you thought so but it just means she wasn’t the one. I thought she was too in the beginning. I want both you and Emma to be happy and everyone would agree that neither of you were happy in the end, especially when it started spilling over from home to school.”
“Yeah.” Will laughed lightly, more out of discomfort than anything. He nodded in agreement though as he remembered their very loud, very public fight over anything and everything in the halls of McKinley one day last year, just as students were arriving for school. They were arguing about having children and buying a house and seeing her parents. Students and teachers stood around in shock as they aired their dirty laundry until Sue intervened. He knew then that they couldn’t continue on the way that they were. It wasn’t healthy, and he wasn’t happy. That wouldn’t change.
“It’s going to be okay,” he affirmed. “I’m ready to move forward. I even signed up for that mentor program the school district started this year. I think it might help keep my mind off of some things. And I’ve been in a bit of a funk. I need to get out and do something.”
“Oh! Me too,” Shannon exclaimed. “I have the new middle school PE teacher. They didn’t give me a name though.” She laughed.
“Me neither. They just gave me a welcome packet, a time and a room number. It’s the new middle school English and Drama teacher but no name.” He joined her laughter. “I guess this new system still has a few kinks.”
o0O0o
The next day, Will made his way to Johnson Middle School to meet with his mentee. He didn’t know exactly how this would work out but he tried to remember what it was like his first year, how he wished there was someone to guide him through the transition and everything that being a new teacher entailed. He didn’t have anyone to turn to with questions or concerns and he knew that the new teacher was probably hoping for someone with whom they could do just that. It sounded like a perfect role for him. He had always felt at home when he was helping to guide others. He hoped that the program also helped him with finding his own inspiration again.
He noticed the door to the classroom was open, and he smiled when he saw a small brunette inside. She was turned away from him, hanging some pictures up on the corkboard of famous authors and playwrights. He knocked lightly, hoping not to startle her.
“You must be the new English teacher,” he stated softly, stepping into the room. “I’m your mentor.”
She was about to correct him and add Drama teacher to her title but instead she froze. There was no way she could ever forget that voice; she knew they would run into each other eventually but she didn’t expect him to be assigned to her. She wasn’t prepared for this. Unable to say anything, she just took a deep breath and slowly turned around to face him.
“Rachel?” he said, a little started. His confusion was very clear.
“Hello, Will,” she responded finally, giving him a small smile.
After processing for a moment that it was indeed Rachel Berry standing in front of him, a big smile broke out on his face. He couldn’t believe it. It had been five years since he last saw her, nearly four years since they last spoke. He had tried to keep tabs on her, of course, but it got to be too hard for him and got in the way of his relationship with Emma. Even though the break up hit him hard, his love for her never diminished. Walking up to her, he didn’t hesitate in wrapping his arms around her in a friendly hug. He had missed her so much.
“I can’t believe it’s you. I never in a million years would have expected this. How are you?” he asked, speaking quickly. He stepped back after a moment was struck with how happy he was to see her again; he could only hope that she felt the same.
When his arms encircled her, Rachel felt herself relax, letting out a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding. Her biggest fear about seeing him was that he would be upset with her or not even want to see her. She also didn’t know how she would feel. He was her first love and she still felt that love for him. He was the first man to make her feel special and wanted. She often wondered ‘what if’ over the years. What if she had never moved away? What if she had made more of an effort to make it work? Where would they be right now? Would they have lasted? Would they have ended bitterly? She would never know the answers to those questions.
Her smiled widened at his words, breaking away from her thoughts, and she nodded. “I’m well,” she said softly, pausing for just a moment. “I was going to contact you,” she told him. “I’m still getting settled and I was a little nervous, so I put it off.”
They had always been honest with each other and she saw no reason to change that now, even after all this time. She was sure that he would understand. “I was going to though; I guess fate was a step ahead of me…” She smiled. “It’s fitting… having you as my mentor.”
“Don’t worry about it,” he assured. “And yeah, I didn’t know it would be you. They failed to give me a name.” He laughed, stopping when he heard Rachel’s familiar laughter join him. As always, it lit up the room.
“Same here. I was a little afraid that my mentor would ditch me, actually,” she joked. “That would be my luck.”
“I’ll be honest; this is my first year doing this. I already wasn’t sure how to start this. I’m even less sure now that I know it’s you,” he confessed. He looked down a little, breaking eye contact.
She gave him a friendly smile and shook her head. “Don’t worry about it.” She walked over to her desk and looked through the stack of folders, finding her welcome packet. She held it up and looked through it to find a paper and her notes.
“They gave us a guide,” she reminded. “It basically suggests starting with getting to know each other and answering any initial questions I may have, which I do.” She smiled, holding up the second paper, covered in her penmanship.
Will laughed fondly, a little embarrassed that he forget to bring his own packet. “You always were prepared… If that’s the case, how about you let me take you to the Lima Bean? We could get some coffee, get to know each other again and then I can try to answer your questions,” he suggested. “And maybe you could even answer one of mine.”
Rachel had been smiling as her former lover spoke, gathering her purse and notes so they could do just that. She looked at him curiously at his last words.
“Oh? And what question would that be?” she asked, though part of her already knew.
“Why you are here and not in New York,” he answered bluntly, acknowledging the elephant in the room. Rachel paused, swallowing as she felt the tension rise slightly. She knew he would ask.
After a moment, she nodded and walked around her desk towards him. “We can talk about that too,” she promised. “Come on; I definitely need some more caffeine.” She tried to lighten the mood that had taken over but she wasn’t sure how today would go and she wasn’t sure she was ready to face him on a more personal level.
Will nodded. “I can drive,” he told her as they walked out of the building. She followed, smiling when he led her to a black Honda.
“I see you’ve upgraded,” she teased, though part of her was sad that it wasn’t his old, beat up blue car. It held some good memories.
“Yeah, a while ago now. It finally broke down shortly after you moved away,” he told her, unlocking the doors so that they could get in.
Not much was said on the short drive to the Lima Bean. There seemed to be an unspoken agreement that they had a lot to talk about and they should probably wait until they were there. They always had been on the same page.
Once they arrived at the coffee shop, Rachel got out of the car and took a breath. This whole situation was a little strange and awkward but she was nothing if not a good actress. She could act like everything was normal.
“It’s on me,” he told her with a smile, leading her inside. She smiled back, a ‘thank you’ on her lips. As they stood in line, she looked at his profile for a moment. She couldn’t believe how handsome he still was, even more so after all these years. His eyelashes were long; his hair was a little shorter. She really liked the day old scruff. She still felt butterflies in her stomach. Though, she noticed though a lingering sadness in his eyes. She didn’t see it when he was looking at her but she saw it with his interactions with the barista and when he had been driving. She wondered why he was sad, if it was because of her. Maybe he wasn’t happy to see her after the way their relationship ended.
“Let’s sit over there,” she said, gesturing to the couch in the corner as she took her drink from Will.
She walked over with him and sat down, placing her drink on the table and opening her folder. She took out her notes and grabbed a pen from her purse. She noticed that he wasn’t saying anything, seemingly deep in thought, and she knew why.
“Plans changed in college,” she spoke, breaking the ice once again, as she picked up her drink. She knew they weren’t going to be able to really talk until she explained.
Will nodded, leaning in slightly for her explanation. Something obviously changed and he wanted to understand because as good as it was to see her, she was supposed to be in New York, chasing the dreams she had always worked for.
“I know I’m not doing what we both though I would be doing five years ago,” she continued, “but I’m happy and I’m excited, really excited, to start this and making a difference. My parents moved back to Lima a couple of years ago too. It just felt right to be here, right now.
Her words just left Will more confused. She wasn’t really explaining anything. He didn’t know why there was a change in plans, why she wasn’t acting or in New York.
“But why?” he asked, needing to know. “What happened? This just doesn’t seem like you,” he said, causing Rachel to bristle.
“Nothing happened,” she snapped. “I just changed my mind and I wanted to teach. Is there a problem with that?”
Will didn’t know what he said to really upset her but he felt bad for it. It had been five years and this isn’t how he wanted it to be for them.
“I’m sorry,” she said after a moment, calmer.
“No, don’t be,” he replied quickly, shaking his head. “I’m sorry that I questioned it. If this is where you want to be, that’s great. I’m happy for you.”
“Thanks,” she said with a soft smile. Will relaxed slightly, thinking it better to change the subject.
“Let’s go through that list of questions,” he suggested, steering them back to a safe topic. Rachel seemed happy to comply.
Their conversation got a little better from there, staying focused on the job and not their personal lives.
Will couldn’t help but let his mind wander a little. She was even more beautiful than he remembered. Her eyes sparkled and her laugh made him smile. He really missed her these past years.
“So, I think that’s everything for now,” she said before taking a drink of her coffee.
Will nodded and finished off his own. “I hope that was helpful. I think you’ll be fine though,” he said honestly.
“It really was.” She bit her lip. “The guide suggests that we meet regularly to check in and everything. I’d like to do that if you would.”
Will took a breath; he would never pass up an opportunity to see her. “That sounds great. How about we get coffee after the first day of school and then we can come up with a regular time?”
“Sounds good.” She nodded. “I should probably head back now. I have a lot more to do.”
“Of course, let’s go.” He smiled as he stood up and walked with her back to his car but inside he was feeling so many different emotions. He would have to sort those out later.
o0O0o
That night, Rachel sat on her couch, thinking about the day. She didn’t know why she had gotten so upset when Will questioned why she was there, what had happened. He just cared and was confused. As someone who had done so much for her, he deserved to know. And it wasn’t fair of her to snap the way she did. She felt really bad about it.
Looking down at her phone, she paused a moment before pressing the green button and holding it to her ear.
“Hello?” she heard after the second ring, but she couldn’t say anything. “Rachel? Are you okay?”
“I didn’t get into NYADA,” she said finally, almost in a rush.
“What?” he asked, clearly confused.
“Earlier, you asked what happened, what put me on a different path… I didn’t get into NYADA. I choked at the audition. I couldn’t even get through ‘Don’t Rain on My Parade.’” She laughed bitterly. “It was the only school in New York that I applied to, stupidly. I was so sure that they would love me, and I messed up. I tried to get another audition but there are no second chances with NYADA.”
She paused to let that process.
“But… you still could have gone to New York to study drama somewhere else,” he said.
“I know and I majored in Drama at Northwestern. But it wasn’t how I thought it would be and the drama teachers didn’t like me; they didn’t cast me in shows and I started to get discouraged. Between that and the disaster of my NYADA audition, I started to think I might not have what it takes. I even went on some auditions in Chicago but nothing…”
She sighed softly and shook her head, trying not to get upset. She heard a soft “Rach” on the other line and wiped at a tear that fell.
“Do I wish I was in New York? Yes, of course I do. But am I content here, teaching? Yes, I really am. Happy, even,” she finished.
“So, what led you to choose teaching?” he asked, and she could tell that he was starting to understand. He knew the real world could really slap someone around, and though Rachel acted tough, she really was just seeking approval.
“Well… you did,” she stated simply before elaborating just a little. “I remember what you said to me that one night in your apartment, about why you chose teaching.”
“Me?”
“Yes,” she laughed, “You seemed so inspired and passionate that night. And I liked the idea of helping someone else achieve their dreams. I started taking some education classes and tutoring. I really liked it, especially when I could see the student making a connection, that light turning in their brain. It was really fulfilling, and I realized there was a way to combine both education and performing. So I double majored and I got really lucky to find this job. I mean, I’m going to be developing the drama program from scratch. It could be really great and exciting.”
It felt really good to explain it all to Will. She craved his approval more than anyone else’s.
“I’ve always just wanted you to be happy,” he said softly, after a moment.
“I know,” she whispered, pausing as she felt a little overwhelmed. “You made me really happy, Will,” she told him. She just felt like she needed to say it. He had been so important to her and then one day it was just gone.
There was a pause on the other end and for a moment she thought that she had made him uncomfortable. But she heard him take a breath before responding.
“Thank you, Rach.” She could hear the smile in his voice. She shared that smile.
“I should let you go,” she said softly. “I just wanted to explain and apologize for earlier. We’re still on for coffee after the first day of school, right?” she asked.
“Absolutely. Thank you, Rachel, for trusting me with that. I hope you have a good couple of weeks and get everything settled. If you need anything, you know where to find me.”
“I do… goodnight, Will.” She waited a beat before disconnecting. She felt so much better and was so glad she decided to call and explain everything. She had missed talking to him, having him in her life.
Before she could get too deep into her thoughts, her phone started buzzing. She looked down at the display and smiled even wider at the picture looking back at her. She answered.
“Jason! I was just thinking about calling. I miss you…”
o0O0o
Rachel sighed softly as she looked around her apartment. It had been a week since moving in and she hadn’t made as much progress unpacking as she would have liked and almost wished she could just wiggle her nose or bob her head and the work would magically be done.
But she wasn’t living in a 60s television series and knew that she needed to focus on the task in front of her. She was saved by the phone ringing, and she looked at the time. Jason was early but she wasn’t complaining. She answered the phone without even looking at who was calling, a smirk on her face.
“Hey you,” she said in an almost low voice.
“Rach?” she heard and she started feeling her face heat up. It was not who she expected.
“Oh, Will! Hi,” she said in a brighter voice, hoping to cover for herself. “I wasn’t expecting to hear from you.”
“I know,” he said. He sounded almost nervous. “I actually have a question for you, if you’re not doing anything.”
“No, not really, just unpacking. Nothing that can’t wait.” She laughed, feeling some excitement at hearing from him. “What’s up?” she asked curiously.
“Well, Shannon and her husband, Doug, are taking her mentor out to a karaoke bar tonight and she suggested I join them and bring you… Would you be interested in that?” he asked.
Will didn’t quite know how he felt about the idea. Shannon, of course, didn’t know about his and Rachel’s history. She was just excited about Will’s mentee being a former student and wanted to get him out of the house at the same time.
After a pause, he heard Rachel over the line. She didn’t seem sure about it either.
“You want me to come out with Shannon, her husband, her mentee, your wife and you?” She sounded almost incredulous.
Will was surprised she knew he had even been married. It happened after they lost touch. He guessed he wasn’t the only one keeping tabs on the other.
“No, no.” He rushed to correct. “Emma and I aren’t together anymore…” he said slowly and took a breath. “We divorced this summer.” It was still hard for him to say, especially with Rachel.
“Oh… I’m sorry.”
“No, don’t be. Please,” he said. “It would just be me and you and the three of them,” he explained again, trying to smile but he could still sense her hesitation. He didn’t blame her. He felt it too. “It’s okay, if you don’t want to,” he assured. “I know it’s a little weird.”
After what seemed like forever, she finally responded. “Sure, okay… I think that would be nice.”
Will let out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding and smiled. “Great, I’ll pick you up in a couple of hours. Text me your address?” he asked.
“Okay. I’ll see you then, Will,” she said before disconnecting the call. Will looked at his phone. Tonight was going to be interesting.
Rating: NC-17 overall, PG-13 this chapter
Pairings/Characters: Will/Rachel
Spoilers: Follows canon through A Very Glee Christmas; uses ideas from rest of season 2
Disclaimer: All things Glee belong to Ryan Murphy and Fox. I’m just borrowing them.
Summary: They say life is a series of starts and stops. For Will and Rachel, that couldn't be more true.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
NEW:Chapter 11
A/N: Thank you all for reading. I'm a little nervous about this chapter but I hope you all like where this story is heading. I am hoping to update more regularly now. I appreciate all the feedback!
~~~~~
FOUR YEARS LATER
So much has changed, Rachel thought to herself as she looked around the small apartment. Boxes were still full; the furniture wasn’t quite right yet. She hadn’t really expected to be here but she was happy about it, kind of excited actually. It had become her dream and to be living it just out of college was a little overwhelming - in a good way. It may not have been what she wanted since she was a little girl but she could honestly say she wouldn’t change how things turned out.
It felt strange though; it was weird to think of herself as an adult, having the responsibilities that she now had. Smiling, she straightened a picture she had just hung and stepped back to admire it. Little by little everything would fall into place, and she would start to feel like the person she always wanted to be. She walked back to the couch to rest. Sighing contently, she looked around her new living room. She was home.
o0O0o
Will took a breath as he entered the faculty lounge, looking around for a friendly face and seeing none. Classes wouldn’t be starting for two weeks but there was preparation and meetings that he had to attend. After 13 years as a teacher, it didn’t take long for Will to get his classroom set up but this year, he was trying something new. He had lost a lot of his drive the past few years, and he wanted to get that back, so he was changing up his lesson plans and assignments, hoping to come into the year fresh. He needed a little more time than most of the other teachers did to prep because of it. He placed his lunch on one of the empty tables and walked over to pour himself some coffee; he was grateful someone made it.
“Hey, Will,” he heard Shannon behind him. He smiled over at her, as she sat down with her lunch, and finished pouring his coffee.
“Hey, Shannon,” he said softly, joining her at the table. “How was your summer?” he asked.
“Oh, it was pretty good. Doug and I took a trip up to Canada, a few different places, which was exciting,” she said, taking out an elaborate meal from her lunch box. “We had practice this morning. I’m hopeful it’s going to be a good year… How are you doing with everything? I saw that Em’s office was cleared out,” she mentioned, a little hesitant.
Will looked down at the faint tan line on his ring finger. “Yeah,” he nodded, “the, uh, the divorce was final in June and Emma decided she didn’t want to come back. She got a job up at Carmel. I think she’s excited about it… I’m okay though,” he said with a small shrug. He didn’t know if it was the truth but if he said it enough, maybe it would be. “We both wanted different things, you know? We wouldn’t have been happy in the long run. We weren’t happy at all.”
Though that was their situation, Will could get over the fact that he was twice-divorced before he was even 40. It wasn’t exactly where he thought he would be at 36. He thought he’d be happily married, with children, and successful with his career. He really wanted children.
“I know it’s a disappointment,” Shannon said softly, almost reading his thoughts. He looked up and gave her a faint smile. “I know you thought so but it just means she wasn’t the one. I thought she was too in the beginning. I want both you and Emma to be happy and everyone would agree that neither of you were happy in the end, especially when it started spilling over from home to school.”
“Yeah.” Will laughed lightly, more out of discomfort than anything. He nodded in agreement though as he remembered their very loud, very public fight over anything and everything in the halls of McKinley one day last year, just as students were arriving for school. They were arguing about having children and buying a house and seeing her parents. Students and teachers stood around in shock as they aired their dirty laundry until Sue intervened. He knew then that they couldn’t continue on the way that they were. It wasn’t healthy, and he wasn’t happy. That wouldn’t change.
“It’s going to be okay,” he affirmed. “I’m ready to move forward. I even signed up for that mentor program the school district started this year. I think it might help keep my mind off of some things. And I’ve been in a bit of a funk. I need to get out and do something.”
“Oh! Me too,” Shannon exclaimed. “I have the new middle school PE teacher. They didn’t give me a name though.” She laughed.
“Me neither. They just gave me a welcome packet, a time and a room number. It’s the new middle school English and Drama teacher but no name.” He joined her laughter. “I guess this new system still has a few kinks.”
o0O0o
The next day, Will made his way to Johnson Middle School to meet with his mentee. He didn’t know exactly how this would work out but he tried to remember what it was like his first year, how he wished there was someone to guide him through the transition and everything that being a new teacher entailed. He didn’t have anyone to turn to with questions or concerns and he knew that the new teacher was probably hoping for someone with whom they could do just that. It sounded like a perfect role for him. He had always felt at home when he was helping to guide others. He hoped that the program also helped him with finding his own inspiration again.
He noticed the door to the classroom was open, and he smiled when he saw a small brunette inside. She was turned away from him, hanging some pictures up on the corkboard of famous authors and playwrights. He knocked lightly, hoping not to startle her.
“You must be the new English teacher,” he stated softly, stepping into the room. “I’m your mentor.”
She was about to correct him and add Drama teacher to her title but instead she froze. There was no way she could ever forget that voice; she knew they would run into each other eventually but she didn’t expect him to be assigned to her. She wasn’t prepared for this. Unable to say anything, she just took a deep breath and slowly turned around to face him.
“Rachel?” he said, a little started. His confusion was very clear.
“Hello, Will,” she responded finally, giving him a small smile.
After processing for a moment that it was indeed Rachel Berry standing in front of him, a big smile broke out on his face. He couldn’t believe it. It had been five years since he last saw her, nearly four years since they last spoke. He had tried to keep tabs on her, of course, but it got to be too hard for him and got in the way of his relationship with Emma. Even though the break up hit him hard, his love for her never diminished. Walking up to her, he didn’t hesitate in wrapping his arms around her in a friendly hug. He had missed her so much.
“I can’t believe it’s you. I never in a million years would have expected this. How are you?” he asked, speaking quickly. He stepped back after a moment was struck with how happy he was to see her again; he could only hope that she felt the same.
When his arms encircled her, Rachel felt herself relax, letting out a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding. Her biggest fear about seeing him was that he would be upset with her or not even want to see her. She also didn’t know how she would feel. He was her first love and she still felt that love for him. He was the first man to make her feel special and wanted. She often wondered ‘what if’ over the years. What if she had never moved away? What if she had made more of an effort to make it work? Where would they be right now? Would they have lasted? Would they have ended bitterly? She would never know the answers to those questions.
Her smiled widened at his words, breaking away from her thoughts, and she nodded. “I’m well,” she said softly, pausing for just a moment. “I was going to contact you,” she told him. “I’m still getting settled and I was a little nervous, so I put it off.”
They had always been honest with each other and she saw no reason to change that now, even after all this time. She was sure that he would understand. “I was going to though; I guess fate was a step ahead of me…” She smiled. “It’s fitting… having you as my mentor.”
“Don’t worry about it,” he assured. “And yeah, I didn’t know it would be you. They failed to give me a name.” He laughed, stopping when he heard Rachel’s familiar laughter join him. As always, it lit up the room.
“Same here. I was a little afraid that my mentor would ditch me, actually,” she joked. “That would be my luck.”
“I’ll be honest; this is my first year doing this. I already wasn’t sure how to start this. I’m even less sure now that I know it’s you,” he confessed. He looked down a little, breaking eye contact.
She gave him a friendly smile and shook her head. “Don’t worry about it.” She walked over to her desk and looked through the stack of folders, finding her welcome packet. She held it up and looked through it to find a paper and her notes.
“They gave us a guide,” she reminded. “It basically suggests starting with getting to know each other and answering any initial questions I may have, which I do.” She smiled, holding up the second paper, covered in her penmanship.
Will laughed fondly, a little embarrassed that he forget to bring his own packet. “You always were prepared… If that’s the case, how about you let me take you to the Lima Bean? We could get some coffee, get to know each other again and then I can try to answer your questions,” he suggested. “And maybe you could even answer one of mine.”
Rachel had been smiling as her former lover spoke, gathering her purse and notes so they could do just that. She looked at him curiously at his last words.
“Oh? And what question would that be?” she asked, though part of her already knew.
“Why you are here and not in New York,” he answered bluntly, acknowledging the elephant in the room. Rachel paused, swallowing as she felt the tension rise slightly. She knew he would ask.
After a moment, she nodded and walked around her desk towards him. “We can talk about that too,” she promised. “Come on; I definitely need some more caffeine.” She tried to lighten the mood that had taken over but she wasn’t sure how today would go and she wasn’t sure she was ready to face him on a more personal level.
Will nodded. “I can drive,” he told her as they walked out of the building. She followed, smiling when he led her to a black Honda.
“I see you’ve upgraded,” she teased, though part of her was sad that it wasn’t his old, beat up blue car. It held some good memories.
“Yeah, a while ago now. It finally broke down shortly after you moved away,” he told her, unlocking the doors so that they could get in.
Not much was said on the short drive to the Lima Bean. There seemed to be an unspoken agreement that they had a lot to talk about and they should probably wait until they were there. They always had been on the same page.
Once they arrived at the coffee shop, Rachel got out of the car and took a breath. This whole situation was a little strange and awkward but she was nothing if not a good actress. She could act like everything was normal.
“It’s on me,” he told her with a smile, leading her inside. She smiled back, a ‘thank you’ on her lips. As they stood in line, she looked at his profile for a moment. She couldn’t believe how handsome he still was, even more so after all these years. His eyelashes were long; his hair was a little shorter. She really liked the day old scruff. She still felt butterflies in her stomach. Though, she noticed though a lingering sadness in his eyes. She didn’t see it when he was looking at her but she saw it with his interactions with the barista and when he had been driving. She wondered why he was sad, if it was because of her. Maybe he wasn’t happy to see her after the way their relationship ended.
“Let’s sit over there,” she said, gesturing to the couch in the corner as she took her drink from Will.
She walked over with him and sat down, placing her drink on the table and opening her folder. She took out her notes and grabbed a pen from her purse. She noticed that he wasn’t saying anything, seemingly deep in thought, and she knew why.
“Plans changed in college,” she spoke, breaking the ice once again, as she picked up her drink. She knew they weren’t going to be able to really talk until she explained.
Will nodded, leaning in slightly for her explanation. Something obviously changed and he wanted to understand because as good as it was to see her, she was supposed to be in New York, chasing the dreams she had always worked for.
“I know I’m not doing what we both though I would be doing five years ago,” she continued, “but I’m happy and I’m excited, really excited, to start this and making a difference. My parents moved back to Lima a couple of years ago too. It just felt right to be here, right now.
Her words just left Will more confused. She wasn’t really explaining anything. He didn’t know why there was a change in plans, why she wasn’t acting or in New York.
“But why?” he asked, needing to know. “What happened? This just doesn’t seem like you,” he said, causing Rachel to bristle.
“Nothing happened,” she snapped. “I just changed my mind and I wanted to teach. Is there a problem with that?”
Will didn’t know what he said to really upset her but he felt bad for it. It had been five years and this isn’t how he wanted it to be for them.
“I’m sorry,” she said after a moment, calmer.
“No, don’t be,” he replied quickly, shaking his head. “I’m sorry that I questioned it. If this is where you want to be, that’s great. I’m happy for you.”
“Thanks,” she said with a soft smile. Will relaxed slightly, thinking it better to change the subject.
“Let’s go through that list of questions,” he suggested, steering them back to a safe topic. Rachel seemed happy to comply.
Their conversation got a little better from there, staying focused on the job and not their personal lives.
Will couldn’t help but let his mind wander a little. She was even more beautiful than he remembered. Her eyes sparkled and her laugh made him smile. He really missed her these past years.
“So, I think that’s everything for now,” she said before taking a drink of her coffee.
Will nodded and finished off his own. “I hope that was helpful. I think you’ll be fine though,” he said honestly.
“It really was.” She bit her lip. “The guide suggests that we meet regularly to check in and everything. I’d like to do that if you would.”
Will took a breath; he would never pass up an opportunity to see her. “That sounds great. How about we get coffee after the first day of school and then we can come up with a regular time?”
“Sounds good.” She nodded. “I should probably head back now. I have a lot more to do.”
“Of course, let’s go.” He smiled as he stood up and walked with her back to his car but inside he was feeling so many different emotions. He would have to sort those out later.
o0O0o
That night, Rachel sat on her couch, thinking about the day. She didn’t know why she had gotten so upset when Will questioned why she was there, what had happened. He just cared and was confused. As someone who had done so much for her, he deserved to know. And it wasn’t fair of her to snap the way she did. She felt really bad about it.
Looking down at her phone, she paused a moment before pressing the green button and holding it to her ear.
“Hello?” she heard after the second ring, but she couldn’t say anything. “Rachel? Are you okay?”
“I didn’t get into NYADA,” she said finally, almost in a rush.
“What?” he asked, clearly confused.
“Earlier, you asked what happened, what put me on a different path… I didn’t get into NYADA. I choked at the audition. I couldn’t even get through ‘Don’t Rain on My Parade.’” She laughed bitterly. “It was the only school in New York that I applied to, stupidly. I was so sure that they would love me, and I messed up. I tried to get another audition but there are no second chances with NYADA.”
She paused to let that process.
“But… you still could have gone to New York to study drama somewhere else,” he said.
“I know and I majored in Drama at Northwestern. But it wasn’t how I thought it would be and the drama teachers didn’t like me; they didn’t cast me in shows and I started to get discouraged. Between that and the disaster of my NYADA audition, I started to think I might not have what it takes. I even went on some auditions in Chicago but nothing…”
She sighed softly and shook her head, trying not to get upset. She heard a soft “Rach” on the other line and wiped at a tear that fell.
“Do I wish I was in New York? Yes, of course I do. But am I content here, teaching? Yes, I really am. Happy, even,” she finished.
“So, what led you to choose teaching?” he asked, and she could tell that he was starting to understand. He knew the real world could really slap someone around, and though Rachel acted tough, she really was just seeking approval.
“Well… you did,” she stated simply before elaborating just a little. “I remember what you said to me that one night in your apartment, about why you chose teaching.”
“Me?”
“Yes,” she laughed, “You seemed so inspired and passionate that night. And I liked the idea of helping someone else achieve their dreams. I started taking some education classes and tutoring. I really liked it, especially when I could see the student making a connection, that light turning in their brain. It was really fulfilling, and I realized there was a way to combine both education and performing. So I double majored and I got really lucky to find this job. I mean, I’m going to be developing the drama program from scratch. It could be really great and exciting.”
It felt really good to explain it all to Will. She craved his approval more than anyone else’s.
“I’ve always just wanted you to be happy,” he said softly, after a moment.
“I know,” she whispered, pausing as she felt a little overwhelmed. “You made me really happy, Will,” she told him. She just felt like she needed to say it. He had been so important to her and then one day it was just gone.
There was a pause on the other end and for a moment she thought that she had made him uncomfortable. But she heard him take a breath before responding.
“Thank you, Rach.” She could hear the smile in his voice. She shared that smile.
“I should let you go,” she said softly. “I just wanted to explain and apologize for earlier. We’re still on for coffee after the first day of school, right?” she asked.
“Absolutely. Thank you, Rachel, for trusting me with that. I hope you have a good couple of weeks and get everything settled. If you need anything, you know where to find me.”
“I do… goodnight, Will.” She waited a beat before disconnecting. She felt so much better and was so glad she decided to call and explain everything. She had missed talking to him, having him in her life.
Before she could get too deep into her thoughts, her phone started buzzing. She looked down at the display and smiled even wider at the picture looking back at her. She answered.
“Jason! I was just thinking about calling. I miss you…”
o0O0o
Rachel sighed softly as she looked around her apartment. It had been a week since moving in and she hadn’t made as much progress unpacking as she would have liked and almost wished she could just wiggle her nose or bob her head and the work would magically be done.
But she wasn’t living in a 60s television series and knew that she needed to focus on the task in front of her. She was saved by the phone ringing, and she looked at the time. Jason was early but she wasn’t complaining. She answered the phone without even looking at who was calling, a smirk on her face.
“Hey you,” she said in an almost low voice.
“Rach?” she heard and she started feeling her face heat up. It was not who she expected.
“Oh, Will! Hi,” she said in a brighter voice, hoping to cover for herself. “I wasn’t expecting to hear from you.”
“I know,” he said. He sounded almost nervous. “I actually have a question for you, if you’re not doing anything.”
“No, not really, just unpacking. Nothing that can’t wait.” She laughed, feeling some excitement at hearing from him. “What’s up?” she asked curiously.
“Well, Shannon and her husband, Doug, are taking her mentor out to a karaoke bar tonight and she suggested I join them and bring you… Would you be interested in that?” he asked.
Will didn’t quite know how he felt about the idea. Shannon, of course, didn’t know about his and Rachel’s history. She was just excited about Will’s mentee being a former student and wanted to get him out of the house at the same time.
After a pause, he heard Rachel over the line. She didn’t seem sure about it either.
“You want me to come out with Shannon, her husband, her mentee, your wife and you?” She sounded almost incredulous.
Will was surprised she knew he had even been married. It happened after they lost touch. He guessed he wasn’t the only one keeping tabs on the other.
“No, no.” He rushed to correct. “Emma and I aren’t together anymore…” he said slowly and took a breath. “We divorced this summer.” It was still hard for him to say, especially with Rachel.
“Oh… I’m sorry.”
“No, don’t be. Please,” he said. “It would just be me and you and the three of them,” he explained again, trying to smile but he could still sense her hesitation. He didn’t blame her. He felt it too. “It’s okay, if you don’t want to,” he assured. “I know it’s a little weird.”
After what seemed like forever, she finally responded. “Sure, okay… I think that would be nice.”
Will let out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding and smiled. “Great, I’ll pick you up in a couple of hours. Text me your address?” he asked.
“Okay. I’ll see you then, Will,” she said before disconnecting the call. Will looked at his phone. Tonight was going to be interesting.