new directions | glee

12. BACK TO YOU ☑️

Rachel and Kayla had been taking it fairly slow. They still cuddled and held hands sometimes, but they hadn't kissed each other since the big break up and they were trying to keep it that way. Neither party wanted to jump the gun and ruin things, so they were being conscious of how they acted around each other.

Kayla moved her eyes away from Rachel and to the stage as Sam and Artie took the lead vocals and gave their performance. All the girls around her seemed to be freaking out. Kayla didn't understand the hype. It was a great performance and she loved a hip thrust just as much as the next girl, but it was hardly orgasm-inducing. Though, she did feel a little something when Sam did that body roll.

When the performance ended, each girl started pairing off with their man and Kayla smiled, watching Quinn approach Sam to plan a date. Maybe she had changed her mind about Finn. She would have to tell Sam the truth eventually, but at least it seemed like she wasn't going to stray again.

Kayla and Rachel were one of the few people left in the room. She could faintly see Mercedes talking to Kurt on her cell phone about some diva-off she was going to have with Rachel, but the girl quickly left the auditorium, leaving Rachel and Kayla alone (which usually ended in trouble for those two).

Kayla looked over at Rachel shyly, taking a deep breath. "Can I play you something?"

The brown eyed girl smiled brightly and nodded as they walked up to the stage hand-in-hand. They went to the piano sitting further back on the stage. The boys moved it so there would be room for their performance. Kayla sat at the stool and sighed deeply while Rachel leaned against the other end of the piano and smiled to calm her. It immediately chilled her out and quickly her fingers found their way to the keys.

< back to you, selena gomez >

"Took you like a shot. Thought that I could chase with a cold evening. Let a couple years water down how I'm feeling about you. And every time we talk, every single word builds up to this moment. And I gotta convince myself that I don't want it even though I do."

Kayla looked up from the keys and locked eyes with Rachel, immediately smiling as she looked into that familiar gaze and began the next line.

"You could break my heart in two, but when it heals it beats for you. I know it's forward but it's true."

Kayla's eyes flickered down to Rachel's lips before she got nervous again and looked back at the keys.

"I wanna hold you when I'm not supposed to, when I'm lying close to someone else. You're stuck in my head and I can't get you out of it. If I could do it all again, I know I'd go back to you."

The last note played and Kayla pulled her hands away, letting them sit in her lap as she waited for some type of reaction from Rachel. The other girl was still smiling as she sat down next to her, grabbing her hand and rubbing her thumb against it.

Out of nowhere, Rachel spoke. "Do you wanna go on a date?"

Kayla looked up from her gaze locked on their intertwined hands and she smiled, leaning in as she placed a hand on Rachel's cheek and kissed her softly. The kiss was quick but loving and she apologized as she pulled away.

"Sorry. I know I asked for us to go slow. I just really wanted to kiss you." she blushed a deep red and Rachel chuckled.

"So is that a yes?" she grinned and Kayla nodded quickly.

"That's a one hundred percent yes." Kayla assured the brunette as Rachel leaned in to kiss her one last time.

In that moment, everything felt like it was finally falling into place. In that moment, everything was perfect, but perfection is never permanent.

←⧪→

The diva-off hadn't exactly gone to plan. Kayla quickly found out that it was Sue that was spreading rumors about Rachel and Mercedes to get them to turn on each other. It worked for the first verse, but by the end, they wore wide grins and embraced each other in a hug. Kayla couldn't help but love the performance, especially when Rachel locked eyes with her mid-solo and gave her a wink.

While Mercedes and Rachel were gushing about each other's vocals, Kayla followed Sam into the hallway. He was acting weirder than usual. He was at his locker and just before she could reach him, he slammed it shut with a curse falling off his lips.

She felt her feet moving faster to catch up to him. She put her hand on his shoulder and he broke down, falling into her chest as tears streamed down his face.

She felt tears threatening to fall down her own, but she stayed silent as she wrapped her arms around Sam's frame and traced her fingertips through his hair. "It's okay. I'm here."

Neither of them said a word. The only sounds that could be heard were the sobs coming from Sam and the sniffles from Kayla. He needed his best friend now and she just needed him to be okay.
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[A/N: this chapter's a little shorter because let's face it—it's kind of a filler. loved writing this, though, and the rayla scene has my heart. we just hit 8k and my heart is so full! i love you guys so much. up next is everyone's favorite—Blame It On The Alcohol. i can't wait for everyone to taste pink 😂💗💗💗]

*edited 1/14/23

~ Dani