A/N: Sorry for taking so long in updating! I've had a crazy week at work and I've been exhausted. I know this one is a little short, but I hope to make up for it in the next chapter.

Each time Rachel's lips came in contact with Puck's it was like an out of body experience. She didn't have much else to compare it to, but there was this sense of urgency in his kisses; like he actually needed her. Not because she was helping him with Glee, not because she was helping him with school work, but because he actually depended on her. She sensed there were things well beyond Glee that were eating at him, but she was too timid to ask. Rachel Berry… timid? Surely, you jest. Her biggest fear was messing or prodding into the situation; she felt that if she did, she'd wake up with a cupful of slushie in her face and that all of this was an illusion.

Hidden behind the curtain on the stage of the auditorium, she let his hands roam up her sides, around her back, and up into her hair. This had been the routine the last few days after school or after his football practices. Rachel didn't know what this was. She had kissed Finn on two occasions and nothing really came of it. With Puck, they had kissed on numerous occasions now, but they weren't defined. Mostly upon Rachel's request of course.

The following day at school after he so gallantly scaled the lattice outside of her window, Rachel's mind was going a million miles a minute. Realization started to sink in and glimpsing around at her fellow peers, she knew that suddenly showing up on Puck's arm would hardly be deemed acceptable. He did have power of the sheep in the herd, but he only had so much pull. His mere association with Glee was detrimental to his status. He planted himself next to her locker that morning and he sort of lit up upon seeing her arrive. It pained her most when she whispered to him, "Maybe we should keep this… us… a secret for awhile," and his face quickly fell.

The look on his face hit her like a ton of bricks. Like he assumed she came up with this not-so-brilliant idea because she was ashamed of him.

"What, are you suddenly too good for me or something?" He retorted in defense, his face contorting into the scowl she knew all too well.

"No!" Her eyes glanced over his shoulder where Finn stood at his own locker with his back facing them. "Noah, I really do appreciate the gesture and while I'm immensely flattered and do value you as worthy, I'm not sure everyone else would feel the same way. How are you going to explain this to your cohorts?"

"You mean the guys? They'll feel the way I tell them to feel, what are you trying to get at?"

"I mean that you can only threaten them so much, but you know as well as I do that being seen with me will only hurt your popularity."

For a girl who was so sure of herself and her talents, she was lacking in the self-confidence department. Did Puck really contribute to this? Did the last couple of years affect her so much that she thought she was a pariah? He got what she was saying, but maybe if he had treated her differently in the past, she wouldn't feel this way about herself. Sighing, his face softened and his shoulders slumped.

"Is this what you really want?"

"Yes, Noah. It's for your own good."

So, now they snuck around in dark corners and met in secrecy. Part of him knew it was because of Finn, but he wasn't totally against this idea in the end. It was kind of a turn on to creep around with Rachel with no one being the wiser. That was what he liked about Quinn, after all. That was very short-term, though he didn't know where this was going to end up or when and if it'd come to an end. There was this guilt that was building up in his stomach and he knew he could never tell Rachel his true motives for approaching her in the first place. He wasn't stupid enough to think that honesty was always the best policy. That only happened in clichéd teen movies. He wasn't Freddie Prinze, Jr. and this wasn't She's All That. Once Rachel found out he was using her in the beginning for a vendetta, she'd hate him. The thought alone frightened him in a way that he never imagined possible.

Gasping for air, he ran his fingers through her silky locks, taking her in. Her lips were a deep tint of red, mostly from the pressure and aggressiveness of their little make-out session. She heaved in and out, breathless as she clutched onto the fabric of his letterman jacket. It was the only thing that kept her from falling; that and the hold he had on her. That afternoon, he treated her like he did before they came to this arrangement and it kind of stung her a little bit, but she asked for it. She wanted things to seem like they were before all of this so that it wouldn't raise any suspicions. Yet, after his verbal harassment in the hall, he shot her a wink when no one else was paying attention. It was almost sadistic how she wanted to push him into an empty classroom and just kiss him. What was wrong with her?

Puck felt weird about leading this double life with her behind closed doors, he almost felt like apologizing half of the time, but she didn't seem to be affected by it now since she knew it was all for show. It actually made him think she was enjoying this more than he did. She was going in for another lip lock marathon before he jerked his head back and stopped her. Her brows furrowed in confusion and she looked like someone just ran over her ferret.

"What? Did I do something wrong?"

"No," he was quick to dismiss her query, holding a hand to her chin. "I was just thinking about something. What are you doing tonight?"

"Uh…" It took her a moment to rack her brain of her engagements for that evening, but she was usually brain dead after making out with him. "Dinner with my dads followed by a discussion on current events." He wanted to laugh, cackle even, but she was dead serious. He had hurt her feelings enough for one day.

"Sounds fun," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Can you get out of it? Come out with me tonight?"

Was he asking her out? "Wait, is this an official date or are you trying to rope me into babysitting Emily with you?"

A smirk appeared on his face, a mischievous one at that. It made her heart race just a bit. "A date. Unless you rather sit at home with your folks, talking about global issues and our recession."

Letting out a soft laugh, she let go of his jacket and grabbed a hold of his hands, her fingers intertwining with his. "I'll tell them I'm studying with Tina and Mercedes. You know, this would be my first official date ever. I hope you know I'm holding you to a very high standard."

"I wouldn't expect anything less from you. Don't worry, it won't be anything cheesy like a movie or stupid like… bowling." He said it carefully to see how she'd react. He saw some sort of recognition in her eyes, like she was recalling that night with Finn, but it quickly turned into excitement and she was beaming.

"I'll be ready by 8 o'clock, park a few houses down so my dads won't see you."

That was all he needed to hear. Tonight would be the night she'd forget all about Finn.