This Time Around (Glee One Shots)

The Sound of the Buzzer

(A/N:  Based upon a conversation about pickup lines that I had a while back with alex_Corney96 )

"Okay, so firstly.  Rules.  Everyone has a number that is beside their name on their name tag, pay attention to those.  Each interaction will last approximately five minutes.  Guys you are to stay seated.  Girls move to your left, always to your left as you circle from table to table around the room. Please keep your own notes about your potential partners, with their numbers and/or names included.  And at the end of the evening we will gather everyones' form.  If you match with someone, congratulations.  We will then give you further time to meet up afterwards.  Questions?   Any questions?"

The event coordinator lowers his microphone as he scans the room, hopeful faces look back at him.  Seas of heads shaking, no questions being asked of him.

Sebastian sits at a table and just rolls his eyes at all the hoopla, glancing quickly to some of his friends around the room. He cannot believe that he let Thad and Hunter talk him into this crap.

After all, he's Sebastian Smythe. Gods, Ohio's and Paris's gift to all the women of New York City, single or not. He doesn't need a speed dating event to help him get dates. All he usually has to do is slide up to a girl at the club, flash a smile and they practically beg to let him do WHATEVER he wants with them.

He's not a whore, just sexually freer than his repressed peers, thank you very much.

But they're trying to make him meet a 'nice girl', whatever that means.  So here they are, at this bar in Manhattan.

"Ready everyone?   Well have fun and let's begin our evening."

Sebastian is shaken out of his thoughts by the sound of a buzzer and an olive skinned girl sliding into the seat across from him. Her long raven hair frames her face, she could be considered pretty by some but Sebastian is already bored by her presence.

"Hi, um.... Sebastian is it? I'm Camilla."

She's cute, sort of.  If you like that 'big breasted, obviously had too much filler injected into her lips' look.  He however, does not. And just gives her a smirk.

But this is all a game so he responds fair and fair alike.

"Camilla?  Let me guess, from the way you look and the size of some of your 'parts' I bet you're the highest earner down at the local strip club, struggling to 'work your way through college'.  Right?"

Her exuberant smile drops of her face as she crosses her arms in front of her chest.

"Excuse me?!"

Sebastian leans forward, his elbows on the table.  Green eyes flashing devilishly.  "So not only are you physically built like stripper but you're living up to their reputation of being stupid as well.  Brava, my dear, brava."

She just stares at him, mouth ajar. Sebastian sighs and sits back in his seat, picking up his water glass. One girl in and he's already bored.

A buzzer sounds and the girl is out of her seat like it's on fire. That's a definite no, she couldn't keep up with his cutting wit.

And the next few aren't much better.

Curly, haired blonde: too timid.

Pale girl with bangs and nose rings: dull. Dull, dull, dull.

Girl after girl blur together. None of them memorable enough to hold his attention for long. Or at all.

The redhead chattering away across from him could be considered cute with her blue eyes and freckles splashed playfully across her button nose.  That is if she would just shut up.  Her grating voice was giving him a headache.

He rubs a hand across his eyes, feeling irritated and so very tired.  "Listen.... um." He squints to read her name tag again before continuing, "Sheridan.  Look, I'm gonna need you to shut the fuck up now.  Your voice is giving me a migraine and I could honestly care less about what it is like to be a nanny.  Kids suck."

Her mouth falls open as the buzzer sounds again. She scurries away from his table, her mumble of ignorant asshole following in her wake.

Sebastian glances around the room, Thad and Hunter are all smiles.  Having the time of their lives.  And he inwardly curses them.  Naturally THEY would be enjoying putting him in such a miserable situation.

The voice hits him like a smack in the face though and he turns to face the girl now seated at his table gobsmacked.

'Hello??  Um, I'm trying to talk to you and you're wasting my time.'

Seated across from him is former New Direction-er, current NYADA ingenue Rachel Berry.

The one girl he has been fantasizing about since he was 17 and newly returned to Ohio from Paris.

Sebastian's emerald eyes almost fall out of his head for as wide as they get when he takes in the sight of the girl seated across from him. Her brown Bambi eyes blinking at him.

Rachel.....

Rachel's huff of annoyance shakes him out of the shock of seeing her. As do the words she spouts forth.

"Why do I listen to Santana and Blaine?! I never should have agreed to this. Honestly this whole event is a joke. And to top it off, my last 'date' is Sebastian Smythe, the asshole of Westerville, Ohio."

Sebastian's lower lip juts out slightly in distress at her outburst. Rachel, his goddess, is irritated by his presence.

His hand sneaks across the table under its own accord, pulling one of hers gently into his grasp. And finally her eyes fully meet and focus on his.

"Miss Berry, you're beautiful."

She laughs and shakes her head but does not pull her hand out of his grasp.

"I bet you've told that to every girl you've met tonight."

He gives her a smile, his real one not the one he usually pulls out for conquests.  Eyes crinkling up at the corners.

"Honestly I've insulted most of them, or just ignored their presence.  I didn't want to come here tonight as much as you probably.  But my friends pressured me into it as well."

She giggles and demurely sips her drink.  "I did see Thaddeus and Hunter somewhere in the room at some point.  So.....   Mr Smythe, what have you been up to since we've last seen each other?"

His thumb traces small patterns on the back of her hands as his eyes take on a more serious expression.

"I'd rather hear what you've been up to Broadway, stealing hearts other than just mine since you've been to New York."

She blushes and shyly starts to catch Sebastian up on her life.

The sound of the buzzer drags them out of their revelry and Sebastian reluctantly lets go of her hand as she stands to leave.

But later in the evening, after their papers have been collected and compared, everyone is presented with their list of matches and allowed time to meet with them again.  This time without the time limit.

And who does Sebastian end up with again?

One Miss Rachel Berry.

The End.