There was an unmistakable chill in the air the next morning— summer was finally winding down. Finn rubbed his hands together quickly, stuffed them in his pockets as he walked through the familiar streets. Normally he would've hopped on his scooter to get to Rae's but today he wanted to walk and collect his thoughts. The cold morning light illuminated what seemed so secret and quiet last night, and he felt… a bit embarrassed now that it was done. They had only just hugged and laughed and murmured goodbyes and promises for the next day, and he'd walked home feeling lighter than he ever had but now… maybe he hadn't thought it through? Maybe she wasn't as sure as he was?

When he got to her house Rae was sitting on the front steps and he felt that stomach dropping feeling that seemed to wipe all his thoughts away.

"Alright?" he called out.

She smiled and tilted her head as he came closer. "I thought we could go on a walk."

His half-baked fantasies of going up to her bedroom and being alone together… on her bed… finally being able to touch her… like he'd wanted… behind closed doors— suddenly dashed. But he shrugged gamely. "Yeah, sure. Sounds good."

They walked slowly, talking about music and the rave (without really talking about the rave), about Chop and Izzy but not Chloe, and suddenly they were in the park, lying on their backs on the grass. The sun was out and it was warm again. Their hands lay next to each other and their laughter had subsided suddenly, just as Rae's fingers brushed against his.

"Rae—"

"Finn—"

They'd both spoken at the same time, both lifted themselves up slightly to look at each other.

"Yeah?" His voice cracked a bit, because she was looking at him meaningfully and suddenly he knew what she was going to say. His heart was hammering in his chest as she opened her mouth, hesitated, and closed it again.

He did it before either of them knew he was doing… his hand slid to the back of her head, fingers weaving into her hair as his lips found hers. And suddenly all the pieces fit together and felt right. He kissed her, tentatively at first… and then hungrily, eagerly, as they both grabbed at each other, hands exploring over bodies. Finn's tongue swiped against Rae's bottom lip and she made a soft sound, opened her mouth to his just as he ran a hand down to her thigh—

A dog barked suddenly in the distance and they broke apart, breathing heavily. There were people in the park now. Finn sat up, adjusting his trousers slightly and staring at the ground before turning to look back at Rae. She caught his eye and grinned. "Alright?"

He couldn't help the smile from tugging at the corners of his mouth. "S'pose", he said, and when he lay down next to her again she took his hand, their fingers interlocking tightly together.