So, I know this isn't the story I'm supposed to be working on. I promise I'll post a chapter of 'If You Ever Want To Be in Love' soon! This idea was inspired by two things: 1) The netflix show 'Friends from College' and 2) The title of this story, which is based on Neon Tree's "Sleeping with a Friend." I was somewhat intrigued by the idea of the storyline and I just typed this out. Let me know what you all think. There are probably just a couple of chapters here, but I wanted to test this out with you all before I continued. Thanks!
Rachel waited at the restaurant patiently for him to arrive. She was in Chicago - part of a national tour for the newest broadway show. He was here on business and made sure she was the first person who knew.
She saw him rush through the doors, talking to the hostess at the front, all the while scanning the room for her. God, he was just as cute as she remembered.
She waved the moment they caught eyes and a familiar smile crossed his lips, as he let the hostess know he found who he was looking for.
He walked over to the table as she stood up from her seat to greet him. He pulled her into his arms tightly, lifting her slightly off the ground. His tall stature usually left her off her feet whenever they hugged.
"Rach! It's so good to see you." He smiled, pulling away slightly to look at her.
Knowing they knew no one else here in this city, he lowered his head to hers, capturing her lips in a soft kiss.
"Finn." She smiled against his lips. "You're late." She held on to him a little tighter, the smell of his cologne bringing back a sense of familiarity.
"I know, I'm so sorry! The last meeting went a little over time. I rushed over here though as soon as I was done." He said, glancing towards the table, seeing her half-filled glass of white wine.
"I see you started out with me, though." He smirked, letting go of her. "Couldn't wait just 10 minutes, Rach?"
"Just a glass of wine!" She said as they sat down in their respective seats.
He gave her a wink before looking around for the waitress. Once he caught her attention, he ordered himself a beer.
"You look good, Rach. Can't believe I haven't seen you since Christmas." He said, eyes gazing over her face, taking her in.
"It's only been like 3 months." She smiled. But it felt like a lifetime.
"3 months without Rachel Berry is a lifetime." He grinned. She caught his eye and smiled - it was unfair just how in sync they were with each other.
"How long are you in Chicago?" She asked him.
"Technically, I'm just here for the night. I'm supposed to fly back to New York tomorrow morning." Finn said.
"That's like no time at all!" She exclaimed.
"I know." He made a face. "But we'll make the most of it, we always do."
She stared at him, moving her leg under the table to brush against his. He glanced at her just as the waitress showed up with his beer.
"I'm sorry, could we get the check, please?" Finn said to her, all the while keeping his eyes on Rachel.
They stumbled into his hotel room which was not too far away from the restaurant - heading straight to the bed, lips glued together and hands roaming each other's body.
Soon they were both undressed, easily getting into the rhythm of their bodies moving together with Finn deep inside of her.
"God, I missed you." He said, once she was laying comfortably in his arms afterwards.
"Hmm..." She said, smiling into his chest, indulging him to tell her more - like he always did every time it's been awhile since they've seen each other.
"I missed your cute little face, and your cute little laugh, and the way you just fit into my arms so perfectly." He said, playing with the ends of her hair.
Her smile widened and she leaned up to kiss him, but was blocked by his hand over her mouth.
"No kiss until you tell me you missed me too." He smirked.
She stuck out her tongue on his hand, which he quickly moved away after feeling the wetness, causing her to burst out in laughter.
"So gross." He teased.
"That's what you get." She teased back, which he didn't take too lightly.
He soon attacked her sides with his fingers, knowing she was extremely ticklish.
"Finn!" She squealed, playfully fighting him off.
He finally stopped when she declared she was going to pee herself, but he had her hands pin above her head, his body pressing into hers. "Kiss first." He said, as she leaned up to give him a sweet kiss before he got off her.
They spent the night in a mix of making love, talking about what they've missed in the last few months, and getting room service since they were both pretty hungry.
No one spoke of the elephant in the room. If they were being honest, it clouded both of their minds most of all.
"So when next am I gonna see your face again?" He asked the next morning, as he was just about to get ready to head to the airport.
She sat on the bed, pouting, not answering him.
"Rach?" He turned to her, seeing her sitting on the bed. "What's wrong?"
"You just got here...I don't want you to go." She sighed.
He felt the strings pull on his heart because he too knew leaving wasn't easy.
"It's lonely here. I don't know anyone outside of the people in my show. Puck and Quinn visited me like two weeks ago for a weekend. Now you're here for just a day." She continued.
He sat down on the bed next to her. "I know it's lonely. But - you're doing the best possible thing you could ever do! This broadway show is everything you've wanted. Soon, you'll be done here and hopefully move on to a warmer place." He said, which at least got her to laugh.
"Seriously Rach, Winter in Chicago? This place is frigid." He continued.
"I just miss you guys, that's all."
Finn contemplated something to himself before turning his gaze to her.
"It sucks that my flight got cancelled today, huh?" He asked.
"What?" She turned her face up in confusion. Wasn't he just about to be on his way to the airport?
"Yeah, looks like the earliest available flight is on Sunday morning." He said with a smile, waiting for her to catch on.
"Are you staying the weekend with me, Finn Hudson?" She asked, the lightbulb finally going off in her head.
"If you'll have me." He said, moving some strands of hair away from her face.
She lit up, already planning things they can do...both indoor and outdoor. "You can come to my show tonight!"
"I wouldn't miss it." He smiled, leaning in to her, pressing a soft, gentle and lingering kiss on her lips.
"Let me uh, just call my assistant..." he said, getting up to reach his phone.
Rachel watched after him, smiling to herself. She listened as he asked her to change his flight from this morning to Sunday morning due to an unexpected meeting.
This was going to be the best weekend ever.
Finn was just leaving the gym when his phone rang. He smiled seeing the familiar face of his mohawk-ed best friend. Sure, Puck didn't have the Mohawk anymore but it was Finn's favorite photo of him.
"Dude! What's up?" Finn answered.
"You better get ready, Hudson. I'm coming up there for a week! Better clear your schedule." He said.
"No way! When? Just you or Q too?" Finn asked.
"Q and Sam. Figured we should be in town for Rachel's first show in New York ya know?"
"Yeah, totally!" Finn said, then paused. "Wait, what?"
"You seriously don't know? I thought you'd be the first one she told. She's in New York for the summer, dude. Her show moved from Chicago to New York. It's like a national tour or some shit." Puck said.
"Oh...no. I spoke to her like a few weeks ago but she didn't mention anything about New York..." Finn said, excluding the fact that they actually spoke in person. He smiled a little, thinking back to their weekend.
"We found out like 3 days ago. Then we said, fuck it! Let's go to New York and get the gang back together." Puck said, enthusiasm all over his voice.
Finn nodded, but then realized he was on the phone. "Yeah, sounds great. Text me the dates you're coming...I'll take some days off."
"Sweet! Can't wait to meet that girlfriend of yours. What is it, like a year now? That's gotta be your longest streak ever, Hudson."
"Haha...yeah, just about a year. You'll like her." Finn said.
"What's her name again?" Puck asked.
"Uh, it's Lynn." Finn said.
"Shut the fuck up." Puck said, before bursting out in laughter. "Babe - Finn is dating a girl named Lynn. Their fucking couple name is Flynn!" He yelled out, to what Finn presumed to be Quinn.
"Are you done yet?" Finn said, once the laughter on this other end died down.
"Not even close, bro." Puck told him. They spoke for a few more minutes making plans for the big city before they hung up.
As soon as Finn got off the phone with Puck, he called Rachel's phone.
"Hello?" she answered after a few rings.
"Rach, what the hell. Are you in New York?" he asked.
"Hello to you too, Finn!" she laughed a little. "Um, yeah. I just got in last night."
"Uhh were you even gonna tell me you were here? I just found out from Puck out of all people!" He said.
"I was going to call you once I was settled! I just figured maybe you were busy." She responded.
"How long are you in town for?" he asked.
"Well it depends on the show and how well it does...right now it's about 3 months." she said.
"Well...we need to talk, don't you think?" he asked.
"Yes...and we will. I've got rehearsals all week to prep for the show. Our friends will be in town soon, and I promise we'll talk." she responded.
Finn sighed. "Alright. Well call or text me if you need anything."
They hung up the phone and Finn felt a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach. Three months with Rachel in town? And she didn't even call and let him know she was here?
"Tell me again who these people are?" Lynn asked her boyfriend. They were packed in a crowded train, on the way to meet up with Puck, Quinn, Sam and Rachel.
"Babe, I told you - they've been my best friends forever. We went to school together." Finn told her.
"I just think that I've never even heard of these people before, and you are just so eager to meet them." She responded.
"I haven't seen them since I went back home for Christmas, I miss them!" He said, leaving out the fact he saw Rachel recently in Chicago.
"I guess..." she responded.
"Plus, they're excited to meet you, too." Finn smiled at her. She forced a smile.
"It'll be fun, babe." Finn said to her. She wasn't the most social person, but there was something about her Finn liked. He was nearly 30 now - he needed to start thinking a little more seriously about making a commitment.
"Fine, but remember we only have like 2 hours okay? It's Ashley's birthday." Lynn told him. Ashley was a friend of hers, that Finn really didn't care for. Her friends were all just a little much. Definitely not like his friends. He smiled at the thought of seeing them all again.
They arrived at the bar, Puck first spotting Finn.
"Huddy!" He yelled out.
"Noah, geez, you're going to cause a scene!" Quinn said quietly, already embarrassed of her boyfriend.
Sam laughed, turning his head to see Finn walking over.
"Puck!" He gave him a huge hug.
"Quinny." Finn smiled, also giving her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
"Sam!" He greeted his friend also with a hug. He noticed Rachel wasn't there and wondered if she was avoiding him.
"Ahhem." He heard Lynn behind him clearing her throat, breaking him out of his thoughts.
"OH. Uh Guys, this is Lynn, my girlfriend." Finn said, grabbing a gentle hold of her hand and pulling her next to him. "Lynn, these are like, my best friends ever. That's Puck, his girlfriend Quinn, and that's Sam."
"I'm also Finn's friend, not just Puck's girlfriend." Quinn corrected, shooting a pointed look in Finn's direction. "It's nice to meet you Lynn."
Puck smirked, unable to hide his humor in this situation. "So let me get this straight. Lynn, Quinn, and Finn." He pointed to each one, saying their names, before turning to Sam. "This is just too good."
Finn rolled his eyes. "So, looks like you haven't changed at all."
Lynn looked confused, and almost annoyed. "Why is that so funny?"
"Um because it rhymes?" Puck said, shaking his head.
"Very funny, Puck." Finn said, letting out a small laugh to ease the brewing tension.
"Sit down you guys!" Sam said, making space in the booth for the two.
Finn sat down next to him with Lynn sitting next to him.
"I'm going to just apologize in advance for him." Quinn said to Lynn, pointing her thumb towards Puck. "It won't be the last time you get annoyed."
Lynn laughed a little. "It's okay. So...you guys have been friends since college?"
Sam nodded. "Yeah, we all went to Ohio State together. Finn, Puck and myself played football together."
"I was a cheerleader in college." Lynn said, nudging Finn. "How cute would it have been if I went to school with you and we dated?"
Finn laughed a little. "Yeah, that would've been totally awesome." Was it the right time to mention he was a total player in college?
Puck smirked. "Quinn was a cheerleader, that's how we met. Isn't that cute, Quinn?"
Quinn shot him a look, quite amused at his antics. "So cute, babe."
He grinned, leaning over to give her a quick kiss.
"Where's Rachel? I thought she was coming..." Finn asked.
"She texted a little while ago that rehearsals are running late but she should be here soon." Sam said, taking a look at his phone incase any additional texts came through.
Finn nodded a little. A part of him was both relieved that he'd see her soon, and anxious that he'd have both her and Lynn in the same room. "I can't believe she's been here for like a week, and I haven't even seen her yet!"
"Oh my God, but we went by her apartment earlier Finn, and it was so nice! She has like the best view of New York City." Quinn said.
"Who's Rachel?" Lynn asked.
"Oh, she also went to school with us. She's here for a show she's doing...which is why these guys are visiting." Finn said.
"We're also here to see you too, man!" Sam said.
"Yeah, I'm not going to be able to listen to these two girls talk about make up for a whole week." Puck said. "We've gotta find some bro time."
"Shut up, babe." Quinn said, rolling her eyes.
"Hey, Rachel's here!" Sam said, waving towards the entrance where he saw her walk in. She spotted him quickly and headed over to the table.
After rehearsals, she took a little extra time prepping herself for this dinner. She wore a cute summer dress, curling the ends of her hair, and just a smidge more makeup than she usually wore.
"Hey! I'm so sorry I'm late!" She said once she reached the table, smiling at everyone.
"Look who it is." Finn gave her a playful smile. "You come to my city and you can't even find time to see me?"
He gave a little nudge to Lynn to move from the booth so he could properly greet Rachel.
"I know, I'm the worst friend ever." She pouted. "I'm here for like, 3 months though!"
"Good." He smiled, giving her his usual bear hugs, lifting her up slightly from the ground.
The booth was full and Finn noticed it immediately. "Let me get a chair, I'll sit in it. Can you guys make room for Rach?" Finn said.
Sam scooted closer to Lynn, as Quinn and Puck also shifted in their seats so Rachel was now sitting next to Puck. She felt a pair of eyes staring directly at her, and she glanced over at the woman in front of her.
"Hi, I'm Rachel." She smiled. She was not surprised to see this petite blonde girl sitting in front of her. Were these always the type of girls Finn dated?
Lynn gave her a small smile. "I'm Lynn, Finn's girlfriend." she said.
Rachel gave her a polite nod and smile, and turned towards Finn who was now back at the table sitting in his chair.
"The gang is back together." Puck grinned. "It's been awhile since it's been all of us like this."
"Yeah so what have you guys been up to? Group chats move too fast for me sometimes." Finn said. He felt the tension rising on both ends, and figured his safest bet was to just get Puck and Sam talking.
"Same old, man." Puck shrugged. "Lima is the same old town it's always been."
"Well, Puck is now the assistant football coach at McKinley." Quinn said. "My store is doing well, but Ohio is really not the place for fashion..." Quinn said.
"You guys should really consider moving here." Finn said. "Seriously, it's so much better than Ohio."
"We've...thought about it." Quinn said, looking over at Puck.
"We're in the really early stage of thinking about it." Puck said, giving them all a 'don't get your hopes up' look.
"Well, I'm in LA. I'm like kind of modeling and singing, I've had some gigs...but mostly bartending." Sam said, taking a moment to think about his answer. "Yeah, mostly bartending." The group chuckled at his response.
"And Rach is just living the dream, huh?" Finn said, glancing over at her. She seemed to be...glowing. Her cheeks seemed to be more pink than usual. Maybe it was just an early summer glow.
She smiled. "Hey, when a girl knows what she want, she goes after it."
"We all know Rachel Berry gets whatever she wants." Quinn said, smiling towards Rachel.
"Hey, I am just persistent." Rachel laughed.
"So, what was Finn like in college?" Lynn interrupted, feeling somewhat left out of the conversation.
"How much time do you have?" Sam joked, thinking about all the stories he could tell.
"Dude, I was awesome." Finn smiled.
"Finn always threw the best parties." Puck said. "Well, we always threw the best parties." He grinned. "Dude, remember when the cops came?"
"Which time?" Finn laughed.
"Oh my God! I remember having to hide in Finn's closet that one time because I wasn't 21 yet." Rachel laughed.
"Yes! Or that time you guys threw the foam party? That house smelled so gross for weeks!" Quinn said, shaking her head in disgust.
"Dude, nothing can ever top the time we had that epic beer pong tournament. It felt like the whole school was part of it. Finn and I won." Sam grinned.
What was meant to be a conversation about Finn started by Lynn, the group continued done memory's lane recalling all of their favorite times hanging out with each other. She didn't understand how this could be the first time she was hearing about them, when clearly they were such good friends of his. She was also very not sure how she felt about Rachel. There was something off about her that she couldn't put her finger in. Either way, she didn't like it.
Sam, realizing Lynn may have felt a little left out, included her in the conversation. "You're probably sick of hearing about our college times." He said.
She faked a smile. "No! I totally get it. You guys haven't seen each other in awhile. Normally, Finn hangs out with some of his co-workers, and I've honestly just never heard of you guys before."
The group looked at her, Puck's face unable to hide his distaste of her response.
"Um, well Lynn, how did you and Finn meet?" Quinn asked, changing the subject.
Lynn smiled at Finn. "It's such a cute story, why don't you tell it?" she told him.
Finn smiled, slightly uncomfortable. "Uh, we met on the train. I kinda stumbled and lost my step, and dropped my iced coffee on her. I felt terrible!"
"He ended up taking me to buy a new shirt, and we just spent the whole day together." She smiled at Finn. "He said spilling his coffee was the best mistake he ever made."
"How cute." Puck said, with a smirk.
Rachel looked on, slightly amused at Finn's embarrassment. "Since when did you drink coffee? I thought you hated it..." she said.
"Finn drinks coffee like everyday!" Lynn interjected.
"Uh, at this point I think it's just the fact I need the caffeine." Finn said to Rachel, who nodded.
"Alright, so we need a game plan for the rest of this week." Puck said. "We've got 6 days left - Rachel's show is on Tuesday, and we leave on Wednesday. I need to go to the beach - like a real one, not that fake shit in Ohio. I need to go to Central Park and I need to see some hipsters." he said.
Finn laughed. "Dude we can do all of those things. I'm off the rest of this week. We can do all the touristy shit, and then I can show you the real New York."
"Yes!" Sam said. "That's what I'm talkin' about!"
"You took off the whole week? I thought we were saving days to go on vacation?" Lynn interrupted.
"I've got extra days." Finn shrugged. "Don't worry."
There was an awkward silence for a few moments before the waitress came along to take their orders. Finn tried his best to divide his time between Lynn and the rest of his friends, but it was hard. He kind've almost wished he didn't bring her - he didn't feel like he could be himself.
When dinner was over, the group headed to a bar that was next door.
Once walking out of the restaurant, Finn turned to Lynn.
"Babe, if you want to go hang out with Ashley, that's totally cool. I think I'm gonna stay back with my friends." Finn told her.
"Are you kidding, Finn?" Lynn said. "It's Ashley's birthday!"
"She'll understand..plus she's your friend, not mine really." Finn shrugged. "My friends are in town for just a week, I just want to hang out with them." he said. He noticed the rest of the group watching them and sighed a little.
"Look let me get you a cab..." He said, resting his hand on the small of her back, walking her to the end of the street.
Lynn sighed, giving up and also not wanting to make a scene the first time she meets his "best friends". "Fine, I get it. But you owe me, Finn." she told him.
"I know babe, I'll make it up to you." He gave her his puppy dog eyes that she just couldn't resist. A small smile played onto her lips.
"You better."
He smiled down at her before sticking his hand out to hail a cab. He opened the door for her and gave her a quick kiss.
"Call me later Finn."
He nodded, closing the door behind her.
He watched the taxi pull off and he let out a sigh.
Freedom.
Finn walked back to the bar where he found his friends already inside. Sam and Puck were at the bar, and Rachel was sitting at a tall bar table. He didn't see Quinn, but assumed she was in the bathroom or something.
"Just you, man?" Sam said and Finn nodded.
"About fuckin' time. Dude, she's weird. What's with the fuckin' stick up her ass?" Puck said.
Finn laughed a little. "She's not usually like that..." But was she, though? He shook his head a little, looking in Rachel's direction.
"Whatever you say man, I'm gonna get us some drinks." Puck told him, before turning towards the bartender.
Finn nodded, and walked over to where Rachel was sitting. "Hey." He said softly.
She glanced up at him, responding in the same tone. "Hey."
"So uh...this is awkward, huh?" He asked.
She laughed a little. "It's uh..more than awkward."
"Rach..."
"Finn..."
They both spoke at the same time. They shared a look and laughed. "You first." he said.
She smiled before continuing. "I think maybe we need to cool it off, you know? I'll be here for 3 months, we can obviously hang out as much as we want, but I don't want it to be weird with you having a girlfriend or whatever..."
"Wait, really?" Finn said, kind of shocked. Here he was thinking, how the heck was he going to see her without Lynn knowing. They've been doing this for years! All through out college - regardless if they were in relationships. Come to think of it, she was never really in a serious relationship being so career driven. This was second nature to their friendship.
"Yeah...why? What were you going to say?" she asked.
Finn shook his head. "Uh, the same thing! I totally agree with you. We should just be friends." he said.
She nodded and smiled at him, although somewhat sadly. "Right. Just Friends."
Finn nodded, repeating the words one more time. "Just Friends."