"I'll spend forever wondering if you knew I was enchanted to meet you."
-Taylor Swift
They met on a cloudy Friday.
Not just any Friday, but Valentine's day.
And neither of them had valentines.
Finn Hudson watched from behind the bar as the snow floated to the ground, sticking to the road and sidewalk outside the restaurant. In the 5 years he'd owned Huddy's, he'd never seen a blizzard this bad. The place was doing a damn good business tonight, though, so he had nothing to complain about. It seemed as though most of them would probably spend the night here, which was fine with him- he was used to working 24 hour shifts in busy hours. Finn texted his best friend and co-owner Puck, telling him to come immediately.
Puck! Man, you better get your ass down here. The booths and tables are packed, and most of the staff can't get here.
The bell above the door rang, signaling yet another person seeking shelter. Something about her, and he couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was, caught his attention. She sashayed straight to the other end of the bar, calling someone on her cell phone. He looked away from her and yelled, "Hey everyone! If you can't get home tonight, feel free to stay here. Drinks are half price." Several people cheered drunkenly, then turning their attention back to the basketball game on one of the televisions. Finn walked over to where the mysterious girl was sitting.
"Can I get you something?" he asked leaning onto the bar with his elbows.
"What do you have that's good?" she asked, tapping her fingers.
"Whatever you want. Typically, I'd ask if you wanted the usual, but you're not a regular. Never seen you in here before." he explained.
"You're right, but I'm sure you'll see a lot more of me. I just moved here from Ohio. I did go to college here, at NYADA." she told him.
"Why'd you go back to Ohio?" he asked, grabbing a glass and filling it halfway with ice.
"My grandmother got really ill. None of us expected Gran to make it, but as always, she pulled through." The girl flashed a bright grin.
Finn handed her the glass, now filled with Jack Daniels.
"How'd you know this was my usual?" she asked, surprised.
He grabbed a stool from the back and sat down. "It's a gift. I could tell you wouldn't take just a fruity drink. Your personality tells me you're pretty tough, take no prisoners. You know what you want. You're like a Jack Daniels- you come off in a kind of intense, 'fruity' way. But then, when you get a taste of who you really are, it's this different feeling. It's like you have one very prominent quality among the others. And when you're done it burns, yet you still linger for more. It comes with the territory."
"So you're saying that to the naked eye I look like your average twentysomething, but that once you delve deeper into me, you see something in me. And when I withdraw a little bit it hurts, but you need to know more?" he correctly translated.
"Loosely, yes. You seem pretty cool. I didn't catch your name, though." Finn said, holding out his hand.
"Rachel, Rachel Berry." She took his warm hand, and as she shook it, she felt a new feeling. Different from anything she'd ever felt.
"Finn Hudson," he countered, "I own Huddy's."
She gasped in surprise. "I had no idea I was talking to the owner!" Rachel giggled.
He opened his mouth to speak when the whole place went pitch black. Suddenly the room lit up with cell phone light.
"Hold on, everyone!" he yelled. "I got some flashlights and candles in the back. Luckily, I can hear the heat still running so we should be good."
He waved his phone around until he found Rachel. "I've got to get the stuff. Can you hold the fort down?" he asked.
"Sure." She stood up on the bar and began to speak. This was her chance to make her first big city impression.
"If you could all please direct your cell phone lights to the bar," she said loudly, "I'll be your entertainment this evening. Finn's gone to get some supplies from the back, so until then...does anyone have any song requests?"
He came back 10 minutes later to an angelic voice singing and the rest of the restaurant joining in.
"Only know that you've been high when you're feeling low
Only hate the road when you're missin' home
Only know you love her when you let her go
And you let her go,"
"Finn's back!" Rachel said. The whole joint cheered. "Let's show him what we've got!" They cheered once again as she spoke. "Let's take it back to the 1960's, any Etta James fans in here tonight?" They all kept hooting and hollering. "If you've got a valentine, grab them and hold 'em close," she said, "and if you don't, just enjoy the music and sing along."
"At last
My love has come along
My lonely days are over
And life is like a song.
Oh, yeah, yeah,
At last."
He was mesmerized by the glow she gave off while singing, even in the dark. It was beautiful, and her voice was stunning and perfect. He began to walk around from table to table, lighting candles. The whole restaurant soon was lit up in a romantic kind of way. He met her gaze and locked his eyes there as she finished.
"You smiled, you smiled,
Oh, and then the spell was cast
And here we are in heaven
For you are mine...
at last."
"Give it up for Rachel Berry, everyone!" he said as the makeshift audience erupted in applause. Everyone immediately turned their attention to the door, as Puck now walked in. "This is Puck," he introduced, "and he runs this place with me, so if you need anything, let either one of us know. For now, let's turn things back to Rachel."
Puck grabbed Finn's arm and pulled him behind the bar.
"Who's she?" he whispered as he heard the girl begin to sing. "Got a good voice."
"Rachel Berry. She came in earlier, just moved back here. Once the power went out I had to get some supplies, so I told her to entertain them a little."
"Did you talk to her?" Puck asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, I'd never seen her in here before, and I know everyone, so naturally she caught my attention." Finn explained.
"Are you sure that's the only thing that caught your attention? Look at her-" Puck was interrupted by Finn.
"Puck, you're married, remember? Shut up about other girls before I tell your wife what you say. Quinn's speed dial 5."
"You wouldn't. That's cold, bro." Finn just walked away smirking. This was the usual poking fun conversation he had with this man, who'd been like his brother since preschool.
"Okay, you use the basic cup song pattern, got it?" Rachel asked a group of teenage girls. They all nodded as she moved on to the next table.
"You can beatbox, right?" she asked the men. They nodded as well. "Do you guys know 'Give Me Everything'?" Once again, they nodded yes.
"Alright, everyone. My friends here are gonna help us out, so if you can chime in that'd be awesome."
"I can rap it!" one guy yelled.
"Come on up!" Rachel said.
The cups and beatboxers started playing and the man began to rap, which sounded pretty cool. As Rachel's turn to sing neared, she got everyone up and dancing. She noticed Finn coming over her way, so she met him halfway and grabbed his hand. They started to dance as she sang.
"Grab somebody sexy, tell 'em hey,
Give me everything tonight
Give me everything tonight
Give me everything tonight
Give me everything tonight."
She laughed at his crazy dance moves and continued her song.
"Excuse me, but I might drink a little more than I should tonight
And I might take you home with me if I could tonight
And baby I'ma make you feel so good tonight
'Cause we might not get tomorrow."
The song ended and they just stood there, taking each other in. Feeling like neither of them had ever before.
I deleted my other stories so I could begin anew.
I'm going to try to update as much as time allows, which may not be a lot. But I'll make a valiant effort.
So that was Chapter 1, Part 1.
Hope you enjoyed. I never pre-write my stories, just go with my gut. I intended to finish this chapter but then it'd be way too long.
So I'll split it into two.
xoxo