A/N: Welcome to my new fic! It's probably one of my favorites. I've been working on this one for over a year as a birthday present for the amazing peyton4life. Sorry it's so late, Mel.

The italicized portion of each chapters are flashbacks. A good chuck of this story will be told in flashbacks, so just be aware that the story will jump back a forth between the past and the present.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.


Rachel was getting impatient.

Sitting at the table, she tapped her foot three times, before resting her chin on the palm of her hand.

He couldn't have forgotten, could he? She pouted her lip at the thought.

But no. No. She wouldn't let it get to her. She quickly chastised herself and shook her head. Now was not the time to get worked up. So what if Finn didn't come? It's not like they were anything. It's not like they could be anything…

With that thought, she gathered her things and was milliseconds from leaving.

Until a tall figure came quickly through the door of the café.

And just like she was glued to her seat.

"Sorry," he said, removing his hat, flipping his hair slightly in an effort to shake the wet rain off his hair. She crinkled her nose as beads of water drops landed on her, but nothing could stop her heart from leaping at the sight of him.

"Puck kept asking questions," he continued, taking the seat directly across from her.

"You should put your hat back on," she changed the subject. "Someone might recognize us." She scanned the room quickly to make sure they didn't draw any attention. Thankfully, no one seemed to mind them.

"But its wet!" he complained, still he did as she said. "You know," he took a hold of her hands, "someday, one day, someone is bound to recognize us. Even with the hats."

"What happens when they do?" she challenged him.

"Nothing. We're not doing anything wrong, are we?" he squeezed her hands.

She couldn't answer him. Still, she squeezed his hands back, and she knew that the simple action alone said it all.

"You were worried that I wouldn't come, weren't you?" he said, seeing right through her.

"I was worried that you were getting tired of this… of our situation," she admitted.

"Rachel," he said softly before quickly pressing her hands against his lips. "If I could make it rain everyday, believe me I would, just to be with you here."

"Because you don't see me enough already," she offered, only somewhat intending for it to be a joke.

"You know what I meant. This tradition… it's sentimental to me. Don't get me wrong, I love the band – more than anything – but coming back to where it all started… with the rain… with you, I don't want this to ever stop."

"So," she smiled, not wanting to discuss the extent of their 'situation' any longer. "What are we going to talk about today?"


It had become their thing – having coffee together whenever it rained.

See, they had met one rainy day in the coffee shop.

She thought about that day often, but she couldn't help but to think about it right then as she sat on Finn's bed, waiting for her wet socks to finish up in his dryer.


Rain in New York City wasn't rare, but it was not necessarily enjoyable either. Especially when it was humid. The humidity did crazy things to her hair.

And frizzy hair was just the tipping point of her day.

Trying hard not to curse at the sky, Rachel tried her best to push all the problems with the band outside of her mind. Seeking shelter, she spotted the nearest shop – which happened to be her favorite café. Relieved and eager to taste a nice, warm cup of coffee, she hurried inside, already formulating her order in her mind.

Perhaps she would get a scone, oh yes, perhaps a cookie too? Why not? After the long, hectic weeks she's been having, she definitely deserved it. Thank god, it seemed like she finally had something to look forward to – life wasn't that terrible so long as she had her coffee.

However, as she walked inside, she took one glance at the amount of people who had the same idea as her, much to her dismay. She huffed, and ran her hand down her wet hair. This was just great. All the tables were occupied, where was she going to sit? Not only that, but the line was ridiculously long. What about her coffee? And her pastries? She wanted them now. Was that too much to ask?

It was just bad timing, really. Her patience really wasn't usually that low, honest.

And normally, she wouldn't condone this type of behavior. But she was going to do it. She was going to scream, and scream loud, right in public, not giving a damn about anything else.

She opened her mouth, ready to let several weeks' worth of anger and frustration out –

Until someone tapped her on the shoulder.

"Excuse me," she heard.

Immediately she stiffened, and closed her mouth. Thank god, someone just saved her from a complete breakdown. Plastering a smile on her face, she turned around to face the person who tapped her.

Only she couldn't help her jaw from dropping yet again.

"I um… noticed you were alone, and needed a place to sit. There was a empty seat at my table and I thought, hey, maybe I could be nice and share," the man said.

And oh wow, he was gorgeous. He was tall, so much taller than her, and yet with the way his eyes crinkled and the way his dimples seemed to perfectly compliment his smile, she was in no way intimated by him. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Plus, he invited her to sit with him. She didn't meet nice, handsome people often.

And here she was, about to scream in the middle of a café. Not one of her brightest moments.

"Not that you have to or anything, you know. You don't have to sit with me," he scratched his head. "Or if you wanted to you know, grab and go... or if you're here with someone else... wow, you can totally ignore everything I'm saying. I just thought I'd offer," she watched as he began to rock on one foot. This man was too cute. And sweet.

Then she realized she never answered him.

"No, no. I mean yes. I am. Wait. I mean, yes, I would love to sit next to you" she rambled, fumbling with her fingers. "Thank you so much for offering."

"Cool," he smiled even wider, and she could swear that her heart skipped a beat. "So uh, this way."

He led the way to way to a table nearby, and pulled a chair out for her.

"Thank you," she said, finding the entire situation so surreal. Surely, she was still out in the rain, maybe she was struck by lightning. There was no way that she was sitting with the most handsome stranger in history of mankind.

Shoot, now she realized she was staring. His eyes caught hers and she took notice of the how he blushed before he looked away. Was he staring at her too?

"The rain looks good on you," he said, almost to justify why he was staring. She looked back up at him, half puzzled, half amused. He must have noticed her expression, because he cleared his throat. "What I meant was that you look very nice, even with the rain."

A bit self-conscious, she touched her hair, making sure it wasn't too fizzy.

"You should see me without the rain," she said back.

He raised his eyebrow, and she found herself blushing.

"I should," he said. "I mean - I should see you without it, too. I'm sure you would look great."

He was looking at her, and her insides were all fluttery. She wasn't used to this funny feeling.

"The rain looks good on you too," she blurted, too fast to take it back.

"Thanks, but I'm not wet from the rain. At least, I don't think I am," he furrowed his brow, looking down at his shirt.

Rachel cleared her throat. "What I meant to say was that if you did have rain in your hair, it would look good. Not that it looks bad now, it's just that it would look very nice. It's a compliment," she giggled, somewhat nervously, before turning pink. She was embarrassed at how terrible she could be around attractive men.

"Why thank you," he said, attempting to wink. He was rather awkward too. That only made her adored him more.

Their actions made the two of them burst out into laughter.

"I'm sorry, I don't do this often," he smiled at her.

"You mean you don't always ask strangers to sit next to you in coffee shops?" she joked, sounding shocked to tease him.

"Once or twice," he tilted his head. "But you're the first stranger who's made me feel nervous. You're also first one who's under 70."

She laughed. "Well I'm honored, but that last thing I want is for you to feel nervous."

"I can't help it, it's just that you're the prettiest stranger I've ever met," he admitted shyly, looking down.

Normally, she would be quick to judge attractive men. Surely, they would know all the right words to say to a girl to make them fall.

But, Finn was different. She didn't know why. But she could just see how genuine he was. And coming from him, she couldn't help but to believe him.

"Well then, don't think of us as strangers. Let's just say we met before," she proposed.

"Oh really?" he looked up, interested. "Where did we meet?"

"Hmm…" she thought hard. "We met at… hmm… oh! We met on Black Friday."

"Black Friday?"

"Oh yes, ages ago. I came alone, you came alone, and we just happened to be standing next to each other in line."

"Really now?"

"Yes, don't you remember? We both had our eyes on a brand-new flat screen television. Only we were too busy talking to each other that someone snuck up and scored the last one."

"That's terrible!" Finn acted shocked.

"I know!" she exaggerated. "But it all worked out in the end. You helped me pick a brand new set of bedspread."

"And you even helped me picked out something for my niece!" he played along, and the simple addition made her beam.

"That's right. Because you couldn't decided between a Belle or an Ariel doll," she continued on.

"Yup, you convinced me to get both!" he laughed, and she couldn't help but to laugh again too.

"So you see, we're not strangers. No need to for us to be nervous," she said, still smiling.

"True, but I still don't know your name," he said.

Rachel was surprised she hadn't told him yet. Introductions were typically the first thing she did when she met someone – especially because she wanted people to know (and remember) her name when she inevitably became famous. Perhaps the reason why she didn't automatically introduce herself was because this man caught her off guard. Or it was because he was something else completely.

"That's funny," she said. "Considering how we're not strangers. But I'm Rachel," she said, sticking out her hand.

"Finn," he shook her hand back, up and down, and Rachel couldn't help but to bite her lip, holding back a laugh, as he kept on shaking her hand.

"What?" he smiled as he continued to shake her hand.

"Strangers don't shake hands," she pointed out. She didn't necessarily wanted him to stop, she just found teasing him to be too much fun.

"You're right," he stopped their hands midair. Suddenly, he moved his hand so that their hands were interlocked.

"Is that better?" he asked, curious yet cautious.

"Much better," she replied, noticing the way his eyes shined at her response.

Finding herself blushing, she trailed her eyes away from him and down toward the table. That's when she saw a piece of newspaper and scone placed right beside him.

"Oh my gosh!" she said, taking her hand out of his.

"What's wrong?" he asked, concerned.

"I'm interrupting you! You were in the middle of eating your scone and reading the paper before I came and interrupted you! I am so sorry!"

"Rachel," he said, amused. "I asked you to come here. You're not interrupting me. Not in the slightest."

"Are you sure?" she asked. She didn't want to disrupt whatever Finn was doing before she came, no matter how much she found herself more and more fascinated and comfortable with him.

"Nope. I was bored actually. I'm glad you came. But… what about you?"

"Me?"

"Yeah, you came in in here for a reason. Did you want to buy something?" he asked.

"Well I originally came in here to seek shelter from the rain, but then I realized that a pastry or two sounded really good," she said. "But the line is rather long, and I can get pretty impatient," she laughed despite her honesty.

"Do you want some?" he pointed to his scone. "It's cranberry."

She stomached groaned. Cranberry scones were her favorite, and she was hungry. "Maybe just a little," she gave in, and opened her mouth as Finn placed some directly into it.

"Is it good?" he asked as she chewed.

"Delicious," she said in between bites.

"Good. You can have it," Finn said, smiling.

"Really?" Rachel asked, her mouth full.

"Sure. In fact, how about I go buy us some more food?"

"No, it's okay I – " Rachel swallowed before Finn cut her off.

"Too late, I'm already up. What do you want?"

"Just a cup of coffee," Rachel caved in. She was hungry.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive," she took another bite. "And maybe a cookie too."

"No problem," Finn smiled, tilting his head. " You know, I've never actually drank coffee before."

"What?!" Rachel gasped before she swallowed. "Are you serious? You've never had a cup of coffee?"

"I don't know, I just never did."

"Well what are you waiting for? Go get yourself a cup too," she said. "We're taking away your coffee virginity today, and trust me, your life will never be the same way again."

Finn burst out into laughter, and Rachel couldn't help but laugh back.

"Okay, Rachel. I'll drink one cup, just for you."

"Thank you, I'm honored to witness this monumental event. And don't worry, I'll pay you back."

"Don't worry about it," he said as he walked over to the line.

Rachel sank back in her seat as he left. She went from 0 to 100 in just a few moments, all because of Finn.

She smiled to herself at the thought of the man. No one has ever… intrigued her so quickly more than him.

She looked at her watch: 15 minutes. It had been only 15 minutes since she walked into the coffee shop, and in just those fifteen minutes she already smiled and laughed more than she had in the past month.

Maybe Finn was just what she needed.

Not too longer after, Finn came back with the cups of coffee and deserts in tow.

Rachel clapped her hands as he sat down and placed her food in front of her. "Thank you!" she said, taking a sip of the coffee. "And you put the perfect amount of creamer in. Not bad for a beginner."

Looking at Finn, she laughed when she saw the way he was looking at his own cup. "Try it! It's not scary!"

Nodding, Finn took a deep breath, before he took a sip.

If his facial expression didn't say it all, then the way he spit the drink back into his cup certainly did.

"It's hot!" he said, scrunching his nose.

"That's why you blow it!" Rachel said, taking his cup so she could blow on it herself.

"There," she said, after a minute of blowing, looking up to see Finn looking at her tenderly. Blushing she pushed the cup back toward him. "Try it now."

Nodding, Finn took the cup and slowly took a sip.

"So?" Rachel asked when he swallowed.

"Not the best taste in the world," Finn said, honestly. Still he took another sip.

"So Finn," Rachel said after a few moments of silence. "Why are you here?"

"Why am I here?" Finn repeated, sounding confused.

"Let me rephrase that: what brings you here, in this coffee shop."

"Oh, well…" he suddenly looked shy. "I was actually here to read the paper here quietly, alone. My roommate has been getting on my nerves lately. It's been… rough for us since we moved to the city."

Sensing another story completely, Rachel placed her hand on the top of his as a sign of comfort. "Trust me, I totally get where you're coming from. Both of my roommates and their drama has got us all in quite a predicament. But you can tell me, you know. The thing that's been troubling your mind."

"Thank you," Finn said sincerely, putting his other hand on top of hers, so that her hand was sandwiched in between his. "But you don't want to hear about my struggles."

"That's ridiculous," Rachel teased. "I do. And I rarely care about other people, so consider yourself lucky."

"Well, where do I begin?" Finn chuckled, taking his hand back and putting in on his forehead, his elbow resting on the table. "I guess, long story short, my roommate and I are both looking for a job. See, we're kind of having trouble paying our rent. Who would have known that living in New York City was going to be so expensive! I was looking at the job listings on the newspaper when you came, actually."

"What!" Rachel gasped. "And you paid for all these! Finn!"

Finn chuckled. "I can afford some coffee once and awhile, especially for someone that wears rain so well."

Rachel slapped his arm playfully. "That's no excuse! Finn, let you pay you back!"

'"Not going to happen," Finn shook his head.

"But-"

"I'll tell you what, how about you pay for our next cups of coffee."

"Finn, are you tell me that you're willing to drink coffee again?"

"Only if it's with you," Finn teased her back.

"Gosh, you are so cheesy."

"So is that a no?"

"Consider it a when," Rachel said, giggling at Finn's smirk.

"Well, I actually have a job interview tomorrow. If I think it goes well, maybe you and I could celebrate. Your treat."

Rachel recalled in her head the band's schedule for tomorrow. They had auditions for the two open spots (again). Rachel groaned at the thought of it. So far, no one could quite fit in Pamela Lansbury like Dani and Elliot. And if just trying to replace them was a pain, trying to deal with why they left in the first place was another story.

But Rachel didn't want to think about the band, not when someone was finally able to get her mind off of it.

"I'm busy in the morning. How about in the evening? You can tell me how it went. What is it for anyways."

"I'm not quite sure. My roommate just told me about it. But hey, a job is a job, right?"

"Absolutely!" Rachel said. "And if doesn't work out, then it just wasn't meant to be. You'll just end up finding something else that you'll love even more."

"Your optimism is inspiring," Finn said.

"Well, the optimism is conditional," she said bitterly.

"Now, it looks like it's your turn to say what's on your mind," Finn said, sensing her tone.

"Breakup drama. I don't really want to get into it. Not today at least."

Suddenly, Rachel felt her phone vibrate. "Speak of the devils," Rachel said, before she answered her phone. "Hello."

"Where in the world have you been?" the voice on the other line shrieked.

"Well hello to you too, Kurt," Rachel said sarcastically.

"Rachel, I'm being serious here. We were expecting you home ages ago."

"You mean, an hour ago. And it was raining, so I went to coffee café just a couple blocks away."

"Well it's not raining anymore, is it?"

Taking a glance outside, Rachel noticed that it was indeed no longer raining.

"I guess not. But-"

"But what." Rachel heard Santana say. "You better get your Berry butt here now. We need to talk about important matters for tomorrow."

"Like what?"

"Just come, please," Kurt said.

"Tell her I'll be texting her every minute she's not here, just because I know it annoys the crap out of her." Santana yelled through the line.

Sighing, Rachel hung up the phone and began to stand up. "I have to go," she said, sadly, gathering her things. Her friends just had to find a way to ruin things for her. Sure enough, she felt her phone vibrate from Santana's text.

"Wait," Finn said, standing up to stand next to her. "We're still meeting tomorrow right?"'

Rachel chuckled. "Yes. Tomorrow, right here at say… 5?"

"Perfect," Finn said. "Wait, can I have your phone number?"

"Can I give to you tomorrow?" Rachel asked, feeling her phone vibrant once more. The last thing she needs is for Finn to see Santana's messages to her. He may not be ready for Santana's intensity just yet. "My roommates can get crazy when they're impatient."

"Sure," Finn said, but still he took ahold of her hands. "But before you go, I just want to thank you. I don't know how to explain it, but you couldn't have come into the store at a more perfect time. So thank you, Rachel…"

Rachel nearly laughed when she realized they had yet to learn each other's last names. Things certainly were different with Finn.

"Berry. Rachel Berry. But you should be thanking the rain, not me. And heck, I should be the one thanking you. I was literally seconds away from embarrassing myself before you tapped my shoulder. So thank you Finn…"

"Hudson. Finn Hudson."

Finn Hudson, she repeated in her head. It was the perfect name for him.

Her phone vibrated once more.

"I'm sorry, I really have to go. I'll see you tomorrow, Finn Hudson."

"Goodbye, Rachel Berry," Finn said, squeezing her hand.

"Goodbye Finn Hudson!" she replied.


"What are you thinking about?" Rachel heard a voice, snapping her out of her memories. She smiled at the sight of Finn, now out of his wet clothes dressed in just a boxer and a plain tee. She scooted up in the bed, allowing for him to sit next to her.

"The time we met," she answered, resting her forehead momentarily on his shoulder before looking up at him.

"Can't believe it was almost a year ago?" Finn said, his eyes looking down to meet hers.

"It kind of felt like another lifetime ago."

"Do you regret it?" Finn asked her, his voice soft. "Do you regret everything that has happened since then?"

Rachel glanced down.

"I regret rushing out that night. I mean, I know it's Kurt and Santana's fault. But sometimes I wonder, what if? What if I hadn't left so soon? I mean we connected so quickly."

Finn nodded. "What would you have done?"

"I would have spent all night in that café with you."

Finn was quiet for a bit, deep in thought. "Maybe I would have talked about the fact that Puck and I were musicians. And maybe you would have talked about the band and the "rule." And maybe, I wouldn't have auditioned."

"Maybe. But I'm glad that you did, though," Rachel said, quietly. "Let's face it, with both needed each other."

"Me too. I'm glad," he admitted.

"I just wished that I would I have known then that. Oh, had I known…"

"What would you do?" Finn said, his voice curious yet vulnerable.

"I would have kissed you that night. So I wouldn't have to wonder what it would really be like."

Finn said nothing. He didn't need to.

He looked at her, warmly yet full of yearning, desperately. Slowly, his face inched closer toward hers. Rachel felt hers do the same. Feeling flushed, she allowed them to move closer and closer to one another. Closer then ever. For a moment, Rachel was convinced it was finally going to happen.

But she knew it couldn't.

So she turned away at the very last second.

"But there's nothing we can do about it now," Rachel said, turning to stand up and off the bed. She bravely looked at him, his sad yet accepting face matching hers.

"My socks are probably dry," she continued, clearing her voice. "And I should probably get going, Santana and Kurt might start to wonder where I am…"

"Yeah," Finn turned to get off the bed. "And Puck might be coming soon, too."

They nodded to each other, in understanding.

Finn followed her out to the dryer, watching her as she took out her socks.

"Thanks for these, by the way, the socks," she told him, wobbling a bit as she stood on one foot to put it on.

Noticing her struggle, Finn shook his head in amusement. "Here," he said, putting his hands on her waist to hold her steady.

Rachel made a face at him before successfully putting both socks on her feet.

Finn left his hands on her waist for a moment before placing them on her cheeks.

"You are the cutest thing, Rachel Berry," she squeezed her cheeks, making her pout.

Rachel laughed, before removing his hands off her face.

"I know," she said, patting his face twice. "You're pretty cute too."

"And that's why we're best friends," Finn said, sticking his fist out.

"The bestest," Rachel replied, bumping his fist with hers.

Laughing, Finn pulled her in for a hug. "Are you sure you don't want me to help you home?"

"Please," Rachel said against his chest. "The last thing I need is for Kurt and Santana to see you escorting me home."

"I'll just say I needed to talk to them about the band. I could share with them the song we were working on."

"Finn, we're meeting tomorrow. We don't want them to be suspicious," Rachel said, putting her hands on his shoulders.

"But they have no reason to be. We're not dating, Rachel."

Rachel eyes widened at his words, and she took a step back. Taking a deep breath, she allowed herself to fully accept his words. He's right. They're not dating. They can't date each other.

"Believe me, I know we aren't. But I don't want them to think we are. You and I… even though we're just friends - best friends… we're complicated. And there's too much at stake here, Finn. And we – "

"Have to put the band first. I know. I know," Finn continued her sentence. He pulled her against her arms once more and pressed a kiss against her hairline as she sank against him.

"Just so you know," Finn said, holding her tight, "I don't regret anything that has happened since then. Not a single thing."

Beaming up at him, tears starting to fill her eyes, Rachel pinched his nose. "Thank you, Buddy."

"Thank you, Buddy," Finn said, his voice sounding nasally thanks to her grip on his nose.

Laughing, Rachel let go and stepped out of Finn's arms.

"Call me when you get home," Finn said as they headed toward the door.

"Sure thing," Rachel said as they both stepped out. "Good night," Rachel turned to him. Stepping on her toes, she pressed a kiss against his cheek.

"Good night," Finn smiled, pressing a kiss against her nose.

"Go to sleep early," Finn called as she began to walk away.

"If I fall asleep late, it'll be your fault," Rachel yelled as she turned around to stick her tongue at him.

Laughing when Finn mimicked her actions, Rachel blew him a kiss and left.

How she got to where she was with Finn Hudson, she'll never know.


Thank you for reading the first chapter! More will reveal itself in the chapters to come. Stay tuned!

Also, I actually wrote a little story about Finn and Rachel's "first meeting" on my tumblr. It's called "Black Friday Shopping." Although it isn't in the same universe story as this story, feel free to check it out. There's a link to my tumblr in my profile if you are curious.

Thank you all!