Rae and Finn stared at one another for what seemed like a lifetime, both trying to come up with something to say, something to do. Rae knew she had to answer his question, whether it be through words or actions, but the decision was taken out of her hands as they both heard a familiar voice shout "Oi oi!" from the end of the street. Where Rae had been walking mere minutes before, there was Chop, Izzy, Chloe and Archie, walking and laughing. Finn looked behind him before giving Rae another bashful grin, moving to stand beside her. Rae continued to coyly smile at him, still not saying a word. She was honestly speechless, the surreal event that she'd just experienced taking a while to register with her. She stood there waiting for their friends to join them, letting the happiness that had set root in her heart grow as the seconds passed. She wanted to run around the streets screaming: "FINN LOVES ME! FINN FUCKIN' NELSON JUST TOLD ME HE LOVES ME! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!" but she opted to just stand in shell shocked silence.
"What are you love birds doing then, ay?" Chop smiled, arm wrapped around an ever beaming Izzy. Rae and Finn glanced at each other, sharing yet another love struck grin, before Finn said "We were hungry. Just came here for some food." Before Rae had a chance to confirm, Archie interjected "Good, I'm bloody starving. Haven't eaten since this morning." With that, Archie entered the chippy, Chop and Izzy following suit, before Chloe followed, not before giving Finn and Rae a suspicious and uncomfortable half smile. It suddenly dawned on Rae that Finn had not long since rejected her, and she suddenly felt a pang of guilt. She pulled on Finn's arm before they joined their friends, letting the door close between them and Chloe.
"Look, Finn…I don't think we should tell the gang about, you know…yet, not after you just ended things with Chloe." Rae said, quietly. Chloe stood at the counter, deep in conversation with Izzy.
Finn glanced at Chloe, too, before returning his gaze to Rae. He smiled playfully at her. "Tell them about what, exactly?" He raised his eyebrow.
Rae grinned back with mock annoyance. "Finn!" she scolded through her smile.
"I wanna hear you say it, Rae." Finn said, his smirk slackening slightly. There was something pleading in the tone of his voice. Rae took a deep breath, eyes sparkling.
"That we…love each other." Just hearing the words made her smile again, her cheeks turning pink. Finn smiled widely at her, showing all his teeth. Letting out another chuckle, he shook his head slightly. "Do you really expect me to keep quiet about it? It's not like Chloe and I were together or anything. She'll be fine!"
"Please, Finn, just for tonight."
Finn sighed. "Alright, but if they ask me direct, I ain't lying."
Rae nodded. "Ok, deal."
They entered the chippy, every accidental touch they shared sending jolts of electricity through them. It was all Finn could do not the take her hand in his as they stood at the counter with their friends. They tried to listen in on what the gang were talking about, but they were both lost in a world of their own.
"Shit, I don't have any money!" Rae said, to no-one in particular, a bit more reality seeping in. Barely a beat had passed before Finn said "I'll get it." Before Rae could protest, Finn ordered fish and chips for both of them, handing Rae's portion to her when it was ready. She'd been trying to avoid his gaze, fearing she may suddenly grab him and snog his face off at any given moment. "Don't make a habit of this." She said under her breath. "I'm not the type of girl you need to buy stuff for all the time." Finn smiled slightly. "I know, Rae Rae, but just this once, yeah?" he responded in a hushed tone, before heading towards a table. Rae thought she'd burst at hearing his pet name for her, struggling to think of a more beautiful sound.
"I can't believe you got up and said all that stuff in front of everyone, Rae. You're so brave." Izzy said after they all sat down, the gang nodding in agreement. Rae felt Finn's hand press against her leg a little harder, turning to him in time to see him smile, eyes bright with admiration. "Thanks Izzy. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you all before…I just, well…I didn't know how." Rae admitted, eyes scanning over her friends.
"We all love ya Rae, no matter what." Archie said, smiling fondly at her. He reached out his hand from across the table, squeezing Rae's as she took it. "Thanks. You have no idea how much that means to me." she replied, mirroring his warm grin.
Finn let out a cough, glancing from their intertwined hands to Archie. Although he now knew for sure where Rae's heart truly lay, he found he suddenly couldn't control himself…
"Rae and I have got something to tell yous lot, actually." Rae let go of Archie's hand, glaring at Finn. He reasoned to her with his eyes, and Rae found herself easing up, unable to drum up an ounce of anger for this gorgeous lad next to her. She looked at Chloe, sitting on the other side of her. Rae tried to convey a look of apology, but was surprised to see Chloe didn't look concerned or angry, but was instead leaning over her food, watching Finn expectantly. Izzy let out a small, involuntary squeak, covering her mouth with her hand. Chop shoved a chip in his mouth, smiling widely as he chewed. "Let's have it then." he said.
"Well, we're, um…me and Rae are…" Finn looked at Rae, suddenly self conscious at having all the attention on them, despite that being his intention. It suddenly dawned on them both that they were about to tell their friends something they hadn't even discussed fully themselves. They hadn't defined their relationship, hadn't discussed if they were boyfriend and girlfriend officially, but surely if two people were in love, the fact that they were a couple was a given, right? Rae picked up from where Finn left off: "We just got together…as a couple." Rae continued to look at Finn, the last word almost coming out as a question, but she was relieved when Finn nodded in response. Silence fell over the group for a few moments, before an loud smack made Finn and Rae visibly jump. The smack turned out to be a high five shared by Chloe and Archie, an enthusiastic "Yes!" accompanying it. "Pay up you two!" Archie said to Chop and Izzy with a grin, both looking disgruntled as they shuffled around in their pockets (or bra, in Izzy's case) both pulling out a fiver each and handing it to a smug Archie and Chloe. Izzy pleaded to a bemused and slightly offended Rae and Finn as she did so: "It's not that we didn't want you to get together or anything, it's just Archie and Chloe already arranged the bet on our way here, and Chop and I…we didn't even think much about it really."
"They were too busy snogging to realise what they'd agreed to." Archie laughed. Rae slouched in her seat, looking at her friends in disbelief. Finn reached out to give Chop a punch on the arm, who dodged it just in time, pushing Izzy slightly as he ducked away, laughing. Finn couldn't help but let out a chuckle, Rae following suit, shaking her head and looking at her knees.
Finn looked at Archie, who was continuing to tuck into his pizza with a smirk. Finn was pleased to see that Archie clearly didn't mind that Rae was with him. He realised now, fully, that there was no romantic connection between them, from either side. He'd no longer eye them suspiciously as they kissed each other's cheeks or had intimate conversations, and he felt like yet more weight had been lifted from him. He almost felt giddy with relief at both confessing his long held feelings for 'the girl of his dreams' and letting go of the jealousy he felt for his bespectacled friend.
Rae looked at Chloe, who was rubbing her hand with her thumb, clearly not used to receiving high fives. Her mood hadn't changed since she and Rae had talked outside the pub, to Rae's relief and delight. Rae suspected that the feelings her oldest friend had for Finn had been fleeting, and Rae wondered if Chloe had realised that herself. All Rae knew was that she was happy beyond words that Chloe wasn't hurt, a fact confirmed by Chloe giving her a quick smile, before saying "I didn't tell you how lovely you look in that dress, Rae. I'm glad your Mum finally gave in!" before returning to the last few chips on the paper in front of her.
Amidst all the chatter and confessions, Rae had forgotten to eat. Suddenly remembering how famished she was, she reached over to grab a napkin from the dispenser between Finn and Chop, covering her dress with it. When her right hand returned to her lap, she felt Finn's fingers slowly lace around hers. Rae looked up at him subtly, watching as he talked to Chop, before her attention was diverted by Izzy, who began to gush over her Mum's wedding dress. Rae loved how nothing had changed; they were exactly as they'd been before she'd confessed to everyone about her past. It wasn't a big deal, not to them, and especially not to Finn, the person who's opinion of her mattered the most. Rae kicked herself for not having enough faith in her group of friends, and she vowed to not keep any secrets from them ever again - within reason, of course. Finn gently rubbed Rae's thumb with his own every now and then, not letting go of her hand until the gang had finished eating, all deciding to head back to the reception to see the night out. As they all stepped outside, Finn told his friends to go on ahead, a request met with a chorus of whistles and hollers. He rolled his eyes, amused, Rae shyly glancing at the floor, her cheeks aching from smiling so much. Rae and Finn stood in the street, watching their friends wander further away, before Finn gently moved his wide eyed girlfriend towards a doorway beside the chippy. The thought had entered Finn's mind to try and construct a special place to kiss Rae for the first time, perhaps on a romantic first date. Maybe he'd kiss her at sunset in a secluded woodland spot - some romantic bullshit like that, but just as he could barely wait five minutes before telling their friends about their new relationship, he couldn't wait to kiss her any longer. They'd shared too many moments in the past where he felt he'd needed to physically grab onto something to stop himself from closing the space between them, the time they shared in Rae's landing cupboard two weeks before a prime example. Rae was equally as impatient, a fact Finn could read as he noticed her chest rise and fall harder than usual, noticed how her glance switched quickly from his mouth to his eyes as he stepped closer to her. When they were mere inches apart, Finn gently pressed his fingertips to Rae's cheek, slowly guiding her face towards his. When their lips met, every so tenderly, Finn wondered if Rae could feel how fast his heart was beating through the pulse in his jaw. Rae felt a blissful searing in her chest, the butterflies in her stomach going into overdrive. She lifted her arms, placing her hands on Finn's back, Finn's left arm linking around her shoulders, bringing her closer to him. They stood in the doorway, kissing in silence, Finn manoeuvring his head every now and then, only breaking away when they both laughed quietly when their noses bumped. After they reluctantly broke apart, they gazed at each other, Rae's flushed cheeks illuminated by the nearby streetlight.
"Come on, love birds! We wanna boogie!" Chop yelled at them from afar.
"Classic Chop." Rae laughed, rolling her eyes. Finn stepped back to look at their friends, who were waiting for them on the street corner. Finn took Rae's hand in his own once again, an act that came so naturally it surprised them both. As they stepped back out into the street to rejoin the group, Finn said: "I'll get him back one o' these days, you mark my words."