"I still can't believe you wanted to come, Finn" Carole Hudson mused as she drove down the quiet highway. "And bring your girlfriend!"
"Well, I don't really know where exactly where we are going" Rachel said. "Finn just said we were going to a cottage a few hours away. I'm excited because I've never been camping. My dads preferred more classy vacations and didn't like to rough it outside, so I've never experienced it!"
Carole chuckled. "Well, I'm afraid you're still out of luck. A cottage isn't really a camp."
"Oh, that's okay. I haven't been to a cottage either!" Rachel said.
"You're gonna enjoy it" Finn smiled and looked at Rachel through the rear view mirror. His warm brown eyes met her twinkling ones. She grinned at him.
"Only another hour and a half" Carole said.
They arrived at a little cottage 90 minutes later. It was a small place. The outside was painted yellow and green vines creeped up the sides. It was a quaint place and Finn beamed when he saw it.
They unloaded the luggage from the car and carried it across the yellowing lawn and to the red door. Finn opened the front door. Inside it was just as nice as the outside. Everything was wooden or a hideous plaid colour. Either way it was cute and Finn smiled so much that Rachel could tell he was very happy here.
Carole carried the last bag in and smiled. "Smells just like it looks. Old."
"It smells like fun" Finn said.
Rachel laughed and wandered around though the cottage. Judging by the thin layer of dust that covered everything, it looked like it hadn't been lived in recently. Finn picked up Rachel's sparkly pink bags and carried them to a room.
"This is your room" Finn said.
Rachel followed him into the room. It was small with dark wood paneling and a single bed in the corner with a purple quilt on it. There was a window that was covered with long red curtains across the room. Rachel pulled back the curtains. Outside the window was a bunch of trees and another cottage a bit farther away.
"This place is nice" Rachel said, turning back to Finn.
"I know" Finn said with a smile. "Come on. I'll give you a tour!"
Rachel smiled and followed Finn as he showed her every inch of the cottage.
"Finn! Rachel!" Carole called from the kitchen. "I made grilled cheese!"
"Yum!" Finn smiled and he and Rachel dashed out of the laundry room to the large wood table where Carole had set out three places.
"This looks good" Rachel said, taking a seat. Carole carried over three plates, each with a warm cheesy sandwich.
As they ate, Carole spoke up. "So you know that we came here for a wedding, right?"
Finn nodded but Rachel shook her head.
Carole rolled her eyes. "Finn, did you tell her anything? I'm surprised she agreed to come based on what little information you gave her."
"She's a trusting person" Finn said.
Rachel giggled.
Carole sighed and turned to Rachel. "Okay, well my friend Jane is getting married here and I was invited to the wedding. Finn was also invited but he doesn't want to go."
"Because weddings mean dancing and I can't dance" Finn said with a mouthful of grilled cheese.
"However, he want to come hang out here so he brought you too" Carole said. She looked at her watch. "The wedding is at three and the reception is at five so I have to go soon."
"When will you be back?" Finn asked.
"Late" Carole said. "Jane has a ridiculously large wedding party and I think they'll all want to make speeches."
"You can borrow my iPod if you want" Finn said. "Wear a black dress so the headphones won't stand out. Trust me, it works all the time in class."
"Finn!" Rachel said. "You can't listen to iPods during a wedding!"
"Exactly. And you use your iPod in class?" Carole asked with a frown.
Finn paled. "Um...no?"
Carole sighed. "Never again. You're at school to learn not rock out to whatever music you listen to. Do you understand me?"
"Yes" Finn mumbled.
"Rachel, if you see him in class with his headphones, don't be afraid to take them from him" Carole said with a smile.
"Will do" Rachel nodded and rolled her eyes at Finn who gaped at her.
"You're my girlfriend! You're not supposed to be in cahoots with my mom!" He said.
"It's not cahoots if you know about it" Rachel said as Carole took her empty plate away.
"Maybe if you paid attention in English, you'd know that" Carole said before she walked off into the kitchen.
"You look amazing!" Rachel said as Carole came out of her room wearing a fitted red dress. She had a small gold necklace on and gold earrings.
"Kurt picked that out, didn't he?" Finn asked, looking at his mom.
"What makes you say that?" Rachel asked, putting her hands in her hips.
Finn snickered. "Because it's not made of denim."
Carole laughed. "Okay, I'll admit, Kurt picked it out."
"It still looks gorgeous on you" Rachel said.
"Thank you, Rachel!" Carole beamed at her. She picked up a thin black handbag and her cell phone. "Well, I'm off!"
"Bye!" Finn said as Carole kissed his cheek.
"Don't burn the place or anything wild like that" Carole said. "Rachel, you're in charge!"
"Yes!" Rachel smiled victoriously at Finn.
"What? Rachel's in charge? But I know this place better than her!" Finn protested.
"Yeah, but she doesn't make mean fashion jokes to me and I'm in cahoots with her, remember?" Carole smirked.
"Oh, just go to stupid wedding, already" Finn said with a smile.
"Okay. Stay safe and have fun! Love you!" Carole said and left the cottage.
"So now what?" Rachel asked, sitting down next to Finn on the couch.
"You tell me. You're in charge" Finn smiled sarcastically.
Rachel laughed.
"But I suppose we can go on a tour" Finn said.
"Of what?" Rachel asked.
"This little cottage town" Finn said. She stood up and took Rachel's hand. "It's really small but fun."
"Okay" Rachel said. "Lead the way!"
"I will. First, go put on a bathing suit on too" Finn smiled at Rachel.
"Why? Is there a pool here?" Rachel asked.
"Just do it. You'll see" Finn said.
"Okay..." Rachel kissed Finn's cheek and skipped off to her room to find her bathing suit.
"And this is the park" Finn said, swinging their clasped hands. After Rachel had put a bathing suit on under her clothes and Finn found his bathing suit too, they had left the cottage. He had showed her all the other cottages, the small convenience store, the bakery and the pizza place.
"Lots of kids" Rachel said, seeing five hyper little kids run around the park with large, wild smiles.
"Yeah" Finn nodded. "Come on. Swing time!"
"Swing?" Rachel as Finn pulled her to the swing set.
Finn sat down on one swing and Rachel did the same.
"I bet I can swing higher!" Finn said and began swinging.
"No, I bet I can beat you" Rachel said, swinging too.
"Nope" Finn said, swinging higher with a large grin on his face.
"Look, synchronized swinging!" Rachel said, noticing that their swings were in sync.
"Not for longer" Finn said, swinging just a bit higher so that they broke synchronization.
"Ha! I'm ahead of you!" Rachel shouted.
"Or I could be ahead of you" Finn stuck his tongue out at her.
They contest kept going for several more minutes.
"This is as high as I can go" Rachel said. "If go any higher, I'll fall off."
"Me too" Finn said. "But I win!"
"No!" Rachel shook her head.
"Yeah, look. My feet reach here and yours reach there. Mine are farther" Finn said with a smirk.
"That's so not fair! It's only because you're taller!" Rachel protested.
"Sucks for you!" Finn yelled and jumped off the swing in mid swing and landing in the sand.
"Ta-da!" Finn laughed, landing perfectly on his feet.
"I give it a 6" Rachel said. "It would have been better with some flips."
"Let's see you do better" Finn said with his arms crossed.
"No way" Rachel shook her head. "I'm not jumping. I'll land funny and die."
"No you won't."
"Nope. I'll slow down this swing and get off like normal" Rachel said.
"Come on! I'll catch you" Finn said, holding out his arms.
Rachel hesitated. "Promise?"
"Of course" Finn nodded solemnly. "Just jump."
Rachel bit her lip and as the swing went up to it's peak, she let go and jumped off the swing, landing in Finn's arms. Only too bad she was heavier than Finn expected and he stumbled backwards. Finn fell backwards and landed on his back, with Rachel in his arms still.
"Ooof" Finn grunted as he hit the ground.
"Ohmygosh!" Rachel gasped and opened her eyes. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine" Finn nodded, his arms still tightly wrapped around Rachel's waist. "See? Told you that I'd catch you!"
"Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine. Are you okay?"
Rachel sighed. "Yes." She propped herself up over Finn and smiled.
"That was fun" Finn smiled as Rachel's hair tickled his neck.
"I love you" Rachel whispered. She smiled and leaned down to kiss him. His arms tightened around her waist, as if to pull her closer. The kiss was warm and sweet and showed tonnes of love.
"Thank you" Rachel whispered when she pulled back slowly, but only a bit.
"For the kiss?"
"For catching me, silly."
"Oh. You're welcome. Catching is my specialty" Finn laughed. Rachel laughed and climbed off her boyfriend.
Two hours later, the tour of the small town was done and Finn and Rachel were in the small pizza place. They sat in a booth in the back. Rachel ate a cheese slice and Finn ate a cheese, pepperoni and olive slice. Rachel drank water and Finn drank Coke.
"I'm surprise he recognized me" Finn said, looking over at the large pizza maker. He was also the owner of the place. When Finn and Rachel had gone to the counter to order, the man had immediately recognized Finn.
"It's been so long" Finn continued.
Rachel nodded and sipped her water.
"So what do you think of the place?" Finn asked her with glistening eyes.
"It's so nice" Rachel said with a smile. "Very quaint."
"I have no idea what that means" Finn laughed.
Rachel giggled. "It means it's small but amazing."
"Yes, yes it is" Finn said. He sighed contently.
Rachel finished her pizza. Finn was already done. "So now what?" She asked.
Finn looked at his watch. "Now it's almost seven."
"I know. There's a clock right over there" Rachel said, pointing to the clock on the wall across the small shop.
"Okay, let's go then" Finn said. They tossed out their trash and left the small pizza place, waving at the smiley pizza man on their way out. Back in the evening sun, Finn took Rachel's hand in his own.
They walked down a small rocky path, through a maze of trees of all sizes.
"Are we going to the pool now?" Rachel asked.
"It's not a pool" Finn said.
"No? Then what is it?" Rachel asked.
"A river."
"River?"
"Yup" Finn nodded, chuckling at the look of horror on Rachel's face.
"Are there live fish in this river?" Rachel asked slowly.
"Maybe a few" Finn said. "There used to be."
"Oh gosh" Rachel sighed and kept walking.
Finally, they came to a clearing and the soft sound of churning water could be heard.
"Hear that?" Finn asked. He paused in mid-step with a large smile. "The sound of happiness."
"Or a bathtub" Rachel giggled.
"You are such a pessimist" Finn glared at her with a smile.
Rachel laughed. "I'm sorry."
"No you're not. Come on" Finn tugged her arm gently. He pulled her along the path. Soon the river came in view. It was a beautiful sight. The water was sparkling in the setting sun that was reflected. The reeds and grass at the water's edge were lush and green. The waters were calm at the only sound was the water, the soft breeze and Finn's heavy breathing. Rachel smiled. It all really was gorgeous.
"Let's go!" Finn said excitedly, kicking off his shoes.
Rachel sighed and took off the top layer of her clothes, revealing her purple and blue tankini. Finn took off his shirt and jumped right in the river.
"Is it cold? How deep is it?" Rachel asked as soon as Finn's head surfaced again.
"It's not cold and it goes to my chest" Finn said, standing up.
"That means I'll drown" Rachel said. "Do I have to come in?"
"Yes you do. Jump in. I'll catch you" Finn smiled.
Rachel smiled a bit and nodded. "Fine..." She closed her eyes and jumped in, right into Finn's arms again. This time, when he stumbled back, he just fell into the water.
"Holy cow! This is freezing!" Rachel screamed as she felt the icy water hit her bare legs and arms.
Finn laughed and lowered her into the water to get her colder. Rachel clung on to him, with her arms wrapped around his neck tightly.
"You lied to me!" Rachel screamed and hit Finn's shoulder in her rage. "This is so cold!"
"It's not! It's a bit chilly" Finn said with a smile. Rachel thrashed around in Finn's arms for another bit until her body temperature adjusted to the cold water.
"You okay now?" Finn asked as Rachel blinked and sighed.
"I hate you" Rachel growled with a frown.
"Love you too" Finn smiled and splashed water at Rachel, who shivered. "Aw, you're cold!" He cooed and gave her a large hug.
Rachel tried to pull back at first, but settled into the embrace eventually. With a smile, too.
"I'm proud of you" Rachel said after a moment.
"For what?" Finn asked, genuinely confused.
"For not wearing a shirt."
"What?"
"Remember when we were doing Rocky Horror in Glee club? You said you always wore a shirt when you went swimming because you were self conscience. Now look! No shirt!" Rachel smiled and looked up at him.
Finn blushed. "I guess I'm just really comfortable around you."
Rachel started tearing up and she hugged Finn tightly.
"Are you crying?" Finn asked, looking down at Rachel.
"That just means so much to me" Rachel mumbled.
Finn smiled and hugged Rachel tighter.
They swam in the water for another hour. By the time they got out, the sun was setting and the sky was darkening.
"Are you bored?" Finn asked Rachel, who was floating on her back and staring out at the sky.
"Nope."
"Well, do you want to get out of the water?"
"If you want to" Rachel replied with a smile.
"Okay, well come on. I've saved the best for last" Finn said. He swam over to her and picked her up bridal style.
"Ah! Put me down!" Rachel said, startled by him.
"No, I don't think I will" Finn said and he carried her out of the river.
"Put. Me. Down" Rachel demanded, shivering when she was completely out of water.
"Well, if you insist" Finn smirked. He turned back toward the river and threw Rachel back in. She landed with a large splash that hit Finn from the side of the river, where he stood, laughing.
"That was rude" Rachel huffed and got out of the river.
"So I pick you up and you get mad so I put you down and you still get mad?" Finn smirked.
"I got mad because you threw me back in the river!" Rachel said.
Finn shook his head like a dog and water drops flew everywhere.
"We should have brought towels" Rachel sighed and slipped her flip-flops back on.
"It's call air-dry" Finn said, putting his shirt back on.
"I'm familiar with the concept" Rachel said and pulled her shorts and T-shirt back on. When she was ready to go she smiled. "Where are we going now?"
"You'll see" Finn said. He stepped behind Rachel and put his hands over her eyes. "Don't peek."
"I dunno if I can trust you" Rachel sighed but smiled.
"Have I given you reason not to?"
"Let's count. You barely gave my any information about this trip before we came, you said you'd catch me and instead we fell in the sand, you surprised me with a river swim, you said it was warm but it was actually like the arctic and lastly, you dropped me back in the river" Rachel said, counting in her fingers. "That's five!"
"Well, you have to learn to trust me" Finn said. "You know I'd never hurt you or put you in any danger."
"I know. I do trust you" Rachel nodded as Finn led her down a path that she couldn't see.
"Are we there yet?" Rachel asked. It had been ten minutes of walking and Finn's hands still prevented her from looking at anything.
"Just a few more steps" Finn said, guiding her along the path.
"Your hands smell like watermelon" Rachel said.
"Yeah! Kurt said my hands were like snakeskin so he gave me this lotion stuff. It's kinda fruity but my hands are so soft now" Finn said.
"I like it" Rachel said with a laugh.
"Okay, we're here" Finn said and slowly removed his hands from Rachel's eyes.
Rachel took in the sight. They were still by the river, but farther down from where they swam. It had gotten much darker since she was able to see last so the water looked darker too. In front of them stood a large tree that stood by the river. The largest of all the surrounding trees. But what made the tree more exiting was the little tree house that was built in it, along some strong, thick branches. The tree house looked old and possibly neglected.
Finn stared up at the tree house with a huge smile.
"Yours?" Rachel asked, admiring it.
"No. Well, yes, but I didn't build it" Finn said. "Some family built it and it was just a place for the kids to play. But I loved it the most."
Rachel laughed. "It's nice."
"Come on. We're going up" Finn said, taking Rachel's hand and pulling her to the base of the tree.
"How are we getting up?" Rachel asked. The tree house wasn't very high up, but she needed a ladder to get up.
"There's a ladder" Finn said. He look up and studied the small entrance. He reached up and felt along the side of the wood floor. Then he smiled and pull his arm down. In his hand was a coiled up rope ladder that was attached somewhere in the tree house.
"Voila" Finn said, unravelling the ladder.
"Will that hold our weight?" Rachel asked, looking at the dingy yellow rope.
"Sure" Finn nodded. "But I'll go first, in case you still don't trust me."
Rachel made a face but stepped back to let Finn go up. Finn grabbed the top rungs and stepped up on the rope. Sure enough, he got up and within ten seconds he was sitting in the tree house.
Rachel followed Finn up the ladder, nervous as it swayed gently. But it held its own and she joined Finn inside. The inside was just like the outside: wooden. But there were random leaves, sticks and rocks on the floor. The walls had an array of carvings and drawings etched in, symbols of the years of entertainment the tree house had seen.
"Do people still play here?" Rachel asked. She couldn't fully stand up in the tree house. But on her knees, she was able to go in and explore the area.
Finn shrugged. "I doubt it."
Rachel looked at the wall's markings. Most of it was names or dates or hearts or stick figures.
"Here's my name" Finn said. He was looking at the wall parallel to the one Rachel was examining. He pointed to his name.
"You did that?" Rachel asked, looking at it with a smile.
"Yeah. Summer of 'O7" Finn nodded.
"Do you know these names?" Rachel asked, going back to her wall.
"A few. Not all of them" Finn answered.
When Rachel was done looking around, she turned to see Finn sitting on the edge of the tree house, with his legs hanging down. He was staring down at the river. Rachel slid next to him and rested her head on his shoulder.
"You really like it here, huh?" Rachel said, glancing up at him.
"Yeah" Finn nodded. He really did.
"You never told me how you own that cottage or how you know this place or anything. Actually, in hindsight, I'm not sure how or why I agreed to come" Rachel laughed.
Finn smiled. "It's a long story."
"I got time."
"Okay" Finn said. "Well, every summer my mom and I would come up here. My mom had a few friends here and I played with a bunch of random kids. We stayed in that same cottage. My mom never told me the history of it, but I once found a legal document saying that my dad and mom bought it one year before I was born. I guess that's why she still took me. Every year. I loved it and everyone and everything. Then when I turned 11, my mom got a new job and we couldn't come up here much. And soon, we never came up here at all. I was really sad but I had stuff to do at home anyways, like football. I think my mom wanted to sell the cottage, too, but she knew it'll kill me if she did. Sometimes, I think she only went up every summer for me. I loved it more than her..." Finn's voice trailed off slowly.
Rachel took Finn's hand and gave it a loving squeeze.
"This was my favourite place" Finn whispered.
"It's a beautiful town."
"No. Right here. In the tree house" Finn said.
Rachel smiled wordlessly.
Finn looked down at her. He couldn't see her face clearly due to her slightly crinkly damp hair. "Rach?"
"Mhmm?"
"Remember last year? When Kurt transferred back to McKinley? And Blaine and the Warblers came and sang that song, 'Somewhere Only We Know'? This is that place" Finn said quietly.
"Thank you" Rachel said. "Thank you for bringing me here and showing me this all and sharing this all with me."
"Of course" Finn said with a nod. "Promise me something?"
"What's that?"
"Promise me that one day when we're happily married and living in New York, that we'll come back here" Finn said. He let go of her hand and wrapped his arm around her small frame, pulling her close. "And then when we have kids, we'll bring them here too."
"Yes" Rachel nodded. "I swear."
"I love you, Rachel" Finn said.
"I love you too."
They sat in silence for another while. No words were needed. They both knew that what they felt that moment was complete love. They watched the sky grow dark and the stars speckle the sky to the sound of the water's lulling waves. Only when Rachel made an involuntary shiver did Finn speak.
"You cold?"
"A bit..." Rachel mumbled.
"Well, then let's go" Finn said, rubbing her bare arm soothingly.
"It's alright" Rachel said. She regretted the shiver and she hated to think that she's making Finn leave his happiness because of it.
"No, it's okay" Finn said calmly. "I was getting tired anyways."
Rachel bit her lip. "You sure?"
Finn nodded and climbed down the ladder. Rachel did the same. When they were both on the ground, Finn wrapped up the ladder and tossed it up to the tree house so no one could get up.
Then he turned to face her. He had a warm smile on his face. Rachel smiled shyly and took his hand. Even though his hand was much bigger than hers, they still fit together perfectly. Like yin and yang.
Together, hand in hand, they walked back to the cottage.
When Carole returned from the wedding that night, it was late. The cottage lights were out. Except the small TV that was on. But no one was watching it. Rachel and Finn were both asleep. Finn sat on the end of the couch, with his feet on the foot stool. Rachel lay on the couch, curled against Finn, her head resting on his chest. Finn's arm was draped around her and his other arm was hanging off the couch, dangling next to a empty bowl of ice cream with two small silver spoons in it.
Some random movie was playing on the screen at a really low volume.
Carole smiled at the sight. Her little boy was all grown up. And Rachel was a beautiful girl who, despite her diva-ish qualities, was a really nice and loving person. Finn would be lucky to spend his life with her. Carole found a large blanket and covered them up. They both had small smiles on their faces as they slept. Why wake them?
When Finn woke up, the first thing he noticed is Rachel. Still asleep on top of him. He smiled and brushed a stray lock of hair away from her face. She was so pretty. He carefully and slowly sat up, trying not to wake Rachel. Then he noticed the large and thick red blanket that was over them both. His mom must have put that there when she came in. He didn't hear her. Not that he was surprised. His mom often told him that he could sleep through a live concert no problem.
"Finn?" Rachel whispered. It was so quiet that if he had exhaled at that exact moment, he probably wouldn't have heard it.
"Yes?" He replied.
"Are you up?"
"No, I just answer in my sleep" Finn chuckled.
"Hilarious" Rachel rolled her eyes and sat up a bit so she could face him better.
"Did you sleep well?" Finn asked.
"Yeah" Rachel smiled. "Because you were there."
Finn blushed a bit. "Well, I slept well too."
Rachel smiled. "What's the plan for today?"
Finn glanced at the clock. "We gotta eat breakfast. Then my mom wants to stop in and say hi to a friend down the street so we can do whatever. Then we pack up and we're back in Lima by four at the latest."
Rachel nodded. "Okay." She smiled and rested her head on Finn's chest, right under his chin, snuggling closer. "I love you."
Finn smiled and placed his hand over hers. "I love you too."
"Good morning!" Carole said, twenty minutes later. Finn and Rachel had changed into clean clothes and had made a hearty breakfast of toast and fruit. Carole had woken up to the smell of fresh coffee brewing, courtesy of Rachel.
"Morning!" Rachel chirped.
"Sup, mom?" Finn said.
"Hello Finn" Carole said, with an eye roll.
"How was the wedding?" Finn asked.
"It was lovely" Carole said. "Long, but fun. Breakfast looks delicious."
"Thank you" Rachel said, sitting down at the table.
"So what did you guys do?" Carole asked, sipping her coffee.
"Finn took me on a whole tour of the town. It's so nice" Rachel said.
"And we went swimming" Finn said. "In the river."
"Really? Sounds fun" Carole said.
"It was" Rachel said. "I have decided I like going to cottages!"
Carole laughed. "If we ever come back..."
"Which we will" Finn said darkly.
"...We'll be sure to invite you" Carole finished.
"Aww, thank you!" Rachel beamed.
They finished breakfast and cleaned up. It was almost ten.
"I'm going down the street to say hello, okay?" Carole said to Finn.
"Hello takes ten seconds. How long are you really gonna be?" Finn said.
Carole rolled her eyes. "An hour. Maybe 90 minutes. Geeze, you've been full of sarcasm these past few days. Is he normally like this, Rachel?"
Rachel giggled. "Sometimes."
"Okay. We'll be going out" Finn said.
"Just be back in a few hours" Carole said. She walked to the door.
"Okay. Bye!" Rachel smiled and waved as Carole left the cottage. "Your mom is so nice."
"Thanks?" Finn said, making a face. Rachel threw a pillow at him.
They arrived at the tree house twenty minutes later.
"I don't want to swim again" Rachel said. "My hair will get all frizzy."
"I like your hair like that" Finn said.
"Ew, don't lie to make me feel better! I hate my hair like that. It's so ugly!" Rachel kept going with a frown.
Finn stopped walking and turned to face Rachel. "Don't."
"Huh?"
"Don't say that. You aren't ugly at all. You are beautiful. And I love you just the way you are" Finn said, staring into Rachel's eyes.
Rachel's lips parted a bit as if she was going to respond. But instead, she launched herself up and wrapped her arms around Finn's neck as she kissed him. Finn smiled into the kiss and wrapped his arms around Rachel's waist.
"Thank you" Rachel whispered when she broke the kiss. She didn't pull back far as seen has her nose touching Finn's nose. "You always know just what to say."
"It's all true" Finn said.
Rachel smiled and gently kissed Finn again.
"As much as I'd love to stand here and do this all day" Finn began after a few minutes of passionate kissing. "We do have to leave."
Rachel blushed and nodded, unwrapping her arms from Finn.
"Come on" Finn took her hand. "I think you should leave your mark too."
"Huh?"
Finn smiled and reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a thick black permanent marker. "Sign your name on the wood."
"Where?" Rachel grinned and took the marker from him. She took off the cap and held it between her teeth as Finn pulled down the ladder again. They climbed up and sat inside it. It was much easier to see the wall's scrawl because the sun was bright and not setting like it had been last night.
"Here's a blank area" Finn said, locating a small area of untouched wood on the wall.
Rachel nodded and held the marker above the spot, ready to write. Then she pulled back and looked questioningly at Finn. "What do I write?"
"Write your name" Finn suggested. "And the date."
"Are you going to sign too?" Rachel asked.
"My name is already on the wall over there, remember?"
"Yeah, but you should sign again. With me."
"Really?"
"Yeah, why not?" Rachel smiled and wrote on the wood carefully. "You go first." She handed him the marker.
Finn smiled and wrote his name and then passed off the marker to Rachel. Rachel smiled and neatly wrote underneath it: 'and Rachel forever -2012'. Then she drew a large heart around it.
"I know, it's cheesy, but it's cute" Rachel said as she put the lid back on the marker.
"I like it" Finn smiled lovingly at her.
"Oh!" Rachel gasped. "I almost forgot!" She handed Finn back the marker. Finn had a confused look on his face as he watched Rachel reach into the back pocket of her shorts and pull out a small slip of shiny white paper. The paper was maybe just a tiny bit bigger than Finn's thumb. Rachel smiled and carefully picked a small gold star sticker off the paper. She took the small sparkly star and placed it next to her name on the wood. Then she put the slip of paper, minus the one star, back in her pocket.
Finn stared, flabbergasted. "Do you really carry gold star stickers around with you?"
Rachel nodded proudly. "It's my thing."
Finn smiled at his girlfriends ridiculousness and looked at the sticker next to her name. "That's probably not gonna last."
Rachel looked at him, eyes twinkling. "Well then. I guess when we come back like I promised, I'll have to replace it."
Finn smiled, happy that she remembered the promise from the night before. "Okay then."
Two hours later, they were in the car again, going home to Lima. Finn looked heartbroken as they loaded the last bag into the car and drove off, leaving the cottage. Rachel, in need of a good shower, was happy to go but also sad at the same time. Seeing Finn so upset was making her sad too and it really was a nice place. But they all had no choice as they got in the car and drove off. The car ride was a sad one at first, but Carole sensed Finn's disappointment and tried to lighten the mood by telling funny stories of the wedding or Finn's childhood. In the end, Rachel and Finn were laughing so hard that they were out of breath. Finally after another hour or so of driving, they arrived in familiar old Lima. When Carole pulled into Rachel's driveway, Rachel had thanked her and Finn profusely and gotten out of the car. Finn had also leapt out, claiming that he was to help her with her bags, but Carole knew he just wanted to kiss Rachel goodbye without his mom watching. Finn and Rachel unloaded her two bags from the trunk and brought them into her house.
"Hmm, I guess my dads went out somewhere" Rachel said when she got in and wasn't greeted right away.
Inside, Finn cheered, but on the outside, he remained calm. "Huh. Guess so."
He set her bag down on the floor next to the other.
"Well, this is goodbye" Rachel said, looking up at him. "Thank you so much again for bringing me. I had lots of fun."
"Me too" Finn smiled and nodded. "I'll call you later?"
Rachel nodded. "Sure. Talk to you then."
Finn smiled wider then leaned down and captured Rachel's lips in a kiss. Rachel had been expecting it, yet was still surprised.
"I love you" Finn said as he slowly pulled back and headed for the door.
"I love you too!" Rachel said, blushing. "Bye."
Finn gave her one last smile and then left the house, also blushing.
Rachel shut the door and watched the small car drive off down the road from the window. All in all, it was a great trip. And now, if she ever wanted to surprise Finn, she knew exactly where to bring him. Yes, they would definitely go back.
A/N
Hello!
So this is my Finchel fluff fic. I noticed that there seems to be a lack of them. They all seem to be a thriller or suspence story, which isn't bad, but there are like Klaine fluff stories for everything in the world and Finchel needs some fluffyness too! :) So what do ya think? Lemmie know!