"Finn Hudson?" the nasally voice of the receptionist, Linda read from her computer. She put a weird emphasis on "son," over-pronouncing the O.
"Yeah, that's me," he confirmed. "I'm just here to pick up another bottle of my medication."
"That'll be a moment while we locate your order," she said. Her voice was the opposite of the doctor's, harsh and irritating. "You can take a seat in the waiting room.'
Finn stepped back from the counter and turned to the small room of chairs. He sat down on the tattered cushion of a chair across from the other man who was there. The man lifted his eyes from the magazine he held to give Finn a seemingly judgmental look then went back to his reading. Finn drummed his fingers on the side of his leg, lightly tapping his foot. He felt awkward in that waiting room, and only wanted his medication to hurry itself up.
The bell of the clinic door rang, announcing a new patient's presence. There were only four chairs in the space, and the other man's stack of magazines cluttered on the seat beside him left only the one next to Finn. He tried to be nonchalant as he shuffled to the left, moving his big frame out of the neighbouring chair's bubble.
He listened to the overpowering slapping of flip flops on the linoleum as the new patient went to the front desk. His eyes darted up to follow. The woman brushed a strand of her brown hair behind her ear, reminding him of Rachel. She turned around then and froze.
Rachel it was.
Finn averted his sight, pretending like he hadn't even noticed her. Evidently, he'd been stock-still with a blank look on his face for long enough that she knew he had.
"I guess I was wrong," Rachel proclaimed as she took the one empty seat.
"You're kind of like, a star, I could've found you." After he said it, he immediately rushed in to not come off as creepy. "I mean, not that I was going to. But it probably wouldn't be that hard, you must do signings or something." Finn focused straight ahead of him to the wall, avoiding the menacing eye contact he expected.
Rachel let out a sarcastic chuckle. "A star? Yeah, I sign my name with a star at the end. Usually just on contracts. I have by no means achieved fame. I am however destined for it." There was something cute about the way she spoke. It was in a superior way, but not stuck-up at all, like a kid talking back to a bully.
"You're in a Broadway show, I think that classifies as a star," he argued.
"I'm in the ensemble," she said piteously. "I'm that ensemble girl who's not even an understudy for a secondary character!"
"You're a star to me," he blurted out.
Rachel's voice dropped in pitch and tone, becoming innocent. "Thank you." He finally swiveled his head to meet her bright, round eyes. A vague part of his brain thought it was amusing how much he was looking down to her. "Maybe you're not that bad after all."
"Uh, thanks." He stuck out his hand for her to grab. "Finn Hudson."
With only a moment of hesitation, she grasped his hand to shake. "Rachel Berry, but you already know that." He smirked at her attitude.
"What brings you to the doctor's today?" Finn asked, trying to make conversation.
"Um." Rachel bit her lip.
"Oh, sorry, I suck at this. I shouldn't be asking that," he realized. He felt a strong desire to slap himself.
"No, it's okay, it's not anything really," the woman cut in promptly. "I just have to get some tests to check if any of my vitamins are low, because of my vegan diet. I'm almost positive they'll be perfectly fine." She paused for a few seconds when he simply nodded. "Can I ask you why you're here?"
Finn prepared himself to make a lie, but then thought better of it. He saw no use in hiding his disease anymore; it all boiled down to the same fate.
"I'm here to pick up my cancer meds," he told her casually.
Rachel's jaw and eyebrows sunk before she caught herself. "Well, I hope they work out for you.
"Oh, they won't," Finn announced. "They just help to get me through my days. I think I've accepted it."
"You're not just making this up so I'll like you, are you?" Rachel questioned, a conflicted look on her face.
"Not last time I checked," Finn smirked. "Why, would it be working?"
"I'm sorry, that was rude," she corrected herself, ignoring Finn's comment. In a whisper, she added, "Do you know how long?"
"I have left?" Finn finished. "Not really. Could be tomorrow, could be a few months away."
"Then I propose we speed things up," she stated matter-of-factly.
Finn's stomach flipped in anticipation, but he didn't let his excitement run away from him. "And by that you mean?"
Her chocolate eyes warmed with her subtle smile, but that personality never faltered. "By that I mean, do you want your date or not?"
"Definitely," Finn said with a stutter. "I mean, I do."
"Good, I'll see you tomorrow afternoon at two. Do you know where Frank's Gelato on Broadway is?" Finn nodded- this was where Susan often took him after a night at a show. "Be prompt."
"Finn Hudson," Linda squawked.
He hustled to the desk to grab the stapled brown bag. Before he opened the door to leave, Finn paused and looked to Rachel, who had been following him with her eyes. "Don't worry, I will." Then he exited, leaving the bell above the door ringing through the waiting room.
"I think your hair would look much better if you combed to one side, instead of that silly up-do you've got going," Susan declared as Finn spiked up the front of his hair. The gurgling at the back of her throat was audible as she prepared to spit into her hand.
"No, really, it's fine!" Finn said hurriedly. Susan shifted her eyes between him and her glistening hand, seeming to still be contemplating it, but then wiped her hand off on her skirt. He grimaced at the mark it left, imagining that on his own head.
"Well off you go then, can't keep a girl waiting!" Her eyes bulged from their sockets in the usual excited fashion.
Finn took a deep breath then looked himself over in the mirror again. He looked casual, but neat. His dark jeans were freshly ironed, along with his crimson polo shirt. He fidgeted with his belt buckle, trying to look his best. After all this, he closed his eyes tightly. "I'm not ready."
"Sure you are," Susan chimed. "You're a handsome young fellow who's been on a number of dates, what is there to be scared of?"
"This is different. She's different," Finn explained. "Plus she's a star, what if I act stupid?"
"Finny, you can't think of her as a star," she told him. "She isn't exactly a celebrity, and even if she were, you wouldn't act like that. Not if you really loved her."
Finn gulped at the word love. Susan was part of that generation who never used like in a relationship sense. It shouldn't have bothered him, but something about it saying he loved Rachel nagged his brain. With a sigh, he let both things slip from his thoughts. "Okay, I guess I should get going. Thanks, Susan."
They said their goodbyes, her sneaking in a bit of spit to his face, and he was suddenly off to his date. The cab ride was silent, so he spent his time mentally pep-talking himself. The driver let him out at the corner of the block as directed, so he could make a better entrance.
As he approached the gelato place, he spotted Rachel standing idly beside the door, looking impatient. He allowed himself a moment to admire her strapless sky blue dress and perfectly primped hair before coming into her view. Her hair fell in soft curls to cover her bare shoulders, and a tiny plastic butterfly clipped her bangs to the top of her head. When she noticed him, he smiled and continued on his walk to her, pretending like he hadn't been staring at her. She didn't smile back, a frown forming instead as her brow furrowed.
"What took you so long?" she demanded. "It's 2:02! I thought we were clear on the time."
He kept as calm as he could at her stubbornness, not wanting to ruin their time together. "Sorry, my neighbour had me caught up. I promise I tried."
"Well I guess we can just be two minutes late. This time." Her tone was at first serious, but then let go of her demeanor and finally grinned back.
The pair walked into the store together, Finn holding the door open. "Thanks, Finn," Rachel said. "That's very chivalrous of you."
"Thanks. Uh, I mean you're welcome." That's a good thing, right? he wondered. As they strolled over to the counter, another thought occurred to him. "Aren't you vegan?"
"Yes I am. Incase you were unaware, this place is called 'Frank's Gelato etc,'" she emphasized the etcetera, "meaning they happen to have sorbet as well." Finn found this acceptable and began to peruse through the vibrant menu board. "Do you know what you're getting?" she asked.
"No, I like to get something different whenever I come," he explained. "Last time I had the chocolate volcano gelato."
Rachel chewed on her bottom lip and nodded her head absentmindedly as she searched over the list of desserts. Without prying her eyes away, she questioned, "Have you ever tried the strawberry sorbet supreme? I must say, it's my favourite I've had."
"No, I guess I haven't really given sorbet a chance," he retorted. His loyalty to gelato another topic, he really just thought the pink scoop topped with an array of berries didn't look insanely manly.
"Well, today you are," she decided for him with a proud look on her face. "Trust me, it's delicious, not to mention pretty." She went to the cashier to place their order. "Could we get a strawberry sorbet supreme and…a banana creme sorbet?" Finn pulled out his wallet to pay while Rachel grabbed their little bowls from the employee. She handed his berry sorbet over and he immediately cupped his hand around the clear plastic, trying to unnoticeably hide it.
"Window seat?" Finn inquired, walking towards the row of small tables. Rachel grabbed his fingertips to stop him, and he felt a jolt of an electric feeling at her touch.
"No, I had a place in mind." She dropped his hand and led him back out into the New York streets. When he started to ask where, Rachel interrupted and insisted it was a secret. They continued on the block until they ended up in Central Park. At Bow Bridge, he expected to keep going, but she halted him before they crossed. "We're here." At the confused look Finn presumed was on his face, Rachel added, "Just this tree. I like to sit under here and watch the water and the people go by."
Deciding it was cute, Finn agreed and followed her in sitting down. The grass was fresh and soft, vibrantly green with the summer. The sun poked through random spaces in the branches, leaving an elegant pattern on the ground in front of them. They dug in to their sorbet, beginning conversation between bites.
"Have you ever people-watched before, Finn?" Rachel wanted to know.
"Never on purpose like this, but I guess I kind of have. People-watching is the essence of life." When she burst out in a single giggle, he had to make it a better point. "I'm being serious, Rachel. How could we ever decide to approach someone if we never just sat back and watched? Wouldn't it be people-watching when we saw each other at the show?"
"Yes, I suppose it would," she sighed. "But it doesn't always have to be like that. Sometimes you just have to sit back and enjoy. You have to live your life too, not just watch other peoples'. People-watching is about forgetting about you for a minute and living in a fantasy."
"I can't believe we're in a debate about people-watching," Finn remarked. At the same time, they caught each other's eye and beamed.
"Like I said, stop overanalyzing the people-watching and just do the people-watching," Rachel suggested. "I can't say people-watching anymore!"
Finn chuckled then let his vision trail after a random man speeding along the walkway. "I bet he's late for something."
"That's too obvious. You have to be creative and abstract. We do this in acting class."
"Um. Maybe he's late for his niece's bat mitzvah."
"What held him up?"
"Alien invasion," Finn said through a mouthful of sorbet. Despite the girly appearance, it was as wonderful as Rachel had claimed.
At this theory she laughed again. "I think it turns out though that his sister, so the niece's mom, was switched with an alien shape-shifter years ago. He's never going to make it to her bat mitzvah, because alien families are against religion. She was already zapped away."
"Sounds reasonable."
She smiled amiably at him. They discussed the extraordinary lives of everyone interesting that passed for a while before Rachel changed the subject for a minute. "How's the sorbet?"
"Amazing." He swallowed another bite. "It doesn't really have that creamy texture, but it's really good."
"I'm glad you liked it," Rachel exclaimed. After a beat, "Do you want to taste mine? There's only a spoonful left."
"Same for mine. Which means you get to have some of your favourite, too." He scooped what was left onto the mini spoon and held it up as if it were a glass of champagne.
Rachel mimicked his actions. "Here's to the alien mother!" Finn was ready to trade spoons, but when she aimed for his mouth, he did the same for her. Their arms crossed and interlocked as they sampled each other's sorbet.
When they drew their spoons away, Finn licked his lips. "Hmm, I think I might like the strawberry better. But banana creme was excellent."
Rachel concurred. "I told you that one was the best." She slipped her phone out of her pocket to check the time. "I hate to have to leave, but I have to get ready for tonight's show pretty soon, actually. What would you say to meeting here again tomorrow?"
"I'd say, this spot is lovely," the corner of his mouth curled up crinkling just one of his eyes, "So I'll see you at two."
"You mean, two minutes later."
"Of course." As Rachel waltzed away towards Broadway, Finn was so busy replaying the perfection of their date in his head that he almost tripped backwards into the water.
