Chapter Two: Out Tonight

Kurt Hummel stood his mouth slightly gaping and his arms hanging limply by his side. The dark haired girl in front him giggled and twirled around to show her outfit off completely.

"Wow Berry! Looking good, I am so glad you finally got rid of those sequin leg warmers!" he laughed, looking her up and down and smiling in approval. Rachel laughed back and straightened out her black dress, it was sleeveless and reached her mid-thigh, her dark hair that hung just below her shoulders was waved carefully and she had gained at least four inches with her black heels on.

"Hey, they weren't that bad, besides I only get them out for special occasions." Rachel winked at her best friend.

"So ready?" he asked and she nodded as they exited the apartment, tripping over a roll of material at the same time.

The club Kurt and Rachel went to was lit darkly with blue and red strobe lights covering the dance floor, they managed to grab two bar stools and both ordered dry martinis to sip while they scanned the club for any mildly attractive men.

"What do you think about that guy?" Kurt asked pointing to a slim blonde boy with a cheeky smile and ice blue eyes. "Do you think he bats for my team?"

Rachel's eyes ran up and down the blonde man and when he looked over at her she smiled flirtatiously, the look went unseen when the boy's eyes fell upon Kurt. "I think he plays for your team so much he doesn't even know that batting is a sporting reference!" They laughed together and Kurt looked at her, his eyes suddenly wide and pleading with her to allow him to go and talk to the man. She rolled her eyes and nodded, turning around she ordered another drink.

She ran her hands over her face breathing deeply. Being back in Lima was strange, she was thankful she hadn't bumped into any of the Glee kids. She hadn't figured out what she was going to say, how to explain why she was home, how to reason with them for what she did all those years ago. And what if she saw him? Finn… The name was a ghost on her lips, her eyes slipped closed as she thought about the boy that got away. His height and body, running her hands down his chest and feeling him shudder against her feather light touches and his scent of; warmth and love and something uniquely Finn. She wished she hadn't left things the way she did, she wished he hadn't left so angry and bitter and never wanting to talk to her again.

Rachel's thoughts were lost amongst the beauty of her memories when a man's throat cleared behind her, she swung her bar stool round and her face became almost pressed against a man's chest. Rachel pulled her face away from the blue shirt and looked up at a blonde haired green eyed grinning young man. His arms were placed either side of her stool and he looked down at her, eyes so full of a desire she couldn't quite comprehend it.

"Hi gorgeous" he drooled slowly; his voice was like syrup dripping slowly off a spoon. Rachel smiled at him waiting in anticipation for his next line. "Can I fill you up?" he asked with an added wink. Rachel's mouth opened slightly as she stared in slight shock, smiling she rolled her eyes to the ceiling.

"Does that line usually work on the girls you flirt with?" She asked curiously tilting her head to one side.

The man grinned in return; "Normally yeah, I was referring to your drink by the way." He said nodding to her full martini glass. "Is it not working on you?" The man asked.

"I'm afraid not. Actually I should be going to find my friend" Rachel smiled politely, wanting to avoid the good looking man with the awful chat up lines.

"Oh come on! You're a very beautiful woman; I am an extremely handsome man. I am thinking me and you should hook up!" He explained his theory with some very weird hand gestures which helped Rachel understand exactly the type of hooking up he meant.

"Wow and as tempting as that is, I should really be going." Rachel said downing the rest of her martini and picking up her emerald green purse. Before the blonde man had time to reply there was a laughing coming from the side of them, a tall dark haired man chuckling to himself, his face was turned away from them when he spoke but as soon as he did shivers flew through Rachel's body.

"Dude, get the picture she isn't interested in your bad chat up lines. Pick on a girl with your own simplicity." The mystery man said turning round. "I'm sorry about him, he plays nice really…" he trailed off when he caught sight of the girl being harassed by his friend. He didn't know what else to say, she was the last person he expected to be sitting in a bad club in Lima, Ohio.

His friend, Ben, was a guy he worked with at Burt's garage. He was an alright guy but could be a bit of a creep but normally he didn't have to get that weird with girls. All he had to do was smile and they were in his arms whispering all the things they wanted to do to him. Rachel stared at the tall, handsome man in front of her; this was the last thing she wanted. He looked good, screw that he looked amazing but she couldn't focus on that right now. She needed to figure out what she wanted to say to him, how she was going to greet him.

"Shut up Finn!" The blonde guy replied back, completely oblivious to the tension that had just stampeded into the three of them, "Ignore him babe. What's your name?" Rachel wasn't even listening. She just stared at Finn helplessly while her brain starting fitting in fear of what might happen next. She started to get up grabbing her purse and muttering "sorry" and "I didn't mean to". Like that would make sense or make him want her again.

"Rach…" He muttered and she stopped in her tracks swivelling round, her heart became heavy as his hand circled her arm to stop her from going anywhere.

"Hi", she muttered her voice barely whisper in the crowded bar. She looked over to his friend who had obviously got bored of the situation and disappeared to find another girl to terrorise.

"You look… beautiful" Finn said earnestly releasing his grip on her arm and shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Thank you." Rachel smiled, thinking how romantic comedy perfect this moment was and all she had to do was brush her lips against his and that would be the end. The credits would start rolling and the catchy music by some mediocre singer would start playing. But her reality hit her and she knew that wasn't how it was going to end because life wasn't perfect. It wounded you and right now she was too broken to ever see out of the dark tunnel she was stranded in.

Finn was searching her face for something his eyes wandered over it as if nothing had changed, as if they were eighteen again. "Shall we sit and talk he asked?" Pointing to a booth away from the dance floor and Rachel nodded following him; she sat down and prayed he didn't ask any questions she hadn't figured out an answer to yet.