A/N: Something I decided to do in my last story was respond to all of my reviews. If you guys are nice enough to take time to leave them, I owe you equal respect in taking time to comment to them. With unsigned reviews however this is a bit more difficult so in order to still respond to them, I do it at the beginning of each chapter.

Chiquiada: Thanks for the review! Glad you liked it and are intrigued for the rest haha.

SS: Thanks for the review and so happy you love the story- it will continue!

(5 years ago…)

Finn had decided to spend some of the money he earned while working at the grocery store to surprise Rachel in New York. It was winter break of their freshmen year in college and the two hadn't seen each other since he left for football camp at USC. Finn had to leave Ohio in around July so the time the two had during summer was cut short. When he left, they decided to try a long distance relationship.

Long distance relationships are hard enough without the extra pressure that was put on both of them by their respective college careers. Occasionally they would talk on the phone but the time difference didn't help with that. Also, Finn was swamped with football practice and homework that he rarely ever got a chance to call or text Rachel.

That is why he decided he would use the break to go surprise Rachel. He missed her but he also knew that long distance wasn't exactly working well. He thought that if he saw her, he would understand what he was waiting for and why he was still in the relationship.

When he arrived in New York, the taxi took him to NYU's campus where he patiently waited at the dorms until Rachel was done her classes. He got her roommate to let him wait in the room and when Rachel saw him there she was definitely surprised. They hugged and talked for about fifteen minutes before Rachel told Finn she had to go. She had been cast in an off-Broadway play and today started auditions. He told her he would wait for her but she confessed that she wouldn't be back until late.

He only had three days to spend in New York before coach wanted him back for practice and during those three days Rachel had practice and her job and homework over the break. As they both discussed how they didn't have time to hang out, Finn reminded Rachel that the next time he would see her then wouldn't be until summer. At this thought, both of them decided to have a talk about their relationship. They decided long distance was not the best idea and that right now both were too busy to be in any relationship, let alone one with the pressures of being miles apart from each other. Before she left, Finn gave her a hug and they kissed one last time. He told her that if she was single three years from now when they were both out of college, he would be happy to pick up the relationship again. She told him the same went for him before they parted ways.

This was the last time Finn saw Rachel Berry.

The only problem Finn thought, as he continued his drive home, was that she wasn't single. It had been five years since they broke up and unfortunately for him his hope of them both being single after college wasn't to be. A few months after he and Rachel broke up she began dating a friend of hers from NYU and two years later the two got married. Rachel never came home to Lima except when she wanted to visit her dads. Her life was in New York and that life did not include Finn.

Rachel wasn't the only one in a relationship though. Finn also began dating a classmate of his during his four years at USC. She was a cheerleader for the Trojans and by senior year she was head cheerleader. By senior year he was also the Trojans starting Quarterback. He laughed whenever he thought about the irony. He broke up with Quinn just to date another cheerleader in college and just to resurrect the old high school cliché he so wished to avoid. Finn and Megan dated on and off for four years and he even thought about proposing to her but the two had differences which in the end couldn't be reconciled and they broke up.

Finn always thought the breakup was because of long distance. After USC, he got drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals. He was drafted twenty-fifth overall in the first round and was so excited to be going home to Ohio to play football. Megan on the other hand would be staying in California where she got a job as a dancer for the LA Lakers. Finn already knew long distance relationships didn't work and Megan having already been in a failed long distance relationship herself didn't even seem to want to try. Although both clearly loved each other, they parted ways.

As he drove past the park where he took both Quinn and Rachel, he couldn't help but think of the irony of his situation. "I broke up with Quinn and the cliché of head cheerleader and quarterback just to date a cheerleader and break up with her because of long distance like I did Rachel," Finn said to himself. He laughed at just how messed up that was. No matter where he went or what he did, he always seemed to have those two girls on his mind. He smiled as he continued to drive home passing various places where he had memories of both Quinn and Rachel.

When Finn got home he was exhausted. He threw his keys on the table and crashed on the couch. He had to be up at 5 am sharp tomorrow and knew that if there was any chance of that happening he needed sleep.

A/N: Just a little background as to why Finn and Rachel broke up. More about Finn's past five years will be revealed in coming chapters. Stay tuned!