Finn arrived exactly two minutes after two, purposely trying to be a joker. However, he'd been standing there for ten minutes already and Rachel was still nowhere to be seen. He shuffled from foot to foot anxiously and wiped the sweat from his palms on his shorts. After an additional fifteen minutes of standing alone beside a tree, he slumped down against the trunk. With a gentle hand he plucked a yellow flower from the ground. He let the petals fall to the ground one by one. They drifted leisurely in the wind before spiraling to the grass. He was lost in the moment when his thigh started vibrating.
He didn't recognize the number, but answered his phone. "Hello?"
"Finn? Is that you? Are you at the park still?" Rachel's voice demanded through the line, easily distinguishable from anyone else's.
"Yeah, this is Finn and yes I am," he replied dumbfounded. "Rachel? How do you have my phone number?"
"I have my connections."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Rachel tracking down his number was kind of creepy, even if he was loving it.
"My old cast member was your neighbour's student," she explained. "That's all. Okay, listen. I'm sorry I couldn't make it and couldn't tell you till now. I was called in for a last minute doctor's appointment." When Finn said okay to this, she continued. "What would you say to coming after my show tonight? You could just meet me at the stage door and say hi."
"I would like that," he agreed. Another brief pause of silence created an adrenaline feeling through the phone call. "So, are you still at the doctor's now?"
"About thirty minutes of waiting for my test results still ahead of me," she said. "If the clinic wasn't so far out I'd come to the park. How long have you been standing there?"
"Verging on half an hour now," Finn told her. "I guess I'll see you in a few hours then?"
"I promise I'll be there this time," Rachel guaranteed. He was readying himself to say a goodbye, but she barely stopped for a beat. "If you're not busy for an extra half an hour, I could use something to keep me more entertained than magazines from 2001."
"Well I'm from 1994, so I don't think that's a logical reasoning." Through the phone he could practically hear Rachel's smile growing on her face.
"But you see, a magazine doesn't change with the times," Rachel argued.
"Would you still like me if I wore legwarmers and bright purple?" She only giggled. "I'm taking that as a no?"
"Of course I would," she contradicted firmly. "Under the condition that I can wear short skirts and sequin."
You can wear the skirts either way, he wanted to say. Instead, "If that's what it takes."
"So Mr. Hudson, how's life been as a music teacher?" Rachel asked curiously. The way she addressed him sent pleasant shivers down his spine.
"Even if it wasn't summer, I actually wouldn't be teaching right now. I've been on leave since the end of April." He thought through the reality of his situation, then decided to elaborate. "I guess I probably won't see those students again. It was great, though. Music is my life."
"Musicals are mine," Rachel said with a hint of a sarcastic laugh. "Well I can dream, can't I?" Her voice dropped a note, like she was sighing.
"That dream's going to come true, Rachel. Trust me," Finn reassured her. "I want to live to see the day you star in your favourite Broadway play. So you better get on that."
"That's not funny, Finn."
"Sometimes it's easier to just laugh," he murmured.
"Yeah, I know," Rachel solemnly retorted. "Tell me something random about you."
He fumbled for words at the sudden change of subject. "Like what?"
"I don't know, a story from your rebellious teenage years."
"I wasn't really a rebellious kid," he argued. "But one time I worshiped a sandwich." Rachel chuckled wildly at this. "I'm being serious!" Finn insisted. "I made a grilled cheese and Jesus' face was toasted to a golden brown right on it. I ate half, then spent a week praying to Cheesus."
"Please don't tell me you actually called it Cheesus," Rachel begged, nearly sobbing with laughter.
"I actually called it Cheesus," he confirmed in shame. "Don't tell me you didn't do anything completely insane?"
"I threw a party once."
"Oh, rebellious teen you were," Finn challenged sarcastically.
"Well for me it was. That isn't the story though," Rachel said, shoving his comment aside. "I kissed a gay guy in spin the bottle. Then I kind of tried to date him for a while after that. I don't suggest making that something on your bucketlist."
Finn burst out in laughter like she had. "Rach, you're making my spit fly everywhere. I probably look insane considering I'm sitting alone under a tree. How do you even try to date a gay guy?"
"You pour yourself a glass of wine, turn on some romantic music and call him. Or you go on a coffee date and kiss him."
"Did you really?"
"Unfortunately." They were giggling in unison- in harmony.
"Rachel, I have some-"
Rachel cut off the mysterious, distant voice on her side of the phone call. "Oh hold on," she said to the person. Then to him, "I have to go now, Finn. I'll see you tonight," and the line went dead. Finn stared at the screen of his phone, saving her number in his contacts. He finally made his way back to his apartment, grinning down to the grass.
"Are you sure you don't want me to top that off?" the bartender asked of Finn's nearly empty glass of beer. He quirked a manicured eyebrow and rested the heels of his hands on the wood of the bar.
"No, I'll just stick to the one," he repeated for what must have been the twentieth time. "I'd prefer to leave sober."
"Got a hot date?" the man questioned, smirking smugly.
"So what if I do?" Finn grumbled. This was his regular bar and every worker knew all but his entire life story. Max, the particular bartender who was interrogating him in the present, was always curious about his personal life.
"It's about time," Max replied. He tucked the ebony tufts of his hair behind his ears. "I don't even understand how a man like you could go so long without a decent girlfriend."
"She's not my girlfriend," he corrected. Yet, he added silently.
"I'll cross my fingers you get there then," the lanky man told him. "In all seriousness, I want to see you truly happy while you've still got the time to be."
"Don't worry about me, Max." Finn swiped a glance at the grandfather clock in the far corner of the bar. He quickly slurped back the last of his beer. "I should get going. See you later, man." They gave each other a nod of goodbye. Finn winded his way through a rowdy crowd and slipped out of the bar.
Rachel's theatre was literally two buildings away from the bar. He'd only left to avoid the awkward conversation about his cancer that might've ensued. When he reached the alley to the stage door, a line of hopeful theatre-goers were still gathered for autographs from the stars as they left. Not wanting to seem rude, he stayed put instead of pushing through to find Rachel. Just then however, she emerged from the door, biting an elastic as she pulled her hair back into a ponytail. She spotted him almost instantly, probably not a difficult task with his towering height. Her hair elastic dropped to the ground as she went to call him over. She frantically waved a hand for him to come as she dipped to her knees to pick up the elastic.
There were a couple scattered mutters of how there was a line and one woman even attempted to cut him off, but he managed to make his way to where she was. Her hair was now in a taught ponytail and she brushed her bangs to the side a few times in habit, although they kept bouncing back to the center. She eyed him through the frays of hair, melting him on the spot. "I'm glad you came," she chirped.
"I wouldn't miss it for my own funeral." The corner of his lip twisted up in it's usual fashion.
"I told you that's not funny," Rachel whispered, slapping his chest lightly.
"And I told you it's easier to make it a joke." The pleading look on her face warned him to stop mentioning it. "It's pretty late already, are you sure you'll get home safe?"
"I've lived in New York for my entire life, I think I'll be fine," Rachel reassured him. "But thank you for your concern." She batted her lashes unintentionally. "I'm going to leave soon anyways, I just thought we could say hi."
"In that case, I'll wait a few hours to say hi," he said, not even caring how cheesy it was.
"You just did though," Rachel pointed out. "That means it's already time for goodbye."
"I'm never saying that either." Finn planted his feet in protest.
"You don't have to. This counts." Unexpectedly, she gripped the front of his shirt in her tiny fist and yanked him down closer to her level. Ever so slightly rising onto her toes, Rachel leaned in to kiss him gently. It barely lasted two seconds, but between the shock and the way she tugged at his lip as she tore herself away. "Goodbye." She smiled sweetly, lingering for a moment or two before strutting away down the alley, fumbling to tighten her ponytail in an irresistibly cute way.
A/N: I promise when school's out the chapters won't take as long or be so short. I'm sorry!
