Finn picks her up from the Snyders' on a Wednesday afternoon.
It's become sort of a tradition of theirs – Rachel babysits their daughter once a week, and Finn swings by to pick her up afterward for milkshakes at the Dairy Freeze. It's kind of the highlight of his day.
And this day is a day like any other; Rachel emerges from the house at 3:30 sharp, just as Finn pulls into the driveway. Punctual as always.
She climbs gingerly into his truck, clutching something blue and bulbous in her hand.
"Why're you carrying that blob of Play-Doh around, anyway?" he asks. "And…is that a Christmas light hanging out of the bottom of it?"
"For your information, Finn, this is a bioluminescent jellyfish," Rachel huffs, feigning disdain. "And that blob has a name. It's Vicky – short for Aequora Victoria."
"I see," Finn says. "My apologies, then, Vicky. I hope we didn't get off on the wrong foot – er, tentacle, that is."
He taps her lightly on the malleable head, careful not to squish her out of place.
Rachel catches his hand and laughs, bringing it to her mouth for a kiss.
"Lily made it for me," she explains, tracing her initials on Finn's palm with an index finger.
He grins over at her. "I figured as much. Something tells me your own Play-Doh skills are probably, like, a little more advanced."
"Apparently in kindergarten I used to reduce the other children to tears during arts and crafts time," Rachel teases, flipping her hair for emphasis.
"I don't doubt it, Rach," Finn says earnestly. "There's like, nothing you aren't good at it."
She buries her face in his shoulder, a hot blush skimming across her cheeks, and he takes one hand off the wheel to ruffle her downy hair.
"So, Lily's really into jellyfish these days?"
"Bioluminescent jellyfish," Rachel corrects, her voice muffled by the cotton of his t-shirt. "And yes. She wants to be a marine biologist someday!"
"Huh. That seems like kind of a weird dream for a six year-old. When I was six I wanted to be, like, a firefighter. Or a dinosaur."
"Well I think it's cute," she tells him. "She's so committed, too! You should see her room – it's full of all sorts of stuffed sea creatures and posters of squids. Even her nightlight is shaped like a starfish."
"I think you're cute."
"No, I really mean it, though!" Rachel says, pulling herself upright. "I see a lot of myself in Lily. She reminds me of me – when I was that age."
"You wanted to be a marine biologist?" Finn asks incredulously. "But aren't you like, afraid of goldfish?"
"I don't mean it like that," she amends. "It's just…Lily's got a lot of spunk, you know? She knows what she wants, and she's incredibly dedicated to making that happen. Even if it means the other kids call her chum bucket."
"That's not very nice."
"It's not easy out there for a six-year-old these days," Rachel tells him seriously. "Kindergarten? I mean, you might as well just toss those kids into a shark tank. No pun intended."
Finn raises his eyebrows dubiously.
"Okay," she relents with a giggle, "pun a little bit intended. Anyway, I told her she shouldn't worry about what the other kids say."
"You did?"
Rachel nods. "I did. I said, 'Lily, those other kids might call you names, but there is nothing wrong with you. And you know what? Deep down inside, those other kids probably wish that they had a big dream like you did.'"
He doesn't say anything in reply – just looks at her with wide clear eyes, like she's hung the moon.
"What?" she asks, feeling uncharacteristically bashful.
"Nothing," Finn says, pressing a kiss to her temple, "nothing at all. I just really, really love you."
"I love you too. So much."
It's at this point that Finn diverges from their usual route home, taking a left on Bramblewood Drive and pulling into the parking lot of the local Super Fresh without preamble.
"What are we doing?" Rachel demands, suddenly suspicious.
He can't help but be amused at the sharpness of her voice, suddenly indignant. "I thought maybe you'd be in the mood for a little….you know. Afternoon delight."
Her mouth falls open like a caricature. "Finn Christopher Hudson, I can't believe you'd have the audacity to even suggest such a thing, and in broad daylight too! You know, my dads shop here, do you really want them to wander innocently past your truck and find the two of us…fornicating like some – "
"Relax, Rach," he says, voice shaking with suppressed laughter. "I was joking. My mom just wanted me to pick up a gallon of milk on the way home. Is that alright with you?"
She pinks, worrying self-consciously with the hem of her sundress. "Of course! Do you mind if I wait in here, though? I've got paint all over me."
"I'll be quick," Finn promises, kissing her lightly on the nose.
And he's true to his word – emerging from the automatic doors less than five minutes later, though conspicuously sans milk. Instead, he's got a bouquet of roses clasped in his football-calloused hands, the stems wrapped in bright pink cellophane.
"For me?" Rachel asks shyly, accepting the flowers from his outstretched arms.
"No, for my other girlfriend," he teases, sliding behind the steering wheel. "Of course for you!"
"But why?"
"I need a reason?"
She shrugs, burying her nose in the roses and breathing deeply.
"The truth is, Rach, I'd buy you flowers every day if I could. That's like, not really a reality as long as Burt insists on paying me minimum wage, but I want you to know that I know you're the kind of girl you deserves a bouquet of roses for no reason at all. Because…you're so smart, and thoughtful, and nice all the time, and you don't ever ask for anything in return. You're amazing, Rachel, and Lily's lucky to have someone like you in her life to look up to."
"You really mean it?" Rachel asks with a water smiley, dabbing at her eyes with the sleeve of her cardigan.
"I really mean it," Finn affirms, brushing his thumb along her cheek. "And you know what else?"
"What?"
"You're gonna be a great mom someday."
Rachel lunges at him across the console so violently that for a moment Finn's convinced she's going to hit him – she doesn't, of course, just kisses him so furiously he knocks his head against the window.
"Baby, I'm so sorry!" she coos through a fit of giggles, rendering her apology somewhat disingenuous.
"Don't worry about it," he assures her, rubbing at the growing lump with the back of his hand. "Hey, Rach?"
"Yeah?"
"Can I ask you something?"
"Of course!" she nearly sings, brushing the hair from his eyes. "What is it?"
"What does bioluminescent mean?"