Rachel held a pale yellow skirt out in front of her, hidden behind the rows of Forever 21. It was unbelievably freeing to have the money to splurge on clothes, especially after her rent and bills had already been paid for the month. She couldn't help but wonder if Finn would think she looked nice or that she was too 'matchy matchy' with the yellow blazer and white sequined top she'd already bought.
At home, she lathered her skin in lavender body creams and twirled her bangs into a French braid. She'd fervently tidied her apartment and wondered if it would be enough, or if the not-quite-ideal area where she lived was up to Finn's standards. After all, he was a successful businessman and she was living in the slums of New York City. After hearing a knock at the door, she rushed to dab Chanel No. 5 - a birthday gift from her dads - onto her collar bone and let Finn in with a welcoming smile.
She looked up and down at his tall frame, pleasantly surprised by his messily made brown hair and his crisp dress-shirt, unbuttoned at the top. Her eyes wandered to the firm yet fragile white lilies he was holding, bunched into a bouquet wrapped in rustling plastic.
"Wow. You... You look great," he said a little breathlessly, . and looked down at his flowers as if just remembering them, "Uh, these are for you."
He awkwardly thrusted the flowers her way.
"Oh, thank you. They're beautiful. Just let me find a vase," she sighed, and quickly ducked into her apartment to set them in a tall glass of tap water.
Outside, Finn's Range Rover was humming on the sidewalk. Rachel nervously eyed the thick tires that lifted the car up to her shins. Perfect for a guy as tall as Finn but not exactly practical for a girl as dainty as Rachel.
"Your car is huge," she raised an eyebrow.
"Here, I'll help," he smirked, opening the passenger's seat and very quickly hoisting her up by her waist and seating her in with no trouble at all.
She wasn't quite expecting him to pick her up as easily as if she'd been a rag doll, but there was something attractive about it. She almost blushed to think how much she liked Finn Hudson's hands on her.
At the restaurant, Finn had trouble keeping from wringing his hands together as they waited for their orders to arrive.
"So, what did the label have to say about the demo?" Rachel finally asked.
"They... loved it."
"Well, that's... great," said Rachel, uncertain, because Finn didn't exactly seem ecstatic.
"There's something else," he said, his eyes wandering to the surface of the table.
Finn had met with two scouts from the label the previous day. Puck and Artie; men he knew well long before they'd all made it in the music industry.
"So, you all know Rachel from the front desk," Finn said to them as he slid Rachel's demo CD into the stereo, "I think you're all going to be surprised by what a stellar voice she has."
Finn watched them listen to Rachel's voice, catching every moment of pleasant surprise and every sceptical glance.
"What do you think?" Finn asked eagerly as the song finished.
"Dude, she's amazing," Puck smirked.
"I agree," Artie nodded.
"It's just-"
"Yeah, it's just-"
"It's just what?" Finn frowned.
"Dude, she has a raw, stellar voice, really," said Puck, "But Rachel's not the kind of girl you can make a franchise out of."
"She's not a franchise, she's a real girl with a drop-dead amazing voice. What about that wouldn't make people like her?"
"I agree with Puck," sighed Artie, "Rachel is amazingly talented, but she's not exactly pop star material."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Pop stars need an image, man," said Puck.
"Rachel has an image."
"Not the right image. She's not exactly..."
"Traditionally beautiful," said Artie.
"Well, that's what's so great about her," said Finn, "She's can be beautiful while looking like a real girl. Without looking like every other stick-thin, big-boobed, autotuned pop star in Hollywood."
"If you asked me, I'd say you're too close to this project, man," said Puck, "You have to treat Rachel like a product. Not like a friend."
Finn bristled. "Good thing I didn't ask you."
"Finn, if the press doesn't eat her alive, the public will. She's a cute girl, but she doesn't have the right look for fame. I mean, look at her nose. She's no Quinn Fabray" said Artie.
"The world has enough Quinn Fabrays! It only has one Rachel Berry."
"Aw, does somebody have a little crush?" smirked Puck.
"I might have an idea," said Artie, holding up his hand before Finn and Puck could start fighting.
"What do you mean?" asked Finn.
"Rachel has the voice, just not the image..."
"So?"
"So, what if we used Rachel's voice and synced it with someone else. Someone who met the music industry's beauty standards."
The cogs turned in Finn's mind. He knew this was the best offer he was going to get for Rachel if his friends of all people were against signing her. But was there anyway Rachel would agree to do it?
"They want to use MY voice to make someone ELSE famous?" Rachel reeled back, staring incredulously at Finn.
"You don't have do it if you don't want to. There's no way I would force you into that kind of situation, but... you would be paid just as much as the other girl and maybe this could be the thing to launch your own career. If you and this other girl make it then you could start your own career... But don't say yes unless you really want to."
Rachel shook her head. She didn't like the idea of this one bit, but she knew she needed to start somewhere if she ever wanted to make it and she also knew how much she needed the money...
"I'll do it."
Finn smiled, his eyes widening with surprise. "Oh, Rachel, that's... Thank you! So much! You won't regret this."
After the meal, the bill came, and Rachel inspected it to see how much she would owe.
"This is on me, Rachel," said Finn, snatching the leather-bound bill from her hands.
"What? No, Finn, that's too much."
"Rachel, please, let me. A gentleman always pays on the first date."
Rachel's mouth dropped open. "This... this is a date."
Finn smiled hopefully. "If that's okay with you."
"Are you just buttering me up so I'll sign with the label?"
"No, of course not, Rachel, I... I really like you."
Rachel smiled widely. "I like you, too."
They took a walk in Central Park as the sun went down and Finn looked down at Rachel to see her staring somberly in the other direction.
"Something wrong?"
Rachel sighed. "That's what they always used to say in auditions. That I just wasn't what they were looking for. I was 'too ethnic'. Or my nose was too big. They never liked the way I look."
"Rachel..." Finn sighed, "It doesn't matter what they think of you. They want every girl to fit this impossible standard of 'hot'. It doesn't mean anything. I think you're beautiful."
Tears started to pool in Rachel's eyes. "No-one's ever called me beautiful before."
Finn stopped walking and stood in front of her, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear and caressing her cheek.
"You're the most beautiful girl I've ever met."
Rachel stared up at him as she stood on her tip-toes with either hand on the sides of his clean-shaven face, and pressed her lips against his. They breathed in deep and clung to each other in the middle of the park, Finn's tongue sliding against her lip. She opened her mouth and let him massage his tongue against hers. They pulled apart just slightly and Finn rested his forehead against hers.
"Wow," they sighed in unison.
Rachel wondered if they were moving too fast as Finn drove her back to her apartment, stealing glances of her in the mirror.
"I had a great time, Rachel," he said as he parked outside of her building.
"Me too," she smiled warmly.
"Can you come in early tomorrow? We have to meet your, um... partner."
"You mean the looks of the operation."
"Yeah," Finn sighed.
"That's fine," she smiled and leaned over to give him another kiss.
She went back into her apartment and squealed with delight, with her back to her front door. She spied the lilies she'd placed on the coffee table and for once, couldn't wait to get to work early the next morning.
thanks for all the review please keep them coming id like to have 35 total by the end of this but thanks for all the support. r&r