They hadn't gone shopping, but it wasn't for lack of trying on Kurt's part. Because it was New York City, there were a million things to do instead. Finn wanted to ride around on the subway. Puck wanted to go to a burlesque show, and convinced Brody that he wanted to go to one too. Rachel wanted to go sightseeing, something she hadn't felt like doing until she and Finn got back together.
They walked around as they debated, the guys buying hot dogs from stands that Rachel was certain had never been cleaned. She finally convinced Finn to vote for her choice and Kurt, realizing that he wasn't going to get to go shopping, thirded it. The Statue of Liberty it was.
But the line was terribly long. So long, in fact, that even Rachel decided that there were better things to do. They made it to the top of The Empire State Building, but quickly went back down after Rachel and Kurt discovered a serious fear of heights.
"I've never been afraid of heights before," Rachel said, frowning.
"You've never been up that high before," Puck told her, putting his arm over her shoulder and pulling her close.
"Do you like being in the Army?" Rachel asked him as they walked along, the other three men walking behind them and arguing about where to go next.
"I guess," he told her. "I don't really know what I'd be doing if I wasn't in it."
"What do you want to do when you get out?" she asked him.
Puck laughed, looking down at her. "I have no idea."
"There seems to be a lot of that going around," Rachel said, grinning up at him.
"Yeah, well, not everyone grew up knowing exactly what they wanted to do," Puck told her good-naturedly.
Rachel nodded. "I'm lucky that way."
Puck looked back at Finn, then at her. "I'm glad you took him back," he told her. "He was driving me crazy."
Rachel shrugged. "I love him."
"I know," he told her.
"You shouldn't be so hard on Quinn," Rachel told him. "It was really hard for her to leave Beth."
Puck made a noise. "Let's change the subject before I kick something," he said.
Behind them, Kurt got a phone call and walked off. Finn looked over to see Brody watching Rachel as she and Puck walked along, chatting happily. Finn debated for a minute, and then looked over at the other guy. "I'm going to need you to stop watching my girlfriend like that," he finally said.
Brody looked at him, surprised. "What?"
Finn looked into his eyes for a moment. "You know what I mean." Before Brody could say anything, he continued, "I get it. She's beautiful, fun, smart…she's perfect. But she's mine. And she's always going to be mine."
Brody shrugged. "I care about her. Did I want to date her? Yeah. Do I still want to date her? Yeah. Am I going to make a move while she's with another guy? No." He stopped walking and looked at Finn. "But I need to be clear about something. The moment she's single? I'm making a move."
Finn had stopped walking too. "She's not going to be single."
"I guess you have nothing to worry about then," Brody told him.
Finn narrowed his eyes. "Like I said, I don't blame you for wanting her. But she's mine."
Brody crossed his arms. "And like I said, I'm not going to make a move while you're together."
Finn moved a little closer to him. "I'm not comfortable with the idea of you hanging around her all the time while I'm gone, knowing that you're planning this move of yours."
Brody shrugged. "What do you want me to do? Stop being her friend?"
Finn crossed his own arms. "Look at it this way," he told the other man. "If you're going to be a part of Rachel's life, you're going to be a part of mine. Checking out my girlfriend's ass is a good way to make the relationship uncomfortable."
"I didn't realize I was," Brody told him. "And if I was, I'm sorry."
Finn stared at him, and then nodded. "It just freaks me out that I'm leaving her here," he said. He looked up at Rachel and groaned. "She's so hot," he complained.
"It's not like you can put a bag over her head," Brody said. When Finn's face lit up he snorted, laughing. "Seriously, bro, not gonna happen."
Kurt finished his phone call and joined them. "What have we decided?" he asked them, referring to their earlier conversation.
"That Brody's going to keep his hands to himself while I'm gone," Finn told his brother.
"And that Finn can't force Rachel to wear a bag over her head," Brody said.
Kurt looked at his brother, then at Brody. "Okay, then," he said as they started walking again. "Moving on."
"Who was on the phone?" Finn asked Kurt.
"Blaine," Kurt told him.
"How did that go?"
Kurt shrugged. "I'm not going to cry anymore," he said. "When he graduates, he's planning on coming up here. I'm just waiting for that to happen."
"So are you two going to be together then?" Finn asked him.
"We don't know," Kurt said, sighing. "I love him and he loves me. We've both used this time to date other people, but that hasn't changed. I don't think it will for me."
"But you think it will for him?" Brody asked.
"I hope not," Kurt said. "But I'm not going to dwell on it. There's nothing I can do about it."
"I'm sorry," Finn told him. "You know, for not being around when you guys broke up."
"You should have been," Kurt told him. "I could have used you." Seeing Finn's face, he smiled a little. "I forgive you."
Finn grinned as they caught up with Rachel and Puck. Since it was getting late, they decided to go to a bar. Finn slid into the booth beside Rachel, looking around the place. It was dark and crowded, the music blaring loudly over speakers he couldn't see. "Ever been here before?" he asked Rachel, his eyes following the trail of her throat to the rise of her breasts. He'd thought her little skirts were going to kill him (and they still might), but her choice in shirts was what was driving him crazy right now.
Rachel shook her head. "I haven't really gotten out much," she told him, shrugging out of her coat.
"There are a lot of places like this in Texas," he told her.
"Yeah? You and Puck go out a lot?"
Finn caught the note of jealousy in her voice and looked up at her eyes. "No," he said, smiling at her. "Not a lot." Normal Rachel was hot. Jealous Rachel made his pants uncomfortably tight.
"Don't you smile at me like that," she told him, smiling herself.
Puck pulled a chair up to their table while Brody and Kurt slid into the booth across from them. After a round of drinks arrived, they sat and talked for a while. Painfully aware of Rachel's body pressed so close to his, Finn had trouble concentrating on anything but her. Finally deciding to do something about it, his hand slid up her leg under the table as he and Kurt talked about basic training. Rachel, who was discussing a class with Brody, gasped but didn't look at him.
Finn smiled as he talked, his hand running farther up her thigh. His other hand clenched when Rachel let her legs fall open, her knee nudging his. Not sure how far she'd let him go, Finn's finger kept moving up, rubbing over her underwear. Out of the corner of his eye he was able to see her breath hitch, but besides that she showed no outward sign of what was going on under the table.
He slid a finger inside the soft cotton, looking at her in surprise when he realized how wet she was. Rachel refused to meet his eyes, sitting back in the seat and listening to Brody talk. Finn nodded to himself; time to see how good of an actress she really was.
His finger explored her, slipping inside of her for a moment before moving to caress her tiny bud. Rachel reached for her beer, taking a long drink. Using his thumb to tease her, he pushed his other finger inside her, stroking her. Rachel choked on her beer, coughing. "You okay, baby?" he asked her sweetly.
Her cheeks flushed, Rachel looked at him. "Yeah, but I think I need to wash my hands. Can you let me out?"
"I have to go too," he told her. "I'll walk you there."
Rachel wasn't sure that her legs were going to hold her up as she slid out of the booth. "Order another round," she told Puck.
They walked to the back of the bar, Finn practically dragging her. Rachel wasn't sure what he was planning, but she had a feeling they were going into the same restroom. When he pushed through the women's door, she knew she was right. He looked under the stalls, making sure no one else was in the room. Finding it empty, he turned around and locked the door behind them.
Rachel didn't have time to say anything before he dropped to his knees in front of her, lifting her skirt and pushing her panties aside. "Finn," she said, planning on pointing out how gross the floor probably was. When he spread her legs further apart and his tongue licked her, she lost any ability to think rationally.
Finn had to taste her; he needed her to fall apart against his tongue. While his tongue worked he pushed two fingers inside her, causing her to cry out. She put her hands over her mouth as her body trembled, her legs shaking so much she was afraid she would fall down. Wave after wave of heat hit her and she couldn't breathe. She pushed her hips against his hand, whimpering as the pleasure bordered on pain.
Finn didn't lift his head to look at her, but he knew she was falling apart. Her hips moved more wildly as the sounds she was making grew more frantic. When she tightened around his fingers and moaned, he tasted her release. He let her ride it out, finally looking up at her. Her eyes were closed, her hands dropping from her mouth.
Standing, he pushed her skirt down and kissed her hard. Rachel wrapped her arms around his neck, her body still shaking with the power of her climax. She pushed her hips into him and he pulled back. "No time for that," he told her before plunging his tongue into her mouth. Rachel's tongue danced with his, and she realized that she didn't care if everyone in New York City was watching them; she wanted him. Now.
"Finn," she said, her hands trying to find their way down into jeans.
Finn broke away, breathing hard. "We can't, Rach," he said. "We need to go back to the table." He felt like he was going to explode, and the way she was looking at him wasn't helping. He pushed away from the door, trying not to touch her. "Let's go."
Rachel felt like she was falling apart. "Finn," she tried again.
"Rach, we need to get out of this bathroom," he told her, still unable to control his breathing. "You go ahead. I'll catch up."
She tried to compose herself, straightening her skirt. "Do I look okay?" she asked him.
Finn made a noise, nodding. "Go baby," he told her. "I'll be out in a minute."
Rachel thought about reaching for him again but decided against it. She opened the door and went out, leaving Finn standing alone in the women's bathroom and wondering how much trouble he'd get in if he never went back to Texas and just stayed in New York.
