Hey everybody, First, HAPPY NEW YEAR! To all of you! I am really thankful for all your reviews. Let's hope 2011 will bring us sweet Finchel moment! Envoy this chapter!
CHAPTER 9
READY OR NOT
Shortly after hanging up, Kurt went downstairs and took two coats from the living room's wardrobe. He put on his coat and dropped the other one on the sofa. He searched into the wardrobe and found two pairs of black skates. He placed them in his backpack and put it on his shoulder. He took back the other coat on the sofa, went back upstairs and knocked on the bedroom door next to his bedroom.
"Yeah!" said Finn weakly, trying to concentrate on his video game.
"Come one big boy." he said opening the door widely on a yawing Finn.
"We're going skating." He added, throwing Finn his coat. The tall boy was pissed because Kurt had just ruined his score.
"You are coming or I'll call Santana and I'll tell her where you are. I bet she would love to lay her hands on you." He added before Finn could reply something.
Afraid his brother would actually put his threats into execution, Finn left his bed and put on his coat in spite the fact that he had no desire what so ever to go skating with Kurt. But, he preferred spending time with Kurt than dealing with Santana. Finn was pretty scared of what she would do to him. All the sultry messages she had been sending him were quite disturbing.
He kept looking at Kurt, annoyed. Why wasn't his brother leaving him alone? All he wanted was to be left alone…
"Stop sulking, you poor big sad boy." said Kurt, half smiling.
"If you come without complaining, big brother Kurt will give a surprise" he added smiling even more broadly to Finn who was clearly not in the mood for jokes.
Kurt left the room and went downstairs followed by a lazy Finn. Kurt put on his boots and his cap, looking intensely at Finn.
"Come on Finn. Get you cap and gloves or maybe you want me to dress you up? We're going to be late. Blaine is meeting us in fifteen minutes. And I don't want to be late." said Kurt opening the door but Finn closed it in the shorter boy's face.
"No. I am not playing the third wheel Kurt, no freaking way. You are alone on this one buddy." Said Finn unzipping his coat but he was stopped by Kurt before he had unzipped it completely.
"Yes. You are coming brother dear, end of discussion." said Kurt zipping Finn's coat back.
"I said no." said Finn, unzipping his coat again.
"You've chosen the hard way Mr Grumpy." said Kurt taking off his coat as he went to the kitchen.
"What are you doing?" asked Finn dumfounded.
"I am calling Santana. I didn't want to resort to that, but you leaving me no choice." He said taking the phone in one hand.
Soon, he saw a very determinate Finn coming his way. The tall boy grabbed the phone and snatched it from his brother's hands.
"Gotcha!" Finn said, pleased with him, putting the phone in his back pocket.
Kurt looked at Finn, still smiling, as he went upstairs, entered his room and shut the door heavily.
Finn stayed in the living room. He waited for a couple of minutes but Kurt didn't come back. He knew this encounter was important to him so he was surprised not to see his brother getting back downstairs and leave the house to see Blaine. He knew something was going on.
Then, it hit him. There was a phone upstairs or Kurt could use his own cell phone. Finn ran upstairs almost barging into Kurt's door.
"Kurt, please, tell me you haven't done it!" he screamed, sitting his back against the door.
He almost fell backward when Kurt opened the door.
"No, I haven't. Not yet at least, but if you don't come with me, I will do it, unflinchingly." he said, crossing over Finn and getting back downstairs.
Finn stood up and followed him for the second time and wearing the same expression.
"You won, but I won't enjoy myself." He said grumpily, zipping back his coat.
"Yes you will!" Replied Kurt softly, putting on his coat.
"What did you say?" asked Finn.
"Nothing." replied Kurt, laughing in his beard, knowing just how much he would enjoy himself, Rachel even more… His plan was great, kind of predicable and really cheesy but he knew it would work. Good old tricks were often the most useful.
Kurt put his cap and gloves on and went to the kitchen and left a note on the table saying that they would be back for diner with two guesses if both of them were lucky. He came back into the living room to a not so cheerful Finn who was painfully waiting for his brother to come back.
"Now we are really late." said Kurt putting the bag in Finn's arms and dragging him outside.
Once outside, Kurt took the lead and led them to his SUV. They both got in the car, Kurt joyful and Finn resigned. He couldn't believe he had let his brother drag him into this; a nice afternoon skating with Kurt and his sweetheart. God, it would be painful.
The car started and Kurt drove until they reached the parking lot next to the rink. Blaine was already there, waiting for Kurt at the border of the rink, stakes in his hands. Kurt got out of the car playfully almost flying to Blaine. Finn followed him, looking at the ground, playing with the bag's shoulder strap. He went closer to the boys who were clearly very happy to see each other.
"Blaine, this is my brother Finn. His mother married my father couple weeks ago. Finn this is my friend Blaine." Kurt said shyly taking the bag from Finn's arms.
"Nice to meet you." said Finn, extending his hand to Blaine.
"Nice to meet you too." said Blaine, shaking Finn's hands.
They all went to sit on a wooden bench nearby to put their skates on. All set, they walked toward the rink.
"Don't you think we should wait for your other friend?" asked Blaine gently.
Hearing those words, Finn stared at Kurt.
"You told me you wouldn't. I shouldn't have trust you." said Finn to Kurt angrily. He was walking away when Kurt seized the sleeve of his coat.
"It's not what you think Finn." replied Kurt, bringing him back towards them.
"Mercedes will come to join us, not Santana." He added to calm Finn down.
"OK" replied Finn, relieved.
"Maybe you should wait for her on the bench and you guys can join us together." said Kurt.
"Yes, good idea. You guys go and enjoy yourselves." He replied watching the two other boys skating away speaking, but he didn't understand what they were saying. He didn't really want to know anyway.
Finn sat on the bench and looked far in front of him. Lost in his mind, he imagined how nice it would have been to bring Rachel here if they still were together.
Sighing, he turned his head to the left and couldn't help noticing a brown haired girl who had just finished lacing up her skates. She looked just like Rachel. He rubbed his eyes. He couldn't believe it. It was Rachel, he was pretty sure of it. He wondered what he should do. Should he go to her or leave her alone? Maybe she was here with Puck, but he doubted it. Skating was not one of Puck's favourite thing.
Then, he saw her making grand gestures to someone. The boy who responded to her was no other than Kurt.
"Mercedes, yeah, idiot." said Finn for himself realizing that Kurt had probably planned all this.
Now, he knew they couldn't avoid each other, she would have to face him, to talk to him. Furthermore, he really wanted to talk to her. After all, she was the one who had said that she wanted them to be friends.
So, he stood up and walked toward her. He sat down next to her as she turned herself to face him.
"Finn!" she said surprised but smiling nervously. "What are you doing here?" She asked, trying to regain her composure.
"I am here with Kurt. He dragged me out here and now I know why." He replied, looking gently at her. "Did he set you up too?" added Finn.
"I think he did. It makes us the two most gullible people in Ohio." She said, looking at him.
Finn looked at her with question marks in his eyes.
"We believe things easily." replied Rachel, looking at him in the eyes, smiling widely. He replied with a smile of his own, a broad smile that lighten up his face. As if they were old Finn and old Rachel, that nothing bad had ever happened to them.
They continued to stare at each other for few more seconds, lost in each other eyes, their hands and their bodies getting closer to each other's without even noticing it, as if they were magnets. Then Rachel broke the silence.
"We should go. They must be wondering what we're doing." said Rachel, trying to get out of the trance she had just experienced.
Finn was taken aback by Rachel's reaction. He really thought they were having a moment there and she had chosen to end it. But, I was determined not to give up that easily.
"Yeah, you're right. Come with me." Finn told her, smiling, extending his hand to her, hoping she would take it.
"It's okay. I can walk by myself, but thanks for offering me your hand Finn." She replied to him, trying to look at him straight in the eyes but clearly failing.
Finn's smile faded. Her hand, he had only asked to hold her hand, to help her but he had refused. He would have to be patient. Unfortunately, patience wasn't one of his features.
They walked a few meters in silence before getting onto the rink. He got onto it first and waited for her to follow him. He didn't offer her his hand to get onto the rink, she had already pushed him away before, he didn't want to be too pushy.
Rachel put one foot onto the rink anr tried to maintain her balance by herself but when she tried to lay down her other foot on the ice, she fell. However, she never touched the ice, warms hands had caught her before humiliation.
She had fallen into Finn's arms. She stayed there for a while, her body refusing to move, so happy to feel Finn's embrace once again.
Finn didn't want to let go either. She was where he wanted her so eagerly to be. The position he was in was pretty uncomfortable, his back was hurting him but he would have stayed like this forever if it was the only way to touch her, to smell her. Then, Finn felt a movement in his arms. Rachel had turned her head to face him.
Now, they were face to face, looking at each other in the eyes, noses almost touching, lips half parted. Finn's mind was racing. Should he try to kiss her now? Would she push him away if he did? He knew there was only one way to know…
Without another hesitation, he leaned in. Their noses touched, their lips slightly brushed against each other's. He felt Rachel's body loosen into his arms, so he went for the kill.
He kissed her like he had never kissed her before, he kissed her with lus and passion.
First, Finn's attack had surprised her a little but she quickly welcomed it and kissed him back with all she got.
"Get a room!" A stranger screamed, passing in front of them.
Then, they stopped kissing, both breathing heavily, lips swollen. They regained consciousness of time and space; the skating rink with a dozen pairs of eyes staring at them, enjoying the show.
Finn stood up, dragging Rachel with him. He went closer to her and held her tight.
"I have missed you so much." Finn said, holding her as tightly as he could.
Then, he took a step back to fully look at the face he never wanted to leave again. His smile didn't fade seeing the tears on Rachel's face because, knowing Rachel, they could easily be tears of joy!
"Why are you crying? Did I hold you too strongly? I am so…" said Finn.
"It was a mistake Finn." She interrupted him, crying, before he could finish his last sentence.
Finn continued to look at her, like he hadn't understood what she had just said.
"It's too soon." She added this time, pushing herself away from her.
Feeling her slipping away, he looked at her and saw sadness and guilt in his eyes.
"What did you just said?" asked Finn, dumbfounded as if he had been struck by a lightning.
"I am so sorry Finn, I never should have let you kissed me like this." She said, still crying, trying to get away from him but he grabbed her hand before she had a chance to get away.
"But, you did kiss me back, didn't you?" he asked, holding her hand, bringing her closer to him. "Why would you have done it if you don't love me and want me back?" he asked, trying to touch her face.
"I still love you Finn. You have to believe me. I love you but that's not enough. As much as being without you hurts, I need to." pleaded Rachel, crying, getting away from Finn's grip once again.
Finn couldn't believe what he had just heard. Seeing him loose his balance, Rachel took him by the shoulder and helped him to sit on the nearest bench. She sat next to him, keeping a comfortable distance between them.
She was afraid of what she would do if she reminded too close to him. She knew she had to do something rational or she would lose herself in his world again. She had to leave before committing the irreparable.
Rachel took off her skates and her put on her boots. Then, she packed her skates back in her bag. She had to leave, but she couldn't leave him alone like this. She knew couldn't ask him if everything was alright because she painfully knew the answer to that question.
"Goodbye Finn!" she whispered softly to him, before walking away. But Finn stood up and grabbed her wrist before she had the time to leave for good.
"That's all! That's all you have to say to me. You break my heart again and you just say GOODBYE! Weren't you the one who said that we have to act like friends! What kind of friends would do that to each other? Friends should be able to talk through their problems Rachel." He said, letting go of her hand.
"I don't know if I can be friends with you Finn. I think it was a presumptuous thing for me to say. I thought I could, but the feelings I have for you are too strong." She said crying.
Finn stood up and went closer to her.
"Stay where you are Finn, please. You're only making it harder for both of us." she said before he could reach her.
"What you did with her is hard to digest. I need time to heel. I am only trying to do what's best for me, to prevent myself for hurting more than I already am. Be patient, that's all I am asking." Rachel said, taking a few steps closer to Finn.
"You have to trust me on this one!" she said, gently to him, whipping her own tears.
Finn faced her. He went really close her but without their bodies touching. He looked at her but didn't make a move on her.
"I love you Rachel. I'll wait for you as long as you love me. I will show you that you can trust me and…
Rachel had closed the gap on each other before he had time to finish his sentence. She lifted herself on her toe and kissed him on the cheeks.
"Thank you Finn." she whispered to her ear and finally walked away.
"This is only goodbye Rachel. One day, one way or another, you will come back to me, where you belong." said Finn to himself wishing he was telling the truth…
