Finn used a cab to pick up Rachel in front of the republic because he wanted to have some wine and didn't want to worry about driving. He was amazed to see that she was even more beautiful that night and he didn't fail to tell her that, as he opened the door for her to enter the vehicle, like a perfect gentleman. He entered then, caressing her face and kissing her in a sweet way. It was different of the kisses she was used to get from him, always so full of an urgent desire.

"Where are we going?" She asked, excited.

"It's a surprise... you will know soon and I think it will not disappoint you. Actually, I must confess it was not an easy choice and I ended up getting some tips from Kurt."

"Kurt is your brother, right?"

"Yes, my brother. In fact, he is my stepbrother. My mom and my stepfather, Burt, married when we were sixteen. We already knew each other from school , but we were not friends. In fact , he did not like me a lot, because I had friends who... well, you know... sometimes people think they have to do stupid things with others to be popular, to seem superior, to feel good. Some of my friends made his life hell for a while, because he is homosexual. "

"Oh... I'm sorry." She didn't even know what to say about such horrible thing.

"It's ok now." He assured her. "When we had to move in to the same house, to live under the same roof, it didn't seem like a good idea at first. But he soon saw that, in reality, he had no reason to worry and, on the contrary, because, after that, I wouldn't let people do anything to him anymore. I didn't like to interfere, in general , but he became my brother! Family is a sacred thing for me."

Finn was definitely showing a new side of him to Rachel. A side that, without a doubt, she wanted to know more and made him even more irresistible to her eyes.

"I think I remember Kurt. I think he was in a choir club we tried to make in the first year of high school, but did not last more than a week..."

"New directions, with Mr. Schuester, the Spanish teacher... I know. I even regret having just approached Kurt in the second year. Maybe I could have helped... me and my band mates could have join coral. I don't know..."

"And now what is he doing?"

"He studies fashion in California, but he comes over here a lot because his boyfriend lives here, so we always meet."

At that moment they arrived on the place Finn had chosen for their first date.

"Here? Really? Wow, your brother 's really good at that!" They both laughed.

This time, Finn had no hesitation in taking her hand and then walking, holding hands with the charming girl that he would be proud to be seen, towards the restaurant and the table he had reserved. Her hand was so tiny in his, so soft, so perfect that, if he could, he would never let it go.

"So... Sardi's, huh? What is special about this place anyway? For it is certain Kurt gave the right tip. Your face is lit up, as you were a child who gained a new toy." They both laughed, sitting one facing the other in a table of the very famous restaurant.

" It's true. I just love this place, Finn. I come here whenever I can. Your brother is studying fashion, but he certainly knows many people from drama school or even actors, and should know how much this place inspires us. When I'm discouraged, thinking about quitting, thinking everything is very complicated, difficult, I come here and look at these cartoons on the wall and voila! I remember where I wanna be, where I'm going to be someday. "

"It's very cool to see how you dream big, Rach!"

"From what I see, you also have your dreams, Finn. You wanted to work with Figgins and learn everything you can with him... you seem to work hard to be a great musician , like I work to get to Broadway."

"Yeah, I have dreams... goals. I want to financially support myself working with music, to learn more and more about it. I wanna stir emotions in people. I just never thought about a caricature of me in one of the most popular restaurants in NY, alongside internationally known artists. This is HUGE!" They laughed together and he took her hand. "It's great to be here for the first time with you, Rach."

"For me it is also very good to be here with you, Finn." They looked at each other in a new way.

Dinner was wonderful . They learned much from each other's lives, dreams, expectations, the obstacles that each had met along the way, friends, family. After dinner , he invited her to have another drink of wine at a piano bar nearby and their chat continued for hours. When finally they decided it was time to go home, it was almost morning and there was practically nothing one did not know about the other.

Finn told Rachel that Mike had gone to sleep in her bedroom with Tina and that therefore she would sleep with him. She pretended to protest and said he could not decide things like this without talking to her, but, deep down, she was more than happy to spend even more time with him, and to finally be alone with him, being able to do things she was willing to do for a few hours, but were not appropriate to a piano bar.

That night, sex between them was something different, which didn't go unnoticed by either of them, but was not mentioned by any of them either. They still had the same desire, the same horny, but this time there was more caring, more commitment. And Rachel was completely at ease, free of any insecurities and modesty that she could have before. After two rounds, they fell asleep and the next day, already in the early afternoon, Rachel opened her eyes to one of the images that brought her more pleasure until that point in her life.

Finn carried a full tray of fruit, juice, soy milk, coffee, tofu, grains, and a small little vase with an orchid in the middle. It was the most romantic gesture anyone had ever done for her. All though she had not had many chances to get breakfast in bed with any other guy, but still she was delighted. Besides bringing breakfast, she could see that he had thought about details, had paid atention to what he bought. It was a meal for Rachel Berry, for a vegan woman. And to complete it, better than everything, there was his smile, his gorgeous face, his perfect dimples. What else could she want?

If she could want more or not, she didn't know, but, incredibly, there would still be more. There would be an entire afternoon together with they cuddle in bed, listening to music, watching Across the Universe, after revelations that Beatles were one of the surprisingly many passions they had in common, sharing caresses that evolved eventually to two rounds of sex, talking and laughing a lot at stories from each other and even stories of McKinley they remembered together.

At the end of the day, Finn took Rachel to the Republic where she lived and they parted ways, both carrying the same feeling composed of opposite sensations: the date was just perfect AND the date was not perfect because it had come to an end.

But that was just the first one of many dates.