Disclaimer: I do not have any relation to Glee or any of the writers on Fox. Purely fictional.
"Okay, so when you're in the room, remember, you are there for a different purpose. Not only are you there to introduce her to new filmmakers, this is going to be your first date with her that can change the rest of your life."
"Okay that just gave me a little chills."
"You need to remember that tonight is going to determine your next step with her. So when you're in the room, be in the room. LISTEN. Don't get freaked out by the fact that she's beside you, or what she looks like in bed. Focus on what she has to say, so that when she has something to say, you can offer your opinion instead of saying 'I like your eyes'."
Artie nodded, making a mental list of things to do and say in his head.
Normally, he would have no problem with events like the one tonight. This was his forte; there was nothing and no one that could distract him from a film. Not unless you were Brittany S. Pierce.
He started to rub his hands together and Finn took a hint.
"Will you be ready for tonight?"
Artie took a deep breath and said. "Brittany has been someone I would never even imagine myself talking to. But you made that happen. Now, not only that, I'm about to go on my first real date with her. I have to do this. If not for me, then at least for you."
Finn smiled and laid his hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry. You'll do okay."
"Brittany! Brittany! Over here!" The swamp of reporters flooded the scene when the dancer arrived. Artie was waiting at the curb and opened the door the minute her town car pulled up at the street.
There was a fury of people looking confused when she stepped out to greet him with a peck on the cheek.
Finn smiled when he saw the blush on Artie's face. It looks like lady luck was smiling on him for that special night. Even without doing anything, he was going to get his picture on the front cover of the tabloids.
Artie smiled nervously in attempts to hide his embarrassment.
The blonde strutted towards the entrance. When she turned around, she saw that the man was clobbered with the media. Every single one of them wanted to know her date for the evening and what he did to be so.
However, not being part of the scene before, he was speechless.
Sensing his nervousness, Brittany marched right up to the man and demanded for a clearing.
"The name is Artie Abrams. And he is my date for the night."
Before any of the reporters could question further, she begun wheeling him into the private building.
Finn whipped his iPhone out and texted an encouragement to the man.
When they left the apartment, he felt that Artie had learned everything he needed to know for a first date. However, watching from the sidelines of the evening's pandemonium, he knew the fear in Artie's mind.
"DUDE, YOU CAN DO THIS. JUST REMEMBER TO STAY CALM. YOU'RE THE EXPERT IN THIS EVENT, SO JUST BE YOURSELF. -FINN."
"THANKS. I'LL TRY NOT TO FREAK OUT TOO EASILY LIKE YOU SUGGESTED. -ARTIE."
The tall man looked at the reply and smiled at how much more bravery Artie had as compared to the phone call he made a few hours ago.
"Well, look who I hadn't expected to see."
Looking up, he was all too sure that her voice was a pigment of his imagination. But as he saw the round eyes staring right back at him with a wide grin on her face, he lit up at the reality of her presence.
"Well, this is a surprise." He said lightheartedly. But even with his breezy tone, she knew he was just as happy about this coincidence.
Due to the crowd behind her in hopes of getting the best shot of the celebrities arriving, Rachel was shoved forward. The man leaped, catching her swiftly before the brunette could hit the ground.
"Well if it isn't the prince saving the damsel in distress." She commented with a wink.
"Is it just me or are accidents becoming a regular activity for the both of us?"
She giggled and smoothed the blouse she had one. Tonight, she was dressed in an outfit that was classified between comfortable Rachel and work Rachel. Finn bit his lip and questioned himself how was it possible to adore every single look she bore.
"Rach!" Quinn screamed amidst the crowd, ruining any plans Rachel had in furthering her conversation with Finn.
The giant man saw the same blonde friend squeezing past the group of impatient reporters. She had her arm raised, her the camera in her hands and an annoyed look on her face. Frazzled, she managed to make her way out of the crowd and bend down to catch a breather.
"Finn, I'd like you to meet a colleague of mine. This is Quinn Fabray." Shaking her hand, Rachel continued with the introduction.
"And Quinn, this is Finn Hudson. The one I was telling you about."
He raised his eyebrows at the description and saw Rachel nudge the elbows of her friend.
"The one you were... Oh! The one you were talking about."
Finn had been around women enough to understand the gossip sessions they had. It was some sort of habit that no one from the gender could shirk, as though it was a necessity. Just look at Mrs. Smith and what she did on a regular basis.
Rachel saw the way he looked at her and knew better than to have Quinn question him. After all, the details of the date provided by Rachel made the blonde assume it went horribly.
Then again, Rachel had to question herself. Without a doubt, the first date she shared with Finn Hudson did go terribly. No person under any circumstances would consider going out with the man again. And yet, it all worked out in a good way.
When Quinn had questioned her if she would see him again, she found herself nodding her head without debate. As though the answer was obvious. When interrogated further by Tina, she again, surprised herself saying that it was a charming quality that she had somehow found herself attracted to.
This pleasant run in with Finn reinstated how she felt about him. Not to mention, him flashing his dimples had the power to make her weak in the knees.
"Well, anyway, I wanted to ask if you could head back to the office to develop these for tomorrow. I would do them myself, but you know, tonight's..." She unstrapped the camera off we neck and looked at the tiny girl.
"I know, I know. You and Sam have been going on and on about how important tonight was for the both of you."
"I owe you one!" Giving a quick hug, Quinn Fabray ran off in the opposite direction with the comment "Nice meeting you Finn Hudson!" trailing after her.
He raised his eyebrows at Rachel again and the oddness of the situation.
Laughing awkwardly, Rachel lifted the camera.
"Well, uh, I should get back to work."
"Wouldn't it be dangerous for you though? To be stuck in the office at this hour."
"I'm already used to it." She said with a small smile.
"Well then, at least let me walk you to your building."
"Now aren't you just the gentleman."
He laughed and fell into step with her as they made their way to her destination.
"So do you lie to every man who hits on you at the bar?"
"Excuse me?" She asked, slightly appalled by the accusation.
"Not your team. Ring a bell?" He asked as he looked at her with a twinkle in his eye before straight ahead at the road.
She furrowed her brows in concentration. Then, it dawned upon her.
"Aw man, busted!"
He laughed at her response. "In my opinion, it was pretty much the smartest thing I've ever heard a woman say."
She winced at the compliment. "It's not exactly a flattering thing to hear. But he was bugging me, and all I wanted was to get back to my group of friends."
"And the kiss you planted on uhm, Quinn fits into that how?"
"Hey!" She punched him lightly on the shoulders. "It was the only logical thing to do at that time. And what were you doing eavesdropping on my conversation huh? Trying to uphold your title as a stalker Hudson?"
"Hey," He held up his hands to surrender himself. "I'm just some guy you met at the bar."
She laughed at his reply.
"Which reminds me, exactly what did you tell your friends about me?"
She recalled the way Quinn looked at the man.
"Oh well you know, how incredibly clumsy you were. And how stubborn you were about the whole perseverance thing."
"Well I guess my title's going back to man at the bar instead of the one I dated before."
But I also said he was incredibly attractive and exceptionally sweet to me. She smiled with the thought in her head as they continued their walk to her office.
"So, this is me." She remarked as they came to an abrupt halt outside a boring old grayish building.
He looked up at her stop and then down back at her again.
"So, I guess until we meet again." He shoved his hands into his pockets and nodded slightly before taking off.
She walked towards the doors of the building but stopped in her tracks. Turning around, his back was hunched and moving further away from her.
"Hudson!" She called, startling the man. "If you haven't got anything to do, you're welcome to keep me company for a while."
For a moment, she regretted her decision in calling him back. But when she saw the way he spun around instantly and the way his beam shined through the miserable dark night, she knew she made the right decision.
"Look what good clumsiness can come out of."
She shook her head and led him in.
"So this is you huh?" He asked as she flipped the switch on at her cubicle. Nodding, she set everything down on the table and inquired if he needed anything to drink.
"Tea for me. Do you need any help?"
"Sit. If what we've been going through is the norm, I think I'd be better off on my own in the pantry."
He nodded, understanding the odds of an accident befalling upon them if he followed her.
Settling himself down, he took the time to observe his surroundings.
There were the usual elements of an office cubicle: a desktop, some paper trays and a notice board. Right on the corkboard were mundane notes and lists of things she had to complete by a certain date. Following the paper of instructions, his eyes caught sight of the pictures on her wall.
It wasn't a large one, pretty much just the partition that divided her and the person opposite her. But Rachel had decorated it with ticket stubs and pictures of her life.
A half smile drawled on his face at the insider information he had of her. As his eyes flowed through the happy and wild moments of Rachel Berry, he caught sight of one that had her, an Asian girl and Quinn. It wasn't particularly a good picture, but the one she had seemed the happiest among the rest.
Staring at it for a while longer before his eyes lingered away, an object on her table made his grin grew wider with glee.
It was a tiny white pot with tiny gold stars surrounding the rim. Soil was tucked neatly into its vessel and the branch, which stood upright in its place, was firm. He inferred that she had diligently watered the plant every day with the looks of the flower blooming at its end. He took pride in the wild guess he made on the first date at the Hudson River.
"Here you go." She voiced out from his back, interrupting his thoughts. He spun around to come face to face with the brunette.
Cautiously handing him the mug, she swiveled Quinn's chair from the table located west of her cubicle and sat herself down.
"Anything boring you yet?" She asked as she sipped carefully into her hot mug of tea.
He smiled as he sat down the cup on her table. "You look like you're really content with your life right now."
A pair glistening eyes looked up at his comment and he smiled warmly.
"Well, I should get started on developing those photos. So uhm, do entertain yourself with whatever you can. I'll try to get my work done then we can leave. Or you can leave anytime you want. I mean you don't need to stay or anything."
He chuckled at how she seemed to be the nervous one in tonight's situation.
"Rachel, assert yourself."
She had to knock her head on the wall for being too chatty. She only had that habit when she was with her friends and family. Rachel wasn't one to be blabbering on the second encounter with a man as close as a stranger.
"Work's been getting a little crazy sometimes."
"Turn around."
"Huh?"
He rotated the chair she was in and cleared his throat.
"Finn... What are you..."
Without warning, he had laid his palms on her shoulders and rubbed the collarbone gently in a circular motion. Gently pressing into the bone supporting her head, he squeezed her neck.
"So this is how you earn back your respect huh? Giving massages to your dates."
He chuckled at her answer. "Believe it or not, the only other woman who received a massage from me was my mom."
After a couple of minutes, the brunette felt a whole lot better than before. She smiled, grateful for his rescue.
"Thanks Finn."
"That makes up for embarrassing myself in front of you at the Swing-A-Ring. I still have to think of ways in which I'll need you to forgive me for ramming the oar in your face."
She giggled at memory. Then, she got up and went about her motive for working at this hour.
Rachel had just gotten back from the printing room and made her way back towards her cubicle. She saw that he had his earphones plugged into his ears and was slouched in her seat.
When her eyes drifted to her table, she had to cover her mouth from the 'mess' he made. Stifling a giggle, she eyed his masterpiece.
Using the pens on her table, he had made a tiny fort, housing his phone, keys and wallet. There were the remaining stationaries like hole punchers and staplers that he was using to form a manual pinball machine with an eraser.
Another time, another place
The words would only rhyme
We'd be in outer space
It'd be another song
Instead of continuing with the laughs, her mouth had now dropped open with bewilderment. Who knew Finn Hudson was a Broadway junkie like she was?
We'd sing another way
You wanna prove me wrong
Come back another day
Another day
She stood behind him and the man was still oblivious to her presence.
There's only yes
Only tonight
We must let go
To know what's right
No other course
No other way
No day but today
Her eyes lit up at his voice. It was the most raw sound she had ever heard and it astounded her of how his husky tone was all so different and yet still sounding like the Finn she knew. Or did she? Her lips turned up into a half smile and when he belted out the lyrics, it extended further.
I can't control my destiny
I trust my soul
My only goal is just to be
There's only now
There's only here
Give in to love
Or live in fear
No other path, no other way
No day but today
Chapter 10 is here! It's been a while since I've uploaded 2 chapters in a day, but as I have said, writing out some Finchel has been an addiction for me, which is why the second I submitte the previous chapter, I got straight to work with this one! The song at the end is titled "Another Day" from the Broadway musical, RENT. Apparently Lea Michele have caught Cory Monteith singing this song to himself, which is why I thought it'd be funny to add it in here! Stay amazingly awesome! And to all who's reading this and in the same time zone as me, have a lovely evening! :')
Mandy-twinkletoes, hi sweetheart! You are just too adorable for words! And how can someone so cute could be so generous with her words as well? I mean, really? Thank you for the constant compliment my dear, you have brighten my day.
Melly233, noro and bananappancakes AHHHH! You guys are so awesome for pushing me on! Well, because of that, here's a longer Finchel chapter and hope that you'll love it! Looks like my updates are becoming regular again so crossing my fingers that I can get the new one pumped out really soon! Have a lovely day in wherever you may be :)
Laylita83, hello darling! You certainly have been missed very dearly! And can I just say that I adore your crazily long review? Just love it! And with concerns to Artie's knee, that's a puzzle for me to. I'm assuming that he would be able to feel them anyhow? Possibly a slight pain I guess? I haven't got any real life references to compare it with, but will promise to research more before inserting these little details in. Anyhow, you are amazing and I'm welcoming you back with open arms :')
PaochiCute, you see, it's the things you say like in the precious review of yours that keeps me feeling as though you're too much for me. I swear baby doll, you are just so wonderful for listing such amazing things that I don't even feel I live up to. I love you. I know I don't mention it enough, but I love you for being so supportive. And I've just purchased my own copy of the Glee live DVD, making me feel the urge to add in an Artie number. There'll be more to come so I hope you're excited :)
Edurrant0404, AH! You're new to reviewing this story do can I just give you a HUGE WELCOME HUG? Come here you! You are just the sweetest to be telling me that you love this story! I hope that the following chapters wouldn't disappoint! Keep reading and I'll promise to deliver as least half of the expectations you have!