Rachel sat in the middle of Finn's truck fidgeting with the seatbelt, picking at a loose thread on the strap across her waist. Finn leaned over to kiss the top of her head and laid his hand in her lap on top of hers. "Babe, I don't understand why you're so nervous. It's a party, it will be fun. That's what parties are for!"
"I know, but I've never actually been to a party before. Never been invited. I wasn't really invited to this one." Finn sighed as he watched his girlfriend's face fall. He hated that other people made her feel so badly about herself. He thought she was perfect, and while he knew that not everyone would see that, they could at least try to be a little nicer. At the same time, he didn't think the others really thought as poorly of her as she thought they did. They weren't exactly falling all over themselves to hang out with her or anything, but when he told Puck that he planned to invite Rachel he was fine with it. And when Finn later texted him to say that they would both be coming to the party, Puck texted back "kool. will tell Q and the girls."
"Ok. Before I go on, I want you to know that I'm not trying to pressure you or anything. If you really don't want to go, we'll go back to your house right now, or mine, mom would love to see you. But either way, this is something you need to hear."
"We?" she looked up at him through her lashes with those chocolate eyes he loved so much.
"Well yeah 'we.' If you don't go I'm not going! There's no way I'm leaving my girl, not making that mistake again!" He pulled her a little closer to him as he spoke.
"Well, you know, we both have to go back to our own homes and go to bed eventually. We can't just stay together like, all the time." She rested her head on his shoulder and moved her picking from his seatbelt to the hem of his shirt.
"Hmm. We'll see." Finn looked at the ceiling of his truck, pretending to avoid eye contact with her so she couldn't argue with him. When she giggled quietly, signaling that she wouldn't fight him on that idea, he continued with his original purpose. "But anyway sweetie, what I was trying to say is you were invited. We were invited. Puck knew from the beginning that I was planning on bringing you, if you would come. And when I texted to let him know we were on our way, and I made it a point to include you, he said it was cool. He even said he would let the girls know to expect you." Rachel looked at him, somewhat hopefully. He knew she wanted to believe him, it was just hard for her. "Rach, I know you think no one likes you, but that's not true. They are all really starting to warm up to you, to get a tiny peek at what I've already seen. And they may not be your best friends or anything, but you can't expect to become friends if you won't go talk to them. Even I have to admit you can be a little much sometimes in glee, but if they could see how amazing you are when you're not trying to push us all into being better, which is also pretty amazing by the way, they'd love you, just like me." She had lowered her head so that she was staring into her lap and he pushed her hair back to see her face. "Well, not just like me," he smirked and he watched her face grow red.
"You really think I'll have fun?"
"I guarantee it. And you know why I can do that?" She looked at him expectantly. "Because the second you're not having fun, you're gonna look at me with those beautiful brown eyes and take me by the hand and we'll leave and I'll take you wherever you wanna go. And I know we'll have fun when it's just the two of us." His voice was soft and sweet, not at all mischievous or teasing.
Rachel took a deep breath and smoothed her hands over her pleated skirt. "Ok. Let's go." Finn pulled her face to his and kissed her deeply on the mouth before opening his door and sliding out. He waited for her to unlatch her seatbelt and slide across the truck to him. When she turned to face him and placed her hands on his shoulders, waiting for him to lift her out of the truck, he pulled her into his chest by her hips and worked his body between her legs.
"You are beautiful," he kissed her cheek, "and talented," he kissed the other cheek, "and good-hearted," he kissed the tip of her nose. "And anyone who can't appreciate that isn't good enough for us." He kissed her long and slow on the mouth, pushing his tongue gently between her lips and rolling it over hers. Feeling himself start to get more excited than he should in a public place, he lifted her out of the truck and lowered her to the ground then pulled his mouth from hers. "Although, if you're still uncertain, I suppose we could go back home," he squinted down at her with a grin.
"Come on Finn. Let's go enjoy my first high school party. And if you're a really good boyfriend, we'll leave early, before my dads get home from their dinner." She walked away from him, and for a few seconds, it was hard for him to think with her words swirling around in his brain and her skirt bouncing in front of him. Finally, the sounds of the party brought him back to earth and he ran to catch up with her, walking behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist. He didn't want anyone else noticing the way that skirt bounced!
The young couple walked across the field at the back of the Rutherfords' property toward the bonfire that was already well under way. "Hey dude! Glad to see you made it!" Mike clapped him on the back as he ran by, pushing Artie on the back two wheels of his chair. Artie turned to wave, and Tina ran by about five steps behind the boys.
"Hey Rachel!" the girl yelled on her way to catch up to the boys. Finn squeezed Rachel a little tighter when Tina spoke to her. He hoped that it would encourage her a little bit. It seemed to be working, because when he peered down, even though he could only see the side of her face, she seemed to be smiling.
"Is that Noah's band?"
Finn stopped walking for a moment to listen. It certainly sounded like live music and not a stereo system. "Yeah, I guess so." They continued toward the party, following the route that Mike, Tina, and Artie had taken. "Oh look, there's Mercedes too. Come on, let's go say hey."
"And Quinn," Rachel tensed a little as she saw Quinn sitting in a lawn chair next to where Mercedes and Tina stood talking. Finn came out from behind her and took her hand.
"Don't worry about Quinn. It's fine." He hadn't even seen Quinn until Rachel pointed her out, but sure enough, there was a sleek blonde ponytail hovering over the top of a folding chair. "And remember, the second you are uncomfortable, we're out." He leaned down into her ear as he spoke, trying to make it as intimate as possible. Rachel nodded and they continued walking. "Hey guys!" Finn greeted his friends loudly and Rachel waved shyly. Artie waved back to the couple, and Mike grabbed Finn's hand and pulled him into a half-hug, both boys patting the other on the back.
"Cute skirt!" Mercedes motioned at Rachel. "Even cuter since there isn't an animal above it!" Mercedes laughed, but it was good-natured, not malicious.
"Um, thanks." Rachel subconsciously smoothed her hands down her skirt.
"Oh, Rachel, I've never ridden on a train before? What was that like?" Tina was suddenly very interested in talking to Rachel about rail travel.
"Well," Rachel described her short trip to Tina in as much detail as she could manage, considering she had slept through most of it and the rest was spent in great emotional turmoil. Finn was only half-interested in his conversation about Halo with Mike and Artie. He was busy watching his girlfriend have a pleasant conversation with their classmates. Mercedes and Tina seemed truly interested in what Rachel was saying, and though Quinn wasn't exactly participating in the conversation, she wasn't doing anything to stop it either, so Finn gave her credit for that.
"Hey guys!" the party host ran up to the group carrying as many red plastic cups in his hands as he could manage.
"Hey Matt. Great party," Finn said to his friend and the others nodded in agreement.
"Thanks. Alright, drinks are here! Sorry Finn, didn't know you and Rachel were here. I'll go grab a couple more. But don't go expecting me to serve you all night! I got good hospitality and all, but I ain't no damn waiter." All the guys laughed at Matt's comment as he handed beers to Artie and Mike.
"I'm good man, nothing for me, but thanks anyway," Finn declined Matt's offer to go get him a drink. "You know, driving and everything."
"That's cool, good call man. You got precious cargo anyway, I know you don't want to take any chances with that in your care." Matt smiled at his buddy and jerked an elbow toward Rachel. Finn was glad at least one of his friends could be somewhat mature about relationships and not just act like girlfriends were toys. He knew Puck cared about Quinn, but he would never admit it or do anything to risk being called "respectful." Finn could tell from the look on Rachel's face that she had heard Matt's comment. She was trying not to look at them, but there was a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth and her face was a little red. Finn gave her a wink to let her know that he agreed with Matt's observation 100%. "Ladies," Matt turned to the girls and held out the remaining cups, pop mixed with something.
"Um, actually Matt, I'm sorry I forgot to tell you earlier, I'm not drinking. Gotta look out for Pucky-Puck up there." Quinn rolled her eyes and nodded her head toward the stage. "Maybe Rachel wants it, though." Without moving her head, Quinn lifted her eyes cautiously toward the other girl.
Finn was watching the exchange as discreetly as possible. He wanted to keep an eye on Rachel, but he wanted to give her a little distance too. He knew she was worried that people were only nice to her because of him, so he didn't want her to feel like he was playing big brother watching over her shoulder. (Besides, what he's thinking about doing to her later, totally inappropriate to have the words Rachel and brother in the same sentence.) Mercedes and Tina encouraged Rachel to take the drink, ensuring her that it didn't taste too bad and she would get used to it after a couple sips.
"It's not very strong, I promise," Matt said, holding the cup out to Rachel. "I know how to make pretty good girl drinks; I don't want anything bad to happen to any of you ladies." Finn smiled to himself and thanked Matt in his mind. Apparently he wouldn't have to worry about being big brother, it looked like Matt might take that role for him. Hesitating, Rachel looked at Finn almost as if she was asking permission. He smiled and nodded at her. He didn't want her to get so drunk she would regret it later, but he wanted her to be able to loosen up and have some fun. She thanked Matt and took the drink, taking a small sip. Finn had to stifle a laugh at the expression on her face when the liquid hit her tongue.
The glee club members stood around for a few more minutes, talking about anything and everything, until the music stopped and Puck and the other guys jumped down off the stage. "Come on guys, let's go talk to the Puck-man," Matt slapped Finn's and Mike's shoulders and Mike grabbed the handlebars of Artie's wheelchair.
"Umm," Finn began. He wasn't really comfortable leaving Rachel, but before he could continue, he felt a small hand slip into his. He looked down at Rachel smiling up at him and she squeezed his hand and nodded. "You sure baby?"
"Yeah, go ahead. I don't want to hold you back. Besides, I'm doing ok here with Tina and Mercedes." Finn squeezed back and leaned down to kiss her. "Love you," she whispered against his lips.
"Love you back," he smiled and kissed her one more time then squeezed her hand and walked away to join his friends.
~.~.~.~.~.~
To save her life, Rachel couldn't quite figure out exactly why she had agreed to come to this party. She thought it was probably because even though she told him she didn't mind, Finn refused to go without her, especially since her dads were at dinner for the evening and he didn't want to leave her home alone. She would have felt awful if he missed out on hanging out with his friends because of her. But now that they were in his truck parked on the edge of Matt Rutherford's property surrounded by other teenagers' cars and trucks, she was having major second thoughts. She was strongly considering telling Finn to just take her back home when he started telling her how much he loved her and that everyone else should too, or they weren't good enough for them. Not that they wouldn't be good enough for her, but for them. She liked that he talked about them together, as a unit. Encouraged by his attitude and the knowledge that the others knew she was coming and were ok with it, she worked up the courage to give the party a chance.
Walking toward the party, a huge group of kids with a bonfire on one end and a stage for Puck's band on the other, Rachel got a warm feeling inside when Mike, Artie, and Tina ran by and Tina made it a point to say hi to Rachel, not just Finn. She didn't want Finn to see how happy this made her, she felt a little immature and silly about it, but when he squeezed his arms around her middle she knew she couldn't hide it from him.
Trying to take the attention off of herself (that was a first!) Rachel asked about the music. Although she was really just looking for something to say, she was actually quite impressed with Puck's band. The music was not really her taste, a twangy country/rock mix, but they did sound good. When they got into the crowd and met up with some of the other glee club members, Rachel felt the butterflies creep back into her stomach. Finn was completely in his element, surrounded by his friends, but she felt lost. However, much to Rachel's surprise, Mercedes complimented her outfit and Tina struck up a friendly conversation right away. She could feel Finn's eyes on her as she talked to the other girls. She knew he was worried about her, and she hoped she was making him proud by going out of her comfort zone a little.
Seemingly out of nowhere, Matt appeared with several drinks in his hands. He passed beers to the guys and offered to go get one for Finn. Her interest piqued when the alcohol arrived, and she started paying a little less attention to what the girls were saying and a little more attention to Finn. "I'm good man, nothing for me, but thanks anyway. You know, driving and everything." Rachel was proud of her boyfriend for being responsible, and she made a mental note that the next time they went to a party (there would be a next time, right?) she would drive him in her car. It only seemed fair.
"That's cool, good call man. You got precious cargo anyway, I know you don't want to take any chances with that in your care." Rachel saw Finn's eyes light up as Matt gestured toward her. She had always liked Matt and she was really glad that Finn had one friend who was at least a little mature and respectful. Puck wasn't exactly a bad guy, and Rachel had had an up-and-down friendship with him for a while now, but he certainly didn't treat girls anything like the way Finn did.
When Matt tried to give Quinn the drink he had brought for her, she declined and suggested he give it to Rachel. Unsure at first, she let Mercedes and Tina convince her that the drink wouldn't taste horrible, and Matt promised that he wouldn't make a really strong drink for a girl. Still not quite sure, she looked to Finn for guidance. He smiled and nodded, encouraging her to go ahead. As long as she knew he was there for her, she really wasn't worried about anything. She didn't plan on getting drunk, but knowing that he would be there in case she needed him made her feel a lot more comfortable. She tried to keep an eye on him as she took her first drink, but whatever was mixed with the pop burned her throat going down and she couldn't help but squeeze her eyes tight and make a face. When she opened her eyes she saw Finn grinning at her, obviously trying not to laugh.
When the music stopped and she could see the band members moving off the stage, Matt started nudging the guys toward the stage to go talk to Puck. She could tell that Finn was apprehensive about leaving her alone, but she was actually kind of starting to enjoy herself with the girls. She slipped her hand into his and gave it a little squeeze, nodding at him to go with his friends. She didn't want to keep him from having fun at his friend's party. He shouldn't have to babysit her all night. However, once he was gone and Mercedes and Tina started talking to some girl from their science class, Rachel started to feel more out of place. "Hey Rachel," the voice coming from behind her was timid. She turned to see Quinn looking up at her from her lawn chair, resting her hand on the arm of a newly vacated chair beside her. "Can we talk?" Quinn lightly shook the chair she was holding, signaling for Rachel to sit down.
Rachel wasn't sure how to respond. Nothing good had ever come out of a conversation with Quinn. The few civil conversations they'd ever had pretty much all resulted in Rachel trying to be nice to Quinn and Quinn telling her that she never would have been that nice. Still, the alternatives were ignoring her and standing there with no one to talk to or running to Finn, tail between her legs, begging to go home. Neither of those options appealed to her pride, so she decided to sit. She put her drink on the ground under her chair; she wasn't really planning on drinking much more of it anyway. "Umm Rachel," Quinn began as soon as Rachel was settled in the chair, "I just wanted to say I'm sorry about the other night. I was really out of line talking to you like that. It just really bothered me seeing Finn hurting like that. I think it's because it brings back memories of how I hurt him and how awful I was, and it makes me feel really bad. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to take Finn away from you. Shockingly," she laughed, "my relationship with Puck is actually going quite well. But either way, I shouldn't have said the things I said. I was angry because of what Finn was going through, again, and I was also probably a little bit jealous that you were getting out of Lima. Finn really loves you, and it seems like you've been good for him, and I'm glad you're going to be around a while longer. And that's not just because your crazy voice is almost guaranteed to get us to nationals this year." Quinn tried to laugh at her last statement, wanting to lighten the mood a bit.
"Look Quinn, you don't need to apologize to me. Everything you said to me in that bathroom was true and I needed to hear it." Quinn looked at her with wide eyes, shocked to hear those words coming from Rachel Berry's mouth. "Well, almost all of it was true. I do know how amazing Finn is. I always have. What I didn't know was how upset he was about me leaving, partly because I tried not to see it but mostly because he tried really hard to keep me from knowing. But, that's just part of what makes him so amazing. But maybe, in the future when you have something to say to me, you can pull me aside and talk to me about it rather than ambushing me in the ladies' room." Rachel laughed.
Quinn lowered her eyes, ashamed of her behavior. "Deal," she nodded and dramatically stuck out her hand for Rachel to shake. Rachel took her hand and both girls giggled. "Rachel?" Rachel tore her eyes from where Finn was standing, laughing with the other guys, to look back at Quinn. "If you want to go over there with him, I understand, but I was kind of hoping to talk to you about something else. I'm not going to say anything mean, I promise." Rachel looked at Quinn with large eyes. There was something off about the girl, something sad in her eyes and her voice, and while they had never really been friends, Rachel couldn't abandon her in that state.
"Of course. The boys seem to be entertaining themselves quite well anyway." Both girls looked to where their boyfriends stood with the rest of the band and Mike, Matt, and Artie. Mike and Matt seemed to be having some sort of dance-off while Artie beat-boxed and the others stood around cheering them on. "What's on your mind?" Rachel finally brought the girls back to the matter at hand.
"So, Puck told me that Shelby is the one who brought you home from the train station yesterday." Rachel looked at Quinn, confused. "Finn told him. Please don't be mad at him, Puck just really wants to be friends with him again and he's trying really hard, which includes talking about real stuff now and not just whatever stupid stuff they used to talk about." Rachel nodded. She understood, and she didn't mind that Finn talked to Puck about it. "But since you spent like, an hour with her alone in the car, I was just wondering, did she happen to say anything about Beth?" Rachel had never seen that look on Quinn's face before. Her eyes were pleading with Rachel for even one scrap of information. It was the first time Rachel had realized how hard it must have been on Quinn to give Beth up. Rachel also realized that Quinn did it because she knew it was the right thing for the baby, so no matter how much it hurt, it was the best thing to do.
Rachel turned to the side to dig in her across-the-body purse. She passed two pieces of paper resembling postcards across the dark to Quinn. "I think maybe you should have these," Quinn took the cards from Rachel and pulled them close to her nose and squinted at them. "Here," Rachel passed her cell phone as well, activating the flashlight application. She saw tears glistening in Quinn's eyes as she looked at the pictures of the four-month-old little girl.
Quinn sniffled and swiped her hand across her eyes trying to compose herself. She half-heartedly passed the photos back toward Rachel, "She gave these to you, I shouldn't take them." Rachel shook her head adamantly.
"No. She gave them to me and said she thought I might want some pictures of my baby sister. But she's not really my baby sister. Shelby and I both agree that neither of us consider me to be her daughter. I think deep down inside she wanted you to have them, and I know I do." Unable to stop herself, Quinn leaned across the distance between the girls' chairs and wrapped her arms around Rachel's neck.
"Thank you," she whispered into Rachel's ear, her voice quivering slightly. Looking over Quinn's shoulder past the fire, she saw that Finn had stopped participating in the silliness taking place among the other guys and was staring at her with a very confused expression on his face. She gave him a small smile and rubbed Quinn's back sympathetically. As the band climbed back onto the stage and Finn, Mike, and Artie began to make their way noisily back to the girls, Quinn pulled away from Rachel and quickly but carefully put the pictures into her own purse then swiped her hand across her eyes one more time and dabbed at her eyes to make sure she didn't have mascara all over her face.
~.~.~.~.~.~
"Hey, here comes your boy," Quinn told Rachel, obviously trying to erase the emotional moment that had just taken place. "Go on," she made a motion with her hands as if to shoo Rachel away. Without saying anything, Rachel smiled at Quinn then jumped out of her chair and ran toward Finn.
"I love you," Rachel smiled up at Finn when she reached him, wrapping her arms around his waist. Her conversation with Quinn brought back everything she and Finn had gone through and reminded her how lucky she was to be with him.
"I love you back," he smiled at her and leaned down to kiss her nose. "At least, I think I do," he tilted his head and squinted his eyes at her. "But I'm not 100% sure if you're my real girlfriend or just an alien who's taken over her body. Quick! Name every Barbra movie ever made, in alphabetical order!"
Rachel slapped him lightly on the chest, his arms still wrapped around her waist and holding her to him. "Stop it. Quinn and I were just talking. We're big girls, we can handle it." He continued to look at her skeptically.
"Are you sure everything's ok? I mean, it looked kind of emotional over here."
"Everything's great, I promise." She stood on her tip toes to kiss him again. "Oh, the band's starting again. I'm actually kind of interested to see Noah and his friends play." She turned inside the ring formed by his arms so that her back was pressed against his chest and rested her hands on top of his. The band members walked around the stage, warming up and making adjustments to different pieces of equipment. "Hey, who's the blond guy?"
"Oh, that's Sam. He moved here from Tennessee over the summer."
"Hmm. Does he go to McKinley?"
"No, but he's about to. When his family first got here they rented a house on the other side of town, but apparently they just bought a house and he's transferring to McKinley next week. Hey," he leaned down to whisper hoarsely in her ear, "I don't need to be jealous of this Sam kid do I? Remember, the deal was no one else gets to love you the way I do," he closed his mouth around the rim of her ear and bit it lightly, sending chills up her spine despite the warm weather.
"The only thing you need to worry about him taking from you is solos. I am so recruiting him for New Directions." Finn had wanted to keep up the sexy talk, but he couldn't help but laugh at his girlfriend's one-track mind. Before either of them could continue their banter, they heard actual chords coming from the stage and the drummer joined momentarily. Rachel settled back into Finn's chest and they both turned their attention to the stage where Puck was sidling up to the microphone stand. Something clicking in his mind, Finn stood up a little straighter and snapped his head up to make eye contact with Puck, who winked at him. At first he was a little embarrassed and pretty pissed at Puck, but the way his friend grinned at him and the way Rachel's hips swayed slightly against him changed his mood quickly. When Sam joined in to back Puck up on guitar and Puck grabbed the mic loosely in one hand, Finn leaned back down to sing the words into Rachel's ear as Puck drawled out the first verse.
Well, I can hear that rooster crowin' down the road.
I felt my eyes open up real slow and I looked around,
Makin' sure I hadn't checked out.
Cause there was an angel lyin' next to me.
I figured Heaven's where I must be,
Oh, but it was you, and baby what else could I do?
In that bed, I said a little prayer,
For one more day I'm still here.
"Hmmm." Finn could feel Rachel vibrate against his chest as she sighed deeply and let out a low hum. He had his cheek pressed to her temple and was singing the words to her, his mouth so close that it brushed her ear and she could feel his breath with every word. "Nice song," she turned to smile at him, cutting off the words flowing from his mouth. "But I've never heard it before. Whose is it?"
His face burned and he considered lying but thought better of it. No lies. "Mine." She laughed cutely at him, the way she always did when he got confused over simple things.
"No sweetie. I don't mean who requested it. Whose is it, like, who performs it, or wrote it?" It was hard for him to answer with her face that close to his and her eyes studying him.
"I did. Last night." He stared back at her with a straight face and her eyes searched his face for some hint that he was joking. When she saw none she spun around to face him and rested her hands on his chest.
"Sweetie, that's amazing! I'm so proud of you. This is really good." She could still hear Puck singing the chorus behind her, and although she wasn't paying as much attention as she had been, the words were sinking in.
"All you babe," he grinned down at her. "All you. Wanna hear the rest?" She nodded and he pulled her close and swayed with her so that they were the only ones there dancing to the slow song, lowering his mouth back to her ear to sing the rest of the song he wrote for her. I dig in my heels and try to slow this down, It's your world, and I'm just in it.
I want my life to revolve around everything you do,
Oh, but that's all up to you.
Everything good seems to go so fast,
It's kinda like one big party you crash you weren't countin' on.
One day you're here and gone.
Baby all I wanna do is lay right here,
And hope it all don't disappear
Ain't no other way to spin it.
Lucky me just bein' there when I get to hold you.
Yeah, I'm just here, to love you girl,
It's your world, and I'm just passin' through.
It's your world, and I'm just in it. I'm just here to love you girl
Ain't no other way to spin it.
Lucky me just bein' there when I get to hold you.
Yeah, I'm just here, to love you girl,
It's your world, and I'm just passin' through.
It's your world and I'm just passin' through.
When the song ended, Finn tried to look down into Rachel's face but it was buried in his chest. Removing one hand from her back, he used it to tilt her chin up and force her to look him in the eye. When she did, he noticed that her eyes were full of tears. "You don't like it? Did I mess it up?" His brow furrowed with worry as he waited to hear what was upsetting her. She shook her head forcefully then brought one hand from his chest to wipe the tears from her face.
"It was perfect. Just … perfect." She wrapped her hand around his neck and pulled him down to kiss her, then pulled away slightly and rested her forehead against his. That song was a side of Finn that she had never seen before, and she was amazed. She had no idea all that was in there, and she was especially thrilled that she got to bring it out in him. "And you wrote it …?"
"Last night. When I got home." He felt pressure on the back of his neck as Rachel once again pulled him down to her. She teased his lips with her tongue but pulled away before he could open his mouth to let her in.
"I love it. It's amazing. But Finn?"
"Yeah babe?"
"I don't want you passing through. I want you sticking around for a long, long time."
"Deal." He smiled back at her and pulled her a little closer.
"Oh, and Finn?"
"Yes Rachel?" He loved her and all, but sometimes the talking got out of hand. She took his hand in hers and looked up at him with big eyes.
"Remember how you said if I wanted to go all I had to do was look at you and take you by the hand …"
"You're not having fun?" He looked down at her, concerned. She shrugged.
"It's ok. But I think I'll be having a lot more fun when you get me home. My dads' dinner started at nine, and it will probably last at least a couple hours, it's a work slash leisure thing. It's only 9:30 now." He squeezed her hand and started moving, very quickly, back toward his truck. They didn't even say goodbye to any of their friends on the way.
Ok, so obviously Finn didn't really write "Just Passing Through" (nor did I, lol, all credit goes to Jason Aldean) and I didn't even initially intend to include an original song in this story (although it's seeming to be a trend with me, if you're reading my other story). But, I heard the song when I was kind of in the middle of this story, and it just seemed so appropriate. If you are unfamiliar with the song, please go listen to it on YouTube or somewhere. It's amazing.