Here we are with chapter fourteen! I hope you enjoy! Sorry it's been so long. This year has been packed with all kinds of exciting things! (such as meeting Lea Michele). Anyways, I hope you enjoy! I had lots of fun writing this one!

- Jenny & Carolina

For a long time, the car was quiet. The only audible noise was the sound of the vehicle thrumming and the beeping of the automobiles outside.

Rachel slumped against the car door, refusing to speak to Finn. The guilt was too much to bear, and she knew without looking at him that there was pain etched on his face. A part of her told her that he deserved that; after all, he had hurt her long ago, and the only thing that he had wanted was to get into her pants. Drunk or not, he made that choice.

But that was years ago, wasn't it? Couldn't he have changed back to the goofy, funny guy that she knew when they were younger? Often she had remembered bits and pieces of their past, stitching memories together to make sense of it all. When had it changed? What possessed him to drink that night and ruin everything they had between them (though, she wasn't quite sure what it was).

Slowly, and cautiously, she turned her head towards him and saw exactly what she had predicted. He was staring straight forward, keeping his eyes on the road. Now, being a good driver, that was customary, but the look on his face was so dull and dry that it made her heart ache. There was still a faint red mark on his cheek where she had slapped him, and at the sight of it her fist clenched, as if doing so would remove the pain.

He could tell that she was looking at him, but even at the stoplight, he wouldn't turn. Why the hell was he doing all of this? He was trying so hard to win her back, but the more he thought about it, was she ever his to begin with? That night at the party could have been a real start for them if he hadn't screwed up, and it was obvious that she was never getting over that. She was with Jesse now, anyways, and he had Marley. They were cheating themselves if they thought that they would ever work.

"You're awfully difficult," she said abruptly, making him turn his head. It was an immediate reaction, and didn't give his brain enough time to think it through. He knew he couldn't look at her, because the second he did, he wouldn't be able to stop. As mad as he was, he couldn't take his eyes off of her. Despite her glossy eyes, her whole look completely amazed him. She was by far the most beautiful girl he'd ever met, having unique features that set her apart from the rest. He remembered when they were younger how much she used to deny that; she always had self-confidence issues, and whenever he tried to compliment her, she brushed it off, her face always turning a bright pink that looked really adorable. But tonight she was more beautiful than ever, putting on her best to set the occasion.

It wasn't me who she was trying to impress, he thought.

"Really?" he asked, turning his head back to the road ahead of him, seeing the light turn green, "I'm the difficult one?" She nodded, crossing her arms. She was stubborn, and she knew it, but rarely admitted it.

"Says the one who slapped me across the face," he added with disgust.

"You were trying to make me jealous the whole night! I saw it! You brought her with you to make me jealous because you know you still have feelings for me!"

Her words made him slam the brakes. The cars behind him beeped loudly, making Rachel jump in her seat. Breathless, she stared at him as he looked ahead. His hands gripped onto the steering wheel tightly; she was sure that he could have made a permanent indent into the leather.

"You think you know everything, don't you?" he asked, his voice harsh, yet quiet. She didn't move an inch, her body filled with anger. "You think that it was easy getting over you?" Still, she didn't move, expecting another one of his stories that would suffice as an apology. That had worked for so many years, but it wouldn't work now. Inside, Finn knew that was true, but he knew he had to at least try. Rachel was a huge part of his life – always had been - and there was no way in hell that he was going to let her go. No matter how hard she fought, he'd be there.

"You're the one who started it. You kept throwing Jesse into my face the whole night. I had to defend myself, and Marley. God, Rachel, you're my friend but sometimes you can be so damn cruel."

She then sank into her seat, realizing what she had done. Here she was, trying to get revenge for what he had done to her. She wasn't going to lie; showing Jesse off at dinner made her feel really good. The jealousy in Finn's eyes was so apparent. Now, mulling it over, she realized what she had done, and she felt terrible. If she wanted to feel good, she could have just gone out on a friendly outing with Finn – the boy who was her best friend.

No, Finn was a grown man now. And the feelings between them constituted more than friendship.

"Not only that, but you're a tease," he added matter-of-factly, "walking around in that low-cut dress. It's like you were begging me to be jealous," he added. "I don't know what you want from me, Rachel. Sometimes I wish that you'd never applied to Callbacks. That way, I'd be out of your way, and you wouldn't have to waste your time on me."

She turned her head and looked out the window, feeling ashamed of herself. Rachel took her dress and tried to cover her chest more, taking his last comment into account. She would be lying if she said she didn't choose the dress with him specifically in mind, and maybe it was too much. He was right; she was getting herself into more trouble.

"I hated you," she said after a few minutes of silence. By now, Finn was driving again and on his way to her dorm to drop her off. Again, his face stayed the same – heartbroken and stale.

"It was a long time ago, Rachel. I apologized, and I've been trying to make it up to you but - " he started before she interrupted him.

"I wasn't finished." Her voice was soft and fragile, and at that drastic change of tone, Finn realized that she was being sincere. After a couple seconds of silence, Rachel rested her head against the door frame and continued.

"That was going to be my first time. And you treated it like a joke," she said. After a every phrase, she paused, trying not to get choked up.

"I wanted to be with you, Finn, more than anything else. I knew that I lo-"

She caught herself before she could say it. To her surprise, Finn didn't react.

"I knew that I liked you. But when you screwed it up, I couldn't forget it. I can't forget it now, Finn. You can't go back and change the past. You screwed up really badly, and I can't just let you go off easy. I refuse to let my heart be broken again, especially by the guy that means everything to me."

This made Finn freeze. "No. You can't do this to me, Rachel. You can't make me feel sorry for you. I know I did some messed up shit back then, but that was so long ago. Are you really gonna hold a grudge on me for the rest of your life? That's pretty lame," he said as he parked the car.

She nodded, her temper flaring up again. Maybe she was right about him. Maybe he had changed. Maybe the boy she cared about would never come back. Or maybe she was the one who was wrong all along.

They went into the dorm room fuming. Neither one of them could make amends. She was sure that after tonight, it would be over; their friendship, their possible feelings, everything.

"I'm sorry for what I did to you, Rachel, but do you see what you're doing? I'm here, trying to fix what I've done in the past, and you won't let me. Am I pushing you? Am I trying to make you do something you want to do?" He stood angry and frustrated. "And you're accusing me of wanting to get you to sleep with me? Who the hell do you think I am?"

In defense, she turned to him, pointing her finger in the air. "You've slept with countless women! And I can guess that you never gave a shit about any of them!" While Rachel spoke, Finn's face dropped guilt all over his face. "I don't want to be a hookup for you, Finn! I just want things to go back to the way they were. Before high school, before any of this shit happened!" She wanted to fall to her knees and cry, feeling her legs about to buckle. By now, her eyes were even more watery than before and the makeup was about to smudge.

No one spoke for a moment, the tension thick in the air. "You're all I've ever wanted, Rachel," he said finally. This didn't faze her. It was just another one of his lies. "I tried so hard to get over you. I thought that if I slept with other people, I could get you out of my head but I couldn't. Every time I was with someone, I thought of you."

"Now, maybe Marley's a nice girl," he continued, which made Rachel grimace, "but she isn't you. And I know that I'm too late, since you have Jesse, but you deserve to know."

"I really, really like you, Rachel. I want something more than just a friendship. You know that we're already more than that. I'm still the guy that you knew back then. You just gotta believe me."

"Go," she told him, wanting to burst into tears. Hearing that he liked her was all she ever wanted to hear when they were younger, but now, it made her want to tear everything apart. Why now? Why couldn't he have said that before? Finn nodded in defeat, pulling out a lily out of his pocket. Placing it on the table next to her, he turned and walked towards the door.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the flower, their lily, and her heart broke in two. One side told her that she needed to go to him and give him a second chance, but the other hung its mouth agape in horror, begging her not to go back down that path. He had hurt her once, and surely would do it again. But the Finn that she saw just now wasn't the one who ran Callbacks, nor was he the one who broke her heart. The Finn just now was as vulnerable as she had ever experienced, and a pit in her stomach told her that this was going to be the defining moment of their future.

"Don't do it like that!" Rachel said in horror, pulling the beaded necklace away from Finn's neck. Since Kurt was away for the weekend, she had forced Finn to play dress up. It didn't happen willingly, and took lots of convincing from his mother and Burt to get him to go along with it. Besides, seeing Rachel happy made him happy, as corny as it sounded in his head. He was only seven then, and didn't really understand why girls enjoyed doing things like that.

He swung the beads around his neck, teasing her as she got frustrated. She pouted finally, crossing her arms. His face fell when he saw that she had lost interest, and he tried to turn her around, but she didn't move.

"Rach?" he asked, taking off the last beaded necklace and handing it to her. "I'm sorry. We can keep playing if you want." But she didn't reply that time either, getting up and walking sadly to the kitchen where she tried to get a cup of water. Finn followed her and saw her reaching up for the plastic cup, whining as she stood on her tiny toes to try to get it. He couldn't help but smile, and walked over to help her. Taking it down, he handed it to her with a grin. She still didn't smile back, but she didn't run away either. Taking a sip of water, she gulped loudly, staring up at him. Suddenly, he tickled her side, right where he had seen her fathers tickle her, and she flinched. A small smile crept on her face when she realized what he knew and dropped the cup on the floor. He sent her bursting into giggles as he chased her around the house, immediately forgetting that only a few minutes earlier, he had ripped apart her necklaces and jewelry (by accident, of course – she had decided that men would never understand the fragility of jewelry in comparison to women). He had wiped all of her worries away in seconds.

There were moments where they didn't get along. There were times when they screamed at each other for the silliest things. But there were also moments when they were like two peas in a pod, and there were times when all they could do was talk for hours upon hours about nothing, enjoying each others company). They had rough patches, but beautiful reconciliations.

This was a rough patch – a very big one. He was going through a rough patch, but there, in that moment, he had revealed that there was another chance for them. For the first time in years, she let her heart do the choosing.

"I change my mind," she said, turning around quickly. He stopped in his tracks, confused.

The words played back in her mind, repeating over and over again.

You know, you can kiss me if you want to.

He looked over his shoulder, knowing that he was going to regret it. What if this was just another one of her games? Still, he turned his body and faced her with a confused expression. "You changed your mind about what?"

"I want to," she said, her eyes sending him signals that sent him back to the memory. A confused yet hopeful expression spread over his face as he watched her stand frozen. Darting towards him, she got up on her tip-toes and placed her hand on the back of his neck before kissing him hard on the lips. Shocked by her action, Finn flinched, not sure what to do, but the second that he relaxed, all of his worries wiped away. He kissed her back, his hands flying to the back of her head, his hands weaving through her hair. She pressed against him, kissing him as though her life depended on it.

Everything from then on was a blur. She pulled on his tie, guiding him down to the bed where she pushed him down on the comforter. Laying on top of him, she smiled as he stared up at her in a trance. "You're so beautiful," he murmured softly as she smiled, her skin practically glowing with happiness. She kissed him again, letting him wrap his arms around her waist. Her hands tugged on his and tried to guide him down her back, but he refused.

"I just wanna kiss you," he explained. She nodded, grinning. There was still a lot to figure out. They didn't want to make this any more complicated.

Eventually, the kisses became soft and gentle. Finn's fingers played with the fabric of her dress as she pressed her forehead against his, eyes closed. After a few minutes of silence, he muttered something to her.

"Rach?" he asked, making the tiny brunette pick up her head.

"Hm?" she answered, still dazed.

"What does this mean for us?"

She didn't know how to answer his question. It was too complicated. She had seen plenty of relationships go south, and they were usually frowned upon between bosses and their coworkers. She didn't want to hide her feelings for Finn anymore, but she also didn't want to jeopardize his business. He had obviously worked for years building Callbacks to what it is today, and she would hate herself if she was the reason for its downfall. But wouldn't hiding any feelings for him be hurting her in the long run? She was a prisoner to her feelings, despite what had happened minutes ago. Still, the feeling of his lips against hers lingered inside her, telling her that it could be worth the risk. If this really was the Finn she knew when she was younger, then he should deserve a chance. That's what Finn would do if roles were reversed; she was sure of it.

"It means that …" she trailed off, shrugging, "We're just two people who will have to figure this out together." She took a deep breath, taking it all in. "I like you, Finn. I always have. Even when I wanted to punch you in the face for being an ass," she told him, a slight smirk creeping onto her face. To her surprise, he grinned back. "And I want this to work out between us, whatever this is. If I like you, and you like me, then.. maybe this is worth fighting for."

He couldn't really say anything more. He just kissed her again, holding her against him. This was the Rachel that he fell for; the one who fought for what she loved, and did anything to achieve her goals. But.. did she love him? That, he decided, was a question he would deal with later. He had always loved her as a friend. She had been a better friend to him than Puck or anyone else. She was there when he needed her most. But now that they had professed their feelings, would it turn into real love? Finn looked up at her, pondering the question as she lazily rested her head against his chest.

Screw it. He'd fallen in love with her since the first time he saw her. The second he handed her that lily, she knew. They were just playing games with each other, trying to see who would give in first. There was something real and delicate between them that they both had been scared of. But now, with the past behind them, they had to figure out how to handle their future.

"I'm sorry for what I said before. You were right about tonight. About Jesse," she said, hanging her head. He almost smiled as a way to say 'I told you so', but resisted the urge. It was fun to tease her, but now wasn't the time.

"I wanted to make you jealous, and I did things that were unnecessary. I'm going to apologize to Marley for my behavior as soon as I see her at Callbacks," she added.

"And what about Jesse?" he asked, having a nervous feeling in his gut that she'd go back to him.

She shook her head with a smile. "I don't know. I thought I sensed something … feminine about him." Finn looked confused, which made her laugh softly.

"I'm almost positive that he's gay."

Finn sighed in relief, chuckling softly. "Then I guess that means I have you all to myself," he said softly as he crept up to her lips to kiss her. She smiled against him, cupping his cheeks. "Until Santana comes back from her date," Rachel replied, "but usually she likes to stay the night at Brittany's."

As if the universe purposely spoiled their plans, Santana came through the door to see both Finn and Rachel on the bed. She shrieked, covering her eyes. "What did I say about not bringing men into the room?"

"It was … spontaneous," Rachel answered shyly. Santana opened her eyes and saw that Finn was there. "Well, well, well," she said, a coy smile spreading on her lips. Immediately, Rachel got off of Finn and put her hands on Santana's shoulders.

"You absolutely can not tell anyone. Please."

"Whatever. Just wash the sheets after you're done," Santana said before she went into the bathroom and clean up. Rachel's face went bright red as she turned back to Finn. He was grinning, sitting up on the bed.

"I really should go," he said. She nodded, holding her hands together in front of her. "So I'll see you at work?" she answered. Finn brought his hand to the back of her neck again, smiling down at her.

"Sounds like a plan," he said before their lips met. Sighing blissfully, she broke away as he made his way out of the dorm without being seen. Minutes later, Rachel fell back on the bed, grabbing her phone and checking her texts.

Come to work early tomorrow night. I have something to show you. - Finn

Smiling, she immediately replied.

You got it, boss. xoxo Rachel

I know, I know. A lot of writers use the 'You can kiss me if you want to' line, but I turned it around a little bit. That was certainly an interesting chapter to write for me, and I hope you all enjoyed it! New chapters will come more frequently seeing as summer is almost here! The second chapter of Mission Possible is coming soon as well!

Reviews and comments are appreciated!

- Jenny and Carolina