Chapter 25
Rain poured down on the streets of New York City while lightening flashed and thunder rumbled loud enough for the whole entire city to hear it. Some would find it a huge bummer to their daily plans to walk in the park or a huge hassle on their walk home from work that afternoon. But Rachel felt the exact opposite. The sound of the drops falling soothed Rachel, causing her to be able to think clearly.
She had just gotten over the terrible hangover that she was sporting from the night before. She spent most of the morning sitting by the toilet, silently cursing herself for drinking so much, and listening to horrifying stories that Quinn and Santana couldn't wait to share with her about her wasted self. About around 9:15 Rachel finally decided to take the Advil that her glorious maid of honor provided her, prior to the whole hangover situation. After that, Santana basically forced her to go back to bed. She gave reason that if Rachel didn't get the proper rest that she needed, she'd have dark circles under her eyes. She then went on to explain that having dark circles under your eyes in a wedding picture would result in a terrible outcome. Knowing that she was right, Rachel went into Santana and Brittany's guest bedroom and fell into a well needed nap after the night she'd had.
She was just woken up by Quinn two hours ago, much to her protest. Now, she watched the rain fall on the concrete below her as thunder rolled in the background. She was soaked from head to toe by the water falling from the sky as she sat on the fire escape with an empty mug in her hands. She looked out to the buildings across from her, barely visible due to the heavy downfall of rain. Her mind was spinning around like a twister, the many thoughts roaring out at her.
She was nervous, there was no hiding that. Which was totally normal; as was pretty much every bride to be before their wedding. It was a good kind of nervous. In just two short days from now, she'd be called Mrs. Rachel Hudson. She still couldn't get used to that.
It amazed her at how far she had come since that morning that Finn called her all panicked asking her for help getting out of that awkward one night stand. It still absolutely blew her mind that that same girl who used to crush so hard for Finn and trip over her feet when he walked by was walking down the aisle to him in just two days from now.
Looking back, she couldn't believe how stupid she was being in the past. An example would be the time she went over to Santana's after she fell asleep on Finn's couch. She mentally laughed at the past version of herself shedding tears while telling the girls she was in love with him. She also thought of how different things might be now if she wouldn't have been a coward and oblivious, just telling him how she felt right away. Maybe they'd have gotten married sooner? Or would they be married at all?
To be honest with herself, she was glad that she was oblivious and a coward. It got them to where they were now. More in love with each other as time went on. She wouldn't change a single thing about how they got together, even though they both had to go through periods of hurt, heartbreak, and fights to get there. It was the way that fate wanted them to end up.
Holding her hand to the diamond heart locket that Finn bought her for her birthday with the picture of them covered in mud, she smiled to herself as she watched the pavement below flood with small puddles. The rain reminded her of a moment Finn and her shared a few months ago, after he asked her to move in with him.
A bad thunderstorm swept over New York City on a Saturday afternoon. Rachel couldn't really remember what month it was, maybe March or April. The storm was so bad; it knocked out the power leaving the two of them in complete darkness. After lighting candles around the house, Rachel found Finn's disappointment amusing.
There was a baseball game on TV that he had been going on and on about watching, and once the lights went blank he stood by the TV for ten minutes cursing at the lights to come back on. Rachel, who was on the couch with a blanket over her and a Nicholas Sparks book in her hands, tried to muffle her laughs.
"Yes Rachel, please laugh at me right now because my crisis is hilarious." He said sarcastically, turning away from the TV and walking over to her, sitting next to her on the couch.
"I'm sorry..." she sympathetically chuckled. Reaching up, she ran a hand through his hair, caressing his cheek in her hand. "If it makes you feel better, power outages aren't exactly my favorite either."
"What are we going to do?" he asked resting his head in her lap, closing his eyes as she ran her hands through his hair.
"I don't know about you, but I have to finish reading this book. I have to find out if Ronnie and Will get back together at the end." She told him flipping to the next page in her book.
"What is up with that dude anyways? Why does every girl obsess over his stories?" he asked, grabbing the book from her hands and looking over the front cover.
"I don't know. I guess it's because he writes the most amazing love stories. They're adventurous and romantic and everything a girl wants from a guy." Rachel said, smiling as she thought about "The Last Song".
"I can be romantic and adventurous." Finn said as if he was defending himself.
"Oh, really?" she asked, giggling as he stood up from the sofa. "What're you doing?" she asked as he pulled her up with him.
"You'll see." He said as they walked towards the front door. Walking behind him, she watched confused as he began climbing the emergency stairs. Slowly, she followed him up the steps. Once Finn stopped in front of the metal door, Rachel felt a drift of cool wind and mist from the door being opened.
"Finn Hudson, are you insane? It's pouring outside!" she exclaimed over the loud sound projected by the rain falling on the concrete.
"I'm being romantic and adventurous. Have you ever slow danced in the middle of a thunderstorm Rachel Berry?" he asked with a smirk on his face.
"You're totally being serious right now." She stated with surprise in her voice as she watched him hold his hand out for her. Smiling, she finally gave in and grabbed his hand. Sprinting to the middle of the roof, Rachel gasped loudly at how cold the water was. She didn't care though. Even if she did get sick from this, she'd have gotten the chance to live out this perfect moment. Picking her up in his arms, Finn spun her around as they were both soaked by the down fall.
After about ten minutes of slowly shifting back and forth with their feet on the soaked concrete, Rachel's eyes were closed as her head was rested against Finn's wet shoulder. Her heart was fluttering like a teenager on her first date and she was more than okay with it. Pulling away and stopping their movements, Finn looked down at her and ran a hand gently through her hair. Placing her hand over his, she looked up at him and gazed into his eyes.
"I don't know anything about the future, Finn. But I know one thing… I want you in it. Promise me that this is forever. That no matter how bad things get for the two of us, no matter how serious the arguments get, we'll always come back to this…"
"I promise, with all of my heart. We'll always come back to this…"
Smiling, she closed her eyes and kissed him with all the love that her heart contained for him, maybe even a little more.
That time seemed like so long ago for Rachel, even if it was only last year. And in two short days, they'd embark on that promise, and new promises, spending the rest of their lives together. At that moment she didn't know just how bad things would get, especially with the whole Mandy situation. But coming out the other end, she realized that Finn did exactly what he promised. He made her feel like the girl on that rooftop, even with her broken bones and bruised face.
Realizing she'd been on the fire escape longer than she'd imagined, she grabbed the coffee mug that she'd placed to the side and climbed into the apartment through the opened window. Santana was rushing around the apartment ordering the other girls to pack things they needed for the wedding. Rachel mentally laughed. If she didn't know any better, she'd swear that Santana was preparing for her own wedding.
Her presence was finally known when Santana stopped in her tracts and stared Rachel up and down. Her expression was unknown at the moment. That was until she started chanting loudly in Spanish. All Rachel could do was stand there and laugh at how angry she was. She had no idea why, but for the weirdest reason Rachel wasn't really worried about the whole wedding planning thing. Don't get her wrong, the thought of walking down the aisle in front of a lot of people scared her to death. But with the whole planning and organizing the actual wedding, she just thought she'd go by day and let the chips fall where they may. So when Santana started yelling at her for being outside when she should've been helping getting all of the stuff together, Rachel couldn't help but sit there and laugh.
"How is any of this funny, Rachel Berry? You're soaked!" Santana exclaimed. "Are you still drunk from last night? You're acting like a crazy person."
"I'm sorry. I just find it funny how much you're freaking out about all of this." Rachel said, placing her hand over her stomach as her laughter calmed down.
"How can you be so calm with all of this? Your wedding is in two days from now." Santana exclaimed as Brittany and Quinn watched the two.
"Santana, relax. Okay? You're doing an amazing job and I know with all my heart that everything will be more than fine. And if something goes wrong? Who cares?" Rachel explained.
"You don't understand, Ray. What if we forget something? Your whole wedding will be screwed up and it'll be my entire fault."
"No it won't San. To me, none of that stuff matters. I mean, yes, I'd be more than thrilled to have an extremely perfect day to exchange my vows on, but if not then oh well. I don't care about the music, or the flowers, or the food. As far as I'm concerned, only two things need to be there for the day to be perfect; All of my friends to share the absolutely amazing day with me, and the love of my life. Give me those two things, and I'll be fine." Rachel explained.
"And you'll have that; Plus all of the other stuff to make your day more special." Santana smiled. "Now, go get dressed because we have to catch our flight and you're not flying out soaking wet." She instructed.
After Rachel completed changing into her extra clothes that weren't packed with everything else, Santana made a quick round around the apartment to make sure everything they needed was with them. They then left, heading to JFK. They arrived half an hour before their departure.
After getting everything they needed done, like printing their boarding passes, checking their luggage, and going through security, they found their terminal, which wasn't really hard to find. They had 20 minutes remaining before they had to get on their actual plane, so Santana led the girls to the waiting area, while Rachel made a quick bathroom break before the flight.
Getting back to the girls in time, they listened as the flight attendant announced their flight. With Santana in the lead, all three girls followed with struggle as their arms were full of luggage; Santana only carrying Rachel's wrapped up wedding dress.
Once they arrived, Rachel immediately noticed how the flight attendant's face widened when he saw the girls. Rachel blushed when he flashed a smile to her. He looked like he belonged on the cover of a model catalog. Rachel honestly felt nervous to hand him her boarding pass.
"Well, if I'm not mistaken I'd say that this flight is very important for you." The flight attendant, named Matthew by the looks of his name tag, told Santana. He must've assumed it was her wedding since she was holding Rachel's dress.
"Actually you have the wrong girl." Santana chuckled. "The bride is right here." Santana pointed to Rachel, bringing her to the attention of the man.
"Of course, Congratulations," he said, flashing another smile in her direction. "I'm sure you're going to make a very beautiful bride. I hope the groom knows just how lucky he is." he said while checking Brittany's boarding pass. If Rachel didn't know any better, she'd say that he was flirting with her.
"Thank you." She simply smiled, as all four girls started towards the entrance of the plane.
"You're welcome, gorgeous. Have an amazing wedding, and if things don't go so well, I'm on Facebook." He winked, pointing to his name tag.
"She sure will!" Santana exclaimed as they left his line of vision.
Elbowing Santana as best she could with the large stack of luggage in her hand, she spoke, "Santana!"
"I love Frankenteen and all, but did you see how white that smile was? If there was one guy I'd go straight for, it'd be him." Santana whispered.
"I heard that…" Brittany said, walking behind them.
"But I wouldn't go straight, because Britt is my number one girl and always will be." Santana continued out loud so Brittany could hear her.
"Nice save…" Brittany said, as they entered the plane.
It took them about 5 minutes to get to their seats and place all luggage above them in the storage compartments. By the time they were all seated, Rachel took a large breath of relief. Her arms felt like spaghetti. It felt good to not be carrying luggage.
The plane was organized in two long rows of two seats, separated in the middle by an aisle of empty space, for people to move around. Rachel and Quinn were the two to take the window seats, while Santana sat next to Rachel and Brittany sat next to Quinn, sharing the aisle seats right next to each other.
Once the plane left the ground, Rachel entered her thoughts. She took this time to think clearly again; Like she did when she was sitting out on the fire escape. This time it wasn't about the wedding, or past moments. This time it was about him. This was the longest they had been away from each other ever since the whole Mandy situation. She knew that this separation anxiety was ridiculous, especially since she knew there'd be a lot more moments of being away once they were married, whether business trips for Finn, or separate vacations. But being here now without him felt like hell for her. She just really missed him.
Looking out the window as the clouds passed by, she wondered what he was doing. She wondered where he was right now. They had probably landed. She mentally laughed at the thought of him probably being at Carol and Burt's, in the old basement playing video games with Puck and all of the other boys. Kurt, although wanting to be with the girls, was probably upstairs talking with Carol or helping her around the house.
She wondered if Finn was thinking about her too. Was he missing her like she was missing him? She hoped to God that he was. In that moment, she closed her eyes, and prayed that the hours leading up to their rehearsal dinner, the only time she'd be able to see him again until their wedding, would fly by with lightning speed. Getting lost into her thoughts, she drifted off and before she knew it, she was fast asleep.
Throwing the controller down on the floor after yet another defeat from Puck, Finn got up from the bean bag he was sitting in.
"Dude, what're you doing? Let's go for another round." Puck said as he watched Finn get up.
"Actually, can someone take my place? I think I'm going to go for a jog." He said, heading up the stairs to the living room after Mike jumped to take his place against Puck. Walking into the living room, he greeted his mother and Kurt, who were drinking tea and talking about the latest fashion news. Finn had no idea what they were talking about; neither did he care to find out.
"Hey Finn, what's going on?" Carol stopped the conversation to greet her other son as he opened the fridge to get a bottle of water.
"I'm going for a jog to try and clear my head for a moment."
"Are you okay? You're not having second thoughts, are you?" Carol asked concerned.
"No, definitely not, I guess it's just a mixture of fear and anxiety." Finn replied.
"Fear and anxiety? About what?" Carol asked as Kurt sat at the counter and listened.
"This is the first time that we have been away since the whole kidnapping situation. I just can't help but think that something bad is going to happen and I won't be there to do anything about it. I don't know. I guess I'm just having a little separation anxiety." Finn explained as he placed the bottle of the water on the counter.
"Finn, that was almost a year ago. Plus, isn't that girl locked away in prison? Everything's going to be fine, sweetheart. You're just having a case of the pre-wedding jitters. It's totally normal." Carol assured him.
"I hope so. I just really want to clear my head right now." He stated. "Is there a chance that you may still have some of my football practice clothes? I didn't think to pack any running clothes."
"All of your old clothes are in your room. Check the closet, there are boxes of clothing that you left here." She smiled.
"Thanks." He said before he headed up the stairs to his room as Kurt and Carol continued their conversation.
Walking into his old room was like being smacked in the face by his old childhood. The horses and cowboys on his wall reminded him of just how much he missed being a teenager. The same familiar smell lingered in the air. The smell of his home, mixed with the familiar scent of Axe body spray that he would put on every night after he showered.
It broke his heart a little to think that the room that used to hold all of his stuff, including all of his pictures, clothes, and video games was now an empty room that was used as a guest room. Smiling at all of the memories this room held, he walked over to the closet and pulled out the boxes of clothes that were on the floor. Going through all of the clothes he forgot he had, he found a pair of Nike shorts and an old McKinley High t-shirt he had gotten from the football team.
Once he put them on, he was surprised that they still fit him. Finding his old Nike tennis shoes and a pair of ankle socks with the rest of the clothes, he put them on and placed the boxes back into the closet. Heading back downstairs, he went back to where his mom and Kurt were, and grabbed his water bottle that he left.
"I'm heading out." He told them.
"Okay sweetie." Carol smiled. "Hope everything goes okay."
"Thanks." Finn smiled, returning both Carol's and Kurt's smiles. He then turned to walk towards the front door.
"Honey…" Carol called.
"Yeah?" he asked as he turned to face his mother.
"Everything's going to go fine. Just think, in two short days, both of my boys are going to be married men and I'm going to have a gorgeous daughter-in-law." She smiled at the both of them. "I'm so proud of you, Finn."
"Thanks mom." He smiled before he turned and walked out of the door. Once he got to the sidewalk on the side of the driveway to his house, he took off. There was only one person that was on his mind. Rachel Berry.
They arrived in Lima at around 8:30 and by the time they made sure they had their entire luggage from the airport, they all jumped into a cab to Rachel's dads' home. Once they got home it was almost 9:00 and all Rachel wanted to do was crash. So once they got to Rachel's old house and greeted her overly excited parents, Rachel took a nice and hot shower, followed by the other three after their long flight. Once all four girls were finished showering, Rachel's dads let everyone know that they had ordered them takeout from a Chinese restaurant down the street.
After everyone ate, Rachel went up to her room to make sleeping spots for all three girls. She placed a large blow up mattress on the floor next to her bed, and got spare sheets, blankets, and pillows from the closet in the hallway upstairs.
Once everyone got settled in, they all decided that Quinn and Rachel would sleep in her old bed, and Santana and Brittany would sleep on the mattress on the floor. Rachel made sure multiple times if they were all okay with the sleeping arrangements. They all insisted multiple times that they were, causing Rachel to give up and leave things how they were.
By the time lights were out, everyone fell right to sleep, except for Rachel. She had no idea how she was still awake, especially since she wanted to crash once she walked through the front door. She just laid there in the complete darkness that she used to love as a teenager. The only light in the room, being the green light projecting from her old alarm clock that her parents hadn't gotten rid of.
Her mind wandered off and the next thing she knew, it was 2:00 in the morning and she was still wide awake. Something within her felt off. It was like she was missing something. She knew it probably had something to do with the obvious absence of Finn, but there was just something else about her surroundings that was making it hard for her to go to sleep. She decided to blame it on the absence of cars honking at each other and the sound of sirens that never seemed to fail to project outside of her New York City window.
Getting up from the bed slowly, she tried as hard as she could not to wake Quinn. After shifting a little, Quinn was still as a rock again. Moving through the darkness, she stepped around the mattress that Santana and Brittany were snuggled up on and slowly tiptoed out of the door. Going down the stairs, she decided to get a glass of water to drink.
The kitchen was dark and quiet, just like she remembered it was when she was a teenager and she would sneak in through the side door when she would stay out past curfew. Switching on the lights, she found a cup and filled it to the top with water. Once she gulped down the entire cup, she placed it in the sink and sat at the island in the middle of their kitchen.
Then it hit her; in the silence of her kitchen, at almost 2:30 in the morning, the fact that her whole entire life was changing right before her eyes. She noticed that her hands were shaking violently. Taking deep breaths, she tried to push back the thoughts, but nothing would budge. They were there to stay. She just hated the fact that they were bothering her. The normal thing to do would be gladly embrace them.
"Rachel?" she heard a familiar voice ask. Looking towards the hallway entrance to the kitchen, she noticed Quinn, whose eyes were squinted from sleep and her long blonde hair was all over the place.
"What're you doing up?" Rachel whispered as the blonde sat next to her.
"I accidentally rolled over and your side was completely empty. First I thought you fell off the bed, but then I looked and you were nowhere to be found. I got worried that you ran out on us." She smiled. "The real question is, what are you doing up? You're going to be so exhausted tomorrow." Quinn chuckled.
"I couldn't sleep. I guess I got all of it on the plane." Rachel replied.
"Rachel, you're shaking. Is everything okay?" Quinn asked, noticing Rachel's hands.
"Everything's fine." Rachel answered, burying her hands in her t-shirt, trying to push away the subject of her physical state.
"Rachel, you can tell me anything. What's bothering you?" Quinn asked again, this time more forcefully.
"The reality of everything just hit me. I'm scared, Quinn." Rachel said in a low voice, ashamed of feeling this way.
"Why are you scared?" Quinn asked, placing a hand on Rachel's arm to try and calm her down.
"I don't know. It's just this pit feeling in my stomach, and I can't shake it." Rachel replied, panicked.
"Okay, Rachel, I need you to calm down." Quinn whispered, "Try taking a few deep breaths."
Following her instructions, she did exactly that. Closing her eyes, she felt her hands calming down. Opening them, she found Quinn smiling at her.
"Congratulations, Rachel Berry. You have just had your first experience of pre-wedding jitters." She chuckled, causing Rachel to laugh with her.
"I just really think that all of these feelings would go away if I could just hear his voice. I hate Santana for having this stupid idea of separation. I miss him so much." Rachel explained.
"Here." Quinn said, digging into her pajama pants, pulling her IPhone out of her pocket. "I know exactly how you feel. Remember how before Sam and I got married, we had to share a night apart from each other?" she asked.
"Yeah," Rachel replied, remembering attending Quinn and Sam's wedding when Sam, Finn, Blaine, and Puck were 24 and Rachel, Santana, Brittany, Kurt, and Quinn were 22.
"Well, I wish I had someone to do this for me that night." She smiled handing Rachel her phone. "Just don't ever tell anyone about this. Santana would kill me. Consider this an early wedding gift from me to you." Quinn smiled, as Rachel hugged her tight.
"Our little secret," Rachel grinned, "You know that you're my very best friend, right?" Rachel asked.
"You may have mentioned it once or twice." Quinn joked. "Now, I'm going to get back to bed, and after you finish you better get your skinny butt to bed as well. Or else Santana will go crazy on you for having dark circles under your eyes at your rehearsal." Quinn laughed as she gave Rachel a quick hug before going back upstairs.
Stepping outside, Rachel took a deep breath before she opened Quinn's phone and dialed his number, even if Quinn did have him saved under her contacts. Pressing the call button, she closed her eyes and listened to the phone ring. Her heart was beating rapidly. She needed to hear his voice.
The phone rang five times before it went to his voicemail. Her heart fell to her toes, and disappointment filled her up. Hitting the end button, she slouched down on the swing in their backyard and hugged her legs to her chest. Before she could do anything else, Quinn's extremely loud ringtone blared through the air, and Rachel swore if she hadn't answered any sooner the whole neighborhood would've woken up.
"Quinn? What's wrong? Is everything okay?" His voice played into her ears, full of concern, but he sounded wide awake just like her and it made her feel more relieved. Maybe he was in the same state as she was. Maybe he had that pit feeling in his stomach as well.
"It's me." She smiled.
"Rachel?" he asked.
"Yes." She chuckled, almost in tears.
"Is everything okay? I thought you'd be sleeping right now." He said into the phone.
"I can't. I just really needed to hear your voice." She said in a low voice.
"Let me guess, if Santana catches you on Quinn's phone, you're dead meat right?" he asked, chuckling.
"Yeah, pretty much." She laughed, her breathing altered by cries that were threatening to come out.
"What's wrong?" he asked, knowing her all too well.
"I miss you." She said before she cried into her knees. "I'm crazy for crying, I know I am. Especially since I saw you like a day ago, and I'll be seeing you tomorrow."
"You have no idea how much I miss you too, baby girl." He assured her, "I'll tell you what, tomorrow evening, you're not leaving my sights. Then, by the end of the night, you're going to want to get rid of me so bad and then you'll love the fact that we have to spend one more night in separate beds. Then, we'll be married and you won't be able to get rid of me," he laughed.
"Technically, we're getting married tomorrow, seeing as though it's 3:00 a.m." She smiled.
"Wow, that's totally true." He replied. "Are you freaking out like I am?" he asked.
"Maybe a little more." She laughed.
"I'm ready, though. I'm ready to be able to call you Mrs. Hudson." He added.
"I'm ready for the honeymoon." She said in an absolute failed attempt of a seductive voice, before they both laughed. "Especially since Santana gave me a little present at the Bachelorette party that I may or may not be wearing…" she let that linger in the air for a moment.
"I can't wait." He said in a low seductive voice that made Rachel want to run over to his house and jump his bones right then and there.
"Finn?" she asked, becoming more serious.
"Yeah?" he asked.
"Do you think I'll be a good wife?" she asked, wanting to know his true opinion.
"Of course you're going to be a good wife. I wouldn't have asked you to be mine if I didn't think you were." He assured her. "Where did that come from?"
"I don't know. I think my lack of sleep is bringing my delusion into this conversation." She laughed.
"Well, if there's one thing that I know, it's that I'm going to be the luckiest man for the rest of my life. You are going to be the best wife that any man could ask for and I'm going to be lucky because you're going to be all mine. Now, get some rest beautiful, because you have a long day tomorrow and the day after that, being the bride and all. Plus, I know that sleepy voice anywhere. You're about to pass out, and I don't want you to get caught sleeping with Quinn's phone in your hand. I love you too much to let you get fried by Santana." He chuckled, causing her to laugh with him.
"Goodnight, Finny. I'll see you tomorrow." She told him, making the last sentence stick out to him.
"Goodnight sweetheart, I love you so much and I'll see you tomorrow as well." He smiled to himself.
"I'm glad I got to hear your voice." She whispered as she entered her house again and locked the door behind her.
"Me too, I'd probably go crazy if it wasn't for this call." He admitted.
"I love you." She smiled.
"I love you more, but you already know that." He laughed.
"Sure." She laughed, before they said their final goodbyes and hung up.
Heading upstairs, Rachel placed Quinn's phone on the nightstand by her side and walked around over Santana and Brittany to her side of the bed. Getting in under the covers, Rachel smiled to herself thanking the gods above for allowing her to be able to hear Finn's voice. She owed Quinn so much for the favor she pulled for her.
Closing her eyes, she fantasized about how the next few days would go. The only thing she could picture in her mind was Finn's face. She couldn't wait until she could see it again. She then drifted off, excited for the next day that would come to her.
Once Rachel woke up the next day, it was two o'clock in the afternoon. She thanked the girls so much for letting her get rid of her sleep deprivation. Getting up, all three girls were still wearing their pajamas and were in the living room sharing small talk. Slowly walking into the room, it took a few minutes before her presence was notified.
"Well, hello there, Sleeping Beauty." Santana smiled as Rachel plopped on the couch next to Quinn.
"You must've really missed your old bed." Brittany added.
"I guess I was just really tired." Rachel replied.
"Better you sleep all day than having dark circles under your eyes for your big day." Santana commented.
"Yeah," Rachel smiled as she focused her attention on the TV.
For the rest of their free time, they spent it sitting in the living room, watching different TV shows and movies, until it was time for all of them to start getting ready for the big event. Santana insisted to get everyone out of the way, so once it was time for Rachel to get ready, no one would be in the way. So, Rachel had to wait an hour and a half until everyone was finished getting ready.
After taking a shower and blow drying her hair, she stepped into her white laced one strap dress that stopped right above her knees. Zipping up the back, she smiled into the mirror at how beautiful and elegant the dress looked. It also matched her skin tone which was a big plus.
Once she finished, Santana ordered her to sit down at her vanity and began to do her hair and makeup. Her makeup was simple. She had a soft pink eye shadow mixed with white and a light brown on her lid, dark brown eye liner on her top lid and her water line, rosy pink blush along her cheek bones, and a few layers of mascara. Her hair was pulled back into a twisted side bun and her bangs were pushed to the side. Santana gave her two small diamond earrings, and Rachel insisted on wearing the diamond heart shaped locket that Finn gave her for her birthday. Finally, she slid into her tall cream white heels and was all ready to go.
Once they all piled into her parent's extra car, she said her goodbyes and told her parents that she couldn't wait to see them there. Heading out, Rachel's foot could not stop tapping. Puck had notified Santana that they would meet in front of the church to perform the rehearsal. So once they pulled into the church parking lot, Rachel was out the car and looking everywhere for the familiar truck.
As all four girls walked towards the white church in the center of town, Rachel spotted her tall goofball standing in front of the church looking around for her, just as she was looking around for him a few minutes ago. He looked amazing, as if that wasn't already a surprise to Rachel. He wore a white button up shirt, a navy blue tie, and a grey suit over the shirt, with matching pants, and black shoes.
The moment he turned and saw her approaching, his face lit up and he placed his hand over his heart and pretended that she made him stumble back. Placing the biggest grin that she could on her face, she sped up her walk, until she was jogging in her tall heels, in the parking lot. She ignored the calls from the other girls to wait up for them. All she could do was focus on the person ahead of her. The person she had been longing to see for so long.
Once she hopped up the few concrete steps, she squealed as she jumped and felt the strong, protective arms that she missed so much wrap around her frame. Holding him close, she took in his scent and instantly smiled when she realized it was her favorite one.
"You're so beautiful." He whispered, ignoring the others watching their reunion.
"Thanks, but you're the real movie star here." She whispered back, gazing into the eyes she missed so much. Getting lost into the dark amber, he pulled her close and kissed her with all of the passion that she now knew just how much she missed.
She knew in that moment that if she could stay like this forever, she wouldn't hesitate to say yes. She felt like if it weren't for the two of them, it'd be impossible to love someone this much. But, it was possible. She knew because she was experiencing it right now as she held the love of her life in front of the church they'd be getting married in tomorrow. Holding him in her arms, she felt that if she let go, the world would crumble to pieces. She knew, by the look in his eyes, that he felt the same. Looking up at him, she smiled and spoke.
"You have no idea how much I've missed this…"
Sorry for the absolutely long wait for chapter 25. I've had a huge writer's block mixed with incredibly busy schedule. I'm kind of at a cross road of how to write the next chapters. I hope to wrap up this story soon, so I'm going to try and find a way to make it end with a boom. Hope all of you enjoyed this chapter, and once again, sorry for the long writer's block. I hope to update soon, so stay tuned for more. Also, review and tell me how you felt about the characters or the chapter all together. I'm also always open to ideas from you guys! Hope everyone has an amazing day or night, depending on when you are reading this! Adios! :) -Katherine