Chapter 1

"What's got you all excited?" Lizzie asked as they reentered their suite after the football game the next afternoon, the 28-14 victory only part of the reason Rachel was bouncing off the walls.

"Nothing just happy that Illibuck gets to stay in her home for another year," she shrugged, unlocking her room door.

"You do know that Illibuck is a wooden turtle right? It's not like it has real feelings," her suitemate mumbled before letting herself into her own room and closing the door behind her with an eye-roll.

Rachel was never really sure why they hung out other than Rachel herself lacked friends, she knew for a fact that Lizzie got along well with the other two girls in their suite. But the occasional football game and shopping trip were not unexpected for the two girls. "Plus Finn double patted his chest as least ten times," she murmured to herself, as she closed the door to her own room, quickly gathering her warmest PJs, she stripped out of her jeans and sweatshirt, wrapping up in her robe before heading for the shower at the far end of the suite.

Finished with her shower she stashed her toiletries back in her room before heading for the kitchen. Two steps from the refrigerator however there was a swift knock on the suite door, waiting to see if any of the other suitemates would exit their rooms, and determining that no one must have been expecting anyone, she hurried to see who it was.

"Looking for Lizzie again?" she propped the door open with her hip, sending a smirk to the tall football player awaiting on the other side. His dark jeans, crisp white shirt and a chocolate brown sweater that made his eyes seem like the deepest pools of chocolate, made him look absolutely delicious.

"Get dressed," he smirked, "I've got a celebratory dinner to get to, and I need a date."

"But…we really don't know each other," she sighed.

"Please, it's like a big group thing, and everyone's bringing a date and how will it look if the star of the game shows up without one?" he questioned with a cute little half-smile, half- grin, side smiley thing, that charmed more women than he could remember.

"Well I'm sure Lizzie would be willing to escort you," she turned back into the suite opening the door wider for him.

"I'm not asking her," he tried again, "last chance, your food is on me and I promise to have you back before 11."

"Okay," she finally agreed reluctantly, "I'm assuming business-casual attire?"

"Or just casual," he nodded.

"Give me ten minutes," she called over her shoulder, as she hurriedly dashed into her room giving the door a soft push.

Feeling the buzzing in his pocket he quickly pulled it out glancing at the display before hitting ignore and typing a quick message to his step-brother letting him know he was busy and couldn't talk. "Hey Finn," Lizzie stopped short coming from her room, surprised to find the quarterback standing near the doorway of her suite.

"What's up Liz?" he looked up from his phone closing it and stashing it back into his pocket.

"I didn't think we had plans tonight…" she trailed off, slowly moving toward him.

"We don't, I'm actually here to take Rachel to dinner," Finn smiled, this was probably the first time since his sophomore year of high school that he was genuinely excited to take a girl out to dinner, and he didn't care if he got anything else afterward, as long as he got to spend time with her.

"Rachel Berry?" Lizzie asked, "The girl in all the musicals? That Rachel Berry?" she liked the girl honestly she did but she just couldn't see Finn Hudson, star quarterback, hottest guy at the entire university, going out with Rachel Berry, can't stop singing to save my life, born to be on Broadway.

"Uh yeah," he nodded, "I guess that would be her."

"Wow, okay," she shrugged, "let me know when you're ready for the bedroom," she winked before heading back to her bedroom.

"Uh hey," Rachel stuttered from the doorway of her room, the dark wash jeans and deep red sweater hugged her curves deliciously and he can't help but notice her hair is still a little damp. "Did you want to take Lizzie instead?"

"No way," he rushed forward, offering her his hand, "you ready?"

"Um," she hummed glancing behind her and deciding the jacket wouldn't be necessary for cool October evening temperatures. "Yes, will you be driving or should I?"

"I've got it," he took her hand and escorted her to the large parking lot across the street from her dorm.

FRFRFRFRFRFRFR

"I can't believe you tricked me into this," she giggled, sipping on her glass of wine one more time, "and I can't believe you managed to get me drunk."

"Get you drunk?" he laughed, finishing off his fourth beer, "if anything I'd say you got me drunk, I was hoping to just enjoy a nice dinner, and I tricked you because I knew you wouldn't come if you thought it was just going to be the two of us."

"Oh Finn," she sighed, "so okay we've covered you and your family, what else is there hidden in that deep mysterious quarterback past of yours?"

"Not much, oh I have an unrealistically close relationship with my former glee club director, he was like the father I never had," he leaned back away from the table.

"But what about Burt?"

"Mom and Burt didn't get together until half way through sophomore year and I'd already been through so much by then Will had been there through it all," he shrugged, "I don't think I ever would've gotten over my ex if it hadn't been for him."

"Wow," she nodded, "I never really connected with any of my instructors like that, to most of them I was just the rich Jewish girl whose fathers bought her everything she'd ever need."

"Fathers?" he quirked an eyebrow.

"Yes I have two gay dads," she grinned, "that's not a problem is it?" she suddenly felt as though maybe this boy wasn't as great as his first two impressions had implied. So far there wasn't a single thing about him that she didn't absolutely adore.

"What? No, no," he quickly sat forward, ready to assure her that he could never deny someone the right to be who they are, "my step-brother, Kurt, is actually gay. I won't pretend that it was easy for me to understand, but I have long ago accepted the fact that he nor I chose our sexual orientations and all you can do is be yourself."

"I think you're the first jock I've ever heard speak that way," she smiled across the table before finishing her glass of wine. "Okay, so my school never had a glee club, but I was the female lead in every musical our school put on for the four years I was there, I was even in some community theater as well."

"Cool, so other than performing, what else is your passion?" he asked, accepting the dessert menu from the waiter when he came to gather their empty plates.

"Not much," she shrugged, "I'm obviously a supporter of civil rights, and I will be on Broadway one day, that's my passion, my one goal in life, and as you found out earlier I'm also vegan because animals have rights too."

"Okay, so is there anything on this dessert menu you can eat?" he asked, "or do you have a favorite place you like to go for dessert?"

"There is actually a vegan ice cream parlor two blocks away," she offers, "I imagine we'll be walking since we've both had more to drink than we should've."

"Sounds like a plan to me," he motions for the check and laid three twenties in the fold to cover the price and tip, before offering her a hand and leading the way out of the restaurant.

"So Rachel Berry, future Broadway star, when are you going to tell me about your boyfriend?" he asked as they stepped out of the small ice cream shop, cones in hand and continued to stroll down the street in the dimming sunset.

"Nothing to tell," She shrugged, "You're probably looking at the last never been kissed twenty one year old in America."

"Well now that just can't be," he murmured, pulling gently on her hand to move them out of the way on the sidewalk before gently planting his lips against hers. Her instant gasp was soon followed up by a soft moan and an even softer whimper when he pulled away. "There," he grinned pulling back slightly, before leaning in for one more quick light peck.

"Wow," she giggled to herself following after him as he tugged at her hand pulling her on down the street with him, "so what exactly is it that has Finn Hudson, star quarterback for a major university, so enchanted?"

"Don't really know," he shrugged, "something about the way you greeted me last night, and then today, I just couldn't stay away."

"Why do I suddenly feel like you're full of it?" she questioned, as they crossed the street to begin walking back toward the restaurant.

"That hurts," he playfully placed a hand over his chest.

"Big goof," she laughed, nudging him with her shoulder, tossing the napkin and wrapper from her cone into a trash bin as they passed it, "you know what we should do?"

"Elope?" he returned, tucking her in tightly to his side as a group of five or six large guys passed them.

"What?" her feet stopped moving causing the both of them to stumble as he kept walking.

"Geez," he chuckled as what was left of his ice cream hit the sidewalk, "don't do that."

"Don't do that?" she nearly shrieked. "Did you not just hear yourself? Elope? As if we've known each other longer than twenty four hours? Are you crazy? Did you get hit too hard on that one sack today? I know it took you a little longer to get up. Are you still drunk?"

"Whoa, slow down," he placed his large hands against her upper arms stopping the frantic motions her hands were making, "I think that's a no to your last three questions and a yes to the three before that and I'm pretty sure the first one was rhetorical."

"You really want to run off and get married? Like tonight?"

"No," he laughed, "we should probably wait until like Monday when the courthouse is open, we can like look it up online or whatever first."

"You're completely serious?" she asked. Granted she'd fantasized about the boy, as every girl on campus had, but even last night and this morning she'd found herself dreaming of a future with him, and here he was offering it here and now.

"Well yeah," he shrugged, "I've kind of always liked the romantic notion of love at first sight and wanting to be with someone always. There is something about you Rachel, last night I just had to talk to you, and this morning I wanted to call you so badly, but I didn't have your number. And then this afternoon when the game was over all I could think about was how quickly I could get from the stadium to your dorm room. I've never felt like this before, I already want to tell you all about the horrible dude they paired me with at the tutoring center and how I have this killer test next week and I haven't had a chance to study for it but I think that I can squeak by with a C if I just read my notes right before the test. How Kurt keeps calling me, because he wants to know what I think Tara would want for her birthday…I want you to know all of these things and I want to know those things about you."

Her eyes continued to grow in size as she listened to him ramble about his life, how is mom was constantly afraid that he'd be injured and how no one had ever really understood him the way she already did in the first day of knowing him, "I know it's crazy Rachel. I feel how crazy it is, but I also feel like if I don't ask you now, I may never get the chance."

"Finn," she was breathless, she couldn't possibly marry someone she barely knew, but she couldn't deny that she was beginning to feel the same way, "let me think about it?"

"Yeah," he nodded, "you want to head back to your dorm now?"

"No," she shook her head, "we should find something to do, what do you like to do for fun? Outside of football, of course."

"Well there's bowling," he scratched at his chin, "and um karaoke, but mostly bowling."

"Bowling it is then," she smiled, "I've never been before so you'll have to explain it to me."

"Alright let's go," he led her back to the truck and opened the door for her before moving back to his side.

"You are okay to drive right?" she questioned before he could back out of the spot, "I mean my buzz has worn off, but that had more to do with your question than anything else."

"I'm fine Rachel," he smirked, "now the number one rule to bowling is that you have to experience the whole thing, including the shoe and ball sharing."