Rachel fiddled with her hair nervously, her right hand gently resting on Finn's thigh. He brushed his hand lightly against hers and swooped down to place a swift kiss on her forehand. As her feelings intensified, she squeezed his hand tighter and he pulled her close. She closed her eyes desperately in attempt to shut everything out.
Rachel Berry really hated flying.
Which was kind of annoying, considering she was destined to be a Broadway star. Her destiny would involve a lot of flying between New York, the city that was bound to embrace her stunning voice, and Lima, the city where Finn would most likely be.
It only struck her as slightly odd that she was planning ways to overcome her fear of flying to ensure the longevity of a relationship that she had only been in for three days. It had been a good three days. With Finn. Except for the part where there romance had been outed to the entire Glee club and Quinn had yelled at them. Then the part where Finn had broken up with Quinn. In front off everybody in the choir room.
As the seatbelt sign disappeared, Rachel breathed a sigh of relief. The worst part, the taking of, was over. She didn't even want to think about the landing. She glanced over to the left where Quinn was sat, alone, looking out the window. She couldn't help feel guilty about the situation she had put her in, as she took in her crumpled figure, her eyes in a continual state of rawness. Every time she had seen Quinn, she was on the verge of crying and although she mostly seemed to yell at Finn when they were together, she seemed to be totally devastated by their split. She'd even heard her throwing up the other morning in the toilets before rehearsals.
To be broken up with was always hard but Rachel guessed to watch your ex boyfriend make out with someone on national TV had pushed Quinn to the edge. Ever since the incident she had felt a barrier between herself and Finn with the rest of the Glee club. She looked over to the rest of the club, who had separated themselves from the couple, basing themselves on the other half of the plane. It seemed the divide was becoming more literal than metaphorical.
Finn squeezed Rachel's hand tightly and whispered into her ear "It's nearly over baby I promise." He knew how much she hated flying, especially the landing. He'd been totally stoked at the thought of spending a six hour plane ride with Rachel all to himself, but he'd found his fellow glee clubbers glare at him if he so much held hands with Rachel so he knew a make out session was out of the question. Plus Quinn had taken the break up way worse than he had expected her to. When they were together he wasn't sure if she'd even liked him but ever time he saw her she looked devastated. He wasn't sure if it was losing him or being humilated that upset her more, but even so he still felt as guilty as hell. Still, the flight was bearable. Family Guy reruns were pretty funny and the aeroplane food was good, especially as Rachel gave him most of hers, as she'd bought along her own vegan snacks.
As the plane finally hit the runway, Finn couldn't hide his excitement. New York. They were really here! He had no idea what the network had got planned for him but it hadn't taken the group much convincing to continue with the show, once they had been promised a week's promotional tour in the big city. It really had been what most of their dreams were made of.
"Follow me guys" he heard Mr Shue boom, as the exited the plane and made their way to the baggage reclaim. He watched as Mr Shue then hailed a taxi and explained their location, Times Square, to the driver. "How original" the driver replied, rolling his eyes and grabbing Finn's case, shoving it into the back of the minibus.
"So guys, now that you're all seated I'd like to run through the schedule for you guys the next couple of days. It's going to be pretty hectic but that's New York for you. First off, in a couple of hours you're all going to Z100 for an interview. They're going to play the first single from the show and just have a couple of phone in questions from the listeners. Thirty minutes max. Then tomorrow you're splitting up into groups. Quinn you're heading for Seventeen magazine" Quinn momentarily perked up, whilst Santana stared at her jealously, "Finn and Rachel you're going to USA Today magazine" whilst the rest of you guys are heading to Target to do an album signing. Once we get to the hotel you have an hour max to get ready and then meet me at the lobby at 2pm, they'll be a car waiting to take you to the interview, got it?"
As they pulled up to the hotel, Finn jumped out, pulling Rachel with him, he didn't want to miss a single second of his time here. He gazed around him, as he tried to take in the sights and sounds around him. For someone who had spent most of his life looking at down at things, he was desperately craning his neck to look up. He couldn't believe how tall everything looked, he started to see how Rachel felt back in Lima.
"This is so exciting babe" said Rachel squeezing his hand, they whizzed past the lobby and jumped into the lift. Finally alone, he kissed her lips softly. He didn't stop until he reached his room. He gently pushed her against the wall and grabbed her hair in his hands. He smiled as her lips explored her neck. This city was making him feel invincible, making him feel like the sort of guy who did this with his girlfriend in the corridor. He fumbled for the key in his pocket as her kisses became more urgent. With the swipe card beneath his sweaty palms, he attempted to unlock the door without letting go of her grasp. He failed. The card falled to the floor. He didn't care.
"I think you dropped something" said Will, rolling his eyes as the couple who broke apart blushing. He took in the rest of the group. Quinn, her eyes red raw, her face pale. She breathed in, heaved and ran off in the other direction. He couldn't help but notice the evils Mercedes and Kurt were given him in particularly. Puck had an undeniable smirk on his face.
He could feel Rachel's gaze boring a hole into the ground as she shifted her body away from him.
"Err, thanks Mr Shue" he answered, more boldly than he felt. We'll see you in the lobby in an hour. He fumbled with the card and finally saw a flashing green light. He'd done it. He could escape and have Rachel back in his arms within moments.
"Finn," Mr Shue replied, louder this time "Nice try. Single sex rooms. The receptionist went through all this with you when you checked in. Rachel your with Tina, Puck your in there. Shower up and we'll see you in a little while."
Finn nodded, hoping his red face was beginning to fade. He watched Rachel wave goodbye and blew her, what he hoped, was an inconspicuous kiss.
Had it really only been three days?
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I would really appreciate reviews as they seemed to have dwindled a bit! I apologise we didn't get to the interview part, but a Finchel plane ride was too good to miss! I am English so have no idea if my references are correct, e.g. the radio station name and the fact you can buy CDs at target?