Disclaimer: I don't own GLEE or its characters though I wish I did.
Author's Note: PHEW! Third and last update of the night! Loving this chapter personally. Hope you guys do, too! Thanks for reading and enjoy! LOVE TI ALL!
She turns onto Oak Trail, sharply, taking a shaky breath. She scans the sidewalks quickly, searching for his familiar frame. When she doesn't spot him after a minute or so, she begins to panic. Where could he be? Is he okay?
He questions are answered when her headlights sweep over him, sitting on the curb as he picks at the ground. He looks up, a huge dazed smile lighting his flawless face as he waves spastically. She grimaces, all hope that he meant what he said vanishing from her thoughts as she parks.
Getting hurriedly out of the silver Volvo, she jogs over to him as he stumbles to get to his feet. "Hey you" he exclaims brightly. "You came!"
"Of course I came" she mumbles, helping him up.
"Of course you did" he laughs. "'Cause you're awesome...you're so awesome, Rach. Did I ever tell you that? 'Cause you are...you're so awesome!"
"Thanks" she mutters. "You sure like that word."
"Yup" he says proudly. "I like a lot of things!"
"Come on" she murmurs. "Let me take you home."
He slides an arm around her shoulders and she relishes in the feel of his warm body pressed against hers. She's missed his touch...missed him. Having him so close to her again makes her eyes well up, winding an arm around his waist to steady him and for her own comfort.
He stops suddenly, a hand shooting to his mouth. "Hold on a sec" he says quickly. "I think I'm gonna..."
He sprints away and she instantly feels cold. She watches as he rushes to a nearby bush and bends over, emptying his stomach. With a sad sigh, knowing he won't remember a thing in the morning nor feel the electricity that crackled between them mere seconds ago, she walks over and kneels down beside him, rubbing soothing circles on his tense back muscles.
He finally pulls back after a few minutes, panting. She grabs a tissue out of her pocket and turns his face toward her, wiping his mouth gently. The corners of his lips quirk upward in a breathtaking smile and she finds herself returning it softly. They stare at each other intensely for a long moment and she gets lost in his warm cinnamon irises. He's so beautiful. She misses being able to just bask in the glow of his beauty and hold his hand.
She's sees his face leaning closer, eyes slipping closed. She unconsciously closes her eyes as well, wanting it. Wanting to feel his lips on hers again. Wanting to feel his body close to hers.
She remembers where she is just before their lips can touch and ducks away instantly, his lips pressing against her cheek. He grumbles in disappointment and she turns crimson. "So...let's get you home" she suggests quietly.
He frowns deeply and she fights a smile. He's so adorable. "Okay" he agrees, his voice distant. She pulls him to his feet and he stumbles a bit but she steadies him by wrapping an arm around his waist. He falls onto her lazily with a guffaw and she chuckles slightly, groaning. "You smell so good" he declares, pressing his nose to her hair. The heat radiating from his body makes her inhale shakily, wanting nothing more than to snuggle into his embrace, bury her face in his neck and get rid of her horribly broken heart.
She guides him steadily into the passenger seat, making sure he's in before closing the door. She scolds herself for falling under his spell again as she walks around to the driver's side. When she gets in and jams her key in the ignition, his startled gasp freezes her.
"Your eye" he cries horrified. "It's so...black!"
"I know" she says annoyed. "That's because your girlfriend beat me up."
"She's not my girlfriend anymore" he slurs. "I hate her! She doesn't like me no more 'cause I told her I wished she was you! I don't know why she got so mad...it's a compliment! You're so awesome!"
"Why'd you say that?" she inquires softly, eyes focused on the road.
"'Cause it's true" he says matter-of-factly. "I hate her and I love you! Simple!"
She remains silent, watching out of the corner of her eye as his head lolls to the side, bumping against the window as he groans. "I feel so sick" he whines.
"Because you drank like a fish" she says gently. She exhales loudly. "Why'd you go and drink, Finn?"
"'Cause I heard what you said to Kurt" he replies garbled. "You sounded so sad and I hate it when you're sad! I wanted to forget all about it!"
She gnaws on her lip, processing his words.
"Why didn't you let me kiss you?"
She freezes in shock, nearly slamming on the brakes. She swallows nervously, turning to look at his expectant, pouting face. She blinks rapidly, absolutely flustered. "Umm..." she stammers. "We're not together anymore, Finn."
"So what?" he asks rhetorically. "We kissed lots of times when we weren't together! Why not now?"
She sighs, still shocked. "For so many reasons."
"Like what?"
She huffs. "You're drunk and you won't remember a thing in the morning. I don't want to kiss you and then have my heart broken for the billionth time when you tell me it was a mistake. And...and you should hate me. Why'd you want to kiss me?"
"So many reasons" he teases with a loud, slurring laugh. "You're really, really hot and beautiful and I wanna touch you all the time..." She blushes deeply. "You're so smart and funny and awesome and amazing and awesome. And I love you so much! And I miss you a lot! And I love you so much...did I say that already? I don't care 'cause I love you! Those are lots of good reasons for me to kiss you!"
Her lips part in surprise as she turns into his driveway. Once she parks, she takes a moment to think, swallowing uneasily. "Are you sure you really mean that, Finn?" she questions softly, avoiding his gaze.
"Of course I mean it" he replies, sounding offended. "How could I not mean it? I said it out loud!"
He laughs again and she deflates, knowing he'd never admit that sober. "Come on" she says, heaving a sigh as she gets out of the car.
She helps him out and guides him to his house. He stumbles with each step, holding her closer each time and she relishes in it secretly, knowing that being this close to him wouldn't happen again.
"Do you have your key?" she asks when they approach the door.
"Nope" he answers, not removing his arm from around her shoulders. "Just the car key!"
She grimaces, raising a fist and knocking. She hasn't seen Carole or Burt in so long. They probably hate her. She can't blame them...she did this to Finn, after all.
The door swings open seconds later, startling her, and Carole puts a hand over her heart, releasing a long exhale of relief. She gives the woman a small smile. "Hi, Mrs. Hudson" she greets timidly. "I believe this belongs to you..." She gestures to Finn's slumping, lazy frame.
"Oh, thank goodness" Carole breathes. "Thank you so much, honey! You know you can call me Carole and- oh, goodness what happened to your eye!"
When the woman glances at her son, horrified she's quick to defend. "Oh, no, no, no it wasn't Finn" she assures quickly, solacing Carole. "Umm...I was confronted today and..." She chuckles lightly. "It didn't end very well."
Carole grimaces sympathetically. "Oh, that's terrible...who was it?"
She hesitates, adjusting Finn's position from slipping. "Erm...Santana Lopez."
The woman gasps loudly. "I can't stand that girl" she says angrily. "I'm sorry, Rachel."
She shrugs, feigning indifference. "It happens."
Carole laughs before sighing sadly. "I'm sorry you had to deal with him" she apologizes in disappointment. "Where was he? How'd you find him?"
"He was at Noah Puckerman's" she replies softly. "And I found out through Facebook. I don't go on there a lot but...I was desperate because I was worried about him." She bites her lip, chancing a glance at the woman she sees as a mother. "Then he called me and I went to pick him up. He's a tad intoxicated."
Her face falls as she glances at her son in dismay. "Oh, Finn...why?"
He smiles sluggishly with a shrug. "Lots of reasons" he slurs. "Right, Rach?"
She frowns, sliding out of his grasp. He pouts when he's pulled away from her by his mom and she can't tear her eyes away from him for some reason.
"Thank you so much, Rachel" Carole says suddenly, snapping her out of her trance. She looks at the woman and smiles gently.
"No problem" she says quietly. "I should be going..."
"Wait" Finn exclaims, stopping her. "Mom I know you're mad and all but can Rach stay for a minute? I don't think I can get to bed by myself."
"You've caused Rachel enough trouble" she tells him seriously.
"Please" he begs like a child.
"It's fine, Carole" she says with a tentative grin. She laughs lightly. "I'll put him to bed."
Carole smiles warmly. "Thank you." She turns to looks at Finn. "You need to stop making a fool of yourself...we'll talk in the morning."
"Thanks, momma" he says brightly, grabbing her hand. "C'mon, Rach!"
Carole rolls her eyes and makes a face as if to apologize. She smiles in reassurance as Finn tugs her up the stairs with him, staggering each step. When they reach his room and he flies in, she stays frozen at the door, her chest tightening.
How long has it been since she was in his room? It feels like centuries. She takes a moment to just look around the small, cramped room, thousands of memories flooding her thoughts.
She smiles at the short, narrow bed and remembers walking in on an early morning during the summer to see him asleep, limbs hanging haphazardly off the edges. She also remembers making out and him falling off the bed when he got too eager.
She looks at the cowboy wallpaper and almost laughs at how Finn it is.
The thing that gets to her the most is seeing how cluttered it is. It was always messy before but now it was a disaster. Clothes litter the floor, his video games lay forgotten by the TV, books are scattered all over his desk and his sheets are twisted and unmade.
She has the urge to clean it like she used to while he'd play video games but she resists it, almost forgetting he's still there. When she turns to look at him, he smiles at her and her heart flutters involuntarily at the sheer beauty of him. "Do you want to go wash up?" she asks gently.
He nods enthusiastically as bounds out of the room to the bathroom. She feels awkward just standing so she navigates through the jungle that is his room, deciding against cleaning. It would just give her more pain.
A box shoved messily under the chair by his bed ignites her curiousity as she bends down and reaches for it, sinking into the seat and placing it on her lap. She removes the mid carefully and almost drops it all together when she sees what's inside.
It's everything about them.
Pictures, notes and momentos are all stuffed in this shoe box. She sits shocked for a long moment, just gaping at it in disbelief.
Regaining some composure, she picks up the photo on the top and with shaky fingers, runs a finger tip over it as if to see if it's real. It's wrinkled and crusty from dried tears and that makes her lip wobble. The picture is of them at a Hudson family party during the summer. She remembers Kurt snapping the picture when they weren't looking. She's sitting on his lap, arms wound around his neck. His arm is tight around her waist while the other hand is on her thigh. His face isn't fully visible, hidden in her hair but she can tell he's grinning. She stares at herself and her eyes flood with tears instantly.
She looks so happy. Her smile is huge and adoring. Her eyes are bright and joyous. She hasn't been that happy in so long. The girl in the picture is an absolute stranger.
She swallows the lump in her throat and covers her mouth with her hand to muffle the quiet sob that leaves her lips. He kept this...he kept it all. They were so happy together. They both made mistakes but they loved each other anyway. Since then, she's never been truly happy.
The sound of his heavy footfalls catch her attention as she hastily wipes the tears away, wincing when she touches her black eye as he returns. "All washed up" he announces proudly. "I brushed my teeth and-" He freezes when he sees her face and the box on her lap. "W-what...are you okay? I...uh..."
"You kept this" she says quietly.
"Of course I did" he says softly and she can here the sincerity in his tone behind the slur. "How could I get rid of my best memories?"
She stares at him, lips parted in surprise. "Your best memories?" she asks tentatively.
"My best" he confirms striding closer. He kneels in front of her and gazes at her intensely. "You made me so damn happy, Rach."
She doesn't bother to hide the tears that stream down her cheeks as she averts her gaze to her lap. "You made me really happy, too, Finn" she whispers honestly.
His large, warm hand on her cheek makes her look up as he brushes a thumb across her cheek delicately, catching her tears. "Please don't cry" he breathes pleadingly and she's shocked to see that he's tearing up. His voice is strained when he continues. "I hate it when you're sad."
She closes her eyes and leans into his touch with a gentle exhale, allowing herself to just feel for a moment. She tries to forget that he won't remember a thing in the morning and that it may just be the alcohol talking but eventually, takes his hand in hers and gives it a squeeze before releasing it. He sniffles as they both get to their feet.
"I should get going..." she murmurs reluctantly.
"You know I'm really unhappy" he admits blatantly. She remains silent her heart pounding loudly in her ears. "Ever since we broke up I've been really miserable. You were the only thing that made me happy. And now...my life sucks."
She ducks her head sadly, shuffling her feet. "Mine too" she says softly. She backs up slowly and ruefully toward the door, fighting more tears. "Goodnight, Finn..."
"Don't go" he calls and she freezes again, turning to look at him. "Please just stay...I'm really sleepy but I miss you and-and-and-"
"Okay" she interrupts. "I'll stay for a bit longer."
His triumphant smile makes her heart soar. She tells him she's going to get him Aspirin and slips out of the room, striding quickly to the bathroom. She rifles through the medicine cabinet and grabs the desired object before closing it. Before she can go, she takes a long look at herself in the mirror. She grimaces at how lifeless she looks.
You know I'm really unhappy.
His words echo in her head as she examines her shiner briefly before sighing dejectedly, turning off the light and heading back to his room.
She enters the room absently but stops dead when she sees him. The bottle of Aspirin clatters to the floor but she's numb to it, her mouth going dry.
He's laying on his bed, hands behind his head and it's casual and cute aside from one key aspect.
He's only in his boxers.
She gawks at him, eyes scanning his body. His muscular chest rises and falls with each breath, his pecks and abs firm and sculpted. His biceps are large and strong and she takes a moment to simply worship the glorious man before her.
He sits up and sends her a large, drowsy smile that takes her breath away. She shakes her head slightly to regain her composure, fighting the urge to tackle him and shower him with kisses while running her hands over his perfect body. He was insane to ever think he was anything less than perfect...
"You okay?"
She blinks repetitively and stammers blankly for a moment before nodding, words failing her, as she bends over to pick up the Aspirin. She brings it over and unscrews the cap, taking two into her palm. She offers them to him and he accepts them, grabbing the water bottle on his bed side table and downing them in two swigs. She watches him, trying not to trail her eyes lower and is stunned when he pulls her down to a sitting position on the bed.
He keeps a hand around her waist as he places the bottle back on the nightstand as if to keep her from leaving. He glides his hand up her back, finger tracing her spine and she lets him, melting into a puddle from the feel. His fingers weave into her hair and he simply gazes at her, leaving her breathless.
The love and adoration that burns in his cinnamon irises make her mouth go dry again because it's been so long since she's seen him look at her like that. Oh, how she loves it.
"You're so beautiful, Rachel" he whispers genuinely. "So gorgeous..."
Before she can understand what's going on, their lips meet and she falls into the bottomless pit that is Finn Hudson, not caring that she'll never get out.
Maybe she doesn't want to.
AN#2: CLIFFIE!
Next Chapter: The Aftermath
THANKS FOR READING AND PLEASE REVIEW KINDLY! GOODNIGHT AND LOVE TO ALL!