Rachel walked over to the door, opening it slowly. Peeking her head out, she saw Finn standing there. She opened the door wider as he smiled slowly.
"Hey." He said quietly.
"Hi." She said back in almost a whisper as she pulled out her headphones. "I'm really sorry, I feel so rude. I didn't know you guys would be here or I wouldn't have been hiding away in here." She backed away from the door, allowing him to step in.
He looked down at her. She didn't even reach his shoulders. She looked up at him nervously before walking over to close the closet door.
Finn didn't know what to say. He instantly felt stupid for coming to her room, but he had wanted to see her and he also wanted to get away from the crazy that was their friends, trying to hook them up. "I-i-uhh…" he stopped when Rachel smiled.
"Yes?" she asked.
Finn shook his head, thinking of something to say. "I just…I heard you singing earlier." He said quickly.
Rachel nodded. "Oh okay."
"No, you're really good." He said.
Rachel smiled. "So I've been told."
Finn looked down at her again. He felt awkward. There he was, standing in the bedroom of a girl he barely knew.
She pointed towards the Spring Awakening poster she had just hung up. Finn looked over at it before doing a double take. "Wait, is that you?" he asked incredulously as he walked up to it.
Rachel sat down on the edge of her bed and smiled. "It is." She said quietly as he looked at it.
"Broadway?" he said, turning his head to look at her.
She smiled and nodded as he turned towards her. "You've never heard of it?" she then asked him, her hands underneath her knees as she swayed her legs back and forth gently.
Finn shook his head. "I haven't. But I'm sure by tomorrow I'll know all of the songs."
Rachel laughed.
"I mean, I don't want to disappoint a Broadway star!" he said.
She laughed again, shaking her head. "What if you already have?" she asked, biting her bottom lip.
Finn brought a hand to his heart. "I'm hurt." He said smiling, turning towards her.
She shook her head. "Well then you'll be relieved to hear that you didn't."
He put his hands in his pockets and looked at her. "Look, I just wanted to apologize."
Rachel looked at him confused. "For….?"
"I think Quinn is trying to…you know…"
Rachel smiled. "Why are you apologizing for that?"
Finn shrugged. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable or any of that, especially in your own house."
"Oh, don't worry about it." She said, standing once more. "You really are tall."
"And you still remain pretty short." He said, smiling.
Rachel laughed as they headed out of her room. She could get used to him being around.
0000
The evening had gone by just as quick as the night before. They sat outside on the deck, talking the night away as the sun went down. Finn sat across from Rachel and she couldn't help but smile every time she stole his glance, which occurred quite a bit. She would be lying to herself if she said she didn't want to be alone with him like they were earlier in her room. At least she had been more talkative than the night before.
"I'll be right back." She said, standing up. It was getting cold out now that the sun was down and still in a sundress, she wanted to change into something warmer.
She took a look in the mirror taking a deep breath as she let down her hair that had been in a bun all day. She brushed it out slowly, liking the slight wave that was going through it. She parted it to one side, her bangs on one side and smiled. She looked like herself and that's all she wanted. She also wanted to be comfortable. Though she knew in a way she wanted to impress Finn, she didn't want to do it from her exterior but rather her interior. She sighed once more. 'Stop it Rachel. How can you like someone you hardly know and only met a day ago? You can't. Be realistic.' She said quietly in the mirror.
Rachel came back out moments after wearing loose sweatpant capri's and a zip up hoodie with a tank top underneath. She quietly walked up to where Finn, Mike, and Puck were setting up a little bonfire in the tiny pit they had found in their backyard the day they moved in. "Except we have to go get wood, don't we?" Finn then asked looking at all of them.
"Let's just turn into lumberjacks and go cut some down." Puck said.
Finn nodded. "If you want."
Puck shook his head. "Nah, we gotta go get some." He said then.
Finn shrugged. "I can go."
Rachel's heart skipped a beat. She didn't want him to leave. "I will too." She chimed in as everyone looked at her.
Finn looked over at her and smiled. He didn't even realize she had walked up to them. Boy was she quiet all the time or what? He took in her new outfit and this made him smile even more. She didn't even try or get over dressed and yet she was still adorable.
"I guess we'll be back then." He said simply, walking up to her. As they left, she turned her head back and waved goodbye as she followed behind Finn.
She looked at Finn's truck and smiled before getting inside. When they began to drive, Rachel looked down at her phone that went off. It was Quinn. 'Get it' was all it said. She rolled her eyes quickly reading it before turning off her phone, looking over at Finn.
"So where do people get firewood from around here?" she asked casually.
He looked over at her before resuming eyesight on the road. "Certain stores." He said simply. "Isn't it the same way in New York?"
Rachel shrugged. "I don't know, but in Ohio usually it was just in the backyard…" she said, looking out the front windshield at the road as well.
He looked over at her again. "Ohio?" he asked.
Rachel laughed slightly. "Yeah, born and raised. Small town of Lima." She said, looking over at him.
Finn smiled. "Really? I would've taken you for a New Yorker born and raised any day."
Rachel laughed. "I'll take that as a compliment." She said. She was nervous all over again.
Finn was silent for a moment before speaking once more. "You're different." He muttered.
Rachel managed to hear him even though it was basically inaudible. She smiled before looking down. "What do you mean?" she said quietly. Her heartbeat picked up instantly.
Finn shrugged. "I don't know. I don't know much about you or anything but you're like one of the realest girls I've ever met." He said simply.
"Again, I'll take that as a compliment." Rachel said quietly before looking out the passenger side window.
They stopped at a red light and she could feel Finn's eyes on her but she refused to look at him.
A few minutes later they were at the store. She got out of the truck quietly, smiling to herself as she walked next to Finn. The silence between them didn't make her uncomfortable at all. In a strange way, she felt content. They walked in, telling the cashier they were going to get thirty dollars worth of firewood from the back.
"Finn?" A girl's voice had said then.
Finn turned looking at the girl. Rachel did the same. "Oh….hey Jen!" Finn said uneasily.
The girl was definitely much taller than Rachel. She had long blonde hair and a flawless appearance. "Oh my God, it's been forever." She leaned in for a hug, which Finn returned, still looking uneasy.
She then looked down at Rachel but failed to acknowledge her. Rachel didn't mind. She was busy studying their brief interaction. However, it did bother her that the girl kept giving her strange glances out of the side of her eyes.
Finn looked down at Rachel as they exited the store, making their way towards the back for the wood. "Sorry about that." He said slowly. She was walking, looking down at the ground.
"For what? Oh that girl? That's okay!" Rachel said, over exaggerating the happiness in her voice.
Finn looked down at her. "I went to high school with her."
"I think she likes you." Rachel interrupted, looking up at him.
Finn shrugged. "Whatever."
Rachel smiled at this. "Why?"
Finn looked down at her as he retrieved a bundle of wood. "I don't know; I just…don't care. Most girls that knew me from high school, they sort of, just want to use me."
"Well aren't you conceited?" Rachel joked, grabbing a bundle herself, before dropping it shortly after.
Finn smiled, grabbing it from her, hauling it towards their pile. "No, but they know about the band and we've toured a few times so…."
"You have?" Rachel interjected, mostly watching him do all the work.
He smiled. "Yeah, don't sound so surprised." He joked.
Rachel smiled, helping him carry the wood, her carrying the tiniest bundle to the truck.
"You're strong." He joked once they got to the car.
"Shut up." She said, biting her bottom lip as he took it from her, putting the wood in the back of his truck along with the rest.
When they headed back to her house, she spoke up once more. She was loosening up around him. "Where did you tour?" she asked.
Finn shrugged. "Just a few cities. Vancouver, Chicago, New Orleans, Sacramento and Boston."
Rachel looked at him. "Did you like it?"
"It was okay. Being on the road gets tiring but it was so minimal and not all at once so I didn't mind. It's fun to meet fans. It's crazy even thinking about the concept of having fans." He said. "I mean, I'm just me, you know?"
Rachel nodded. She knew the feeling to an extent.
"Anyway, I'm not saying I'm a huge celebrity or any kind of crap like that. But, in high school I could list off like a hundred people who wanted to be one, you know? Then when they aren't successful they go after ones who could potentially be. Are you following me? I sort of feel like a huge tool describing myself like all these ladies want me. That's not the case though."
Rachel laughed. "You don't sound like a tool. I guess I understand that. Los Angeles is probably full of shady people."
"Exactly. It's sort of hard to trust people." He said simply before looking over at her.
She returned his glance, smiling before looking out the window as they drove home. She was tired.
000
They got the bonfire going once they returned and Rachel had grabbed a bottle of water, taking a seat next to Quinn. The rest of them had begun to roast marshmallows for smores, and Rachel had politely declined.
"Come on, just one!" Tina had said, handing her a metal poker to put a marshmallow on.
"I don't like smores." Rachel said. "You know that."
"But this chocolate here is vegan." Quinn said pointing to the chocolate next to the Hershey's.
"I just don't like them. They're weird." Rachel said.
"Then make me a marshmallow while I eat this one." Mike said, handing her one.
Rachel laughed, agreeing to do that much.
Finn had been sitting across the fire from her and though he was pretty much silent as he looked at the fire, he couldn't help but watch Rachel as if she was the only one there. She was always so happy despite her stern tone when it came to knowing what she did or didn't want. The way the fire lit up her face while she talked and laughed had made his heart jump.
"You eat something that has the same texture as glue. Keep that in mind." She joked as Mike took the marshmallow to his mouth.
"And I'll love every second of it you health freak." He said. "But thank you from the bottom of my heart for doing that." Mike said.
Rachel smiled as she continued to roast marshmallows for people, and when Finn asked her, she stood up agreeing walking around the fire to him. He didn't want another, but he wanted an excuse to talk to her.
"How don't you like smores?" Finn asked her as she stood next to his chair.
Rachel shrugged. "I just never have. I don't know honestly."
Finn didn't need any more of an explanation.
000
Before they knew it, it was close to two in the morning and Quinn and Tina both wanted Puck and Mike to stay the night, so Rachel knew Finn would too.
"I might just head out." Finn said though, standing from the fire as the other four decided to go in.
"No you don't have too." Rachel said loudly, looking up from the now dying fire.
Finn looked down at her.
She held his glance, looking directly into his eyes. "Please don't." she said quietly. "I don't want to go inside and…." She stopped, looking back down at the fire.
"Oh…okay." Finn agreed, sitting back down. And what?
It wasn't long until they were the only two by the remainder of the fire. Rachel stood walking over, taking the seat next to him. "I didn't want you to feel like you had to leave." She said quietly.
Finn looked over at her. "I wouldn't have felt that way." He said.
"Well what if I told you I wanted you to stay?" she then asked quickly.
He raised his eyebrows. "Then that changes everything." He said smiling. His smile was half lopsided once more.
Rachel melted on the inside as she looked at him. "Can I be honest?"
Finn smiled. "I hope so."
Rachel took a deep breath. "I know I've only known you for like two days now but I really enjoy your company." She said.
Finn reached over and took her tiny hand into his. Rachel's heart fluttered at the touch. "I'm glad." He said simply.
They sat there in silence, their hands intertwined for a little bit before both agreeing to head inside.
A/N: Yes? No? I don't know? I just sort of free wrote this, so let me know I guess!