Rachel was on her way to Finn's house, his address plugged into her navigation system. Honestly, she was nervous. Sure, Finn has seen her before, but never like this. He had seen such a different side of her.. What was he going to think once it really hit him that she was Rachel Berry? She wasn't popular like his ex-girlfriend Quinn, or super-model gorgeous by any standards. She was just Rachel.

Once pulled into his driveway, she checked the time to see whether she had come too early, as she usually did when excited about an event. "Shit," she mumbled to herself when she realized the time. Just then, Finn came out and smiled brightly.

"I'm so happy you're here," he told her sincerely.

"Finn, I have my audition..."

"Oh crap, I forgot about that."

Rachel fidgeted uncomfortably in her seat. "Can we reschedule? I'm sorry."

"No, please," Finn tried to hide his disappointment within his words as he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "No worries; we'll reschedule."

"Unless you want to come?" Rachel suggested, hoping he'd agree to her request.

Finn grinned in an adorable way that made Rachel blush crazily. "Yeah, sounds cool," he replied as he opened the door to the passenger seat and sat down next to the beaming brunette. "Someone seems happy."

"Well, that someone is."

For a while, the two sat in an awkward silence. Neither of them really knew what they were doing, and they both weren't sure of what to say.

"So.. I guess I won't be calling you mysterious girl anymore?" Finn smirked after a while, playfully nudging her, attempting to ease the noticeable tension surrounding them.

Rachel laughed slightly, loosening up a bit. "And I surely won't be calling you Tom Sawyer."
"Or Love Machine? I think I will miss that nickname the most." He chuckled and watched her, realizing how lucky he was to be with her.

"You loved that."

"I'm so happy you're taking me," Finn blurted out accidentally and felt his cheeks turn a hue of pink.

"Why?" she asked, curious.

"I don't know. I thought after what happened in the hallway, you wouldn't want to see me anymore."

"Are you kidding? That's ridiculous. I was thinking more visa-versa."

"Elaborate?"

Rachel sighed. "Needless to say, we don't cross paths often. I mean, you're quarterback and i'm Glee Club leader, 'most annoying' next to Jacob Ben Israel for years on end... I'm not ashamed of who I am, but once you realized just who I was, I was afraid you would be." She stared forward at the road, driving.

Finn was quiet for a few moments after Rachel spoke, not sure of what to say. "I'm not ashamed of you, Rachel. Actually, quite the opposite. There's nothing to be ashamed about."

"I beg to differ. I'm not sexy like Santana Lopez or pretty like that Quinn girl or-"

"Would you stop?" Finn interrupted, wishing she'd see herself the way he did. "You're beautiful."

Rachel couldn't help but blush as she continued staring straight forward. "Thank you. Finn."

A comfortable silence filled the car as Finn took Rachel's right hand into his own and gently ran his thumbs over her knuckles. This felt right. It all felt right.

"What made you log onto the chatroom anyway? Not getting enough action from Cheerios?" Rachel asked with a slight smile.

Chuckling, Finn replied, "I was just bored. My friends Puck and Sam recommended it. They said it was good."

"There's a very high chance that I've had cyber-sex with both of them."

Finn's eyes widened at that one. "That's strangely hot, and I'm oddly jealous."

"Don't be ridiculous. It's not like either one of them got to eat me out in an abandoned movie theatre," she said in a matter-of-fact fashion.

"I'd totally do that again," Finn commented.

"Hm," Rachel smirked. "Good to know."

"So, what are you auditioning for, Rachel?" Finn asked a couple minutes later, seeing he still wasn't sure.

"It's a production of Funny Girl. A tour, actually, to be taking place pretty much all over America. By some miracle auditions are less than an hour away. It's my favorite musical. I don't expect you to know it."

Finn shook his head. "Sorry, no. I've never heard of it, either. But you know, maybe we can watch it together sometime."

Smiling, Rachel replied, "That sounds like fun." This was the first time anyone she liked had taken any interest in her Broadway obsession. "But beware, I sing along."

"That won't be a problem," he chuckled, watching as Rachel pulled into a large parking lot full of cars. "I'm assuming you're talented if you're willing to drive so far to get to this audition."

"It's really not that far. Plus, for all you know, I could be dreadful."
"I highly doubt that. This obviously means a lot to you."

"Well, I'm ambitious."

"I like that about you."

Rachel smiled as she pulled into a parking spot near the end of the lot and the two stepped out of the car. As they walked beside each other, Finn asked, "Nervous?"

Rachel nodded, looking at the building as they walked. "A bit."

Unsure of what to do, Finn took Rachel's hand into his own and squeezed it gently, sending tingles up Rachel's spine. "You'll be great; don't even worry about it."

Rachel nodded anxiously and walked through the door, already propped open for eager performers as Finn followed. Once inside, the petite brunette sat down on a chair and watched as Finn sat in the one next to her.

After a few moments of tension-filled silence, Finn asked, "So, if you get this, will you be leaving town?"

"Yep."

"That sucks," Finn began, then realizing his choice of words. "I mean it's great that you'll be touring and stuff and..." he struggled to find the right words to say. "I'll miss you."

Rachel nodded and placed her hand on his thigh, attempting to comfort him. "Don't be upset, Finn. We can find ways to spend time together."
"I'm not upset," he told her, his looks contradicting his words. "I guess I just wish we had more time to get to know each other."

"I know," Rachel thought out loud. "Me too."

At this, the two heard Rachel's name being called.

"I have to..."

"Good luck in there," Finn nodded. He wasn't exactly sure where they stood relationship wise so instead of hugging or kissing her, he opted for an encouraging smile. Rachel smiled back at him and thanked him before briskly making her way to the audition room.

If anyone noticed, I basically just merged chapters seven and eight together. Hopefully, this will be better in terms of length. :)