After getting their coffees from the Lima Bean, Thad and Rachel decided to stroll through the little park that was directly opposite the coffee shop. They filled each other in about their days, Thad complaining about how Nick's infatuation with their French teacher was earning the class more homework than they've ever had before.

"Well, it's not like you can't handle the extra work, Thad. You are incredibly smart," Rachel reminded him, taking a sip of her coffee.

"I know I can handle the work, I just don't want to do it. It just seems like such a waste of time, especially as I'm not even taking French next year," Thad replied.

"Poor excuse!" Rachel exclaimed, throwing her hands up so fiercely that she almost upset her coffee, "how do you expect to become a lawyer if you don't work hard now? Just because I can sing doesn't mean that I don't keep practicing everyday so I can ensure my place at NYADA!"

Thad contemplated Rachel's words before nodding in agreement, "you're right."

"Of course I'm right, Thad!" Thad rolled his eyes and grabbed Rachel's hand and dragging her through the park before she could continue her rant. He knew that he had to start putting more effort into his studies, especially if he wanted to graduate well next year.

"So, how was Glee practice?" he asked, hoping to distract Rachel from their previous topic.

"We've had better practices, believe me," Rachel replied, taking another drink of coffee.

"Was Finn giving you a hard time again?" Thad questioned, trying his hardest to ignore the feeling of protectiveness that had just appeared.

"No! Mr Schue was trying to be all encouraging about Regionals, and it wasn't helping anyone. Well, anyone except Noah," Rachel said.

"I'm sure it'll all work out. Maybe you just need some inspiration," Thad replied, tossing his empty coffee cup in the trash. Rachel copied his actions, and the two continued walking around the park. They eventually exited the park, taking the long route back to Thad's car so he could drive Rachel home again.

"How about we do something different, next week?" Thad suggested as he pulled up outside Rachel's house. Another car had appeared in the driveway, telling Thad that Rachel's fathers were both at home. He was also sure that he saw a curtain twitch, but he couldn't be sure.

"Like what?" Rachel smiled, going to open her car door. Thad let out a strange noise, before diving out the door and launching himself at Rachel's. Rachel giggled at the boy in front of her and thanked him, smiling as he began walking her to her front door.

"Well, we could go for dinner? If your fathers' agree, of course," Thad smiled.

"That would be wonderful! Breadstix do great vegan meatballs!" Rachel announced, trying to sound enthusiastic over the thought of going to Breadstix again. It wasn't that she didn't like going there, she did, but it did get rather boring after a while.

"I wasn't thinking Breadstix," Thad replied. "There are some great restaurants near Dalton that do some great vegan dishes."

"That sounds great," Rachel said, sending Thad a smile. She could see her Dad peering out at the pair of them, and wanted to get inside before he came out and began interrogating Thad.

"Then it's a date." Thad gathered up all his courage and dipped his head down to meet his lips with Rachel's, unaware that her Dad was watching the pair of them through the curtains. Even Rachel forgot about her Dad, momentarily, and slowly brought her hand up around Thad's neck.

"Rachel!" the sound of Rachel's Dad broke the two apart, a blush forming on both their faces.

"Dad!" Rachel exclaimed, at a slight loss for words. "What are you doing?"

Her Dad chose to ignore the question, instead asking Rachel "Who's this?"

"This is Thad Harwood, Dad. He goes to Dalton with Kurt."

"Ah, you've mentioned Thad before!" Thad had to suppress a grin at Mr Berry's words. Rachel had mentioned him in front of her parents! Maybe she liked him more than he thought. "It's lovely to finally meet you, Thad."

"You too, Sir," Thad replied, shaking the hand that was offered to him. The three continued to make awkward small talk before Thad left, waving goodbye to both Rachel and Mr Berry.

"That was so embarrassing, Dad!" Rachel shrieked, storming into her house and up to her room as soon as Thad's car had disappeared from sight. Mr Berry merely chuckled and grinned at his husband at their daughter. Hopefully Thad would treat her better than Finn had.

With Rachel's words churning over in his head, Thad headed straight for his room when he arrived back at Dalton, and began working on all the homework he had been set during the past couple of days. He was so focused, he barely heard Trent enter the room, and Trent's questions didn't even register into Thad's brain. Finally, when his brain couldn't handle anymore schoolwork, Thad stopped working and stretched out onto his bed, nearly jumping out of his skin when Trent began bombarding him with questions.

"So?" Trent demanded.

"So what?" Thad replied, replying to a text that Rachel had sent him.

"So, did Rachel like her flowers?" Trent asked, beckoning Nick and Kurt into the room. Kurt took a seat on Thad's nearly empty desk, smiling to himself when he realised that Thad had already completed a good three quarters of the work that had been set for him. Nick collapsed onto the floor between Thad and Trent's bed, eager to know how his friend had gotten on this past afternoon.

"Yeah, she loved them."

"And?" Trent prompted, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at his roommate. He got along well with Thad, but he was sometimes far too secretive for Trent's liking.

"And we went for coffee and walked around the park." Thad supplied, hoping that Trent wouldn't keep bothering him for information. Sometimes it seemed that Trent's appetite for gossip was insatiable.

"No canoodling? No re-enacting The Notebook without the rain?" Trent gasped, "Thaddeus, I'm disappointed.

"I never said I didn't kiss her," Thad pointed out, a devilish grin on his face, which only got wider as Trent leapt up in the air whooping and cheering.