To say that Rachel was furious with Finn Hudson was an understatement. She had spent the rest of her week at school purposely avoiding him and trying desperately to write a song to express her anger over the situation. Unfortunately no inspiration came to her, even with Tina's help, so Rachel decided to just give it a rest and plan her outfit for her dinner date with Thad. Kurt had been trying to give her advice over the phone, and when he could tell that it wouldn't work, invited himself over after school ended on Friday to help Rachel get ready. He entrusted Trent with the task of helping Thad get ready, thankful that Trent was just as fashion-conscious as he was.

Kurt had wanted to get his hands on Rachel's wardrobe ever since he had seen that awful powder-blue sweater that got covered in slushie. Her fashion sense was most definitely improving, he noted, as he dug around for a dress that would be suitable for the evening. He had tasked her with curling her hair, something that he knew would take Rachel a good half-hour to do, thanks to her perfectionist trait. He had managed to find out where Thad was taking Rachel, and when Kurt googled the restaurant, he almost keeled over in shock. Kurt didn't dare begin to imagine how much the meal would cost Thad. After more rummaging, Kurt happened upon an outfit perfect for the occasion. He pulled it out of the closet with a triumphant grin, stooping down to grab a pair of shoes and a purse that would go perfectly with the dress.

"Are you sure that's not too over the top?" Rachel questioned, eyeing the navy blue dress Kurt was clutching with slight uncertainty.

"Absolutely not!" Kurt cried, brushing away a piece of imaginary lint. Rachel set down her curling iron and gently tugged the dress out of Kurt's grip, stepping into her bathroom to change. Kurt had to hold back a squeal of excitement when she re-emerged; Thad wouldn't have a clue what had hit him when he saw Rachel Berry tonight. The dress was cut into the style of a 1950's prom dress and fit Rachel perfectly. Catching the time, Kurt quickly pushed Rachel into a pair of silver heels and shoved her purse into her hands before running out of her room, calling out goodbyes and well-wishes behind him. Rachel turned and looked at herself in her full-length mirror, hoping she was wearing the right kind of outfit for her dinner with Thad. Butterflies began racing around her stomach as she heard the door knock, and she took a few deep breaths before exiting her room to meet Thad. Thad's melodic voice floated up into Rachel's ears as he stood chatting to Rachel's fathers, yet he stopped in mid-sentence as soon as his eyes locked on Rachel.

Thad literally could not believe his luck. Rachel Berry was stood on top of her staircase looking like a beautiful princess, and he was the one that would be her prince for the night. A month ago, Thad would never have thought that this scenario was possible, yet here he was, in an almost-relationship with Rachel Barbra Berry.

"Hi," Rachel smiled, feeling a lot more nervous than she had five minutes previous.

"You look beautiful, Rachel," Thad announced, leaning forward to brush his cheek against Rachel's when she finally joined him and her parents at the bottom of the stairs. Neither of her fathers could stop grinning at the pair, Hiram's grin widening when he realised that Thad's tie matched the colour of Rachel's dress.

"What time is curfew, Sirs?" Thad questioned, hoping that he would be given enough time for the evening to go exactly as planned.

"Make sure she's back in time for breakfast," Hiram chuckled, clapping his hand against Thad's shoulder. Leroy laughed alongside his husband, opening the door for Rachel and Thad. The pair watched as Thad led her to his car, smiling approvingly as he opened the door for Rachel before getting into the car himself.

"He is certainly something different," Leroy announced, closing the door as Thad pulled away from the house. Hiram murmured in agreement before heading into the kitchen to rescue their dinner.

Rachel's jaw dropped open as Thad came to a stop in front of one of the most expensive restaurants in Ohio. She was too dumb-founded to even think about getting out of the car, only being knocked out of her reverie as Thad's hand reached down to help her get out of the car.

"Thad, this is too much," Rachel protested, her eyes widening as Thad led her into the restaurant. She mentally cursed Kurt for not even remotely hinting at where Thad was taking her, and then mentally thanked him for choosing an outfit that was appropriate for the occasion.

"Nothing is too much for you, Rachel," Thad whispered as they were seated. He smiled and reached for her hand, lacing their fingers together. "I just wanted this to be perfect for you."

"This is more than perfect, Thad. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined coming here before I'd graduated high school. Especially with someone like you."

"Like me?" Thad questioned, hoping that Rachel was complimenting him.

"I guess that I thought that Finn and I were going to last throughout high school, at least. Then that whole relationship ended and I found you, chasing down a street to cover me with your umbrella because mine wouldn't open. I never would have thought that someone like you, a boy who could literally have any girl that he wanted, would ever want someone like me." Rachel took a tiny sip of water as she finished speaking, cursing herself for being so open in front of Thad.

"That's because you are literally perfect to me. As far as I'm concerned, I'm the lucky one here, not you," Thad accompanied his words with a gentle squeeze of Rachel's hand, before breaking them apart as their food arrived.

"But we never ordered?" Rachel announced, her voice laced with confusion. "How do I know it's vegan?"

"It's already been taken care of," Thad promised, "I spoke with your dads to find out what kind of food you really liked, then spoke to the chef and he made sure that everything was vegan for you." Rachel opened her mouth, as if to protest again that everything was far too much, so Thad quickly spoke again.

"The chef is a family friend. Honestly. My dad knows some pretty cool people, and I chose to finally take advantage of that fact tonight. I just didn't want to tell you in case you thought that I took an easy way out on the date."

Rachel relaxed slightly, sending out a dazzling grin across the table, "does your dad know any chefs in New York?"

Thad and Rachel's meal continued on without a hitch, and the pair found themselves walking through the small garden area that was opposite the restaurant a couple of hours later. Thad had shrugged off his jacket to place around Rachel's bare shoulders, insisting that he would be perfectly warm enough in his shirt and waistcoat.

"The meal was so perfect Thad. Thank you." Rachel hoped that Thad understood the sincerity of her thanks; she had never been treated in this way by anyone but her fathers.

"It was my pleasure," Thad smiled. Rachel suddenly stopped walking and turned to face Thad, leaning up to place her lips upon his. Any coldness Thad may have been feeling soon melted away as the kiss continued, and he was pleased that no-one would be able to interrupt them this time. Unfortunately for Thad, the kiss ended far sooner than he wanted it to, yet one glance at Rachel told him that she had something that she wanted to say to him.

"This is probably the dumbest thing I'll ever ask. In fact, I can't believe I'm going to ask you this, but, am I your girlfriend?" Rachel whispered, her breath tickling Thad's cheek as she spoke.

"Do you want to be?" Thad replied, a smile playing on his lips. The grin that formed on Rachel's face was all the answer he needed, so he quickly leant forward to capture her lips with his own again.