Chapter 7 Dirtier Little Secret

"You haven't told him yet?" He hissed in ear before lunch hours. "It's been three days, Rachel. " Puck continued and Rachel winced feeling guilty as she looked down and gnawed at her lip.

"I'm going to, I just haven't had the time!" She said back as she turned to him just slightly. "I was going to do so two days ago and he invited me out to a huge family dinner, what was I supposed to do?" Rachel asked. "Then yesterday was our monthly anniversary and it just didn't seem right!" She hissed as she moved away from him slightly feeling vulnerable and guilty. She knew she was making up excuses, she knew that she needed to do it but it was much harder than he thought it was going to be. He didn't understand what she was up against here.

"I'm sorry." Rachel said softly as she turned to him and reached out to touch his shoulder but he shrugged it off and moved away.

"Yeah." He mumbled before walking away.

All through lunch she stared at Noah from the table next to him. He was terribly hard to read and now with him being mad at him it was even harder. Sighing she nodded at whatever Finn was yammering about and moved her lettuce around her tray before standing up. "I have to go. I'll.. I'll see you later." She said with a small smile before kissing his cheek and then heading out of the room and to the choir room.

He was pissed. He was so pissed that he had done everything right and now Rachel was dragging her feet on something she had said she was going to do. He figured she had changed her mind; really it was for the best. Finn was so much better for her, had maybe a chance at doing something with his life. On the other hand, he was boring and well Finn and he knew he could compete and win. If only she would give him the chance.

He sighed as he watched them at lunch and then raised an eyebrow when she quickly got up and left the room. Taking that as a cue he followed her and entered the room a couple minutes after.

"Hi." He mumbled at her as he leaned against the door as she sat at the piano. "I.." He began before stopping. He wasn't sorry he didn't know why he was going to apologize for something he hadn't done.

"I'm sorry." She said before he could open his mouth again to finish his sentence. He raised an eyebrow at her and hummed as he walked closer to her. This was liable to be interesting at the least. Even if he didn't really believe her at this point about her being sorry.

"I'm so sorry, you're right." She continued to his surprise and he hid his smirk that he was actually right about something. Of course he was but he knew to watch his own moves here. "I just.. I guess it's just hard. I don't know. I feel stupid. Every time I go to do it I feel bad and I don't know. I don't know how to hurt him easily." She whispered and he sighed as he moved to sit down next to her.

"Has he ever hurt you easily?" He asked and the wince told him the answer before she had the chance to shake her head. The soft no made him sigh and he looked behind him at the door before kissing her head. "I shouldn't have pushed I guess." He whispered trying to be sensitive or whatever girls went on about wanting boys to be.

"No, it's okay. You should probably push some more." Rachel said and he laughed at all the images that ran through his head and she pushed him probably reading his mind. "Noah." She warned and he simply nodded.

"I want you to break up with him, please break up with him soon." He whispered as he stood up. "I'm not going to be that guy again, you know that and until you break up with him. I can't be with you."

That night she waited for him at her window and he never came and she knew he was serious.

It got even harder to break up with Finn the next morning when he showed up at her house with breakfast and the perfect day planned for them. "Finn." She said shocked around lunch time as they arrived at the perfect picnic for them. It was so sweet, it was so beautiful, and it was breaking her heart how much love he was expressing to her and how little she felt in return.

"So I have this idea." Finn said with that grin that once made her heart flutter. "Let's play a game." He continued and she nodded intrigue flowing through her intensely as she sat up on the blanket. "Do you remember our first date? It was set up just like this in the auditorium, you did it remember?" He asked and she of course nodded. How could she forget?

He grinned at her again. "That was the day I like knew that we could be together one day, you know after Quinn and everything. That you'd always like be there waiting for me. It was cool to know you were always going to be there." Rachel smiled though Noah's words and rants about Finn and how he treated her flooded her mind and she tried to force them away as much as she could.

"So the game?" She asked and he nodded excitedly as he dug in his bag and then put his hands behind his back. "The game is pick a hand and you get what's in it." He explained and she nodded in return

Picking his right arm Finn about fell over from excitement and her eyes went wide as he showed her the perfect little box in his hand and then showed her the left, a rock. She really wished she could go back in time now.

"It's a ring!" He said and her mouth dropped open as he opened it finding a small pink stone, simple, beautiful. Before she could say anything he was on a knee.

"I love you a lot and I want to marry you, one day. I was going to ask now but like my mom told me not to and suggested this instead. It's a promise ring which apparently means I promise to marry you one day." Finn rambled on. "Rachel, I want a future with us. I want everything you have ever told me about kids and Broadway and something about a kid named Tony? Which I'm not totally for but I'd do anything for you so yeah, will you marry me in the future?" He asked and she just stared.

No words were coming as she just looked at him to the ring and she felt like she was about to blackout, she actually thought that maybe she did because the next thing she knew he was kissing her and a ring was on her finger so heavy that her hand dropped to the ground. Had she nodded? Had she nodded in her stammering that she actually said yes when she wanted to say no.

She couldn't breathe.

"Finn." Rachel began as she pulled back from him and took a look at the ring before back at him. "This is really sweet.. but." She began but he was shaking his head and kissing her again.

"Your dads already okayed it, I asked them. Can you believe it? I asked and they said yes! Of course they said something about not actually getting engaged for like ten years but at least I know that they like me enough to say yes. I always though they hated me." They do, Finn. Rachel thought to herself. They just didn't have the heart to tell him no, and apparently that was genetic.

She took a deep breathe and forced a smile on her face before kissing him. "I love you, thank you for this. I'll cherish it and you." Rachel promised before looking at the ring again. Maybe this was a sign. Maybe this was a sign that she wasn't meant to be with Noah after all, that Finn really was her future and she was just confused. Yes, that was exactly it and as she watched Finn send out a group text to all of their friends about the ring he had bought tears flooded her cheeks.

She just had no idea if they were happy or sad tears, she was almost positive it was the latter.

Note: DUN DUN DUN, I'm so sorry! Don't worry good always coming from some angst!