CHAPTER 4: DUTY CALLS - Part 2
Two days later, Rachel and Finn meet up with Kurt and Blaine. The day's mission: flowers.
Pillsbury's Petals was a large flower boutique known to be frequented by the who's-who in Manhattan, and it was going to be a wonderful day since Rachel loved flowers, and she loved spending time with her three favorite boys.
As they looked through the numerous floral arrangements in the large shop, Finn leaned down to whisper, "Rach, I hope we're not gonna be here all day. I'm already getting hungry, and honestly, being in here kinda smells like a funeral home. It's creeping me out a little actually," Finn bumped into her with his hip.
"Don't be ridiculous, Finn. It most certainly does NOT smell like a funeral home – if anything, you may have that backwards. But how can you not love the smell of fresh cut flowers?"
"I do, just not ALL of 'em at the same time... and also, I think something in here is aggravating my hay fever. But seriously. I need to eat soon."
She smacked him playfully on the arm and giggled. "I told you to take your allergy pills before we came. Anyway, you're just a bottomless pit aren't you? God, must be nice to have your metabolism. I swear you always need to eat, although I'd suggest there's a difference between NEED and WANT. Especially since you hit the hot dog vendor on the way here."
"Hey it was only ONE chili dog, and we'd walked like 10 blocks already... and, uh, still a big dude remember? Gotta fuel the tank." He pats his stomach pridefully.
She rolled her eyes with a shy smile "How ever could I forget," then poked him in the stomach with her index finger very near his navel.
"Hey! Short stuff, don't poke the donut hole. You know what that does to me."
She snickered and whispered, "Finny, you need to have better self control than that."
"Trust me, I do..." he smirked, slinging an arm around her shoulders and pulling her closer to him while leaning into her ear, "But s'not my fault if I have certain weaknesses."
"Oh come on, we both know your main weakness is FOOD."
"Okay, that might be right... but that's not the only one," he winked at her.
Her lips curled demurely as she asked, "Really. And what would be another?"
"Like you don't already know," he smiled back flirtatiously and planted a big sloppy wet kiss on her cheek.
She squealed through a giggle then fished a tissue from her purse to wipe her cheek. "UGH Finn! I swear, you're like having a very tall St Bernard around sometimes!" His belly-laugh in response was completely endearing.
...FRFRF...
Kurt and Blaine had been browsing in the aisle opposite their friends, observing and listening intently to the (overly?) friendly chatter happening across from them.
"Hmm. Don't those two seem to be quite cozy?" Blaine asks Kurt under his breath.
"Yes well," Kurt blew out a dismissive breath, "that's just Finn and Rachel. They're always like that... I know you don't have as many years exposure to them as the rest of us, but you'll get used to it. It's a little nauseating sometimes actually, but also rather adorable. In a nauseating sort of way. I carry my prescription Compazine around with me at all times, just for such an occasion."
"I see.. So, this is normal for them? And you're positive they've never dated, never hooked up?" Blaine popped up one eyebrow inquisitorially.
"Sweetheart, trust me, if that'd ever happened the whole of New York would've known. There'd be billboards and statues erected in Time Square to commemorate it. Lady Liberty would be brandishing a big ol' FINCHEL sign instead of a torch. Nearly the whole glee club back in high school was stunned that it never happened. I mean, seriously Blaine, you needed to hear them sing together and see some of their performances to truly appreciate it. They were other-worldly when they performed duets together, completely lost in one another. It made no sense to any of us how they didn't end up together... still doesn't. They were like this all through high school – actually, longer if I think about it. It was just SO obvious how they seemed to be so right for one another, and how much they seem to adore each other, yet, NOPE. It just never happened, and no one knows why. Finn wouldn't ever admit it to me or anyone else, but I know he's been in love with her forever. You can see it all over his face when he talks about her, and it's always been that way."
"Wow. Do you think he's ever discussed it with her? Maybe they talked through their feelings and decided they were better off as friends?"
"DISCUSSED? Finn Hudson? Doing something proactive in the form of communication? Get real Blaine. Darling, that's simply not in his DNA. That would take a few extra brain cells of courage and planning that he seems to be lacking. I swear, he's like an imperfect mash-up of the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion sometimes... but I do think the reason he never acted on whatever feelings he's been repressing is because Tinkerbell there has done exactly the same thing all these years. Maybe they are both afraid to upset their friendship? But I mean, really, just look at them..."
As the two men peered between a rainbow array of gladiolas, they observed Rachel beaming up at Finn with wide eyes as if he'd hung the moon, and Finn, wearing an equally adoring look on his face, smiling back at her while playing with the ends of her hair, the pair lost in some private conversation together. She kept touching his arm and he kept leaning in closer toward her. Any outsider would see their body language alone and surely assume this was a young couple in love, and probably even blush for having intruded on their intimate moment together.
"Kurt, they are positively adorable together. And so clearly smitten with each other. I just don't get it. How can they possibly be that kind of happy with anyone else? If that's not the picture of BLISS then I don't know what is."
"Well I don't get it either, nor do our parents, but they're both engaged now – to other people, who are not each other I may add, so what are we to do about it now? Finn's never approved of me interfering in his affairs, and I don't think he'd be any too happy if I poked THIS particular bee's nest right now."
"Nobody says you have to interfere, per se... but you are his brother. Would it be so bad to merely ask a few probing questions? I mean, you care about his happiness, right?"
"Yes of course I do, Blaine! But even if I were to stir up this topic again – which trust me, I DID try several times throughout high school – what good would it really do? She's still getting married to that little lemur-faced St. Snob. I certainly don't want to cause my brother any undue heartache. But even if he were to admit his true feelings now, how does that change anything on her side of the equation?"
"But don't you think he might have a certain amount of heartache now anyway? From what I gather, he doesn't much care for Jesse... And, really Kurt, in the words of Queen Beyonce, nothing's final until there's a ring on it... who knows, maybe she feels the same way about him as he so clearly does about her?"
"Actually, following the Divine Lady B's doctrine would mean if he liked it then he SHOULD HAVE put a ring on it.. And he honestly probably should have by now, but it seems that ship has already sailed. He may have even put a ring on the wrong finger, I think. I have my suspicions about Satan too... but I dare not voice those words out loud. Not my whistle to blow." Kurt hummed out a breath, then caught sight of Finn tickling Rachel as her school girl giggles echoed throughout the small space. He looked resignedly at his boyfriend and rolled his eyes with a huff. "Okay fine. What do you suggest?"
Blaine's expression lit up then turned to one of excited determination. "Divide and conquer. You casually chat with him and I'll do the same with her. Not here though.. We should, um.. HEY, how about lunch dates? You invite him, I'll invite her – same day, separate locations of course – and we'll compare notes later."
"I don't know Blaine. That sounds dangerously close to interfering to me."
"But if it helps to assure they're both really happy and ready to marry their respective betrothed... isn't it worth it?"
Kurt looked again to see his brother's arms wrapped around the petite brunette so affectionately that he felt he was about to get a toothache. "Maybe you have a point. Okay just.. Nothing DIRECT. We CAN'T imply anything about how the other of them may feel, or make any comments that sound disapproving of their current partners. We don't want them thinking we are discouraging anything or preaching to them... Ultimately they need to make their own decisions. But I guess I don't see the harm in just asking a few fact-finding questions within those parameters."
...FRFRF...
Emma Pillsbury flipped through the catalog of bridal bouquets to find Rachels' requested combination of flowers. "So, it sounds like you wanted... ah yes, here we are, item number 125. White calla lilies, with the blush peonies and the soft lavender tea roses."
"Yes please! And I very much liked the silver beads and crystal embellishments, so you could add those to the bouquet as well – just not too many, I don't want it to look garish. Also, I'll need the corresponding bridesmaids bouquets, ten of them please. And the groomsmen should all have the lavender roses as boutonnieres while the groom should have a single white calla lily, possibly with a sprig of baby's breath... but I would like to see how the bridesmaid's flowers will look. I'm not sure, maybe they should be just the roses and peonies? Or maybe they need the silver and crystal embellishments as well?"
Emma smiled then suggested "Hmm.. Well, I'm pretty sure I have enough flowers here to put together a couple of quick sample bouquets, one with the calla lilies and one without. Let's see which you'd prefer. I'll be back in a jiff."
Meanwhile, Finn had been flipping through a separate catalog. "Rach, what kinda flowers do you think Tana would like... or at least not hate? I can't believe she didn't wanna pick these out for herself. Feels weird to be picking out HER bridal bouquet."
Rachel sighed with a slightly pained look. "Yeah... I'm a bit surprised at that myself. Well, have you two settled on the color scheme yet?"
"Uh... well, if it was just for me, I was thinking navy blue and silver... but then I thought maybe since it's September, it should be more like autumn colors... y'know, plum, orange, tan or like, dark red... Plus those colors seem to fit her personality better, right?"
"Wow Finn. Kurt's really been rubbing off on you, hmm?" she teased lightly.
"Hey! I actually paid attention in college you know? I had to sit through an actual CLASS on stuff like this." He glanced across the shop toward his brother and mumbled "But yeah... also maybe Kurt might be rubbing off just a little bit too. Don't tell him I said that though!"
She giggled and whispered, "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me! But um... Yes, I think the autumn color scheme idea is lovely, Finn. Just be careful, there's a difference between autumnal and Halloween-y. I do like the idea of say, a burnt orange and cream color palette... and tiger lilies seem appropriate for Tana. But maybe you could just show her some samples and get an idea of what she'd like?"
"Rach, she honestly doesn't care. Believe me. And if I ask her too many questions she's gonna go all Harlem Heights on me – last night she threw the TV remote at me when I asked her opinion about the invitations."
Rachel winced and grabbed his hand. "Oh my gosh! Did you get hurt?"
"No.. I ducked in time. But yeah, believe me when I tell you, she just seems to want to sign on the dotted line and be done, like none of this planning stuff interests her. At this rate I'm not even sure why we're even planning a full wedding to-do and not just, like, going to city hall or eloping instead."
"My goodness Finn... yes, from the sounds of things I'm beginning to wonder myself why you're planning a big wedding. Maybe city hall would be the better option. Because really, she should care at least a little bit; I mean, how can she pick out bridesmaids dresses without even knowing a color scheme?"
"Britt's been helping her with that I guess. I think she said something about black dresses. Or maybe gray. Whatever, but that means the dresses will be pretty neutral, so I can add a punch of color with the flowers."
"A punch of color, huh? I think you're short-selling just how much influence Kurt's had on you – or else that was one hell of a class you attended." She snickered, burying her face into the side of his arm.
He flashed a wide dimpled grin at her. "Woman, stop making fun of me!" He went in for her tickle spot but she squealed and quickly squirmed away, until he managed to wrap her back up in a bear hug.
"Finn let me go!" she squeaked.
"Nope. Gotta pay the piper first. You know the price."
Standing face to face with Finn's arms wrapped tightly around her, her arms pinned against his strong chest, she's gazing into his smiling eyes when a thought crossed Rachel's mind: Jesse is never this playful or affectionate with her, certainly not in public, and she sort of wonders why that is. She's not usually bothered by Jesse's lack of... Finn-ness? For want of a better term. But at this moment, the thought is sobering.
Why does she always feel more at home, more comfortable with Finn than with anyone else on earth? Shouldn't she have these same feelings for the man she intends to marry and spend the rest of her life with? And what does their future together look like if she doesn't have those feelings for him already?
She revels in the feel of Finn's warm, strong embrace and always has... and for just a moment she asks herself why she's willing to settle for anything less than exactly this in her marriage.
She already knows what she's signed up for. Jesse is Broadway. He's a professional and keeps to rigid schedules and planning and serious matters. Yes he also respects her as an artist and a performer, and he supports her dreams and nurtures her talent. They have the same shared goals, and that's wonderful. It would make for a terrific business partnership. But is that really the way a marriage should feel?
Finn by stark contrast is everything Jesse isn't. He's warm, caring, fun and playful. He looks at her like she's the only girl in the room and makes her feel good about herself without even trying most of the time. He's a bit awkward and clumsy, but in a totally endearing way. She even loves their extreme height difference and the feeling of how she fits snugly into the curve of his side. Finn is all things comfort and home; he protects her and makes her feel safe, and always has.
As a partner, Rachel doesn't want someone who can only appreciate the career ambitions side of her life; she wants a partner who can sweep her off her feet with romance, who can be passionate and affectionate and playful. Who can keep her grounded and make her feel invincible at the same time. Someone who makes her feel beautiful, as if she's the only girl on the planet who matters... Is that really how Jesse sees her?
Looking into Finn's twinkling amber eyes once again, she already knows the answer to that question.
Finn and Jesse couldn't be more different from one another. She's always known it. And in all the years Rachel's known Finn, he's never once given her the indication that he'd thought they could ever be any more than just friends – nor that he'd ever want them to be. Despite all the years Rachel had yearned for the opposite to be true, she eventually had to accept that friendship was all she and Finn would ever share, so she simply forced herself to move on from those feelings.
She'd told herself long ago it was too much to ask the universe to allow her to find a man who simultaneously loved her for the Broadway Diva she was grooming herself to become as well as an object of his desire to be worshiped and romanced. Considering how hard it was to find a partner who would appreciate her Broadway dreams the same as she does, Jesse with his common love of theater – as well as possessing his own impressive talents – seemed to be such a perfect fit for her, on paper anyway. No, he would never make her feel like a giddy school girl the way Finn does, but then no one else ever would either. Finn was an anomaly in her world, like a unicorn. Accepting this reality early on made it a little easier to simply accept that the universe had offered Jesse as an alternative to having it all.
Yet it's while standing here in Finn's arms in the middle of a floral shop where Rachel suddenly feels those butterflies swarming in her belly again for the first time in a long time, and a strong desire to shove her tongue in Finn's mouth and profess her undying love to him. To beg him to fight for her, to plead with him to accept the fact that they were always meant to be together and to tell him she never wanted anyone but him all along. But she knows she can't do that.
As she saw Emma returning, a sudden sobering slap of cold reality clenched her heart. He's marrying Santana. And she's marrying Jesse. And these butterflies just need to fly away again... so she did what she's always done and pushed those thoughts and feelings aside once again.
Finn's adoring eyes were still fixed upon her with his cheek poked outward toward her, awaiting his 'payment', so she finally leaned up and pressed a soft kiss against his scruffy jaw. "There. Piper is paid, so can you let me go now please?" she smiled softly.
"Sure thing shortcake," he smiled then kissed her temple as he released her.
Emma, having returned with the sample bouquets and only having seen the tickle battle, the bear hug and now the little kisses shared between the couple, looked at Finn with a warm smile. "You two are just too adorable. If you don't mind me asking, how did you pop the question? I bet it was so romantic."
Rachel bit her bottom lip and Finn bit the inside of his cheek. Then Rachel spoke up. "Oh it was! Finny here is just too romantic for words... he took me to a lovely dinner at Sardi's, then a magical stroll through Central Park to Bow Bridge, where he got down on one knee. He gave the most heartfelt speech ever about how much he loves me and will cherish me forever. It made me swoon." She glanced at Finn and winked at him while holding his hand and squeezing tight.
"Ye-yeah... uhh, I was totally nervous the whole time. I didn't wanna mess it up, 'cause Rach is just so special that I wanted everything to be perfect for her. And um.. She deserves all the romance in the world."
Finn thought to himself how true everything he'd just said was – Rachel IS that special and does deserve all the romance. It's just too bad Jesse St Jackass seems to not realize this about her. Finn gets a little disgusted thinking about Jesse's 'proposal' the way Rachel had described it – which to him sounded more like a business proposal than one of marriage. 'We make sense together Rachel, let's just do this. Even mother agrees. It'll be good for both our careers, and Broadway will only be all the better for it.' Where's the passion? The romance? No flowers, no charm, no love... He treats her more like a stock market commodity. Why the hell is she marrying this douche?
Emma's chipper voice cuts through his internal rant and brings him back into the moment. "Awww that sounds so lovely! And seems very fitting for the two of you. Well congratulations, and I wish you both all the happiness in the world. And you're both so good looking, you're going to have the most beautiful children!"
Finn turned to gauge Rachel's reaction then decided to keep playing along. "Thanks. Uh.. yeah we always wanted at least two or three kids, right Rach?" He nudged her gently with his elbow.
"Oh.. um, yes! Although, four would be nice, maybe we'll have two of each, if we're lucky." She smirked knowingly at Finn, amused that he was willing to keep up the façade.
Having overheard the end of Finn and Rachel's discussion with the florist, Kurt tugged Blaine by the hand until they were out on the sidewalk outside the flower shop. "Okay. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe interference is exactly what's called for right now. Did you hear them in there?! For Gaga's sake, they're planning their future imaginary CHILDREN together, Blaine! The future of my potential nieces and nephews hangs in the balance here!"
"Okay okay, calm down. Let's try to get them out to lunch tomorrow. I'll call Diva after we get back home later today. You call Finn later as well. If we try to invite them on separate lunch dates now while we're all together it'll seem suspicious."
"What if you're right though, Blaine. What if one or both of them decides to call off their current enagagement? We'd be homewreckers! I don't know how I'd feel about that."
"Well, yeah it might be bad if only ONE of them called off their engagement... Or, going glass half full, it'd at least be for the best for that person, right? We would've saved them from a lifetime stuck in an unhappy marriage with a partner they'd have just been settling for."
Kurt's sigh was heavy but resigned. "I guess that's true enough... Okay, I suppose when you put it that way it doesn't sound so Romeo and Juliet. But thinking of the potential fallout if we were to succeed, I'm honestly a little more worried about Santana than Jesse... she scares me."
"Aw Kurt, I'll protect you sweetie... never fear." Blaine chuckled as he planted a sweet kiss on his boyfriend's lips.
"I'll hold you to that Mr. Anderson," Kurt replied as he wrapped his arms around the man he loves. "At least it's a comfort to know you and I won't be suffering their sort of misery... how did we get so lucky?"
"Let's just count our lucky stars and not ask silly questions, Kurt."
...FRFRF...
As the foursome left the flower shop, Kurt and Blaine explained they had dinner reservations and so parted ways, saying their goodbyes and leaving the pair of best friends on their own.
Finn had a million unanswered questions swirling in his brain. He knows Rachel is sometimes a little ornery and likes to joke around – often using these things as real life moments to help improve her acting skills – but he's never seen her take things this far, especially not sober and in public. Pretending to be engaged in the face of all the misconceptions has so far really been a fun little private joke between them, but all this talk of romance and babies all of a sudden has him wondering exactly what's going on in her mind.
"So Rach, what was that back at the flower shop?"
"Whatever do you mean, Finn?"
"Ahh.. you let her think we were, um, y'know, a couple... and..."
"Well why not? We seem to be getting this same reaction everywhere we go – which is nothing new. I just figured why not have a little fun with it?"
"Yeah I get that – and sure, it was fun. But, I just meant, all that other talk.. y'know, about babies and stuff... Did you mean it, you really want four kids?"
"Well, yes, I guess I do. Sure, I would love to have a houseful of little feet and smiling faces someday. At least four. But, Jesse.. he's not really into the idea of children all that much – a-at least not right now. He'd like one or two maybe, someday down the road."
"How far down the road?"
"Oh I don't know, maybe 8 or 10 years."
"What? Well... Are you okay with that? Sounds like you're maybe making another one of those really big concessions, Rach."
"That's just... No. I mean, of course I have my career to think of too, so we certainly wouldn't be starting a family right away. But, no... I don't think it's a concession, no. I just... I wouldn't want to wait too long. I'd of course like to have earned my Tony award first, but honestly, if he wanted to start a family sooner, I'd be okay with that too. I just don't think he will though."
"That's stupid. Rachel, why... I mean, what do you see in him? And I - I'm genuinely asking, not trying to be a dick and criticize or anything like that, I just honestly want to know. Why are you marrying him?"
"Well, he loves me, and I-I love him, Finn... I don't understand. Why are you asking me this now?"
"He just.. I don't know Rach. You two seem to have really different ideas about your future together, that's all. Like, I know you wanted to maybe try for kids when you're 25, and guess what, that's almost here – not a DECADE from now. So I guess, how long do you really wanna wait? And yeah, I know you haven't hit your benchmark roles on Broadway yet, but y'know, Broadway isn't going anywhere. You have loads of time for all of that and with your talent I KNOW it'll happen... So I just wonder. Are you seriously willing to wait that long to start a family?"
"Finn, maybe this isn't... W-well, what about you and San? Are you planning to try for kids right away?"
Finn scrubs his hand over the back of his neck. "Uhh, y'know, we haven't really talked about it much. But I don't think so. She's not big into kids either at this point, said something about not being a baby making factory and what it'd do to her va-jay-jay and–"
"FINN! Um, maybe she wouldn't want you repeating these things to me.."
"Rach c'mon, Tana knows I tell you basically everything."
"Well, telling me YOUR everythings isn't the same as repeating things she's said in private to you about herself. But... Well, you can't be happy about that either though, Finn. I know how badly you want to become a father. And you'll be an amazing daddy someday, I know you will."
"Thanks Bite-size. Really, it means so much to hear that, from you especially. And no, I'm not thrilled about it but.. I dunno. We're opening the club soon, and that's gonna take a big chunk of my time and focus and money of course... so maybe it's a good idea to put kids on the back burner, for at least a couple years."
"Yes, I suppose that would be the sensible approach... but not wanting to have children because of the impact on her body? Seems a little... vain. Or.. well, sorry. I guess it's not really my place to comment."
"Hey Rach, you know you can say anything to me... and yeah, maybe it's a little vain or whatever. I don't know. I think she's just... afraid of the idea maybe? At least for right now... It's whatever. You know how I feel about the subject, and I guess I just figured she'll come around eventually."
Rachel reaches a hand out to his shoulder, rubbing it gently in comfort. "You know, eventually is nearly upon us... the weddings are fast approaching now. And Finn, I do know. I know how important it is to you. I know how much you want to start a family, and.. well, I know Santana and I have never been terribly close – not close enough to talk about things like this certainly, but I think maybe you two should try having another conversation. It's a pretty big thing, Finn, if you have such different ideas about children. That's much bigger than compromising on the size of a wedding reception.. And what if she never wants ANY kids? Would you be okay with that?"
"No, of course I wouldn't, you know I wouldn't... but I mean, if we were like, medically unable to have them or something, I'd at least want to adopt. And I wouldn't wanna wait forever to do that either. But I know you're right, we probably should be talking more about it, sooner than later. And hell, I've tried. She just doesn't like to talk about it much. I don't know what to make of it." Finn remained quiet for a moment then gazed into Rachel's eyes. "I just wish things were different sometimes. Feels like I missed some opportunities. And well, I guess.. Whatever. Yeah, I guess you're right about talking to her. I'll try again."
Something in his words and the odd look that had just crossed his face is not letting her move on so easily from the topic. "Wait what did you mean, you wish things were different.. What opportunities do you think you missed?"
Finn winced internally and kicked himself silently for his momentary slip up. "Nothin' Rach. Hey, how did this turn around on me anyway? We were talking about you starting a family... you did it to me again!" he chuckled.
"I was just curious, you know, since we were on the topic."
"Uh-huh, right. You mean you were changing the subject to get the heat off yourself!" He laughed as he poked her in the side playfully. "Y'know the florist is right. We probably woulda made some cute babies together, you and me," Finn says in jest, but Rachel can't help but wonder just how much of that statement is jest and how much could be... regret?
She decided to play along, smiling brightly while keeping the mood light by adding "Sure, we probably would've... As long as they all had your nose anyway. And my small stature, because your gigantic monster-size babies might split me in half."
He laughed loudly but then cupped her cheek. "Hey... I love your nose, half-pint. It's a perfectly good schnoz and it looks good on you." He tapped the tip of her nose with his index finger.
Shaking her head with soft laughter, she once again felt those butterflies swarming and did her best to ignore them. "If you say so.. thanks, Finny."
...FRFRF...
"So.. that's the table settings, linens and centerpieces out of the way. Next stop, Rach?"
"Well, we're done for today, but tomorrow is the appointment I KNOW you've been waiting for... catering. Holiday Gourmet at 11am – and I already know before you say it – you can't wait to get there! At least I know we won't need to make any stops for food before – or after!"
Thrusting both fists into the air he cheered, "YES! But uh.. I make no guarantees as to the before part... or the after, for that matter. But yeah, this food tasting stuff is the BEST part of wedding planning!"
She laughed then asked "Do you have any sort of menu plan in mind for you and San?"
"Well you know me, I'm pretty basic. Steak and potatoes would be fine by me, and Tana too I'm sure. But I know we need to accommodate certain other 'fussier' guests, y'know the rabbit food eaters..." He chuckled and winked at her.
"Hey! It's not rabbit food. You've called it that for years and it's simply inaccurate. I don't know many rabbits who eat a steady diet of rice, seaweed or tofu... although I suppose they could."
Finn laughed heartily and replied "Okay, well anyway... I thought I'd leave the alternative menu selections to you, since it's pretty much FOR you anyway."
She giggled and concurred, "Yes, perhaps that's for the best."
...FRFRF...
As Finn and Rachel sat at the table at the caterer's shop waiting for the owner to come out to greet them, a veritable buffet of sample dishes began arriving from a team of servers. Finn's eyes went wide with anticipation at the sight of so many of his favorite foods laid out before him.
Rachel giggled softly at the look on his face, then leaned over to him and whispered with a discreet smile, "See, I still know the way to your heart, don't I?"
Finn never pulled his eyes from the feast being laid out in front of him but muttered back, "chicken Florentine, prime rib, roasted garlic mash potatoes, beef Wellington, Maryland style crab cakes, bacon wrapped scallops, green beans almondine... oh god, Rach baby, ditch him and marry me."
Realizing what he'd just said, he chuckled awkwardly to make light of the remark then kissed her cheek. "We can just live all fat and happy in a food coma every day forever with a feast like this!"
Rachel was still grinning and blushing wildly from his comment, but before she could give it another thought or respond, the caterer finally appeared to introduce herself.
"Well hello there folks! Welcome to Holiday Gourmet, I'm Holly Holiday. I believe we spoke on the phone... you must be Rachel, and I presume this is your Finn."
Rachel greeted her with a blinding pearly smile and a handshake. "Yes we are! So nice to finally meet you in person. And we're SO very excited to try this menu – everything looks and smells positively mouth-watering here!" Rachel exclaimed enthusiastically, gesturing to the feast surrounding them.
"Well thank you so much, and it's very nice to meet you both. I'm so glad to hear that we're off to a good start! Now, I realize you requested some vegan options, and rest assured they will be out shortly. But as you requested, we're starting off with the main course protein options and sides you'd wanted your fiance's opinions on first." Holly looked at Finn, who'd already begun sampling the prime rib, potatoes and crab cakes.
Once again glossing over the erroneous 'fiancé' comment, Finn finally pulled his eyes away from his plate long enough to look up at her, rolling his eyes around in appreciation while giving two thumbs up. He took a moment to swallow his food and a sip of water, then exclaimed, "This is some of the best food I've ever eaten!" He looked at Rachel then added, "Seriously, I don't know how we're gonna choose just a few items here Rach, I mean every bite is literally better than the last!"
"Finny, we can choose any or all of these dishes. I was planning to add the menu options to the RSVP's with the invitations so the guests can choose their own entrees ahead of time. It's better for portion control to let the guests decide for themselves. But the important thing to me is that you approve of the menu. And I think, looking at these seafood dishes, I may have to cheat a little on my vegan diet and try a bite or two, especially that crab cake – it looks positively irresistible!"
"Yeah? I kind of noticed you drooling a little," he teased her as he ran his thumb along the corner of her mouth. "Well it's not that far from a vegan dish babe, y'know, except for the whole CRAB part of it... so you really wanna try some?"
"Yes! I really really do!"
With that, he scooped a small bite onto his fork and fed it to her. The sound she made as she savored the delectable dish gave him goosebumps. "Wow Rach. Uh... geez, you like, really really enjoyed that didn't you? You want some more?"
"Mmmm... yes please... oh. my. god... Finn... this is..."
He couldn't help himself having a little fun, especially seeing the look on her face with the taste of the crab cake still swirling on her palate. "I know..." he leaned over with a wicked grin, his low gravelly voice whispering in her ear "it's practically orgasmic, isn't it?"
Her eyes went wide and she leaned back to look at him with the same impish smirk as the one he was wearing. "Yeah. That's exactly what it is."
He eagerly fed her another bite and she made that sound again. He chuckled silently, shoulders shaking while biting his bottom lip, then murmured under his breath to her, "Rach, babe, we are in a public place you know."
"I just.. Oh god Finn, I can't help it! I've never had anything this amazing in my mouth before!"
Biting the inside of cheek, he choked back the words he WANTED to spit out, opting instead to feed her yet another fork full of the crab cake and just enjoyed watching – and listening to – her reaction.
"Wanna try a scallop too? I'll take the bacon off if you–"
She shook her head. "Leave it on. YES. I want it."
"Are you sure, Shortcake? I mean wow, breaking Kosher rules too? You're being a really bad girl today..."
She whined back in response, "I know, but it just looks sooo good!"
Finn smiled and stabbed a scallop onto the end of his fork. Just as he was about to feed it to her, he detoured the fork back to his own mouth at the last minute and enjoyed the bite himself, groaning in appreciation.
The pouty look of disappointment on her face made him shake with laughter. "Finn! You're so mean, don't tease me!"
He laughed too hard to feel that bad, then told her "Hey, I think you should really not try the scallops.. They're um, GOD they're even better than the crab cakes, but I think you've already cheated on your diet so much already, so..."
"But I want it so badly, Finn, give it to me, pleeease. Don't make me beg."
He damn near choked on his food with her last comment and hurriedly sipped down some ice water, chewing on a few chunks of ice as a distraction.
"Okay okay.. Wow, who knew a little seafood would elicit this reaction from you..." With a devilish glint in his eyes he asked "You ready?"
As he brought another fork full teasingly and extremely slowly toward her, she pouted then glared at him. "Now Finn. Stop teasing me!" She grabbed onto his hand this time to ensure he guided the fork to her mouth and not his own. His eyes were transfixed as her lips wrapped tightly around the fork then slid slowly off the smooth metal. She once again melted into the mouthful with another outrageous moan while still holding onto his hand. He swallowed hard, silently cursing himself for being irrationally jealous over a fork.
"WOW, I can clearly see how you two ended up together! No need to offer any tips on how to spice up your relationship, you've already got it goin' on in all the right places – muy muy caliente! WOO! You're setting me on fire from way over here!" Holly guffawed and winked at them while fanning herself with a menu. "Talk about sexual chemistry, I might have to bring the fire extinguisher out pretty soon... Just please be careful not to set off my sprinklers!"
Rachel was too busy savoring the seafood to pay any mind to what Holly is saying, and Finn was too busy paying attention to Rachel's reaction to the food while also trying not to get too uncomfortable in his pants, since the sounds and faces she'd been making were seriously beginning to have an unexpected impact on him.
"Okay Rach. Uh..I think that's enough cheating for one day. Safe to say we want the seafood dishes."
She beamed a wide Cheshire cat grin at him. "Oh, hell yes we do!"
...FRFRF...
A/N - Oh yeah, i do loves me a good food & sexual tension scene... hope it played well. It wasn't easy to resist going full-on When Harry Met Sally here, just know the Meg Ryan vibe was playing in the back of my mind... LOL. The only downside to this scene is how badly I'm now craving crab cakes and scallops... ;)