Tina knew generally speaking that Finn was feeling down on himself, and lost, and she wanted to pick him up again and help him realize what he wanted to do– however possible. She herself was a little clueless, but had finally begun applying to schools before it was too late. So far she’d yet to get any responses, and had a feeling it might be last minute until she had a plan. Thankfully Finn’s holiday break had been pleasant as it was well-deserved; she was glad to hear that he’d been able to catch up with Kurt, but his words left him open for a cheesy pun that Tee couldn’t resist. “Hey! You set me up!” she teased back as she was playfully jeered, and Finn’s gentle nudge earned one back from Tina, though she was careful to barely do so since he was driving. “You’re just jealous because I said it first!” Her lilt was light and good-natured, and Tina’s smile softened as they spoke more about future directions. “You’re welcome Finn,” she answered sweetly as he thanked her. “I mean it. I don’t know about sooner. Sure, I have a deadline coming up, but who is to say anything will happen with it? I honestly don’t have a clue. But I hope you know that wherever we go, you can’t push me away that easily.” Stealing a glance at him with a twinkle in her eye, the brunette nodded in response to his comment about eating. “Exactly, and it’s more fun to share with a friend.” Tina was sincerely thrilled about the prospect of their secret sneak-outs being a weekly deal. She discussed her own Christmas and how it had been a quiet one, but reassuringly nodded again when Finn chimed in that it was hopefully a nice, restful one. “I promise, it was. Just different is all.” It was her first without Mike, and while Tina had been doing well enough since the break up, it really hit hard over the holidays. Never one to stop encouraging Finn and his leadership, it always amazed her how much he tried to motivate her in return. After playing back-up to everyone else, it was still hard to believe she had much talent. Finn, however, was always chiming in about it. “I really want to fight you on it,” Tina cracked another smile as Finn pulled into the parking lot. “I don’t mean that I think I’m bad at it, I just don’t… see myself making a career out of it anymore. Thank you though. It means a lot that you do.”

Giving a little shrug, Tina retrieved from her bag the belated Christmas present and handed it over to Finn. She too chuckled as he pointed out having one for her as well, and if her cheeks hadn’t already blushed as he brushed against her leg to fish it from the glove department (which also drew goosebumps to her skin), they definitely were when he considered her the best for last. “Of course I did,” she smiled, unbuckling her seat-belt and turning better to face him. “And I’d say in both cases.” Trading gifts, Tina let Finn open his first, her warm eyes catching his as he placed the small gift-wrapped box in her lap and too wished her a Merry Christmas. She was delighted at Finn’s response to the drumsticks– especially when he realized they were personalized and what was said on them. It was his trademark song - the one that started it all - but also an important message that she wanted Finn to remember. “I’m so glad you like them,” Tina chimed in joyfully, squeezing her arms back around Finn as he drew her into a little hug. “That song always reminds me of you. Of Glee Club. And you should keep believing in yourself. I know I do.” Pausing for a moment, she tenderly added: “Tell you what… I will, if you do.” Drawing back slowly, Tina proceeded to carefully unwrap her present. She was blown away by the beautiful token– a music note, and just the perfect addition to her neckline. It was gorgeous and moving, and Tina felt a tear sprinkle her eye as she beamed at Finn. After her break-up with Mike she gradually stopped wearing the necklace he’d given her; now she had the perfect replacement for it. It meant a lot to Tina and she threw her arms around Finn again, giving him a stronger hug this time. “I love it Finn!” she squealed, burying her face into his neck for a moment. “It’s gorgeous… the best gift I’ve ever been given.” Reluctantly she withdrew from his warm embrace, but not before placing a chaste kiss on his cheek. “Will you help me put it on so I can wear it now?” she asked, daintily removing the pendant from the box and handing it over to Finn. Turning her back to him, Tina gathered her long, silky chocolate tresses and held them up so that he could clasp it around her bare neck. “I actually haven’t worn a necklace since… you know,” she murmured softly.

Just spending time like this with Tina made Finn feel better. Christmas and the holidays had been great to take his mind off of his directionless life, but with them coming to an end and things getting back to normal Finn was back to feeling let down with how everything was going. Still in Lima, watching more of his friends get ready to graduate in the next few months too. Somehow, she was able to make it better though, and joking with her on the way to lunch definitely made things lighter for him. It helped to know she was still going through a rough patch of her own, each dealing with the end of longtime relationships in their own way. He was urging her not to give up with college applications, knowing full well she’d be in demand at places wherever she set her mind to. “Who’s to say? Me, I’m to say.” He grinned as he glanced back at her, giving her a little wink. “And good, because the last thing I’d want is for you to go off and never look back at all. It’s taken us this long to become really good friends, I don’t want to lose that.” He was her biggest cheerleader at this point, continually making sure she knew how much talent she possessed musically. “You can try to fight me all you want, but we both know I’ll win.” As they pulled into the parking lot, Finn brought the truck to a stop. “But I know what you mean. I just hope you’ll keep thinking about it too. You’re welcome Tee, I’ve never been more sure of anything.” Quickly they each produced Christmas gifts for the other as a late exchange, in the process of reaching for his gift to her Finn’s arm brushed over her leg which raised goosebumps on his skin. “You’re right, both.” Finn opened his gift first at her request, and finding a pair of personalized drumsticks he was awestruck by her thoughtfulness. Reaching out to pull her into a hug, Finn was beaming. “I do, I absolutely love them! They’re awesome Tina, thank you so much!” It was so sweet and kind of her to give him something that on the surface was perfect for him, but also presented itself as a message with a deeper meaning.

“Okay, you’ve got yourself a deal. We can both keep believing in ourselves. And each other. No take-backsies.” He watched as she took the time to unwrap her own gift now, and her reaction made it even more worthwhile as she threw her arms around him in a tighter hug than before. He could feel the warmth of her skin against his own as she thanked him profusely. “Really? You mean it? Because you can always take it back if it’s not what you want, I don’t mind.” He’d gotten used to that with Rachel, she’d always thank him too but a lot of the time would end up swapping it for something else she wanted. As she pressed a kiss to his cheek Finn blushed a little bit, not expecting that. “Oh, yeah of course! You want to put it on right now?” he asked, but she had already taken it from the box to hand to him. “Okay, I’d be happy to.” Taking the pendant he reached around from the back to place it around her neck, and tried to get it fastened up. As he did, Finn was a little distracted staring at the back of Tina’s graceful neck and the bundle of brunette curls she was holding up. Something about the moment rocked Finn a bit, so much so that he had to shake himself out of the reverie. “It looks great on you,” he spoke up once he’d fastened the clasp for her and she turned back around. Admitting she hadn’t worn a necklace at all since she and Mike had broken up, Finn felt guilty for getting her something similar. “Oh... really? I’m sorry then. But it really does look great on you, Tina.” Putting a hand on her shoulder to give it a tiny squeeze, Finn smiled at her again. “Now how about we go get our fill of burgers?”