#finngasm

“See you later babe. Have fun with my dad,” Lea said as she headed out the door. She was off to a charity event, while Cory was spending some time hanging out with her father. She knew that the two got along well, so she’d planned for her dad to keep Cory company since she knew that he wasn’t too keen on being in the public eye since getting out of rehab. Besides, she could raise money and do her own events, she didn’t always need him escorting her. 

Cory sighed with relief once Lea was gone. Now he could start mentally preparing himself for the conversation that he was about to have with her dad. This could either go really well or be a total disaster, and he knew it. Her dad was the gatekeeper between him and the one thing he really wanted in life. This was the first step in something really big. After this, he couldn’t go back.

Lea sent him a photo of herself in the car on the way to her event, which distracted him from his anxious thoughts for a moment. That girl was cute when she wasn’t being so sexy that he couldn’t think straight. He loved his girlfriend, it was that simple. And if this went well, he’d be showing her just how much he adored her. 

Lea’s dad Marc called him shortly after, asking if he’d be interested in going to this little place in Brooklyn that he knew for dinner since they were just pulling into New York on the train they’d taken to the city. Cory agreed, getting away from all the fans and tourists in Manhattan was just what he needed. He took a taxi across town, which seemed to be taking forever with all the traffic. But then again, it was really no different than LA in that respect. But he was so much more nervous to talk to Marc than he would have been to go to the Glee set or a movie premiere.

About a half hour later, Cory showed up at the address that Marc had given him. It was a quaint little cafe, off the beaten path and very quiet. Perfect. Now Cory knew that their conversation wouldn’t be overheard unless it was enough of a disaster that he wanted witnesses. They got a table almost as soon as they were there, and Cory knew the waitress was a fan with how giggly she suddenly got at the sight of him. He signed a menu for her, it wasn’t really a big deal since she was being discreet about everything and not bothering him for pictures or anything. Besides, she seemed nice enough. 

Cory quickly picked out what he wanted, a steak sandwich and homemade kettle chips. It was something Lea would never make for him, so he figured now was the time to enjoy it. Marc got a chicken caesar salad - apparently some of Lea’s habits had rubbed off on him - and soon the waitress left them alone. Cory took a deep breath. It was now or never, this was the moment he’d practiced for so many times.

“So, Mr. Sarfati, I uh-” Cory began, quickly finding himself very nervous as Lea’s dad interrupted him.

“Cory, it’s Marc. Has been since you and my daughter became an item. What’s up? That’s a pretty serious face for just dinner,” Marc replied breezily.

“M-Marc. I wanted to ask you something,” Cory said, his mouth getting dryer every word he said. Mercifully, the waitress brought their drinks over after a momentary awkward pause. He chugged half the glass of water before speaking again.

“I was thinking of proposing to Lea... but not without asking your permission first of course. And I know we haven’t been together like a terribly long time or anything but it’s just... I know it’s real. I mean, she stuck with me through rehab. Even when her friends started to wonder about me and whether I was a bad influence, she never did. I’ve made plenty of mistakes in my life, but loving your daughter isn’t one of them. I know that I’m good for her sir, and she’s good for me. I don’t even know if I should be asking your permission, honestly, since she’s sort of all on her own in LA and everything now. But I know she’d want me to have asked, so here I am,” Cory said, taking a tense deep breath as he waited for an answer.

“Is that it? You’re done rambling now?” Marc teased, and Cory quickly got a look of panic on his face. When Marc recognized how worried he was, he laughed slightly. “Yes, you can propose. She’s talked about it, actually. How she wanted to marry you someday. Not to me, of course, but to her mother. And then I hear all the details because you know how women are. But you cannot be that nervous when you ask her. Do something that would be special to her... I’d do it in the city in fact, if I were you. You know this place means ten times more to her than Los Angeles,” Marc told him, a small smile on his face.

Cory breathed a huge sigh of relief, panting for a couple minutes until he caught his breath. “Thank you sir. You have no idea how much this means,” Cory said. Before he could say any more, their food came. They both started eating, exchanging pleasantries and small talk as though the previous conversation had never happened. It was a pleasant, uneventful meal that was over pretty quickly.

“Welcome to the family son. Now if you want serious ring help that would be my wife’s job, she’s actually over by Tiffany’s shopping as I understand it. I can call her if you’re anxious to pick something out,” Marc said. Cory nodded eagerly, he knew that he wanted to propose to Lea soon. Ideally on this trip, if he could. Hell, maybe even tonight. This part he was sure of, even if the words didn’t come easily he knew that he’d manage to get what he meant across. The one thing he’d never doubted since him and Lea had been together was their feelings for each other. Even when the rest of his life was falling apart, she was always perfect. She was his rock.  Marc texted Edith, letting her know that Cory wanted to go ring shopping with him. She was of course ecstatic and eager to get started. “I’m just gonna leave cash with a big tip... I wanna get out of here,” Cory said, and Marc nodded. 

“I’ll come with, if you don’t mind. I haven’t been in Manhattan in awhile,” he said.

Cory tossed a hundred dollar bill down on the table - definitely at least double what lunch cost - and told the waitress the money was there on the way out, tossing her one of his signature grins. Him and Marc grabbed a taxi to take back to Manhattan, telling the driver to head for Tiffany’s. Of course he thought they were just another couple tourists in the city, but for Cory this wasn’t about the sights or the experience of being in New York. This was about finding the perfect ring for his soon-to-be fiancee. The cab ride seemed to taking forever, and Marc smiled over at Cory knowingly. Finally his daughter’s dream - well, her post-Broadway stardom dream - was coming true.

When they got to Tiffany’s, Edith was already waiting outside. After they got out of the taxi, she immediately wrapped Cory in a hug. “Oh I’m so happy you’re proposing!” she gushed.

“Shh,” Cory laughed at her, all too aware that a tourist wanting to share the scoop online could spoil the surprise for Lea. 

“Sorry,” Edith laughed, walking into the jewelry store with him and her husband. “I had them pull a few that I thought she’d like... they’re in a room in the back,” she said.

One of the salespeople waved them over, bringing them back into a small private room. Cory looked down at the selection of rings carefully. Lea would love them all, he knew, no one knew her taste better than her mom. But he wanted something that meant something. Something she’d wear all the time, from hanging out at home cuddling with Sheila to going to the big awards shows. She might have to take it off to film Glee, he knew, at least until they got Brad to write them the finchel proposal they’d been begging for. Then, perhaps it could be Rachel’s new ring as well.

Looking over the rings, there was one that stood out to him. A three-stone ring, not too big and flashy but still very glamorous. “She’d love that. At least as a starter ring. I’ll let her pick out a second one. But for now, this is the one. It’s not too small, right?” he asked Lea’s parents, who shook their heads. “This one. In um, a seven. Yeah, that’s her ring size. Engagement ring sizes work the same, right?” she asked the clerk, who nodded. 

“I can take your card, sir, if you’d like to take it home today,” the clerk said, and Cory nodded. He handed over one of his credit cards, sitting there nervously until the receipt was in his hand along with a little blue box holding an expensive ring. It felt so heavy, not with the weight of the diamond but with the meaning that she knew it held. 

“Are you proposing tonight?” Edith asked him before they left the room, and Cory nodded. Tonight was the night, he could feel it. 

Edith smiled at him. “Do you know where yet?” she asked.

Cory shrugged. “My only ideas were either on the Brooklyn Bridge - her event was near there - or in Central Park. I mean, Bow Bridge has always been like, a spot for us I guess, but it’s more Finn and Rachel’s spot than ours, I think. I don’t know. But the view on the Brooklyn Bridge is so nice and I know she would love that. I think that might be a little more private too, at least then there’s only so many angles people can take pictures from. Or maybe I’ll just wait ‘til we’re back to her place. I want it to be special, but honestly she loves being home. I think it’s the what, not the where, that matters most,” he said. After a few minute’s deliberation, he decided that he was going to propose to her at home. It was going to be too late by the time he got home, and he didn’t want to make her walk on the bridge in her heels. Besides, he wanted to have some privacy with her afterwards. “I think I’m just gonna order some food and propose at her place... that seems best. I’m sure she’ll be tired and stuff and just want to go to bed after,” he told her parents. They nodded understandingly.

“Well, good luck with everything. I’m sure she’ll call us tomorrow with the big news,” Edith said, and Cory smiled. They all left the jewelry store together, and Cory rushed towards her apartment, stopping for food and flowers on the way home. He brought everything back to her apartment, immediately hiding the ring in his suitcase so she wouldn’t accidentally find it. Then he used his nervous energy to focus on making the apartment romantic. Candles, soft music, the air conditioner thermostat raised a few degrees to keep them from getting chilly, no detail was too small. He made sure that the ring box was ready, not wanting to fumble with it when the moment came. Once he was sure everything was perfect, he started pacing the room anxiously while he tried to come up with exactly the right words to say.

It seemed to take forever before he even got a text from Lea, and when he finally did it said that she wasn’t feeling that great and was coming home a little earlier than planned. Great. Exactly the hitch that his plan didn’t need. Of course he was still going to spend the night pampering her and trying to make her relax, but now proposing probably wouldn’t work out. Now he was going to have to be nervous all over again a different night. Well, at least now he’d worked the kinks out of his plan.

He walked over to Lea when she finally arrived. “You look gorgeous, even when you aren’t feeling so hot,” he whispered, wrapping his arms around her. 

“Thanks, but if I don’t get these shoes off soon I’m not gonna look so hot with my face against the floor. My feet are killing me,” she said. Once he let go of her she walked to the couch, taking off her shoes and finally taking notice of the candles and everything. “Wow, it looks like someone was in the mood for romance tonight. It looks great in here. I think you make my place look even better,” she said. She relaxed into the couch, breathing a little sigh.

“Hey, go slip into something more comfortable and I’ll give you a foot rub. My job is making you happy, not being your interior designer,” Cory practically demanded. At first Lea pouted, but her expression quickly softened into a smile, which he knew meant she wasn’t going to protest.

“You know one of the times you use that phrase I’m going to pull out the Rachel Berry polka dotted frumpy pajamas. What you mean is slip into less clothing. But I do want a foot rub. Be right back,” she quipped with a giggle.

He laughed, gazing after her as she walked towards the bedroom. She came back after realizing that she couldn’t get her own dress unzipped easily. “Undo me?” she asked, and he slowly dragged the zipper down, admiring her skin that was revealed. “Be good, you,” she said before heading back to the bedroom to change.

When she came back, his eyes widened at the sight of her in a short silky robe. “Come here Lea,” he said, smiling as she handed over a bottle of her favorite lotion. He put some on his hands, warming it up  while she got settled with her feet in his lap. “Relax, babe. You’re so tense. That’s why you weren’t feeling so hot I bet,” he whispered, looking at her worriedly. “Want a glass of wine before I get started?” he asked

She shook her head when he offered her a glass of wine. “I just want time with my boyfriend. This event was just too intense, there were more journalists than they’d expected and all the resulting questions that weren’t vetted by my publicist. So many invasive questions about us too... I get sick of it sometimes,” she told him, sighing contently when he started rubbing her feet. 

He watched as she started relaxing a little, finally off her feet and away from the public eye. “I know, I get sick of it too. But there’s none of that here, just me. And if you don’t want me to ask any questions at all tonight, I understand. You don’t even have to talk if you don’t want to,” he said, continuing to move his thumbs along the tense muscle running along the arch of her foot. 

“No, I don’t mind your questions. You don’t try to find out my underwear preferences or favorite sex position a million times a day. Plus I know no one’s gonna read the answers I give you,” she said. She let her head sink back into the armrest of the couch while he worked all the knots out of the muscles in her feet. “This is so relaxing,” she sighed, a content smile on her face.

Cory made sure that he gave both her feet a good massage, wanting to get rid of all the muscle aches Lea was feeling. “I still don’t know why you wear heels. I mean it makes sense when we’re together but when you’re going solo you should really wear flats,” he said. She glared at him, and he knew better than to keep talking. “I got you food, if you’re hungry,” he offered.

The mention of food was enough to perk her up. “You know I’m always starving after these things, the food never seems to be that good,” she said. He got up to wash his hands in the kitchen sink, and once he had he grabbed their food that he’d stashed in the microwave to keep it warm. He brought it to the couch for her, bringing her a fork too so she didn’t have to move at all. While she nibbled her food he ate the sandwich he’d gotten himself, saving the other half for the next day. Looking over at her, he could tell that the food and foot rub had made her feel a lot better. 

“You sleepy? Or wanna stay up for a little while?” he asked softly.

“Nah, we can stay up. I can sleep late tomorrow, that’s why I love New York time. We get to start the day with a three hour head start,” Lea said.

Cory smiled. Tonight was still going to be the night. “Okay, let me just go get something then,” he said, heading to the bedroom to grab the ring from his suitcase. He put it in his pocket, taking a deep breath and pacing a couple laps around the room to try to calm his nerves. This was going to be fine. She’s probably say yes, and if she said no it’d just be because she wanted to wait awhile. He could do this. Meandering back to the living room, he plopped down on the couch again. 

Lea looked at him for a moment, a bit perplexed at what he was being so mysterious about. “You okay?” she asked, moving closer to him.

“Um, yeah. I just... I need to do something. Just promise me you’ll hear me out before you say anything,” Cory said. Lea nodded and gave him that cute little curious half-smile of hers, which helped to ease his nerves.

Cory tried to get down on one knee, almost falling over in the process since he wasn’t the most coordinated, even while not nervous. He steadied himself, and Lea gasped. This was really happening. Her boyfriend was in front of her on one knee, taking her hands. “Lea, you are the most amazing woman in the entire world. Best body, best smile, best kiss, best sex, best personality, best voice, you aren’t just a triple threat like they used to call you on Broadway. You’re everything baby. And I want to be a part of that forever. Will you marry me?” he asked. He opened the box - when she saw Tiffany blue she knew she’d like it - and revealed a gorgeous ring.

She had tears in her eyes, but she nodded. “Of course I’ll marry you,” she whispered, leaning towards him for a passionate kiss. But he pulled away teasingly after a few moments, focusing on getting the ring onto her finger. Once it was on, she looked down at it, then up at him, a huge smile on her face. “I do have one condition though,” she said, and he looked at her worriedly. Hopefully it wasn’t too insane, since they’d already sort of sealed the deal with the ring. “Well, two. We get married on the East Coast, and we don’t tell anyone except our parents tomorrow. I want another day of just being Lea Michele and not having to answer questions about wedding plans,” she said.

"Moooom." Finn groaned. 

"I know that you want to choose football because that's what all the popular kids do, but you have talent. And I want you to explore it at a camp with other talented kids."

"Fine." Finn muttered. "Now can I go play video games again?"

"Whatever you want, Finn. I'll call you down when dinner's ready." He sped off towards his room, and Carole laughed a bit. She often imagined what it would be like if Finn was a girl or if there was another child in the house. But being a single mother didn't quite allow any of that. She made sure Finn did his homework and got good grades, and she worked her butt off to provide for him. One day, he'd thank her, but she was sure that a moment like that would be far off in the distance. 

Finn's summer came all too quickly, and a week after school started, a bag was packed for him to go away to Camp Noteworthy.

"Mom? If there's a bunch of nerds can I come home?"

"No. I spent quite a dollar on this trip for you to make new friends and learn more about music. Just think about all of the new friends you'll have!"

"Yeah, I guess so." Finn sighed in the car, looking out the widow with his forehead pressed against the glass. The camp was in upstate New York by a small lake, and it was located in a beautiful wooded area with serene forests, streams, and meadows. Finn even let a small wow leave his lips when they pulled down the street for the camp. There were already a bunch of cars there, and people at the flagpole were able to sign him in and direct him towards his cabin.

"They said that your cabin mates are here already." His mom offered with a smile.

"Then can you please just drop my stuff off and go? I wanna seem cool and tough."

This earned a laugh from Carole. "Like I said when you got here: whatever you'd like, Finn." She kissed him quickly on the forehead outside and she brought his bags in, only to offer a quick goodbye and leave him with his new potential friends. 

Finn got the bed closest to the back of the cabin, but he didn't mind much. He was here, and he guessed that was all that mattered.

"I'm Puck." One boy with a Mohawk smiled. 

"Finn." He said quickly, smiling at the boy across the room.

"And this is Blaine and Sam." He said, pointing to a brown haired boy and a blonde respectively. "Now we have a full room and we can get some food." 

The four boys practically ran to the kitchens, and Finn's stomach seemed to be growling ten times more than he realized. When they got to the cafeteria, Finn stopped rushing because there was a bigger crowd. He walked into the cafeteria, and he grabbed a tray with his new friends and grabbed whatever food was available to them. Each boy practically devoured everything that was on their plate, and Finn rubbed his stomach in response. "That was good." Of course, he'd never admit that, obviously, his mother's cooking was better, because he'd seem like a wimp for missing his mom. And while yeah, this was just some music camp, he still wanted to fit in and have some kind of good social status. And at any rate, it seemed like him and his cabin mates were pretty much the coolest ones here. You see, Finn could see others very easily. While he was only fourteen, he could very well tell the 'cool' kids from the nerdy ones. Being popular does that, of course. Apparently everyone got the memo to go to the cafeteria, and someone was yelling at them to quiet down.

"Calm down, guys." One instructor yelled. "After you guys get some snacks and everything, we'll split you guys up into groups. From there, you can find new buddies. But I can tell you guys right now, you will not be with the people in your cabin." That earned a bunch of heated whispers and disappointed noises. "You have opportunities to hang out with your cabin mates at night, and this way, you can meet new people." She paused for a moment. "I'm going to come around to your tables and give you a number. If you're a one, you go to the deck. If you're a two, you to to the entrance to the kitchens. If you're a three, go to the front door. If you're a four, go to the middle of the room. If you're 16 or older, you know where to go. Your instructor will be waiting for you near the choir cabin."

A bunch of people got up and left, and the smaller kids were left over. Finn was told he was a one, and after everyone got their numbers, they went to the respective areas. The groups were relatively small, and Finn's group only had about eight people in it. He didn't know anyone, and it was kind of weird, but their instructor started talking to make it less awkward.

"Okay, guys. I'm Kelly, and I'll be your instructor for the summer. I'll take you to where you need to be. This year and next year are the only years you need to be supervised, but we will provide free time for the entire camp on Sundays. Rise time is eight am, and bed time is 9, but we're not stupid. You guys can stay up however long you want." She counted all of the kids, and she pursed her lips. "We have an even amount of kids, so partner work will be easy."

Finn sighed. None of these kids looked like they even wanted to talk at all. They were an interesting group, and the short brunette girl was cute. Maybe he'd try and talk to her when he gained a bit more courage. 

"Today, we're just going to think of some activities you'd like to do throughout the summer. But first, since we're group one, we have voice testing first. It's a small cabin, so we'll all have to just warm up together and wait in the same room." Everyone sort of said a quick okay, and they were off to the cabin that all of the older kids were leaving. 

Finn didn't get why they had to be supervised but the kids two years older than them had a couple of scheduled activities, but otherwise, they could be unsupervised. Finn sighed and continued walking, a little bit behind the pack. They all filed into a line and they arched around the piano, waiting for the instructor to start. As she did, Finn cleared his throat in preparation, and he saw the girl that caught his attention before stand up a little taller and change her posture. Finn stood up a little straighter himself, and he began to sing the warm up with the other kids. Most sang out very loudly, and they all had pretty decent voices. He couldn't really hear anyone but himself though, because as they went through the different ranges, he was one of the very few who could reach the notes. 

After group warm up was over, they got in a line, for individual voice testing. He didn't really pay attention to anyone, but when that one girl sang, his mind was stuck on her. Her voice was perfect, and she was only fourteen. Well, he guessed she was. She already had a slight vibrato, and it looked effortless to her. When she finished, she looked over to her onlookers, and she looked at him and smiled. He goofily smiled back, and it turned out that he was next. He sang a couple of scales and then the instructed tune, and he saw the girl smiling at him as he sat down. 

When they had their next activity, which was simply playing any activity they felt like in small groups, he introduced himself to the girl. 

"I'm Finn." He said simply. "Your voice is amazing."

"Thank you," she blushed, looking down at her feet, clicking her heels together. "I'm Rachel." Her head turned back up to meet his, and she offered him a small smile. "Your voice is pretty amazing, too. Better than most of the kids in our group."

"They all seem pretty awkward to me. I'm pretty sure I saw one when I got here, and he still hasn't said anything to me." Finn pursed his lips.

Rachel shrugged. "Everyone just tends to ignore me in the first place. But I know what you mean. People just seem to not care here."

They fell into an easy conversation that easily lasted most of the day. Finn promised to hang out with her tomorrow when they called bed time, and she agreed. 

"Thank you, Finn," she smiled as she left, running towards her cabin. 

-/-

Finn didn't know how it happened, but that small brunette girl somehow became his best friend. She was by his side constantly, and she even snuck into his cabin once to hang out with him and his cabin mates. They all thought it was awesome that Finn was hanging out with a girl. 

One morning the last weekend of camp, they had a free day. Finn took Rachel to a little meadow near the lake, and he brought some Oreos and peanut butter. And a blanket, of course. The two of them joked and snacked on the junk food, and he caught Rachel smiling and looking at him more than normal. 

"You're my best friend, you know that, right?" She asked as he put away the Oreos, an innocent smile on her face. 

"You're mine," He responded. Something about that statement made his insides twist, but he still offered her a small smile. He really liked Rachel. As a super awesome friend, of course. They both laid down on the blanket, and they looked up at the sky, laughing at cloud shapes. Hours passed, and the clouds changed.

"It kind of reminds me of a meadow of flowers." She said softly.

"It looks like popcorn to me." He simply said. Rachel hit him on the stomach and sat up, laughing.

"You're ridiculous."

-/-

The next year Finn showed up, he was more than excited to find out that he had the same roommates. Puck grew up, and he grew ten feet, and it seemed like everyone did. Finn however, grew the most. He wasn't she same short, awkward teenager. He had a girlfriend for a short amount of time, and he had his first kiss and what not. He'd gotten to second base, sure, but he hasn't had sex or anything. He couldn't.

When he saw Rachel at dinner that night, she ran up to him, wrapping her arms around him. 

"I missed you so much!"

"I missed you, too. It's not the same at home."

"I know..." She sighed, then turned around a bit. "I want you to meet someone." She smiled softly. The boy who walked up took her hand, his hair light brown and curly, a smirk on his face. "This is Jesse." Rachel smiled. "I decided to bring him with me to camp this year. We started dating a month ago."

"Oh... Yeah." Finn forced a smile. "That's great."

Jesse leaned down to kiss her, and Finn looked away. "I have to go. I'm not feeling that good." He looked to Puck and Blaine who had a know it all look, and Finn forced a smile before walking away. He felt Rachel's hand on his arm, and he shut his eyes.

"I'll see you tomorrow?"

"No. Spend time with your boyfriend." Finn said sarcastically, pulling away and walking towards his cabin. 

Finn ignored Rachel for the next couple of days, and he really honestly didn't want to talk to her if this was the way things were going to be. He didn't want to share her. Not with that jackass. Finn was in his choir class, and he would look over to Rachel, and Jesse's hand would be on her hip, his fingers under her shirt. Only once, Rachel caught him staring, and she gave him a soft gaze, an apologetic one, and Finn reluctantly looked away. He couldn't keep doing this to himself. He had to just let her be happy, and that would be that. Choir was thankfully over more quickly than he expected, but Rachel grabbed his arm. 

"Can I please talk to you, Finn?"

"Fine." He said roughly.

"At our place?"

"Okay. Meet me there after lunch, Rach."

"I... Okay."

When Finn ate, he started walking towards the meadow, and he kept his head down. He didn't want to do this. He didn't want to listen to her say everything was okay and that she was sorry, because he knew that he'd believe her.

"Finn?"

Finn didn't even realize that he had been here a long time.

"What do you want, Rachel?"

"I want to say that I'm sorry... I'm sorry for making you feel this way. And I'm just... I'm so sorry. And I know that maybe we're not close anymore and we're not-"

Her words were cut off by Finn's lips insistent against hers, and she moaned against him. If Finn was being honest, he just wanted to claim a little bit of her for himself. Her lips moved with his, and she kissed him back fully, pushing her tongue into his mouth. Okay, so maybe this wasn't originally the plan... But he wanted to show her that somehow, she was still his.

"Finn-" She breathed against him, catching a breath before he kissed her again, pulling away a few moments later. "You've never kissed me before." She practically gasped.

"Isn't that the whole concept of a first kiss?" He said sarcastically. She kept her hand over her mouth and avoided his eyesight. 

After the awkward kiss thing, it seemed like everything was fine. Rachel started talking, and they fell into an easy conversation. Rachel would laugh, and Finn would smile, and he decided that he missed this too much. 

Too bad he never had time alone with her for the rest of camp. Of course, he observed the breakup -- her sour mood was obvious. Jesse was with other girls, and Rachel was all alone. Finn didn't attempt to talk to her, and Rachel didn't attempt to talk to him. So all he got the last day of camp was a small wave with a sad smile. He figured he deserved it for being such a shitty friend.

-/-

When Finn got to camp the next year, things were completely different. When he saw Rachel and said hello, it was almost as if things had never changed. She wasn't upset and him, and he wasn't angry at her, and it just felt the way it was supposed to. Practically the entire camp, they would fake illnesses or sneak out of an activity, just trying to get personal time together to talk about the day. Oh, what was he kidding? Most of the time they spent together was taken up by them kissing. And it wasn't an exaggeration.

The end of camp seemed to come all too soon for Finn and Rachel, and the last day, he took her out to 'their spot', where he had a bag of food and a blanket laid out for them. They just ate and joked around for a while before she leaned in to kiss him. Things just seemed to escalate from there. Before he knew it, Rachel was half naked underneath of him, and he was left in his jeans that were practically half off of his body. 

"Finn?" She managed as she pulled away for a breath, looking up at him. 

"Hmm?" He hummed, moving to kiss her neck.

"Make love to me." Rachel said softly, her eyes on his.

"What?" He choked out, getting caught on his breath. 

"I want you to be my first and I want to be close to you before we have to leave tomorrow. We may never see each other again."

Finn really didn't need much persuading. He kissed her and smiled against her lips, doing exactly what she wanted. After they both fell into their blissful highs, Finn held her, shielding her from the world. This probably would be the last chance he ever got to do just that.

The next morning was one of the saddest he'd ever faced. Rachel followed him out to his car, and Finn didn't let go of her hand. When his mom got out of the car to take his bag, Finn stopped walking, looking to Rachel. She had tears in her eyes, and she had a death grip on his hand. 

"Please don't leave me," She whispered brokenly, one hand moving to his cheek. 

"I have to. But you... you have my number. Maybe we'll see each other sooner than you think. If this... relationship is meant to happen, then one day it's going to happen."

Rachel nodded and leaned up to kiss him, moving to wrap both of her arms around his neck. She pulled away to whisper an 'I love you,' against his lips, and he repeated the words before he kissed her again. He did love her. He cared so much about her, would do anything for her, and if that wasn't enough, then he didn't know what was.

He hugged her tightly before whispering in her ear, "I'm going to miss you so much."

"I'll miss you, too. Just... I'll never forget about you."

"Never."

And with that, they were pulling apart, Finn getting in his car to wave as his mother pulled away.

"Who was that, Finn?" His mother asked.

"Rachel. Rachel Berry."

-/-

Finn groaned as yet another person pushed into him on the New York City streets, making part of his coffee spill on his jacket. When he finally made it to the subway station, he threw away his coffee and got on his train. His hand gripped the steel bar, his eyes roaming to observe the people sitting near him. When he looked a bit down the train, he saw her. The very same her who he hadn't talked to in three years. Her. Rachel Berry.

When she got off the subway, he followed her, even though it wasn't his stop. He needed to. He stopped her on the street, his hand gripping onto her arm.

"Rachel," He breathed, "I finally found you."

She turned around to look at him, and as soon as she did, her lips parted and she jumped up to hug him tightly. It was quickly followed with a passionate kiss and another tight hug, and it was more than he could have asked for.

Later, when he was lying with her in his bed, his fingers were running through her hair softly, trying to calm her down.

"Hey, Finn?"

"Yes?" He asked softly.

"Do you think this is what you were talking about four years ago at camp?"

"Yeah. I guess that it's meant to happen. We're meant to happen."

"I love you." The words were nothing over a whisper, but they didn't need to be. He repeated them before leaning in for a kiss, smiling against her lips. Maybe everything finally was falling into place.