Waiting For A Love Like This

“Uh, Rachel?” Rachel turned around quickly, her face lit up with happiness. She knew that voice; she could pick it out of any crowd.

“Yes, Finn?” She asked with a hint of excitement in her voice. Her heart rate had picked up, her cheeks were flushed with the lightest tint of pink, as they always were when talking or looking at Finn.

He never noticed, of course. It was his oblivious attitude that made him so adorable in Rachel’s eyes. It was okay if he wasn’t the sharpest crayon in the box; Rachel had enough smarts for the both of them.

“Uh, you know that Glee assignment Schue assigned us? The duet thing? Uh, do you want to work together? I mean, we did well during No Air and stuff, and I’d really like to impress them.” He said, shrugging sheepishly and smiling adorably. Rachel beamed widely.

“Say no more, Finn. I completely understand. Of course we work well together! I’m surprised you didn’t come to me sooner. No matter, I’m glad you actually did. I must admit I’m also a little surprised you didn’t ask Quinn.” Rachel said, glancing up at him as she said Quinn’s name.

“Puck already asked her.” Finn said softly, glancing down the hallway where Quinn and Puck were close to each other, whispering and laughing about something. Rachel looked at Finn, her eyes filled with concern as she watched him watch Quinn. She had done this often, but he was usually looking at Quinn in adoration, not with pain written all over his face.
Finn shook his head and looked back at Rachel, smiling slightly.

“I’m surprised you’re not working with Jesse.” He said, leaning against the locker next to hers. Rachel’s heart fluttered. She had dreamt about him leaning against her locker like he did to Quinn every day, and now it was happening. But his comment about Jesse brought him to the forefront of her mind, and she bit her lower lip slightly, turning back to her locker.

“Well, he’s been acting…distant lately. But I’m sure he’ll be back to normal soon.” She said, more to convince herself than Finn. To be quite honest, Jesse hadn’t been the same at all lately. He didn’t text her anymore, his phone calls were quick and clipped. He just wasn’t as loving as he used to be.

Rachel shook her head, clearing her thoughts. It would be alright. Perhaps he was just going through some hard family times. She inhaled and closed her locker, smiling brightly at Finn. He smiled back with that sense of dopiness that was trademark Finn.

“Can we go to the Glee room to practice? I kinda had a song in mind, but I wanted to play it for you to see if you like it.” Finn asked her, a little hesitant and almost nervous. Rachel beamed. He had already picked a song for them. That was sweet.
“Of course, Finn. I’d love to hear it.” She told him, smiling brightly and warmly.

His face lit up and he gave a little half-grin.

“Great. C’mon.” He said, standing up straight and turning towards the Glee room. Rachel followed him excitedly, barely containing the wide grin that was spreading across her face.

“Rachel?” Finn asked, glancing down at her.

“Yes, Finn?”

“I just wanted to say…thank you.”

“For what?” Rachel asked, a little surprised. She hadn’t thought she had done anything worth gratefulness. She had broken his heart and picked the lead singer of their archenemy over him.

“For being a friend. After all the baby drama, you were really the only one I could talk to.” Finn admitted, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly.

“Even though I’m the one who started that in the first place?” Rachel asked quietly, looking down. She still felt guilty about it and it ashamed her that he could forgive her for it so quickly. It was selfish and she knew it.

Finn smiled, nudging her slightly. “Don’t beat yourself up for it. I would have kept living a lie if you hadn’t said anything.” He said gently, trying to get her to smile again. Rachel glanced up at him and gave a small smile.

“I suppose you’re right.” She said softly.

“I guess what I’m trying to say is thank you for being there for me. You were kind of like my best friend when no one else would talk to me.” He said, smiling at her. Rachel smiled up at him. It was a small smile, but it was full of warmth and complete adoration and infatuation with the tall boy in front of her.

Finn smiled, putting his arms around her and pulling her in for a quick hug. Rachel felt her cheeks flare up as she wrapped her arms around him, smiling into his chest. Finn pulled away too quickly for her liking, but he gave her a warm smile, so it made up for it.

“C’mon. I still have to show you the song.” He said, motioning for her to follow him. Rachel grinned quickly, following him fast. She couldn’t help but noticed the looks she was receiving from a certain blonde-haired ex-Cheerio, and yet, it didn’t faze her. Finn had thought they were best friends. It wasn’t love, but after all she had put him through, it was more than she had expected.

They arrived in the empty Glee room. Rachel cast a glance at Mr. Schuester’s office, but Finn shook his head.

“He’s with Miss Pillsbury.” Finn said with a slight smirk. Rachel laughed.

“Alright. Well, are you going to show me the song now?” She asked, looking up at him with bright eyes. Finn smiled, moving towards the chairs. He grabbed an acoustic guitar before sitting down, patting the seat next to him, indicating he wanted Rachel to sit.
She did so quickly, sitting primly next to him and smoothing out her skirt. He gave her a copy of the music, giving her a second to look over it before starting to play.

Rachel quickly glanced at the music, noting where the girl part came in. She smiled at the title. Lucky. She watched Finn as he played, smiling warmly as he started to play, and finally, sing.

Do you hear me?
I'm talking to you
Across the water across the deep blue ocean
Under the open sky, oh my, baby I'm trying

Rachel smiled at the lyrics, keeping eye contact with him as she started to sing.

Boy I hear you in my dreams
I feel your whisper across the sea
I keep you with me in my heart
You make it easier when life gets hard

Finn grinned widely, his fingers moving gracefully over the guitar as their voices blended together.

I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend
Lucky to have been where I have been
Lucky to be coming home again

As Rachel sang with Finn, she began to take notice of the lyrics. If she hadn’t been singing, she might have started blushing. Finn had said he had picked this song for them, and he had thanked her for being his best friend. But he couldn’t have picked this song because…Rachel didn’t allow herself to think about it. She had already hoped that he would forgive her. She wasn’t going to hope that he had picked this song with the message of confessing love behind it. It was too much to hope for.

They don't know how long it takes
Waiting for a love like this
Every time we say goodbye
I wish we had one more kiss
I'll wait for you I promise you, I will

Rachel sang, realizing the lyrics actually summarized how she felt. She had never truly gotten over Finn. She had fallen in love with him and no matter how charming Jesse was, Finn had always been in the back of her mind. She always wondered what would have happened if she hadn’t gone to the library that day, if she hadn’t sang with Jesse, if she had stayed with Finn like she had always dreamed of.

I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend
Lucky to have been where I have been
Lucky to be coming home again
Lucky we're in love every way
Lucky to have stayed where we have stayed
Lucky to be coming home someday

Finn put the guitar down and now they were singing a capella. He took Rachel’s hands and pulled her up, twirling her around as he sang before holding her still and singing to her, staring right into her eyes. Rachel continued to sing but couldn’t help getting lost in his eyes that she had missed staring into.

And so I'm sailing through the sea
To an island where we'll meet
You'll hear the music fill the air
I'll put a flower in your hair

Finn spun her out as he sung again, and then brought her back in, holding her back against his chest as he swayed, singing into her ear from behind. Rachel felt her heart skip several beats and she had to concentrate to keep control of her breathing. She hadn’t felt this way with Jesse before. Only with Finn.

Though the breezes through the trees
Move so pretty you're all I see
As the world keeps spinning round
You hold me right here right now

Rachel turned around to sing to him, and ended up standing against him, her hands on his chest as she looked up and sang to him. As she sang the song, she moved closer to Finn, and he hummed the background melody as he kept his grip on her, holding her close.

I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend
Lucky to have been where I have been
Lucky to be coming home again
I'm lucky we're in love every way
Lucky to have stayed where we have stayed
Lucky to be coming home someday

As they sang together, they began moving closer to each other, their voices blending together as their faces moved closer, the song slowly coming to an end as the final notes were sung, and they were left in a silent room, the only noise being their breathing.

“Finn,” Rachel breathed, everything she wanted to say wrapped up into that one little word.

“Rachel,” Finn said quietly, leaning in and doing what they had both been wanting for the longest time. He kissed her softly, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer. Her arms went around his neck and pulled him closer, the weeks of separation and longing and loving from afar finally ending with this one spectacular kiss.

It ended too soon for both of them as they pulled apart reluctantly, the need to breathe becoming overbearing. Rachel took a few seconds to just stare at Finn, drink in everything about him before wrapping her arms around his waist and hugging him tightly, burying her face in his chest.

“I am so sorry.” She murmured into his chest. “Please forgive me.” It was silent for a few moments, and Rachel felt her stomach twist. She looked up at him and he was staring at her with a warm smile and incredulous eyes.

“Rachel. Of course I forgive you. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have…I just…I’m sorry.” He said, shaking his head.

Rachel smiled warmly, hugging him again. Everything felt so right, so natural. Everything was finally good again. Being in Finn’s arms was where she knew she should be.

They don't know how long it takes
Waiting for a love like this

Finn sang softly, kissing the top of her head. Rachel smiled up at him, knowing that the wait had been worth it.