Plus One

chapter 12: Game On

“Where did Quinn and Puck go?”

Rachel's voice, so close to his ear, startled Finn. He'd been so lost in the euphoria of holding her close to him and being able to touch her and smell her that he had forgotten about the rest of the world. 

He lifted his head and looked around but couldn't see any sign of his 'boyfriend' or Quinn. Puck was probably telling Quinn the truth right now, he realized. Time for him to do the same. “Can we go somewhere a little quieter? I need to tell you something.”

“Sure,” Rachel agreed. “But let's get another drink first, I’m kind of thirsty.”

Finn nodded in agreement. He could use a drink to dampen the butterflies in his stomach. They went back to the table where a waiter materialized almost immediately. Rachel opted for another Brokuko cocktail while Finn ordered a beer. 

As they waited for the waiter to return with his beer, Finn decided to ask Rachel a question that had been bugging him all day. “Rachel, what happened between Quinn and Puck? Puck is very vague about the whole thing.”

Rachel regarded him for a moment as she considered how to answer. “Well, I can only tell you what Quinn told me... They were working together at the Bandidos, there was an attraction. They acted on it. They were supposed to be just fuck buddies. But it grew into something more, at least it did for Quinn. But when she told Puck she wanted a real relationship, he broke up with her. I always figured that he just couldn't handle his emotions or didn't want to be tied down in a relationship. But I guess, I was wrong about that. He's clearly madly in love with you.”

Finn squirmed uncomfortably and Rachel hid a smile. It was mean of her, but she was beginning to understand why Quinn enjoyed torturing them so much. Finn was so adorable when he blushed.

The waiter came back with the beer, Finn stood up eagerly and to take it from him. He couldn't wait to get Rachel away from the crowds and admit the truth. 

But as he turned around to lead her away from the table, his eyes landed on a familiar face. He immediately looked away and prayed that he hadn't been spotted. But, too late.

“Finn Hudson?” A loud voice called.

Finn swore under his breath before smiling as the blonde woman rushed over to him and airkissed his cheeks. “Hello Linda.”

“Finn, it's been forever,” Linda drawled. “I didn't expect to see you here. How are you?”

“I'm good, great. How are you?”

“Wonderful,” Linda gushed. Her eyes fell on Rachel and she smiled and held out her hands. “Hello, I’m Linda Galloway. Lovely to meet you.”

Rachel shook her hand. “Hello Linda.”

“Linda and I were at college together,” Finn explained. He looked around for an escape route. He wanted to get away from her as fast as he could. Linda had two qualities which made her a great journalist but a dangerous person to know if you didn't want the whole world knowing your secret. She could sniff out a secret at a hundred paces. And she was ruthless at digging out all the dirty details.

“So how do you know the happy couple?” Linda asked.

“We know Brody from Lima,” Rachel answered. 

Finn winced as Linda's eyes lit up. He could tell that she'd already made the connection. They had known Brody during his mental breakdown. “How do you know them?” He asked, hoping that by reminding her of her friendship with them, she wouldn't try to get a story from him. 

“Oh, my date is an old family friend of the bride,” Linda said with a dismissive wave of the hand. “So, Lima, that's interesting.”

“Not really,” Finn cut in quickly. “Linda, it was lovely to talk to you but we have-”