Get It Together

Chapter 21

Finn looked at the girl in front of him and she still managed to take his breath away. After all these years, after all the heart ache, she still managed to make his heart skip a beat, and she managed to make him feel like nothing else around him existed but her.

He gazed into her eyes and saw the love, concern, and genuine care that he always saw when he was with her all those years ago, but he for the life of him couldn’t understand at that moment, how they had managed to part with her looking at him the way she did.

He knew he should hate her, he knew he should be questioning her on why she moved on, and why she left, but he didn’t have the heart. He just wanted to hold her and never let her go, he wanted to get passed everything, and go back to the way things were. He didn’t care, he didn’t care about anything, he loved the girl in front of him, and in the last 2 and a half years she didn’t change a bit; she was still the beautiful, intelligent girl he fell in love with.

Rachel stared back at him the same thoughts pondering her mind. Her emotions weren’t as well hidden though as tears swarmed her eyes, and her heart stung with pain and love. She just wanted to scream at him from the top of her lungs why he didn’t love her any more, why he moved on with Marley, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t rehash the past. She didn’t want to, she just wanted to move forward, and hopefully things could just play itself out without any more heart ache.

They both stood still for what seemed like hours to them, but it was more like 5 minutes. They both wished to say so much, but never said anything; they were too nervous to.

“You look great Finn.” Rachel finally said breaking the ice. Finn looked at her, his face expressionless. The sound of her voice ringing through his mind. It had been so long since he heard her sweet voice, and he then realized how much he had missed her.

“You look great too.” He finally answered back. He just wanted to grab her and kiss her, tell her he didn’t care about everything, that they could get passed it all and just go back to the way things were. But life wasn’t that easy, that was the one most important thing he had learned the last few years in his life.

“I didn’t think you were coming.”

“I wasn’t.” Rachel looked at him curiously. What changed his mind?

“But then I realized I couldn’t miss Blaine's wedding.” Rachel nodded. Part of her heart was hoping he would say that he came for her, but she was just being naïve once again.

“Yeah, it’s kind of amazing you know, Kurt and Blaine getting married.” Rachel said. Part of her wished that she could have been saying that they could have finally gotten together. She was 18 now, and he was 21, they were supposed to be together, run away after she got her diploma, and lead their lives by each other’s side, nothing stopping them. But instead, they were reunited because of Kurt and Blaine getting married.

“Yeah, it is. I know Blaine was nervous as hell when he was thinking about proposing. But the minute we were discharged from the Army, Blaine was in the nearest jewelry store buying a ring.” Rachel smiled, as she tried to control herself and stop the tears from falling. Finn should have also flown his way to Lima the minute he got out, so he could see her.

“Yeah, Kurt called me in tears, he was so happy.” Finn nodded.

“So, um did you graduate yet?” Finn asked. Rachel shook her head.

“Not yet, next week. I’m still kind of nervous about getting up on that stage in front of everyone to give my speech.” Rachel said with a little laugh. Finn's eyes widened.

“You’re valedictorian?!” Rachel smiled and nodded.

“Guilty.” Finn wanted to pick her up and swing her around and exclaim how proud of her he was, but he held back and settled for a congratulations.