Backlog: If this car were mine, I'd take you for a drive
Who: Finn Hudson and Lola Princhek
When: 19 April 2019
Where: Hummel Tire and Lube
What: All Hail Team Awesome!
Status: Complete
Finn sighed, taking a seat on the stool right in front of the fan and letting the breeze wash over him. The days were getting hotter and while normally that meant good things like swimming and picnics and watching Abby try to lick around the edge of her ice cream cone before it dripped onto her clothes, it also meant that working in the shop was hot. He wiped the sweat off his brow before glancing over to the other reason he was overheating, currently bent over to look under the hood of a car. Swallowing, Finn looked away again. Lola was his self-declared shop assistant for the day, and while he was having a really good time with her, his libido was getting ridiculous.
“How are you doing over there?” Finn asked, leaning back and looking in Lola’s general direction but not actually at her. It was safer that way. “You ready to take a break?”
Lola used the cleanest rag she could find to wipe off her sweat-soaked neck. Who knew working with cars could be so hot. She fanned herself lightly before looking over at him. “Yes, I could use a break and perhaps something cold to drink.”
“Well, we have water and beer in the office fridge,” Finn said, pushing himself back up off the stool. He grinned at her. “Pick your poison.”
Smiling back, Lola stood as well. “Well, what kind of beer do you have?” Next time she did this she’d wear something that breathed a little more over something that was cute. She knew she shouldn’t have opted for the shirt when she’d pulled it on that morning, but she’d thought Finn would appreciate it. And now it was stained with grease and clinging to her body in the most unflattering way. So, that served her right.
Finn glanced back over at her and found his gaze stuck, licking his lips absent-mindedly. He realized he was staring after a moment and then blinked at her. “Um... oh, beer. We have Bud Light and this stuff from Colorado that Tommy got me hooked on last year. It’s really good.” He nodded in agreement with his own statement, rubbing the palm of his hand on his jeans instead of reaching out to touch the adorable grease stain on Lola’s cheek. “You should try it.”
“Okay, sign me up,” she said as she looked away from Finn’s sweaty form. Maybe the heat was getting to her. She felt warm and dizzy. “Is there any way we can maybe move someplace cooler?“
“Yes,” Finn nodded enthusiastically. “It’s always at least ten degrees hotter in the garage than anywhere else. We should go outside in the shade. Promise you it’ll be better.”
Lola smiled at his enthusiasm. “Well, lead the way.” She felt the strange urge to reach for his hand and frowned a little, shoving her hand into her back pocket instead. “But don’t forget my beer,” she joked.
Finn stopped walking towards the door and did an about-face, walking towards the office instead. “Right, beer. That’s a good idea. One second.” He disappeared into the office, coming out thirty seconds later with two bottles of beer already cracked open. “Alright, now we go.” Finn grinned, handing Lola her beer and leading her out to the shade of a tree across the parking lot, plopping down in the grass and patting the spot next to him invitingly.
She sat on the grass next to him and took a long swig of the ice-cold liquid. It was actually pretty refreshing and had a good flavor. “This isn’t bad,” she said, looking down at the label. “You said it’s from Colorado?”
Finn nodded, taking his own sip and sighing contentedly. “Mhm. Don’t even ask me how Tommy got hooked on it. He finds good things from all over the place.” He laid back in the grass, letting himself relax and take in the slight breeze. “Oh man, much better.”
Lola agreed, but she didn’t think they were agreeing on the same things. “It’s no Sam Adams, but it gets the job done,” she commented with a tiny smirk. She wondered if she should lay back with him. That might be awkward. Only it felt more awkward sitting up while he laid down. So, after a moment of hesitation, she settled back next to him.
Finn turned his head to grin at her, noticing that with the angles of their bodies she wasn’t actually that far away. He bit his lip, then let out a breath to relax. “I don’t know why it’s always so much hotter in the garage. I keep telling Burt, but I’m starting to think as you get older you just don’t get hot.”
Laying down made it impossible to drink her beer. So, Lola propped herself up on one arm and turned to face him, nodding as she took a drink. Her shirt rode up a little and the grass tickled her stomach. “I think it’s safe to say cars are hot. Otherwise, they wouldn’t overheat, right?”
“Well... yeah...” Finn said, his eyes drifting to her stomach. “But, we could...” He blinked, coughing a little bit, then tried to take a sip of beer to cover it up and ended up pouring a drop down the side of his face. He groaned, shifting his head away from the wet spot and wiping off his cheek with his shoulder. “We could get better air-conditioning.”
Lola reached over and ran her thumb across the wet streak before she could stop herself. She pulled her hand back quickly and blushed after she realized what she was doing. “Right, air conditioning would be a good idea.”
Finn let out a breath, blinking up at her, his cheek tingling as he wondered if he should say anything. He watched the blush appear on her cheeks and blushed himself. “Right...Um...” Finn looked up, seeing the sunlight against the leaves on the tree. “Anyway, sorry it’s so hot, but I am glad you’re hot... I mean, here. I’m glad you’re here.” He winced, chancing a glance at her to see her reaction.
Lola’s blush deepened and she forced her gaze away from him. Her heart was pounding in a way it hadn’t in a long time and she frowned for a moment, willing herself to get under control. “I’m glad I’m here too. I’m glad you’re willing to hang out with me so much. It makes me less homesick.”
Letting out a breath, Finn smiled. He could be the good friend. He was good at that. Back away, Hudson. “Yeah, of course. You make everything better, why wouldn’t I?” Finn looked down with an embarrassed grin. “Are... you and Santana going to go back to Boston when you get married?”
“Uh...well, as much as I like Lima, I want to just get back to our lives, but she wants to stay for a few more months. So, that’s what we’re doing,” Lola said with a sigh. She was just tired of missing her house and her mother and her life.
Finn bit the inside of his cheek, not wanting to show how relieved he was at that statement. If he was going to lose her to Santana (but really, how he could he lose her if he never had a chance in the first place?) then at least she would stay around for a little longer. He didn’t really want to think about her going back to Boston and only seeing her when she came to visit other people. “Well, at least you’ve got me here, right? I’m not going anywhere.”
Smiling, Lola nodded, laying down in the grass again. “That’s true. You’re my best friend substitute. You’re not female, but at least you’re a lesbian,” she said, looking over at him with a cheeky grin. “That’s good enough.”
“Hey, girls can have best friends that are guys,” Finn laughed, reaching out to nudge her shoulder. “They don’t just have to be lesbians.”
“True. I’m a firm believer that women and men can be friends, but I was acknowledging what makes you unique.” She liked that she could joke with him so easily. She and Santana hadn’t had a lot of that lately.
“I’m telling you, there have to be more of us out there,” Finn said, smiling lazily, letting the tension relax more. “If you wrote one in, they’d be writing you letters of thanks right and left.” He shifted towards her a bit, his arm nudging against her side accidentally, but not moving it away. This was close enough, he told himself, trying to clearly remember this moment for later. Finn had been doing that a lot lately: trying to appreciate the little things. If the little things were all he had, then they would have to do.
“I told you I would in my next book. The handsome firefighter that’s a lesbian-identified male...everyone will love it,” she teased. “I think I’ll name him Hudson Finn, not very original, but I like the name.” She smiled as their eyes met and held. He was probably one of the most beautiful people she’d ever seen and sometimes she couldn’t help but just watch him.
Finn ducked his head a little, feeling a blush break out on his cheeks. “It’s a pretty good name,” he said lamely. It was taking all his self-control to keep looking at her when she was looking at him like that and not lean in to kiss her. Why did she have to look at him like that? He licked his lips, not sure what else to say.
Her eyes followed the movement of his tongue and she felt her breath hitch. She hoped he didn’t hear it as she turned away from him and looked up at the sky. Clouds were safe, right?
Finn knew he wasn’t always the most observant, but there was something in him telling him that this was more than one of those little moments that he had to steal here and there. He saw that brief spark in her eye before she turned away, he could feel the added layer of tension around them. Maybe... Finn blinked, desperately trying to stop the direction his thoughts were headed. No, there was no maybe. He was just... gonna let this moment go. It didn’t mean anything. He was imagining it. And yet he couldn’t make himself pull away or stop looking at her.
Breathing out slowly, Lola focused on the shapes of the clouds. “That one looks like a bunny,” she said suddenly, pointing towards the sky. She didn’t dare look back at him again. She knew she couldn’t seem to stop whatever pull they had towards each other.
Shaking his head out of whatever trance he was in, Finn turned to look up at the sky as well, trying to follow the pointing finger. “A bunny...?” He asked, absently. He could barely focus on the clouds right now, much less see shapes in them. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, look. Those are the ears and that’s the body,” Lola said patiently, tracing the air in hopes of making the picture clearer. “Can’t you see?”
“Yeah,” Finn said, turning back to her. “Adorable.”
Her eyes drifted back to him and she offered him a shy smile, blushing. God, why did she always react this way with him? “You think bunnies are adorable? That’s kind of adorable.”
Finn chuckled a little, shrugging. That’s not what he was talking about. “Sure. Any love of bunnies comes from Drizzle though.”
The mention of his daughter was a much needed distraction and Lola’s smile widened. “I bet. She’s like the very definition of adorable. I’m happy Quinn agreed to let her be in the wedding.” There. Talk about Santana. That’s safe.
“She’s really excited about it,” Finn said, his voice getting a little quieter. Everyone was excited about it in his weird extended family. He gave her a crooked smile. “I think you’re gonna make her year.”
“That’s great. I mean that something as boring as a wedding could make her so happy. She’s a really great kid, Finn,” she said, reaching out to touch his arm lightly as she looked at him.
Finn’s smile faltered briefly at the touch before he caught himself, laughing softly. “Weddings are big deals. You’re gonna be like Cinderella with your Princess Charming, starting your new life. What little kid wouldn’t be excited?”
Lola shrugged, pulling away slightly. “I don’t if I’d go that far. I guess I don’t really understand all those movies that make planning a wedding seem like the most fun a person will ever have in their lives. It’s kind of stressful and boring. I guess I’m still waiting for the exciting part and the wedding is next month.”
“Isn’t the wedding supposed to be the big thing, not the planning?” Finn asked, not having anything to really base it on. “And then... after.”
“Don’t remind me,” she groaned and then realized what she’d said. “Well, I mean about the planning,” she amended quickly, licking her lips. “Not the after part...”
“Right,” Finn said, giving her a small smile. “Cause the after part’s the reason for it all.” He laughed softly. “Otherwise you wouldn’t need to do any planning.”
“If the after part’s the reason, then why haven’t you gotten married?” Lola questioned, her head rolling to the side to look at him properly. She wanted to study his expression as he spoke.
Finn looked back at her, shrugging. “You have to have the right one, you know?” He wiped his hand on his shirt, looking down at how dirty he was. “I haven’t found anyone I want to go through all the planning for,” Finn joked with a smile.
“No girl has ever made you want the after part?” She asked, finding that hard to believe. “How many girls have you dated?” She asked suddenly. She watched as his hand slipped down his shirt, momentarily distracted by the size. He was a really big guy.
“There’ve been... a couple,” Finn replied thoughtfully. He sighed, then chuckled. “They’re gay now.” Picking a blade of grass, Finn shrugged again. “What do you count as dating? I’ve had... three real girlfriends, but I’ve been on dates with a lot more.” He looked up at her. “How many people have you dated?”
Lola grinned. “They’re gay? All of them?” That was some really shitty luck Finn had or maybe he was the learning curve. “I’ve had two girlfriends and a boyfriend in high school, but that only lasted a few months and nothing happened between us,” she said, wondering why she’d added that last part.
Finn smiled ruefully. “Two of them are. With each other.” He shook his head. His life was like a bad movie sometimes. “So we’re kinda equal then?” Finn looked at Lola for a moment, thinking. So she did actually date guys, even though she hadn’t done anything with him. For some weird reason, that almost made him feel relieved.
“I guess we are. Maybe you can be my lesbro. Is that the term?” She asked with a frown. It’s true she’d always been exposed to gay culture, but she couldn’t keep all of the terms straight in her head.
“I...” Finn frowned a little. He wasn’t actually sure what that meant but it didn’t really sound right. Anything to do with him being Lola’s “bro” was completely opposite of what he felt for her. “Um... I don’t know what that means. So... maybe not.”
Lola shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m not really up on my gay terminology.” She sat up on her left arm, facing him and took a long swig of her beer. “I’m three-fourths of the way through my beer. What else do we need to get done in the shop today?”
Finn took another swig of his beer, being careful this time. He mentally brought up the list of cars to work on and bit his lip. “We’re... actually ahead of schedule. We can finish the car we’re working on right now and be done for the day if you want.” Finn smiled, an idea coming to mind. “Maybe go swimming.”
Brightening, Lola sat up completely. “That sounds like fun, but what am I supposed to wear swimming? I don’t exactly have a bathing suit with me and I don’t think skinny dipping in public is an option,” she said flippantly before realizing her words. Her eyes widened and she blushed hard. “Um...not that...nevermind. You know what I mean.”
Swallowing, Finn blushed too, his eyes sweeping over her form before he could stop himself. “Um... well you can probably just... wear your underwear,” Finn said, looking away from her. God, skinny dipping with Lola... He would probably self-destruct. “And I know I have a shirt you could borrow.”
Lola hesitated for a moment, biting her bottom lip in indecision before agreeing. “Yeah, that would work,” she said. She finished off her beer and stood. If she were honest with herself, she’d have no problems with skinny dipping with him, but it was a line she was definitely not going to cross. “So, let’s finish the car quickly. I’m hot and sweaty.” She frowned at the description. She felt a little grimy.
Finn looked up at her, taking a shaky breath at where his thoughts wouldn’t stop heading. He didn’t really know what was happening between them or why it was happening now, but nothing had actually changed. She was... she was getting married soon, and his daughter was gonna be in the wedding. He shook his head, pushing himself up and smiling, not quite meeting Lola’s gaze. “Yeah, come on. Not much left to do.”
“Okay, so let’s go,” she said, turning back towards the shop. She was afraid to stand there and continue looking at him. It was probably not going to lead to anything good.
Finn followed her back into the garage, making sure to keep a good distance away from her. Throwing his bottle in the recycling bin, Finn walked back over to look under the hood. “Did you finish with the spark plugs?”
Moving back into the shop, Lola nodded. “Yep, just the way you showed me. It was easier than I thought it would be,” she chirped happily. Working on cars made her feel accomplished almost the same way finishing a book did.
Nodding, Finn inspected her work before pulling back and grinning at her. “Looks perfect,” Finn said. “I think all that’s left is topping off the oil and making sure everything works.” He walked to the shelves to grab a can, nudging Lola’s shoulder playfully on the way. “You did an awesome job.”
Lola nudged him back. “I had an awesome teacher. We’re like an awesome team. Maybe we can get t-shirts made or something,” she suggested with a grin. She couldn’t remember the last time she and Santana had done something together that didn’t revolve around her writing or books in general.
Finn laughed, nodding. “Team shirts? That’s the best idea ever. What would they say? Team Awesome?” He could already imagine them gearing up to do some sort of competition, matching shirts on, and Lola with like, a bandana on her head and war paint on her cheeks. He smiled wider at the image. “I’m game.”
“When the wedding is over, I’m going to have some made, just you wait,” she threatened, though her smile waned. After the wedding, things would be different and it wouldn’t really be okay for her to hang out with Finn like she had been. And eventually, she’d be going back to Boston and back to her life and he’d stay here. She wasn’t sure which saddened her the most.
Not even the mention of the wedding could keep Finn from smiling at her, letting himself just bask in her presence and their banter for the moment. “I’ll hold you to that,” Finn said, his voice quietly content. He reached out to touch her before realising he still had the can of oil in his hand and letting his arm fall back down with a self-deprecating chuckle, turning to the car. “Let’s get this done.”
When: 19 April 2019
Where: Hummel Tire and Lube
What: All Hail Team Awesome!
Status: Complete
Finn sighed, taking a seat on the stool right in front of the fan and letting the breeze wash over him. The days were getting hotter and while normally that meant good things like swimming and picnics and watching Abby try to lick around the edge of her ice cream cone before it dripped onto her clothes, it also meant that working in the shop was hot. He wiped the sweat off his brow before glancing over to the other reason he was overheating, currently bent over to look under the hood of a car. Swallowing, Finn looked away again. Lola was his self-declared shop assistant for the day, and while he was having a really good time with her, his libido was getting ridiculous.
“How are you doing over there?” Finn asked, leaning back and looking in Lola’s general direction but not actually at her. It was safer that way. “You ready to take a break?”
Lola used the cleanest rag she could find to wipe off her sweat-soaked neck. Who knew working with cars could be so hot. She fanned herself lightly before looking over at him. “Yes, I could use a break and perhaps something cold to drink.”
“Well, we have water and beer in the office fridge,” Finn said, pushing himself back up off the stool. He grinned at her. “Pick your poison.”
Smiling back, Lola stood as well. “Well, what kind of beer do you have?” Next time she did this she’d wear something that breathed a little more over something that was cute. She knew she shouldn’t have opted for the shirt when she’d pulled it on that morning, but she’d thought Finn would appreciate it. And now it was stained with grease and clinging to her body in the most unflattering way. So, that served her right.
Finn glanced back over at her and found his gaze stuck, licking his lips absent-mindedly. He realized he was staring after a moment and then blinked at her. “Um... oh, beer. We have Bud Light and this stuff from Colorado that Tommy got me hooked on last year. It’s really good.” He nodded in agreement with his own statement, rubbing the palm of his hand on his jeans instead of reaching out to touch the adorable grease stain on Lola’s cheek. “You should try it.”
“Okay, sign me up,” she said as she looked away from Finn’s sweaty form. Maybe the heat was getting to her. She felt warm and dizzy. “Is there any way we can maybe move someplace cooler?“
“Yes,” Finn nodded enthusiastically. “It’s always at least ten degrees hotter in the garage than anywhere else. We should go outside in the shade. Promise you it’ll be better.”
Lola smiled at his enthusiasm. “Well, lead the way.” She felt the strange urge to reach for his hand and frowned a little, shoving her hand into her back pocket instead. “But don’t forget my beer,” she joked.
Finn stopped walking towards the door and did an about-face, walking towards the office instead. “Right, beer. That’s a good idea. One second.” He disappeared into the office, coming out thirty seconds later with two bottles of beer already cracked open. “Alright, now we go.” Finn grinned, handing Lola her beer and leading her out to the shade of a tree across the parking lot, plopping down in the grass and patting the spot next to him invitingly.
She sat on the grass next to him and took a long swig of the ice-cold liquid. It was actually pretty refreshing and had a good flavor. “This isn’t bad,” she said, looking down at the label. “You said it’s from Colorado?”
Finn nodded, taking his own sip and sighing contentedly. “Mhm. Don’t even ask me how Tommy got hooked on it. He finds good things from all over the place.” He laid back in the grass, letting himself relax and take in the slight breeze. “Oh man, much better.”
Lola agreed, but she didn’t think they were agreeing on the same things. “It’s no Sam Adams, but it gets the job done,” she commented with a tiny smirk. She wondered if she should lay back with him. That might be awkward. Only it felt more awkward sitting up while he laid down. So, after a moment of hesitation, she settled back next to him.
Finn turned his head to grin at her, noticing that with the angles of their bodies she wasn’t actually that far away. He bit his lip, then let out a breath to relax. “I don’t know why it’s always so much hotter in the garage. I keep telling Burt, but I’m starting to think as you get older you just don’t get hot.”
Laying down made it impossible to drink her beer. So, Lola propped herself up on one arm and turned to face him, nodding as she took a drink. Her shirt rode up a little and the grass tickled her stomach. “I think it’s safe to say cars are hot. Otherwise, they wouldn’t overheat, right?”
“Well... yeah...” Finn said, his eyes drifting to her stomach. “But, we could...” He blinked, coughing a little bit, then tried to take a sip of beer to cover it up and ended up pouring a drop down the side of his face. He groaned, shifting his head away from the wet spot and wiping off his cheek with his shoulder. “We could get better air-conditioning.”
Lola reached over and ran her thumb across the wet streak before she could stop herself. She pulled her hand back quickly and blushed after she realized what she was doing. “Right, air conditioning would be a good idea.”
Finn let out a breath, blinking up at her, his cheek tingling as he wondered if he should say anything. He watched the blush appear on her cheeks and blushed himself. “Right...Um...” Finn looked up, seeing the sunlight against the leaves on the tree. “Anyway, sorry it’s so hot, but I am glad you’re hot... I mean, here. I’m glad you’re here.” He winced, chancing a glance at her to see her reaction.
Lola’s blush deepened and she forced her gaze away from him. Her heart was pounding in a way it hadn’t in a long time and she frowned for a moment, willing herself to get under control. “I’m glad I’m here too. I’m glad you’re willing to hang out with me so much. It makes me less homesick.”
Letting out a breath, Finn smiled. He could be the good friend. He was good at that. Back away, Hudson. “Yeah, of course. You make everything better, why wouldn’t I?” Finn looked down with an embarrassed grin. “Are... you and Santana going to go back to Boston when you get married?”
“Uh...well, as much as I like Lima, I want to just get back to our lives, but she wants to stay for a few more months. So, that’s what we’re doing,” Lola said with a sigh. She was just tired of missing her house and her mother and her life.
Finn bit the inside of his cheek, not wanting to show how relieved he was at that statement. If he was going to lose her to Santana (but really, how he could he lose her if he never had a chance in the first place?) then at least she would stay around for a little longer. He didn’t really want to think about her going back to Boston and only seeing her when she came to visit other people. “Well, at least you’ve got me here, right? I’m not going anywhere.”
Smiling, Lola nodded, laying down in the grass again. “That’s true. You’re my best friend substitute. You’re not female, but at least you’re a lesbian,” she said, looking over at him with a cheeky grin. “That’s good enough.”
“Hey, girls can have best friends that are guys,” Finn laughed, reaching out to nudge her shoulder. “They don’t just have to be lesbians.”
“True. I’m a firm believer that women and men can be friends, but I was acknowledging what makes you unique.” She liked that she could joke with him so easily. She and Santana hadn’t had a lot of that lately.
“I’m telling you, there have to be more of us out there,” Finn said, smiling lazily, letting the tension relax more. “If you wrote one in, they’d be writing you letters of thanks right and left.” He shifted towards her a bit, his arm nudging against her side accidentally, but not moving it away. This was close enough, he told himself, trying to clearly remember this moment for later. Finn had been doing that a lot lately: trying to appreciate the little things. If the little things were all he had, then they would have to do.
“I told you I would in my next book. The handsome firefighter that’s a lesbian-identified male...everyone will love it,” she teased. “I think I’ll name him Hudson Finn, not very original, but I like the name.” She smiled as their eyes met and held. He was probably one of the most beautiful people she’d ever seen and sometimes she couldn’t help but just watch him.
Finn ducked his head a little, feeling a blush break out on his cheeks. “It’s a pretty good name,” he said lamely. It was taking all his self-control to keep looking at her when she was looking at him like that and not lean in to kiss her. Why did she have to look at him like that? He licked his lips, not sure what else to say.
Her eyes followed the movement of his tongue and she felt her breath hitch. She hoped he didn’t hear it as she turned away from him and looked up at the sky. Clouds were safe, right?
Finn knew he wasn’t always the most observant, but there was something in him telling him that this was more than one of those little moments that he had to steal here and there. He saw that brief spark in her eye before she turned away, he could feel the added layer of tension around them. Maybe... Finn blinked, desperately trying to stop the direction his thoughts were headed. No, there was no maybe. He was just... gonna let this moment go. It didn’t mean anything. He was imagining it. And yet he couldn’t make himself pull away or stop looking at her.
Breathing out slowly, Lola focused on the shapes of the clouds. “That one looks like a bunny,” she said suddenly, pointing towards the sky. She didn’t dare look back at him again. She knew she couldn’t seem to stop whatever pull they had towards each other.
Shaking his head out of whatever trance he was in, Finn turned to look up at the sky as well, trying to follow the pointing finger. “A bunny...?” He asked, absently. He could barely focus on the clouds right now, much less see shapes in them. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, look. Those are the ears and that’s the body,” Lola said patiently, tracing the air in hopes of making the picture clearer. “Can’t you see?”
“Yeah,” Finn said, turning back to her. “Adorable.”
Her eyes drifted back to him and she offered him a shy smile, blushing. God, why did she always react this way with him? “You think bunnies are adorable? That’s kind of adorable.”
Finn chuckled a little, shrugging. That’s not what he was talking about. “Sure. Any love of bunnies comes from Drizzle though.”
The mention of his daughter was a much needed distraction and Lola’s smile widened. “I bet. She’s like the very definition of adorable. I’m happy Quinn agreed to let her be in the wedding.” There. Talk about Santana. That’s safe.
“She’s really excited about it,” Finn said, his voice getting a little quieter. Everyone was excited about it in his weird extended family. He gave her a crooked smile. “I think you’re gonna make her year.”
“That’s great. I mean that something as boring as a wedding could make her so happy. She’s a really great kid, Finn,” she said, reaching out to touch his arm lightly as she looked at him.
Finn’s smile faltered briefly at the touch before he caught himself, laughing softly. “Weddings are big deals. You’re gonna be like Cinderella with your Princess Charming, starting your new life. What little kid wouldn’t be excited?”
Lola shrugged, pulling away slightly. “I don’t if I’d go that far. I guess I don’t really understand all those movies that make planning a wedding seem like the most fun a person will ever have in their lives. It’s kind of stressful and boring. I guess I’m still waiting for the exciting part and the wedding is next month.”
“Isn’t the wedding supposed to be the big thing, not the planning?” Finn asked, not having anything to really base it on. “And then... after.”
“Don’t remind me,” she groaned and then realized what she’d said. “Well, I mean about the planning,” she amended quickly, licking her lips. “Not the after part...”
“Right,” Finn said, giving her a small smile. “Cause the after part’s the reason for it all.” He laughed softly. “Otherwise you wouldn’t need to do any planning.”
“If the after part’s the reason, then why haven’t you gotten married?” Lola questioned, her head rolling to the side to look at him properly. She wanted to study his expression as he spoke.
Finn looked back at her, shrugging. “You have to have the right one, you know?” He wiped his hand on his shirt, looking down at how dirty he was. “I haven’t found anyone I want to go through all the planning for,” Finn joked with a smile.
“No girl has ever made you want the after part?” She asked, finding that hard to believe. “How many girls have you dated?” She asked suddenly. She watched as his hand slipped down his shirt, momentarily distracted by the size. He was a really big guy.
“There’ve been... a couple,” Finn replied thoughtfully. He sighed, then chuckled. “They’re gay now.” Picking a blade of grass, Finn shrugged again. “What do you count as dating? I’ve had... three real girlfriends, but I’ve been on dates with a lot more.” He looked up at her. “How many people have you dated?”
Lola grinned. “They’re gay? All of them?” That was some really shitty luck Finn had or maybe he was the learning curve. “I’ve had two girlfriends and a boyfriend in high school, but that only lasted a few months and nothing happened between us,” she said, wondering why she’d added that last part.
Finn smiled ruefully. “Two of them are. With each other.” He shook his head. His life was like a bad movie sometimes. “So we’re kinda equal then?” Finn looked at Lola for a moment, thinking. So she did actually date guys, even though she hadn’t done anything with him. For some weird reason, that almost made him feel relieved.
“I guess we are. Maybe you can be my lesbro. Is that the term?” She asked with a frown. It’s true she’d always been exposed to gay culture, but she couldn’t keep all of the terms straight in her head.
“I...” Finn frowned a little. He wasn’t actually sure what that meant but it didn’t really sound right. Anything to do with him being Lola’s “bro” was completely opposite of what he felt for her. “Um... I don’t know what that means. So... maybe not.”
Lola shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m not really up on my gay terminology.” She sat up on her left arm, facing him and took a long swig of her beer. “I’m three-fourths of the way through my beer. What else do we need to get done in the shop today?”
Finn took another swig of his beer, being careful this time. He mentally brought up the list of cars to work on and bit his lip. “We’re... actually ahead of schedule. We can finish the car we’re working on right now and be done for the day if you want.” Finn smiled, an idea coming to mind. “Maybe go swimming.”
Brightening, Lola sat up completely. “That sounds like fun, but what am I supposed to wear swimming? I don’t exactly have a bathing suit with me and I don’t think skinny dipping in public is an option,” she said flippantly before realizing her words. Her eyes widened and she blushed hard. “Um...not that...nevermind. You know what I mean.”
Swallowing, Finn blushed too, his eyes sweeping over her form before he could stop himself. “Um... well you can probably just... wear your underwear,” Finn said, looking away from her. God, skinny dipping with Lola... He would probably self-destruct. “And I know I have a shirt you could borrow.”
Lola hesitated for a moment, biting her bottom lip in indecision before agreeing. “Yeah, that would work,” she said. She finished off her beer and stood. If she were honest with herself, she’d have no problems with skinny dipping with him, but it was a line she was definitely not going to cross. “So, let’s finish the car quickly. I’m hot and sweaty.” She frowned at the description. She felt a little grimy.
Finn looked up at her, taking a shaky breath at where his thoughts wouldn’t stop heading. He didn’t really know what was happening between them or why it was happening now, but nothing had actually changed. She was... she was getting married soon, and his daughter was gonna be in the wedding. He shook his head, pushing himself up and smiling, not quite meeting Lola’s gaze. “Yeah, come on. Not much left to do.”
“Okay, so let’s go,” she said, turning back towards the shop. She was afraid to stand there and continue looking at him. It was probably not going to lead to anything good.
Finn followed her back into the garage, making sure to keep a good distance away from her. Throwing his bottle in the recycling bin, Finn walked back over to look under the hood. “Did you finish with the spark plugs?”
Moving back into the shop, Lola nodded. “Yep, just the way you showed me. It was easier than I thought it would be,” she chirped happily. Working on cars made her feel accomplished almost the same way finishing a book did.
Nodding, Finn inspected her work before pulling back and grinning at her. “Looks perfect,” Finn said. “I think all that’s left is topping off the oil and making sure everything works.” He walked to the shelves to grab a can, nudging Lola’s shoulder playfully on the way. “You did an awesome job.”
Lola nudged him back. “I had an awesome teacher. We’re like an awesome team. Maybe we can get t-shirts made or something,” she suggested with a grin. She couldn’t remember the last time she and Santana had done something together that didn’t revolve around her writing or books in general.
Finn laughed, nodding. “Team shirts? That’s the best idea ever. What would they say? Team Awesome?” He could already imagine them gearing up to do some sort of competition, matching shirts on, and Lola with like, a bandana on her head and war paint on her cheeks. He smiled wider at the image. “I’m game.”
“When the wedding is over, I’m going to have some made, just you wait,” she threatened, though her smile waned. After the wedding, things would be different and it wouldn’t really be okay for her to hang out with Finn like she had been. And eventually, she’d be going back to Boston and back to her life and he’d stay here. She wasn’t sure which saddened her the most.
Not even the mention of the wedding could keep Finn from smiling at her, letting himself just bask in her presence and their banter for the moment. “I’ll hold you to that,” Finn said, his voice quietly content. He reached out to touch her before realising he still had the can of oil in his hand and letting his arm fall back down with a self-deprecating chuckle, turning to the car. “Let’s get this done.”