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[howtogirlrachel-blog]

howtoguyfinn‌:

Their conversation was slowing, but the silence in the moments that Finn was deciding what to say next surprisingly enough weren’t awkward at all. Rachel was radiant, and interesting, and Finn knew he wasn’t ready to say goodnight to her just yet. Even if this all was just to win a bet and run the pitch he’d been waiting for, it didn’t mean he wasn’t allowed to genuinely enjoy being with her all the while. 

“Sure” he grinned, reaching for his jacket that hung over the back of his stool. “Oh, that’s not a problem. I actually live really close to here, anyways” Finn explained with a smile. “They won’t mind me keeping you a little longer, right?”

“Perfect,” she cooed, happy that Finn took the bait and was kind enough to invite her into his home. Rachel slid off of the bar stool and carefully adjusted her short skirt, ensuring the hem was smooth against her legs. She stared confusingly at him when he mentioned someone minding him keeping her for a bit longer, then remembered the lie she’d just spewed a minute earlier. “Oh, of course not!” she replied a bit too eagerly. “It’s just... a cousin. He’s thinking of transferring to NYU so I was roped into letting him crash with me,” she continued, surprising herself with how well she was crafting a backstory. It must be the writer in her. The two had made their way out of the bar and onto the cool streets of New York City. “Should I hail a cab? You’re gonna see the real New Yorker in me if I do,” she joked, preparing to step into the street and angrily wave down a cabbie. 

ALL IS FAIR IN LOVE & WAR → finchel para

[howtogirlrachel-blog]

howtoguyfinn‌:

Maybe it was because of this silly bet, or maybe it was the way her laugh was giving him butterflies, but Finn caught himself already thinking about seeing her again. She was absolutely gorgeous, and confident in a way that was still rather humble and that was rare to find in a girl in this city, especially in a bar. “Why thank you, I’m glad to hear that you’ve noticed” he responded playfully, placing his now empty bottle down on the bar.

“Looks like it, yeah” he smiled, glancing down towards their hands before meeting her eyes again. “Definitely”

As their conversation slowed, Rachel found the opportunity she’d been waiting for to get them in a more private space. She couldn’t be certain she’d hooked the guy until he at least felt comfortable taking her back to his apartment. It wasn’t like she planned on hooking up with him (even if a tiny part of her wouldn’t mind doing exactly that), she just needed to have the window to ‘accidentally’ forget her purse where he would certainly discover her 50-yard line tickets to the New York Giants’ regular-season opener. 

“Do you want to get out of here?” she asked, stroking his hand once more. With the bar getting more crowded by the minute, she at least had some excuse to make her seem slightly less desperate. “I’d invite you back to my place but I have family in town,” she lied, adding the sweetest smile she could muster. 

ALL IS FAIR IN LOVE & WAR → finchel para

[howtogirlrachel-blog]

howtoguyfinn‌:

“Right place at the right time” he explained with a nonchalant nod. “I suppose this charm of mine that I’m so infamous for likely helped, too” he grinned. It was rare to meet a girl that seemed to have a genuine interest in the fine details of what he did for a living, and Finn found that he really wasn’t struggling to keep the conversation going with Rachel, infact, he was struggling to decide what he wanted to ask her first. 

“Must be something in the air” he chuckled in response, mouth quirking into his infamous half smile as he took another sip of his beer, raising his brows when she began to speak. “Oh yes, very much so” he nodded, relieved to know that this must mean she was also single. “Haven’t found the right person yet” he shrugged weakly.

Rachel began to giggle at Finn’s response. He had a certain type of confidence to him that was incredibly sexy. She liked how prideful he was about his career and she also liked that he wasn’t ashamed to give himself credit for it, even if it came across as playful. “You are pretty charming, I can confirm that,” she promised. 

Her heart rate sped up when he confirmed that he was single- very much so. She shouldn’t have been so excited at the prospect- she was going to drive him mad until he dumped her, anyway. But she considered herself to be pretty lucky to at least have the opportunity with someone as great as Finn. “I guess it sounds like we’re in the same boat,” she swiftly replied, slyly reaching her arm closer towards him so her fingers could brush against the side of his hand.  “Timing is everything.” And boy was that true, for she would have never even met him if it weren’t for the ridiculous assignment she had gotten herself into. 

ALL IS FAIR IN LOVE & WAR → finchel para

[howtogirlrachel-blog]

howtoguyfinn‌:

A lot of the women he worked with read the publication, and Finn was definitely guilty of having flicked through it when his brain needed a break every now and again. It didn’t really get much better for journalism, so she must be exceptionally good at writing, he thought. Hearing her talk about what led her to such a career, however nonchalantly it was, had a warm smile growing on his face, she was clearly passionate about her career, even if this wasn’t the final stepping stone. “Well you got this far, what’s to say you couldn’t step on to something greater?” he shrugged weakly. “It’s important to enjoy what you do in life, and to live it to the fullest” Finn certainly tried to follow that mantra, anyways. 

“Not necessarily, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy it. It was one of those unexpected paths you don’t expect to find yourself on, I guess you could say” he explained, taking a sip of his drink. “Mad Men, I like it” he grinned, winking playfully in her direction. “Everything, a lot of jewelry pitches lately, though”

Rachel nodded her head thoughtful at Finn’s insight. She honestly hadn’t expected to gain much from her interaction from him, but he was proving to be a really introspective guy. “Touché. That’s a really great philosophy to live by,” she replied. “How’d you wind up on the unexpected path towards working for an advertising agency then?” she asked. 

She blushed at his wink and bit her lower lip to keep from smiling too widely at his flirting. “Hm, jewelry. Diamonds truly are a girl’s best friend. How else do you explain the line that wraps around the block outside of Tiffany’s on Fifth Ave?” Rachel halfheartedly joked. She finished her drink, licking the last bit of alcohol from her lips before resting her arm against the bar. “You know, Finn,” she began in a flirty voice. “I’ve got to admit that it’s pretty rare to find someone as good-looking and successful as you in this city. How on earth are you single?” Pausing for a moment, her eyes frantically searched for a ring on his hand just in case she had missed it again. “You are single, right?” she asked for confirmation.

ALL IS FAIR IN LOVE & WAR → finchel para

[howtogirlrachel-blog]

howtoguyfinn‌:

The way she said his name brought a smile to his face. He knew this was only a bet to take the pitch that was rightfully his, but Rachel also seemed really sweet, perhaps getting to know her would actually be fun. A surge of guilt shot through his stomach as he realised letting her down once this was all over could really suck. “Scarlet, huh?” he raised a brow, genuinely impressed. He wasn’t exactly a regular reader or anything, but he was aware of how popular the publication was. “That’s really impressive, did you always know you wanted to write?”

Accepting his beer when it was ready, he nodded gratefully toward the bartender before turning his attention back to Rachel. Up close like this he could really see how gorgeous she was. “Me? Oh, I’m an advertising executive. Not exactly a dream job, but I’m really good at it” he smiled, because even if it hadn’t been his passion when he got the job, Finn definitely took pride in doing it well now.

Rachel beamed at Finn when he recognized what Scarlet was. It was a rare occasion for her to find a guy who not only knew of the magazine but seemed genuinely interested in what she did for a living, too. Shrugging her shoulders at his follow up question nonchalantly, she attempted to play it cool. Most people found her personality to be a bit overbearing and intense, especially when she delved into the details of her childhood and or dreams. “I guess you could say that,” she smiled and scrunched her nose a little bit. “I’ve always been a planner and I had always been a great writer so I just sort of stuck with it if that makes sense. As far as writing for Scarlet... I don’t know. It’s a job and a stepping stone to something greater. At least that’s what I like to tell myself.” 

“Not a dream job? It sounds pretty incredible to me like you’re a character on Mad Men or something,” she teased. “What sorts of things do you advertise?” She was genuinely pleased to learn that Finn was not only incredibly handsome but was successful too. 

ALL IS FAIR IN LOVE & WAR → finchel para

[howtogirlrachel-blog]

howtoguyfinn‌:

Finn worried suddenly as she began turning around that perhaps he was coming across as a creep, considering that she had definitely seen him looking at her just now. There was nothing but softness in her expression, however. Then again, it wouldn’t come as a shock to him if she was used to being hit on all night. His lips curled up in a half smile as he saw her friends leaving, meaning he had her full attention as he invited himself to take a seat.

“Finn Hudson” he smiled, reaching out to shake her hand with a chuckle. “Lovely to meet you. I would love that” he grinned. He had barely gotten started with his usual moves and this was already going so well. He had this pitch in the bag. “I’ll have another beer, and whatever this lady was drinking” he ordered upon their approach to the bar, handing over a note to the bartender and insisting that he kept the change. “So what do you do for a living, Rachel?”

“Finn,” Rachel repeated quietly. She liked the way it sounded as it fell from her lips. Finn led her to the bar and she sat carefully on top of a stool before ordering another a vodka soda. She needed something a bit stronger than the beer she’d been nursing all night to deal with the fact that the hottest guy who had ever bothered to ask her for the time of day was also likely going to be the poor subject for her article.

“I’m a writer,” she smiled, accepting her drink once it was made and turning on the stool to face him. Her bare knee bumped against his thigh and she ignored the way her cheeks warmed and the goosebumps that appeared on her skin. Instead, she stirred the contents of her drink with the tiny black straw before taking a long sip. “Are you familiar with Scarlet? It’s the most popular women’s magazine on the market. I’m a columnist there.” Even if Rachel didn’t love her job due to its restrictions on content, she was still proud to work for a publication so notable. “And what about you, Finn Hudson? What keeps a guy like you busy in the Big Apple?

ALL IS FAIR IN LOVE & WAR → finchel para

[howtogirlrachel-blog]

howtoguyfinn‌:

Finn had been sitting with his boss and two of his co-workers for over an hour now, trying to charm his way into convincing the older man that the new Diamond campaign should be his. “Please, I am telling you, Mr Schue. You gotta let me have this pitch” Finn caught his bosses attention. “You’ve seen my work, you know I’m the obvious choice for this, c’mon” Now Finn wasn’t going to beg for the pitch, he was too proud for that. He was damn near close to it, though. 

“What do you even know about romance, anyways?” William Schuester asked, earning a snort from Santana which Finn ignored. He wasn’t about to let Santana’s snark blow this for him when it felt as if he might be actually getting somewhere. 

“Me? I practically wrote the book on romance” he rolled his eyes, grinning over at his boss. “I could make any girl fall in love with me. Fact” he stated proudly, knocking back a large gulp of his beer. 

“You really think you could make any girl fall in love with you? Prove it” Brittany smirked, and Finn had no choice but to nod when he saw Mr Schuester agreeing with her. 

“Fine. Pick a girl. Any girl. I bet you…..the pitch, that I can make her fall in love with me” Finn smirked over his pint glass. He was definitely a ladies man, and he exuded confidence. This was going to be a piece of cake.  “Her” Santana spoke up a few moments later, nodding subtly over his shoulder. “Oh and you have ten days, Hudson” Will added, although it only encouraged him. Turning around as subtly as he could, Finn was blown away. This girl was beautiful, and tiny, so, so tiny. And that smile. At least they’d picked somebody he certainly wouldn’t mind getting closer to. “You’re on” he nodded back at his co-workers, chugging down the rest of his drink before he approached her slowly. “Hi”

Rachel froze when she heard a smooth, deep voice greet her from behind. She hesitantly turned in her chair, crossing her legs in the process. Even though she knew that it was going to be him, it was still surprising. Now that he was closer, Rachel could see just how handsome he truly was. His dark hair was styled neatly, his eyes were a warm shade of brown, and he had the most adorable smile she’d ever seen in her life. 

“Hi,” she managed to say. She glanced over her shoulder and realized while she had been ogling this stranger’s features, Tina and Kitty had left the table and had headed towards the front door. They sent her a thumbs up and encouraging smiles before exiting. Rachel turned her attention back to the handsome man and used the tips of her fingers to tuck her hair behind her ear. “Do you want to get another drink?” she asked, hoping she didn’t sound too desperate. Mortified that she forgot to introduce herself, she quickly extended her hand in his direction. “I’m Rachel, by the way. Rachel Berry.”

ALL IS FAIR IN LOVE & WAR → finchel para

[howtogirlrachel-blog]

ALL IS FAIR IN LOVE & WAR → finchel para

Rachel walked away with a flushed face, clutching her bottle of Blue Moon close to her chest. The man she had just shamelessly flirted with at the bar for fifteen minutes turned out to not only be taken but had been on a date with his wife for their third anniversary. If only Rachel had recognized the wedding band on his left-hand ring finger, then she would have saved herself the embarrassment of conversing with his wife once she returned from the restroom.

Kitty and Tina cackled as Rachel rejoined them, burying her face in her hands. “Were they not interested? I heard throuples are on the rise in NYC,” Kitty teased, only sending Tina into a deeper fit of giggles.

“Come on guys, this is serious!” Rachel replied, attempting to keep a straight face. “We’ve been here for nearly two hours now and I haven’t had any luck finding a guy!”

The first guy that had spoken to seemed promising until he asked her if she had a mirror in her pants because he could see himself in them, the second guy offered to hook up with her in the bathroom (ew), and the third wouldn’t even let her get a single word in during their ten minute interaction. Rachel wasn’t being picky- it wasn’t like this was the guy she planned to spend the rest of her life with- but she certainly didn’t want to have to spend her night with a total creep. 

“You might be having luck now,” Tina offered, nodding her head towards a man at the opposite end of the establishment. “Don’t look now but I think he’s totally checking you out. Cute, too.”

Unable to control herself, Rachel peered as casually as possible over her shoulder. Her eyes landed on a taller man who sat with an older man and two gorgeous women. He was outrageously handsome, with dark brown hair and a sharp jawline. Maybe he was on a double date, but that wouldn’t explain the fact that he was very obviously looking in their direction. He was way out of her league to be interested, however. Snapping her head back towards her friend, she shook her head in disbelief. 

“No way, he’s probably checking out Kitty,” Rachel pointed the neck of her beer bottle at the blonde before taking a long sip. 

“As if, Berry. You look hot tonight,” Kitty looked her up and down, appreciating Rachel’s mature choice of a black, spaghetti strap body-con dress. “I told you triangle bodices are a small-chested girl’s best friend. And I’m clearly not the only one who noticed. He’s coming this way.”

“No, he isn’t!” Rachel hissed. Kitty and Tina nodded, sending Rachel’s heart racing in her chest. She quickly chugged the rest of her beer. 

[howtogirlrachel-blog]

THE PITCH → solo para

Tagged→ Rachel Berry, Kitty Wilde, & Tina Cohen-Chang 

Location→ Steinem Publications/Tina’s Apartment, New York City

Time Frame→ Friday, August 24th

General Notes→ Rachel Berry is Scarlet magazine’s “How to” girl. In an attempt to save a friend in need, Rachel winds up with an assignment that’s unlike anything she’s ever done before. 

"Where’s Tina?”

Rachel’s co-worker and best friend, Kitty, interrupted. The tiny blonde had barged into her cubicle with her arms crossed over her chest and an arched eyebrow that read ‘this is a rhetorical question’. And it was rhetorical because it was always the same answer any time Tina was extremely late for work- she’d been dumped. 

Groaning in agony, Rachel swiveled in her desk chair to face Kitty. 

“How many times are we gonna have to go through this drill?” she responded. 

Kitty shrugged her shoulders and slapped a fake smile on her face. “Until Tina can learn how to act more like a twenty-something woman and less like a twelve-year-old who just found out her crush likes her back via a handwritten note. Now come on, we have a staff meeting to get to in a half hour and you know April likes to cold call on those who are late.”

Shuddering at the thought of their editor in chief April Rhodes and her interesting work ethic, Rachel sprung into action. She grabbed her favorite Kate Spade purse and slung it over her shoulder, making sure she had her phone, keys, and wallet on her. “I’ll go grab the coffee if you grab the beauty samples?”

Kitty nodded her head and without saying another word, headed towards the beauty closet while Rachel visited Steinem Publications in-house Starbucks. The two were crammed in the back of an Uber share in no time and ten minutes later were knocking impatiently on the door to Tina’s apartment. 

The door opened a crack to reveal their friend, her beautiful eyes bloodshot and puffy. 

“Oh, Tina,” Rachel began sympathetically. Before she could finish the waterworks began again. She shared a look with Kitty before wrapping her free arm around their heartbroken friend in a comforting hug. 

“It was just so unexpected. Everything was going so well. So well!” she emphasized, shaking her fist in the air. 

Kitty patted her soothingly on the back before brushing past her and into her studio. “Geez, Tina. Maybe you should hire a maid,” Kitty immediately said. Rachel looked over Tina’s shoulder at the empty bottles of wine and Chinese takeout boxes that littered the floor. 

“Oh my God,” she mouthed to Kitty who simply shook her head and rolled her eyes. 

“Alright, Cohen-Chang, we can cry about your latest dating misfortune but let’s do it later. Like after work? April’s staff meeting is in fifteen minutes and if you want to keep your job, I suggest you change into that cute olive green jumper everyone loves, wash your face to get all of that tear-dried mascara off and try out these new samples I copped for you.”

Tina turned towards Kitty and hesitantly grabbed the bag as if she couldn’t believe it was true. “Bobbi Brown lipstick?” she asked, peering inside. “Okay, I’ll be right back.”

While Tina dressed, Rachel and Kitty began picking up some of the trash on the floor. She made sure to pull open the curtains near her bed to let in some natural light and made her bed, even fluffing the pillows for a little extra TLC. When Tina emerged from the bathroom, it was like she was a new woman. Her hair was straight and sleek and her tanned skin popped against the strapless jumpsuit that adorned her body. She even had managed to put on a pair of wedges. 

Nodding their heads in approval, they rushed Tina out of her apartment before she could start sobbing again and back to their Uber. 

“Why does this always happen?” Tina began after they arrived at Steinem. “I’m serious, why does this always happen to me? Everything starts out so great and then a week and a half later I’ve somehow driven them away. I’m mystified! Rick and I had such a great connection. I mean when we had sex it was so beautiful that I cried.” 

Rachel choked on her coffee. “You cried? You mean like one glistening tear on your cheek, right?”

“No, I was really emotional. I even told him I loved him!” Tina crowed proudly. 

Kitty stared at her with eyes as wide as saucers. “Tell me you did not sabotage yourself like that!” 

Before Tina could take offense, Rachel interjected. “I think what Kitty means is that it’s a little intense to be crying during sex, especially with a guy you haven’t even dated for an entire week.”

“Why is it intense? It was how I felt, I wanted to express myself.”

“What did he say to you?” Kitty asked. 

A tiny smile settled on Tina’s face. “Rick didn’t need to say anything. I could tell by the look in his eyes that he felt the same way. But then he started to get weird. He stopped responding to my texts so I started to call him. Then after getting his voicemail fifteen times in a row, I called his office.”

“You called his place of employment?” Kitty repeated, her voice getting louder and louder. 

“Of course, how else was I supposed to know he hadn’t gotten hit by a subway or something?” Tina defended. “Anyways, I know why he broke up with me. It’s because I’m fat.”

“You’re not fat!” Kitty and Rachel disagreed at the same time. 

“Tina, even if the most beautiful woman in the world acted the way that you did any normal guy would still go running in the other direction,” Rachel reasoned. 

Tina scoffed, rolling her eyes liberally in Rachel’s direction. “Easy for you to say, Rachel. You could literally puke on a guy and he’d still want to date you.”

Kitty began to laugh hysterically and Rachel shook her head in disbelief. “As if, Tina. I haven’t even been on a date in two months. And the point is if I did the things that you did I’d get dumped too.”

Rachel truly couldn’t believe how bad at dating her friend was. No wonder she drove every guy she dated away! As Tina continued to delve the details of her short-lived relationship with Rick, Rachel was beginning to see just how oblivious her friend was to her dating missteps. She didn’t seem to understand that what she was doing was a guarantee to drive anyone in their right mind away. As they entered the conference room, Rachel was almost relieved that she could have a break from hearing about it. It was starting to make her head spin. 

April entered and sat at the head of the table, the only thing in hand a single martini glass. 

“Alright ladies and gents, what do we have on the menu for today?” she greeted in her southern accent. 

Sugar’s hand shot straight up into the air and she bounced in her chair like she couldn’t contain herself. Rachel kept quiet, not having any good ideas to share for the week. She was getting stumped on relevant topics to discuss in her “how to” columns. That was certainly the downside of working for a women’s magazine. Even though women were interested in politics and serious topics, Steinem Publications still had ancient opinions on what was appropriate to include in Scarlet. They still thought the fact that they dedicated pages and pages to sex was revolutionary despite it being 2018. So while Rachel had a list of things she’d love to cover, she knew better than to pitch them. She’d learned that lesson the hard way after her first month as a columnist when April humiliated her in front of her colleagues. 

“Ms. Rhodes, I’m almost finished with my piece on deadly bikini waxes, about that one girl who died from an infection due to unsterilized equipment and reuse of wax,” Sugar rushed in her nasally voice. Taking in everyone’s disgusted faces, Sugar quickly added, “But it’s still surprisingly upbeat.”

“I love it,” April responded. “Who’s next? Tina?”

Rachel’s head snapped up towards her friend, watching Tina flip through her notebook for an idea to pitch. There was no way she’d had the time to prepare for the meeting between the drinking, crying, and binging of Chinese food. 

Clearing her throat and bowing her head shamefully, Tina began to mumble. “Actually, April... I was just dumped and I didn’t exactly have the time to generate any good ideas.”

The entire room broke out into a chorus of “aw’s”, attempting to share their sympathy with Tina. 

“I’m sorry, Tina,” April replied sincerely, their meeting’s agenda long forgotten. “But you’re looking fabulous. Isn’t Tina looking fabulous?” she looked at the rest of the room expectantly before everyone chimed in agreement. 

“Thanks, I’ve lost a couple of pounds,” Tina added bashfully. 

April began to clap her hands in a weird way. “That’s wonderful news, Tina. Well, why don’t you write about your break up? Heartbreak is always an excellent material for Scarlet,” April offered in an executive decision. “Next?”  

“Wait, what?” Tina interrupted. “With all due respect, I-I can’t write about my failed relationship. It’s too soon!”

April pouted, reaching her hand across the table and resting it comfortingly atop of Tina’s. “I completely understand. Who will write about Tina’s failed relationship?

“Oh! Oh! I’ll write about it!” Sugar exclaimed, bouncing in her seat again. 

Rachel shared a look with Kitty as Tina began to panic. There was no way Tina could handle Sugar writing about her sad love life. Biting her lower lip nervously, Rachel wracked up the courage to raise her own hand. 

“No, I’ll write about it,” she determined, ignoring the angry look that Tina shot in her direction. “Not about Tina, necessarily. She’ll be my inspiration.”

“How exactly does that fit into a “how to” column?” Sugar complained, her dark eyes narrowing. 

Rachel hadn���t thought things through that far, but with the entire room staring expectantly at her she had to come up with something. “Look at Tina,” Rachel gestured to the girl. “She’s beautiful and she’s a great girl. But she has a problem hanging onto relationships and doesn’t really know what she’s doing wrong, which is like a lot of our readers.”

April cocked her head and squinted her eyes, “Uh huh, continue.”

“So... I was thinking that I could start... dating a guy and drive him away using the classic mistakes that women like Tina,” Rachel paused and shot a sympathetic look in Tina’s direction. “make all of the time. I’ll keep a log of it and it will be a dating how-to in reverse?” 

 “A guide on what not to do... I love it. How about How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days?”

Rachel cocked her head to the side, “Why 10 days?”

“Because seven days is too short and we go to press in 11. Can you manage?”

“Of course,” Rachel responded confidently despite panicking internally. How on Earth was she going to make this work? There was no way she could find a guy, hook him in long enough to want to continue to date her, and drive him mad to the point of breaking up with her in ten days. It was going to be a long week...