Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 71651 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 358(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71651 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 358(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
Finn definitely wasn’t asleep. He had a pretty good set of speakers in the living room, and the whole house was filled with the music. I kicked off my shoes and rounded the corner of the entryway.
I found him in the living room, his figure framed by the low glow of the table lamp. He had a glass of whiskey in one hand, singing along to the song like he was doing home karaoke.
He looked like the star of an old movie, his tan skin radiant in the light.
“Past your bedtime,” I said.
When he turned to me, I could already tell he’d been drinking for a while.
The front of his shirt was completely unbuttoned. I glanced over his muscled torso, the V-shape at the bottom that led down to his belted blue jeans.
“Welcome back,” Finn said, his voice low. Even he had a bit more of a drawl when he’d been drinking, and it was out in full force.
“Bad day at work?” I asked, pulling off my jacket.
“Wasn’t a great one,” he said, his eyes fixed on mine. He brought the glass of whiskey to his lips, sipping a much larger amount than he probably needed right now. “How about you? Did you have some drinks tonight, too?”
“Not tonight,” I said, squinting at him. “What is up with you?”
Since he’d kissed me at the bar, I’d been dreading a night like this.
When Finn’s life didn’t go as planned, sometimes he would self-sabotage a little. He was usually pretty good at regulating his life, but when something bothered him, it could come out in weird ways.
He shrugged, then finished the short glass of whiskey and put it down on the coffee table. He sang another few lines of the country song, then sighed, putting his hands behind his head and stretching.
The way the unbuttoned shirt draped around him only served to make his chest look broader than usual.
He’d grown into a man while I’d been gone. A man with a house, a career, and a whole life ahead of him, at only twenty-four years old.
“What’s up with you?” he volleyed back at me. “And Thomas?”
Heat stirred in my chest.
Oh, it’s on, I thought, getting the same inklings I always got before Finn and I were about to fight.
“Believe it or not, Finn, I do actually have the capacity to make friends who aren’t you, these days,” I said. “If you have some problem with Thomas, you shouldn’t. He’s actually a really nice guy.”
“I’m not arguing with that,” Finn said. “Not at all. I’m happy for you to have good people in your life.”
I watched him. “Were you at home drinking alone all night?”
“I was at the Hard Spot, with Danielle,” he said pointedly. “I also have friends other than you.”
A new song came on and Finn walked off toward the kitchen, pouring himself a glass of orange juice this time.
I followed him in, but he wouldn’t look at me.
“I’m touring two more rentals next week, okay?” I told him. “It isn’t my fault the first one had mold and the other one went to an old lady instead. I’m trying my best to get out of your house, but for now, can we at least be civil?”
“Since when do you want to be civil?” he said.
I felt like we were taking ten steps backward.
For the first time in years, I’d felt close to him the other night at the bar. When he kissed me it showed me that he was willing to go the extra mile to make me feel like I wasn’t the odd one out here in Bestens anymore.
Now he was being colder than ever.
“Fine,” I said. “If you want to go back to me leaving you alone and us acting like we barely know each other, then we can do that.”
I turned and started to walk out of the kitchen.
“Take that back,” Finn said.
I paused, turning back to look at him. His eyes were smoldering.
“Why should I take it back?”
“I saved your ass from being beaten to a pulp by Aaron’s dumb ass the other night.”
“There’s that ego of yours,” I told him. “I wouldn’t have let him beat my ass, and you know it. I already told you that I was grateful you were there for me, but I don’t need to be saved.”
“Forget about saving you,” he said, furrowing his brow at me. “You don’t even want to be helped.”
“Because I’m not looking for help,” I said.
Immediately I realized how dumb it sounded.
I was standing in his home.
He really was helping me, more than he needed to, by letting me stay here.
My heart rate ticked up.
After a silence that was long enough to piss me off even more, Finn finally spoke.
“I’m glad you’re hitting it off with Thomas,” he said. “That’s all I want you to know. I hope you guys end up married. Hell, I hope you have the perfect life and you whisk him off to LA or New York and you never have to suffer through living around here again.”