Chapter 26 Gianna
TWENTY-SIX
GIANNA
As promised, Finn was at the dance studio on Friday afternoon to pick Gianna up from her practice. She made sure to end earlier than she normally would, wanting adequate time to get to wherever they were going so she could get ready for their date.
She had her overnight bag with her, the dress, and her dance bag. Luckily the studio was empty when Finn came marching in, looking around the room like he had never seen so many mirrors in his life.
“What are you doing in here?” Gianna asked, throwing her pointe shoes in her dance bag. “I was coming outside.”
“I figured you probably had a lot to carry,” he said. He was still wearing a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, more casual than what she’d assumed he would be wearing for their actual date. “How was your practice?”
“It was alright.” Other than the fact that she had tripped twice and was distracted more than usual. “I could have done better.”
“I know you’re the best in your class.”
“Why would you think that?”
“Because you don’t seem like the type to let yourself be second in anything,” he said, grinning. “Are your practices open to the public?”
“Why do you ask?”
“I want to come watch you.”
“You want to see me practice?” she asked, her eyes widening in shock.
“I really want to come see you dance, but I’ll take a practice too,” Finn said. He grabbed her dance bag and overnight bag, leaving her to carry the dress that was still in the special packaging from the store.
Gianna swallowed, feeling her skin heat up. “Okay.”
“Perfect.”
She stood up, her legs suddenly shaky. She never had a boy interested in her dancing before.
Like ever. It was something she usually kept to herself because of how vulnerable she felt while she did it.
The raw emotion that came with every movement of her muscles and body, it was something she didn’t like to share with just anyone.
But something about him being interested in it made her hot.
“Are you ready to head out?” he asked.
Gianna nodded. They walked out of the studio and to the SUV that waited for them.
He placed her bags in the back with what she assumed was his overnight duffle and his suit.
She placed her dress down on the seat, letting him close the door.
She grabbed the door handle for the passenger side, but he was quick to push her hand off, opening it instead.
“What a gentleman.” She snorted, getting in. The slap to her ass was quick and unexpected, forcing a yelp out of her lips.
“Can’t help being a brat, can you?” He closed the door, moving to the other side to get into the driver’s seat. He turned on the car and they began their drive.
“I was just complimenting your helpfulness.”
“I’m sure you were. By the way, I have to say I quite like those little ballerina outfits you wear,” he said, looking down at her.
She was still wearing a black leotard, light pink tights, and a pink wrap top with a matching ballet skirt. It was what she wore during practice, and she had meant to at least change into some sweatpants, but his comments in the studio made everything completely slip her mind.
Gianna rolled her eyes. “Of course you do.”
“Is that what you wear during every practice?” he asked.
She shrugged. “Different variations.”
“Are there boys in that class?”
She turned to face him, a grin on her now. “Are you jealous?”
“I have nothing to be jealous of. I’m fucking you, they’re not.” Finn looked over at her, and she caught the darkening of his eyes. “I will say though, if any of them ever do anything inappropriate to you, I will fucking kill them.”
“Careful, you’re starting to sound like Valerio.”
“God, don’t compare me to him of all people.”
She laughed, shaking her head. “Where are you taking me? This could be classified as kidnapping.”
“We’re going to the city,” Finn said. “And that’s all you’re going to get for now.”
“That’s it? I need more than that. It was a lot of work to be able to have tonight covered. Somehow, me and Cecilia managed to convince everyone we’re doing a wellness night at some spa.”
“I know, she’s with Augustus tonight,” Finn said causally.
Gianna’s eyes went wide. “She’s with Augustus?”
She felt horrible. Gianna hadn’t known where Cecilia was going for the night, all she kept saying was that she had it covered and not to worry about it. Had she known that meant Augustus, Gianna absolutely would not have agreed to it.
“I feel horrible. I had no idea she was going there. Wait, does Augustus know about us?” Gianna asked.
“Yes, he does. I told him, and she’ll be fine with him. He would never hurt her,” Finn said. “That’s probably why she didn’t tell you about it.”
She frowned, thinking about Cecilia. Immediately, she began chewing on her nail in worry.
Finn looked over at her, grabbing her hand. “Don’t think about it now. She’s fine.”
“Maybe I should just call her.”
And she did, but Cecilia didn’t answer. She did, however, end up sending a text saying not to worry about her and to have a good time. It seemed to be Cecilia and not some kidnapped version of her, so it soothed Gianna’s worries enough. She owed her best friend everything and more.
The spring weather was in full bloom. The sun shined brightly, but it wasn’t overbearingly hot or freezing cold.
It was the perfect amount of warmth coupled with the emergence of bugs and flowers that made Gianna love spring as much as she did.
Though it was May now and she only had a month or so left of it, spring in the city reminded her that she needed to spend more time outside instead of letting the studio swallow up so much of it.
“What are you thinking about?” Finn asked.
“Just how much I love this time of year. The flowers, the rain, how everything just comes back to life after the harsh winter.”
“Seems fitting that you would enjoy spring.”
She crinkled her nose. “Why is that so fitting?”
“You’re so bright. If I had to match any season to you it would have been either that one or summer,” Finn said, giving her a smile.
“Summer is probably my second favorite, but it gets a little too hot for me.”
“Figured you spend most of your time in a bikini on a beach somewhere.”
“Oh, I do,” Gianna said with a grin. “I love to travel.”
“I only started to enjoy it recently.”
“When you were on your backpacking trip?” She couldn’t help the little quip.
He shot her an unamused look. “Yes. I know it doesn’t match your level of expectations, but it was probably one of the best experiences I’ve ever had in my life.”
Gianna was silent for a moment. It hurt—his sting.
His belief that she couldn’t enjoy something like that because of what he thought about her, what most people thought about her, it hit her in a way she hadn’t expected it to.
She liked the finer things, sure. But the way he assumed it, so quickly too, it hurt weirdly enough.
“I wasn’t trying to be malicious.”
Finn sighed, scratching at his chin. “And I didn’t mean to get so defensive. I’m used to people shitting on my decisions. Hell, shitting on me.”
She shrugged. “I’m used to people assuming that I’m thinking the worst about them. That I’m judging them.”
He grabbed her hand, pulling it onto his lap and holding onto it tightly. Gianna continued staring out the front windshield, feeling overly exposed.
“And you don’t?” he asked.
She bit the inside of her lip. “I do. I’m not perfect. It just sucks when that’s the first thing everyone expects of me.”
“I make shitty decisions all the time. Because of that, people expect me to fail, to make mistakes. They expect it, but I’ve stopped giving a shit. You want to know why?”
“Why?” She turned to face him now, noticing they were at a red light.
“Because the best decision I’ve made is sitting in the car with me right now and that proves to me that I can do the impossible.
I haven’t failed with you and that makes me really fucking happy.
So, I’m actively proving them, and even that part of myself that believed them, wrong.
And you being here with me does the same for you.
Shows that you have an open and welcoming heart, because I know if you didn’t, you wouldn’t be here with me right now. ”
The way he stared back at her, with an intensity she had never seen from him before, was enough to leave her speechless.
The way he understood her was the way she’d wanted to be understood her entire life.
It made her reconsider every way she had ever looked at him.
All the times she had been harsh, unforgiving, and relentless in her mild torture towards him.
Maybe one day she would be able to tell him that she hadn’t meant to do it, but from the way his brown eyes became so soft when they stared back at her, she didn’t think she needed to.
It was like he already understood her. Maybe more so than she knew herself.
“I’m really happy you made that choice,” Gianna said, swallowing harshly.
“Me fucking too.”
Honking behind them took them out of the daze.
Finn muttered some words under his breath, but Gianna was too high up in the clouds to hear any of it.
She felt giddy and dare she say shy. Even as they pulled up to the fancy hotel and he beat the valet to open her door, she still felt so unsure of what to do, how to act.
They didn’t need to check in because he had made sure everything was set up ahead of time, so he led her straight to the elevator and they were off up to the top floor.
She wished she could have spent more time admiring the stretch of windows that covered the penthouse, giving an open view of the city or the obviously beautiful master bedroom that held a king-size bed and was adorned with the exact white bedding and sheets she had at home and absolutely loved.
Or how the hotel bathroom was lined with the shower products she used regularly, and the kitchen was stocked with her favorite snacks.
She wished she could have admired the material items that usually she would have gone crazy about, but instead her heart beat uncontrollably when Finn approached her with two glasses of champagne.
She admired his brown eyes, his thick brows, his messy hair, the small mole he had next to his left ear, his rough and calloused hands, and his plump lips that once used to scowl so often but only seemed to smile these days.
Gianna beamed at him, taking one of the glasses from him and clinking them together.
“Oh, you never told me what your favorite season was,” she said, taking a sip.
He stared at her for a moment. “You know, it used to be fall, but now I think it might be spring.”
Yes, that was what she truly cared about.