Chapter Twelve
Finn
Finn left Maurice’s room with his heart doing this weird, uneven thump in his chest. He tried to play it cool walking down the hallway, but inside he was buzzing—half thrilled, half confused.
He really liked Maurice. More than he should have done after one night.
The man was steady and thoughtful, and he looked at Finn as if he saw him.
But then Maurice had said they needed to socialize for the entire week. Meet other people. Explore. Make sure.
Finn understood the logic. He did. But it still stung. It made him wonder if Maurice didn’t like him as much as Finn thought. Maybe Finn had imagined the spark. Maybe Maurice was just being polite. Or responsible. Or older and wiser in that annoying way older men sometimes were.
He slipped into his cabin and shut the door behind him. The room felt too quiet after being with Maurice. Too empty. He sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed his hands over his face.
He had a breakfast date with Jacob in the morning. Jacob Gates. A doctor. A handsome one. And Finn should be excited about that. Shouldn’t he? All he could think about was Maurice’s voice telling him they both needed to socialize.
Finn flopped back on the bed with a groan. “Great. Now I’m overthinking everything.”
A knock startled him upright.
He opened the door and found Mr. Santos standing there, arms crossed, expression somewhere between concerned and nosy.
“Finn, may I come in for a moment?”
“Uh… sure.” Finn stepped aside.
Mr. Santos walked in as if he owned the place, then turned to face him. “I saw you leaving Maurice’s room. I wanted to check on you.”
Finn’s stomach tightened. “Why?”
“Because you looked… conflicted.” Mr. Santos tilted his head. “Did Maurice say something to upset you?”
Finn shrugged, trying to play it off. “He just said we should socialize this week. Meet other people. Make sure we know what we want.”
“Ah.” Mr. Santos nodded slowly. “And how did that make you feel?”
Finn let out a breath. “Like maybe he doesn’t like me as much as I thought.”
Mr. Santos’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh, sweetheart. That man likes you. Trust me.”
Finn blinked. “He does?”
“Very much.” Mr. Santos gave him a small smile. “But Maurice is cautious. He’s older. He’s been through things. He doesn’t want you to miss out on the experience of this train because you met someone you clicked with on day one.”
Finn sat on the bed again, absorbing that. “So he wasn’t pushing me away?”
“No,” Mr. Santos said. “He was trying to do the right thing. Even if it hurt him a little.”
Finn’s chest ached a little bit. “I have a breakfast date with Jacob tomorrow.”
“I know,” Mr. Santos said. “And you should go. Talk to him. Meet people. But don’t assume Maurice’s distance means disinterest.”
Finn looked down at his hands. “I really thought he liked me.”
“He does,” Mr. Santos said. “But he wants you to choose freely. Not because he was the first man who smiled at you.”
Finn swallowed hard. That sounded exactly like something Maurice would think. Exactly like the kind of careful, considerate logic that made Finn like him even more.
Mr. Santos gave his shoulder a quick pat. “Get some sleep. Tomorrow will be interesting.”
Finn wasn’t tired. Not even close. “Can I ask you something?”
Mr. Santos paused in the doorway. “Of course.”
“Why are you paying so much attention to me?”
The man’s expression didn’t change, but something in his posture did—like he weighed how much to say. “Let’s just say I got a phone call before you boarded.”
Finn frowned. “From who?”
“A friend.” Mr. Santos adjusted his glasses. “Danish.”
Finn blinked. “Danish?”
“Mmh.” Mr. Santos’s tone was maddeningly neutral. “Old friend. Asked me for a favor.”
“What kind of favor?”
Mr. Santos gave him a small, almost amused smile. “Good night, Finn.”
And just like that, he stepped out and closed the door behind him.
Finn lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling like it might offer subtitles. A Danish friend? A favor? There weren’t many people from Denmark he even knew in the States—let alone knew he was on this train.
Had to be his father. But Finn hadn’t told him about the trip. He’d only seen the ticket on the counter. That was it. No conversation. No warning. No… anything.
He exhaled, rubbing a hand over his face. This week was already weird, and it was only getting weirder.
But one thing he knew—really knew, in that warm, shaky way that made his chest feel too full:
Maurice liked him.
And that changed everything.
Finn woke up earlier than he needed to, the kind of restless morning where sleep just wouldn’t stick.
He showered, dressed in his all-black outfit, rainbow belt, and slid his rainbow bracelets back onto his wrist. He never took those off—not for dates, not for strangers, not for anyone.
They felt like a piece of himself he didn’t want to misplace.
He headed to the Dining Car and spotted Jacob already waiting at a table by the window. Finn gave him a polite smile and sat down.
They talked about easy things—hobbies, weekend stuff, the kind of surface-level sharing that didn’t require handing over any fragile pieces of yourself. Turned out they both liked hiking and sailing, which made Finn perk up a little.
“Really?” Jacob said, leaning in like Finn had just revealed something genuinely interesting. “Where do you usually go hiking?”
“Blue Hills, mostly,” Finn said. “And sometimes up in New Hampshire if I can convince a friend to drive.”
Jacob grinned. “I’m more of a ‘drag my coworkers into the woods’ kind of guy. They complain the whole time, but they keep coming back, so I must be doing something right.”
Finn laughed, relaxing a little. “Or they’re scared to tell a doctor no.”
Jacob pressed a hand to his chest, mock offended. “Hey, I’m very approachable.”
“Sure,” Finn said, smiling into his coffee. “Totally.”
Jacob’s eyes warmed, like he liked being teased. “I work in Hartford, actually. Hartford Hospital. I’m a heart surgeon.”
Finn blinked. “Oh. Wow. That’s… big.”
Jacob shrugged like it wasn’t. “It’s a job. A stressful one, but a good one.”
Finn hesitated, then said, “My parents are heart surgeons too. They worked in Boston for years. They, uh… moved back to Denmark not too long ago.”
Jacob’s eyebrows lifted. “Wait—your parents are the married Andersen heart surgeons?”
Finn’s stomach did a weird flip. “Uh… yeah?”
Jacob’s face broke into a surprised, delighted smile. “I know them. I’ve worked with both of them on special cases. Your dad is brilliant. Your mom—she’s terrifying in the OR, in the best way.”
Finn huffed out a laugh. “Yeah, that sounds right.”
“I’d heard they were leaving the States,” Jacob said, softer now. “Didn’t know it had happened already.”
“Yeah.” Finn tried to keep his voice light, but it came out thinner than he wanted. “They stayed with me for a bit before they left.”
Jacob nodded, studying him with that doctor-gaze—gentle, observant, like he was checking for bruises under the skin. “That must’ve been a lot.”
Finn shrugged, eyes dropping to the table. “It’s fine.”
Jacob didn’t push, which somehow made it worse and better at the same time. He just smiled again, warm and steady. “Well… for what it’s worth, they always spoke highly of you.”
Finn’s chest tightened. “They did?”
“Yeah,” Jacob said. “Your dad talked about you like you were this… bright spot. Like walking sunshine.”
Finn’s face went hot. He didn’t know what to do with that—Jacob saying it, Jacob looking at him like that. He managed a quiet, “Thanks.”
When their breakfast plates arrived, Finn’s attention snapped to the other side of the car. Maurice, David, and Theo were sitting together. Finn’s stomach tightened for a second before he realized Maurice didn’t have anyone new with him. No one leaning in close. No one claimed the seat beside him.
Okay. Good. That’s… good.
Finn tried to focus on Jacob, but every few minutes he glanced over. Maurice was laughing at something David said, head tipped back just a little.
Why do you do that to me? Why do I care this much already?
Now and then, Maurice’s gaze flicked up and met his. Just long enough to feel like a spark jumped between them. Finn looked away at first each time, pretending to adjust his fork or take a sip of coffee.
Stop staring. He’ll notice. He already notices. And you’re supposed to be socializing, remember? Not acting like some lovesick idiot.
Maurice looked over again, eyes bright with something Finn didn’t dare name, and something in Finn lit up fast as if the train itself had nudged him forward.
Jacob was saying something about the best time of year to hike in the Rockies when Finn felt a shift in the room—small, but enough to pull his attention like a magnet.
Maurice stood up from his table. Finn tried not to stare. He failed immediately. Maurice said something to David and Theo, then started walking across the Dining Car… straight toward him. Finn’s pulse jumped.
Oh god. Okay. Act normal. Don’t choke on your coffee. Don’t look like you’ve been watching him this whole time.
Jacob noticed the movement too and glanced over his shoulder. “Friend of yours?”
“Uh,” Finn said, sitting up a little too fast, “kind of.”
Maurice stopped at their table, hands in his pockets, expression calm but his eyes sincere in that way that made Finn feel seen. Too seen.
“Morning,” Maurice said, giving Jacob a polite nod before focusing on Finn. “Sorry to interrupt.”
Finn swallowed. “You’re not interrupting.”
Maurice’s mouth twitched as if he’d heard the truth under that. “I just wanted to tell you I’ve got something of yours I need to return.”
“Something of mine?” Finn asked, eyeing Maurice.
Maurice nodded. “Meet me in the Observation Car in an hour?”
Finn’s mind briefly froze, unable to process the information.
What does he have? What did I leave? Why does he look like that? Why is my heart doing this stupid thing?
“Yeah,” Finn said, trying to sound casual and absolutely failing. “Sure. I’ll be there.”
Maurice held his gaze for a beat longer than necessary, but long enough that it travelled all the way down his spine, gave a small, private smile, and walked away. Finn watched him go, bracelets sliding down his wrist as his hand dropped to his lap.
What the hell was that? What does he have of mine? Why did he say it as if it were a secret?
Jacob raised an eyebrow. “So… you two know each other pretty well, huh?”
Finn tore his eyes away from Maurice’s retreating figure. “It’s… complicated.” But his heart was already counting down the minutes.