Chapter 22 #2
"I need to think about that one," he said as he reached for his beer.
Elena excused herself to the bathroom. As soon as she was out of earshot, Laura's animated expression transformed. She leaned across the table, eyes sharp and assessing as she studied Finn's face.
"So, what are you thinking about right now?" she asked, her tone deceptively casual.
Finn blinked, thrown by the abrupt shift. "Sorry?"
"What's going on in that big brain of yours?" Laura clarified, tapping her temple. "Let me guess... Elena's boobs?"
Finn choked on his beer, sputtering as the liquid went down the wrong way. "What? No," he managed, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "I was thinking about the study."
"At a bar? After three shots?" Laura's eyebrow arched. "Come on, Finn. I wasn't born yesterday."
"The patterns in the patient responses," Finn insisted, reaching for safer ground. "We have twenty days left to complete the research, and—"
"Cut the crap," Laura interrupted, her voice dropping lower. "Why do you spend so many extra hours at that lab? Don't tell me it's just for the research."
Finn felt heat creeping up his neck. Laura's directness was unnerving, especially after he and Elena had been carefully avoiding the elephant in the room all week. "The work is important," he said. "It could help a lot of people."
"So could a lot of jobs," Laura countered. "But you chose this one. With her."
There was no point denying the obvious. Laura had seen through him from the moment they met. Still, he found himself reluctant to give her the satisfaction of confirming what she already knew.
"Elena is an exceptional scientist," he said instead, focusing on neutral, professional truths. "Her approach to trauma research is revolutionary. Anyone would be fortunate to work with her."
"Tell me something real about her, Finn. Not from her resume."
The request caught him off guard. He took a slow sip of his beer, considering.
"She genuinely cares about her team in a way that I have never seen from other bosses or professors.
Last week, one of the other assistants was burning out from the deadline pressure," he said.
"Elena noticed. She remembered the assistant had mentioned loving some band weeks ago, just in passing.
Elena tracked down concert tickets and told her to take the night off. "
As he spoke, he could feel something warming in his chest that had nothing to do with the tequila and everything to do with who she was as a person.
Laura nodded thoughtfully. "And those beautiful lips, right?"
Finn blinked, thrown by the sudden shift. "I... what?"
"Sorry, you were saying?"
"I just meant, even with this impossible deadline, she tries to keep the stress off everyone else. Which means there is even more of it on her shoulders.”
"Right. And dat ass tho," Laura interjected, taking a casual sip of her drink.
Finn's composure faltered. "That's not... I'm talking about her character—"
"Oh, I heard you," Laura said. "Brilliant, caring, great leader. But what about her body?"
"I don't—"
"Come on."
"Laura—"
"Just admit it."
"Fine!" Finn exploded, frustration overriding his usual restraint. "Yes, okay? She has nice boobs! Are you HAPPY now?"
The words seemed to echo in the suddenly quiet bar. Laura’s eyes widened, her gaze shifting to something behind him.
Slowly, he turned. Elena stood there, purse in hand, eyes wide with shock.
Laura, amazingly, didn't miss a beat. "Welcome back! Finn was just talking about your breasts," she said cheerfully to Elena. "Completely unprompted, by the way. Finn, please continue."
Finn was speechless, and he could feel the blush on his face. Elena remained frozen for another second, then slid back into the booth beside him. The vinyl squeaked in the silence. Her face was flushed, but to Finn's surprise, she didn't seem angry.
"Well," she said finally, her voice higher than normal, "this is uncomfortable."
"Only if we make it uncomfortable," Laura replied, as if they were discussing a minor social faux pas rather than Finn's explicit comment about his boss's body. "Besides, it's a compliment! Right, Finn?"
Finn wished desperately for the floor to open up and swallow him whole. His mind raced to find something to say that might salvage this situation.
"I apologize for the inappropriate comment," he managed. "It was unprofessional and disrespectful."
Elena glanced at Laura with obvious annoyance before turning to Finn. "Thank you for the apology," she said quietly. "Perhaps we should... move on."
Laura's grin suggested she was entirely too pleased with herself. "Right. Keep the horniness to yourself, Finn. Moving on. To the next question!" She reached for the deck of cards with exaggerated enthusiasm. "Let's see what kind of trouble we can get into next."
"One more round," Elena said, her voice firmer now. "Then I really should get home to Miguel."
Laura nodded, already shuffling the cards with renewed vigor. "One more round," she agreed. "Let's make it count."
Finn took a long drink of his beer, bracing himself for whatever was coming next. Given how the night had progressed so far, he wasn't optimistic.
Laura drew the final card and examined it with raised eyebrows before a slow smile spread across her face. "Saving the best for last," she announced, clearing her throat. "'Who was the first person you fell in love with?'" She looked directly at Finn, waiting for an answer.
Finn's hand hesitated. His mind flashed to Sarah, his high school sweetheart, to Melissa during his undergrad. Those relationships had been comfortable, pleasant, but never... this. Never someone he couldn’t stop thinking about, never the ache in his chest when she smiled, never the feeling that his day hadn't properly begun until he'd seen her.
But none of those things mattered. He took a shot and felt the liquor burn his throat.
Twenty-six years old, and he was only now understanding what it meant to feel this way about someone. Someone he could never have. He set the empty glass down with perhaps more force than necessary, avoiding both women's eyes. He didn’t dare look at Elena, but he felt her go still beside him.
When Finn risked a glance up, he found Laura studying him with an expression he'd never seen from her. Something gentle maybe? She gave him the slightest nod, like she'd figured something out, then she ended the game there.
"Well," Laura said, standing, "a game of pool to lighten the mood?"
Finn followed them to the pool table, grateful for something to do with his hands. Maybe the alcohol would help them forget about the last ten minutes. He watched Elena for any change in her demeanor. When she looked up, their eyes met for just a second before she looked away.
Elena took the first shot in the game. It missed badly. Laura frowned. “Oh, good try honey.”
Finn was up next, and he knocked down a few balls in succession. Pool was one of his favorite games to play in college. Elena remarked, “Wow, you’re pretty good at this. Can you show me that technique?”
He felt Laura’s watchful gaze across the pool table as he got behind Elena to her help her with her form. Something felt different about her gaze now, though.
“Stop!”
Finn and Elena snapped up to find Laura looking at them with her arms crossed. “I just remembered that I am incredible at pool,” Laura began making her way toward Elena.
Finn clocked the skepticism in Elena’s eyes.
Laura continued, “Yep. So I should be the one to teach you. Get out of the way, Finn.” Laura practically hip-checked Finn to the side.
Laura then began her educational demonstration for Elena. “Listen up, honey. Normally, people have to pay for something like this. Now you’re going to want to hold the stick like this…”
“I thought it was called a cue?” Elena interrupted.
“It’s a stick. There will be no further questions or interruptions,” Laura said sternly.
Elena shot her a doubtful look that Laura ignored.
For the rest of the game, Laura shadowed Elena like an overly enthusiastic coach. After a particularly bad shot, Finn stepped closer to Elena. “If you adjust your grip like this—”
“Nope!” Laura planted herself between them. “My student, my methods. Back up, Cochrane.”
Elena gave him an apologetic look over Laura’s shoulder. He stepped back, hands raised in surrender.
Every subsequent attempt by Finn to offer advice was immediately shut down. ‘I’ve got this!’ Laura would say, while Elena’s shots grew progressively worse under her expert guidance.
Laura announced it was time to leave after Elena missed the ball entirely, sending the cue sliding across the felt with a sound that made the bartender look over with visible concern. “I feel like I didn’t learn a single thing,” Elena stated in frustration.
“It takes a lot of practice and time to master my techniques,” Laura explained.
The night had stretched longer than the promised ‘one drink,’ leaving Finn with a heavy buzz. As they gathered their things, Elena patted her pockets with sudden alarm. "My phone," she said, frowning. "I think I left it at the table."
Laura sighed dramatically. "How are you responsible for groundbreaking neuroscience when you can't keep track of a phone?"
"I'll wait by the door," Finn offered as Elena headed back toward their booth.
Laura waited until Elena was out of earshot before turning to Finn. "Walk with me," she said, nodding toward the exit.
They stepped outside into the cooler night air. Laura studied him with an intensity that made him straighten. "Finn," she began, her voice gentler than he'd expected, "I know how serious this is for you. I can see the way you look at her."
He opened his mouth to deny it but found he couldn't form the lie.
"But please," she continued, "don't ruin her life. She's worked too hard to get where she is."
Finn swallowed hard. "I would never—"
"I know you wouldn't mean to," Laura interrupted. "But sometimes that doesn't matter." She touched his arm. "She's the one with everything to lose here. Not you. Her."
Before Finn could respond, the door opened behind them. Elena emerged, phone in hand, looking between them with obvious concern.
"Everything okay?" she asked.
"Perfect!" Laura chirped, her serious demeanor vanishing so completely that Finn wondered if he'd imagined it. "Just discussing Uber logistics. I've already ordered one." She held up her phone as proof, the app displaying an approaching car.
Elena looked between them, clearly not convinced, but nodded. "Great. I need to get home to relieve my neighbor. She's watching Miguel."
The Uber arrived minutes later, a sedan that pulled up to the curb. Laura claimed the front seat, leaving Elena and Finn to the back. After Finn took his seat, he noticed Laura looking at him. She pointed at her eyes and then pointed at him. The universal sign for ‘I’m watching you.’
They were seated close enough that he could feel the warmth radiating from Elena's body. Finn kept his gaze fixed out the window, trying to ignore the way his body seemed aware of her every movement.
At a red light, he felt her watching him. When he turned, he knew right away it was a mistake. The streetlights shined on her face, reminding him how beautiful she was. Her eyes were soft and unguarded in a way he hadn’t seen all week.
Her hand rested on the seat between them, fingers curled, an unspoken invitation that made his heart race. It would be so easy to cover her hand with his. So easy and so devastating in its potential consequences.
Laura's warning echoed in his mind. Don't ruin her life.
With every ounce of willpower he possessed, Finn forced himself to look away, returning his gaze to the safety of the window.
He heard her sharp intake of breath, felt the subtle shift as she registered the rejection and withdrew her hand.
The pain of it was physical, a tightness in his chest that made it difficult to breathe.
By the time they reached the lab parking lot, Elena had reconstructed her professional demeanor piece by piece. When she spoke, her voice was professional. "Thank you for the ride, Laura," she said as the car stopped. "And for... tonight."
"Anytime," Laura replied, her voice softer than usual. "Call me tomorrow?"
Elena nodded, then turned to Finn with a polite smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Thanks for tonight," she said, the formality a wall between them.
"Of course," he managed. "Goodnight, Dr. Herrera."
A flicker of hurt flashed in her eyes. Then, she was gone.
Finn let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding. Had he done the right thing? Protected her from a complication that could destroy everything she'd worked for? Or had he added another layer of hurt to a situation already painful enough?
"You okay back there?" Laura asked as the Uber pulled away.
"Fine," Finn replied automatically.
Laura's eyes met his in the rearview mirror, knowing and sympathetic. "For what it's worth," she said, "I think you're good for her. Just... not right now."
As the car turned the corner, Finn stared out the window at the passing city lights. He’d done the right thing. He couldn’t add to the list of things making her life impossible right now.
He’d done the right thing.