Chapter 3 #2
Sam peered around him into the bistro. Finn turned too.
The whole place was alive and loud. The team were gathered around their table still cheering Leo and Becky’s engagement while Maya took photo after photo.
Harper and her team were there too, scooched up at the table as if they were all best friends.
That’s what free Prosecco and dessert did to people—it brought them together when they’d normally not be seen dead together in the same room.
Sharing Sam with the whole team and with Harper wasn’t appealing to him.
“Urgh,” Sam said. “It looks … uncomfortable.”
“It does,” Finn breathed out. Although Leo and Becky looked very happy.
They were both beaming into each other’s faces as if nothing else existed.
It was weird to see Leo so relaxed and smiling.
Finn watched with a strange feeling as Leo leaned back in his chair and pulled Becky into the crook of his arm, kissing the top of her head as she blushed and snuggled closer into him.
It wasn’t jealousy, was it? No, it couldn’t be.
He wasn’t into Becky at all, never had been.
Leo and Becky just seemed so … He struggled to find the words to describe what he was looking at. Sam nudged him.
“They seem so settled, don’t they? In a good way, I mean. Like calm, relaxed … like they know they’re doing the right thing.” She sounded wistful.
“Settled.” Finn tried the word. Trust Sam to be able to say exactly what he was thinking. “Yeah, they do look settled.” While he himself felt … unsettled.
“I really don’t want to go back in. Not after the Valestré news,” Sam said.
“Hey, I know it’s late, and I should be in bed, really, but I need to clear my mind for tomorrow, get my head in the game.
I think I’ll take a walk. Oh, Maya mentioned that there’s a food market nearby—do you fancy coming with me? See if they can top the Samwich?”
“I do.” Finn’s stomach flipped as he spoke. I do … wedding vow words … He slipped away from her. “I’ll get our jackets. Be back in a second.”
He was back in less than a minute with the jackets in his grasp.
“I googled the market,” Sam said. She zipped up her jacket. “I think it’s this way. Did you think to grab my hat?”
“In your pocket.” Finn pulled his own hat down around his ears, an old battered luminous orange beanie.
“You brought that old thing to the Olympics!” She beamed at him, making his heart swell.
He’d worn that beanie to all of her competitions since they’d gotten serious about their sports when they were teens.
He’d chosen the color because she could spot him in the crowd from the top of the slope, no matter where they were.
He was glad he hadn’t forgotten to bring it to her most important moment ever.
This weather was perfect, and if he wasn’t wrong, there was more snow on the way.
The air had that metallic smell that always brought snow and it had gotten even colder.
Looking up he saw that the stars were now hidden behind a thick blanket of clouds.
Sam’s teeth were chattering as she tugged her hat down over her hair. Her fingers were tinged pink from the cold. Finn slipped his gloves from his pocket and handed them to her.
“Put those on, you look like you’re about to lose a finger,” he instructed as she smiled up at him right as the snow began to fall.
“My hero.” Sam smiled up at him. “What about you—aren’t you cold?”
“Nah, I’m good.” Finn shivered as they made their way along the street.
A good brisk walk would warm them both up and hopefully get the blood circulating around his body and not stuck in his cock.
He picked up the pace with Sam easily keeping up with him.
This was more like it, just him and Sam in the snow, having fun, relaxed and enjoying each other’s company.
Nothing and no one between them. The snow squeaked under his boots and Sam giggled.
“I love that sound,” she said as they rounded a corner. “I don’t think I’ll ever hate it.”
“Never.”
“Do you think we’ll be able for all of this when we’re old and creaky?” She gestured around her as they walked. Couples and families were out enjoying the festive atmosphere.
“Walk, you mean?” Finn laughed.
“Hahah, very funny.” Sam giggled. “Compete. Or even just get out here—or anywhere.”
“I don’t know,” Finn said. “I suppose that depends on how good life is to you.”
“Humph.” Sam squinted up at him. She seemed thoughtful. “How good life is to you. What does that mean?”
“I think what I mean is that we don’t know where life will take us, I suppose.”
“That’s deep, for you.”
“For me?!” Finn gasped. “Ouch, Sam—that hurt.”
“No, it didn’t.” She laughed. “You know what does hurt? Coming down that slope, thinking you’ve just outperformed your competitors, then catching an edge and getting slammed—that hurts.”
“Well, yeah,” Finn said. Frowning, he carried on. “But life can slam you pretty hard too if you’re not ready for it—or even if you are.”
“Finn, is there something you want to talk about?” Sam kept the pace. “You’re future-tripping!”
“You started it!”
“Huh! I … yeah, I did, didn’t I?” Sam stopped in her tracks as they came upon the food market. “I guess seeing Leo and Becky make such a big move got to me.”
“In what way?” Finn took her arm and led her toward the first food stand where the menu seemed reasonable but was almost all pizza.
“Oh, I don’t know,” Sam said quietly. “What’s next for Becky? She’s twenty-seven and Leo is twenty-nine. A big wedding? Babies?” She pulled a face. “As if Leo wasn’t baby enough. She won’t keep that sponsorship if she gets pregnant.”
“Sam, that’s low.” Finn moved them on away from the pizza stand. “Let’s try over here.” His stomach rumbled.
“You are never not hungry.” Sam smiled up at him as he sniffed the air.
“Do you smell that? Hot dogs!” Finn pointed his nose in the air.
“Talk about being a baby.” Sam rolled her eyes.
Finn lowered his nose. “What?”
“All men, they’re all babies. All they want is someone who can level them up.”
“Level them up?” Finn frowned. “What does that even mean?”
Sam sighed. “God, Finn, you’re gonna hate me for this—I don’t want to get into it.”
“No, get into it,” Finn said. He stared down at her. “We can talk about anything, can’t we?”
“Oh, Finn, I don’t know—I don’t want to fight.” Sam grimaced. “And I know it’s not all men but … No. I’m not having this conversation. Not with you—I like you too much.”
She made to walk away but he caught her arm.
“Not fair, Sam, you can’t say something like that and leave it hanging. Just tell me. I’m a big boy now—I can take it.”
“That’s just it. You’re all just big boys.” Sam looked up at him, a crease forming between her eyebrows. Whatever was going on in her head was clearly upsetting her. Finn took a breath and relaxed his shoulders.
“I’m sorry. I really want to understand what you mean. I won’t take it personally.”
Sam’s eyebrows relaxed and she gave a little smile. “You promise?”
“Pinkie promise.” Finn held up his little finger. Sam wrapped her finger around his.
“It’s like this,” she started. “Leo is a pain in the ass; we all know that. But for some reason Becky has fallen for him. He seems great, I get that, but I see him at home and he’s not all that. The man doesn’t even do his own laundry for crying out loud.”
Finn nodded. “Go on.” Mental note, make sure Sam knows I can use the laundry machine.
“Becky is ambitious. We’ve had conversations about the future.” Sam squeezed her pinkie finger tighter around Finn’s. “She doesn’t want to give this all up. I’m not surprised about the deal, I suppose. I’d have taken it, if it’d been offered to me, without a second thought for her.”
“She won’t have to give this up,” Finn said.
“She will, because Leo is going to wear her down. He’s going to get his own way, and she’ll give in to him and when he’s used her all up, he’ll move on, and her life will be left in pieces.”
“Sam, that’s not going to happen.” Finn wriggled his pinkie from hers to grasp her hand tightly. “He’s not your father.”
“Oh God. That has nothing to do with it!” Sam pulled her hand from his.
“Okay, if you say so.” Finn pressed his lips together, knowing she’d made up her mind on the matter. “But it’s not all men—”
“I know that!” Sam exploded. “But it’s nearly all men—and you said you weren’t going to take this personally.”
“Sam,” Finn said quietly. “This isn’t about Leo and Becky, is it?”
“Urgh, Finn. Of course it is.” Sam marched away in the direction of the hot dog stand. Finn hurried after her.
“I said I didn’t want to talk about it with you,” Sam said harshly as he caught up with her. “I don’t want to fight with you—you’re the only person I can really talk to.”
“We’re not fighting,” Finn said taking her hand again. Or talking. “Come on, let’s get something to eat—some dessert maybe?”
“Dessert would be good.” Sam’s tone softened. “Something chocolatey.”
“Would waffles with chocolate and hazelnuts—”
“Yes. Hell yes.” Sam nodded furiously, all of the fight leaving her at the mention of the delectable dessert. “But I already know it won’t—can’t—compete with the Samwich!”
“I know.” Finn smiled. “Nothing can compete with the Samwich.”
“Do you think they have anything here remotely close to a Samwich?” Sam glanced around. “I could really do with some peanut butter banana goodness right about now.”
“I highly doubt it,” Finn said. “But if you’d unpacked already, you’d have seen that I managed to sneak peanut butter, graham crackers and a tub of salted caramel into your luggage. All you need now are bananas.”
“You did not!” Sam squealed and threw her arms around him. “Maya is gonna lose her mind! She still can’t understand what’s so delicious about it.”
“Clearly she’s a crazy woman,” Finn said, loving the huge smile that was on Sam’s face now. It had been an inspired idea to copy her kindness and sneak the goods into her bags. “What’s not to like about a Samwich—it’s basically a s’more only with peanut butter and banana.”
“I agree, she’s just a crazy lady,” Sam said as they made their way toward the waffle stall. “You know, aside from your sluttiness, you’re almost the perfect man.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Finn said, his heart sinking a little. Did she really think of him that way? Slutty. The word sank like concrete inside him, making his stomach hurt. Slutty implied all manners of things, and none of them good.
“You should,” Sam said, seemingly oblivious to his discomfort. “Oh! Strawberries!”
“You get the waffle; I’ll get the strawberries and chocolate sauce—and I’ll share.” Determined not to argue again, Finn forced a laugh. “But I get the last bite.”
“Hmmmm.” She grinned, her nose wrinkling in the way he loved. “But let’s share it—like they do in the movies!”
He watched her order their treats as the snow started to fall again.
She treated him like he was her best friend, which technically he was, but then she said things like that—things that made his mind go to all the places he’d been trying so desperately not to go.
Things that made him wonder if she sometimes thought about what it would be like to be something more than friends.
Things that he wanted more than anything in the world—Sam, just Sam, to say she wanted to be his, only his, forever.