Chapter Twenty-Five - Finn
Chapter Twenty-Five
FINN
“WHAT’S YOUR PROBLEM?” KNOX has never been one to beat around the bush. “It’s pretty obvious something’s on your mind.”
“Nope, all good here.”
He studies me for a moment before turning back to the gelato cup in his hands. For someone who told me they hated gelato not that long ago, he sure eats the hell out of some peanut butter gelato nowadays. Gelato in the park has become our Monday afternoon tradition, but once winter comes, we’re going to need to find a new one.
“How’d your English test go today?” From the shoving of another bite in his mouth, I assume not so well. “Wanna talk about it?”
“Nope, all good here.”
I roll my eyes, ever the smartass. “I thought you said you understood it.”
“Yeah, I mean, I did, but then she was asking about what we thought the author was trying to say and relate it to real-world problems.”
“Fitzgerald was trying to expose the illusion of the American dream and the dangers of holding onto the past.”
“Well, how in the hell am I supposed to know that?”
“Just eat your gelato.”
Coming to the fork just through Greywacke Arch, we walk the rest of the way in a comfortable silence, only to be broken as we step onto Fifth Avenue. “You ready to talk about it yet?” Knox asks tossing the empty cup into the trash can.
“Whatever problems I have going on in my life shouldn’t be pushed onto you.”
“But, I’m supposed to be your little brother, right? Brothers tell each other what’s bothering them.”
Dammit. Got me there.
“I promise, it’s boring.”
“Can’t be too boring if it’s got you this deep.” Knox shrugs off his school jacket now that we’ve left the cover of the trees. “Is it a girl?”
“Want a hot dog?” I ask approaching the steps of the Met, where a line of street vendors wait to feed hungry tourists who are taking in the sights.
“It is a girl!” Ignoring him, I roll my eyes and motion the vendor to give us two hot dogs. “I never thought I’d see the day Finn Sheffield has girl trouble.”
“Shut up, Knox,” I mumble handing over a twenty. “Keep the change,” I say, taking my hot dog and continuing down Fifth Ave. We should turn down 86th Street to get to the train, but I get the distinct feeling he isn’t ready to part ways yet.
“I thought you didn’t do relationships.”
“I do relationships, I just haven’t been in one in a while… The last one was a real doozy.” And part of the reason I had to ask Nina for help in the first place.
“So, what happened — this girl shoot you down or something?”
“Or something. Look, I really shouldn’t be talking to you about this.”
“I don’t see the problem,” Knox shrugs. “You’re teaching me valuable life lessons to help me in the future when I have my own girl problems.”
“Can’t have girl problems if you don’t put yourself out there, Knoxy-boy.”
“Shut up, Finnely. We’re not talking about me; we’re talking about you.”
Expletives roll off my tongue when a guy rams into me from the other side of the sidewalk spreading the hot dog across my shirt — red, yellow, and green stain the crisp white linen. Are you fucking kidding me? That is going to be impossible to get out, and I just bought this fucking shirt. The smirk in his voice makes my blood boil, “You should watch where you’re going next time.” Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me. Looking up from my shirt, I find it harder to contain my newfound anger.
“Dude, what the fuck?” Knox looks between us. “You ran into him!”
“Knox,” I stop him. “It’s all good.”
“Yeah,” the asshole taunts. “It’s all good.”
“What? Finn, he just—”
“I said, it’s fine,” I say through gritted teeth.
A satisfied smirk crosses the other man’s lips, “Oh, and tell my wife I said hello.”
“What happened to you?” Colin tries to cover his laugh when I move so he and Saylor can come inside my apartment.
“An asshole.”
“Do I even want to know?” This time he doesn’t even try to conceal his laughter when I glare at him. “Relax, man, I’m messing with you.”
“Leave him alone, Colin. He’s having a bad day,” Saylor says and offers me a smile. “I know an old trick my grandma taught me that might help get some of it out.”
“That’s okay, don’t worry about it, Shey,” I assure her, but she won’t hear it. It won’t do me any good to go back and forth, so I unbutton the shirt and hand it over. She scurries over to the kitchen sink to work whatever magic she has up her sleeve.
“I thought you guys couldn’t make it tonight,” I ask Colin when I return from my bedroom in a fresh shirt.
“Shey wanted to stop and say hi. She leaves town day after tomorrow, so she wanted to make sure she got to see you.” Colin and Shey started dating in high school, she stuck by him through the military, and now vice versa while she works as a traveling nurse. She’s been working out of Colorado for the past six months, and it’s the furthest they’ve ever been from each other. I don't think Colin will be sticking around New York much longer if they don’t move her closer anytime soon. “So, who’s the asshole?”
Grabbing a water bottle from the fridge, I explain how Knox and I were ambushed on Fifth Avenue by none other than David.
“You sure it was on purpose?”
“I’m fairly certain when a guy says, ‘Tell my wife I said hello,’ he meant to do it.”
“Please tell me you’re not sleeping with a married woman,” Saylor looks up from the sink.
“Technically, she’s in the middle of a divorce,” Colin defends.
“Oh Finn,” she sighs. I hate the pit of my stomach when she says it like that. Oh, Finn . It reminds me of my mom when I’ve had to tell her I’ve screwed up…again.
“Finn isn’t with her, but her husband thinks they are.”
“So you’re not sleeping with her?” Saylor asks me.
“No, they—”
“Well,” I grimace interrupting Colin. Guess it’s time to let the cat out of the bag.
“You didn’t,” Colin sighs dropping his head in his hands.
“I didn’t mean to. We were working on that project, and it just kind of happened.”
“Jesus, Finn.” Colin shakes his head.
“And then, last night I went to—”
“Last night? Finn, that’s not once, that’s two times! I thought you said you didn’t like her. When I asked you about her last week, you said—”
“I know what I said, Colin.”
“Does Josh know?” My lack of response is enough. “Oh shit, you are a dead man.”
“We’re adults, Colin. We can sleep with whomever we want.” I try to ignore the nagging feeling that won’t settle inside me. “Not that it matters, she wants to forget anything ever happened. It was a two-time thing. She’s coming out of a marriage, now isn’t the time.”
“You like her,” Saylor says with a small smile, and that simple statement hits me like a ton of bricks.
“No, I don’t, Shey.”
“Oh yes, you do. It’s written all over your face!” Saylor smirks. “Wow, I haven’t seen you this smitten in a while.”
“I don’t like her! At least, not like that.” They don’t believe me. Hell, I don’t believe me. “She’s Josh’s little sister.” I can hear the defeat in my voice, “I can’t like her.”
But, that hasn’t stopped me yet.