by Aubry, A
I sent up a silent prayer as I grabbed some of my ideas that I wanted to go over with Angie and some of our other Variety staffers in the conference room. Checking the time on my Fitbit, I raced as fast as my pencil skirt and high heels would take me. The collision that took place was in no way my fault, it was the person I ran into who didn’t look down the hallway before they stepped out of the elevator.
“Oh my goodness, I am so sorry,” I found myself saying as I gathered up all the papers that I had dropped.
“Julianna?” Finn’s voice said from above me.
My head shot up and sure enough, the man who I was making out on my couch with last night was standing in front of me along with a few other handsome men. One of which being the culprit of just walking easily into the hallway. I quickly stood up as soon as my papers were put in a messy pile and back into my arms.
Getting ready this morning, I hadn’t necessarily had the time to put on makeup or do my hair as I had wanted. My hair was put up in a messy bun on the top of my head and the only real makeup that I had worn was my concealer and foundation to hide the dark circles under my eyes. Not much sleep was gotten last night, especially because Finn was constantly on my mind.
Nervously adjusting my jet-black pencil skirt and the white dress shirt that I had tucked into it, I smiled at Finn. He was wearing a similar outfit to last night’s date except his pants and his blazer were a navy blue and he wore a red tie.
“Finn, what are you doing here?” I asked quickly.
“You two know each other?” His one friend that I ran into handed me a few papers that he had picked up for me.
“Wait, is she the one that you met at the bar on Saturday?” His other friend asked.
Finn quietly shushed them as they continued to ask questions, “Yeah, this is Julianna. I met her at the bar on Saturday. Julianna, these are my friends and teammates Bo, Drake, and Jordan.”
His three friends were attractive like he was, in their own ways. Bo had sandy blonde hair and blue eyes, looking like an Abercrombie and Fitch model on fucking steroids. Drake was brunette like Finn but had green eyes, he was a little less muscular than his friends, but he still had the muscles. While Jordan had black hair and blue eyes, and a very muscular frame. He looked like he lifted weights in his free time.
“Nice to meet you all,” I smiled sweetly before glancing over Drake’s shoulder to look at Larry’s office door which was open, “Can I help you guys with something? I’m just on my way to a meeting.”
“We are actually supposed to be meeting a guy named Shane? He wanted to interview us for some sort of sports article,” Finn offered up as an answer as to why they were there.
I nodded, giggling to myself, “You guys are on the wrong floor, this is the Variety section.”
“The girl at reception told us to go to the third floor,” Jordan replied.
“She’s new, Sports is on the fourth. Let me just drop off these papers in the conference room and I can escort you guys there,” I met eyes with Finn whose smile grew wider by the second.
The guys stayed put as I carefully ran to Larry’s office. He told me he got the article and it looked good, thank the heavens above. When I got to the conference room, I plopped all my paperwork down on my usual spot, hoping that no one would come into the room yet to see me make a quick escape. Then Angie walked in.
“What’s your sexy soccer stud doing standing by the elevator with some other fine lookin’ men?” She laughed as she took her favorite spot to sit.
“Finn and his friends are being interviewed by Shane in Sports, but Daniela gave them the wrong floor. I’ll be right back, I’m going to escort them upstairs myself,” I smiled.
“Yeah, you go escort Finn,” she called out after me.
I quickly turned around and stuck out my tongue before returning to the four men who definitely looked out of place. Signaling for them to follow me, I pressed the button for the elevator. The last time I was in an elevator with Finn, we were making out for the thirty second ride. Man, I wanted to do that again. When we settled into the elevator, I selected floor four while Bo, Drake, and Jordan talked amongst themselves. Some Fantasy Football nonsense that I knew nothing about.
“You haven’t responded to my texts,” Finn whispered in my ear.
He texted me? My phone hadn’t rang off and my Fitbit never buzzed to let me know I had a text. Wow, I was an idiot. I never took my phone off do not disturb when I woke up. It was a handy little tool for when you were sleeping but if you forgot to turn it off, you missed everything.
“My phone must still be on do not disturb from when I went to bed, I’m sorry. What did your texts say?” We were interrupted by the elevator announcing we were on the fourth floor and the doors quickly sliding open.
Leading them down a short hallway, I stopped at Shane’s cubicle.
“Shane, my main sports man,” I joked as I sat on the edge of his desk.
Shane and I were close in age like Angie, Spencer, and I were, and we had fun teasing each other. Our friends would say that we bickered like an old married couple and that we teased one another like we were brother and sister. Angie always said that him and I should have dated since we were always chatting and joking around. But Shane had been with the same girl for six years and they were talking about getting married. We did have a great friendship though, so that was worth it.
“What can I help you with, Jules? Another athlete writing a book you don’t understand?”
“It was one time, Shane! Also, I had just started here before that, I only knew the basics when it came to hockey. But that’s not why I’m here,” I rolled my eyes at him.
“Then what’s up? I’ve got some players from the Minnesota United stopping by soon,” he really hadn’t looked away from his computer, so he didn’t notice the four guys that stood just outside his cubicle.
“Uh, dude, they’re already here,” I cleared my throat.
He swiveled his chair around quickly, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink, “Fellas, I’m so sorry about that. Daniela was supposed to call me when you guys got here.”
Shane stood up and shook hands with each man who introduced himself, “Oh, that explains why Daniela sent them to Variety. She must have thought they said Shayna.”
“Someone really has to have a talk with her,” Shane looked at me and I shrugged, “Okay guys, we are actually going to do this interview in the conference room. Would you mind showing them where that is, Jules? I just need to get a few things. Anybody want anything to drink?”
They all asked for water before I showed them the way to the conference room. While the conference room one floor below us in Variety was covered with movie posters, book covers, and different album covers, this one was covered in different action shots from various sports.
“Well, this is where I leave you all. It was nice to meet you Bo, Drake, and Jordan,” I gave them a quick wave as they took a seat.
Finn jumped up from the seat he sat in and followed me out of the room, “Can I see you tonight?”
I quickly turned around, Finn almost running into me I stopped so suddenly, “What?”
“That’s what my text said. I want to see you tonight.”
“Two nights in a row. I must be a lucky girl,” I smirked.
“Technically three if you count the night we met,” he gave me a small smile that made me turn into a puddle of mush.
“I’d love to see you tonight. What were you going to suggest?”
“Dinner and a movie at my place?”
“Sounds great, text me the address and the time and I’ll be there. I usually leave the office around five,” I couldn’t help the grin that started to pull at my lips.
Finn took my hands in his and interlaced our fingers, “I will.”
We stood there for a moment, just staring into one another’s eyes. Shane cleared his throat as he walked by, giving me a knowing stare. He disappeared into the conference room.
“Duty calls,” Finn
chuckled.
I pulled on his hands that were still laced with mine and stood on my tiptoes, kissing him softly, “See you tonight.”
Finn smiled as he let go of my hands and walked into the conference room, closing the door behind him. I practically floated back to the Variety section’s floor and into the conference. Even Angie could tell that something was different about me all through my meeting. Maybe it was the large smile and constant rosiness I had to my cheeks.
Once our meeting was finished, I checked my phone at my cubicle to see that I had actually missed two texts from Finn this morning. The first saying good morning and the second asking if he could see me this evening. As I read his second text, a third came through with his address and apartment number. I sent a quick text back that I couldn’t wait and cracked down on my work for the next several hours. Before I knew it, it was five o’clock and I was free to leave.
“Any plans tonight besides watching The Bachelor?” Angie asked as we rode the elevator down to our parking garage.
“Finn actually invited me over for dinner,” I blushed and pulled out my phone that began to buzz in my pocket.
Michael was calling for the first time today. Monday’s were usually busy at the law firm and I had been thankful that he wasn’t constantly texting and calling me today. I sent the call to voicemail as Angie replied.
“So, a great first date happened yesterday I suppose?”
“It was amazing. We shared the dishes that we ordered because I couldn’t decide between two different dishes and he was getting one of the ones I wanted anyways. Then we shared dessert, and he paid for the whole thing,” I started, only stopping to reminisce.
“Sounds way different than your dates with Michael,” Angie blurted.
“It was. Speaking of Michael, I invited Finn back to my apartment afterwards to talk or watch a movie, and fucking Michael was sitting at my door waiting for me when we got there.”
“Holy shit, you’re lying.”
The doors opened on the elevator and we slowly walked to where we parked our cars next to one another.
“I wish I was. He got all defensive and mad asking Finn why he took me out. Then at one point I threatened to call the cops and Finn literally dragged Michael by the arm out of my building.”
She gasped, “No!”
“I know! I couldn’t believe it!” We fished our keys out of our purses.
“Then what happened?” She leaned against the trunk of her car, insisting I continue.
“Well, we went into my apartment and watched Despicable Me on Netflix but halfway through I fell asleep with my head on his shoulder. When I woke up, it was two hours later, and he was asleep too.”
“Sounds like a romance novel,” she swooned.
I chuckled, “It almost turned into one. We ended up making out on my couch and next thing I knew my hands were unbuttoning his shirt.”
“That sounds like you two got pretty far for it to be an almost romance novel,” she objected.
“He took one look at the clock, which it was almost eleven thirty at this point, and he jumped up off me. I guess he had some meetings for work and then he had practice after his interview with his teammates and Shane. But damn, Ang, I could see myself really falling for this guy already. That’s dangerous, isn’t it?”
I leaned against her car with her, “Hey, stranger things have happened. He makes you happy. The last two years of your relationship with Michael, you avoided telling him you loved him unless you had to because he said it first. This guy sounds pretty perfect, Jules. I wouldn’t let him go if I were you.”
I chuckled, my phone buzzing yet again, “I won’t. Gotta go, Finn’s going to be waiting for me.”
She playfully pushed me and said she was jealous before we climbed into our separate cars and drove away. The most recent phone call was my mother, and I called her back updating her on the Michael situation. I never told her about Finn during that conversation though, or any conversations the last few days. Who knew what she would think about me seeing a guy again so soon. Were Finn and I even technically dating?
I was starting to thank my lucky stars that the Star Tribune’s office was in Minneapolis by the time that I pulled into Finn’s apartment building parking lot. Traffic was terrible during my entire drive to make it to his apartment in Brooklyn Park. As soon as the car was in park, I let out a sigh. It was supposed to be a twenty-minute drive, but it ended up taking nearly forty-five minutes.
I quickly texted Finn that I had finally made it and climbed out of my car as quickly as my skirt would allow. By the time I got up to the main entrance of his apartment building, which looked surprisingly modern and new, Finn was holding the second glass door open for me.
“You made it,” he smiled teasingly at me.
“It’s not my fault you live in the direction that everyone is traveling after work,” I grinned.
He pressed a quick kiss against my lips before he took my hand and led me to his apartment. When we walked through the door, I stood in an L-shaped kitchen with an island with two stools, a dark little room on my right, and the living and dining rooms in front of me. With what soccer players earned, wouldn’t he be able to afford to live in more than a studio apartment? Finn closed and locked the door, coming up behind me as I took in what I thought would be a larger apartment.
“I didn’t think you’d live in a studio apartment,” I smiled as I turned to face him.
His eyebrows furrowed for a second, “I don’t live in a studio apartment, the bedrooms are upstairs. Technically, this is a townhouse.”
I fought to keep my mouth closed, “You have a whole other floor?”
Finn pointed up to the ceiling, “Yeah, two bedrooms, two full bathrooms, and the laundry room are upstairs.”
“Why do you have two bedrooms?”
“My family doesn’t live in-state. They all live in Georgia, so they come and visit sometimes. I got drafted by the team here, so I moved by myself.” A look of sadness came over his features as he talked about his family.
“My family lives in Wisconsin. Not quite as far as Georgia, but feels far to me,” I said softly, taking his hands in mine.
“Are you close with your family too?” He asked, looking into my eyes.
I nodded, “As close as one can be with their family. My mom especially, she’s one of my best friends.”
A small smile tugged at his lips, “I’m close with my mom, too. My dad left when I was two years old. My two older brothers helped raise me when mom was at work.”
“My father left before I was born, so I know how you feel. He made a slight appearance between the ages of five and ten, before going back to acting like I never existed. My mother eventually married my stepfather when I was two, he’s pretty much been the only real father figure I’ve ever known,” I hadn’t planned on telling him my life story, it just sort of slipped out.
He nodded, “My mom remarried for a short period of time, but it quickly ended. After that, she said the only men she needed in her life were her boys.”
“Sounds like a great mom,” I smiled, taking a small step closer to him.
“She’s an amazing woman,” he wrapped his arms around my waist and leaned in to kiss me.
As our lips were about to meet, a buzzer rang off. He pulled back and shook his head, walking over to an odd callbox next to the door. The responding voice to his question was the pizza guy, apparently we were having pizza for dinner. Finn buzzed him in and within a matter of minutes, the man was at our door.
As he paid him for the food, my phone buzzed in my purse. Nobody important was going to be calling me, all my friends knew to text me if they needed me. Of course, Michael was calling for the umpteenth time and I quickly put my phone on do not disturb once again. I wasn’t going to let him or anybody else ruin my time with Finn.
“Do you have to make a phone call?” Finn asked, putting the pizza box up on the kitchen island.
“No, nothing that can’t wait until tomo
rrow,” I smiled and put my purse on the island.
Finn brought out two plates from the cabinet and set them next to the pizza box before he came to take my coat and hung it up in the closet. Picking up a plate, I slid a few slices of pizza onto it and waited for Finn. He handed me a bottle of water from the refrigerator after he grabbed his own food, and we went to sit on the couch. The channel he had left on from before was playing the new movie from The Fast and The Furious franchise and he picked up the remote to change it.
“You don’t have to change it, I love these movies,” I grinned at him as I took a seat beside him.
“You’re like the perfect girl, you know that right?” He chuckled as he set the remote down after turning up the volume.
“Because I love these movies?” I asked, taking a bite of my pizza.
“Well because of other things as well, but also because you love these movies. My ex, Natalie, she hated these movies. Anything action, she disliked right away.”
I gasped, “Even Transformers? What about James Bond?”
“If you don’t stop now, I may have to just forgo dinner and jump you right now,” he smirked.
My heart did a little flip, I kind of wanted him to jump me. This was only day fucking four of knowing him, calm down Julianna.
“Okay, okay. Tell me more about your family,” I said, the movie the background to our conversation as we ate.
I learned that Finn’s two older brothers were named Cooper and Ashton. Cooper was thirty-one, Ashton was twenty-eight, while Finn was going to be twenty-six like me. His mother was a medical assistant at a small clinic in Atlanta, where he was born and raised. He went to school at the University of Georgia, just like his brothers. Cooper was a doctor now while Ashton owned his own auto shop on the outskirts of Atlanta. His mother must be really proud of the men that she raised, they were all successful and capable of taking care of themselves.
He asked me about my family after that. There wasn’t much to tell. I had two older step-sisters, Brianna and Angelica, who weren’t really a part of my life like they used to be when they were growing up. One I hadn’t spoken to in almost sixteen years, the other I hadn’t spoken to in almost three. I had a younger half-brother, Jacob, who was in school to be a game developer, my mother Deborah worked for an online store owned by her brother and sister-in-law, and my step-father Charlie, worked for the local school district as a custodian. I went to school at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, a school my brother would be transferring to for his next year of school.