by A. Aubry
“You look beautiful,” he said quietly as he placed my jacket on the back of my chair.
“Thank you. You clean up nicely,” I smiled as I took my seat and he pushed my chair in for me.
When he sat across from me, our eyes met, and I nearly melted. Just looking at a guy never made me feel these things before. What in the world was Finn McAllister doing to me?
“Wow,” he murmured as he put his napkin on his lap.
“What?” I chuckled as I opened up the menu that laid in front of me.
He shook his head, a small smile playing on his lips, “I just—I don’t know what to say.”
“So, this is going to be a silent first date then?” I teased, glancing over the menu items then nearly letting my mouth fall open at the prices.
This was a nice little restaurant, that apparently had outrageous prices. Now I felt bad for asking for Finn to pay, this was just a little too much money for him to dish out…especially on the first date.
“I’ll try my best to find some words to keep you entertained.” His hand reached out and touched mine.
Was it possible to feel a spark just by touching someone? Because I felt this spark last night when he grabbed my hand as he led me out on our walk, but I chalked it up to static electricity from my heavy winter coat. I also felt it when we held hands on the walk back to the bar, but I blamed the fact that I was losing the feeling in my hands from the cold. The sensation wanted to make me jump in surprise, but I held myself back, I didn’t want to make him think I didn’t like his hand on mine.
Our waitress soon joined us as we ordered our drinks and left us, so we could decide on what to eat.
“So, what are you thinking of getting?” Finn asked as he closed his menu, his mind already set.
I bit my lip, “Um, well I was thinking about the Spaghetti Carbonara, but the Wild Mushroom Ravioli sounds really good as well…”
I was torn between two pasta dishes and he was probably used to girls just ordering salads. At least, the girls who were throwing themselves at Finn and his friends last night would have probably ordered salads.
“Two great choices. Here, I’ll tell you what. I was going to order the ravioli anyways, I’ll share it with you,” he offered, a generous smile on his face.
This time, I let my mouth fall open as I stared at him. No guy who I dated, in my almost twenty-six years of life, had ever offered to share their dinner with me because I couldn’t make a decision on what to order.
Finn laughed at my expression, “I’m assuming your ex didn’t share his meals with you as well?”
I shook my head, “The last man who shared a meal with me was my step-father when I was in elementary school.”
“Sounds like you dated a bunch of duds.” He took a sip of his water.
“Apparently so,” I pursed my lips and also took a drink from my water.
The waitress returned, and we placed our order. When the dishes came out, we shared some of our meals with one another as we talked about our jobs. I learned that Minnesota United FC was a fairly new professional team to MLS, only really starting to be called a major league team in 2015. He asked me about my work, why I wanted to get into writing, articles that I was currently working on.
When dessert came along, he asked me if I was interested in splitting a bowl of gelato. Did this guy walk out of one of my romance novels? I felt like he was too perfect, there had to be something wrong. Too bad I didn’t feel like trying to find that out.
He got a brain freeze during the last bite that I let him have and I giggled as he made a face while his mind worked through it. Finn quickly paid the bill and we walked outside, a few of the other restaurant patrons staring at us as we walked by.
The cold air met us after sitting in a warm restaurant for the last hour and a half. My time with Finn was coming to an end, yet, I didn’t want it to. What if I just invited him over to watch a movie or something? Would that be misleading?
The words were out of my mouth before I had a chance to stop them, “Do you want to come over to my place?”
He turned towards me on the sidewalk, “Are you sure? I don’t want you to feel pressured into hanging out with me any longer than you want to.”
I playfully pushed his arm, “If I am the one inviting you over, I’m not feeling pressured. We could watch a movie or just keep talking.”
“Are you proposing a Netflix and Chill?” He laughed, his arm quickly snaking around my waist.
“Mostly Netflix, less of the chill. But we will see what happens.”
“Sure, what’s your address? I’ll put it in my phone and meet you there.” He pulled out his phone with his free hand.
I gave him my address in Woodbury and said to just park in front of my building and I would meet him outside. The inside of my building could be kind of confusing to someone who had never been there before. He gave me another quick kiss before he walked up to his black Ford Explorer and climbed inside.
I got inside my black Hyundai Santa Fe and started up the car before I took off towards my apartment. Taking a quick shortcut, I beat Finn to my apartment and had enough time to park my car in the garage then walk out to the front of my building just as Finn was pulling into a spot.
“I’m pretty sure my friend Zach lives in that building right over there,” he pointed to the other set of my apartment buildings that sat across the small street as he got out of his car and locked it.
“Well, if our Netflix and Chill doesn’t work out, you can always go visit him,” I teased as I grabbed onto his hand.
We walked into the building, and I led him in the maze that was my apartment building to the elevator. It was easier to take the elevator up to my second-floor apartment because it was right next to the elevators rather than walking all the way down the hallway to the staircase. As soon as the doors closed, Finn crashed his lips into mine. It was like the book Fifty Shades of Grey was now my life…well, the part where the main characters made out in an elevator at least. The elevator beeped, and the doors slowly opened. I led Finn out of the elevator and into the hallway.
“What do you feel like watching?” Finn asked as we walked.
“Hmm, I’m not sure. I don’t see you much as a Bring It On guy,” I giggled as we rounded the small corner to my door.
That was when I noticed Michael, leaning against the alcove where my door was as he sat on the floor. He quickly scrambled to his feet when he saw me and Finn.
“Michael, what the fuck did I say about you just showing up at my apartment?” I sighed, my hands landing on my hips in aggravation.
“I have been texting and calling you all day, but you haven’t answered me. Wait, who the fuck is this guy?” He finally took notice of the guy who stood close behind me.
I looked back at Finn, “This is my friend, Finn. Finn, this is my ex, Michael.”
Michael flinched at my emphasis on ex. If I didn’t know Michael, I would have said he looked sad when I said it. Rather, since I knew him, he looked possessive and jealous. They nodded at one another as they acknowledged my introductions.
“Did you take my girlfriend on a date? Is that why you two are so dressed up?” Michael asked, his voice laced with anger.
I rolled my eyes and leaned my head back in frustration, “I’m not your girlfriend anymore. I’m allowed to go to dinner with someone if I choose to go.”
“Why not let the pretty boy answer for himself, Jules.” Michael crossed his arms over his chest.
“Listen, man, I don’t want any trouble,” Finn said coolly as his hand pressed gently to my back.
Michael didn’t seem to take notice of Finn’s protective touch. Thank god he didn’t, I did not want him starting a brawl because he thought that he owned me.
“Then why’d you take her out on a date? She only said we were over four days ago.”
I looked up at Finn, “You don’t have to answer him, Finn.”
He looked down at me and gave me a small smile, “No, it’s alright, Ju
lianna.”
“You let him call you Julianna? You hate your full name,” Michael spit at me.
This was something I hadn’t told Finn yet, because I loved when he said my full name. It was like music to my ears when he said it, it made my heart race.
I took my phone out of my clutch that I had silenced on my way to our date, “Michael, get the fuck out of here. I will seriously call the cops this time.”
“This time? You mean, he’s done this a few times before?” Finn asked quietly.
I nodded, “Yeah, ever since I broke up with him.”
“Stop talking about me like I’m not fucking here,” Michael snarled.
“Alright, you want to talk? Then you can talk to me while I escort you out of the building,” Finn grabbed Michael’s arm and dragged him down the hallway as Michael yelled back at me.
I stood there dumbfounded. Michael was attempting to get a hit in on Finn as he pulled him away, but it was like Finn was always one step ahead. He disappeared at the stairwell for five minutes as the hallway finally fell silent.
How did he know where the stairwell was? And was it completely normal to feel turned on by the fact that he just took control over the situation like that? Finn finally reappeared at the staircase and walked towards where I stood by my door. When he crossed the threshold onto my side of the building he playfully rubbed his hands together like he was dusting them off.
I giggled at his act, “How’d you know where the stairs were?”
“Zach’s building has the same exact layout as yours, I took a wild guess and I just happened to be right,” he stood right in front of me, “Are you alright?”
Holy shit, now he was worried about me? “Yeah, I’m fine. Thank you for being so calm during that…and for handling it.”
His arms wrapped around me as he pulled me closer to him, “Anytime.”
That was gonna be our word, wasn’t it? Because that was like the third or fourth time we had said that to one another. Wow, Julianna, you need to calm down. You’re already planning a word for the two of you. It was almost too difficult to calm down though, Finn was fucking perfect.
“You still wanna come in for that movie?” I lifted my hand and used my thumb to point to my door behind me.
“I would love to,” Finn smiled and released me.
I unlocked the door and flipped on the foyer light as I held the door open for him to follow me in. We kicked off our shoes in the foyer after the door was closed and locked. Taking Finn’s coat, I unhung our jackets up in the coat closet before walking around and finishing turning on the lights. My apartment was quite spacious for a one bedroom so having lights on was always nice in case you ran into something. The main thing you’d probably run into were my many bookshelves.
Finn took a seat on the couch, reclining himself on the chaise lounge portion of my faux-leather couch. He made himself comfortable as I grabbed us a few bottles of water to drink. When I came back into the living room, I turned on the TV and waited for it to come to life. My apartment was a little chilly, even though the heat was kicked on. I grabbed two large fuzzy blankets and handed one off to Finn before I sat next to him and opened up Netflix.
“What are we watching?” I asked him as I scrolled through the recommended movies that Netflix listed.
Despicable Me popped up under animated recommendations and Finn’s smile grew, “That one.”
I laughed and shook my head, turning on the movie and cuddling up under my own blanket. Halfway through the movie, I reclined sideways on the sofa as my head rested on Finn’s shoulder. My eyes got heavy and closed, sleep pulling me under just a little too quickly.
Waking with a start, Netflix had ended our movie and sat at its main menu of movies to choose from. The clock on my cable box said I had been asleep for almost two hours. Finn was still reclined where he was when I fell asleep, my head still on his shoulder. His chest was rising and falling slowly as his hand held onto mine. It was almost eleven o’clock at night and I needed to be up early for work. Unfortunately, the weekend had come to its end and it was time to get back to the daily grind.
Lifting my head slowly off of Finn’s shoulder, I looked over at him. His head was turned as it rested back against the large plush cushion backing of my couch. The way his head was angled, it was as though his head had been resting on mine at one point in time. A girl could get used to waking up next to this guy. Maybe even watch him sleep…in a totally non-creepy way. He looked so relaxed as he slept, it made me just want to kiss him. I leaned against him slightly and ran the backs of my fingers over his cheek. His eyes slowly opened a moment later.
“Hey, did I fall asleep?” He blinked his eyes a few times, sleep still in his voice.
“We both did,” I smiled shyly as I watched him.
“So much for the chill portion of Netflix and Chill,” he pouted playfully.
I would have thought that he had gotten up the second I woke him up, but he laid exactly as he had been, looking up at me with those gorgeous brown eyes. My fingers wouldn’t stop running over his cheek, the skin so soft against them with every light stroke.
“Maybe next time,” I whispered.
His eyes grew wider, if that was possible since they were already so big, “There will be a next time?”
Words weren’t even a good enough answer to that question. Words could be explained away, actions, on the other hand, were the best explanation. My lips gently covered his as I initiated a soft kiss. Something shifted as the kiss progressed, my heart began to race as my hands cupped Finn’s cheeks, the need to kiss him deeper screaming at me in my head.
A groan quietly filled the room and I didn’t know if it was from me or from him. Our tongues danced together as our bodies moved and Finn was on top of me, his hands on either side of my head as mine were still glued to his face. It was like the kiss was never going to end and if it did, the world would end along with it.
Finn broke the kiss not long after that and I dragged air into my lungs as he looked down at me. He had taken off his blazer before we started the movie and now he was just in his white button-up shirt and his black dress slacks. My hands had a mind of their own as they started unbuttoning his shirt, one button after another. Finn glanced over at the clock before his eyes turned back to me. His head quickly whipped back to the clock.
“Shit,” he said standing up from the couch, my hands falling to my sides.
“What? What’s wrong? Was I moving too fast?” I sat up, suddenly nervous. Damn my hands for being so reckless.
“No, no you were moving at the perfect pace,” he leaned down and kissed my lips, his hands undoing the work I had started.
“Then what’s going on?”
“It’s really late and I have a few early morning meetings with the team and practice tomorrow. Coach will kill me if I show up and I’m exhausted,” he gave me a sad smile as he picked up his blazer and put it on.
I stood up and wrapped my arms around his neck, forcing him to focus on me for a second, “So, my knight in shining armor turns into a pumpkin at midnight?”
Finn chuckled and shook his head, “Only when he has very early meetings that he is required to go to.”
“Want me to walk you to your car?” I offered, gazing into his eyes as he looked down at me.
He kissed my lips gently before he answered, “No, it’s going to be cold out. Plus it’ll just entice me to come back inside to be with you.”
“And is that such a bad thing?” I teased.
“No, but I’d like to keep my job.”
“Fair point. I’ll grab your coat,” I smiled and let go of him, quickly going to the coat closet to grab his jacket.
I handed it off to him and watched him put it on while he slipped his shoes back on. Opening the door, I held it open for him. He started to walk out but he turned around in the doorway and tugged me close to him, his arms wrapped tightly around my waist as his lips found mine. It was the longest and most gentle goodbye kiss I had ever experien
ced in my life. Was he sure he couldn’t stay a little while longer, maybe even overnight?
“I’ll text you tomorrow. Thanks for tonight, Julianna. Or should I call you Jules now?” He slowly stepped backwards into the hallway, releasing me reluctantly.
“I like when you call me Julianna,” I admitted, my head leaning against the edge of the door.
“Good. Goodnight, Julianna,” Finn was finally standing in the middle of my hallway.
“Goodnight, Finn,” I smiled at him, slowly closing the door.
When he turned and started walking down the hallway, I finished closing the door. Leaning my back against it, I took a deep breath. Just as I was about to lock it, there was a knock on the door. I peeked through the peephole to see Finn standing in my doorway once again. What in the world was he doing back already? I opened the door once again.
“Did you forget something?” I asked playfully.
He took me into his arms and gave me one more long, passionate kiss. One that took my breath away, that made my heart want to beat out of my chest, one that could make me fall in love with this guy.
Finn finally pulled back and walked back into the hallway, “Now that one will tide me over until next time.”
I giggled and shook my head as he left once again. Closing my door and locking it, I turned off the television and the lights around my apartment. Soon, I was curled up in my bed with my alarm set for the morning. Yet, the only thing on my mind was one Finn McAllister.
Chapter Three
After rewriting my article on the artists who would be releasing new music this next week for what was probably the third time since I got in this morning, I was ready for a nap. It was one of those days where I really regretted not being a coffee drinker. Larry had made me make continuous edits to my article and I was hoping that the third time was the charm and it would be okayed. Emailing my latest version over to Larry who sat in his own personal office on the other side of the floor, I stood up from my cubicle. There was a sense of urgency about making sure he knew that I sent it over and that he would look it over.