“I went out the Friday night before I moved in here, and I’m usually too knackered after work. What’s your excuse?”
“You’re twenty-one, shouldn’t you be out every chance you get?” He carried on walking and disappeared into the living room. I hurried to catch up.
“I’m saving my money; my bank balance was virtually nothing after I got back. I like to have some savings under my belt.”
“You planning on going away again?” He didn’t look at me as he spoke, but there was a strange catch to his voice.
“I dunno, maybe? I just want to have some saved in case I’m out of work again, because I can’t see me staying at Amazon for too much longer. It’s killing my back, and to be honest, some days it’s boring as fuck.”
“You looking for another job?” He stood, facing me this time, and I set my box down next to his.
“I’ve been having a look at what’s around. I don’t want to sort parcels for much longer, but I’m not sure if I want a job just to save some money or one I want to make a career out of.”
He nodded like what I said made sense. “There’s no rush is there?”
“My dad would say yes,” I grumbled. “But no, I want to take my time and sort out in my head what I want to do.” I didn’t really want to talk about work on my days off, so I pointed at the boxes around us. “Light’s first?”
“Yeah.” Finn bent down to retrieve them, and it was then I realised he’d totally avoided my question.
“So,” I said, helping him untangle a string of fairy lights. “Why don’t you see your mates much?”
He sighed, as though he knew I wasn’t going to let this drop, and I wasn’t quite sure why I was so determined to get an answer. “I see Christian and some of the others at golf and lunch a couple of times a week. I just...” He looked down, focusing on the lights in his hands. “I haven’t felt like going out and—” He waved a hand about.
“Having sex?” I offered, earning a laugh and an eye-roll.
“Yes, if you want to be blunt.”
“You were out the other night though?” God, I just wouldn’t let it go, would I?
He clearly thought the same judging from his expression, but he humoured me. “That was all Christian. He thought we should celebrate.” He shook his head. “And look how that turned out.”
I didn’t know whether to feel insulted or not, so I went with not. This wasn’t about me. But I couldn’t resist teasing a little. “Yeah, it could’ve gone a whole lot better if you hadn’t run off.” I winked and thankfully he laughed again, but I also caught the flash of heat in his eyes before he focused back on the lights.
Holding up another set towards me, he asked, “Are you helping or just watching like Angus?”
I glanced over to the sofa, where Angus lay sprawled out surveying the proceedings with a bored expression. “Could I go join him?”
“Nope.” He thrust the lights at me this time, giving me no choice but to take them. “You sort these out and I’ll go get us a beer.”
I took them, ducking to hide my smile. He’d remembered what I’d told him.
Beers in hand, we spent the next few hours decorating Finn’s Christmas tree and laughing at ridiculous things.
All in all, it was the best time.
“Not bad,” I said, turning the living room lights out and regarding our handiwork. The tree sparkled in the darkness, lighting up the space with a warmth only a Christmas tree could bring. And this one was a beauty, even if I did say so myself.
Finn hummed in agreement, coming to stand beside me. “Yeah, not bad at all.”
The two beers we’d drunk had left me with a nice buzz, and I leant into him without thinking. When he slid his arm around my waist and drew me closer, I held my breath, not daring to move. I suspected he’d done it on instinct, and I didn’t want to break the spell the Christmas tree had woven around us.
Bathed in the glowing fairy lights, Finn’s hand resting on my hip, I felt like we were in our own little bubble, separate from the rest of the world.
I would quite happily have stayed there all night, but Finn’s phone rang, bringing us back to reality, and he left my side to answer it. I wondered if he even realised that he’d had his arm around me for the last five minutes.
Chapter 7
Finn
