Chapter 19
Finn
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Finn barely slept.Every time he drifted off, the memory of Kallie's voice, her scent, and the warmth of her presence in his house woke him.By dawn, he dragged himself out of bed, wrung out from too much awareness.He'd spent years in numbness that protected him, and now he felt everything.
But he had no fucking clue what was making him crazy.
He stepped into the kitchen and found her already awake, sitting at the table with her knees pulled up, hair mussed from sleep.The sight of her hit him low and hard.She looked soft in the morning light, warm in a way that made his chest tighten.
"Morning," she said.
He grunted and moved past her to the counter."Hungry?"
"Mm hm."
He could feel her eyes on him."Oatmeal?"
"Sure."
He went through the motions.It wasn't hard.Instead of one bowl, he made two.He stood on the other side of the counter, close enough to breathe her in.
Breakfast was quiet.Every scrape of her spoon, every brush of her fingers against the table, every shift of her body sent a jolt through him.He tried not to look at her, but his eyes kept drifting back.
She tucked her hair behind her ear before she dipped her head to take a bite off her spoon.Her lips puckered, blew, and then opened to retrieve each bite.
When they finished eating, she set her bowl aside and folded her hands on the table."What have you been doing the last four years?"
"Four?"He grabbed the dish, turned his back, and washed it in the sink before turning back around."I do the same thing every day.It doesn't matter how many years have passed."
"Well, what would you usually do now, since breakfast is over?"
He looked toward the door.Usually, he walked to the old feed store and carved another line on a piece of wood, marking another day without Kallie.But since she was in Everstill, there was no need to keep track of the days.
There was no reason to go outside and wander around town or talk with Moe.Everything had changed with the arrival of Kallie.
"What have you been doing?"he muttered.
She talked about the roads she'd walked, the places she'd lived, and the jobs she'd held.About the nights she'd slept in a shelter before renting an apartment, and the moments she'd almost given up but didn't because she wanted to find her way back to him.She spoke quietly, without shame.She'd been out there fighting to survive.Fighting for him.
"I never told anyone about you," she whispered.
"Why not?"
She looked at the counter before raising her gaze to him."I didn't want to share you with anyone, in case they told me I was crazy for feeling a connection to a man I met as a child and had seen only twice in my life, in a different dimension."She leaned forward."I was a foster kid.Who would believe me?"
