Cleo giggled. “He says fuck a lot when he’s stressed.”
“You clearly knew!” Linc turned his confusion to Cleo who giggled again.
“I thought she told him.” Finn dropped his forehead to the table with a heavy clunk. “I thought he knew.”
“Well, I’m not sure what exactly it is I didn’t know, but I kinda know it now. I’m guessing Will doesn’t—”
Cleo smacked a hand over Linc’s still-moving mouth. “I swear to the almighty, Lincoln Scott. If you breathe so much as a word of this to another living being you will never get laid for the rest of your life.”
Cocky bastard had the cheek to grin at her. “With you? Or…?”
“I will rip your junk off with my bare hands and feed it to wolves.”
Finn winced, and Molly yelped. “That’s my girl.” She hi-fived Cleo. “Thank you.”
“I mean it, Lincoln.” Cleo wagged a wavering finger at Linc.
“I get it. I mean… it’s about friggin’ time… but… damn. He’s going to lose his shit.”
Sabrina arrived with another round of mules for Molly and Cleo. “You drink it.” Molly pushed hers at Finn. “I can’t. Wait.” She almost pulled a dozen muscles in her neck straining to look at Linc. “What do you mean it’s about time?”
Linc shrugged. “I thought you’d take the plunge last year, but nothing came of it. You…” He pointed at Finn. “I fucking knew you weren’t going through a fucking dry patch.”
Molly’s cheeks crackled so loudly that the table next to her probably thought their sizzling fajitas were coming out from the kitchen. “Oh my God.” She covered her face with both her hands and groaned.
“Hey guys, what’s going on?” Will sauntered up to the table and Molly wanted the floor to grow arms and drag her under the table. Like things couldn’t possibly have gotten worse.
Go big or go home, Molly.
“I didn’t get the ESPN gig for the summer.” She raised her mule and clinked it off Finn’s. “My friend is getting day drunk with me in sympathy.”
“And how’d you rope two of my best guys into joining you?” He dragged a chair from a neighboring table and placed it at the end of their booth before dropping onto it.
“Like I need roped into supporting my friends.” Linc raised his appropriated mule and clinked it against his girlfriend’s glass with a grin. “Or my girl.”
Gag. Puke. All the vom. But part of Molly wished Finn could be so openly supportive. Sure, she wasn’t a die-hard romantic, but the idea of Finn being able to hold her hand, or say the words ‘my girl’ so casually warmed her chest.
She’d spent so long shoving all her feels in a trunk in her heart that she wasn’t sure what to do with them once he’d cracked it open. Especially when Will couldn’t see or hear anything that might tip him off.
She needed to see Finn alone. She needed to be able to kiss his face off until her lips tingled.
Will ordered a glass of water and a salad from Sabrina as she passed.
She needed to tell Finn she was ready to take the leap and be his girl. Even if it meant making her brother big mad. Pulling out her phone she checked to make sure no one was watching her as she unlocked it and opened the texting app.
Molly:Can we talk tomorrow night after your game?
Will was chatting to Lincoln, and Cleo’s head rested on Linc’s shoulder, her eyes closed and her breathing heavy. There was every chance Molly’s best friend was taking a nap right there in Applebee’s in the middle of the day. What a badass. Molly chuckled and stirred her drink with her paper straw.
After a couple of minutes, Finn replied.
Finn:Absolutely. Please tell me we’re going to do more than just talk?
Her breathing picked up speed and she bit down on her lip to ground her, to stop her from reaching under the table and palming his dick.
Molly:We’re going to do more than talk.
***
