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Finn is just putting the last of the containers back in the bag when the classroom door opens, and students begin pouring in. They stare at Finn
as he stands there next to my desk.
“Do you have a question, Julian?” I ask the little blond boy with shaggy hair who has his hand raised patiently.
“Miss Lawson, is this your boyfriend?” he asks softly, probably wondering why there’s a strange man they have never seen before in my classroom.
“My sister has a boyfriend; they kiss a lot. It’s gross,” Dana interrupts, making a gagging face.
I can’t help but laugh before clearing my throat and look to Finn for guidance. Why am I searching for an answer? We’re just friends.
“No—I mean, I’m a boy, and I’m Miss Lawson’s friend—but no, I’m not her boyfriend.” Finn swoops in and saves the day. The tone of his voice changed though, and when he peeks over at me, I see a look of longing in his eyes. “I just brought Miss Lawson lunch since I hear she has been working so hard with you guys. I thought she deserved something special, don’t you guys?”
The class cheers, and I shake my head. I see what he’s doing—trying to sway me through my students. Well played, Reynolds, well played.
“Did you give Miss Lawson those pretty flowers the other day?” Nikki speaks up from the front row.
Finn shoves his hands in his pockets. “I did.” If he is nervous at all by the interrogation of my students, he doesn’t show it. In fact, he looks proud of himself that even my students noticed his kind gesture.
“My daddy gives my mommy flowers a lot. She says he still needs to sleep on the couch though. Do you have to sleep on Miss Lawson’s couch?” she asks innocently.
Finn chuckles. Can he feel my eyes on him? Do not be honest, Finn. My students do not need to know that yes, you have slept on my couch.
“No, I don’t have to sleep on Miss Lawson’s couch.”
It’s my turn to swoop in and save the day. “Well, why don’t we let my friend Finn here”—I emphasize the word friend—“get back to work.” I think this is the first time I have publicly called Finn my friend, and I have to be honest and say I don’t like the way it makes me feel, as if all the beautiful memories we once shared never happened.
Finn leans back on the corner of my desk, crossing his ankles, and pulls out his phone. “I have some time. I’m not in a rush to get back to the office. After all, I am the boss.”
Of course he’s not in a rush.
I sigh, knowing that he has his mind made up.
Another student raises their hand. “Yes, Brody, do you have a question?”
“You said you’re a boss. What do you do?”
I extend my hand in front of me, allowing Finn to take the floor. We have a few moments to spare before getting back to our schoolwork.
Finn removes his hands from his pockets and sets them behind him, relaxing back on them.
“Well, I’m an architect. Do you know what that means?”
“Does that mean you build arks?” Nikki shouts from the back. Finn and I both laugh.
“Not exactly. I draw buildings to design them.” He pauses. “But now, I do more overseeing of projects and things being built, but I still draw all the time. I guess it’s my passion.”
I can see the emotion beginning to take over him. “Finn is really good at what he does. In fact, one of the best.” I hope he knows that I mean every word of it.
“So, you like to draw?” Julian chimes in again.
“I love to draw. I was probably around your guys’s age when I started drawing buildings.” The way his face lights up as he is talking to the kids about his passion is truly remarkable. “Does anyone in here love to draw?”
More than half of my students raise their hands with smiles on their faces.
“Miss Lawson, have you seen him draw before?” Alley asks.
I take a seat next to Finn on the edge of my desk, our thighs barely touching. “I have, and he is very talented.”
