Not A Temporary Love | Finley & Harlyn #1

Chapter 32

I cover my face, and peek at her through my fingers. "I forgot about that."

"I just... I can't get over the fact that I -" she lays her hands on her chest "- your best friend - who was there when you kissed Minnie Meyers during spin the bottle in Year 8 -"

"Please stop."

"- and who had to hear every excruciating detail about how Gracie Allen tasted in Year 9 - wasn't included when you kiss a boy for the first time."

I try to read her face. There's that teasing lilt to her eyebrows, but there's sadness in her eyes. I drop my hands. "I know. I hated every minute of it." I pause. "Well, not the minutes with Finley. He's a really good kisser."

"Shut up."

"But the whole time I was lying to you. I just..." I slide onto the bed, leaning against the wall. "I didn't know what was happening. And you know me. I'm not good at figuring out stuff going on in my own head. And I know I could've told you," I add quickly, stopping her when she opens her mouth. "But you already had so much going on with classes and your roommates. And I didn't want to add to your problems." Something slots into place in my brain. "And I did the exact thing that I've been telling Finley not to do for weeks now."

Elly settles next to me against the wall. "Sometimes, you are so daft, you know that?" she chuckles. "And what have you been telling Finley for weeks?"

"That I don't mind if he tells me things even when I have a lot going on," I whisper. "That that's what comes with caring about someone."

"Well, then you know what I'm going to say, don't you?" I nod. "I know I've had a lot going on this term. And I should've talked to you about all of that, too. But I'm always here for you. No matter what. No matter how confused and lost you are, babes. I'm not going anywhere."

I turn my head toward her, trying not to let the bubble of tears spill over. "I missed you, Elly."

"I missed you, too. So freaking much. An actual ridiculous amount." She grabs my hand. "Ask Polly. She'll tell you how much I've been literally pining for you."

"Does she know about me and Finley then?"

"No. No, of course not. I just told them we had a fight and that I was stupid but that I didn't know how to apologize because apparently I need professional help." I snort. "No, I figured you'd want to tell them. Or not tell them. Or just make out with Finley in front of them at some point."

I burst into a fit of giggles, because the idea is so absurd and so delightful and so Elly that I can't stop it. And because she's cracking jokes and holding my hand. And she doesn't hate me. And she's not secretly homophobic (even though I already knew that).

"That would be quite a statement to make," I gasp. "I'll talk to Finley about it."

"Good," she sighs. "How are you two doing? It's been what? Six weeks now?"

"Yeah. To the day, actually." I pause, doing the math, thinking back to what feels like forever ago. "Well, five weeks ago yesterday was when I kissed him and he ran away. Five weeks ago today was when I told him I liked him. And then he told me he liked me. So, like -"

"I'm sorry, what?" she interrupts.

"Oh, right. I have a lot to catch you up on."

I turn to face her and start at the beginning, about falling for him as we showed them around Kent, how I realized it wasn't just a friend thing in Brighton. How her telling me that I had my crush face on when texting Finley was what cinched it.

"So, you did have a crush on the person you were texting!" Elly exclaims. "I knew it!"

"You were too perceptive for me, El. I panicked. And then I gay panicked. For like two weeks straight."