peaches | fillie

twenty

"Hello?"

Finn answered the phone call cautiously, an unsaved number displayed across his screen. Millie sat on an armchair in the small living room watching his expressions.

She had been anxious ever since she had come home, not knowing when the call would arrive and if she should worry about the decision Finn would make.

His face lit up when the caller identified themselves, and he carried out the conference in a different room.

When he walked away, Millie exhaled deeply and closed her eyes.

"He will say yes, he will be excited, he can go to his classes, everything will be fine, " she assured herself. Millie nibbled on her bottom lip and picked at her fingernails nervously. For a reason she could not identify, she had a feeling that Finn might do the opposite of what she hoped. He couldn't do that to himself, She encouraged, opening her book again. If he does it would be foolish.

***

An hour later, Finn waltzed into the room Millie was in again. She knew what the call was about, as she had organized it, but listened intently to what he explained nonetheless.

"What did you say?" she asked when he was finished telling the story. Finn shrugged, pacing across the floor. "I told him I would think about it and tell him my answer tomorrow."

"I really hope you don't mean that you're going to sleep on a big fat yes." Millie sighed, placing her reading glasses on top of her head. Finn shrugged again, sitting down in the other chair only to stand up soon after.

"I don't want to leave you here alone, " he explained. "You don't need me, obviously, but it would suck if I was in a class all day and couldn't spend time with you."

It was Millie's turn to shrug. "It's not like you're leaving California, you could sleep here and I'd make you a little lunch and send you off like they do in those cute movies based on the 1960's."

Finn smiled at the girl, brushing his fingers through his hair. "As absolutely delightful as that sounds, I'd have to stay on campus." his grin faded and he stared at the carpet. Millie sat up in the leather armchair, hiking a quilted blanket further up and over her legs.

"So we'd barely see each other, " Millie confirmed, staring at the tall figure. Finn didn't waver when she said the words, so she made a decision for the better of both of them.

"I'll get my dad to buy me a ticket home, " she decided, picking up the book again.

"Peach-"

Millie put a hand up, silencing him. "Nonsense, I already told him that there was a possibility that I would be coming home early, I'll pack up and be out of here by tomorrow afternoon,"

Finn was skeptical, but he knew there was no changing Millie's mind once it was made up.

He walked closer to her, sitting on the armrest of the chair. "I'll miss you bunches and bunches, "

Millie chuckled, flipping the page. "Just don't forget about me, Wolfhard, "

Finn put a finger under her chin, lifting her eyes to meet with his. He had raised an eyebrow, not comprehending why Millie was so insecure. He knew she was being sarcastic, but there was a chipped corner with the joke and her paint job was sloppy.