Dedicated to arielsbk for the banner.
Listen to Tell me what you see by The Beatles or Wild Life by Hedley (for reals yo, this is the ultimate soundtrack to this chapter).
Fair warning, I do not write mush or feelings or kiss scenes (you knew it was coming) very well.
25 – Tell Me What You See
Saturday has always been date night in the Simms household.
My brothers and I liked to pretend that, when our parents had their 'Barbie and Ken' time, they went out to buy dolls at some fancy-dress-only toy store and then came home, locked themselves in their bedroom and played with those dolls.
The alternative would be to think that our parents did the nasty and, naturally, we'd have to pluck our brains out and fry them.
At ten minutes to six, I heard a knock on my bedroom door.
“Are you decent?” Paul called out.
I studied the face that stared back at me in the mirror. My blonde hair was combed, curled and pinned to relative order. As for my makeup, while I'd applied the rest of it lightly, no one could deny that the bright red lipstick I had on was leaning towards being suggestive.
To hell with it.
“I'm decent enough,” I called back.
Paul opened my bedroom door, took one look at me and smiled. “Cool dress.”
Technically, it was a very boring, very simple dress: short-sleeved with a just-right neckline, tight on the top, flouncy on the bottom and ending a couple of inches above my knee. What made it cool was the print on it – a splash of teals, yellows, lavenders and salmons.
“You look good, Lenn,” Paul assured me when I continued to stare at the mirror.
“Well, duh,” I replied with a smirk. “I didn't need you to tell me that.”
He shook his head. “Then what're you doing staring at the mirror for? You're going to someplace nice and you look nice – I don't see the problem.”
“The problem is, I actually have no clue where we're going,” I admitted. “Finn wouldn't tell me even though I asked him. Repeatedly. But this is good, right?” I pulled at the dress again to smooth out the invisible wrinkles. “It's decent enough to go to some fancy restaurant but with these flats and that denim jacket right there –” I pointed to my bed “– it could pass off as cool casual. I think.”
“Lenn, if Finn does take you somewhere that dress wouldn't work in – like mud sliding or pig wrestling – then you'll know he's not the guy for you,” Paul joked. “He's downstairs, by the way.”
“Shιt.” I gestured for Paul to toss me my jacket. “He's way too early.”
“Maybe he's way too excited,” he smirked.
I stopped in the middle of slipping on my bag and stared at him. “You know, Paul, for a minute there, you had me thinking you didn't have some weird plan to chain me to a tree just so I don't go out on this date.”
“I don't – honest – I'm just here to tell you your date's waiting for you,” Paul insisted with a laugh. “I don't have any chains or ropes to tie you down with. You can even strip search me if you don't believe me.”
“No way, brother-o.” I walked past him to the hallway. “If there's a teenage boy I'm going to be strip searching tonight, it's going to be –”
Paul gave me a wordless, angry hiss.
“Calm down,” I laughed. “I promise there won't be any strip searches, okay?” I paused. “There will, however, be some making out.”
Paul covered his ears.
I smiled wider at him when we reached the last of the stairs. “There may be more than some making out, matter of fact.”
He groaned.
My entire family – pets included – plus Finn turned to look at the inhuman sound of pain he was making.
Finn was the only one who looked genuinely worried about Paul's stricken expression. Everyone else just gave me a reproachful glare.
I registered the fact that Finn, too, looked like a good mix of fancy and casual cool in a forest green Henley shirt, dark jeans and sneakers. But before I could even say hi to my date, Paul decided he wasn't done being the center of attention just yet.
“She keeps trying to kill me!” Paul tattled, running straight for Mom.
“No, I don't!” I half-lied.
“She does,” Paul insisted. “She's going to give me a heart attack with all of the things she says –”
“You were the one who wanted me to strip search you –”
“Stop!” Dad yelled immediately, silencing our childish give-and-take. “I do not want to know where this conversation is headed.”
Mom nodded as she patted Paul's hand comfortingly. “New family rule: No offering to strip search or get strip searched by anyone else in this household, understood?”
Dad gave her a disappointed pout. “Really?”
“Eew! Dad, gross!” George yelled for all three of us.
This was worse – way worse – than thinking our parents did the nasty.
Somebody call me a doctor – I think my brain just fried itself in my skull.
“That is definitely the worst thing I've had to imagine today.” Paul turned to me. “If you can keep that image out of your head, you can kiss Finn all you want, Lenny-kins.”
I lunged for Paul but Finn grabbed a hold of me before I could twist my brother's neck. “Maybe we should be heading out,” he suggested to the room in general.
“That,” Dad said with a strained smile, “would be a good idea.”
Finn relaxed his arm around my waist and moved it to the small of my back. “You good to go?”
I nodded. “What time do you guys want me back?” I asked my parents.
George's eyebrow shot up. “Are you asking for a curfew?”
“Eight,” Paul declared, easily dismissing his surprise with overprotective numbskullity. “Be back here by eight.”
Dad shushed him. “Ten is fine.”
“I'll have her back by ten, Mr. Simms.”
“You can even make it ten-thirty, Finn. We wouldn't want to cut short whatever you've got planned for tonight,” Mom told him with a smile. “Just be sure to tell us so we don't worry. Okay, sweetheart?” she looked at me encouragingly.
I grumbled a yes then took the hand Finn had on my back and led the way out of the house.
Finn slowed his steps when we were finally alone and I matched his strides with my own. “Is your family like that all the time?”
“Pukingly gross and mind-numbingly inappropriate?” I nodded. “Next time, you can just wait in your car, honk the horn and save both of us from the embarrassment.”
“I'll keep that in mind,” he laughed. “But do you sometimes get the feeling that your parents don't want you around? They ditched you last Tuesday and, now, they're pushing you out of the house.”
“I think they just want me to spend more time out of the house.”
In this case, think meant know.
Finn perked up. “So they won't mind if we go out again tomorrow?”
“You're already booking a second date?” I laughed. “Pretty ballsy move considering we're not even sure if this one's going to end well, Finn.”
“It will. I mean I don't see what could possibly ruin it,” he answered just as we got to his car. “Wait – you're not going to blow up the next time I move in to kiss you, right?”
“Pssh, no,” I answered easily.
Then, from what he said, a thought occurred to me.
The same thought seemed to occur to Finn but I was asking my follow up question before he could move on to another topic.
“The next time? So you actually were going to kiss me –” I smirked, “– that time?”
He opened his mouth, closed it and then sighed resignedly. “I guess, yeah.”
My smirk grew wider.
“You just got so pissed when I tried to kiss you,” he shrugged. “How much more pissed would you have been if I said that, yes, I really was thinking of kissing you that night.”
“You said you were leaning in because of the spider.”
“Ever hear of lying, Lennon?” he answered smartly. “Also, there conveniently was a spider.”
I bit back the quickly forming retort I had to allow him to continue explaining.
“I really thought you wanted me to kiss you,” he admitted. “I misread the moment and it was embarrassing. So when you started yelling, it was easier to just yell back.”
I considered the thought – really considered it – before finally deciding to just shrug it off. “Well, alright then.”
Finn blinked. “That's it? That's all you've got to say about it?” He blinked again. “I'm telling you that you had every right to be pissed off that night, but you're not even going to lord it over me?”
“I can go on a long winded explanation about the whole thing but that's just what it's going to be: long-winded,” I explained. “And, I don't know about you, but I actually want to have fun on this date. I don't want it to turn into a therapy session where we lay out all our wrong doings and forgive each other for them.”
“Just so you know, this is really the only wrong doing we have against each other,” Finn chuckled. “Unless you count the whole picture thing but that was accidental.”
I groaned. “I especially do not want to talk about that.”
“That's settles it – no talking about horrible things that have happened.”
I smiled. “Just a whole lot of living in the moment. Deal?”
Finn opened his mouth to reply but another voice cut through the early evening air.
“Are you two going to have your date in the driveway? Because if you are, you both are definitely overdressed for it.”
We both looked up and saw Paul grinning down at us from his bedroom window. I'd forgotten that his room, unfortunately, provided a sweeping view of the front of the house.
Before I could ask how much of our conversation Paul had heard, George's head appeared next to him. “Finn, Mom and Dad are about to head out and they wanted me to tell you that you're blocking the garage door again.”
Paul was smiling with way too much glee. “They may not actually hit the breaks this time and just run you guys over if you don't leave soon.”
“And, Lenn,” his twin continued after glancing at his watch, “I may or may not take a pair of scissors to your hair if you're still blocking the driveway when Hayley arrives in ten minutes.”
“If you block the pizza guy when he comes, you can forget about the may not part,” Paul followed.
Being the only single member of the family, Paul was spending date night with pizza, video games and noise canceling earphones – the last of which were there just in case Mom and Dad came home earlier than expected.
I sighed and snuck a look at Finn. “Just to be clear, this lovely exchange has just been added to that earlier question.”
“Deal.” Finn stopped before he could open the passenger side door for me and held out his car keys. “Do you wanna drive?”
From above us, Paul and George simultaneously yelled no.
I smirked as if he'd offered to give me his car and not just drive it. “Finnigan, I am liking this date already.” I snatched the keys from him and marched off to settle myself into the driver's seat.
“You do have your license right?” Finn asked worriedly as I excitedly started the car. “And you know how to drive?”
I hummed along with the purr of the engine before nodding excitedly to his question. “Passed my driver's test with flying colors right before we moved.”
Paul and George continued to yell in protest.
“Don't mind Paul and George,” I assured Finn as I rolled down the window and gleefully waved at my brothers before turning the car out of the driveway. “They're just jealous that I get the chance to actually drive. We've all got licenses but we don't get to drive much with the whole only-one-car situation.”
Finn nodded. “Make a right here,” he instructed as we approached an intersection.
Just to show him how well I could drive, I made the turn in one quick, fluid motion.
Finn's laughter was strained when I finished the turn. “I said you could drive my car not fly it.”
I rolled my eyes but took my foot off the accelerator nonetheless. “So, what do you have planned for tonight?”
“I thought we should do something simple.” Finn grinned conspiratorially. “This is our first date, after all.”
“And what exactly qualifies as simple?” I feigned ignorance. “Perhaps skipping school and staying out until near-midnight to play hookie?”
“No, that just sounds like a really bad first day. I've planned dinner and a movie – take the next right – at the mall.”
“Dinner and a movie,” I repeated, sneaking a glance at Finn. “At the mall.”
“Would you have preferred a fancy restaurant?” Finn smirked. “Maybe I could take you to a hotel suite after and show you the tattoo I got of your entire face in full detail?”
I narrowed my eyes as I paused the car in front of a stop sign. “Just for that little jab there, Finny boy, you're getting me an extra large drink at the movies.”
“Done.” He reached his hand out to me and I gave it a firm shake. “As long as you get an extra large bucket of pop corn. The extra pump of butter would be appreciated.”
I laughed. “Deal.”
“Is dinner and a movie alright, though?” He squeezed my hand nervously before letting it go when the light turned green. “It's just that last time, we watched movies and –”
“We're pretending all of that didn't happen,” I cut him off. “This is our first date, the first time we're hanging out together where it's just you and me and no bullshιt from before.”
His lips quirked into a mischievous grin. “I knew there was a reason why I like you.” He pointed towards the entrance to the mall parking lot.
“I thought you said you didn't know why you liked me,” I pouted.
Oh, how I'd missed innocent flirting.
Though maybe it should be called it not-so-innocent flirting in this case since I was looking forward to not-just-some-but-more-than-some making out.
“Wasn't that conversation part of what we were pretending didn't happen?” Finn countered.
For a few seconds, we were quiet as slowly made it through the parking lot to look for a free spot – a feat that wasn't too easy considering it was the weekend and this was the only mall in town.
I raised my hands in pride when, finally, I slid the car into one of the last free spots in the whole lot. “Ha! We made it – and in one piece. Suck on that, Finnigan.”
Finn, however, ignored my victory and commented on something else.
“You caught my eye the first time we met.” The space in the car seemed to have shrinked in the last two seconds. “And it didn't take long for me to like you since I saw you but I still haven't figured out the reasons I like.”
He paused to flash me a smile.
That smile.
“Now, I guess,” he shrugged, “I'm just making a list of the why's.”
I wouldn't tell Finn this – even under threat of death – but I'd just found number one on my list.
* * * * *
Three hours later, Finn and I walked out of the mall hand-in-hand, our bellies full of food court pretzels, iced tea and extra buttery pop corn and slightly in pain from laughing too much.
“Remind me to never watch a comedy in a movie theater with you,” Finn joked when we were in the semi-privacy of the parking lot.
“Hey! Don't blame me.” I stuck out my tongue at him. “Blame the people who made the movie so goddαmn funny.” I rubbed my belly. “I feel like I've just done a million sit ups. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time.”
He nodded in agreement, squeezing my hand as he did. “I swear the people around us were just about ready to murder you when the movie ended.”
“Just me? You were laughing hard too, mister.” I chuckled at the memory of Finn half-collapsed on the theater floor. “At one point, you started laughing so hard you were wheezing – I never thought that was actually possible!”
“I was only laughing because you were laughing –”
“Lie.” I gave half an effort into punching him in the stomach.
“Have you ever heard yourself laugh, Lenn? It's like someone made a mash up of a witch and a hyena laughing and then they amped up the volume ten times.” Finn chuckled. “It is literally the opposite of a pretty girl laugh.”
“Pretty girl laughs are overrated,” I huffed. “It's just snickering or giggling but it is not real laughter. Not the real laughter kind that a kick αss comedy like the one we just watched deserves.”
“Because real laughter is witch-hyena guffawing?”
“Don't you know it,” I replied proudly.
He shook his head and let go of my hand only to wrap his arm around my shoulder.
The weight of it was comforting and my lips gave me away by smiling.
“So,” Finn began in a different voice, “did you think we accomplished the goal of having a good time and forgetting the horrible times from before?”
I scrunched my eyebrows and looked up at him, fake confusion in my eyes. “What horrible times?”
“Good answer.”
I nudged Finn's side playfully when I saw that his car was only a few feet away. “Can I drive again?”
His answer, initially, was silence.
I replied to his silence by threateningly reaching for his pocket and making a move for his keys.
“Whoa.” Finn dodged, taking a huge step to the side. “Not a good idea to put your hand in a guy's pockets, Lenn, no matter how great of a date you were just on.”
I propped a hand on my hip and smiled knowingly. “Then just answer this: will you let me drive or not?”
“Maybe next time.” He sighed. “You drive crazy fast and this date's been going so good, I don't want it ending in accident.”
“So that's how you want to play this whole thing, huh?” I resisted the urge to stick my tongue out at him and instead chose to playfully push him away. “You're going to dangle driving privileges in front of my face so I'll go out with you.”
“There is this new comedy that's coming out next weekend.” Finn wiggled and waggled his eyebrows like a villain from the silent movie era as he took a step closer to me. “I'll let you drive if you watch it with me.”
I stopped.
We were already standing by his car.
“Throw in an extra large drink and I'm in,” I teased.
“Only if you buy me an extra large bucket of popcorn.”
I chuckled. “Deal.”
Finn didn't say anything immediately after, only looking at me in the half-light of the parking lot.
I took a step back so I could easily open the door when he unlocked the car.
The car, however, remained unlocked.
Finn, on the other hand, took a step closer towards me.
He didn't sandwich me between him and the car – I'd have kicked him the groin if he did that and I think Finn secretly knew it – but we were standing so close now that I could probably listen to his heart beat if I wanted to.
Finn looked down at me with a small smile – that smile – and an emotion I couldn't pin point swirling around in his eyes.
It wasn't love, that was for sure – it was too early for that.
Maybe it was anticipation, nervousness, excitement. Maybe it was all three.
Or maybe I was just deflecting – mistaking my own emotions for his.
I looked away, to my left, and found myself staring into the dark tinted windows of his car, a reflection of Finn and I barely framed – and blurrily so – in the glass.
“Tell me what you see,” he instructed suddenly in a whisper.
“I see,” I paused for effect, “a guy trying out some very lame moves.”
“Come on, Lennon,” Reflection Finned roll his eyes. “Humor me.”
“I see,” again I paused for effect, “two people who honestly just had a good time.”
Reflection Finn's smile widened and he leaned down so his lips were right next to my ear. “I see that too.”
His breath snaked through the tendrils of my hair and snaked around my neck, latching on and refusing to let go.
“You know what else I see?” he whispered.
I swallowed nervously and shook my head.
The movement was so small but it made my eyes look directly into his again. It didn't matter that, in the light, my eyes were cornflower blue and his were a hazel brown.
In this moment, our eyes were the same color – a shade that no palette could ever describe.
“I see two people who are about to have a really good time making out.”
“I was right,” I whispered, sure that he could feel my breath snaking and latching onto him as well. “You do have horrible moves.”
There was a moment where we both shared a tiny, quiet laugh. But that moment passed and what little comedy was left in the situation slipped ans was immediately replaced by a zing in the air.
My eyes widened as, slowly, Finn's face came closer to mine.
And stopped when he was immeasurably close.
“Finn?”
“Mmhmm?”
I could feel his exhale when he smiled.
Our breaths had already touched even when our lips had not.
“What are you doing?” I whispered.
Again, our breaths twined together and I felt a silly pang of jealousy for it.
“Seeing what kind of moves – what kind of lines – you have.” He sounded very self-satisfied.
“I don't really have that many moves – or that many lines.” I chuckled, low and nervous. “You though,” I let him finish the thought.
In the immeasurable space between us, I saw his lips tilt into a tiny grin.
“I have a line about how the best things in life are sometimes right in your face.” His laughter curled around the words and then reached out to me. “And how you just need to take a step and grab them.”
Anticipation – the very best kind – made my spine tingle.
“But you don't like my lines, so,” his voice trailed off.
“Your lines are horrible.” I smiled and boldly looked up into his eyes. “You, however, are not half bad.”
I pressed my smile against his and, against my lips, his smile became victorious.
He pulled away and looked like he'd just conquered the world. “I really hoped that would work –”
“Dude,” I laughed, inexplicably breathless after such a feather-like kiss. “Gloat later, kiss now.”
The second time our lips met, we crashed together.
There were no jokes, no clever one-liners, no hilarious come backs.
There existed only sensation and feeling and hunger.
Finn didn't hold back.
But neither did I.
Once, twice, our lips molded against each other, until I lost count.
And just as it started to feel familiar, our mouths opened and our tongues found each other and danced.
When that, too, became familiar, my hands found their way up to rest on his shoulders, my fingers finally playing with the fine hairs on his nape. His hands circled my waist, his fingers pressing against the fabric of my dress and his touch burning through skin and muscle and bone.
My senses went to overdrive, blood sang with electricity, my mind overdosed with stimuli.
I was completely consumed by how familiar it all felt – and then how it quickly changed to newness – and then back so soon to comfortable, like a cycle I didn't want to break or end.
Later – much later – when it became clear that I absolutely had to breathe, I pulled away.
Finn followed and groaned in protest.
“Time out,” I chuckled, starting to get used to the sensation of talking against his lips. “I have to breathe.”
He sighed in resignation and leaned back half an inch so I could breathe. His lips formed into a teasing smile that I felt more than saw and his laughter snaked over my skin again –
“Can I gloat now?”
Honestly considered ending this chapter with the line 'My eyes widened as, slowly, Finn's face came closer to mine.' but I actually like being alive Haha. Also, I suck at writing kiss scenes so do not hate me, puh-lez. It was torture to write [weeps] Feedback is very much welcome.
That said, I uploaded Chapter 25 on December 25 - Happy Holidays to all and I hope you enjoyed this teensy weensy gift from me to you :)
One more thing - check out my new story 'The Ink Series'. Link to which is in the sidebar.
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