ＴＷＯ ＷＥＥＫＳ ＬＡＴＥＲ 🍂
"YOU KNOW WHAT'S always bugged me?" Gia says. "The single drop tears. How come they always cry so perfectly? It's not natural."
My eyes flicker to her. Gia's gaze is locked on her phone screen, and I notice she has earphones plugged in.
My brows draw together. "Are you still watching that k-drama? Stop it, we're in public. Plus, Amanda will be coming out soon."
"Your in-laws to impress, not mine," Gia comments without looking up, leaning against the railing of Finn's front porch.
I roughly elbow her.
Gia grunts, switching off her phone. "Fine. Deprive a girl one of her few pleasures."
"School's started. Is this really the time to be getting addicted to dramas?"
"It's precisely the time," Gia says. "I feel like all I do now is study. We've been back for like two days and I'm positive our teachers are trying to kill us. How are we juniors already?"
I sigh. "Tell me about it."
I tilt my head back to take in the sight above me. Veiny, brown branches of a nearby tree weave through a mosaic of oranges and reds and yellowing green leaves that flutter like a gentle heartbeat in the autumn breeze. I hear Finn's front door creak open and return my gaze down just as Amanda opens the door.
"Thank you so much for doing this, Harvey, Gia," she enthuses. "You girls are really kind."
"It's no problem, Amanda," I say. Gia beams at Finn's mother, folding her arms behind her back.
"I'm sure Leah appreciates it too." Amanda places a hand on the doorframe, craning her neck to peer back inside her home. "She should be coming out soon. But as I was saying, I know it's only been a few days, but I'm worried she isn't making friends. You both know Finn is very social, so he settles into anywhere quite easily, but I'm afraid Leah may be having a harder time."
"Mum, quit telling people I'm antisocial," Leah grumbles as she trudges into view. She digs her hands into the pockets of her denim jacket, pulling a face at her mother. "It makes me sound like a total mug."
"People still use 'mug'?" Amanda sounds surprised.
"I still use mug," Leah replies. "Harvey, Gia, thanks for the invitation, but I don't need to go shopping."
"Of course you do," I say. "Your mom says you haven't gone stationery shopping for school yet."
Leah shrugs. "I've got a pencil, a rubber and a fancy clicky pen. What else do I need?"
I gasp. "Gia, did you hear that?"
Gia shakes her head in dismay. "I want to believe that I didn't."
Amanda laughs, urging her daughter out the door. "Alright, you girls have fun."
I grin. "We will!"
Gia throws an arm around Leah's shoulders, guiding her down the porch. "To the mall!"
"We're walking?" Leah asks, horrified.
"It's good exercise," Gia replies.
Amanda sends us an amiable wave goodbye as the three of us set off for the White.
><{{{(•>
"How's Abe?" Gia asks me as we wander into another store. "I heard your parents were asking about your instructor cutting his surf retreat short."
"Yeah," I reply, turning over a box of pastel highlighters before returning the item to its shelf. "Abe's coming back at the end of the month. They originally offered to get me a therapist — you know, to deal with everything, but I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with one yet. Plus, Abe's got experience dealing with surfers with various forms of PTSD, so we're going to see how it goes first."
Gia nods understandingly. "Hopefully it all works well."
She searches around for the fourteen year old British girl placed under our care.
"Leah, you should get this book," Gia says, raising up the notebook for Leah to see. "The paper is really good quality. It's the best for taking notes with, trust me."
I crouch down to pick up an assortment of pens. "You'll need these too. Anything from this brand is incredibly satisfying to write with."
"Ooh, I think I need more too," Gia says, picking up a box for herself. "I think mine have run out. Bella never returns my pens when she borrows them."
Leah lets out a dramatic sigh as she accepts the notebook and pens from us and begins to walk towards the checkout.
As Leah is paying for her items, a box of fairy lights behind the counter catches my eye.
"Think I should get them?" I ask Gia.
"For the Hole?" she inquires. I nod. "Yeah, they'd help brighten up the place. Get them."
The cashier rings up my item and places it in a bag for me while I dig into my purse for cash to pay with.
"How are the renovations going, by the way?" Gia asks as we head for the stationery shop's exit. "I haven't been round back since we started school."
"Still in progress," I reply. "Everyone's getting busy now so there aren't as many hands to help out, but Dad and I are still at it. We're hoping to complete it by the end of next week."
"That's great news," Gia answers as we turn round a corner. "I'll be there for the grand reopening."
"Finn!" Leah calls excitably. She breaks away from us, running forward. Gia and I look up to see her throw herself into her brother's arms. "You're back!"
My heart nearly skips a beat as I take in the sight of Finn's tall figure wrapping his arms around his little sister, wearing a smile that could melt butter. Video calls on small, pixelated screens really do him no justice.
Finn lets out a low chuckle. "Did you really miss me that much? Mum said you guys were out shopping, so I decided to stop over here."
"You weren't supposed to come back till this evening," Leah says. "Did you take an earlier flight? Whatever. I don't care, you're here. Please take me home, your friends keep trying to force me to buy bullet journals and washi tape."
"Wow, rude," Gia says, folding her arms over her chest. "I even offered to pay for her. It was a two for one deal on the journal, how can you say no to that?"
"It's okay, Gi," I stroke her arm consolingly, "one day she'll learn."
"Sorry, Lee." Finn looks up from his sister to make eye contact with me. A soft smile graces his features. "I'm probably going to stay in town for a little longer."
I bite the inside of my cheek.
"Really?" Leah groans, stepping back.
"Oh, I've got presents for all of you. But they're in my luggage and Dad took them all home with him," Finn says apologetically. Then he pauses. "Actually, except for one of Harvey's."
"One of mine?" I point to myself.
Finn nods. "Yeah. Hold on." Finn shrugs off his jacket and passes it to Leah. I start to get a bad feeling when he pulls up the sleeve of his form fitting t-shirt, turning to showcase his exposed bicep.
I gasp. Leah swears under her breath. Gia laughs. Loudly.
"Where did you get that picture of me, and why do you have it tattooed to your arm?!" I burst out, catching the attention of passersby as I stride across to grab a hold of Finn's forearm.
"You don't like it?" he asks innocently.
I look up to shoot him a look of pure bewilderment. "Are you insane?"
"Only about you." Finn bares a cheesy grin.
"He's lost the plot," I hear Leah mutter while Gia continues to cackle.
"What the hell, Finn!" I berate, bringing my thumb up to rub at the tattoo.
"Wait, Harvey, calm down," Finn says, placing his hand over mine. He sounds like he's trying to hold back snickers. "It's not real. It's just a dare, Harv. Really. Hayden put me up to it — he said you'd be livid. Don't worry, it's only temporary, it'll wash off in like a day."
On a closer look, I notice areas where the black press-on sticker tattoo is starting to peel off. I let out a relieved sigh. But then my anger returns. Of course, Hayden had to be involved.
"You're an idiot." I punch Finn in the arm before turning to narrow my eyes at my best friend. "You knew about this?"
"I totally forgot about it till now. I didn't think he'd go through with it." Gia shrugs. Noticing my glare, she quickly changes the subject. "Oh, would you look at the time! It was nice meeting you again, Brit Blondie, I'm glad you had a safe trip. We'll have to catch up properly later. Leah, come along, I'll treat you to food and take you home."
"But—" Leah begins to protest.
Gia transfers Finn's jacket back into his arms and then grabs a hold of Leah's hand, tugging her in the opposite direction.
"Bye, you two!" she hollers. "Have fun on your date."
I huff, resting a hand on my hip as I watch her scurry away. "I'm glad you all found a way to entertain yourself these past few weeks at my expense."
"Come on, Harvey." Finn slips his hand in mine, intertwining our fingers. "Don't be like that."
Finn attempts his best puppy eyes, and unfortunately, they work on me a little too well. I feel my defences weakening.
"Is this really a date?" I ask in a more relaxed tone. "Are you sure it's okay? You must be tired after your flight."
"I'm fine for now," Finn says. He swings our arms lightly as we begin to walk again. "I can always nap when I get home. Besides," he slows down to bring my hand to his lips, pressing a light kiss to my knuckles, "I've missed you."
My heart unwittingly flutters in my chest. Well played, Blondie.
I sigh. Lowering our hands, I stand on my tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek. "I've missed you too, Finn. A lot. I'm glad you're back."
Finn laces our hands together again and I lean my head against his shoulder. We walk for a while longer in silence before I make another comment. "Your accent has gotten stronger."
"My friends kept on bullying me for sounding 'too American' so I had to adapt," Finn laughs. "It'll wear off eventually."
A few beats later, he adds, "By the way, the fake tattoo wasn't your actual present. I managed to get you a signed copy of the Doctor Who boxset. My gran won it as some auction, I thought you'd like it. It even comes with a Dalek helmet I think."
I slap my free hand over my mouth, turning to him with wide eyes. "No way! You did? How did you know I liked Doctor Who?
"You made a TARDIS reference that time we first met at the Hole."
I pull my hand away, feeling touched. "You remembered that?"
"Hunter's tiki hat beach party," Finn recalls. "It was an interesting night."
That feels like eons ago now. To think how much has happened since then...
"That reminds me," I say. "Hunter is planning on throwing you a 'welcome back' party."
Finn chortles. "I heard."
"Say no."
Finn's lips quirk in a smile. "I actually don't mind. It sounds fun. He says it'll be karaoke themed."
"That's all the more reason to say no. It's getting out of hand. Why does he have to turn every occasion into a reason to party? Personally, I find it unhealthy."
Finn pulls on my arm, tugging me towards him to press a kiss to my forehead. "It'll be fine, Harvey."
I groan. "Honestly, he should have gone back to college last week — I don't know why he's still lingering around. He didn't visit home nearly this often in his first year."
"I'm just glad he's finally cool with us," Finn shrugs. "I always got the feeling he was waiting for the right moment to beat me up for dating his baby sister."
He was. But he has mostly gotten over it now. I think.
"Speaking of school," I say, "when are you enrolling? You've missed a couple days."
Finn gives this some thought. "Probably end of this week. Maybe tomorrow."
"Hmm, well, I suppose it won't be that bad for you," I muse. "You've already met a fair number of our year from all the parties Hayden and the guys have taken you too this summer."
"I suppose," Finn agrees.
We walk past a shop selling swim wear and surf gear. It prompts Finn to ask, "Have you really decided to get back into surfing?"
I incline my head up and down in a slow, deliberative manner. "Yeah, I think so."
"I'm glad," Finn says. "I know I'm no expert, but if you need any motivation getting back into the water and taking that first step, know I'm always here. If surfing is too daunting, we can always start with regular swimming — that part's at least my area of expertise." He throws me a smile. "I can be your coach this time if you want."
"You'd do that?" I ask.
Finn nods. "I've actually made a list of things I want us to eventually try to do together."
Finn slows down to take out his phone, opening his notes before passing the device to me.
I skim over the items on the list: swimming, paddle boarding, tandem surfing, swimming again...?
"Why do I get the feeling you just want to see me in a bathing suit?"
"I'm offended you would think so lowly of me," Finn scoffs. "Maybe I just like swimming pools. They can be warm all year round."
"Mm-hmm," I say disbelievingly, choosing to ignore how insincere he sounds. "You can try tandem surfing with Hayden or Jay. No way I'm letting any of you guys hoist me in the air while I'm on a surfboard."
"There are other things you can do on a board other than those sort of tricks," Finn argues. "I figured if you weren't ready to surf by yourself, we could try doing it together."
I raise an eyebrow. "Are you sure it's really for my benefit? Not yours?"
"Of course it's for your benefit," Finn grins. "And for your benefit, I'll even go shirtless. I think it's a win-win."
I snort. "I guess you really want that beating from Hunter."
"I'll take that as a no then." Finn tries to take back his phone, but I bat his hand away.
"Wait," I scroll to the end of the list, "SUP Yoga?"
"Stand up paddle board yoga," Finn explains. "You know, yoga on a surfboard. You do it on a lake or in the middle of the ocean. I heard it can be really calming."
"Calming." I shake my head at him, passing back his phone. "I'm speechless."
A fleeting look of amusement plays on Finn's face as he puts away his phone, but it is soon replaced with a more serious one.
"All jokes aside, what do you say?" he asks. "If there is any way I can help, I'd like to try. Really."
I feel apprehensive. And Finn's earnest longing to help makes me even more conflicted.
I look away.
"I'll think about it. It doesn't look too bad," I confess, cautiously slipping my hand back in his. "Paddle boarding can be fun from what I remember, and I suppose it couldn't hurt to try the others one day as well. Let's call it a 'maybe' for now."
"A maybe?" Finn sounds hopeful. "Of course, that's perfectly fine and you can take all the time you need to decide, but are you sure?"
"Mm." I nod decisively. "It might bump up to a definite yes later on, but right now, I just want to take it easy for a little while longer," I admit, letting my gaze drift to the shop windows as we continue our leisurely stroll through the semi-deserted mall. "I feel like my life is getting a little too eventful these days."
Finn comes to an abrupt halt.
I throw him a concerned look. He responds with one of dumbfounded shock.
"You admitted it," he says.
"What?"
"Your life is eventful," Finn says. "You've finally admitted it."
I respond with the largest, most exaggerated eye roll I can muster, pulling my hand away from his.
"Yes, my life can get a little eventful. There. Satisfied? You look like you're about to burst from happiness. Do you feel like you've finally accomplished everything you've ever wanted to do in life?"
"Not quite." Finn sobers up. He takes a hold of my wrist, catching me by surprise by pulling me flush against him. "There is one other thing I've been dying to do for a while."
His gaze drops to my lips and I feel my face heat up.
Finn's hands gently creep their way up my arms, leaving my skin burning when he finally settles them under the curve of my jaw. He tilts my head up to see his darkened eyes and my breathing goes shallow. But just as our lips are about to brush, Finn pulls back slightly to whisper:
"Harvey whatever-your-middle-name-is Mackler, you and your uneventful life are the best thing to have ever happen to me."
And then he kisses me. It's slow and languidly soft. He takes his time to tease my lips open, moulding our mouths together. I sigh into the kiss, closing my eyes shut and I raise a hand to run through Finn's blonde locks, drawing him closer to me. A warm feeling blooms in my chest, and it keeps my heart pumping, sending fuzzy tingles through my body. One of Finn's arms drop to encircle my waist, and he grips me with fervour.
We kiss like we have all the time in the world.
Because for now, there is no hurry. Things don't have to be perfect right away. Problems don't have to be solved magically overnight. For now, we can just take things as they come. Improving a step at a time. Embarking on a gradual race toward our goals and overcoming the obstacles as we get to them, with little incentives along the route to keep us going and remind us that the finish line hasn't moved. It's still there.
And for now, the most important thing is to keep moving forward.
Each eventful day, each uneventful day at a time.
~ Fin ~
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A/N:
Apparently the rabbit/turtle race scene was deep and symbolic and I didn't realise it until now. Who would've thought?
In the words of the original and wonderfully wise Bugs Bunny, "That's all Folks 🐰🥕"
(Please don't copyright strike me, Looney Tunes).
Just wanted to say a big thanks to all of you for reading. I think the 4 hours of sleep I've had in total over the last 2 days is getting to me and I can't take anything seriously. See y'all in the afterword. I'll sober up by then.
Love you all 💓
♕ Carmen ♕