“Pretty desperate, if you’re going all the way back to our college days for ammunition.” Cole let out a belly laugh as he rose to his feet. “I’m going to leave you two lovebirds alone. But Laurie…” He waited until her hands dropped down far enough to expose her eyes. “Whatever you did to loosen this guy up… nice job.”
Chuckling, Cole maneuvered his artificial arm to stick a mechanical green thumb in the air, before strolling away at an unhurried pace. Finn kept his eyes trained on his ex-friend until he’d retrieved his bag and retreated to his room.
“It’s late. I need to go.” Laurie tried to stand up, but Finn caught her hand.
“Wait. We need to talk about this,” Finn said.
“Talk about what?” She jerked her hand away and scampered to her feet, backing away. “You’re the one who said it—there’s nothing going on between us.”
“Yes, but…” He rubbed his temples, suddenly throbbing. “I didn’t mean nothing. There’s something going on. It’s just not something something.”
“Well, that’s crystal clear,” she said sarcastically, hugging herself as if a chill wind were blowing. “What exactly is this…” She circled a hand between the two of them. “This something?”
What should he say? That he was attracted to her? That with her, he felt more alive than he had the last thirty-three years? That her love for music had lifted their relationship to another plane? That it was all he could do not to take her in his arms and kiss her senseless?
And what would that mean for Laurie? His mind jumped forward in time and pictured her, draped in black, tears streaming down her face. Alone. Heavy responsibilities looming in the future. She’d already experienced some sort of emotional abuse. Though not intentional, wouldn’t he be doing the same thing—taking his happiness at her expense?
“I thin
k you’re an amazing person.” He swallowed hard, averting his eyes. “And you’re going to make some lucky man incredibly happy.”
“I see,” she said, stiffly. “Some man. But not you.”
“Not me.” The words stuck in his throat like dry crackers.
“So that kiss that almost happened a minute ago… Was that you letting me know you’re not interested?”
His stomach churned, threatening to expel his dinner. How could he have been so selfish?
He darted a glance at her, flinching at the anger and hurt he saw in her eyes. “I’m sorry. I lost control. I find you physically attractive, and I just couldn’t help myself.”
“So, you like the outside of me, but the rest of me doesn’t live up to your standards?” From the corner of his eye, he saw her swipe the back of her hand across her eyes.
“I didn’t say that.” He rubbed his fingers on the aching jaw joint in front of his ear. “There’s nothing wrong with you.”
“Then what happened?” Her voice cracked.
“It’s just…” He grasped for a reasonable explanation. “You’re my employee. We can’t do anything to jeopardize the work at Limitless.”
“And we could have a relationship if I didn’t work for you? Is it my station that bothers you?”
“You’re putting words in my mouth.” Head ducked low, he stared at the leather of the couch. “It was just a kiss. That’s all. Only a kiss. A kiss that didn’t even happen.”
“You know what? I think I understand now.” Her shuddery breath was followed by silence, her glare burning into the back of his head until he was compelled to lift his gaze to meet hers. She stood with her chin held high, eyes swimming in tears. “I think I owe Cole a big thank you for walking in on us. Because that kiss-that-never-happened was no big deal to you…” Her voice dropped to a whisper, her lips trembling. “But it meant the world to me.”
Finn dropped his head into his hands. What could he say that would undo the damage he’d done? He was still searching for a response when the front door creaked open, jolting him from his thoughts.
“Wait! Laurie, wait a second.” He leapt to his feet and hurried to the door, panting for air by the time he covered the short distance. The lung infection had taken more from him than he’d admitted.
She stood frozen in the doorway, still facing out. He reached toward her arm, but jerked his hand back at the last second. What would he accomplish by stirring up those feelings again?
“What do you want, Finn?” she asked in a flat tone.
“I wanted to thank you again,” he said to her back, “for dinner… and… for everything.”
Her shoulders lifted and dropped. “That’s what friends are for.”
She walked away and didn’t look back.