Page 22 of Where We Belong

She shakes her head, stealing a look in Finn’s direction. Even though there’s no line, his order seems to be taking a long time. Maybe the parlor didn’t expect anyone to actually show up today.

“I can’t believe you thought we were together,” Lilianne says, still snickering.

“You’re not?”

She swats my hand on the table. “I thought you said you wouldn’t say stuff like that again.”

“I don’t know!”

“No, we’re definitely just friends.” Her nose scrunches. “Not interested in being ‘one of his girls,’” she says with air quotations. I’m sure I don’t want to know what that even means.

“So where’d you two meet, then?’

“Hospital.”

“I’m sorry?” I say with a cough.

“We were on dialysis together for a while,” she says without a change in her tone, as if talking about the weather.

I blink. Open my mouth, then close it.

Dialysis? Like what people do when they’re really sick? Reflexively, I turn toward the man who’s now leaning against the counter of the parlor and chuckling, as if he’s just become best friends with whoever’s inside serving him.

“Is… Are you…” I start.

“We’re good. Well, good-ish.” She points in Finn’s direction. “His thing was only temporary. Lucky bastard.”

I let out a deep breath, then say, “And you…?”

“I’m still on it.” A shadow crosses her face, but it only takes a moment before her bright smile returns. “But I’ll get my transplant one day. It’s coming.”

I nod and give her what I hope is a reassuring smile. I almost lean forward to squeeze her hand, but I refrain, knowing all too well how it feels when someone crosses a boundary you didn’t want them to.

It’s at that moment Finn comes back with three cones between his fingers, some of it dripping down his skin despite the cold outside.

“Ladies,” he says as we pick them up from him.

“Thanks,” Lilianne says as she takes a bite—yes, an actual bite—into her ice cream and groans. “God, this is good.”

I’m about to thank him when my words freeze in my mouth at the sight of him licking the ice cream off his fingers. I blink, but can’t force myself to look away. How does he make this look so pornographic?

He answers my question when he looks up and, still licking his finger, winks at me.

Shameless.

I shake my head, which makes him laugh, the sound crisp as the morning air.

“So, what were you talking about?” he asks while taking a seat next to Lilianne.

“Lexie thought we were together,” she says simply, ignoring my glare.

Finn laughs again. “You wish,” he says, bumping his shoulder with hers.

The whole scene is light, yet something in my chest dims at the sight. I can’t believe someone like him could be sick. Even if Lilianne says he’s not on dialysis anymore, needing it is no small thing, at least from what I’ve heard, which means that at least for a while, he was severely ill.

It makes all my problems pale in comparison to what these two have gone through already.

“What’s up with you?” Finn asks with a nudge of my foot under the table.

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