Page 53 of Finn's Solace

"Now, tell me about your nightmares."

Damn, this was going to be a long session.

Twenty

Finn

As I reached home after my appointment, I was surprised to see Levi's car parked outside my home. What was he doing here? We didn't have plans tonight, did we?

Puzzled and eager to see him, I hurried up the stairs, and into the house.

"I'm home!" I called as I removed my shoes and made my way to the living room, where Dad, Papa, and Levi spilled out of the kitchen, their eyes latching onto me.

"You're home!" Dad exclaimed, while Papa's eyes roamed over me, and Levi crossed the room to throw his arms around me in a tight hug.

I hugged him back, then pulled back to take a look at his face. "Are you okay?"

"Just got a little worried when I couldn't get a hold of you. It's nothing. I'm glad you're okay," he murmured, and I blinked. I hadn't checked my phone after my appointment,and I pulled it out now, then winced at the number of notifications. Calls from Levi and Dad, texts from Levi, Papa, and Ames.

"Shit, sorry. Sorry, Dad, Papa. I had my phone on silent, and I forgot to switch it back," I said, and Dad waved me off while Levi gave my hand a squeeze.

"It's okay, kiddo. Dinner's almost done. Why don't you go clean up and then join us?"

"Sure." I glanced at Levi, and he gave me a smile before stepping back.

I hurried to the downstairs bathroom and quickly washed my face and hands, then went to the kitchen, where the table was already set and the scent of spices was thick in the air.

We chatted as we ate, and thankfully, no one asked me where I'd gone. I was going to tell Levi, mostly because he knew more than anyone about the crap I was still dealing with, and I felt like he should know I was working on it. I also maybe wanted him to be proud of me for it. It was a selfish reason, but it was a reason nonetheless, and Dr. Griffin thought it was a good idea when I told them.

After dinner, Levi asked me if I'd come back to his place for the weekend, and I said yes. Since he'd asked me in the living room, I was sure my parents had heard him too. It wasn't like I needed their permission, but I had a feeling they would've said yes even if I did. They liked Levi, and I was glad for it. I had a feeling I would've struggled a lot if they didn't.

"Come help me pack a bag," I said, mostly because I wanted to talk to him privately before leaving, and the silencing ward in my room would help with that.

"Sure thing."

We went up to my room with Greta chasing after us, followed closely by Neya. I made them both wait outside, mostly because Neya was a sneak and would probably tell Dad what she'd heard, even if he didn't ask her for it. Maybe she thought she was helping him be a good dad, or maybe she just liked causing trouble.

Closing the door behind me and making sure the lock clicked into place, I turned to Levi, who quickly wrapped me in his arms and pulled me close, as if the hug we'd shared before hadn't been enough. I felt the same, and found myself hugging him back just as tightly.

"Sorry I scared you earlier," I said, my voice soft despite the ward keeping anyone from hearing us.

"I'm okay. I just got worried for a sec," he assured me, but the way he didn't seem to want to let go of me said otherwise.

"I went to see Dr. Griffin," I said, and he glanced up at me, brows furrowed. "My therapist," I clarified, and the confusion cleared.

"Oh," he murmured, then reached up to cup my cheek, tilting my head lower so he could press a kiss on my lips. "I hope you had a good session."

I hummed as I leaned forward to kiss him again, lingering for a few more seconds before pulling back to speak. "I'm going to be seeing them every other Friday for now."

"Okay. What do you need from me after? Would you like to talk about it? Or just cuddle? Make out? Have some ice cream?"

I chuckled, my heart warming up at how considerate he was, how caring. He'd always been like that, but now that we weren't constantly under threat, it was so much clearer.

"How about all of it?" I joked, and he nodded quickly, as if he thought I was being serious. "For tonight, how about we just go to yours and make out in bed for a while?"

Levi smiled, then kissed my jaw. "Sounds good to me."

I pulled out a small duffel from under my bed, then opened my closet, remembering a second too late that Levi would see my hidey-hole.

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