Page 11 of Finn
“Gabriel... is this... a date?” he asked hesitantly, biting his lower lip, which drew my attention more than it should have.
I wanted to kiss him badly, but I held back. I had my reasons. Finn being close to me was dangerous. Being with him was a mistake, or so I kept telling myself.
Just another reason in a growing list of regrets.
“We’re just having breakfast,” I said, keeping my voice even.
His face fell, and I cursed myself internally.
Even after all my attempts to train him to keep his emotions guarded, Finn wore his heart on his sleeve, although he could never hide it from me.
“But after this assignment…” I said, softening my tone. “Maybe we can have dinner. There’s a new steakhouse in town.”
He looked up at me, his blue eyes searching mine, and then his mouth curved into a grin.
Warmth seeped into his expression, and the sight made my pulse quicken in a way I never wanted him to know.
“So, what do you have for me?” Finn asked, not waiting for my answer as he reached for the basket.
“Rude,” I said, failing to mask the fondness in my voice.
“I’m hungry,” Finn complained, rifling through the contents with unabashed curiosity.
Then, the morning light hit his face just right, catching on his dark messy hair and illuminating that smile.
It was one of those smiles that was somehow both tentative and full of warmth. It was the last time I’d see it.
In my dream, I wanted to reach for him, to make that moment last longer, to let him know how much he meant to me, even though I’d held back a thousand times before.
But I knew what came next. I always did.
“Finn,” I started, struggling with words that I could never quite manage to say aloud, not back then. “There’s... something I should tell you.”
His eyes lit up with interest. “What is it?”
Instead, I laughed it off, deflecting the moment like I always did.
“Nothing. Just... take it easy out there.”
“Easy?” he teased. “Coming from you?”
I shook my head.
He always had that way of turning my own words against me, with a smirk that made me feel... more alive than I should have allowed.
His laughter echoed in the dream, mingling with the soft rustle of leaves, as if the garden itself held our secret.
But even in the dream, I knew what happened next. I knew I’d never make it back from the mission that evening.
I always pictured Finn waiting for me in my room, heart wide open. He was a trusting soul who never truly belonged in the violent world we were raised in.
A knock at my door jolted me awake, ripping me from the remnants of thar beautiful dream, leaving me both heartbroken and exposed.
I had always been a light sleeper, a skill that proved useful now that I lived among monsters.
My master might have considered me his favorite for now, but I knew how easily that could change.
In this place, loyalty was fickle, and survival depended on vigilance.
