Page 44 of Brad & Finn
They washed off as quickly as they could, and Brad checked the clock and saw that fourteen minutes had passed by the time Finn scurried across the hall in last night's pants and shirt. He was clutching his not-panties and his packer to his chest, but had decided to leave the candies and toys on Brad’s nightstand “for later.”
Brad threw on the first complete outfit he found in his suitcase and opted to take the stairs down to the lobby, giving Finn a few minutes to get himself together.
He found their far-too-chipper friend chatting animatedly with the man behind the desk. She turned right as he approached and threw her arms around his neck.
“Hi, bestie. How was your night?” she asked.
Brad buried his face in her fruity-smelling hair. She laughed and playfully shoved at his shoulder, but when he hugged her tighter, she immediately squeezed back.
Somewhere between Finn leaving and Brad arriving downstairs, that feeling of overwhelm from the bar that first night returned. He was, once again, sleep-deprived and felt like everything was moving alarmingly fast. The solid warmth of Chloe in his arms helped, though.
“That good, huh?” she murmured as she locked her arms behind his neck.
“Last night was…everything I ever could have asked for.”
“And this morning?” she pushed.
Brad swallowed. If she had been anyone else, a colleague, a casual friend, or even his mom, he would have lied. But she was Chloe, one of his oldest friends, who he was trying to reconnect with. “It feels a little overwhelming this morning. I think in a good way, like…there’s so much potential, and opportunity, but…even good overwhelming is still overwhelming.”
Chloe hummed softly before giving him a tight squeeze and pulling away. This time, Brad let her go, and she gave him a reassuring smile before turning to stare pointedly at the elevator.
“Finn had to get his things from his room,” he explained, grasping at the offered subject change with both hands. “He asked if we could go to the other coffee shop instead. I think it’s called Fresh Brews?”
Chloe dramatically lifted her watch to her face and tapped her foot on the cracked tile floor.
“Well, if he wanted to dictate where we got our first caffeine hit of the day from, he should have been down here?—”
“I’m here, Chlo, jeez,” Finn said, coming up behind them from the stairwell.
Chloe threw her arms around him as well, but he looked much less eager for morning canoodling.
“Can we please get actual coffee?” Finn pleaded. “Your mom’s Keurig gives me heartburn, and I think I lose a year off my life from every coffee I drink at The Roll.”
“God, you’re so needy. Always making demands, requiring so much to get through the day,” Chloe said, glancing at Brad with a wicked smirk. “Good thing Bradley’s here to take care of your needs now.”
Finn sighed, turned on his heel, and stalked out of the lobby. Chloe skipped after him, and Brad hustled to follow.
“I don’t tend to think of Finn as a needy person,” Brad mused as he caught up with Chloe. Finn was several paces ahead, seemingly ignoring them.
“Oh, no, he’s not. He’s basically a succulent. If you give him too much attention, he’ll start losing leaves, but if you water him once every few months and place him near sunshine, he’ll stay alive forever.”
“And douse me in coffee at least once a day,” Finn called as they turned down a side street.
Chloe pulled out a set of car keys, once again producing them from inside a corduroy jacket that didn’t appear to have any external pockets. At Brad’s skeptical look, Chloe gave him a big, toothy grin. “I know someone amazing at sewing. He sews pockets into the inside of all my coats and sweaters.”
“Is it Finn?” Brad asked as he climbed into the back seat of the sedan.
“Absolutely fucking not,” Finn grumbled, collapsing into the passenger seat, yanking the seatbelt into place, and glaring impatiently at Chloe.
He hadn’t been this grouchy when they’d been having sex. Maybe he was feeling overwhelmed now, too. Brad wasn’t sure if it was his place to inquire about that, especially in front of Chloe.
“His name is Christian, and he’s a wizard,” Chloe said proudly.
She slowly arranged herself in the front seat, adjusting the mirrors—which looked fine to begin with—and steering wheel, much to Finn’s very vocal displeasure.
“You could have grabbed some coffee in the lobby,” Chloe said as she finally pulled away from the curb. “Or, you know, not stayed up all night playing tonsil hockey.”
Finn slapped the On button for the radio, and one of their local music stations came on. Chloe tried to turn the volume down, but Finn turned it right back up, causing Chloe to shout over it to continue poking fun at them.
