Page 6 of Brad & Finn
Brad felt his body turning towards Finn before he could stop himself, both of his legs swinging around on the stool until he was fully facing him. The corner of Finn’s lips turned up into a slight smile.
“So…here’s the thing about me and Chlo.” Finn said her name like “glow,” the way most of the cheerleading team hadback in school. “I’m supposed to be telling everyone that I’m here as her date—like, to the reunion. But…”
Brad found himself leaning closer, and to his surprise, Finn shifted forward as well, as if they were conspiring together. There was still about a foot of space between their faces, but it felt like the rest of the bar faded around them.
“But…you’re not?” Brad asked.
Finn closed his eyes, his lips parting over a deep inhale and a rushed exhale. When he reopened his eyes, the green was a murky gray, shaded from the dim bar lights by his hand. “You know that whole fake-dating thing, where you roll in with a man on your arm and your fancy job and fancy life, and everyone oohs and ahhs…and doesn’t try and dig any deeper?”
Brad nodded because, yes, he was familiar with the concept. It was one of his mom’s favorite romance tropes, and she’d often call to regale him with details from the latest book she was reading for book club and whether or not the fake dating plot had been done well.
“Well, that’s pretty much what she wanted to happen. I’m here to help her pack up her mom’s place and provide emotional support. While that’s completely valid, I hadn’t intended to provide emotional support for the reunion, too. At the last minute, she somehow convinced me to go with her, but—” Finn sat up and grabbed his drink, taking a long sip before he let out an almost surprised laugh.
“But?” Brad asked, tilting even further forward on his stool. He began to wonder who was in charge of his body because it clearly wasn’t him. His knee was now less than an inch away from Finn’s thigh, and he swore he could feel the warmth emanating from the other man’s leg.
Finn kept his face tipped up to the ceiling. “But we didn’t put any thought into what I was supposed to say about our backstory. We came downtown together, but instead of draftinga game plan, she got so excited about ice cream that she dragged me into the parlor, bought three pints, and then whisked them off to her mom’s house. I was left here, completely unprepared to run into y?—”
He let out another laugh, this time of the self-deprecating variety, and took another long drink of his cider.
Brad wasn’t sure if he should be offended or not. Admittedly, he was still somewhat confused by Finn’s semi-erratic storytelling. Finn’s laugh also wasn’t helping him focus. It wrapped around his chest and sank into his stomach, which was, at this point, filled with almost nothing except whiskey.
“So…you and Chloe aren’t dating. You’re here helping her with her mom, and somehow you also got roped into going to our high school reunion?”
Finn’s back sagged like a marionette, causing his legs to fall open just enough so their knees pressed together.
“You got it. I suggested we go as friends, but she said it would look weird bringing a friend to the reunion, and since I’m–” Finn held up finger quotes “—‘married to my job anyways, this seems like it could only be an upgrade for me.’” Finn dropped his hands back down to his lap, but there was a soft smirk on his face.
Brad couldn’t help but smile back. “Well, you won’t find any judgment from me. I’ve been accused of being married to my job, too. I probably could have used a fake-dating scheme myself.” Brad decided to take a shot and exerted the slightest amount of pressure against Finn’s knee. “Too bad you’re both already fake dating.”
Pink seeped into Finn’s cheeks, and he grabbed his pint glass and brought it between them like a barrier, but he kept his knee resting against Brad’s. “If she’d been taking applications, I’m sure she would’ve seriously considered yours. I was just the only one in the running at the time.”
Finn tapped his fingertips lightly against the side of his glass, his eyes skirting back and forth between Brad and the wall behind him. If Finn had overheard his conversation with Miles, then he knew Brad was out and proud as bisexual. And if Brad had correctly followed Finn’s story, it seemed he wasn’t in a relationship—with Chloe at least. He decided one more try couldn’t hurt, and if Finn didn’t seem interested, he’d back off.
The next time their eyes met, Brad risked another gentle nudge with his knee. “And what about you? Would I have made it to the top of your applicant pool?”
Finn’s brows shot up, widening his eyes so they caught and reflected one of the flickering lantern lights. It turned his irises a stunning emerald color. “As…a fake date to the reunion?”
Brad gave what he hoped was an endearing smile. He’d practiced such things in the mirror when he came out in college and was still trying to figure out how to flirt with men. While it had admittedly been a while since he’d employed any of his flirting tricks, it wasn’t due to a lack of skill, but rather, a lack of time.
If he were being honest with himself, it was also due to a lack of interest in having any more meaningless flings. For some reason, flirting with Finn felt different, and it made him want to shoot his shot at least.
Finn pulled his lip between his teeth as pink fully saturated his cheeks. “I’d say…you’d probably make it in my top three.”
A laugh burst out of Brad’s chest. “Top three, huh? Not bad. If I’m allowed to advocate for myself, I’d like to say I’d at least remember to establish a cover story.”
Finn groaned and placed his glass back on the counter so he could bury his face in his hands. “God, I can’t believe I blew my cover with the first person I talked to.”
Brad pressed his knee into Finn’s leg, this time maintaining pressure until Finn glanced up through his fingers. “I’m notgonna tell anyone. I really like and respect Chloe. If this is what she wants to do, and you’re still planning on going along with it, I promise I won’t blow your cover.”
Finn turned his wrists so he was cupping his cheeks with his hands. For just a moment, Brad wished they were his hands holding Finn’s face as he went in for a kiss. He could almost imagine the way Finn’s lashes would flutter closed, and the flush on his skin would heat Brad’s palms.
“You won’t?” Finn asked, and Brad blinked back to reality.
“I won’t…?”
“Ruin our cover?”
Brad shook his head, and Finn gave him a light nudge with his knee. “Naw, why would I? If anything, I think now I can provide you guys with a good cover story. Like…okay, so you’re back in town to help Chloe’s mom begin to pack up, right? And there isn’t a lot of space in the house, so you—being the gentleman that you so clearly are—offered to stay in the hotel so Chloe can spend more time with her mom and not have to worry about trudging back and forth into town every night.”
