Page 24 of Like You Want It
“That’s not his name,” Susie laughs out.
“My name is Fin,” he says, finally adding something to the conversation.
“And it’s great. Really. Super amazing. I love it.” I say this on a smile and then raise my glass to him again.
His nostrils flair.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen that so much on one person in such a short period of time. Maybe he has a sinus thing going on or something.
“So do you wanna start the movie now and then we can pause it when the food gets here?” Susie asks.
Sounds like an excellent idea to me, so we all head to the couch and get comfortable.
Well, Susie and I get comfortable after she takes a few seconds to pop in the Blu-ray. Fin, on the other hand, sinks into the big recliner like it’s made of barbed wire, his expression uncomfortable at best.
“You look so snuggy over there, Finniver.”
He glares at me and I give him a loopy smile, one with wide eyes that really makes me look like a nutcase.
We’re about twenty minutes in when the pizza arrives. Just enough time for Tom Cruise to look oh-so-sexy in that costume he wears.
I know I shouldn’t call it a costume. It’s a uniform. But Fin looked so irritated when I said it was a costume that I might just call it that for the rest of my life.
Or at least every time I see him.
He collects the pizza at the door and then meets us at the kitchen table, where we all grab a paper plate and dig in to the cheesy, oniony goodness of the fugazza.
“I know the canchera looks weird,” I say, pulling a piece onto my plate. “But it really is good. It’s a pizza without cheese, but it has other stuff.”
I see Susie and Fin reluctantly take a piece for themselves. But within minutes, I know they’re enjoying it, if the sizes of the bites they’re taking are any kind of indicator.
“How did you find this place?” Susie asks.
“Oh, I’m a takeout guru,” I say, peeling off an onion and popping it into my mouth. “I know how to cook nothing, and I’m a single gal with jobs that make just enough to try new places.” I shrug, a small smile on my face. “Well, if I mismanage my money and pretend I have extra for going out.” Susie laughs. “I eat pretty healthy, but I went through a period where I was trying a new place every week. So I’ve been around the block.”
When I look at Fin he still has that flat look. “And what are these well paying jobs?” he asks, leaning back in his chair.
It occurs to me for a second to tell him I deal drugs. Or that I get money testing the effects of drugs for a pharmaceutical company. Something outlandish. Ooooh. I could be a prostitute. I bet his brain would explode.
But then I remember that even though it’s fun to tease the large silent man who seems incapable of facial expressions that don’t make him look constipated, I do want to be friends with his sister. And she seems to really love the guy and values his opinion. Even if he is a giant twat sometimes.
So, tease, yes. Taunt, maybe not.
“I work at a coffee shop nearby. The Steam Room. And I’m a yoga instructor at the Grind Gym around the corner.”
“And that provides an expendable income?” he asks.
“Fin.” Susie’s whisper is a clear reproach of her brother. Because let’s be honest, this is an interrogation to make sure I’m not a bad influence, and Susie has finally caught on.
But I just smile at him.
“Not really. But I also have a small amount of money gifted to me by my mom, if you want me to get into the nitty gritty of it. It allows me to be a bit more flexible than someone else in my position. I try not to touch it, but when I was eighteen and fresh out of my dad’s house, I wasn’t as wise.”
“Really, Carly,” Susie says, clearly sensing impending doom, “you don’t have to tell us about your financial situation.” She turns her head and gives her brother a pretty fierce look. “Apologize to her.”
“I think it’s a fair question for me to ask,” he says, crossing his arms, the judgment and disdain still dripping from him like ice cream on a hot day. “If I’m worried that my previously drug addicted sister is falling in with a dealer or an addict who is going to fuck with her recovery, then I have every right to find out what’s going on.”
“Fin!” Susie shouts.
