Page 30 of Heir of Fire
Because his words had gotten to her. She probably hated that they did. That he was able to get under her skin.
Good. She was finally able to see what Finn had been dealing with for weeks now. Once Gianna got under his skin, it was impossible to get her to leave. The only difference was that he didn’t want her to go anywhere, which was why he was stalking.
God forbid it actually went well, and she fell for the sorry son-of-a-bitch. She would be mourning him just as quickly.
The Dylan boy stood from the table, heading towards the bathroom. Gianna’s shoulders fell and the mask slipped off her face. She took another sip of the hot chocolate, grimacing at the taste. Finally, a frown settled on those perfect, plump lips.
She looked miserable.
Good.
She needed to see that no one else could make her feel the way he did and no matter how wild it drove her, she would just have to accept it.
Did he accept it?
Heh, fuck it. Finn was beyond caring about much now because it seemed like nothing ever truly made sense in his life anyways. He ran away and then was forced back home. He hated his father and was even willing to kill him, but then he grieved his death. He was an asshole and then felt immediate remorse.He knew feeling anything towards Gianna was wrong, but he also knew that nothing had ever felt more fucking right.
His mind and his life were full of contradictions.
Dylan came back from the bathroom, a big smile on his face. Gianna looked up at him, standing in an awkward way to let him know that she was done with the date. He grabbed her arm, saying something to her, but if he was smart, he would let her go before he lost that arm completely.
Gianna leaned in, placing her lips on his cheek before leaving the cafe.
If Finn had been in therapy, he would have known to count to ten and to breathe before he did anything irrational. But he wasn’t.
His feet carried him over to Dylan and without a moment of hesitation, he grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, slamming him against the table. Customers and the cafe workers let out startled screams, but they didn’t need to be alarmed. He wasn’t coming for them.
Finn leaned down, his voice full of malice. A raw threat to the boy who trembled underneath him. “If you ever talk to Gianna again, I’ll make sure no one ever finds you. Are we understood?”
Dylan nodded his head like a coward, the fear in his eyes appeasing Finn enough to let him go. Without a second thought, he ran out of the cafe, his feet squeaking against the floor. Finn took his time, not bothering to look at the staff or anyone as he left. They knew who he was. If they were smart, they would stay out of it and most of the people on campus knew to do exactly that.
He felt accomplished for the day now that he didn’t have to worry about Gianna finding another boyfriend. Dare he say that he even had a little pep in his step, though his face wouldn’t show it.
Finn decided to head back to the house, knowing that was exactly where she would be going since she didn’t have class today and she didn’t have her dance bag with her to practice with. Perhaps he had dived a little too far into her files once he realized he could, but it was harmless.
She must have taken a car home because he couldn’t spot her anywhere. He couldn’t blame her; a disaster of a date like that would leave him wanting a quick escape too.
His bike still waited in the same parking space, so he jumped on and reared it to life. He put the helmet on that she wore the other night because it was stamped with that strawberry perfume she used. The smell was addicting and when he pulled into the garage, he had to rip it off his head or he would have kept it on for the rest of his life.
The house was silent when he walked in. It was more common than not that it was empty, which Finn had actually come to appreciate, but that would end as soon as the semester did. With most of the house still in class and the others who fucking knew where, Finn had time to relax during the day. Living with other people like this was hell. He needed to get his own place, and he could now, but something held him back.
Or someone.
He walked around the house, finding every single light off and every room empty. Even the staff were out for the day, it seemed. Finn went upstairs, purely curious to see if she had made it home or not. Keeping his footsteps light, he made his way to her door and saw the lights were on from underneath the door.
Gianna was home and so was Finn. It was just the two of them now. At home, alone. That felt dangerous.
He walked back to his room, seeing the door was slightly ajar. Immediately, he knew something was up. He always closed hisdoor completely, no matter what. Someone had been in there without his permission.
Finn pushed the door open and walked inside. At first glance, everything looked normal. Nothing was destroyed or out of place. He didn’t have much in the room in the first place, but the things he did have remained where they were. The books on the desk were still in the same order, the picture frame on the bedside table was still face down, even his laptop remained unmoved and closed.
He checked the closet. Clear. Then the bathroom. Also, clear. Was this just someone playing a trick on him knowing it would drive him mad if he couldn’t figure out why someone came into his room?
He was close to running into Gianna’s room to ask her if she was up to it when he finally saw it. On the bed was delicate lacy pink material laid out perfectly in the center with a small note right beside it. He walked towards it, grabbing the underwear in one hand and the note in the other.
Wore these on my date. I guess you can say I had a great time!
Even her handwriting was fucking perfect and pristine, but what stood out to him was the wet spot on the underwear. She was lying. He watched her that whole fucking date. She was miserable the entire time. That boy hadn’t even touched her.
