Page 46 of Cosy & Chill
Making Good
There was no sign of Finn on the ground floor when Leo came home, but a faint bit of light trickled from the upper story. Wondering if Finn was napping, Leo moved with care, though the stairs in the old house creaked far too much to sneak up on anyone.
He needn’t have worried. When he stepped into the living room, shopping bags dangling from his fingers, he found Finn wearing a serious-looking set of headphones and giving no sign he’d noticed Leo’s return. He was focussed on his playlist while his fingers were busy with needles and yarn.
This wasn't the serious, focussed guy Leo had met in the Crown & Anchor. Then, Finn’s shoulders had been tight, his brows furrowed despite a good dinner and two beers, and his needles had moved at a crazy speed. The Finn before him now was relaxed and smiling, at ease and without his defences.
The sight stirred want in Leo's belly.
He set his bags down and tiptoed across the room, careful to stay out of Finn’s direct line of sight. Three steps from the sofa he froze. What he'd taken for skeins of blue and white yarn on the coffee table, turned out to be a blue woolly hat. It had a white pom-pom on top and read CHILL in white letters across the front.
Leo’s gaze bounced between Finn and the hat. Not only was Finn knitting him a jumper, now he’d knitted him a hat while Leo had been out buying DIY supplies! That was… unbelievable. Instead of catching up on much-needed sleep, Finn had made him a hat. Leo struggled to swallow past the lump in his throat. Finn was… the most amazing thing ever!
When he saw that the item on Finn’s needles was a matching blue scarf and that Finn hadn’t noticed him because he was busy knitting the word CHILL across the width of it, he had to brace himself against the couch, his knees suddenly weak.
The jolt brought Finn’s head up. “Oh, hi! I didn't hear you come in.” He let go of the needles to remove the headphones. “Actually, I didn't hear you at all.”
“You were concentrating.” Leo gestured to the hat.
“Oh. Yes. I made this for you,” Finn explained as if it had been in doubt. “Keep you warm while you’re at the market.”
“And tell everyone who they’re looking at. I love it! Are you going to make one for yourself as well? Not in blue and white, obviously.” They hadn’t known each other long, but Leo paid attention and had learned a thing or two. “Dark green and cream?”
Finn beamed. “Very good. Might help people to remember us.” He reached for his ever-present notepad and scribbled a line on it. “Try it on,” he urged. “I want to see if it fits.”
Leo didn’t reach for the hat. “What if it doesn’t?”
“Then I’ll take it apart and redo it, of course.”
“You’d destroy your work.”
“It’s hardly destruction. I like things to be right.” He set the scarf aside, laced his fingers in his lap and waited.
The hat fit perfectly, the wide cuff warming Leo’s ears. “It’s great!”
“I was thinking of embellishing it with embroidered icicles,” Finn said, studying the fit, “but I don't think it needs it. The azure and white stand out enough against your dark blue coat.”
Embarrassment heated Leo’s face and neck.Thank youwas such an inadequate phrase to express his gratitude for Finn’s gift. He swallowed around the lump in his throat. “We could try a line of merchandise,” he offered. “Hats and T-shirts with the Cosy & Chill logo?”
“Mugs, too. And ice cream bowls.”
Leo smiled, delighted that they were on the same page again. “How about gift packs? Are there patterns for beginners? Small items that are easy to make? We could combine a mug, a ball of yarn and needles, add some tinsel… impromptu Christmas gifts.”
“That's a great idea. They’d work for Valentine’s Day, too. I could offer them in the store as well. Bring in some extra cash.”
“What would you do for patterns, though?”
“That’s easy,” Finn said. “Potholders, place mats, or table runners in sturdy cotton yarn. Simple scarves in chunky. Maybe a sock yarn and pattern for more experienced knitters.”
Leo couldn’t take his eyes from Finn. The tense young man he'd met in the pub was gone, had transformed into a confident, sexy, amazing person. He only realised he’d been staring when Finn’s cheeks turned a deep red that clashed with his hair.
“You're so much more relaxed than you were when we met. It’s nice to see,” he said. “I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable.” He turned away, hat still on his head, and took his bags into the kitchen.
Finn followed him. “Don't. It’s me who should apologise. You’ve been busy all morning, when I’ve allowed myself a lazy Sunday.”
“A lazy Sunday!” Leo glared. “You made me a hat! You’re allowed some time off. You work round the clock as it is.”
“You’re one to talk.” Finn tucked a few strands of Leo’s hair under the cuff of the hat. “Is it so strange that I feel I shouldn’t waste this opportunity? It’s a one-in-a-lifetime chance, something I never thought would happen to me.” He gestured at their surroundings. “Finding the perfect store. Finding you to give me a boot up the backside and make me leave home. Being able to afford the place with such favourable terms. And then…” He faltered, went red again and looked everywhere except at Leo. “Sharing it all with you,” he managed finally, voice quiet. “Last night… was amazing. Well… until Roisin turned up and interrupted—” He turned away and left the kitchen.
