Page 26 of It's Just You

8

Kane

I hadno idea why I’d asked Finn to get something to drink with me. I was thirsty, sure, but thanks to Sam’s eclectic taste in flavors, there were drinks of every kind at the house. There was food, too, even easily enough prepared stuff that I could handle. There was no need to go out together…

Like a date.

That was what this whole thing felt like. I’d taken him out on my bike, something I didn’t do with people, period, and now we were going to the diner together.

Maybe I was reading too much into it. It was a diner, for fuck’s sake, and we were just couple of friends grabbing something to drink after a long ride on my bike.

But would just a couple of friends actually go somewhere else to satisfy their thirst when there were drinks right beyond the front door? Hell, all of that made no sense to me, and it got worse the more I thought about it.

The short walk to the diner felt awkward as fuck and we weren’t even sitting down. What were we supposed to talk about now and until we’d finished said drinks? Or should we just sit there and stare at each other?

“So… You were coming to see Sam, obviously. Are you sure it’s okay that I’m stealing you away?” I asked.

Finn glanced at me with those perfectly made-up eyes then nodded. “Yeah. He didn’t know I was on my way anyway. I was just… stopping by. Besides, I saw him earlier, but I just needed to get out of the house again. So it’s not like he’s not gotten his fill today.”

“Oh,” I said, feeling stupid. Right. “I mean, we could wait for him. I’m sure he’s going to be back any minute. I’m surprised he’s not back yet anyway. He could come with us, if you want, even.”

But I’d be disappointed if he did, and I couldn’t quite make sense of that feeling. Why was I wanting to spend time with my brother’s best friend — and alone, at that?

Why had it felt so good to have him at my back when I’d increased the speed of my bike, only to have him clutching me tighter. It hadn’t felt like he was clinging to me for dear life, so I hadn’t thought he was scared, but he’d been staying close.

Duh, Kane. Of course he was staying close. It’s not like there’s a ton of room on the bike.

But I couldn’t help thinking that maybe he’d stayed a little closer than necessary.

I didn’t know. I didn’t even know what I’d do if it turned out to be true, anyway. Sure, he’d flirted with me, but it wasn’t like that was going anywhere.

“No, that’s okay,” he said, startling me from my thoughts. “I’d like to hang out with you.”

“Okay.” I still felt stupid. What was I supposed to think about all of this, let alone say about it?

“Unless you don’t want to…?” He trailed off, suddenly seeming shy.

“No, no, it’s definitely not that,” I said quickly, wanting to disabuse him of that notion. “I’m just…” Just what? I didn’t even know what to say to that either. “I don’t go out and do things much, beside rare evenings at the bar we–” I stopped that embarrassing thought. Not that this would happen much more in the future, with my dad having increasingly bad episodes, and I instantly felt guilty at the idea of heading out again without checking on them. I should’ve just headed inside, but for once, I wanted to do something for me.

Even if that meant… Finn.

Especially if that meant Finn.

“Just what?” he asked softly.

“I don’t know,” I admitted. I wished I had a good reason, something to tell him to make him feel better so he didn’t think this was an obligation or anything, but I couldn’t think of a damn thing to say about it.

I was so out of my element.

“Okay.” Finn shrugged.

“They have milkshakes,” I offered — helpfully, of course, and not because I didn’t know what else to say. But who didn’t like milkshakes? “Really good ones.”

“Ohh, and you’re only telling me that now? And here I thought you weren’t all bad.” Finn lowered his voice and whispered, “Even… nice.”

I laughed, settling a little, even if my mind was still racing. “Big fan?” I asked. “Their chocolate ones are great. My mom swears by the strawberry, but I’ve never been much for those.” And we always brought vanilla home for my dad. Sam ate all three, so Neapolitan ice creams were always popular in our household.

“I guess you could say that. There are a few fast food chains with decent milkshakes near university, but they’re not that great. And the few diners we have suck, which is probably good. Otherwise, I’d need new clothes.” He rested his hands on his hips, drawing my attention to them.

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