Page 36 of It's Just You

I pocketed my keys, then reached for the backpack sitting on the ground. Finn reached for it, too, only for me to swat his hand away. No way was I going to let him carry that thing, given he was smaller and more lightly built than I was. I didn’t have any doubt that he could carry it, but it just… It felt wrong.

Okay, if I thought about it, even if he’d been heavier and larger than me, I’d still have carried it. It wouldn’t have felt right not to do it myself, as little sense as it made. I’d invited him, and I wanted to be the one taking care of everything.

The trail started out too narrow for us to walk side by side, and Finn followed me as I set out. When it opened up, Finn caught up and we walked in silence.

Really, I’d never expected Finn to be able to go without talking, but we walked in a companionable silence. He looked around, taking in the scenery. The sun had risen, but some fog lingered, casting a beautiful glow over the fields.

Sometimes, we commented on the landscape, the views, and the magic of the land. Finn seemed to be enjoying it as well, and since I’d picked a route that was more of a walk than a hike, he didn’t have trouble keeping up with me. I loved rougher terrain, but I wouldn’t risk him in any way, even just by overextending him.

Finally, we dropped down in the shade of a few trees. “I think I need some water and more coffee, in about that order.” Finn wasn’t out of breath, but we’d walked for over an hour, so it was understandable that he’d need water and more caffeine to perk him up. “And I think I was promised another cinnamon roll?” He reached over to the backpack I’d set aside, taking out the bakery bag.

“Not so fast, you,” I chided him. “Get something to drink first.” I handed him the water bottle I’d brought for him, then poured him a cup of coffee.

“Being mean again, huh?” He drank deeply from the water bottle.

“Mean would’ve been to let you eat without reminding you to drink.” I gulped down my own water, then took the cinnamon roll. Holding it up to his lips, I said, “Here you go, just to show you I’m not trying to be mean. I’m trying to take care of you.”

Finn froze, then, but then like he was shaking himself out of it, he leaned forward, made his lip thing again while he took a bite. “Thank you. Much appreciated. Even though I still think you’re a little bit of a sadist.”

I ate a bit too, then held it up to him. “I’ve been called a sadist plenty of times,” I said, smirking a little. “That’s what happens when you’re a personal trainer at a gym. So maybe I am a little bit of a sadist.”

“Little bit, my ass,” Finn mumbled around another bite. “I doubt anything about you is little.”

I nearly choked. He patted my back, and it took me a moment to clear my throat. “Okay, so I’m a huge sadist,” I told him before taking a sip of water. “And because I’m so mean and I love making you suffer, we’re going to walk some more so I can build up more of these big muscles.”

“That was not what I was talking about…” he muttered, but we packed up and he followed me when I started to walk again.

I didn’t know how to reply, actually, which was the reason I’d deflected the comment about me being a sadist — not the big part.

He’d toned down the flirting a lot, so I guessed what I was seeing now was the real Finn, the one who didn’t put up some kind of game or hide behind lines. Well, not the real, real Finn, because he still felt the need to hide himself behind make up around me, but at least this persona seemed genuine.

And I liked it.

I liked him way more than I’d expected, which was the reason I kept spending time with him. Or did I like him because I was spending time with him? I changed the direction of my thoughts. Trying to figure out which had come first would only give me a headache.

I couldn’t entirely think about something else, though, not when my thoughts lingered on Finn. But at least I didn’t break my brain.

He was walking next to me again, still breathing easily. I didn’t plan on wearing him out, so that was good. He’d still be tired, but he wouldn’t be a total mess tomorrow.

The clothes I’d gotten from Sam looked good on him, just like the form-fitting, tighter ones, even though it was in a different way. These gave him a different kind of vibe — not so much the styled, flamboyant, extroverted guy he seemed to be when in those clothes, but like a down-to-earth man I might drink a beer with on a regular night. Somehow, the makeup didn’t even mess with the more casual look, only highlighting it.

It didn’t make any sense. But this was the enigma Finn still was, one thing more I wanted to figure out.

“Thank you for talking me into hiking today.” Finn interrupted my musings.

I glanced at him, really looking at him now. He seemed to be more relaxed than usual.

“You’re welcome,” I said, not noting aloud that I hadn’t had to try very hard. I didn’t want to make things weird. “I’m happy you came.” I smiled at him.

He smiled back. “Me too.”

We continued walking, making it to the next clearing. The view from here was stunning as hell, something I loved and the main reason I came to this particular set of trails. The sun had risen fairly high by then, but it wasn’t that hot yet. It was an amazing atmosphere.

“This is awesome,” Finn said, pausing to look out over the scenery. “I never expected something like this to be so close to home.”

I nodded, stepping a little closer to him. “Yeah, there are lots of hidden gems around here if you know where to find him.” My gaze fell on his face. He seemed to be mesmerized by the view for a moment, then he glanced back at me.

“Yeah, you could say that.” He looked straight ahead, his head slightly tilted to the left.

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