Page 57 of Give Me a Reason

I was busy arguing with myself in my head about what an idiot I was to stay and how I should leave when Finn touched my arm, and my thoughts scattered, ping-ponging through my head.

“I can carry mine to the living room.” He released my arm and grabbed his bowl.

“Thanks,” I said simply as my eyes met his amused ones. Did he know his effect on me? That I was missing the sight of his naked chest? That I wanted to feel the heat of his skin against mine? That my one regret was that we hadn’t had more time to explore each other’s bodies the other night?

I felt oddly bereft as he headed into the living room. I grabbed my bowl and the water bottles I saw earlier this morning from the fridge and joined him.

I balanced the bowl on my thighs as Finn relaxed on the couch and flipped on the TV.

“What do you feel like? Mystery, action, suspense, romance?”

I shrugged. “It doesn’t matter to me. I don’t watch much television.”

“What’s this?” Finn asked as he set the remote aside and picked up a sketch pad that was left on the coffee table.

“I brought that for Paisley last night. It’s a tracing book.”

Finn flipped through the pages. I hadn’t realized Paisley traced so many things last night. It was filled with her drawings.

“She used it to copy the covers of her books.”

“These are cool. Thank you for showing her your art.”

I shrugged again. “It was no big deal.”

“I’d say it was if you don’t show it to anyone else. It’s good for Paisley to see other people’s talents. I worry she thinks she’s supposed to be musical because of me.”

“That’s not how it works. No one in my family is an artist. My parents always joked that I was an anomaly.”

Finn gave me a look. “Did that make you feel out of place?”

“As a kid, it did. Not so much anymore.”

He set the book down, kicked up his feet, and winked at me. “Let’s see what we can find.”

Finn was supposed to be sick. I thought it would be safe to be here. He’d be weak and tired, and I could easily resist him. But Finn was a little more put together than I’d anticipated. He was recovering, and I was quickly losing my advantage. I had one more night before I needed to be serious about keeping my distance. It wasn’t a good idea to be alone with him.

Finn grabbed his bowl and slowly spooned the broth into his mouth as he surfed through the streaming options. “Are you going to eat that before it gets cold?”

My pulse picked up at his gentle prodding. He was paying closer attention to me than I thought. “Do you like it?”

“It’s perfect. Just what I needed.”

I smiled and tried some of the soup. It was close to what my mom made.

Finn set the bowl aside and patted his stomach. “Thank you for that.”

“You’re welcome.” I’d say it was what any friend would do, but I’d never made soup for anyone else or stayed to take care of them overnight, much less taken their child to school the next morning. I was out of my depth in this situation, and I wasn’t sure how much longer I could hold on.

“Is this okay?” He’d settled on a new kids’ movie. “I’ve heard it’s fantastic. Just don’t tell Paisley I watched it without her.”

“Of course.” I finished the last spoonful of soup and carried the bowls to the kitchen. As I rinsed them off and set them in the dishwasher, I felt an odd sort of contentment settle in my chest. It was nice being with him here like this. I enjoyed his company.

He waited until I was seated next to him on the couch before he clicked play on the movie. After a few seconds, he gave me a throw blanket that had been on a nearby chair, and I spread it over my lap. His arm draped over the back of the couch, his fingers perilously close to my hair.

I barely breathed for a few minutes. I was so aware of him, his fresh scent of soap, and the memory of his bare skin.

He was sick, and I was playing nursemaid. That was all this was. It wasn’t the beginning of a relationship, not when he didn’t believe in those.

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