Free Falling

13 | impulse

A whole week passed after the incident at my balcony without a word from Finn. A week after we'd come to an agreement, one I had a feeling he had trouble coming to terms with.

My classes were slow, and my rounds at the hospital even slower. I was quick to assume that Finn had pretty much forgotten about me and maybe couldn't handle slow paced after all. He was probably accustomed to having his way with women, and being friends with me would simply not be worth it. The thought mildly irritated me whenever it crossed my mind, but then I realized that this is what I'd always wanted. Or at least now, what I thought I did.

The truth was that I wanted him to keep to his word, albeit how pathetic I sounded. Maybe I did need to try, just like everyone around me was urging me on to.

Maybe I needed to learn how to trust again.

But certain things were easier said than done.

I spent the last hours of Tuesday after labs in the school library with Fey, a classmate and study buddy. We had been friends since freshman year and I liked her because she was open minded and helped keep me up-to-date on schoolwork. After a couple hours engrossed in notes and satisfied with my level of progress, we both exited the colossal building.

"Do you want to go grab something to eat?" Fey asked, her head buried in her bag in search of something. She paused and pushed back the pair of glasses that sat on the bridge of her nose.

"Yeah, that sounds great." I replied, my boots making short contact with the stairs as we descended.

"Nice. I know a great Thai place on Newman street. I would kill for some pad thai with chicken," she drawled and I laughed at her raw enthusiasm.

The day was fast spent, the sun reversing into a magenta sunset. I smiled at the sky. I always loved the way it changed colours, from ocean blue to pink and orange sunsets to the pitch black of night.

"I'll just call in to place a reservation because you won't believe the kind of crowd—whooooa, check out that sports car." I heard Fey say. I followed her line of sight and gasped when I saw a black Lamborghini on the vast parking lot of the library. The vehicle attracted the attention of many of the students around the vicinity. Some gave it fleeting glances, others stopped and stared, talking amongst themselves.

I knew someone who owned a black car like that.

As the both of us fully exited the building, the gull wing of the passenger side rose up. Finn's tall frame appeared and I sucked in a breath. His eyes locked on mine, and he smiled.

"Wait, he's looking in our direction. Actually, he's looking at you, Amy. Do you know him?" Fey asked, a confused look etched on her face.

"Uh... yeah. Um, can I take a raincheck on that dinner? I promise I'll make it up." My words came out rushed, tumbling over themselves. When I stole another glance at Finn, he was casually leaning against his car, like he was waiting for me.

Fey's eyebrow quirked up almost imperceptibly. "Yeah, no problem. See you tomorrow." She said and walked off towards her own vehicle, but not before I caught the mischievous smirk she wore as she walked off. Oh, she wasn't letting me off easy.

As I closed the distance to his car he approached me in all his entrancing beauty, dressed in a navy blue dress shirt that hung loosely on his body and dark pants.

My voice lost itself somewhere in my throat, making it hard for me to say anything but I knew my eyes were wide in question.

Finn's gaze raked my frame from top to bottom but his face gave nothing away. The car was still running, the engine giving out a smooth hum.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, trying to ignore the multiple pairs of eyes on us. I saw a girl slip out her phone and poise it in front of her, at us. I paled. Finn turned, apparently noticing too. If someone took a picture, it was going to end up everywhere. I was sure of it.

"Get in," he ground out, holding the passenger door open for me. Without protesting, I did as he instructed and the door came shut after. I waited as he rounded the car and hopped into the driver's seat. He eased out of the parking lot and got on the road in one loud, fluid motion. Goosebumps erupted on my skin while I held the seatbelt, terrified, but oddly thrilled because man, did this car move.

"Where are we going?" I asked, sparing him a glance. I used the opportunity to oogle him a bit. His brown-blond hair perfectly framed his face, a few locs falling into curtains over his forehead. His thick brows drew together as he concentrated on the road. When he swallowed, my eyes followed the movement of his Adam's apple.

"You hungry? Because I sure am." He mused, turning to look at me. His sharp jaw clenched and unclenched, eyes studying me before they returned to the road.

"You came to take me to dinner?" I asked in surprise. Shocking, considering he'd been MIA for a whole week. And three days.

"It's not a date, if that's what you're worried about," he took a second off the road to smirk at me. "Friends don't do dates."

Right.

"How did you know I'd be at the library?"

"Lucky guess. You weren't picking up my calls so I came here instead. That's where you were the first time I texted you."

At that I pulled out my phone from my bag and sure enough three missed calls lit up my screen. It was on silent. "Did you wait long at the parking lot?"

"No, I just arrived when you came out with your friend."

I pushed my phone back into my bag and settled into my seat. The car was saturated with his scent. His now familiar cologne was subtle, but it was the only scent I was aware of in the closed space.

The drive was noiseless and smooth, and then I found myself drowning in the awkward silence.

"Can I?" I asked, my hand hovering in front of the player console. He gave a small nod and I turned it on. Music began to play and I turned it down to an appreciable volume.

"Don't you have work to do?" I asked, recalling the time I was at his office and he had to work late into the night.

"I'm not tied down to my table often. Elliot is the managing director and he handles much of the administrative work. More so he reports to me." He explained. I remembered Elliot, his red headed friend from his office. He was really nice and upbeat, and I was certain he handled things well.

"He's your friend?"

"Best friend, actually."

"I like him." I didn't intend for the words to come out, but they did. Elliot had a certain boyish charm to him that anyone would find appealing.

A side of Finn's lips tilted upwards. "Don't make me jealous, Amanda."

"What?" I spluttered, blood rushing to my face.

And then he laughed. A full on guffaw. The side of his eyes crinkled and he threw his head back as the sound encompassed every inch of the vehicle. He looked a lot younger now, less intimidating. My blush deepened, and so did his laughter.

Finn was laughing.

For the first time he looked so unguarded and carefree, although it was at my expense. Even that day at the hill top pool could not be compared with now.

I wanted—more than anything—to bottle his laughter and keep it. And when I felt like he wasn't capable of unravelling himself, I'd open it in reminder.

"You find him that attractive, hm?"

I wanted to tell him that he was the most attractive man I had ever seen and a lot of people dreamt to look like him and most importantly, I liked him more that Elliot, but I would never admit it to his face.

So instead I smiled and suppressed an eye roll.

The car pulled up in front of a large, brightly lit building that struck me as an undoubtedly high class restaurant. Before I reached for the door the valet beat me to it, stepping aside for me to come out. Finn handed him the keys and moved closer to me, his hand gently finding the small of my back as he led me in.

The inside was just like I'd expected; classy and sophisticated that made me feel a bit dizzy. The restaurant had high ceilings and bright lighting, and as I came to realize, a central red theme.

Finn stopped at the front desk where a woman dressed sharply in a red uniform stood. As he spoke with her, I took the liberty to survey the area. Soft music played in the background, almost like white noise.

"Amanda?" Finn called softly. I turned to him and realized I had zoned out. He held out his palm to me and slowly, I took it. His large, warm hands completely covered my smaller, slender ones.

Another worker in a similar red uniform led us in to an even more exquisite space. The room was large but tables generously spaced. One side of the room held a large aquarium that filled up the wall space and the other, floor to ceiling windows that graced us with a view of the city. I tore my eyes away from the marine life and focused on Finn who pulled out my chair for me and muttered an awkward thanks. Apparently, chivalry's not dead.

He took his seat and a waiter walked to our table, handing each of us the menu and offering complimentary wine, which Finn declined. The waiter ran through the specials at the restaurant. Finn responded with courteous nods as he listened, but I was left clueless about what many of the dishes actually were.

"I'll have the 1949 Domaine Leroy Richebourge and the risotto lobster with permasan egg pancake, confit tomatoes and coral tuille," Finn said, reading out of the menu.

The waiter nodded and turned to me. I mulled over the difference dishes on the menu, most of which cost as much as my apartment charged a month. I grimaced at the names on the card and gave up.

"Hmm, what do you suggest?" I smiled, directing my question innocently at the waiter. He was a lanky boy, probably around my age or younger and reminded me a lot of Lars. He looked dead scared of Finn's presence alone with his rigid posture, but I couldn't blame him. Finn looked like he could eat the boy in a single bite.

"Uh," his voice was high pitched and cracked, and I wondered if he was even out of high school. "The Lamb salad with Fregola is really nice. I mean, if you aren't a vegetarian." He gave a nervous smile and fumbled with the notepad in his hands.

"Sounds good. I'll have that, thank you." I informed him before he left to get our orders. When I turned to Finn, he didn't look pleased.

"What the hell was that?"

"What?" I asked back, genuinely confused.

"You two were flirting." He deadpanned, his eyes narrowing.

"What? No! He's literally the age of my younger brother!"

"Doesn't matter. Flirting is flirting."

I squinted my eyes and held back a laugh. "Are you... are you jealous, Harris?"

He huffed. "You have to understand that you're mine. I don't mind how many guy's necks I have to break to make that clear, but I will. And it will be a f*****g lot considering how hard it is not to be attracted to you."

I wasn't his! But—

I blinked at him. Then blushed. "What?"

"Don't you notice how many men stare at you when you walk? f**k, you're beautiful, Amanda."

"I'm not yours," I said crossly, choosing to pretend like Finn calling me beautiful was my everyday cup of tea.

"Not for long," he smiled, his temper cool now. The silence ensued until our food returned, the waiter taking more care to drop my plate. He gave me another antsy smile as he retreated, making Finn glare.

"I should have him fired." He growled.

Could he do that? Yes. Yes, he could.

"Please, don't." I squeaked, halting from taking a bite. The boy was probably just used to getting a cold, indifferent reception from the elitists that patronized this place.

Finn regarded my pleading look for a moment. He visibly softened and nodded. "Fine," he mumbled.

Turned out the 1949 Domaine Leroy Richebourge was wine, and the food ended up being quite tasteful. About halfway through Finn stopped eating from his.

"Is everything—" I paused when I saw him staring over my shoulder. I turned around and my mouth fell slightly open when River, Finn's brother, walked by our table with a beautiful woman with him. River smirked arrogantly, his handsome but dark features sending a shiver down my spine.

"Nice seeing you here, brother. And you too, Amanda." He said dryly. He was clearly displaying an attitude, much unlike the day we met. The way the two brother stared at each other meant there was something more to it than met the eye.

I returned my attention to my plate and Finn did the same, but his brother's presence had brought a shift to the atmosphere. After a few minutes, I excused myself and went to the restroom. After relieving myself, I lingered in the stall to collect myself. The evening was going alright until River showed. Now Finn was acting alien.

I came out of the stall and walked up to the sink, washing my hand and slapping my cheeks with my cool hands. As I reapplied some lip balm, the woman River came with slid through the door and stopped beside me on the vanity. She slipped out a daring shade of red lipstick and began spreading it on her puffy lips.

"So you're Finn's new flavor of the week?" She asked. Her voice was sharp and seductive.

"What?" My hand came to a stop.

"You're cute. Like in a little sister kind of way. I didn't know he was into your kind." Then she turned to me, lips curled. Her faux lashes batted at me, over bronzed face brighter than the fluorescent bulbs. "Well, Finn's quite a catch. I mean, he's great in bed, the best I've done actually. The good girls are always looking for a bad boy to spice up their life, it's what's hot now."

"Excuse me?" I bit out, feeling my face pale and my blood run cold. I wanted to hightail it out of the restroom, but it was like my legs were drilled to the ground.

She used her finger to dab her crimson coated lips, acting like I was a twelve year old and she was giving me tips on my period. "I would be careful if I were you. Unless you do want to be f****d up. Then by all means, go ahead," and she cackled like a hyena. "But if you do end up with him, I should warn you babe—he's rough. Bye, Amanda!" Then she sashayed out of the bathroom, leaving me to mull over her words. Thoughts of her having s*x with Finn flashed through my head and I gagged, almost throwing up my dinner into the sink.

I pulled myself together and walked back to my table. Finn looked at me, his brilliant green eyes searching mine. I averted my gaze and sat down.

"I need to go."

"But we aren't done eating yet."

I sneered at his arrogance. He thought everything was about him, didn't he? "I don't care, I'm not hungry. I want to leave!" I yelled. Some patrons turned to me sourly, perhaps wondering why the underdressed girl was having an outburst.

Finn eyebrows drew together in askance. I looked over to River's table where the girl smiled sweetly, and Finn followed my line of sight.

"Okay."

He called the waiter and paid off our bill while I remained silent, although I had intended to settle half.

We both exited the restaurant and I got into the passenger seat myself after the valet drove the car out front, more than ready for the day to be over. I really needed a warm bath.

Five minutes into the drive back to campus, an uncomfortable silence ensued where neither of us said anything. It was past eight and the city was bright with lights.

As we neared the university, the silence was finally broken.

"What's wrong?" Finn asked, looking genuinely worried. I was getting a lot of reactions from him today.

"Nothing's wrong." I spat out, choosing to text on my phone, purposely ignoring his intense gaze that bore a hole through my head.

He snatched the phone from my grasp and I lost it. "What is your problem?"

"You're the one acting weird! What did she tell you?"

I rolled my eyes, opting to play dumb. "I don't know what you're talking about." There was no way I was relaying that awful conversation I had back in the restroom.

Finn swerved out of the road and into the side so quick, I yelped.

"Tell me, or we aren't leaving this place." He told me, his words more of a promise than a threat.