“What?” I question, grasping for his arm and getting air as he walks toward the kitchen.
Mrs. Walsh rounds the corner. “Oh good. Thank you, Liz. I’ll sleep so much better knowing you’re not on the roads with crazy drivers.”
What the fuck did I just do?
Finn closes his bedroom door behind us and starts to laugh.
“You’re an asshole!” I half whisper, half shout.
“It was your idea.”
“But I thought it through and told you to take me home.”
“Yeah, but you really wanted to stay with me and who am I to refuse you?”
He starts unbuttoning his shirt and struts over to the bed.
“What are you doing?” I ask, eyes wide.
“I’m getting undressed. Oh, wait. Did you want to do it?” He points to his buttons and tries to keep a straight face, failing terribly.
“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
“I really am,” he says, sitting on the bed and removing his shirt.
“Finn, for the love of God, would you stop taking your clothes off?”
“It’s going to be fine. I’ll sleep on the sofa. You take the bed. They won’t know a thing.”
“But…” I pace nervously.
He sighs. “If you want me to take you home, I will. They should be asleep soon and we can just slip out.”
“They said, ‘See you in the morning.’ Doesn’t that mean they expect toseeme?”
He leans on his elbows while sitting on the bed and brushes his hands over his face before he stands and faces me. “It’s late. Tell me what you want me to do and I’ll do it.”
I roll my head back. “I don’t know!”
“Can I take my pants off and go to bed, or do I need to put on my shoes?”
I sigh. I think about his mom and the relief in her eyes when I said I’d stay. How can I make her worry? Plus, what if something did happen to Finn on his way home? I’d never forgive myself.
“On or off, Liz?” he asks again impatiently.
“Off,” I say with a release of air.
He starts to unbuckle his jeans and I jump forward to stop him. “I mean on. ON!”
He stops. “You want to go home?”
“No. I mean yes. Or no. I don’t know.” I throw my hands in the air and plop down on his couch.
He crouches down in front of me. He’s in my space. I can’t think clearly when he’s this close to me.
“Really, Liz, thank you for everything tonight. You’ve gone above and beyond my expectations. And trying to make my mom happy? Well that sealed the deal. You might be my favorite person in the world.”
I half grin, half scowl.
