Chapter 29
Millie
“Maybe he hasn’t recovered from the raging hard-on you left him with.” Lena shrugs behind her bottle of sparkling water.
I roll my eyes, running my hand over Pepper on the couch between us. “Maybe he didn’t like it?”
After he had me literally seeing stars on that overlook, Finn barely spoke to me on the way home from the farm. It’s unsettling—not knowing what shifted between us so suddenly.
Today was my first day as the temporary director of the entomology department. It was close to a normal day, aside from a few phone calls I had to make and emails I responded to. This week I’m focusing on a new collection plan for the lab room that I’ll present at my interview. Then tomorrow I have a meeting with Sharon and all the department heads in the museum, so hopefully that will give me a chance to shine.
Even though Finn will be there.
Which is awkward, but I guess that’s what we signed on for by sort of starting something up and then letting it fall apart. We will just have to take a swift jump back into the coworker realm.
Lena nudges me with her foot, snapping my attention back to her skeptical glare. Her dark curls are up in a bun today, and she’s wearing the hell out of a workout set like she’s going to the gymsoon, but we both know she’d have to be dragged by a hot guy or gal to ever set foot in there.
“I can tell you for certain that helikedwhat happened on that overlook,” she says sternly.
I sigh. “I mean more generally. Maybe he doesn’t want a physical relationship like that with me.”
My insecurities are like an exposed wound this week, leaving me riddled with anxious uncertainty, and not hearing from Finn is only exacerbating them.
Lena sets her drink on the coffee table. “We could host a game night to invite him to something back in the friend zone.” When I don’t answer right away and just stare into the ivy hanging in our window, she says, “You don’t like that idea.”
“I don’t want to go back to friends,” I whisper, giving voice to what’s been floating around in my mind all day. “All these thoughts and feelings were coaxed out of me, and I don’t want to put them back. I don’t even know that I could.” I lie down next to Pepper, and she lifts her nose to rest it on my shoulder with a long groan. “It’s sad that I’m coming around to the idea as he’s pulling away.”
My phone chimes with a text notification, and I sit up to reach for it, a bubble of excitement filling my chest at the prospect of a text from Finn.
But that bubble pops against my ribs when I see the name.
Kyle:This is fucking ridiculous. Quit acting stupid. I need to talk to you, and you’re being a bitch.
My arms drop to my lap as my stomach twists in knots.
Lena bends until she draws my eyes to her. “What is it?”
“Not Finn.” I hesitate, hating that I didn’t tell her about this sooner. But it would be even worse to continue avoiding it. I hand her my phone as a dark cloud forms over my heart.
“I’m gonna kill him,” Lena rages, scrolling up to his past messages. “I’ll do it. Oh my god. He has no right to treat you like this.”
My chest constricts like someone’s fist is wrapped around it, squeezing all the air out. “He... he came into Maggie’s one morning.”
Her gaze sharpens. “Shit. Mills. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because you shouldn’t have to fix everything for me.”
“I don’thaveto. Iwantto. I could’ve been helpful.”
“Finn was there, so I hid behind him until Kyle left.” I try to straighten my shoulders to let more air into my lungs, but they still feel tight.
Lena’s forehead pinches. “Kyle lives thirty minutes from here.”
“I know. It freaked me out so much that I haven’t been back to Maggie’s other than the croissant lesson with Finn.”
She shakes her head. “Did Finn know what was going on?”
“I told him. He said he’d go back to Maggie’s with me if I wanted him to.”
