"Thanks." Finn took a seat. A leg on one side must have given out, because the chair immediately tilted at an alarming angle, forcing him to grip the armrest to keep from sliding off entirely.
Miguel took a seat directly across from Finn and stared at him. Somehow, they always ended up in some sort of face-off. Avoiding Miguel’s stare, Finn took in the details of Elena's home.
It was messy and chaotic in a way that made it feel like a home. He looked at the pictures littering the living room. Elena and Miguel at various ages An old photo of Elena joined by an older man and woman. Her parents,he assumed. He noticed that he couldn’t find any pictures of Miguel’s father.
Finn tried to settle comfortably into the chair, but it was a fruitless effort. He felt oddly like an intruder. This was Elena's real life.
Miguel coughed, commanding Finn’s attention. Miguel was sitting in his chair confidently, hands propped together. Finn felt like he was on Shark Tank, sitting across from one of the sharks.
"So, what are your intentions?" Miguel inquired.
Finn swallowed. "Excuse me?"
"What do you want after this project is over?" he clarified.
Thank God.“Honestly, I don’t know yet. All of my mental energy has been going into this project,” Finn said.
Miguel seemed to relax a bit. “Yeah, seems that way with my mom too.”
Finn studied his face, remembering their first conversation and how badly he'd handled it. Finn shifted uncomfortably. "I apologize for the other day," he said finally. "I overstepped."
Miguel shrugged. "It's whatever. You were kinda right, anyway. I was being a dick."
The casual admission surprised Finn. "You had a right to be upset."
"Yeah, well." Miguel set his phone down. "Mom says you're really good at your job.”
Finn felt his face warm at the unexpected praise. "Your mom is an excellent scientist. I'm fortunate to work with her."
"Is that why you're staring at her stuff like you're trying to memorize it?" Miguel asked, the question more aggressive than his casual tone suggested.
Before Finn could formulate a response, Elena called from down the hall. "Miguel, did you eat the dinner I left for you?"
"Yes!" Miguel shouted back, then added in a quiet voice to Finn, "No, I orderedpizza."
Finn almost smiled. A silent understanding passed between them.
"I'll be right out," Elena called. "Just finishing up my makeup."
Finn checked his watch. They were still on schedule, but the anxiety continued to simmer. He wasn't used to waiting. In the lab, he could just keep working. Finn heard the soft click of heels on hardwood, and then Elena was there, stepping into the living room, and his anxiety took a back seat.
He didn’t see the normal Dr. Herrera standing there. She wore a black dress that highlighted the curves he had tried not to notice before. Her hair that was normally pulled back now fell stylishly around her face. He had to make an effort to stop himself from staring. When she saw him, her face flushed with anger. Was he being that obvious?
"Miguel," she said sharply, turning to find her son who had strategically disappeared. "Did you make our guest sit in the broken chair?"
Her eyes took on a maternal fury as she left to search for her son. Apparently, he had been hiding in his bedroom closet. And when they returned, Miguel was not there by choice.
Elena started, “I’m sorry about that. That chair broke a month ago, we haven’t had time to get it fixed.” Then there was an awkward silence. Elena nudged Miguel.
“I’m sorry I made you sit in the broken chair,” Miguel said in a completely ungenuine apology that appeared to take all of the strength in his twelve-year-old body.
The situation was awkward and Finn didn’t know how to respond so he just said, “It’s okay.”
“Well, we should probably get going,” Elenasaid, then adjusted her dress one more time. “Do I look okay?” she asked innocently.
Finn searched for the right words to say. If he was being completely honest, he would have said that she looked fucking gorgeous. But that didn’t feel like it would play very well, especially in front of her twelve-year-old son, who was very much still in the room. He could have said that she looked beautiful. No, that also felt like it was too much. She looked good? That was general enough that it would surely please everyone in the room. But it felt wholly insufficient for how Elena looked right now. It was around this point that Finn realized he had spent the last thirty seconds simply staring at Elena without saying a word. He had to do something quickly.
He nodded.
