Chapter Eighteen
FINN
It was Saturday morning, and Finn was relaxing at his apartment. He was lounging on his recliner, reading the book he hadn’t had time for lately. Well, he was trying to. For the last couple of months, he had been in the lab on the weekends to help ensure they could meet their deadline. But lately, they had began to see consistent improvement across their patient set. It felt like they actually might be able to pull this off. So he told himself he had earned the right to enjoy a day at home.
That wasn’t the whole truth, though. There was another reason he stayed home today. He wasn’t ready to see Elena yet, not after last night. He’d replayed the kiss a hundred times since leaving her porch. The way she felt in his arms. The look in her eyes when she asked him to stay for the movie. The sound she made when he?—
His phone buzzed on the table, interrupting that rapidly escalating train of thought. It was a text from Eric.
“Hey Doc, I know it’s last minute, but I’m going bowling tonight with the wife and kids. Want to tag along?” Another text followed shortly after. “Been feeling pretty good lately. Wanted to thank you properly. And my wife has been asking about you.”
Finn stared at his phone. He assumed there were ethics guidelines about socializing with active study participants. He should check the Institute’s regulations, maybe run it by Elena first. But he wasn’t ready to talk to her yet. He needed some time away to process what was happening between them.
Before he could overthink it, he typed back: “Sure, what time?”
Finn spotted Eric’s family at the front counter before they saw him. Eric was talking with the employee behind the counter, his hand resting on his younger daughter’s shoulder. His wife was laughing at something the other daughter had said, her hand reaching down to run through her hair.
Finn knew Eric had a family. He’d mentioned them plenty of times. But seeing them here, all together on a Saturday night, felt surreal somehow. It made Finn happy.
Eric turned, scanning the entrance, and his face lit up when he saw Finn. He waved him over enthusiastically. Finn crossed the lobby, very aware he was meeting Eric’s family for the first time. Both of his daughters looked up at him with not-so-subtle curiosity.
“Girls, this is Finn,” Eric said. Then he placed his hand on the older girl’s shoulder. “Finn, this is Ava—” and then he looked around for his other daughter. It took a second, but he found she had wandered off about fifteen feet to thearcade area.
“Lily!” Eric called, but the claw machine already transfixed her. He sighed, “I’ll be right back.”
When Finn turned around, Eric’s wife was already looking at him.
“We are so good at introductions, aren’t we? I’m Liz.”
Finn smiled. “It’s a pleasure to meet all of you.” He extended his hand. But before he knew it, Liz had pulled him in for a hug. The sudden affection from someone he had never met surprised him.
She pulled back just enough to look at him, her voice quiet. “I was starting to worry I would never see him like this again.”
Again, she caught him off guard. He opened his mouth to respond but didn’t know what to say.
“I just wanted to say thank you.” She said with a gratitude in her eyes that almost made Finn choke up. Then she released him, turning to help Ava with her bowling shoes. Eric returned moments later with Lily in tow.
“Let’s hurry over while we have everyone together.” Eric said, already heading toward the lanes. Finn cleared his throat; grateful Eric was already moving and hadn’t noticed him pulling himself together. Finn reached for his wallet. “I haven’t paid yet?—”
“It’s our treat,” Eric said without looking up.
“You didn’t have to?—”
“Our treat.” Eric straightened, meeting Finn’s eyes with a look that said the matter was closed.
Liz took the girls to lane seven, already helping Ava pick up a ball light enough for her to carry. Eric led him to lane eight and started unzipping a bowling bag Finn hadn’t noticed until now. “Jesus, you brought your own ball?”
Eric grinned, pulling out a ball with a custom color dye and finger holes molded to his grip. “Used to bowl all the time. I was in a league that played every Thursday night.” Hepaused for a moment. “Haven’t played in a couple years, though.”
It was subtle, but there was a weight to the last thing he said. Finn understood immediately. Eric’s condition had taken this from him too. Eric stepped up to the lane, lined up his shot, and released. The ball curved, slamming into the pins for a strike.
“Good shot, Daddy!” Lily exclaimed from the next lane. Finn looked over to see Eric’s family all cheering for him. There was something powerful in Liz’s expression that almost made Finn choke up.
Eric walked back from the lane with a huge grin on his face.
“Nice shot. So did you bring me here just to embarrass me in front of your whole family?” Finn remarked.
“Basically, yeah.”
