"I don't?—"
"Come on."
"Laura—"
"Just admit it."
"Fine!" Finn exploded, frustration overriding his usual restraint. "Yes, okay? She has nice boobs! Are you HAPPY now?"
The words seemed to echo in the suddenly quiet bar. Laura’s eyes widened, her gaze shifting to something behind him.
Slowly, he turned. Elena stood there, purse in hand, eyes wide with shock.
Laura, amazingly, didn't miss a beat. "Welcome back! Finn was just talking about your breasts," she said cheerfully to Elena. "Completely unprompted, by the way. Finn, please continue."
Finn was speechless, and he could feel the blush on his face. Elena remained frozen for another second, then slid back into the booth beside him. The vinyl squeaked in the silence.Her face was flushed, but to Finn's surprise, she didn't seem angry.
"Well," she said finally, her voice higher than normal, "this is uncomfortable."
"Only if we make it uncomfortable," Laura replied, as if they were discussing a minor social faux pas rather than Finn's explicit comment about his boss's body. "Besides, it's a compliment! Right, Finn?"
Finn wished desperately for the floor to open up and swallow him whole. His mind raced to find something to say that might salvage this situation.
"I apologize for the inappropriate comment," he managed. "It was unprofessional and disrespectful."
Elena glanced at Laura with obvious annoyance before turning to Finn. "Thank you for the apology," she said quietly. "Perhaps we should... move on."
Laura's grin suggested she was entirely too pleased with herself. "Right. Keep the horniness to yourself, Finn. Moving on. To the next question!" She reached for the deck of cards with exaggerated enthusiasm. "Let's see what kind of trouble we can get into next."
"One more round," Elena said, her voice firmer now. "Then I really should get home to Miguel."
Laura nodded, already shuffling the cards with renewed vigor. "One more round," she agreed. "Let's make it count."
Finn took a long drink of his beer, bracing himself for whatever was coming next. Given how the night had progressed so far, he wasn't optimistic.
Laura drew the final card and examined it with raised eyebrows before a slow smile spread across her face. "Saving the best for last," she announced, clearing her throat. "'Who was the first person you fell in love with?'" She looked directly at Finn, waiting for an answer.
Finn's hand hesitated. His mind flashed to Sarah, his high school sweetheart, to Melissa during his undergrad. Those relationships had been comfortable, pleasant, but never... this. Never someone he couldn’t stop thinking about, never the ache in his chest when she smiled, never the feeling that his day hadn't properly begun until he'd seen her. But none of those things mattered. He took a shot and felt the liquor burn his throat.
Twenty-six years old, and he was only now understanding what it meant to feel this way about someone. Someone he could never have. He set the empty glass down with perhaps more force than necessary, avoiding both women's eyes. He didn’t dare look at Elena, but he felt her go still beside him.
When Finn risked a glance up, he found Laura studying him with an expression he'd never seen from her. Something gentle maybe? She gave him the slightest nod, like she'd figured something out, then she ended the game there.
"Well," Laura said, standing, "a game of pool to lighten the mood?"
Finn followed them to the pool table, grateful for something to do with his hands. Maybe the alcohol would help them forget about the last ten minutes. He watched Elena for any change in her demeanor. When she looked up, their eyes met for just a second before she looked away.
Elena took the first shot in the game. It missed badly. Laura frowned. “Oh, good try honey.”
Finn was up next, and he knocked down a few balls in succession. Pool was one of his favorite games to play in college. Elena remarked, “Wow, you’re pretty good at this. Can you show me that technique?”
He felt Laura’s watchful gaze across the pool table as he got behind Elena to her help her with her form. Something felt different about her gaze now,though.
“Stop!”
Finn and Elena snapped up to find Laura looking at them with her arms crossed. “I just remembered that I am incredible at pool,” Laura began making her way toward Elena.
Finn clocked the skepticism in Elena’s eyes.
