“Do snakes see like that? Can she recognize me?”
“Uh, no and yes,” Finn said. “Snakes have pretty terrible eyesight in human terms. What she’s seeing is a you-shaped warm patch. If she recognizes you, it’s kind of… by taste? Or smell, I guess. They’re pretty closely connected in snakes. I think. I’m not an expert or anything.”
“Taste?” Nolan raised an eyebrow.
“They taste the air. Or so I’ve read. Between you and me? Not a huge snake fan. I’m used tohernow, but…”
“Really?” Nolan asked, surprised. It was hard to imagine Finn being afraid of anything.
“Really,” Finn said. “You want fearless, you’ll have to get to know Oscar. I like small mammals. Small mammals are nice and easy to handle. Everything else is… harder.”
“What about birds?” Nolan was curious now. He’d assumed that Finn just… loved all creatures great and small.
“Basically lizards with wings. But Ezra won me over. He’ll be here next time you come around, assuming we’re skipping next week’s session in favor of going to this party.”
“Right, yeah.” Nolan nodded. He’d calmed down so much after Finn said he’d go with him that he’d almost forgotten he still actually had togo.
“I was thinking of taking half-days on Fridays, actually, so I can come here and make myself useful. I’ve earned it. I work a ton of unpaid overtime as it is.”
“Coming in on Fridayswouldtake a load of pressure off us,” Finn said. “I don’t normally do weekends. Oscar and Ryan are here, but… it shouldn’t fall to them to handle everything I couldn’t get done. You’d be a huge help.”
Nolan beamed, thrilled that he’d stumbled on a way to beuseful. And that the way Finn was talking, he’d mostly be helpinghimout.
“Perfect,” Nolan said. “Then I’m finishing up before my lunch break and I should be here around two-thirty on Fridays.”
Finn grinned at him. “Glad I haven’t scared you off by telling you about how dangerous this could all potentially be. Even if you only heard half of it.”
Nolan shrugged. “I like to live on the edge.”
Which wasn’t evenremotelytrue, but he would have liked it to be true. He would have liked more chances to do bigger and better things.
“My kinda guy,” Finn said.
Another one of those swarms of butterflies erupted in the pit of Nolan’s stomach.
“So do you think a couples’ costume would be too much?” Finn continued, stepping back and walking ahead, presumably to start up the safety briefing again.
“Maybe a little? We’ve only known each other a week. And I’m not much of a costume guy. I was planning on taking the laziest possible route.”
“Yeah, me neither. I’m just thinking about how to squeeze the most revenge out of this.”
Nolan chuckled. Finn’s idea of revenge was harmless, and he couldn’t help but think some part of it was on his behalf. That Finn had been upset about being involved in Gavin’s attempt to embarrass him, but that he wasalsoupset that Nolan had been embarrassed.
He seemed like the kind of caring, empathetic man who’d feel like that. Maybe.
Maybe Nolan was just giving him all kinds of good qualities in his head because he was hot and being nice to him. Wouldn’t have been the first time.
Finn seemed different, though. There was something wholesome and genuine about him.
“I’m willing to entertain any costume suggestions you have, but I reserve the right to veto them.”
“Obviously,” Finn said. “I’m trying to makeGavinuncomfortable, not you. We’re friends now. No take-backs.”
Nolan laughed at Finn’s phrasing, but something in his chest clenched at the thought. Finnwantedto be his friend. He hadn’t been made to feel like an obligation or a hanger-on at all.
Before now, Nolan couldn’t remember ever feeling like someone actually wanted to spend time with him. He’d always just been tagging along.
This Halloween party might end up being fun after all.
