“Not much to tell,” Nolan said. “Gavin made me write a few extra reports as payback for showing up with you last week. Could’ve been worse.”
Finn sighed. “Sorry, man. I didn’t wanna get you in trouble.”
“I’m not in trouble,” Nolan said. “And if I wanted to leave, I could. I just know that the company would collapse without me keeping the I.T. systems running, and I’m not pissed enough at him yet to be responsible for that.”
“He could hire someone else,” Finn pointed out. “I mean… I’m sure you’re irreplaceable, but…”
“No, I’m totally replaceable skill-wise,” Nolan said. “But no one else would put up with him. He likes me because I’m a doormat.”
“Gavin’s lack of people skills aren’t actually your problem.” Finn glanced at the map he’d set up on his phone, checking for his next turn. “You don’t have to lie down and take it.”
“You know what I hate most in the world?” Nolan asked.
Finn shook his head.
“Confrontation. The status quo iseasy, and life’s hard enough as it is.”
“I get that,” Finn said. He’d stayed at homemuchlonger than he should have because it was easier. Because it saved an argument. Because moving out was hard and scary.
So he wasn’t exactly in a position to throw stones. And he didn’twantto, anyway. He just wanted Nolan to be happy.
“So did anything exciting happen at the sanctuary this week?” Nolan asked, and it wasn’t exactly the smoothest subject change ever, but he didn’t plan on pushing. If Nolan wanted to talk, he’d talk.
And Finn would listen.
Because Nolan was his friend. His adorable friend who made his stomach flutter sometimes.
Okay, so, that crush he’d started forming last Friday wasn’t going anywhere. No big deal. Nolan never had to know.
“We got a squirrel in!” Finn enthused. “I was excited for you to meet her, actually. I guess you can do that when we get back.”
“You really do love squirrels, huh?”
Finn shrugged, a blush creeping up his neck. He was a huge dork when it came to small fluffy animals, and he knew it. “They’re cute. And they’re an important part of the ecosystem.”
“You’re adora—,” Nolan said, and then shut his mouth with a click.
A broad grin spread across Finn’s face. “You were gonna call me adorable,” he said, glancing over at Nolan as he made the next turn his phone told him to.
“Maybe,” Nolan mumbled. Finn didn’t even have to look at him to know he was blushing.
“Iamadorable,” Finn continued. “It’s okay to acknowledge it. I’m a grown man, I’m six feet tall and I weigh in at one-eighty, and I’m cute as a goddamn button.”
“Six feet?” Nolan asked.
“Five-eleven and a half. I’m rounding up,” Finn defended.
“No, I mean… I guess I believe that, I just… I dunno, I feel like I would normally have been afraid of a guy who had six inches on me.”
Unable to stop himself, Finn giggled. “I can do a little better than six inches,” he said.
“Are you still rounding up?” Nolan responded before Finn could even begin to regret saying it.
Maybe flirting was something they did now. Maybe Nolan was catching on.
Although, it was kinda hard to tell.
Finn hadn’t had the chance to flirt in alongtime, so he was a little on the rusty side.
