“That’s a shame,” Gavin said. “Mr. Twenty-seven-year-old virgin here could probably use someone who does.”
Finn had no idea how to respond to that, especially since Nolan had gone bright red. Gavin probably thought it was a joke, but his… friend? Brother? Obviously didn’t feel the same way.
Which made the whole situation even more awkward than Finn had been afraid it’d be.
“Not without consent, anyway,” Finn said, not entirely sure that was helpful.
Maybe it was years of working with trapped and frightened animals, but he had a sudden urge to rescue Nolan. The guy looked like he could use it.
“So, uh,” he continued. “If you’re handing me over to him, I guess your work here is done? Oscar’s about to start showing off pictures.”
Gavin grinned broadly, slapping Nolan on the shoulder. “Go get ‘em, tiger,” he said, chuckling to himself as he turned and walked away.
Finn watched him grab a glass of champagne from a tray—probably not his first for the evening—and disappear into the crowd.
Now that he was alone with Nolan, Finn wasn’t entirely sure what to say. Other than maybewow, that guy’s an asshole—but without knowing what their relationship to each other was, that seemed risky.
Which didn’t mean he was about to stop thinking it. He and Oscar gave each other crap about their love lives all the time, but not in front of strangers, and neither of them cared about being teased. That exchange had madehimuncomfortable, and he wasn’t even the focus of it.
“I’m sorry about him,” Nolan said. “He’s… he’s not a bad guy, he’s just like that when he drinks.”
“Brother?” Finn asked, figuring that’d explain it.
“Cousin, but we kinda grew up like brothers.” Nolan shrugged. “He’s okay. I think you’d like him if you got to know him.”
Finn opened his mouth to say that Nolan didn’t need to defend him, but thought better of it. He was here to go on one date for charity. Not explain to the guy all the ways in which one of his closest relationships looked like a mess from the outside.
Hell, maybe Nolan actuallydidlike Gavin’s company.
“Maybe,” he responded instead, since that seemed like a safer, non-committal option. Finn got the impression he reallywouldn’thave liked the guy. A person who was an asshole when they’d been drinking was just a person who was an asshole all the time, but self-aware enough not to get busted being one when they were sober.
He’d learned that lesson the hard way.
“We don’t actually have to do this if you don’t want to,” Nolan said. “I’ll just… tell him we did.”
Finn looked at Nolan carefully, unsure if this was a subtle way of getting out of somethinghedidn’t want to do, or if he was trying to give Finn a way out because he thought Finn wouldn’t want to do it.
Probably the latter. Nolan seemed shy.
Also, being practically forced into a date with a total stranger who was standing in front of you half-naked had to be uncomfortable. Especially if Nolanwasattracted to men, which Finn was starting to think he was.
“Dude, I haven’t been on a date in two years,” he said, knowing that Nolan had already been embarrassed about the state of his love life and wanting to even the playing field a little. “I’m begging you. At least let mepretendsomeone wants to hang out with me.”
Nolan met his eyes, his features going through a dozen different expressions before settling on disbelief. “But you’re…” he gestured vaguely up and down at Finn. “You’re… you.”
“Have been all my life,” Finn agreed, grinning.
“I’m not normally this hopeless.” Nolan sighed. “I mean… that’s a lie, but I’m usually better athidinghow hopeless I am. I don’t do well with crowds.”
“Gotcha,” Finn nodded. “And don’t worry about it. I had to auction myself off shirtless to get anyone to even consider going on a date with me. Embarrassing, or what?”
That wasn’t strictly true—the problem wasn’t convincing people to want to date him in the first place. The problem was that people werepeople, and Finn was sick of them turning out to be awful a few dates in, and he’d just… stopped dating.
If Oscar hadn’t been on his back about it since he’d found Ryan, he probably wouldn’t have done this, either.
Nolan finally laughed, and it felt like a victory. Finn wanted to make him laugh some more.
“Come on,” he said. “Come see the sanctuary. Enjoy my best attempt at putting together a passable meal. Meet the python.”
