Finn gaped at me. “You wereshot?”
Oh. Damn.
“Yeah.”
“Holy hell, the way you said it earlier, I thought you’d gotten into a car crash or something like that. I didn’t think you’d gottenshot.”
The way he looked at me, so full of shock and worry, did something to my insides. It was almost as if my body remembered how to be human and sustain body heat.
“I don’t like to talk about it.”
Finn nodded, his hand squeezing my shoulder again, his scent surrounding me like a blanket. Comforting, warm, and fuzzy.
“I get that. Can I ask one more question?”
No, because every question brought me closer to revealing a truth he wasn’t ready for. And maybe one I wasn’t ready to share.
“Sure. But I can’t promise I’ll answer.”
Finn huffed. “Fair.” He took his time studying my face, my body, then looked me in the eye again. “What kind of permanent damage? Are we talking about muscle damage? Nerve damage?If you hadn’t said anything, I’d never have known. I just want to make sure I’m not, like, inviting you out to go rock climbing when you can’t use your hand, and I’m coming off as an insensitive ass.”
Oof.
“Do you like going rock climbing?” I asked. I’d never seen evidence of that. Then again, I could only watch over him in the evenings. He’d have been back home by then.
“No. It was just an example. I do like to go bouldering, but I’m really not that good. And now, answer my question. If you want to.” He poked my side, and I let out a laugh.
“Okay, okay.” I raised my hands in defeat. “No, I don’t have any muscle damage. The permanent damage is more internal.”
Being undead was an internal change, right?
Apparently, it was considered true as the words came out of my mouth without a problem.
“Oh, okay. That’s…” Finn stopped, shaking his head. “Nope, I’m not going to tell you that’s good because it’s not. It obviously sucks. Especially if you had to give up on med school.”
How was it possible that his compassion felt so good? Not cold and uncomfortable like pity, but warm and cozy.
“Thanks. My life is different now, but I’m starting to get used to it.”
Finn nodded. “From what I can tell, you seem to be very put together.”
I bit my lip to keep a laugh inside. Me? Put together? Yeah, I was so put together I spent almost every night watching him. So put together I was sitting on a fucking rooftop looking through his window just to be able to glimpse him. So fucking put together I couldn’t go even a day without getting my fix of him.
I was behaving like a fucking junkie.
But yes, aside from my completely normal desire to make sure a guy I’d never even talked to before was safe, I was very put together.
“I don’t really feel like it,” I admitted.
Most of the time, I felt like I was drowning, barely managing to keep my head above water.
Finn moved a bit closer, placing his head on my shoulder. “That makes two of us.”
I raised my brows, even though he couldn’t see it. “You?”
He nodded against my shoulder, a little sigh escaping his lips. “The last couple of months have been literal hell. I’ve been working on my thesis non-stop while juggling my job at a coffee shop and the last classes I needed to graduate. Then I needed to add in applying for jobs. It’s just… so much. Apparently, while trying to get everything done, I’ve neglected myself. Now I have gastritis, iron deficiency, and a creepy stalker who’s constantly giving me medical advice. And the worst part is, sometimes I feel like maybe I should just listen to him. So maybe I’m crazier than I thought.”
Or maybe he felt the connection between us even through my notes.
