Finn smiled, and his entire face lit up. “Getting to know me so well already. This is such a good sign for our working relationship.”
He sat, looking up at me through his long, dark lashes.Was I starting to get an obsession with people’s eyes?
“I’ll have an espresso. Actually, can you make it a double shot?”
I couldn’t help but chuckle because, of course, he was an espresso drinker. “Sure,” I replied before making my way to the counter and waiting while the server made our drinks. I needed a moment to catch my breath because Finn was... well, Finn was a lot.
I’d gone to Ecuador to start a new life; fresh adventures my mum had toasted at my leaving party... and I did have an amazing time—the dives, the boats, the helicopter rides, I’d been to the Galapagos, for fuck’s sake. In terms of my career, the last five years had been amazing, but personally, it had not been so great. And being around someone new, who had the energy Finn emanated, well, it was all a bit much. Especially this early in the morning, with an inadequate level of caffeine in my system.
He appeared beside me, smiling at the server as he said, “We’ll have two eggs Benedict, please.”
I frowned. “I usually have a smoothie.”
He looked me up and down unashamedly, making me feel like the room had suddenly got hotter by a few degrees.
“Life is too short for smoothies,” he declared loudly, and the man behind the counter nodded his agreement.
I carried our drinks back to the table, following Finn.
“Life will be a lot shorter if I eat crap every day,” I informed him as I sat.
Finn pulled out the chair across the other side of the small, round table, reaching for his mug with his long, elegant fingers that looked more like he should be playing the piano professionally than organising my life.
He tilted his head, his stare intense. “When was the last time you got laid? It sounds like you need someone to fuck the stick out of your arse.”
I choked on fresh air, glad I’d not had a sip of my coffee yet. “I’m not into that,” I explained, trying not to let him see how flustered he’d made me.
Finn raised a brow. “Right, you’re a top. I should have known.” I couldn’t believe how casually he was discussing this; my eyes darting around to see if anyone was listening.
I shook my head, probably a little too aggressively. “No, I mean I’m not gay.” I whispered the last word, despite there being no one anywhere near us, and Finn burst out laughing.
When I didn’t join in, Finn stopped. “What, really?” He sounded shocked. “Are you sure?”
“Er, yes.”
He shrugged. “Okay, well, it’s obviously time my gaydar got a tune up. Maybe the antenna’s dented.”
Before either of us could say another word, our food arrived, and our conversation came to an end, but I couldn’t get rid of the strange taste it left in my mouth.
* * *
“So you’re tellingme that the research you’re working on is about whether fish swim up and down and how that affects the ones that swim back and forth?”
I chuckled, watching as Finn stared at me in disbelief.
“I mean, that might be the most simplistic way to describe diel vertical migration, but yes, that about sums it up. Some migrate long distances, some move up and down through different layers of the sea. They go deeper to hide from predators, and they move up towards the surface to eat. My research looks at how that movement has altered with climate change and if that impacts on other species.”
Finn leant forward, resting his elbow on the table, and then put his chin on his hand. “And that all started while you were in Ecuador?”
“No. My dissertation at uni. Then I wrote some journal articles on it, which was how I got the job in Ecuador. While I was there, the findings went global. I mean, it’s the most in-depth mapping of the deep sea we’ve got.”
“Impressive.”
I put my knife and fork down. “Thank you, but you didn’t know what the research was about when you took the job?”
He shrugged. “My job is to assist you while you do your job, so it doesn’t matter to mewhatyou’re researching.”
I didn’t do anything but offer him a small nod, as I guess he had a point. “So tell me about you, Finn.” I sat back in my seat, waiting for him to spill the beans.
