Did Finn feel even a little bit of what Maurice did?
He hoped so. God, he hoped so. But for now, he’d let the boy sleep. Let him explore. Let him find his footing.
And he’d face whatever it brought with as much grace as he could manage.
Chapter Twelve
Finn
Finn left Maurice’s roomwith his heart doing this weird, uneven thump in his chest. He tried to play it cool walking down the hallway, but inside he was buzzing—half thrilled, half confused. He really liked Maurice. More than he should have done after one night. The man was steady and thoughtful, and he looked at Finn as if he saw him.
But then Maurice had said they needed to socialize for the entire week. Meet other people. Explore. Make sure.
Finn understood the logic. He did. But it still stung. It made him wonder if Maurice didn’t like him as much as Finn thought. Maybe Finn had imagined the spark. Maybe Maurice was just being polite. Or responsible. Or older and wiser in that annoying way older men sometimes were.
He slipped into his cabin and shut the door behind him. The room felt too quiet after being with Maurice. Too empty. He sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed his hands over his face.
He had a breakfast date with Jacob in the morning. Jacob Gates. A doctor. A handsome one. And Finn should be excited about that. Shouldn’t he? All he could think about was Maurice’s voice telling him they both needed to socialize.
Finn flopped back on the bed with a groan. “Great. Now I’m overthinking everything.”
A knock startled him upright.
He opened the door and found Mr. Santos standing there, arms crossed, expression somewhere between concerned and nosy.
“Finn, may I come in for a moment?”
“Uh… sure.” Finn stepped aside.
Mr. Santos walked in as if he owned the place, then turned to face him. “I saw you leaving Maurice’s room. I wanted to check on you.”
Finn’s stomach tightened. “Why?”
“Because you looked… conflicted.” Mr. Santos tilted his head. “Did Maurice say something to upset you?”
Finn shrugged, trying to play it off. “He just said we should socialize this week. Meet other people. Make sure we know what we want.”
“Ah.” Mr. Santos nodded slowly. “And how did that make you feel?”
Finn let out a breath. “Like maybe he doesn’t like me as much as I thought.”
Mr. Santos’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh, sweetheart. That man likes you. Trust me.”
Finn blinked. “He does?”
“Very much.” Mr. Santos gave him a small smile. “But Maurice is cautious. He’s older. He’s been through things. He doesn’t want you to miss out on the experience of this train because you met someone you clicked with on day one.”
Finn sat on the bed again, absorbing that. “So he wasn’t pushing me away?”
“No,” Mr. Santos said. “He was trying to do the right thing. Even if it hurt him a little.”
Finn’s chest ached a little bit. “I have a breakfast date with Jacob tomorrow.”
“I know,” Mr. Santos said. “And you should go. Talk to him. Meet people. But don’t assume Maurice’s distance means disinterest.”
Finn looked down at his hands. “I really thought he liked me.”
“He does,” Mr. Santos said. “But he wants you to choose freely. Not because he was the first man who smiled at you.”
