Page 42 of Ravenous

“It’s more than working out. You fit in like you’ve always been there.”

“Well, it does help that my friends and my boyfriend are…” Ollie froze, staring at Finn with wide eyes. In response, Finn put on his blinker and pulled into the next parking lot, stopping the car.

“What did you just say?” He turned to face Ollie, his heart beating fast.

“I said it does help that my…my…” Ollie turned an adorable shade of pink, biting his lip. It made Finn want to gather him up and kiss the hell out of him.

“Yourboyfriend. You said boyfriend.” Finn insisted, unable to stop his ridiculous smile. Here he was hoping to take things further but he’d only been thinking physically; Ollie was ready to put a label on them.

“I guess I did,” Ollie breathed out. “But don’t get all-”

Finn rolled down the window. “I’m his boyfriend,” he yelled out to the street, overflowing with joy. Two women who were walking by jumped but one quickly recovered, giving them a thumbs up.

“Oh my god.” Covering his face, Ollie sank in his seat.

“What, are you embarrassed by yourboyfriend?” Finn closed the window, batting his lashes at Ollie while lightly poking him in the side.

“No, no, no. Stop poking!” Ollie giggled, almost spilling his coffee as he tried to slink away in the limited space of the passenger seat. With his bright eyes, flushed cheeks, and jubilant expression he was every inch the Sunshine he’d been dubbed, and Finn was captivated once again.

“I’m going to store that information for later,” he declared, reaching out and grazing his fingertips along Ollie’s delicate wrist. “But right now I’m going to bask in the fact that you called me your boyfriend.” Grasping the hand he was touching, he turned it, placing a kiss in the center of the palm and taking in the scent of powder and lilies. Ollie let out a slow pleased breath and curled his fingers as if he wanted to hold onto the feel of Finn’s lips.

“And you’re okay with that?” Ollie’s tone was careful.

“More than okay. How about you?” Finn stared right into those light blue pools, seeing the caution but also the hesitant joy.

“I like it.” Ollie’s words were soft. “But I didn’t mean to spring it on you.”

Lifting Ollie’s hand even more, Finn placed a kiss on his fingertips. “You know what? The fact that you said it so casually means it’s something you’ve become used to. That you’ve been thinking of me as your boyfriend for a little while now, and I’m perfectly fine with that.”

“Good.” Ollie worried his lip but then steeled himself. “I like you, Finn.”

Even though their date had just started, that simple declaration already made it a success. Ollie was still hesitant and careful so this much vulnerability was a win, making Finn fall even more head over heels.

“Guess what? I like you too.” Finn played with one of Ollie’s golden curls, spinning it around his finger. “So how about yourboyfriendfinishes the drive to the tennis court? Then you can play tennis with yourboyfriend. Maybe yourboyfriendwill even buy you a smoothie afterward. Me. Finn. Yourboyfriend.”

Ollie let out a peal of laughter, shaking his head. “I can’t wait to kick your ass on the court.”

Ollie didn’t make idle threats, for he was incredible at tennis.

Their second stop was Match Makers, an indoor tennis facility a short drive away. Finn had rented a hard court for two hours, along with a ball machine, and after a short warm-up they started a friendly game that soon turned into a dogfight.

Finn had power, which was great for his serves and returns, but Ollie had speed and placement. He reached balls at a pace that seemed to break the laws of physics and he kept making Finn run back and forth across the court, laughing as he huffed and puffed.

“You need better footwork, old man,” Ollie taunted as Finn dove for a ball that came in at a wicked angle and missed.

“You need to respect your elders.” Wiping the sweat from his forehead with his wristband, Finn headed to the bench and took a long drink from his water bottle. A few seconds later Ollie joined him. “Exactlywheredid you learn to play like this?”

“From my dad. He took us all out every weekend. Only Sophie and I stayed with it, but I’m a little rusty, I haven’t been on the court in a while.”

“If that’s what you call rusty then you should tour with the pro circuit.” Finn raised an eyebrow.

“Always with the flattery.” Ollie stood on his toes, giving Finn a peck on his cheek. “I was on the high school team but they didn’t use me much.”

“Then they wasted you.”

“I think you bring out my competitive spirit.” Ollie tossed his racket from one hand to the other. “Did you do any sports in high school?”

“Naw.” Finn grabbed a few yellow balls from the waiting machine, stuffing them in his pockets. “I had two after-school jobs and played bass in a band.” There was a time when Finn wanted to be just like his uncle but unfortunately, he lacked musical talent. He had excellent taste in music but no ability to play it.

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