Page 9 of Ravenous

“Yeah. Liam’s good for him. Takes care of Opie so I’m off the hook.” Finn let out his own long exhale, needing to change the subject.

“Good to hear. Owen could use someone in his life. Just like you. Is there anyone new you want to tell me about?” Joe’s sly grin could be felt through the phone.

Finn wished that he could talk about Ollie but there were so many convoluted feelings and questions that he didn’t know where to begin. It was strange, he’d never thought about his sexuality before. He’d always been attracted to women and never had trouble finding dates but he’d always felt like he was going through the motions, so love had stayed far out of reach. At no point had he considered men; he’d been able to appreciate them and acknowledge their handsomeness in an objective way, but did that make him bisexual? Did his attraction to Ollie make him bisexual?Washe bisexual or just Olliesexual? He’d done a ton of internet research and hadn’t been able to come up with a definitive answer, but he did have some facts. Ollie had wiped out Finn’s loneliness with a single kiss and the effect had lasted for months. Finn still wanted to talk to Ollie again, even kiss him a little more. Finn’s straightness was no longer written in stone; however, Finn didn’t seem to be attracted to any other men.

And he would probably never see Ollie again. His brain had been too scrambled from Ollie’s lips and tongue to ask for any contact information, and the rideshare app showed only Ollie’s first name, which he already knew. He did receive five stars and a review that encouraged him to call but how could he if he didn’t have a number?

Which made him question all this questioning. Why even bother? Unless Ollie suddenly ran into his life again, the entire thing was moot.

Finn sighed. “I wish I could, Uncle Joe, but I’m flying solo right now.”

“Too bad, too bad.” A beat of silence hung between them and Finn could feel his uncle’s hesitation. “Listen. Your dad emailed me. Says he wants to talk to you.”

Finn pinched the bridge of his nose again. If this day got any better by eight o’clock he’d be on fire.

“You mean my sperm donor?” He tried not to get angry.

“Finn…” There was a small plea in the way Joe said his name.

“I’m sorry but you’re a hundred times more my dad than some guy who abandoned me when I was two.” Even holding back, his tone remained acrimonious.

“Ron didn’t abandon you. He just didn’t know what to do after Sadie died.”

“And you did?” Finn snorted, reaching for the ring again and clenching it in his fist. “I’ll give him a point for grief but you don’t drop your son off at someone’s house and go on tour for years. Besides, you were grieving too.”

“But he’s tried to reconnect. He’s still trying.”

Finn stared up at the endless void of night sky. He’d been in first grade by the time his father reappeared in his life and he’d outright rejected the man, not recognizing him. After that, the visits occurred less and less until they stopped altogether and it had been over a decade since Finn had last seen his father. But the man still tried to reach out, and it irked Finn, who blocked him at every turn.

“Sorry Uncle Joe, but it’s too little too late.”

“You’re just like your mother, you know. Stubborn as fuck.”

Finn looked down at the simple silver band he held in his palm. Too small for any of his fingers, it had been around his neck for as long as he could remember. Uncle Joe said that he’d put it there, wanting Finn to have a piece of his mother, and Finn was forever grateful for that because whenever he ran the pad of his fingers over the soft cursiveSengraved on the front it grounded him.

He barely remembered his mom; all he had were fleeting images and feelings - a woman with long sandy hair, a soft laugh, protection, warmth, and a fruity floral scent. Sure, he’d seen pictures - Uncle Joe’s place was littered with them since she’d been his only sibling - but they couldn’t capture the small presence she’d kept in his mind, and the way all of that clung to the ring, never to be forgotten. “Then I guess she’d be proud of me.”

Uncle Joe huffed a laugh. “She would, Nephewson. She absolutely would.”

The phone call put a smile on Finn’s face and it lingered as he started his rideshare hours. The day couldn’t be all bad if he’d gotten to talk to his uncle. Maybe it was turning around.

His first two passengers were a breeze and even though the third needed to be picked up on the edge of the state forest, it was a lovely drive. Pulling into the rugged parking lot, his headlights skimmed over a tall glowering man beside the trail sign. A large backpack, tripod, and a case with a picture of a drone on the front lay at his feet.

Popping the trunk, Finn rolled down the window. “Do you need some help?”

The man’s expression hardened and he seemed almost angry, studying Finn for a moment before shaking his head. It didn’t take him long to get everything in the back and once he buckled up, Finn took note of the destination and headed toward the rich side of town, where the houses were enormous and stunning.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what were you taking pictures of?” A few seconds of silence went by and Finn glanced in the rearview mirror to find sea green eyes staring back at him. The man had his arms crossed and the frown on his face seemed perpetual.

“The sky. A timelapse.” His voice was low and brusque.

“Cool.” Finn nodded, intuiting that more conversation was not welcome and music probably wasn’t either so he let silence reign, keeping his gaze on the road.

About a mile from the destination, a jogger on the sidewalk grabbed his attention. Usually, Finn wouldn’t look twice at someone running outside, but this particular runner had a blond head of curls that bounced with each step and the same proportions as Ollie. Although Finn knew it couldn’t possibly be him, he stared anyway, and as the car passed by Finn gasped, turning to look behind them.

The sharp cheekbones, the pointed cleft chin, and those lush pouty lips were all familiar because they’d been imprinted on Finn’s mind for months. Eyes wide, Finn thanked his past self for not going home and curling up on the couch, because Ollie was here, now, right in front of him.

“Hey!” the man in the back seat barked. “Are you trying to kill us?”

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