Page 35 of Finding Finn
“I’m in my office!” he sang.
I started to pull out the stairs where I had stored them in the wings. I would need to put them on the cart and wheel them out onto the deck because I needed to change a few pieces of wood that had started to splinter. Then I’d have to begin the arduous task of putting all the pieces together and connecting them to the platform. There were three sets of stairs to this set. One big staircase in the middle, which we called the grand staircase, and then one on each side that curved onto the sides of the stage. It was going to be a lot of work, and I should probably call someone to come and help me. There was no way I could manage this myself.
I walked over to the table and grabbed my cell phone. I pulled up Ben’s number and hoped that he’d be able to come over this afternoon or tomorrow and help me put this monstrosity together. It was my fault. I designed it, but I was also proud of it. Finn’s eyes lit up when I showed him what it would look like. I think it was one of the best sets I had ever designed.
“Hey, that was quick.”
I listened to him drone on about dealing with the landscaping and ordering linens.
“That sucks. But you got it done? Cool. Do you think you could come and be handy with me today or tomorrow, or both if you have the time? I know you’re busy, but… Awesome. No, tomorrow will be perfect. Can we start at ten? Honestly, dude, this is going to take us about eight hours unless I can get some of it done today.”
His laugh made me smile.
“That’s awesome. I owe you, and I know you’ll want to collect. Yeah… I know. Thanks, man. Alright, bye.”
I laid my phone back on the table and looked around for the cart. Where the fuck did I put it? It was usually off in the wings, but I didn’t see it anywhere, and these stairs were way too big for me to carry.
Buffy… Right. I let her borrow it to move some tables around in the green room. She probably left it in the green room. She never put anything back where it belonged. All she had to do was ask, and I could have done that for her in a second, but Buffy liked to do things herself.
I walked out into the lobby and down the small hallway to the side green room door. It was locked. Fuck… I felt in my pocket and realized I had left my keys on the table in the theatre. I shrugged and walked to the office door. I could get in through there. Besides, I’d have to pull the cart back onto the deck and through the lobby to get it into the theatre.
I opened the door and heard Finn’s raised voice.
“You want me back? Marcus, that’s… I mean, I’m not unhappy about it, but… I’m not even in New York. No. I’m in California. No, not LA. I’m in Foggy Basin. It’s… Oh yeah, it’s small. It’s actually pretty great, but…”
My heart stopped and I couldn’t stop myself from walking towards his shut door. He never shut his door. Marcus was his ex, and… A cold shiver ran through my entire body. His ex called him and said he wanted him back. Why wasn’t he screaming and yelling at him and hanging up the goddamn phone?
“Yeah, I’d love that, too. It’s just not that easy. Sure… Yeah… Alright, I’ll… Forty-eight? Ok… I can… Sure, I’ll think about it. I mean, it sounds fucking amazing, but… I know… Yes. I completely understand. No… Look, I get it. There’s no hard feelings, and I’d totally be with you again. Of course, I would. But I have other things I have to consider before I drop everything and run back to New York.”
I had heard enough. My heart sank, and all I wanted to do was break something.
I went to the theatre, sat down in the back corner, and cried. I gave him my heart, and I had never… I would never do that again.
Even if he stayed. He considered it, didn’t he?
‘It sounded fucking amazing. I’d totally get with you again.’ His words broke my heart.
I left the theatre and went home. I couldn’t be there, and I couldn’t see him.
I never wanted to see him again.
13
FINN
How the hell am I supposed to get any work done if I have to stare at Jim James all day? It’s incredibly difficult, and I deserve an award for how much I have accomplished since falling for him. It happened so quickly that my head is still spinning.
I wanted to spend tonight with him. Hell, I wanted to spend every night with him. I wasn’t even sure that I could sleep by myself when I had gotten so used to being wrapped in his strong arms while I drifted off. His breath on the back of my neck was like a balm to soothe all my worries. He made me feel safe. He made me feel seen and appreciated. He made me feel special.
Shit…
He made me feel loved.
Should I say it first? I had never said it first in my life, and I was worried that if I did, he’d look at me like I was crazy. Was it too soon?
I had way too much to do to get ready for tomorrow’s dance rehearsal. Staging a show with all of the blocking for each character was hard enough when you had such a huge cast as Annie did. But there were twenty-seven musical numbersif you counted reprises in this damn show. That was a ton of choreography, and I had only started sketching it out on paper. I had to figure out placements for almost thirty people in this show. That was a lot. Not to mention that there were a few numbers that were dance numbers, as well as huge chorus numbers that I really had to focus on.
I’d start off with I Think I’m Going To Like It Here, which was one of the largest numbers in the show and would use all three stair units. Dancing on stairs – Hell, choreography on stairs, even if it were just walking, was difficult.
