Page 29 of When He Saved Me
“Yeah, honey. Remember we talked about it on Thursday? I have jury duty. I’m going to try to get out of it, but I at least have to show up for the initial selection process.” Shit. I had totally forgotten about that. The stress I felt must have shown on my face because she asked, “What’s wrong? I thought you said you had it covered.”
I groaned, releasing Finn’s hand to tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “It’s finals week. On a normal Monday, I’d be able to skip class and borrow notes from someone, but I have two finals tomorrow, and there’s no way I can miss.”
“Well, is there any way to reschedule? Maybe explain the circumstances?’
“I mean, I can try, but I doubt they’ll let me. The university is pretty strict when it comes to maintaining the integrity of finals. They rarely let anyone reschedule.”
“What’s the issue?” Finn asked, and I turned to look at him. “Mom is pretty weak right now, especially after that infection before Thanksgiving,” I said. “We try to work it so one of us is here with her at all times in case she needs anything.”
“What time are your finals?” he asked.
“One’s at eleven-thirty and the other is at two, I think.”
“Okay, I open at the café tomorrow, but I’m off at ten-thirty. I can come over and hang out for the rest of the day until you get home from your finals.”
“Um, wow. That would be amazing!” I was astounded at the generosity of his offer. He’d only met my mom the one time at Thanksgiving. “Are you sure?”
“It’s not a big deal. I can be here around eleven if that works for you?”
“Yeah, that’s perfect.” I placed my hand on his face, rubbing my thumb over his cheekbone. “Thank you. Seriously, this is…just thank you.”
Aunt Cathy cleared her throat and said, “Sounds like you boys have this handled. I’ll just go say hi to your mom.”
Struck by Finn’s kindness, I leaned forward and kissed him. This kiss was sweeter than before. A gentle press of lips before I pulled back. “Please let me know if there is anything I can do in return.”
“No need to thank me. Hanging out with your mom isn’t a hardship, Jamie.” He pulled away. “But I should get going. I have some things to get done around my apartment, and I need to be up early tomorrow.”
As I walked him to the door, I tried to work through the myriad of emotions I’d experienced in the last half hour. It’d been a damn rollercoaster of feelings, and though I wasn’t ready for him to leave, I also knew I would be better off if I gave myself some space to process everything. And even though I was terrified that as soon as reality set in, Finn would make a run for it, I knew he needed the processing time too. I wanted him to be sure this was what he really wanted. He’d made some bold declarations tonight, and it would kill me if he came to the conclusion that this was all too much. I didn’t want him to regret making a decision with his dick. If he truly wanted this, wanted us, then I wanted him to make that decision with a clear head.
At the door, we turned to face each other, staring awkwardly while waiting for the other to speak first. Finally, he broke the silence. “I really am sorry, Jamie. I’m sorry I freaked out.” He released his breath in a whoosh before continuing, “You asked me to let you go if I couldn’t handle it, and I’ll be honest, your intensity scares the shit out of me. It’s fucking terrifying.” He ran his fingers through his hair before reaching for my hoodie and yanking me closer. “But I’m drawn to you too, and I’m not ready to walk away.”
He pulled me into him, lips meeting mine in another searing kiss, but this time, before I could get my bearings, he was already pulling away. “I’ll see you tomorrow at eleven,” he said before pulling the door open and walking out without looking back.
CHAPTER15
FINN
When I was seventeen,I came down with the flu. I’d woken up that day feeling a little off, but my mother had insisted I go to school because she had “things to do” and didn’t have time to deal with a sick kid, even though I was old enough to take care of myself.
I made it through third period before I puked.
In the middle of AP World History.
And again in the hall on the way to the nurse.
I knew my mom would be upset that she had to drop what she was doing to pick me up, and though I’d driven myself to school that day, I was in no condition to drive home. I kind of thought she deserved to have her day interrupted. Had she let me stay home, she could have done whatever she needed to do and left me home to sleep in my own bed. It wasn’t like she’d actually taken care of me when I was sick in years.
Ninety minutes later, she arrived, having been in the middle of a massage where she couldn’t be interrupted. Even if it was the school calling regarding her sick child.
She entered the nurse’s office, her face reflecting the appropriate amount of motherly concern as she fluttered about, feeling my forehead and remarking on how clammy I felt. She picked up my backpack, helped me up, and eyed me with concern as we made our way through the main office and out to the car.
It was all an act, of course. The moment we stepped up to her compact BMW, she dropped the facade, tossing my backpack in the back and leaving me to fend for myself. With a sigh, she put the car in gear, not saying a word on the ten-minute drive home. She pulled into the garage, got out, and headed into the house without bothering to look back at me.
I climbed out of the car, grabbing my backpack out of the backseat, and made my way to my bedroom, pausing once to sit on the stairs when a wave of light-headedness washed over me. I dropped my backpack near the door before stumbling over to my bed, where I stripped down to my boxers and climbed in.
I had no idea what time it was when I woke next, but with the sun setting so early now that it was December, the room was fully dark.
My sheets were damp, my skin clammy, and my body was wracked with chills. I turned to switch on my bedside lamp, and my head immediately started pounding as my stomach rolled with nausea. I hastily threw off my covers, knowing another vomiting episode was imminent, and made a run for my bathroom across the hall.
