Page 20 of Meet Cute

“Homey?”

“I’d love living here.”

“You don’t like your house?”

“I didn't say that.”

“Oh.” You’re really fucking this up, huh, Duncan? Hasn’t even been ten minutes and I’m already about to throw myself out the window, not that the fall would do anything but be a minor inconvenience.

“Should we watch something serious, or like… serious—I mean silly! Silly!” Bulky shoulders hunch up anxiously as an adorably embarrassed expression takes hold of him. “Sorry. I… S-So stupid.”

Clicking through the overabundance of streaming services, I sigh and sink into the couch a bit. “What kind of movies do you like? Have you ever seen Halcyon Reach?”

“The one with the scary android guy?”

“Uh-huh.”

Finn's eyes sparkle. “Yeah! Yes! I love that one. I-It’s actually… ugh… It’s one of my favorites. But I guess it’s kind of a weird, um, favorite to have.”

“Not at all!” It’s my turn to get all stupidly excited over something so small. “That’s one of my favorites, too! I thought it was scary, but also kind of sweet?”

“You… thought it was sweet? Even though the android locks Elio away?” My guest isn’t staring at me with judgment or disgust, but rather some form of curiosity. “Can that be sweet?”

Honestly, no. It can’t really be sweet in real life, can it? But sometimes in fiction that stuff is fun. Maybe. I don’t know. Is that bad? I hope it’s not bad. “Uh… Kinda? It’s just a movie.”

“Right. Just a movie.” Finn’s thumbs twirl around one another as he gulps, before giving me his best dog in trouble look. “Can we watch it?”

“You want to?”

“Yeah!” He beams at me. “We both like it, right? So… why not?”

“Yeah.” No way I can say no when he's giving me those eyes. “Why not?”

Halcyon Reach starts and we’re both on opposite ends of the couch. I’m not as bold as I was back at the gas station, I can barely bring myself to look at him let alone cozy up against him. Where did all my confidence go? I kind of need it back.

My attention is focused anywhere but the screen. I’ve seen the film at least a hundred times, I already know how it’s going to end. But how is this thing between Finn and I going to end?

Certainly we’re not just friends anymore. I’m aware of my tendency to get ahead of myself, but the way we act around each other… It’s not like any friend I’ve ever had, that’s for sure.

Do friends normally ogle each other the way we do? Stolen glances and the kind of timidness that can only be found in inexperience? Yeah, I don’t think so. But I can’t be sure, which sucks. What if I ruin the only shot at friendship I have by seeing something that isn’t there?

Only when Finn’s pinky brushes against my own do I realize he’s closed the space between us. It’s not some grand obvious gesture, but it’s so him. Freezing up like a dumbass, it takes me a full minute to make a damn move and let my body rest against his.

Finn’s shoulders hike up in surprise when my head makes contact, and I swear he’s trying to decipher if it’s a trick or something before he lets himself ease down. “That’s… This is o-okay?”

“Is it?”

A wordless hum of agony leaves his lips. “I… I think it is. I’ve never… this is… good.”

“You’re overthinking it,” I say as if I’m not doing the exact same thing. “We’re just two friends. Um… cuddling, and stuff. Friends do that. If… S-So long as it’s alright, with you.”

No, they don’t. Not like this. There’s a level of intimacy here that I’ve never felt before in my entire life. From the way his breathing is uneven to the way my heart is rattling around my chest as though it’s dying to escape its cage, this is a brand new feeling for me.

“Duncan…?” Finn whispers, not daring to move a muscle. “You’re so warm. I really… I know things were tough for you when you came into the, uh, station… but… I-I really am grateful to have met you.”

“It was worth it.” How could it not have been? Meeting someone you fully mesh with is so rare nowadays. “You know, it’s… it’s weird. I honestly never really thought I deserved anything like this. Having a friend, or… Whatever.”

Admitting my little crush right now would be stupid. I’m not sure what I’m feeling exactly, and ruining things now would be so stupid.