Chapter Fourteen

From the car, Aiden watched Finn walk Millie up to the gates. Beyond, the grounds sprawled with multiple rectangular-shaped classrooms, the windows and doors of which were decorated with brightly colored posters and drawings.

Aiden didn’t miss how Finn momentarily frowned when Millie scampered off without so much as a backward glance, rubbing his hand over the back of his neck.

“They grow up fast, huh?” Aiden said once Finn got back in the car. A stab in the dark, but enough of his friends were parents for him to know that look on Finn’s face.

“Too fucking fast.” Finn groaned, buckling up. “That obvious?”

“Nah.” Aiden shook his head. “I just pay attention.”

Finn didn’t try to hide his smile. Aiden took that as a personal achievement.

“I need to pick up a few things,” Finn said, propping his arm behind Aiden’s headrest and looking over his shoulder as he reversed.

Aiden clenched his teeth.

“You can buy me a coffee.”

“Oh, can I?” Aiden laughed. “How generous.”

“I’m getting dinner,” Finn defended. “Gotta pull your weight on this date.”

“You had no problem pulling my—”

“You are terrible.”

Sniggering to himself, Aiden watched Finn navigate the sprawling roads that seemed to radiate the heat back onto them.

“Where did scuba diving come from?” Aiden asked after a few long moments, no longer ignoring that budding curiosity that reared its head when talking to Finn.

“What?” Finn squinted at him. “Like the whole bloody history? I dunno.”

Rolling his eyes, Aiden said, “No. You and Ryan. Did you wake up one day and decide?”

“I wish it were that simple,” Finn said, scratching that nick of a scar beneath his eye in thought. “Our parents had the boat, but it wasn’t used nearly enough. And when I was in uni, I got into diving. Getting certified was a hell of a lot more useful than my degree ever was.”

“Did you do something like advertising?”

“With that disdain, I’m taking it that you did.”

“Marketing. Now fess up.”

“I—”

“No, no,” Aiden interrupted him, shifting in his seat to study Finn more in-depth. “I’ve spent ages trying to figure you out. I want to see if I can tell.”

“You think the answer is on my face?”

“It’s…” Aiden reached out, poking Finn between the brows. “Right there.”

“All right.” Finn chuckled. “Give it a go.”

Aiden wasn’t sure what made him say it. Something in his core told him that it couldn’t be anything else.

“Photography.”

With an appraising nod, Finn said, “Close. Very close.”

“Close?”

“Film.”

“Pft.” Aiden waved a hand. “Same difference.”

“I’m not rising to that bait only because I prefer photography,” Finn said. “I’m impressed you got that close.”

“The photos were a bit of a giveaway.”

The pictures in Ryan’s house that Aiden had spent a great deal of time to date studying.

“Back to your initial question.” Finn took a careful left, somehow the same person who had almost left tire marks on the road when he turned around for Millie’s project. “I got certified, took Ryan out on a few dives, and he fell in love. And Ryan doesn’t half-ass anything. He came up with the idea. Schultz’s Scuba. Fix up the old boat, get some gear, grab a spot by the marina, try to make something of it.”

Finn spoke of his younger brother with a soft fondness that made something uncomfortable twist in Aiden’s stomach. They were close. Aiden didn’t have to wait until this moment to figure that out. He’d seen the photo frames adorning Finn’s home, heard how fondly Millie talked about her uncle. Maybe that hadn’t always been the case—maybe they worked a lot on this close brotherly bond.

But Aiden couldn’t help but feel jealous that he’d missed out on that experience.

“I thought he was off his rocker at first.” Finn laughed, clapping his hand lightly against the wheel. “But I went with it. I’m shit at saying no to him.”

“That can end in a lot of trouble.”

“Oh, it has. But we’re on a date, and I’m trying to make my best impression.”

Aiden didn’t blush.

But if he did, he sure as shit turned toward the window to disguise his flaming cheeks.

“We’ll save it for the second date, then.”

“Second date.” Aiden could practically hear the smile in Finn’s voice. “Sounds promising.”

Most of the morning was spent running errands, but by the time they finished their coffees (thoughtfully purchased by Aiden while Finn dropped off empty oxygen tanks), Aiden’s cheeks ached from smiling and excitement thrummed through his veins.

“Are you sure about not joining?” Finn asked as he pulled into a parking spot near the beach. Crowds were already starting to bustle, rushing to find the perfect spot to sunbathe, children dipping their toes in the water and running off with a delighted shriek.

His mam would have loved this. A blanket, some chips, and a shady spot, and this would be perfect. The cold back home made her hip pain flare, and this would have been the perfect thing to offset that. It would sure beat their picnics in mam’s backyard, more common in his youth than now. Aiden imagined her back home, alone, and felt a pang of guilt.

“I’ve never been so sure about anything in my life.”

“Bold words for someone who hasn’t tried before.” With that as his firm final words, Finn got out of the jeep and made his way to the back, popping the boot and hauling out two trunks.

“Is there anything I can do to help, or is now the time I piss off?” Aiden asked, arms crossed over his chest and Finn’s borrowed sunglasses on the bridge of his nose.

“You can stick around if you wanna watch the hilarity of people getting into wetsuits.”

“Isn’t that a bit pervy?”

“Not if it’s me you’re looking at.” Finn threw him a cheeky grin. “I actively encourage it.”

Aiden didn’t do flustered, so he let out a dry laugh instead of trying to kick his brain into gear. Had Finn noticed all of the times Aiden had stared?

Aiden didn’t want to linger too much on that thought.

“I’m going to go wander.”

“I’ll be done around three.” Finn leaned up against the side of the jeep with his arms crossed over his chest for no other discernible reason than to look good doing it.

“And I’ll be back then,” Aiden said, about to turn on his heel before thinking better of it.

It felt as though Aiden had chipped away a part of himself that was scared to do something like this. To have fun with someone, to let loose a little, follow his own desires, to be spontaneous.

And nothing hit all those points on the head like going up to kiss Finn goodbye.

Before Finn had a chance to register what was happening, Aiden pulled back and reveled in the dazed expression on his face before setting off in the opposite direction.

“Shops are better the other way!” Finn yelled after him, but Aiden only waved over his shoulder.

It was a ploy, no doubt. Aiden would wait until Finn left to double back on himself.

He had enough pride to do that.

(Even if it was a struggle.)

It took a while for Aiden to turn back, enjoying an aimless stroll far more than he thought he would. With the sun on his shoulders, fresh air in his lungs, and the gentle lapping of the waves never far from him, he felt as though he could walk for hours.

Much later—armed with two bags, an ice pop in hand, and his bare toes in the sand—Aiden startled when a group of five people in wetsuits rose from the water. Glistening under the glittering sun, with heavy oxygen tanks on their backs and thick goggles over their eyes, Aiden’s minor heart attack soon turned into amusement.

“Great job on your dive today, folks,” an all-too-familiar voice said, pulling the goggles off as he led the team back to shore. “Some naturals among you.”

“Sasha almost died.”

“It happens to the best of us.” Finn chuckled, eyes drawn to the figure lying out on the sand, sucking on an ice pop. The only one there without a towel and a parasol, and shockingly—to Aiden himself—he didn’t give a shit about it. Recovering, Finn continued. “Right, if you’ll follow me back to the jeep, we’ll get the gear off ya and look at the pictures.”

“Did you get Sasha almost dying?”

“Shut up, Charlie.”

“If it helps.” Finn fell into step beside the girl who’d just spoken. “My first dive was a disaster. I…”

Aiden leaned forward, but it was too late. Finn was way out of earshot, and Aiden couldn’t help but think of that as intentional. Promising to needle the rest of that story out of him later, Aiden lay back in the sand for the remainder of the time he had left. But with his stomach rumbling and the top of his nose starting to throb from the glare of the sun (he’d always been shit at applying sunscreen), Aiden was happy to hurry back to the jeep.

Granted, he did slow once Finn came into view. He was pulling on a pair of shoes, hair still wet from the sea.

It was a good look.

Aiden hadn’t been in on the dating game for a while, but even he knew that it was best not to come across too eager.

“Hey,” Aiden said on approach, tossing his bags in on top of the boxes of gear.

Finn curiously peered at the bags. “Lots of goodies?”

“Maybe. Something for my mam, of course.” Aiden leaned up against the side of the jeep. “I did get Millie some funky lights for her bike. Just to cover my ass if nothing lucky happens next week.”

Snorting, Finn closed the boot. “Is that an actual superstition, or did you pull it out of your ass?”

“Entirely out of my ass.”

“I nearly believed you.” Moving to the passenger side, Finn pulled open the door and bowed, hand outstretched. “Your chariot awaits.”

“Really pulling out all the stops, huh?”

“I’m also eager to get going.” Finn wasted no time getting into the driver’s seat, setting off just as Aiden clicked the seat belt in. “I’m starving. You like burgers?”

Aiden remembered Kat laughing at him when he (excitedly, because who didn’t want their big sister’s approval?) told her his first date with Dan had been at a burger joint.

“Burgers are not first date food,” she’d sneered, unimpressed. “You probably made such a mess of yourself.”

Aiden absolutely did make a mess of himself, but he’d still secured a second date.

“Yeah.” Aiden nodded firmly, expression far more serious than the question required. “I love burgers.”

The restaurant in question wasn’t far off, a little farther down the beach that really could have been a walk. Finn’s stomach was rumbling steadily, so Aiden understood the desire to get there as quickly as possible.

“Are you going to finish that story for me?” Aiden said once they were seated.

Finn tilted his head to the side. “What story?”

“The one you were telling that family. About your first dive.”

“You heard that, huh?”

I pay attention went unsaid, but certainly not unheard, based on the wry grin that stretched over Finn’s features.

“Don’t leave me in suspense.”

Finn hummed, casting an eye over the mostly empty outside seating area. “I don’t know if I will.”

“Whatever reputation you’re trying to uphold, you’ve already single-handedly ruined it,” Aiden said.

“Cheeky.”

“I like it.” Tone softer, Aiden absently wet his bottom lip, avoiding Finn’s eye. “No bullshit.”

Finn was quiet for a moment in a way that Aiden didn’t know how to read. Either he was questioning what the hell he meant by that, or he was weighing up the pros and cons of divulging this particular story. Aiden wasn’t sure.

“It was my mate’s birthday the night before,” Finn said, and Aiden leaned forward, unwilling to miss a moment of this. “Ended up being a bit of a piss up. But the dive was nonrefundable, so I decided to suck up the hangover and go for it.”

Somehow, Aiden knew exactly where this was going, inching back in horror.

“Spewed up my guts halfway in. Single-handedly contributed to ocean pollution that day, lemme tell you.”

“I don’t know what to say to that.”

“Neither did I.”

“The poor instructor.”

“The poor fish.”

Eyes meeting, the two broke down into snorting laughs that Aiden barely recovered from by the time the waiter wandered over to take their orders. Aiden couldn’t even blame the poor guy when he rolled his eyes, barely making out what they were saying. Through profuse apologies, they managed to make it.

And by the time the bill came, they’d moved their chairs so they were sat together, Finn’s arm thrown over Aiden’s shoulders. A heavy, warm presence that Aiden leaned into—almost afraid that it would end.

It set a precedent for the rest of the date, wanting to hold on to that moment.