Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

FINN

My feet drag across the concrete as I make my way toward my favorite coffee shop in need of the magical bean juice now.

I’ve never been a morning person, and I doubt I’ll ever be one, but coffee makes the early hours slightly more bearable. Without it I’m not enjoyable to be around —like at all. Today isn’t just any morning either, it’s a Monday morning, and those are the absolute worst. It makes my need for caffeine even more necessary.

I’m within arm’s reach of the front door when two girls exit the building talking in an intense manner and taking their sweet ass time moving out of the way.

“Did he really say that?” the blonde asks the brunette, sounding extremely pissed off. She pauses her footsteps and waits for a response.

My teeth grind as I wait for them to move.

Why are people like this? Don’t they realize that others possibly want inside?

“Yeah, some guys are just fucking pigs,” the brunette responds, not moving either.

I glare at them, wanting to dismember their bodies so they are no longer in my way.

This is why I need coffee. Homicide is not a smart way to start a week. It would put a serious damper on me achieving my goals. I’d probably be able to continue part of my education in jail, but no one wants to hire a felon. And I also don’t think you can become a social worker with a criminal record.

“Excuse me,” I grumble instead of choosing violence.

“Oh my God. I’m so sorry,” the blonde with cornflower blue eyes, that look somewhat familiar, but I don’t know why, says as her cheeks turn a bright shade of pink.

“It’s okay,” I tell her even though I don’t really mean it. I just want her out of my way.

“It really isn’t,” she counters. “Let me buy you a coffee for being so inconsiderate,” she offers, walking back inside without waiting for my response but it allows me to finally enter the coffee shop, so I don’t complain. “I’m not normally a rude person,” she tells me as we wait in the stupidly long line. “But Michelle was telling me about this guy who called her a stuck-up snob for saying no to a date. It just reminded me of a couple of experiences I’ve had, and I saw red. Obviously, that doesn’t make up for us blocking the coffee shop door.”

I wave her off. She’s right that her excuse doesn’t make up for her inconsideration, but I’ve also been guilty of being so pissed off that I forget about the world around me.

“It’s fine,” I assure her now that some of my anger has left me. “I’m just grumpy in the mornings before I’ve had my coffee.”

She smiles and nods. “I’m the exact same way. I don’t understand morning people.”

I chuckle. “Same. I’m Finn by the way.”

“Aurora,” the blonde says, then points to her friend. “And this is Tara.”

“Nice to meet you,” Tara responds with a toothy grin. “I love your outfit by the way.”

I can’t help but beam at the compliment. Today my outfit is on the simple side. A long silver slip dress with an oversized gray knit sweater overtop, and a pair of black loafers.

“Thank you,” I tell her with a warm smile. “So tell me about this asshole who clearly has a small dick and a complex.”

Aurora and Tara giggle at my statement then begin telling me about the guy who got butt hurt over being told no.

By the time we make it to the front of the line, I’m completely filled in on the gossip and am more than a little appalled at how some men treat women these days.

As promised Aurora pays for my coffee and the girls wait with me for my order, retelling some of their dating horror stories.

“Sometimes I wish I was a lesbian,” Aurora says as we make our way out of the coffee shop, not stopping this time to block anyone’s entrance into the place.

“Me too,” Tara murmurs, and I can’t help but laugh.

“I’m sure not all guys are asshats,” I assure them. “I bet your Prince Charming is right around the corner.”

The girls laugh and Aurora shrugs. “I’m happy being single right now, but hopefully one day I’ll meet a man who isn’t a complete tool.”

I laugh along as we walk toward campus.

Our classes aren’t in the same building, but we are able to walk for a small while together, continuing to chat about a bunch of different things.

When we get to the spot that we need to go in separate directions, Aurora pauses and rolls her eyes. “Ugh,” she murmurs, but there is a smile on her face so she’s obviously not too put off. “Here comes an annoying morning person,” she says to me, keeping her eyes on whoever she’s talking about.

When I glance toward where she is looking, I’m taken aback to find the man who has been popping into my thoughts far too often this past week walking in our direction.

“Hey,” Monster greets us looking back and forth between me and Aurora. “I didn’t know you two were friends.”

“We just met today,” Aurora supplies. “I was an asshole, so I bought him a coffee to apologize.” She pauses and her brows pull together. “How do you know Finn?”

“We study at the same library,” I tell her, trying to figure out the connection between Monster and Aurora.

That’s when I realize why Aurora’s eyes looked so familiar when we first met. They are the exact same as Monster’s. They must be related. Either that or it’s a weird coincidence.

“I made an ass out of myself, too,” Monster tells Aurora. “Finn confronted me about staring at him and I had to explain that I wasn’t actually a jerk, just shy and intrigued.”

Aurora giggles. “That really doesn’t surprise me,” she tells Monster before turning her attention back to me. “My brother isn’t the biggest people person.”

I nod thankful that she told me how they are related without me having to ask. “He told me that in the library.”

“I’d love to talk more but Tara and I really need to get to class,” Aurora says before waving at me and heading in the direction Monster just came from with Tara by her side.

“Where are you heading to?” Monster asks, shoving his hands in his pocket.

“Main campus,” I tell him, and he smiles.

“Me, too. Want to walk together?” he checks, and I shrug.

“Sure,” I respond, before taking a sip of my coffee, which is now the perfect temperature for drinking.

We walk for a little while, neither of us saying anything, just taking in the morning. You’d think it would be awkward since we don’t really know each other but it’s oddly comfortable. This confuses me because the last person I should be this at ease with is a baseball player.

Monster intrigues me though, which is why I’ve been thinking about him since our run in the other day. Of course, I’ve been daydreaming about how fucking hot he is because I’m human and it would be impossible not to be attracted to him. But that’s not all that has been going through my head. I keep thinking about him calling me magnetic and it makes me want to know who this guy really is, even though the traumatized part of me is screaming to do the exact opposite. Getting to know him will only open me up to the possibility of getting hurt. However I can’t get him out of my head, and it almost feels like kismet that we’re walking together right now.

“So what made you choose GSU?” Monster asks, breaking the silence, and pulling me from my thoughts.

“I wanted to attend somewhere that was mostly safe for me to be me,” I tell him, and he nods.

“Was it not safe for you where you grew up?” he asks, and I shake my head.

“I’m from a small town that doesn’t understand when people are different. They want everyone to fit into a specific mold and if you don’t, you’re ostracized.”

Monster frowns with a look of disapproval. “I hate that people are like that. Is your family at least supportive?”

I nibble on my lower lip trying to figure out how much I want to tell him. He’s still practically a stranger to me and doesn’t need me to trauma dump on him.

“My grandpa is extremely supportive,” I tell him, leaving out the rest of my family for now. “He was the one who encouraged me to attend GSU. He even did the campus walk with me when I was trying to figure out which school to attend.”

“That’s good,” he responds with a simple smile. “I’m glad you have someone on your side.”

“Me, too,” I whisper. “And I’m really glad he pushed me to come here because I’ve met some amazing people. I feel like for the first time in my entire life I don’t have to hide myself. It’s nice to have real friends.”

“GSU is pretty fantastic,” he tells me. “I’m glad you like it here. And I’m glad I got to meet you. I’ll admit that I’m now even more intrigued by you.”

I tilt my head to the side. “And why is that?”

“I’m just trying to figure out how someone who came from a place that tried to knock them down stands so tall and shines so bright,” he states. “It would be so easy for you to be a shell of a person but instead you’re vibrant, outgoing, and true to yourself. At least, that’s the way I see you.”

His words cause my heart to beat a little faster and for butterflies to erupt in my stomach. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten a compliment like that before. It quiets the insecure and scared voice inside of me a tiny bit. Maybe it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to get to know this guy better.

“There were times when I almost let the negativity that I grew up in take me out,” I admit quietly, looking down at my feet as we continue to walk. “But then those assholes I detest would win and I couldn’t let that happen. I knew that I needed to continue to be me and to not give a damn what anyone else said. Not everyone is going to like me and that’s okay. What matters at the end of the day is that I like me.”

When I glance up at Monster’s face the look in his mesmerizing blue eyes causes my breath to catch in my lungs. It seems like it’s a mixture of admiration and awe. Has anyone ever looked at me like that before?

Someone who can look at me like that can’t possibly be bad, can they?

The feeling of wanting to get to know him better grows inside me, quieting the voice that wants to keep him at arm’s length even more.

“I’m glad you didn’t let them keep you down, because the world needs more people like you,” he tells me with a warm smile that wraps around my heart, giving it a squeeze and causing more butterflies to erupt in my stomach.

“Thank you,” I whisper before nibbling on my lower lip again.

As we near the building that we are heading to, I realize I don’t want to say goodbye. I want to keep this conversation going and figure out who Monster is. We’ve really only talked about me today and the only way I’ll learn more about Monster is if we spend more time together.

“Would you like to hang out again?” I ask before we go our separate ways. “Maybe grab dinner one evening?”

As the words leave my lips, I hear how much it sounds like I’m asking him out on a date, and I remember him telling me that he doesn’t date. I hope that my question doesn’t send him running, but I don’t rush to correct myself because maybe I secretly want this to be an actual date.

“Yeah, I’d like that,” he says, beaming at me and giving me this giddy feeling.

I pull my phone out of my pocket and open my contacts before passing it to him. “Put in your details and I’ll text you my number.”

He quickly obliges then hands me back my phone and I send him a quick text, so he has my information.

“You’ve probably got a much busier schedule than I do, so text me when you’re free,” I tell him before heading off to my class.

My head is racing as I walk away from him wondering if this could possibly be a mistake. I’ve long had a serious distrust for athletes, baseball players especially, but Emory taught me that not all athletes are assholes so maybe not all baseball players are jerks either.

Just before I reach my class, my phone vibrates, and I open the text message.

Monster: Are you free Thursday evening?

A giant smile spreads across my lips easing the anxiety that was creeping up my spine and causing me to spiral. Even if this is a mistake, I want to do this.

Me: I am.

Monster: Cool. Do you like sushi?

Me: I do.

I want to kick myself for the stupid two-word responses but I’m struggling to figure out how exactly to respond.

Monster: Awesome. I know this amazing place that I guarantee you’ll love. Parking is shit though…

Monster: But I could pick you up… if you’d be okay with that.

I can’t help but smile even more. A nervous Monster is cute, and at least I know I’m not the only one who isn’t feeling super confident at this exact moment.

Me: That would be perfect.

Monster: Awesome! 7pm work?

Me: Works for me.

Monster: Great! Shoot me your address and I’ll see you then.

A nervous and excited energy courses through my veins as I shove my phone into my pocket and enter my classroom. I just hope that deciding to get to know Monster better is the right move here and that it doesn’t blow up in my face.