Finn drops my hand as we near the building's exit. He pushes the metal door back and steps to the side, allowing me to walk past him. I'm not sure where his car is-did he even bring a car?-so I just stand awkwardly to the side while he fishes his keys out of his jean pocket.

"Stop looking so scared. It's just me." His words are spoken in his normal I-got-no-care-in-the-world-tone. He even puts his hands up in an innocent gesture, perhaps in an effort to ease my runaway nerves.

All I can offer him is a wimpy smile. Pathetic at its best, I'm well aware. "I'm not scared of you. I'm scared of myself."

Have you ever told someone the blunt truth, but then a second later wished you hadn't? That just happened to me. I didn't mean to tell Finn what was on my mind, the words just tumbled out of my mouth.

Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

My face is frozen in shock- mouth wide open in the form of a large 'O' and eyes as wide as saucers. Finn just stares at me in confusion.

"I...don't understand."

Thank the heavens for that.

I look up and straight into the awaiting silver eyes of the boy just a few feet out of my reach. In a tone that is as soft as my voice can possibly be, I whisper, "I am glad that you don't" because if you did, I'm not sure you'd still like me.

The words sounded selfish in my mind, and even more so once uttered out loud. None the less, they are the ugly truth. The inconsiderate part of me is really glad that he doesn't get the meaning behind them. That part of me also has no intention of explaining them either, even if that puts a wall between us.

Finn collapses his mouth shut and looks at me. Like really looks at me. I feel his burning gaze all over my face, searching and searching for some mystery he believes lays within me. Out of discomfort and a bit of guilt, I fidget with my fingers and force myself to keep looking ahead and not at the ground. We stand like that him leaning against the library's door and I standing just an arm's reach away from him for what feels like hours. Finally, Finn lifts his head up in a slight nod and pushes away from the door.

"Come on, a careless night awaits us." That said, Finn is back to the cheerful mood he was in minutes earlier. It's like our little conversation never happened the way he so causally grabs my hand and leads me to his car.

"So...we're just going to do this?"

He opens the door for me, and I get into the cozy little car before he returns to the driver's side.

"Yeah. You'll explain what your words meant when you're ready. Until that time comes, let's just have fun."

It's hard to make out his face in the darkness, so I decide to imagine him. In my mind, he shrugs carelessly as a 'what can do about it?' closed lip takes over his lips.

"I like that idea."

Finn backs out of the parking lot and drives onto the highway. We both stay quiet for a few minutes, him looking focused on the road ahead and I busy wondering why I'm being quiet.

I turn away from the window and look at the side of Finn's head. "You want to know something weird?"

"You really know how to start a conversation." His voice is light and teasing. I don't have to see his face to know that his signature smirk is in place along with a glint of mischief in his eyes.

"Shut up."

"Enlighten me: what's weird."

"We've been texting and calling each other for two weeks with no problem whatsoever, but no that we're face to face, we don't know what to say."

"Actually, I'm not talking because I want to keep what I got you a surprise for a bit longer."

"So I'm the only one speechless here?"

"You said it, but I don't blame you. I mean..." He takes a hand off the wheel and gestures to his body with suggestive eyebrows.

I can't help the semi-loud laugh that leaves my lips. "Seriously?!"

"I wasn't joking," Finn mutters a few seconds later.

I'm not sure if he's really annoyed or just faking it. To be on the safe side of things, I stop laughing, but a smile glues itself to my face. "Sorry, it's just I would never have thought you the egotistic type."

"That's because I'm not. Those kinda people are so annoying. It's always 'me this, me that, me now' with them."

Speaking from experience?

"What would you call yourself then?"

"Self-confident." Finn parks the car outside of a Froyo Earth and gets out to open the door for me. "How about you? Describe yourself in one word." I grab onto the hand he lends me, allowing him to gently pull me out of my seat.

Idiotic. Fat. Ugly. Retarded...

He asked me, Jax. Not you.

The cold night air hits my exposed skin with an icy sting, and I try not to shiver as we make our way into the building.

"Shy."

"Believable."

You know when you insult yourself out loud and then your friends agree with you, but you didn't want them too? That's what right now feels like, even though naming myself 'shy' is really more of a fact than an insult.

"I'm not that shy!"

Finn throws his mouth back and laughs as I've just said the funniest thing in the world. Much to my disappointment, he goes as far as putting a hand on his mouth to cover how loud the sound is.

"I'm not!"

He looks down at me for a minute before exploding in laughter again. Watching him laugh and knowing I'm the cause of it spreads a warm feeling in my stomach, forget the fact that he's laughing at me not with.

Finn gets himself together a minute later and we get our froyo. He fills his cup to the top with Cake butter and Cookies n Crème while I decide to get a little bit of vanilla with a pound of gummy bears on top.

When we go to pay, he raises a questioning eyebrow at how much candy I have but says nothing when I smile happily up at him.

"Come again soon!" The cherry red head behind the counter waves. I nod at her and follow Finn out the door and into the freezing night.

A jacket would be nice about now.

If my life was a movie it would be a really crappy movie for starters-Finn would be wearing a nice cozy jacket that he would offer me. The cold hard truth is that in reality, Finn is only wearing a blue V-neck. No jacket.

"Wanna take a quick walk?"

No! I want to curl up inside your warm car.

"Yea."

A small part of me groans at the idea of more time outside, but the larger part of me is happy to spend more time with Finn.

"Tell me about the past two weeks."

"They were boring."

"Really?" Sarcasm drips from his words as he turns to the side to playfully glare at me, but stops in his tracks at the sight of me shaking. "You're cold?" Like with half of the 'questions' he asks, this one is actually a statement.

"Yeah." I resume walking in hopes that he'll take the hint and follow.

No such luck.

Shocker.

"Let's go back."

"I want to keep walking." In my mind, my word translates to 'I want to keep talking to you'.

Finn debates our choices for a moment then tosses his froyo into a nearby trash can. Pulling my shivering body into his side, he whispers, "You're lucky you're so cute." Before resuming our walk.

I only freeze for a second before relaxing into his warm embrace.

________

Thanks for reading this chapter! If you liked it, please vote, comment and share.

I tried writing romance for this chapter. How'd I do? Be honest:)

Q.O.T.C.: If you are celebrating Halloween, What are you gonna go as?

I'm gonna go as spider girl. Easiest costume. Ever.

Love you guys, Liv~

DP: Octo.28.17
WC: 1,329