Page 73 of Meet Cute

Warm clothes are put on me. They’re soft—far softer than I deserve. All of this is more than I deserve. I lied to him. I tried to run away from him. Nothing I’ve done today makes me feel good about myself, but one mild look is enough for it to seem like it could all be okay.

No food. I can’t stomach it. But he does give me a green mug filled with hot chocolate, and the few sips I take make me feel so much better. It’s all so much better. Everything is so much better when he’s here.

Then we’re back on the couch. Like nothing happened. Like I never hurt him. Like I never thought such horrible things about both him and myself. Shaky arms snake around his waist, my cheek resting against his sweater-wearing chest.

The world around me feels distant, and there’s this dreamy haze that accompanies everything I do. It has to be love, right? It took me almost ruining it all to realize just how much it really mattered.

“You’re so sleepy, baby.” Finn coos, running his fingers through my damp hair. I’m still shaking, but not from the cold. It’s a chore to even keep myself awake most days, but right now I really don’t want to sleep. I need him to not be upset with me. I need to know it’s all okay. “You can fall asleep if you want.”

Groaning, I force myself up. For the first time in a while I blush thanks to the way he's staring at me. “Are you mad…?” Was my voice always so slow and heavy-sounding? ”You aren’t, right? You’re not mad at me?”

“No. Not at all.”

“Really?”

He laughs softly. “Of course not. I’d say you learned your lesson.”

“I-I did… I really did.” Sniffling, I let myself fall back into him. “I’m so sorry.”

“My brave little bunny. You must’ve been so scared, out there all on your own.”

He’s right. He’s always right. “I-I was… I didn’t… I didn’t know if you were gonna find me, and—”

“I’ll always find you. You’re mine, and I’m yours.”

Something about that puts me at ease. It’s true. It’s always been true. When I need him, he’s here. Even when I thought I was fine without him, he proved me wrong. That has to be love.

“I’m yours,” I murmur, “and you’re mine.”

The grin that sprawls across his face is like none other. He’s not the meek little cashier, and he hasn’t been for a while. He’s Finn. My sweet Finn. My precious boy. “I love you, Duncan.”

“I love you, Finn.”

“Again.”

“I-I love you, Finn.”

“...Again.”

My cheeks go hot with something that feels more romantic than shame. “Finn… I love you.”

When our eyes meet again he’s not smiling like I thought he would be. He’s staring at me with half-lidded eyes and an expressionless face, the dark bags he wears more prominent than they were just yesterday.

“You love me,” he says slowly, “so don’t do that again.”

“I—”

“Don’t do that again.” Finn repeats with pursed lips. “Or else I’ll really have to do something bad to you, Duncan. Something to ensure that even if you want to leave, you can’t.”

I’m so fucked. Not because of what he says, but because of the excited chill that runs down my spine as he says it. I’m his. I’m really his. I committed what could have been the ultimate betrayal, but he’s forgiving me. He loves me. He still loves me.

“I won’t. I-I promise I won’t.”

“I know you won’t,” he says sweetly. “But now you have to make it up to me, bunny.”

Before I can ask how, he fishes out something I don’t recognize from his pocket. Something red, something lacey, something…

Oh.