SWNOVELS Finn Rhodes Forever: Chapter 54
THE NEXT MORNING, I opened my eyes and turned over, searching for him.
My stomach plummeted as I remembered what had happened and I blinked, staring at the empty spot beside me in bed. Yesterday’s conversation replayed in my head. After he left, I’d moved around the bar like a robot, unthinking, unfeeling, just going through the motions of mixing drinks and ringing up bills.
He looked so lost last night, with his bag over his shoulder. His eyes had darted between me and the back door like a caged animal.
I frowned and let out a long breath. This didn’t make sense. After all this. After this entire summer of him assuring me he was different.
Pain thrashed in my chest, angry and resentful and full of regret.
My phone buzzed and I glanced at it. In the group chat with Hannah, Avery, and Sadie, messages were flying.
Hannah: does anyone know where Finn is?
Avery: no… he was babysitting last night, right?
Hannah: Yeah. Liya said something happened at the park with Cora, that she ran across the street to pet Evelyn.
Understanding dawned on me. My mom would have been there. I could picture her face, so disapproving and totally unsurprised. Fuck. Lying there in bed, I felt sick thinking of how Finn must have felt.
Sadie: shit. That’s scary.
Hannah: Yeah. I just want to talk to him. He looked so stressed and upset when he left last night.
Avery: Emmett doesn’t know
Sadie: neither does Holden
Hannah: Olivia? Is he with you?
Hannah: If you see him, can you just let him know we’re not mad? We know it was an accident.
An unwelcome thought hit me.
If I had told Finn how I felt—how I really felt, those three important words—maybe he wouldn’t have taken off. A headache formed behind my eyes. This whole time, Finn had said he wasn’t going anywhere so I didn’t move an inch. I didn’t say the words he needed to hear, the words I felt.
I loved Finn. I had always loved Finn, and it was such an integral part of me that I couldn’t believe I had tried to ignore it.
A scalding tear rolled down my face. Fuck. My chest ached and I wiped the tear away.
“Stupid, stupid Olivia,” I whispered to myself.