Forgotten Fates

Chapter Twenty-Four

Alice

I swear those two idiots were going to drive me crazy if they couldn't figure out a way to get along. I understand these aren't the most comfortable of circumstances, but it was preferable to being.. Well dead.

Feeling annoyed, I stomp all the way up the stairs with Finn trailing behind me. I hate that I had to lash out at him the way I did, but he needed to know what he was doing wasn't okay. My only fear was that if I got to upset with him he would choose to leave. And then who knows what could happen. When we get to my room, I ask Finn to get some extra blankets and pillows from the linen closet down the hall, then lay them down for him next to the bed. "Are you going to be comfortable enough?" I ask.

"I've slept on worse." He gives me a sad smile and I know he is talking about all the hospital chairs he had been calling home lately.

He heads to the bathroom to get ready for bed and while I finish arranging the blankets, Eli stomps in. "Are you sure this is a good idea, Alice?"

"I think we don't have any other options," I tell him as Finn comes back.

"All minty fresh!" he declares with a smile that quickly falls when reads the room. "Did I miss something?"

Ignoring him, Eli grabs his bag to pull out a change of clothes, and takes his turn in the bathroom. "I feel like I interrupted something," Finn says.

"Not, really, but I do have a question for you."

"What's that?"

"How did you brush your teeth? You don't have a toothbrush here."

I should have reminded him to gather some things from his house when he went to get the plywood. Of course there were lots of other things happening and I'm not the only one who didn't think of it in the moment. It's not like we couldn't go over there tomorrow anyways.

"I know. That's why I just used yours," He smiles his freshly polished teeth at me, and I rolls my eyes at him. "Watch it princess. They might get stuck."

I pull one of the blankets off my bed for him to use as covers and toss it to him. "Lay down, Finn"

"Um thanks, but I rather not cuddle up with the blanket you and your new boyfriend have sex on," he says, tossing it back onto the bed.

"Not that it's any of your business, but Eli an I haven't done anything like that in my bed," I inform him tossing it back, but instead of trying to grab it, he lets it fall to the ground as he stares at me confused. "What are you doing?" I ask. "Lay down already."

He shakes out of his trance and his smile returns. "But I'm not in my pj's yet."

"I don't have any clothes for you to change into," I tell him apologetically.

"That's okay," he says, taking off his shirt and then starts to undo his belt.

"Umm, what do you think you are doing?"

"Getting ready for bed, duh." he smirks. Then drops his pants so he is just in his boxers.

I inwardly groan at his insistent need to be a pain in the ass. But on the outside I show as little reaction as possible. Maybe if I treat him like a toddler and he thinks he can't get a reaction from me then he will stop.

Eli walks in wearing his sweats and undershirt, to see a mostly naked Finn standing in my bedroom. "What is this?"

"Nothing. Just going to bed," Finn tells him, dropping down onto the floor. He lays out on his back with his ankles crossed and arms behind his head. His cocky half smile never leaving his face.

"What happened to being too cold," Eli grumbles and I can see his jaw working to keep his emotions in check, and all the things he would like to say to Finn, to himself. Then he takes a deep breath and walks around the bed to climb in.

I give Finn a disapproving look before turning off the light and curling up against my boyfriend. I lay my head against his chest, letting the warmth of body ease all the tension of the day. Nobody says anything else and in the dark, the silence is becomes eerie.

It's not long before exhaustion takes over for Eli and his breathing becomes heavier. I roll over and am surprised to find Finn, like me, is still wide awake. "Why aren't you asleep?" I whisper.

"I don't know. Just got a lot going on in my head I guess," he says while staring up at the ceiling.

I take in the sight of him, still laying in the same position on the floor as before. Looking at the curve of the muscles on his arms, and his toned abs and chest. He is still so beautiful to me, and it makes me hate myself for thinking so. "It's been a crazy day for you, huh?"

"I guess you could say that," he chuckles.

"How are you holding up? It's okay if you are freaked out."

"Well, I am currently ending the day by laying here talking to you. So, I'm going to say things are going pretty good," he smiles, but then it quickly turns sad.

"What's wrong?" I ask him.

He blows out a breath of air, then turns his head to look at me for the first time since we started this conversation. "I still love you, Alice. I've tried not to, but I can't help it. I'm in love with you."

"Finn-" I start to tell him that he can't say things like this to me anymore, but he continues talking before I can get a word out.

"It kills me watching you be with someone else. Especially someone who you have an eternity of history with, and are quite literally fated to end up with. I mean I can't compete with that, and I know I'm going to just end up getting my heart ripped out and stomped on more than it already has been." He grabs the blanket and covers up before rolling over on his side to fully face me. "But I still can't give up."

He waits to see if I will say anything, and when I don't his face looks disappointed. I wish I could find the words to comfort him in this moment, but there's nothing I could say the would make things better for him.

"Can I ask you a question and can you please be honest with me," he asks, and even though I am wary of what it could be I still nod yes. "When you told me you loved me. Did you ever mean it?"

"Yes," I say without hesitation.

"When you told me you didn't love me anymore. Did you mean it?"

"That's two questions," I inform him, but he just waits silently for me to answer. For a moment I think about lying to him, but I end up spilling out the honest answer instead. "No."

I whisper it so softly that I'm not sure if he even hears me, until he reaches his hand up to move the lock of hair back from my face, and then lets his hand linger on my cheek.

We stay that way for a few silent breaths, and when Eli stirs behind me I jerk back, letting Finn's hand fall from my face. But we continue to look into each others eyes while not saying a word, until a tear slips down his cheek.

Then he rolls over to face away from me.