Can I Lean On You | Finley & Harlyn #2

Chapter 13

Harlyn

Nando's is busy, but Finley isn't. He's standing against the front counter facing away from the door, and as soon as he hears the bell, he spins around with the brightest, fakest smile I've ever seen on his face. It turns more genuine when he sees it's me.

"Harlyn! Hi!" he chirps.

"Hi, love." I lean against the counter. It's just tall enough that I can't lean over it and kiss him, which is probably a good thing. Not very professional. "You look rather bored."

"Yes. Well, I'm only trained on the register so far, so...if there's no one at the register, I don't really have anything to do." He shrugs just as a tall blonde woman swoops in behind him.

"Is this..." She gestures vaguely at me. "Him?"

Finley blushes. "Yeah. Mindy, this is Harlyn. My boyfriend. Harlyn. Mindy."

Mindy reaches over the counter to shake my hand. "Lovely to meet you."

"And you. I hope Finley's stories about me haven't been too crazy." I pump my eyebrows at Finley, and he blushes deeper.

"Not at all. I mean...your story's a bit crazy, but that has nothing to do with you." Mindy flashes me a smile. "I told my partner about you two, and they thought it was crazy, too. They want to meet you." Someone shouts from deeper behind the counter, and Mindy turns over her shoulder. "Coming! I should get back. I'm glad I got to put a face to the name. Now I can picture who Finley blushes about." She hurries away with one last smile.

"I like her," I tell Finley, who's still blushing.

He nods. "Yeah. She's cool. Everyone here is. Anyway, are you going to eat? Or are you just here to see me?"

"Both. I'm starving." I duck my head to catch his eye. "Did I embarrass you? I'm sorry."

His head whips up. "No. Of course. No. I'm just...happy. And... getting used to this. Being out and... having friends who are like me. Like us. Talking about my boyfriend at work and... I don't know."

The door opens behind me, a cool breeze brushing over my ankles over my socks. "Well, I'm glad, love. I'll order, so I can get out of your way."

I eat my food at the table Elly and I always take by the windows. It has a good line of sight to the front counter, where I can watch Finley. He said he wasn't sure about "being in his element," and he's only been working here for just over a week. But his years of customer service has definitely given him an advantage. He whips out the bright, false smile for everyone who walks through the door. It turns more genuine for some people, and it stays more forced for others. It's slightly unnerving, honestly, that he's able to mask his emotions so well. Thankfully, he's never used that skill on me.

Or has he?

He has. Less so than when we first met or when we were first dating. But just the other night, he said I could come over, even though he needed space. I was proud of him for telling me he really did need space. But I wonder how much he overthought after I left, how many other times he's let me come over and answered my call or...anything even though he wasn't in the mood.

I'm usually pretty good at reading him. I think. I hope. This has given me new insight. Maybe I can read him better now.

He's also definitely in his element with his coworkers. He's still holding back a little, not as at ease as he is with Max or Elly. But his smile with them is genuine, and they make him laugh. That's good. He needs more people in his life who he actually enjoys hanging out with. And he was so nervous about starting the new job and having to get to know so many new people. He tried to explain how it was different from going to classes, and I think I understand. But I still marvel at how he lives in this world with the way his brain works