Falling for Finch

Give Me A Reason

Sam's POV---

Brian Finch wasn't supposed to happen. He just came crashing into my life one evening and I was drawn to him like a moth to a light. I'm pretty sure that's how Brian makes his way into everyone's lives: unexpectedly, haphazardly, and unintentionally. No one expects Brian Finch, but they all get stuck with him one way or another and honestly, I'm glad I did.

It was a Friday night, of course (and no, this isn't going where you'd expect a Friday night story to go) and I was playing my set at a local bar. I had just written a shit load of new songs and I thought this would be the perfect night to gauge an audience reaction and so far, things were going good. I finished up my set and told the crowd about my album and that I'd be around for a bit if anyone wanted to talk and then went to sit at the bar. Usually no one takes any interest in me, but tonight a guy with short red hair only took about five minutes to take the seat next to me. "Hey" he said, causing me to notice him for the first time, "Brian Finch, I really liked your set." The guy gave me a smirk and waved the bartender down, "mind if I sit here?" He asked. "No, of course not. Thanks by the way, oh, and I'm Sam." I smiled at him and we began to talk more. Pointless chit chat really, he didn't seem to be trying to get anywhere other than to really just get to know me better and I definitely noticed (and appreciated) that.

Brian and I had been talking (and drinking, lightly) for about an hour when he spouted, "let's go for a walk!" I laughed saying "a walk? Are you crazy?" Neither of us was really drunk, just a bit tipsy and Brian smirked and said "give me a reason why we shouldn't." I hesitated, took another sip of my drink, and gazed out the window for a moment. When I turned back to Brian I said "how about because it's the middle of February and we're in New York! I'll freeze to death!" He sort of chuckled then and nodded saying "valid enough, but I still think we should go for a walk." I let out a little sigh as if I were merely entertaining his fantasies and said "fine, give me a reason why we should and then we will." Brian held my gaze for a while as he thought. That was when I noticed his eyes; an icy blueish color with a bit of a sparkle (cheesy, I know) and a whole lot of mystery and depth. I wanted to tell him, but before I could say anything Brian asked, "how did you get here?" I snapped back to our conversation and said "I walked, but-" "and how do you plan on getting home?" ".....walking." I smirked at the thought of being outdone and Brian said "cmon, you owe me!" As he got up from his chair and put on his coat. I laughed as I followed his lead and we wandered together out of the bar into the snowy night outside.

Brian's POV---
She was pretty, I give her that, and she could sing, but there was something more about this girl that made me feel compelled to go talk to her. She seemed impressed by my lack of sexual advances which I definitely picked up on, I imagine playing at bars you get a lot of that. Plus, I decided that since NZT kept me out of intimate relationships, one night stands weren't any better than just being alone. In fact, they were worse because you knew you'd be letting someone down the next day. So, I couldn't afford to be sleazy and beside that, I didn't want to. Not with her anyways.

We started walking toward central park, the only green place in New York, and just made small talk on the way. "So how long have you been playing music?" I asked and she smiled and said "when I was a kid my dad tried teaching me, but I never had the patience. When he passed away I found his guitar in my mom's room and it was one of the only things I kept...at that point it just seemed like if I didn't learn I'd be letting him down and there was no way I was gonna do that. So, the short answer to your question is about 8 years ago, when I was 15ish." At that point we had made it to the park and sat down at a bench as I said "I'm sorry to hear about your dad, he'd be proud of you yknow?" Sam smiled and looked up to the stars saying "yeah, I know." We sat there in silence for a few moments and then she asked, "so what's your interest in music?" I started to tell her about how I was gonna make it big, or so I thought, for the longest time and how that just wasn't working for me. I told her about everyone else growing up and starting families and getting jobs, and me. I told her about how I felt like I was disappointing everyone, especially my dad. And then I said "but yknow when things sorta just happen? Well, that's what happened with me. An opportunity came up doing something else and I felt like I was finally doing right by my life, finally accomplishing something." Sam looked at me and said politely, "but if music is your passion, how could you stop?" I hesitated before answering and then said, "I do miss it." A silence followed for a little bit and then I stood up from the bench, "who's idea was it to go for a walk in February, we're in New York for christsake!" I said mocking myself. Sam laughed and stood up after me."I'm cold, can I walk you home?" Sam stuffed her hands in her pocket and said "absolutely, I hate walking home alone in the dark."

Sam's POV---
So, he walked me home. He didn't try to hold my hand, he didn't try to get me to go to his house, he just walked me home. It was cold and we were laughing and honestly, I was having a great time. "This is me" I said as Brian and I approached my apartment building. I took my keys out of my pocket and they jingled around a bit before I found the right one. "Do you...wanna come up?" I asked, "if you walk home now you'll freeze, we've been out here too long." I wanted to make my intentions clear, I liked Brian, but not enough to sleep with him....Yet anyways. "Actually" he replied smiling, "my apartment is right there." He pointed a few complexes down and we both laughed. "How have I never met you before?" He asked so I explained, "I used to live further east actually, I just moved in here about two weeks ago." Brian smiled and said "well, I'm glad. Guess I'll be walking you home often then huh?" I smiled at the gesture and then invited him to come play guitar sometime with me. "You did say you missed it" I added to the end of my invitation. "Yknow what" he said smiling, "the hell with responsibility! You wanna come play now for a bit?" "Right now!?" I said, amazed yet again by his spontaneity. He looked at me for a moment and then said "give me a reason we shouldn't."

And just like that my nighttime gig turned into a walk in February which ended up being a jam session at Brian Finch's house.

Brian's POV---

We got to my place pretty quickly considering it was only a block and a half away from Sam's. I opened the door to my loft and she seemed pretty impressed by the style of it all. "Nice place" she said as I took her coat and offered her a drink. "Thanks," I said, "it's kinda courtesy of my job actually." Sam smiled as she took the cold beer from my hand and said "Brian, you're not like, a gambling addict or something are you? Or better yet, a hired assassin? No, wait! You're embezzling money from your work?" We shared a laugh and then sat down on the sofa as she took out her guitar and I grabbed mine from the corner. "All great guesses," I said smiling as I sat next to her, "but actually, I'm secretly a pimp." Sam almost died from laughing at me then and a few minutes later when we were composed she said "all right Mr.Finch, let's see what you got." And then the guitar playing began...

We played until around midnight and then Sam set her guitar down yawning, "I should probably head home huh?" She asked. I set my guitar back down in its stand thinking about how I didn't want her to leave yet and said "I mean, you don't have to." It wasn't an advance of any kind, I just really liked this girl and I wanted her to stay, I wanted to get to know her better. She stood up from the couch and got closer to me, "give me a reason why I shouldn't" she said in a half whisper sort of way that sent a little shiver down my spine. I held her gaze for a moment and then said "hang on" as I ran out of the living room and into my bedroom. A few minutes later I came back holding Star Wars and said "because, the Dark Side is calling you and home is not the place you are looking for." I had on a goofy grin and Sam laughed as soon as the words left my mouth saying "does the Dark Side really have cookies?" I ran over to the kitchen and said "girl scout, fresh delivered today" pulling out a box of cookies some girl on the street sold me earlier that morning. "Well, I guess you did give me a good reason to stay, besides, who could say no to Luke Skywalker" Sam said taking her coat off once more and setting it on the back of a chair. I put the movie in and said "be right back" returning with some pillows and blankets for us to throw on the floor and with that, our marathon began.