Finding Finley ✔

22

"What do you think she's going to do this time?" I ask Kit as we sit at a table in the food court. Ellie and Darby are in line waiting for our food and Ellie's tight black jeans and her cropped t shirt are attracting the attention of a guy sitting at a table with three of his friends. 

This is nothing new, guys are always checking Ellie out. so Kit and I have sort of made a game out of it. 

"Hmm. Remind me, what did she do last time?" he asks, a smirk on his face as he looks over at the guy who is now getting up from the table, his friends fist bumping him and giving him words of encouragement. 

"Last week she ignored that guy in the jersey. She didn't even look at him while he stood there trying to talk to."

"I think she'll do something involving her ring." Kit is watching Ellie now as the guy makes his way to where she's waiting with Darby.

"I think she'll threaten him." 

We watch as he approaches Ellie and she makes eye contact just as he starts to say whatever lame pick up line we can't hear from where we're seated. I see Ellie roll her eyes and I think that I am for sure going to win the bet, but then she flashes her left hand in the guys face and turns to point at me and Kit. 

Rejection and embarrassment flash on the guys face as he turns his head towards us, Kit and I both raise our hands to wave at the poor guy. I can hear his table of friends laughing at him, and I'm laughing too until I see his attention land on Darby. 

Darby , who had been quietly standing beside Ellie, almost hidden by her they were standing so close. When he turns his attention back to Ellie after looking over at me and Kit, it's like he just noticed Darby standing there. 

Forgetting all about Ellie since she is clearly not available to him, the guy is now talking to Darby. I can't hear what he's saying, but Ellie is still rolling her eyes while Darby listens and even laughs at whatever it is that he's saying. 

I never though that seeing Darby laugh with some other guy  would hurt the way it does. She isn't my girlfriend or anything, but I thought that whatever happened between us the day I showed up at her apartment meant something to her. 

It did to me. 

I can feel Kit's eyes on me, watching my reaction, but I can't take my eyes off Darby. 

She turns and points to me and Kit, just like Ellie had, and when the guy turns to us again, he rolls his eyes and walks away without another look at the two girls. Both Ellie and Darby are laughing as they walk to the counter to get their food. 

What did Darby say to him? Why send him away if she was clearly enjoying him flirting with her. 

"Who won?" Ellie asks as she starts to hand out the food on the trays.

"I did." Kit and Ellie high five from across the table, and Darby looks at them questioningly.

"Won what?" she asks.

Before anyone can answer her, a chair pulls up to our table and Parker takes a seat. "Did you get me anything, El?" he asks, flashing her a smile that usually gets him whatever he wants from girls.

We all have our food in front of us, the trays both empty, so Ellie passes them to Parker. "Yeah, these." 

Parker drops his smile and rolls his eyes as he sits the empty trays on the empty table behind him. "I can't believe I ever hit on you. You're so mean, El."

"You hit on Ellie?" Darby's eyebrows are raised as she looks at Parker. 

He turns to Darby to answer her question, a smile returning to his face.  "In high school, but Kit swooped in a few minutes later and killed my chances." 

"I actually met her first, at lunch. So you never had a chance, Park." 

"So what did you win, Kit?" Darby directs her attention to my brother and as he explains how we always bet on how Ellie will break it to a guy that she's not interested or available, all I want to do is ask her what she said to that guy. 

Parker eventually leaves to go meet his date at the movie theater, stealing a handful of fries off my plate as he goes. Darby shakes her head when he leaves, and I know it's because her roommate still thinks that she's changing Parker's ways even though it's clear she's not. 

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Darby has her hand on the door handle, her purse in her hands as she's about to get out of my jeep. 

"Wait." 

She turns back to me, her hand falling from the handle. "What?" 

I watch as her looks around her to see if she had forgotten anything. She brush her hand through her hair before moving her brown eyes to my green, waiting for me to say something. "What is it, Finn?"

"What did you say to that guy at the food court?" She looks confused. "The guy that hit on Ellie, what did you say to him?" 

A smile is playing on her lips, and it makes me sick to think that he's making her smile even now. I was wrong about Darby before, and I have a feeling I'm wrong again. This time there's no boyfriend though, this time Darby just isn't in to me and I don't know what else I can do to change her mind. 

"I told him that he doesn't have a chance." 

Now I'm the one that's confused. I replay the scene in my head, trying to figure out why she was smiling and laughing like she enjoyed his attention if she was telling him that she wasn't interested, but it just isn't making sense to me. 

Darby scoots closer to me and puts a hand on the side of my face as she leans over the console. "Finn, I was laughing at him because his confidence in his horrid approach was hilarious. I was smiling because I knew you were watching, and when I pointed at you it was because I told him I wasn't interested or available either." 

I've only seen the smile that Darby has on her face right now one other time. It's the same smile she had on her face in my dorm the night before everything got ruined for us. It's my absolute favorite smile. 

"You're not available?" I ask as she gets closer, her hand still on my face as she shakes her head. 

I smile, matching hers. "Oh, that's too bad because I was thinking of trying some cheesy pick up line on you, but I won't waste my time if you're not-"

"Shut up, Finn." There isn't any distance between us anymore. Not just physical as Darby's lips meet mine and her hand moves from my face to my hair, my hand making its way around her waist and pulling her even closer. There are no more secrets, no more lies, and no more unrequited feelings between Darby and I.