Imperfect

Finley's Life

After Finley's family left I flopped down onto the couch next to him. It felt good to be in his world and get a peek into his day to day life. Finley gently wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer to him. I pressed my body against his side and rested my hand lightly on his thigh.

"They seem lovely Fin. I don't know why you don't talk about them more." I said observantly. Finley grunted slightly and flicked the television on. Clearly he didn't feel the same way I did. "I mean your Dad is definitely an introvert so it's hard to read him, but your Mum is so sweet."

"Oh yeah, she will be nice to you Claire. You're not her child." He said curtly. I raised my eyes and looked at his face. He was staring at the television, but his eyes had taken on a glassy sheen that let me know he was thinking deeply about something. I sat up, and his head snapped around to look at me. He held his arm out, inviting me back in to the safety of his arms.

"What's the deal Fin? I mean you seemed off with them all day, and they were nothing but polite. So what gives?" I challenged. He dropped his arm to his leg and instead of his usual, breathtaking smile, a dejected, defeated look took its place.

"You really wanna know why I don't do the whole happy family trope with them?" He almost groaned the words, as if this request was some kind of torture being used to hurt him.

"Yes." I replied abruptly. His eyes were examining mine. Pleading with me to let sleeping dogs lay, but I couldn't. If Finley and I were going to be together I wanted to know everything about him. The good, the bad and the ugly. He finally gave in and began talking. He took my hands gently in his as he spoke and toyed with them. As if they were a distraction. He explained that his Mum had put him forward for acting when he was three. It started off as small television ads here and there, but soon he had a recurring role in a sitcom. He did this until the show was cancelled when he was ten and then his Mum removed him from school. He had  been rough housing with some other kids and ended up falling, causing him to break his arm. His Mum had been so scared that he would receive an injury that would ruin his career she had basically stopped him having friends. He spent the remainder of his childhood almost under lock and key. He was allowed in the back garden with his brother, but only when his parents were watching. Whilst his old school friends were out getting girlfriends and finding themselves, Finley was working fifteen hour days, to support his family financially. His father had lost his job during the recession and this meant Finley and Jax had to step up and be providers.

"Fin, that's not right! You were entitled to be a kid too!" I objected fiercely. I gently took his hand and pulled him into me. He rested his head on my chest and I ran my fingers through his hair gently. I had no idea his Mum was like this. Finley was always so guarded about his family and his life, and I was beginning to understand why.

"Yeah, I guess. I'm not entirely sure how much money Mom took from me, I never had access to the bank account until I moved out. But I know they siphoned off most of the money I had made up until the first Exile Watch movie. I tried to get it back but there wasn't enough proof to pursue it." He sounded utterly defeated. He continued on to explain that even when he turned eighteen his Mum still had control. She would guilt trip him into staying at home and not moving to his own place so they could continue to benefit from his success. In fact it wasn't long before he met me that he finally took the plunge. He was renting a tiny, dingy studio apartment in downtown LA. That was part of the reason he wouldn't let me fly out to see him.

"I was ashamed. I knew you would expect me to be living a life of luxury. But I was broke. It was only a few weeks before I met you that I got paid for the first role as Donnie and that's how I got us this house. I even slept on Malcolm's couch for a few months so I could make sure every penny went into this home." He revealed. My heart sank and settled right in my abdomen. I gently cupped Finley's chin and brought his face up until our eyes met.