29
The drive to the spot where Finn planned to release Ollie—the same one they’d found him in—was silent, but not an uncomfortable silence. As they’d watched the trees go past outside, Nolan’s presence in the car had been soothing.
Finn had missed him. Missed him so badly it’d been like having a gaping hole in his life.
“This is it,” he said, pulling into the same lookout point he had last time. The river was lower today, but still flowing steadily. He could see the spot where he’d had to drag Nolan away from the bank, the indent softened at the edges but still visible.
That had been the moment this all started, Finn realized. Really started. When Nolan had moved from cute to cute and someone he could have seen himself with.
Nolan was back. He was still processing everything that meant.
“Ready?” he asked, turning the engine off.
“Yeah,” Nolan said. “I’m ready.”
They hadn’t talked at all, yet. Finn had given him a hug when he arrived, and Nolan had followed him to get Ollie, and then they’d gotten in the car and driven off.
All the same, Finn could feel his heart healing. Nolan had said sorry.
He’d done something, too. Finn didn’t know what yet, but it had to be something big. Something about him had changed.
It was a good change, though. He’d been sitting up straighter. His whole presence was more peaceful, less anxious than usual.
Nolan seemed happy, which was all Finn had wanted for him.
If his happiness could also include Finn—and Finn was starting to think that was why he was here—then that would have been a bonus.
They both got out of the car, heading around the back to get Ollie out.
“Hey, little guy,” Nolan said. “Ready to go home?”
Ollie peered at him through the bars of his cage, and Finn really didn’t know whether otters could recognize people, but he felt like this one did. Like he knew Nolan, and remembered what he’d done.
“I think you’d better do the honors,” Finn said, handing the cage over.
Nolan took it and set his sights on the river below, marching over to the low guard rail that presumably stopped speeding cars from crashing over the edge and stepping over it easily.
Following along, Finn tried to pick something to say first. A thousand options were spinning around in his head, from I’m sorry too to it’s so good to see you I wanna cry, or even the option of just pulling Nolan in for a kiss and letting that speak for itself.
“I quit my job,” Nolan said, which immediately solved Finn’s indecision for him, at least.
“Wow,” Finn responded, not sure what else to say. “Just like that?”
“Just like that,” Nolan agreed. “More or less told Gavin where to shove it.”
“Found your strength,” Finn said, understanding now what Nolan had meant.
“You were right,” Nolan said, setting the cage down by the river bank. “About Gavin. About everything. I’m sorry I didn’t believe you.”
“He got into your head,” Finn said. “I get it. I shouldn’t have been so harsh with you.”
“You were hurt.” Nolan knelt down in front of the cage. “And I needed you to walk away. You walking away was the kick in the ass I’ve been waiting for.”
“Always happy to kick your ass,” Finn said, smiling to himself. “Proud of you.”
Nolan’s whole face lit up. Even though he wasn’t looking at Finn, seeing it still made his heart flutter.
He was proud of Nolan. That had been a huge thing, and Finn had been expecting to need to help him with it someday.
In a way, he supposed he had.
“Okay Ollie,” Nolan said. “It’s time for you to go home. Try not get caught in any more fishing nets. But don’t worry if you do, because I’ll come rescue you again, okay? We’re friends for life now.”
He opened the cage up, giving Ollie space to get away.
Ollie took a moment to sniff the air, shuffling forward a few paces cautiously, and then finally stepping out of the cage.
The moment he saw the river, he ran for it, jumping in with a splash.
Nolan laughed, watching him go for long moments. He didn’t start packing up the cage until Ollie had swum well and truly out of sight, around the bend in the river, going back to his little otter life as though the last few weeks had just been a weird vacation.
“Bittersweet, huh?” Finn said. “You wanna see ‘em happy, but you get attached.”
“Yeah,” Nolan said, shifting just a little closer to Finn’s side. “I guess it’s always like this, huh?”
“It is with the sweet ones. Sometimes you’ll get an aggressive one, and it’s not so bad to know it’ll never bite you again. But yeah, it’s mostly… like this. Nice to have company doing it. Takes the sting out.”
“Even if company still needs to work on earning forgiveness?” Nolan asked.
“Consider yourself forgiven,” Finn said, knowing it was true. All he’d wanted was an apology.
It was slowly occurring to him that Nolan had picked him. Over Gavin, over his safe job and his safe life.
The risk he’d taken seemed big to Finn, so it must have been huge to Nolan.
And he’d taken it anyway.
Finn would have had to be an idiot to throw someone like Nolan away over one fight. One fight someone else caused.
“Just like that?” Nolan asked, echoing Finn’s surprise from earlier.
“Just like that,” Finn agreed, closing the remaining distance between them with one stride. “I don’t wanna lose you. Not when I just found you.”
Nolan looked up at him, pretty pink tongue darting out to wet his lips, and Finn couldn’t help himself.
He reached out, tilting Nolan’s chin up with one knuckle, just barely holding him in place. As he leaned in to kiss him, a smile spread over Finn’s face. Joy bloomed in his chest, warm and soft.
The tiny, needy sound Nolan made when their lips touched went straight to the pit of Finn’s stomach, making him step closer so there was barely an inch between them, the heat of Nolan’s body seeping into his skin even through their clothes.
“I meant what I said,” he murmured against Nolan’s lips, pecking him on the nose before claiming his mouth again, just barely brushing the seam with his tongue. Half tease, half promise.
“I love you,” he added, because it was true, and Nolan didn’t need to be ready to say it yet. Not if he didn’t want to. Finn could love him enough for the both of them.
“I love you too,” Nolan responded almost before Finn had finished that thought. “I kinda yelled it at Gavin, so… I guess you should know as well.”
Finn laughed softly, happiness welling up in his chest and making his lungs feel tight. Who needed to breathe when he could be loved?
Loved by someone who got him. Who’d been impossibly brave for him. Who’d been willing to change his entire life for him.
He’d always known Nolan was a good choice. From the moment he met him, he’d known there was more to him than a shy, awkward nerd who looked uncomfortable in a suit.
Now he had all the proof he could ever want.
“Does this mean we’re going crappy apartment hunting someday?” Nolan asked, soft and breathless.
Finn snorted, remembering what he’d said about how he’d imagined their future.
He still imagined it like that. The thought that he might actually get to have it was enough to make his head hurt with excitement.
Finn and Nolan, forever.
“Lucky for us, I already have a crappy apartment,” Finn said, letting his forehead rest against Nolan’s and taking his hands. “If you wanted… you could come home to it with me?”
“I want,” Nolan said. “More than anything in the world.”
“Me too,” Finn murmured, pressing his lips against Nolan’s one last time. “Fingers crossed the car starts this time.”
“I’ll fuck you in the back of it if it doesn’t, don’t worry.”
Finn laughed, grinning so wide his cheeks hurt at the thought of everything being back to the way it was between them.
No, better.
They were sure of each other now. Things could only get better from here.