5
“Ooh, leftovers,” Oscar enthused as he opened the fridge, grabbing the milk and passing it to Ryan first.
They were cute together. It was almost gross, but Oscar deserved to be happy, and no matter how lonely he was, Finn couldn’t be anything other than thrilled for him.
There was someone for everyone. He just had to keep telling himself that.
“So how’d the big date go?” Ryan asked, pouring milk over his bowl of cereal.
Finn wouldn’t normally have turned up at all on a Saturday, but he’d booked in a cat to get neutered because the owner couldn’t make any other day.
Oscar had promised to help, and he was hoping they’d all get to have lunch together.
Besides, Oscar and Ryan were his family.
“Well, he’s decided to volunteer with us,” Finn reported, hoping he didn’t sound quite as excited as he felt.
Excited about helping the sanctuary. That was all.
Mostly all.
Oscar burst into laughter. “He’s got a crush on you. That’s adorable. Is he at least cute?”
“Kinda cute,” Finn admitted.
Oscar raised an eyebrow.
“Really cute,” Finn corrected, knowing it was written all over his face anyway.
He hadn’t made a move last night—and wouldn’t have, anyway, because that seemed like crossing a line, but… now that Nolan would be hanging around for his own reasons...
“I’m never letting you hear the end of this,” Oscar said. Which, honestly, was about what Finn expected.
“He was more interested in Buttercup than me,” Finn responded. “I don’t think he’s got a lot of friends. Gay, straight, or otherwise. He needs people in his life.”
“You’ve already got a crush on him,” Oscar said, his eyes widening eagerly. “This is so cute.”
“Shut up.” Finn looked down into his cup of coffee, his cheeks getting hot as blood rushed to them. “And don’t… don’t do this in front of him, okay? His cousin is an asshole about stuff like this. I don’t mind being teased, but…”
“Protective,” Oscar whispered, ducking behind Ryan and grinning when Finn looked up.
“I’m not saving you from him,” Ryan said, focusing on his cereal. “You got yourself into this. Leave Finn alone.”
“Yeah!” Finn agreed. “Leave Finn alone. Thank you, Ryan.”
“You’ll pay for that,” Oscar said, but it wasn’t much of a threat when he immediately wrapped his arms around Ryan’s waist, pressing his forehead against his shoulder and sighing happily.
They’d only gotten closer as time went on. And Finn was thrilled for them, but…
Seeing them together just made him realize how badly he wanted someone, too. Someone to be sickeningly cute with over breakfast.
It wasn’t even that he thought Nolan was likely to be that person. Not really. But it’d been the first time he’d been alone in a room with an eligible, potentially interested person in… a long time. Longer than he liked to admit.
Nolan was in the same position, kind of, so they had that in common. He was a kindred spirit.
Finn had no idea what the hell he wanted, and he wasn’t even sure anymore how to figure it out. Right now, though, he’d come across a wounded person he could maybe rescue. The part of him that wanted to save everyone—animals, people, whatever—liked that.
Plus, Nolan didn’t need much. Someone to listen to him who wasn’t a jerk. Maybe a hug. That wasn’t much to ask.
They’d had a nice evening. Finn wouldn’t exactly have objected to more nice evenings.
God, was he that starved for contact and company that he’d just latched onto the first person who’d agreed to hang out with him?
It had been a long time. Even Oscar had started to nudge and hint that maybe Finn was due to go on a date. Just one. Just to make sure he still knew how to interact with humans.
All of which was said out of love and concern, Finn knew.
But hell, maybe he had forgotten how to interact with humans.
Probably better not to hang all his hopes and dreams on the first one he saw. That was the same advice he gave to people looking to adopt a dog, so it likely applied even more when people were involved.
Dogs were way less complicated than people.
Maybe he should get a dog.
Dating wasn’t the kind of thing he should have been jumping right into, anyway. Because Oscar was right—he’d gone so long without doing it that he was scared.
He’d had to hide behind being auctioned off for charity to even consider it, and then he’d been all business, and if Nolan had a thing for him at all he’d probably gone away disappointed.
“Wow,” Ryan said. “Wherever your thoughts just went has to be dark.”
Finn blinked up at him, the train of thought trailing off into the distance. Just like his chance at having something resembling a love life again.
“I’m gonna die alone,” he said, which he was pretty sure was that particular train’s ultimate destination.
“Whoa, dark,” Oscar said. “Do you need a hug? Or a drink?”
“It’s nine in the morning,” Finn said. “And I have to do surgery when this cat comes in.”
“But you’ll take the hug?” Oscar asked hopefully.
“I’ll take the hug,” Finn agreed.
He sighed as Oscar wrapped his arms around him, the touch soothing.
Yeah, as it turned out, he needed a hug.
“You’re not gonna die alone. You’ll always have me,” Oscar said.
“And me,” Ryan added around a mouthful of cornflakes. “You’re family.”
“Thanks, guys,” Finn said, letting himself lean against Oscar and take the comfort being offered.
It wasn’t quite the same as the stomach-swooping romance Finn was missing in his life, but having friends was probably better than that, anyway.