Like Gravity(18)
“I came over with Ty. He and Lexi disappeared into her room, oh—” he glanced at his watch. “–about a half hour ago.” He was still grinning at me, clearly pleased with himself.
“Fine. Whatever. I’m going to shower.”
“Is that an open invitation?” he asked, waggling his dark eyebrows at me. An involuntary laugh burst from my lips before I could stop it.
“You may well be the cockiest guy I’ve ever met,” I decided, still laughing.
“Thank you,” he said with a laugh.
“It wasn’t a compliment.” I shook my head, exasperated. “You do realize that you’re ridiculous, right? And that it’s never going to work on me?”
“Sweetheart,” he smirked, “It doesn’t really matter what you think, so long as the rest of the female student body disagrees.” His eyes continued to roam up and down the length of my body, and I promptly flipped him off.
“Ass,” I muttered, walking into my bedroom and firmly shutting and locking the door behind me. I wouldn’t put it past Finn to simply barge in and hop in the shower with me.
How could anyone seriously be attracted to him? Yes, I admit, he was godly to look at and yes, he had that whole tortured-musician vibe working for him, but his cocky attitude was a complete turnoff.
After a long, scalding hot shower, I padded back out into the living room dressed in my comfiest sweatpants and a tank top. My wet hair hung loose to my waist as I yanked a brush through it, trying to work out the snarls. Finn, still fully at ease on the sofa, didn’t even look up from the television as I made my approach.
“You’re still here?” I asked, irritated that he was taking up the entire couch. His eyes flicked briefly away from the screen, making a swift appraisal of my sweats, lack of makeup, and wet hair before returning to his show.
“I told you, I’m waiting for Ty,” he said. “Are you always so cranky?”
“Only when random boys barge into my home, proposition me, and then take up all the room on my couch,” I retorted. “Can you at least scoot over?”
He sighed, as if completely inconvenienced my by request, before shifting his legs off the cushions and onto the floor.
“So sorry to disturb you,” I said, settling onto the couch with a deep sigh of resignation.
“You should be,” he smirked, “I was pretty comfy.”
“Ugh!” I groaned, chucking a pillow at his head. “You are beyond obnoxious.” He easily dodged my throw before settling back into the cushions, an amused smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. I huffed, exasperated, before crossing my arms over my chest and glaring at him. If he had a superpower, it wouldn’t be his singing ability or even his irresistible attractiveness – it would undoubtedly be his ability to piss me off like no one else.
“Don’t pout,” he mocked, “It promotes wrinkles.”
I chose to ignore him, turning my attention to the movie and attempting to relax. To my great surprise, we were able to stop bickering long enough for a comfortable silence to descend. Aside from the occasional giggle or moan emanating from the direction of Lexi’s room, the apartment was still and quiet. After almost an hour had passed, I heard the rhythm of Finn’s breathing change, growing deeper and steadier with each inhale. Sure enough, when I glanced over he was fast asleep.
He looked peaceful, almost childlike. His angular cheekbones were softened by the fading afternoon light, his dark hair was tousled, his mouth – usually firmly fixed in a condescending smile – was slackened with sleep. I couldn't help but grin at the sight of him, curled up like a young boy with one arm pillowed beneath his head.
Seeing him like this, I could understand why he was so appealing to the hoards of women who constantly trailed in his wake, vying for a minute of his attention. Hell, if he suddenly lost the ability to speak, I’d probably be right there with them. I knew, though, that the sweet sleeping boy before me was an illusion; when he woke, his mouth would quickly twist into a smirk and he’d morph back into an entitled, arrogant jerk. That Adonis-like physique was a total waste when it came packaged with a personality like his.
At least that’s what I tried to tell myself.
I shut off the movie and quietly moved from the couch to the kitchen, so as not to disturb him. Grabbing my iPod off the counter, I slipped in my headphones and flipped to a favorite artist. It was nearly impossible for me to cook, clean, or do any kind of housework without music. My stomach growled as I began to gather dinner ingredients. Having skipped lunch earlier in my rush to get to class, I was craving Italian – preferably, some of my homemade chicken parmigiana.
Thirty minutes later, the aroma of freshly breaded cutlets and boiling pasta wafted around the kitchen. I’d made more than a single serving, figuring that Lexi and Tyler would be hungry after…working up an appetite…all afternoon. Laughing softly at the thought, I cleaned up my mess, loading dirty plates into the dishwasher and wiping down the countertops as Bon Iver hummed in my ears. I jumped about a foot when I finally looked up and noticed Finn perched on a barstool, watching me with that unwavering cobalt gaze.
“Jesus! You scared the shit out of me!” I exclaimed, pulling my headphones from my ears. Annoyingly, my heart was racing and my breaths were much shallower than normal. I planted my hands on my hips and frowned at him. “You can’t just sneak up on people like that.”