Chapter 18
I’m sitting next to Finn while we eat, and my dad is talking to his parents. In the middle of their conversation, my dad suddenly laughs and says, “My bad, I forgot to introduce myself… the name’s William.”
Finn’s dad smiles. “I’m Robert. Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you,” my dad replies.
Finn’s mom chimes in warmly. “I’m Sarah. Nice to meet you.”
“Oh, nice to meet you, Sarah,” my dad says.
Then he adds, “Your son Finn is a wonderful man. He’s making my daughter Lola very happy, which makes me happy because she’s my little girl. I don’t want her sad or anything.”
Sarah smiles. “Thank you. Finn and Lola seem very happy together, which makes us happy to see as well.”
They continue talking while Finn and I sit close, joking around quietly between bites.
I suddenly realized I forgot to introduce him to my siblings. I get their attention.
“I want to introduce you to Finn.”
Jasmine smiles first. “Hi, Finn. It’s nice to meet you.”
Lance is laughing at something Gavin said, leaning back in his chair, but when he notices Finn, he straightens up. “Oh—hi! Nice to meet you. I’m Lance. Lola’s told me about you, and don’t worry, they’re good things.”
Finn smiles and squeezes my hand. “Nice to meet you too. And that’s good to hear.”
Gavin stands up and gives Finn a fist bump. “Hey, Finn. I’m Gavin. Nice to finally meet you.”
I can see Finn relax instantly — the tension in his shoulders drops, and he looks more comfortable.
Jasmine asks, “How was your guys’ trip to Yosemite?”
“It was fun,” I say. “We hiked, took photos, went to one of the waterfalls… all that.”
Finn nods. “Yeah, it was me, my two other friends — except Chase — and her three friends. We did a lot during the four days we were there.”
“Oh, that does sound fun,” Jasmine says. “I’ll have to go there myself. I heard it’s beautiful in the summer.”
We both nod. “It’s worth it,” I tell her.
Lance turns to Finn. “What do you like doing in your free time?”
“When I’m not doing homework or working,” Finn says, “I either hang out with my friends or with Lola, or I’m relaxing at home with my family.”
“Oh, that’s nice,” Lance says. “What are you majoring in?”
“Sociology.”
Lance and Gavin exchange impressed looks — and I can tell they’re genuinely happy for me.
I called over to Mya. “Mya, come over and join us.”
“Okay!” she says, hopping up from her chair and walking over.
“I forgot to mention — this is Mya, Finn’s little sister.”
Jasmine melts instantly. “Hi, Mya.”
“Hi,” Mya says shyly. My brothers greet her too.
Then she looks at me and Finn and says, “My big brother is the best, and I hope these two stay together forever.”
I blush, and Finn smiles at her. Jasmine grins. “I hope so too. And I think they will.”
A couple of hours pass, and by the time the sun is gone and the moon is out, it’s already 9 p.m. Everyone starts getting up. I hug Finn, Mya, and his parents goodbye. Before he gets too far, I grab his arm and give him a quick kiss on the cheek. He smiles, kisses me back, and tells me goodnight.
My dad and siblings start cleaning up while I close the door behind Finn’s family. I head to my room, and the day ends there.