properly. “It just bothers me.”
“Is it the fact that we’ll see each other all the time that bothers you or that you perceive yourself in a position of power over me?”
I winced at his words but had to grudgingly admit, he’d sort of hit the nail on the head. I shrugged. “A bit of both?”
He nodded as though he’d thought as much.
“That sounds fucking awful, doesn’t it? It’s not that I don’t want to see you all the time, Jasper. I really like living with you. It’s just . . .” I swallowed back my nerves at being as honest as I could be. “I think in any relationship you need your own space, especially when it’s new. And we don’t have that while we live together. We’re bound to argue, and I don’t want to end up resenting you being in my house when I want to be alone for a bit.” I looked up and met his eyes. “And I don’t want you to get bored.”
“Bored?”
“I’m not one for going out, as you’ve probably already figured out. And I—”
“Stop.” He let go of my hand and put his gloved fingers on my lips. “Stop whatever nonsense is about to come out of your mouth. I get that Evan was a wanker who made you feel like shit, but you need to let that go because his opinion doesn’t matter here.” He slid his hand round to cup my jaw. “Only yours does. If you’re happy staying in and doing your own thing, then fuck what other people think.” He stroked his thumb along my cheekbone. “Are you happy?”
I gave his question the thought it deserved. I was happy staying in most of the time. I liked reading books and watching films, but I’d also come to realise I missed my friends too. “I am, mostly. I wouldn’t mind seeing my mates a bit more than I have been recently.”
He smiled, eyes full of warmth, and I lost myself in them for a moment. “Then do that.” He leant in close until our cold noses touched. “I like staying in too, but I also like going out now and again. Perfect, right?”
It sounded so simple.
“Finn,” he whispered. “I know what I’m getting with you.” He kissed me, soft and quick. “Someone who’s wonderful, warm, funny, and so very fucking far from boring.”
My heart soared, belly swooping as he kissed me again, lingering this time until I moaned into it. I grinned. “You forgot hot.”
He laughed, nipping my bottom lip before kissing me again. “And hot. So very, very hot.”
I wrapped my arms around him, ever careful of his wrist and kissed him like I’d dreamt of every night for the past week. Soft stubble and a warm willing mouth, so much better than I remembered.
He sighed as he pulled back a little. “I want to give us a chance, Finn. And I think me moving out is the best option.”
He was right, and it was what I’d known at the back of my mind, but despite that, I didn’t like it. “I know, but I also don’t want you to go.”
“Yeah, I know. I love living there, with you. But you’re right. It would be too much, too soon, and I don’t want to rush this.”
Something still niggled and I voiced my fear before I thought better of it. “What if you move out and things aren’t the same?” If I was honest, that might worry me more than us living together.
He shrugged seemingly unconcerned. “Then it is what it is.”
“How very philosophical of you.”
“If I move out and suddenly we don’t fancy each other, then there was obviously something fundamentally wrong in the first place.”
He had a point. “Yeah, okay. You’re right.”
“Of course I am.” He kissed me again, and I closed my eyes.
I could get used to this.
And I smiled as I realised that it was a distinct possibility now. Rather than skirting around each other, we could touch, kiss, whatever, whenever we wanted. “When are you moving out?”
He barked out a laugh. “Kicking me out already? Christ, Finn. Can I at least stay for Christmas?”
“That’s not what I meant. You can stay as long as you like, and I definitely want you here over Christmas. I just . . .”
“What?” he linked our fingers again.
I looked down at our joined hands. “I want to get started on us.”
“We don’t have to wait until I actually move out to start on that.”
Another good point. It was like