'Til There Was You - Jerry Cole Page 0,43
As she did, she smiled across the room at her son, looking happy to see her own flesh and blood so joyous on his birthday. “You did good.” It was small bit of encouragement, but Finn knew how hard it must have been to say to him. This day could only be counted as a win.
From there, the day only got better. Finn didn’t want to push his luck and try and hang around, so he opted to say goodbye and leave while he was still on top. As he left though, Angela actually asked what his plans were for the weekend and if he wanted to spend a day with Zac.
“Really?” Finn had asked skeptically. He had been standing on the other side of the door, and half expected Angela to laugh in his face and slam the door closed.
Instead, she rolled her eyes. “Yes, really. I think you’ve earned it – one sec.” She looked over her shoulder and shouted out, “Zac, you’re seeing your father on Sunday!”
“Okay!” Zac yelled back.
“There.” Angela pumped her eyebrows once. “Done.”
Finn could scarcely believe it. What was more shocking, Angela asking him outright if he wanted to spend the day with Zac? Or Zac, so eagerly and willingly saying yes? It didn’t really matter. Both were transcendent and both had him skipping down the driveway and into his car. Finn didn’t even remember how he got home that night as the entire drive was spent in the memory of what had just happened. It was unbelievable!
It was the next morning when Finn realized that he was being a tad selfish, taking all the credit for Zac’s gift and the good graces he now found himself in with his ex-girlfriend. Yes, Finn had remembered, somehow, that it was his son’s birthday. But the gift idea was Austin and Austin alone. Finn would have never come up with such a perfect present and he knew right away that he was going to have to say thank you.
The thank you couldn’t wait either. And a simple thank you would not do. Finn’s mood was such, and his gratitude was even more, that he decided the only way he could really thank Austin was by buying him something. Just something small, something that said, ‘I owe you one.’
Truth be told, Finn didn’t even stop to think how it might look, or if there was a chance Austin might be creeped out by the gift. He was just too happy. And maybe even a little excited to see how blown away Austin would be when he saw what Finn got for him... whatever that ended up being.
What Finn found to be the most peculiar though, and revealing, was how easy he found it to pick out a gift for Austin. Seriously, he drove back to the same supermarket the two had shopped at a couple days previously and automatically spotted about a dozen things he knew he could buy him... and that was just because they were a dozen things he would have liked to have received himself.
In the end, Finn picked out the perfect gift. The perfect gift! Once paid for, he thought for a fraction of a moment if it would make sense to wait until their next session in five days to give it to him. This thought lasted about five seconds before Finn waved it down. He wanted to give the gift to Austin now! And so, he did.
***
Finn was a ball or nervous energy when he knocked on Austin’s apartment door, and he wasn’t sure why. He told himself it was because he was nervous about the gift he was giving. Was it weird that he was giving one in the first place? And what if Austin didn’t like it? And why did he care so much anyhow?
Finn almost never got nervous. That just wasn’t him. He was a serial dater who had put himself in that many awkward situations by now that he’d kind of warn himself out in regard to panic. This was actually one of the reasons he made such a great life coach, as he had long since done away with that voice in his head that warned him against making risky decisions. Risky decisions were where the money almost always was!
And yet here he was, standing outside Austin’s apartment with literal butterflies flapping in his stomach. They only got worse too when he heard footsteps approaching the door! For the barest of moments, that voice reappeared and