Harlyn
Lunch is overall a success. Marley only makes one more slightly uncomfortable comment - something about when Finley and I get married that makes me tense all the way to my toes and causes a chain reaction of coughing and sputtering all around the table. Finley's parents look more shocked than is probably necessary. Bridget barely holds back giggles. Mom makes her "I wish I could be anywhere else" face again. Finley keeps his eyes on his empty plate and blushes to the tips of his ears in a way that shouldn't be as adorable as it is.
"And on that note," he bursts. "We should get going. Elly's waiting for us."
Finley's parents tried to insist he stay at the hotel with them instead of moving into the apartment as soon as possible. But Finley wasn't having any of that. So, he's moving in today, and his parents and Bridget get to meet Elly. I wonder what she'll think of them.
I've seen him with his parents, of course, but only over video call in short interactions. It's different in person. It hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be, but it definitely hurts to see him so tense and cautious, like he's just waiting for something terrible to happen.
"You can take the car," Mum says, jumping up as everyone starts gathering the dishes.
"Oh, no, it's ok," Finley's mom says. She stacks a few plates and sends a pointed look at Finley. Finley deflates, and I feel my heart break just a little.
"I insist. Harlyn can drive," Mum says. "I know it's not a long walk, but this way you won't have to drag his suitcases all over the city."
Finley clears his throat. "Really Diana -"
"I won't take no for an answer," Mum interrupts, bustling into the house with her stack of dishes.
Finley's mum continues to give him the stink eye, so I jump in. "Once Mum puts her mind to something, you won't change it." I try to make it lighthearted, but I can see the monumental effort it takes Finley's mum to smile at me.
The day goes downhill from there. It seems that out of earshot of my family, his parents are a bit more forthcoming with their...less than positive thoughts.
"You should've turned down the car, Fin," his mum snaps. She somehow claimed the passenger seat. "We didn't need it. It's too much."
I glance at Finley in the rearview mirror. He's staring blankly out the window. "Yeah, I know."
We stop at their hotel to grab Finley's suitcases, and I have a few awkward minutes with just his dad and Bridget in the car. Bridget seems cool, but by the time I realize I can ask her about Uni or something, Finley and his Mum are back. I meet them at the boot to pop it and help them stuff his suitcases in. His mum huffs back to the passenger door, and I stop him from closing the boot, so we're still blocked from view.
"Hey. You alright?" I ask, sliding my fingers into his.
He looks up at me and smiles. It doesn't quite reach his eyes. "Yeah. I'm fine."
"I don't believe you." I peck him on the lips and head back to the driver's seat.
Finley must have texted Elly that we were coming, because she's waiting outside the front door and starts bouncing when she spots us. She nearly tackles Finley as soon as he steps out of the car.
"Hey, El," he chuckles, tension draining from his shoulders. "I missed you, too."
"You better, babes," she says from somewhere in his chest.
When she finally pulls away, Finley introduces her to his parents and Bridget. Bridget gives her a hug, and Elly squeezes her back fiercely. Francesca pops out next, hair pulled back in a tight bun and dressed in a black polo shirt and slacks. Her HOST tag is sagging a bit on her chest.
She gives Finley a quick hug. "It's so good to see you. Polly's at work. She'll be back in a bit."
Elly and Bridget drag the suitcases out of the boot, and wave off Finley's attempts at helping.
"You need to enjoy your first time experiencing your new home, babes," Elly says.
His mum frowns, and I squeeze my teeth together to avoid saying something. I'm trying to give them the benefit of the doubt. I'm trying to chalk it up to the fact that she's dealing with Finley moving away from home. She's just tired from traveling and meeting new people and jet lag. But I also know that Finley has had to put up with her negative comments and reactions most of his life.
So, I try my best to keep his parents occupied as he takes in the house with Francesca. Of course, I want to be the one giving him the tour in person for the first time. But he's only going to enjoy this if his mom isn't there to narrate everything. Will she make the comments to him later? Probably. But he can at least get this little break.
So, I spend way too long explaining everything I know Finley told me that American houses don't usually have - the washer in the kitchen, the radiators in every room. Francesca and Finley are up the stairs before we even leave the living room. Bridget catches on to my plan and hustles back downstairs after dropping Finley's suitcase in his room. She asks a million questions about the bathroom specifically. I think I'm going to like her.
We don't spend much time on the second floor. I just point out the girls' rooms and take them up to Finley's room. Finley is sitting on the bed, absentmindedly stroking the bare mattress with his thumb, and Francesca is in the middle of telling him how easy it was to find the furniture. They were definitely proud of themselves for getting it all so Finley didn't have to. I think Elly's much more excited about living with Finley than even she realizes.
"Do you have sheets, Fin?" his dad asks, eyebrow raised and tone a bit too condescending for my taste. "Otherwise, you're sleeping on a bare mattress tonight."
Finley takes a slow, deep breath. "Not yet. But I planned on getting some today. There's a home store just off the high street. I have a list of things I need."
His mom looks like she wants to argue further but obviously can't find any fault in that answer. Instead, she says, "Alright. Shall we go then?" and spins on her heel to head back the way we came. His dad and Bridget follow. But I stop Finley before he makes it out of the room behind Francesca and Elly.
"What?" he asks.
"Wait a second." I listen to the footsteps make it all the way to the ground floor.
"Harlyn -"
"Just...take a second, love." I take his face in my hands. "You're here. You're in your new home. Elly and Francesca and Polly are so ridiculously happy to have you here. Take a deep breath."
He closes his eyes, sucks a breath in through his nose, and lets it out in a big woosh. He leans his head on my shoulder. "Thanks."
"Anytime, love."
He rests against my chest for a minute, and when he pulls back, he looks calmer. But he still drags a hand down his face. "Ok. Just have to make it through a couple more hours, and then I can maybe convince my parents to go back to the hotel and rest."
"Let's go get you some sheets, then."
***
The trip to the home store to get sheets and pillows is more or less uneventful. Finley finds everything on his list. His parents seem impressed with how organized he is and how much he's thought about everything, which completely baffles me. Even though I've only known him for nine months or so, I know how far ahead he plans, how much he thinks and overthinks things. He probably had this list made before he even got his acceptance email.
When we get back to the flat, his mom basically makes his bed for him, giving him tips and housekeeping reminders.
"I have lived away from home before, Mom," he reminds her.
His mum raises an eyebrow. "It's not the same." I wonder if his parents practice the eyebrow raise and the patronizing tone.
Finley presses his lips together, and slumps. My entire body stiffens.
This isn't a side of Finley I've seen often. It came out a little at the end of last term when he told his parents he was thinking about moving here and they shut him down. He retreated, shutting everyone, including me and Max, out. And, of course, I saw him wither just a bit going home and having to stand up for himself over the summer.
I learned slowly what helped - talking about happy memories, reminding him that he was amazing, just sitting with him on video call. That's all I could do. And now, standing just on the other side of the room, I have to remind myself that I can walk over and hold his hand if I want to. I can pointedly ignore his dad staring at me as I do it. Finley catches my eye, and I wink at him halfway through his mom's lecture about how many times a month to wash his sheets.
When she plops his suitcases on his bed and starts unzipping one - obviously about to help him unpack whether he likes it or not - Finley steps forward and puts his hand on top. "Mom, why don't you guys go back to the hotel? Get some rest. I can unpack my stuff."
"But -"
"Yeah, Mom," Bridget jumps in from Finley's desk chair. "Actually, there's a really cool restaurant on High Street. Why don't you and Dad go there for dinner? Have some time together. I'll go back to the hotel."
Yes. The decision is made. I like Bridget.
Finley's mum sighs. "Alright then."
They chatter about their plans for tomorrow as we make our way downstairs. I offer to give them a ride, but they refuse, and considering how adamant she was about not taking the car in the first place, I decide not to push it. We wave them off, and Finley slumps against the closed door once we're back inside.
"Finally," he breathes. When he realizes we're all staring at him, he straightens. "I mean, I love them. It's just -"
"You don't have to explain," Elly assures from the couch. "They're exhausting. Bridget's cool, though."
"Yeah," Finley says hesitantly. "Yeah, she-she's great."
I bite my lip. Right. He and Bridget have a rough relationship too. I think it's better? But he hasn't told me much about it, just that she's been actually opening up to him more. But it's obviously still awkward.
"I'm going to go start unpacking." He hurries up the stairs, and I give him a head start.
Francesca frowns at me from where she's sprawled on the rug. "Is he alright?"
"I think so." I cross my arms. "It's just...been a day. His parents meeting my parents. And then all of this. And I think he's still tired from flying."
"His parents really are...something," Elly grumbles. "Like, I can tell they care, you know? They just...don't show it very well."
"No, they don't."
Elly's phone buzzes on the arm of the couch and she glances at it. "Oh, Polly just got off of work. She asked if Finley's here yet and if we want her to pick us up some dinner."
"Ooh, did she say from where?" Francesca asks.
"KFC." She taps out a response. "I'll just ask her to get a family bucket or something and some biscuits. Does Finley have any favorite chocolates? I could have her stop at Poundland. I know it won't fix anything, but..."
My entire body melts. This was absolutely the best thing for Finley. Elly, Francesca, and Polly are going to be so good for him this term. I give her the list of candies I sent him for his birthday over the summer and point out the ones he really gushed about. And then I make my way upstairs. I find Finley laying spread eagle on the floor, staring at the ceiling.
I lean into his line of sight. "You good down there?"
"You seem to like laying on the floor. I thought I'd see what all the hype was about." He smirks but it lacks its usual charm. I quirk an eyebrow at him, and he lets the smirk drop. "I, uh, I tried to start unpacking, but it got really overwhelming. I don't know where to put anything. It's all new and different and empty, and I'm so tired and -"
"Slow down," I say, sinking to the ground next to his shoulder and settling a hand on his chest. "Just breathe." He sucks in a breath and then sits up to face me. "Now, what's in your head? One thing at a time."
He takes a second to gather himself before he huffs and drops his head in his hands. "It's been a long day."
"It has."
"And I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it. Lunch was...good? I guess? Sorry you got grilled by my dad. And sorry you had to hear my mom's griping."
"Hey. It's not your fault. I think lunch was pretty successful. No one yelled. No one stormed out. No one forbid us from seeing each other."
He looks at me through his eyelashes and arches an eyebrow. "You had a very low bar for how today would go."
"Well," I stammer. "Kind of. I was...really nervous."
He chuckles and takes my hands in his. "Glad to know I wasn't alone."
I press a kiss to his forehead. "What else?"
"My parents are so draining. I swear they don't think I know anything."
"Yeah. I noticed that." I try to keep the annoyance out of my voice, but I'm pretty sure I fail.
"And...you know how excited I am to live here. I just don't know how to deal with all of this change again. I love the girls. But I really don't know Francesca and Polly that well. And now I'm living with them. And sharing a bathroom with them. And...I have to find a job. And go to classes. And it's just...a lot."
I squeeze his hands. "Hey. Look at me." He drags his exhausted eyes to my face. "You don't have to figure it all out right now. Just take it one day at a time. One thing at a time." I cup his chin in my hand. "You have so many people rooting for you. Me. Obviously. Max. Amelia. Elly and Francesca and Polly are so freaking excited to have you. They want to make sure you're happy and loved. And my parents are there for you whenever you need."
"Yeah." He finally smiles a little half smile. "You're right."
"I know. Now, what's one thing you can do right now? I can help."
We slowly unpack his suitcases into the wardrobe and the desk. Elly texts me that Polly's back with food just as Finley is shoving the second one under the bed.
Me: Great. Just so you know, Finley's really nervous about getting to know you guys and living here and all that.
Elly: Got it. Leave it to me.
Not two minutes later, there's a knock on the door, and Elly calls, "Finley, babes, you hungry?"
Finley pulls the door open. "Um. I could eat."
Elly grins. "Great. We're having a roommate movie night." She snags his wrist and pulls him after her.
I follow at a bit slower pace and lean against the doorway to the living room. All three girls are piled on the couch and already have Finley giggling on the floor in front of them. The fried chicken and biscuits and candy are all spread out on the rug. The girls are passing Finley's phone between them, and it takes me a moment to realize that they're taking pictures of themselves.
Finley spots me. "We're putting together a roommate group chat. They wanted to make sure to have good pictures in my contacts."
I chuckle. "Of course."
"Ooh!" Elly exclaims. "We have to send a picture of all of us to Max in the group chat!"
Elly beckons me forward, and I sink to the floor next to Finley. I'm tasked with taking the selfie. It's a good one, if I do say so myself. And Max responds immediately.
Max: JEALOUS!!
Max: AND SO HAPPY FOR YOU ALL!
"Well, I should probably get going," I say, starting to push myself off the ground.
Finley grabs me. "No."
"Yeah, where do you think you're going?" Elly demands.
"Well, it's...roommate movie night."
Polly scoffs. "You're invited. I got you food, too."
"Oh. Ok."
Finley plants himself in my lap, moves the food closer to the couch so everyone can reach, and starts snacking on some Cadbury chocolate buttons before even touching the chicken. We take a while to choose a movie, and most of the food is gone by the time we finally start something up.
I don't really pay attention. I can't keep my mind off of Finley, curled up against my chest and munching contentedly on his chocolate. I've never gotten to this point in a relationship, the point where it's more than just blushes and stolen touches and kissing in front of people. It's the point where you learn all of your partner's ticks and sad days and know exactly what a touch means.
I've had girlfriends. But all of those relationships were in school and didn't last more than a few months. It always felt like I failed at this part, truly getting to know them and letting them in and... I know I was young. I didn't really know what relationships were. And when Finley and I got together last semester? It was different. I was coming to terms with being bisexual. I hadn't told anyone. We didn't have the "normal" dating and relationship progression. And then he went home.
How do I take care of him? How do I work so that he never ever looks as small and deflated as he did today? How do I...be a good boyfriend?