Page 2 of A Hard Fit (Falling Hard #2)

Just Lunch

The next morning, Finn and Luka were wandering down the hall on their way to the staff kitchen for a coffee refill when Luka asked, “So when’s your next hot date?”

Finn flipped through his mental calendar. “Dinner Saturday night, with another ginger. He seems…needy? I figure he’ll either suck my dick in the car before we go in, or get drunk over appetizers and tell me his entire life story.”

Luka chuckled. “I mean, both options sound not bad, as far as dates go.”

Finn rounded the doorway into the kitchen. “Could kind of go for the dick su—” He lurched to a stop as he caught the sparkle of piercings, and the elegant lines of tattoos and hair and arms, suddenly forgetting where he was and what he was doing. Rory.

Luka crashed into him from behind, sending them both reeling.

“What the hell?” Luka laughed, grabbing onto Finn so they didn’t fall over. “You have to go all the way through the door, Finn.”

“Sorry,” Finn muttered. “I…um…”

Rory looked up at the commotion. “Morning,” they said with a small smile.

“Morning, Rory,” Luka chirped on his way to the coffee machine.

“M-morning,” Finn said, managing to stumble over the one word.

“Finn, right?” Rory asked, when Finn continued to stand there staring.

“Yes. Rory. Hi.”

“Hi.” Their eyes were the loveliest deep dark brown, framed by beautiful, thick lashes.

Finn tried to swallow. “How are you?”

“I’m good, thank you.”

Luka came back with a full mug, eyebrows raised at Finn. Finn ignored him.

“I didn’t get a chance to thank you properly for the other night,” Rory said.

Unsure what to do with his free hand, Finn tugged at his shirt. “You thanked me at the time.” He’d replayed the words in his head a million times.

“I know, but still.” Rory’s gaze dropped to their coffee.

Fuck, I sound like an ass. “But you’re welcome,” Finn blurted. “It was no problem.”

“The other night?” Luka asked.

“Yeah, at the bar I told you about?” Finn said. “This drunk guy was harassing Rory.”

“Finn scared him off pretty good.” Rory smiled.

“Sounds right.” Luka threw an arm around Finn and squeezed his shoulder. “Nobody wants to mess with this .”

Finn cleared his throat, cheeks burning. “Right. Well. I should get back to work.”

“Don’t forget your refill,” Luka reminded him, with a helpful nod at the coffee station.

“I should get back too,” Rory said, but as they stood, they bumped a stack of files and knocked over their mug. “Shit,” they mumbled, yanking the papers off the table before the puddle could reach them.

Without a word, Finn found a dish towel and was on his hands and knees mopping up the mess.

Luka grabbed another handful of paper towels, and the three of them got the spill cleaned up quickly.

As he stood, Finn’s pinky finger tingled from when it brushed against Rory’s hand.

“Thanks,” Rory said, rubbing the back of their neck. “I’m not normally so clumsy.”

Finn shrugged. “Accidents happen.”

Rory flicked their hair back and smiled with the crinkly eyes again. “Thanks for your help. Have a nice day, you two.”

“You too.” Finn watched Rory leave, then finally got his coffee and followed Luka back down the hall.

“You okay?” Luka asked after a few beats of silence, giving Finn a sidelong look.

“Yeah, fine, why?” Finn’s cheeks were still hot.

“I don’t know, you seem…off.”

Finn walked faster. “I’m fine. Not off. I’m on.”

Luka rolled his eyes. “Yeah, cause that’s a normal thing to say.”

Finn was thankful for the distraction when he noticed a petite, angular blond man hovering outside Luka’s office. “Don’t you have some work to do, Moreno? Morgan’s waiting for you.”

Luka groaned and muttered under his breath, “Of course he is.”

“Been around a lot lately. Maybe he likes you.” Finn waggled his eyebrows.

Luka sighed. “He does not. Trust me.”

Finn left Luka to deal with Morgan, the snippy composer, and tried to calm his thrumming heart. Each beat echoed through his body— Rory, Rory, Rory.

* * * *

Arriving home that night, Finn dumped his portfolios and laptop bag onto the kitchen table with a thump and made a beeline for his fridge.

He lived in an older part of town in a sunflower-yellow bungalow that showed the love and attention Finn had put into it since he’d moved to Oakport. The house had been his grandma’s and was about the only thing of worth he had inherited from his family, aside from his red hair and artistic abilities. He enjoyed the ritual of mowing the lawn every Saturday morning through the spring and summer, raking the leaves in the fall and even shoveling his front walk and driveway in the winter.

He had redone the inside of the house too, but tried to retain the funky, vintage vibe with wood paneling, an avocado-green couch, ceramic lamps and his grandma’s dining room table. His art hung all around the house too, since no one else was going to display it.

The beer went down nice and smooth as he rummaged around for the ingredients for a quinoa salad. He cranked up a seventies playlist and slid into a comforting rhythm, washing, peeling, chopping as his thoughts drifted.

Well, not so much drifted as tornado-ed. What the fuck is wrong with me? Why am I acting like a fourteen-year-old with a crush around Rory? Why do they make me feel like my heart is about to explode? Finn was used to being comfortable in any room, around any people. Smoldering sex appeal didn’t throw him off—it just made him horny. But there was something about Rory’s gentle aura and soft smiles that turned him into an awkward, tongue-tied idiot.

A silly crush, Finn told himself as he fluffed the quinoa. No big deal. It’ll fade. Right?

Right.

* * * *

“How was your date?” Luka asked Monday morning. The department heads were gathered around the conference room table waiting for a staff meeting to start.

Finn couldn’t stop his eyes from flicking over to Rory, who was a couple seats away from him and Luka. “Fine.”

Luka huffed. “Fine? That’s all I get? ‘Fine’?”

“Also…good?” Finn offered.

Luka leaned in to murmur, “Were you right about…?”

Finn raised an eyebrow. “Yup. And I didn’t hear his life story.” A low chuckle slipped out. It had been a good date. Henry had asked to see him again, and there was no reason to say no. They were going to go out again Wednesday night.

Luka snickered as their boss Ilona clacked in.

“Good morning, everyone,” she said, perfect and polished as usual. Raven-black hair cascaded onto her sharp red blazer, lips painted a matching color. “Hope you all had a good weekend. Now, if you’ll refer to the agenda I sent out on Friday…”

They were making their way through their files, reviewing the status of their major projects, when Ilona paused, shuffling a stack of papers. “One moment…I’m just trying to find the numbers for the PDF downloads.”

“The downloads for the PDF were up by two hundred and five percent,” came a small voice in the silence. Heads snapped over. It was Rory. “It was one hundred and twenty percent the previous quarter.”

Ilona raised her groomed eyebrow.

Rory squirmed. “I’m pretty sure.”

Ilona flipped to the next page and ran her finger down some columns. “That’s right.” She studied Rory for a moment. “Any chance you know the click-through rate?”

As a matter of fact, Rory did know. They proceeded to rattle off any number Ilona could ask about.

“Um.” Ilona put the papers down. “Thank you, Rory.”

Finn picked his jaw up off the table. So. Eidetic memory. No big deal. What else was going on behind those deep brown eyes?

“Before I let you go,” Ilona added after the file review, “I wanted to let you know that I heard from head office this morning, and they are sending a VP to head the Sartini file. Thomas Badgley will be joining us in about two weeks.” Sartini was a prestigious wine label that had recently expanded into the fine-dining business and had chosen Breakpoint as their new advertising firm. It was a huge client and would take up a lot of their time and energy.

Finn knew that name. “The Big Bad Wolf is coming here?”

Ilona narrowed her eyes. “I can only assume, Finn, that you will refrain from using that nickname again, particularly when Mr. Badgley is in our office?”

“Er, of course, boss.” Finn mimed zipping his lips shut.

“The Big Bad Wolf?” Rory asked as they filed out of the room. “What’s that nickname about?”

“Well, he’s big and bad.” Finn laughed. “That’s all I know.”

“He’s apparently a little scary,” Luka added. “He’s huge, wears expensive suits. They send him in for the really big clients.”

“Another suit telling me about art.” Finn rolled his eyes. “Can’t wait.”

“They say he’s helpful.” Luka shrugged. “Maybe it’ll be a good thing.” He checked his watch. “Damn it, I’m supposed to meet Morgan. Catch you later.” He waved and disappeared down the hall.

The silence stretched out between Finn and Rory. “Well—” Finn said, at the same time Rory started talking.

“What are some good lunch places around here?” Rory asked. “I couldn’t face my leftovers this morning.”

“Uh, there’s a great deli just down the street. It’s my favorite lunch spot.”

“Sounds great. I’ll give it a try. Would you care to join me?”

“Oh.” Finn’s stomach twisted. “I brought a lunch.”

“Okay, ano—”

“Sure,” Finn blurted. “Yes. I don’t want to eat my leftovers either.”

Rory’s eyes crinkled. “Great. I’ll meet you in the foyer at twelve?”

“See you then.”

* * * *

Finn sat at his desk. Did Rory ask me out to lunch?

No, they were just being polite, he decided, clicking open his latest project.

Oops, wrong file. He clicked open another one.

But still, now I have to eat lunch with Rory…alone…and…talk to them?

Finn got up again and marched back down the hall to Luka’s office. Luka was hunched over his laptop, staring at a score, the mass of music notes an incomprehensible jumble to Finn.

Finn rapped on the doorframe. “You want to go for lunch?”

“When do I not want to go for lunch?” Luka asked, without looking up. He clicked the mouse a couple times much harder than necessary.

“Perfect. I’m meeting Rory in the foyer at twelve. We’re going to Montagu’s.”

“Wait.” Luka spun around. “You’re having lunch with Rory?”

“And you.”

“Did Rory ask you to lunch?”

“It wasn’t like that. They asked for a good lunch place.”

“And?”Luka waved his hand looking for more information.

“And then asked if I wanted to come.”

“So…they did ask you to lunch.”

Finn shook his head. “They were just being polite.”

“I don’t have to c—”

“ Luka . Please, come for lunch.”

“Fine, but if you want me to bail, give me a sign, like—” Luka gave an exaggerated scratch of his nose.

“A sign? Okay, this is not a sitcom. And this is not a date! I’m just going for lunch with my colleagues.”

“Hmm. If you say so.”

* * * *

Finn rolled into the foyer two minutes early, and Rory was there waiting.

They smiled up at Finn. They looked so cute today, in a black blazer over a star-speckled T-shirt and shiny boots.

“I invited Luka along,” Finn said. “I hope that’s okay. He never has a lunch. That guy can’t cook to save his life.”

“Of course.”

Again, the silence stretched between them. Finn put his hands in his pockets, then took them out again. “I’m sure he’ll be here in a sec. Luka’s never late.”

“Right.” Rory bobbed their head.

“So…” Finn searched for something to say. “Settling in okay? Everyone being nice? Have you met Morgan yet?”

Rory’s forehead scrunched. “I think so, I—”

“He’s a bit of an ass, isn’t he?”

Further scrunching. “Well—”

“Sorry. Maybe he hasn’t shown his ‘ass’ to you yet.” The laugh that escaped him sounded like a cat with a hairball. Shut up, Finn. You’re an ass.

Rory blinked.

Finn cleared this throat. “I mean, like…” Fuck . The glimpse he caught in the mirrored ‘Breakpoint’ sign was devastating. A lumbering troll with a face the same color as his hair, and a serene elfin creature who was clearly regretting their decision to invite the troll along to lunch.

“Hey!” Luka bounced into the foyer, rescuing Finn from his agony. “Sorry! Got hung up on a call.” He grabbed Finn’s forearm and closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. “When I tell you what my client just said to me, you will perish.”

“I have no doubt.” Finn smiled at his friend in relief. Luka made everything so much easier.

Luka entertained them with his story as they walked down the busy sidewalk. “First of all, she emailed seventeen times over the weekend…”

Finn tried to focus and laugh appropriately, but his brain was screaming about all the times his shoulder brushed Rory’s. Especially when Rory pulled off their blazer and tucked it through their elbow. Finn’s gaze slid sideways over the vines that wound down Rory’s arm. When he looked closer, he realized that each leaf contained a letter in flowering script. He wanted to trace each one with a finger and find out their story.

“And then she finally says,” Luka said, approaching the punchline, “through her tears, ‘when I said a Grease aesthetic I meant the movie , not the country .’” Luka threw his head back with a burst of laughter. “Can you even believe it?”

Finn cackled. “I’m actually surprised you didn’t immediately assume the movie.” Luka had a deep love of movies, especially musicals.

“I know, right?” Luka sighed. “Anyway, this project just got a lot more fun, at least. And it gives me an idea for my Halloween costume.”

“Halloween?” Finn shook his head. “It’s August.”

“Practically September, and one can never prepare for Halloween too early. Wouldn’t you agree, Rory?” Luka generously lobbed a question at Rory, who was silently striding along next to them.

“Oh, absolutely,” Rory said. “I like to plan ahead.”

“See? Finn does not.” Luka laughed. “He gets mad if I mention holidays more than a week in advance.”

“Not true.” Finn sniffed.

Luka laughed again. “It absolutely is! You do your Christmas shopping on Christmas Eve.”

“I just don’t like how the holidays seem to start earlier and earlier, and you have to buy your shit then, because when the normal time to shop rolls around, you can’t even get it anymore. Sorry if I want to be able to buy a beach towel in July.” They were now standing in line at the deli, perusing the giant chalkboard menu.

“Yes, yes,” Luka soothed, patting his arm. “Poor Finn. Anyway, the turkey is amazing,” he told Rory. “You have to get it with the cranberry bread, it’s to die for, and if you like cheese, the smoked gouda.” He kissed his fingers. “Heaven.”

Finn could not be more thankful for Luka, who chatted easily, filling in the silence before it even existed, being sure to include Rory in the conversation.

“How long have you two been at Breakpoint?” Rory asked once they were seated on the sidewalk patio with their sandwiches.

“About four years,” Luka replied. “Finn started just before me.”

“Nice to work with friends, isn’t it?” Rory asked. They folded one ankle over the other, pants cuffed in an effortlessly stylish way.

“You’ve got that right,” Luka replied. “Finn keeps me grounded, reminds me not to worry about the bullshit.”

“And Luka is really good at attracting bullshit,” Finn added.

Luka sighed. “I’d smack you, but, unfortunately, you are completely right. Did you have lots of friends at your last job?” he asked Rory.

“Yup. Friends and family. It was my parents’ company.”

“Oh, cool. What made you leave?” Luka crunched on a potato chip.

“Just”—Rory lifted a shoulder—“ready to do my own thing.”

“I get it. I love my parents but it was a relief to move away from Andchester.”

Finn was painfully aware that he was mostly observing a conversation between Luka and Rory, but by the time he’d thought of something not stupid to say and his mouth wasn’t full of sandwich, they’d moved on. Luka shot him the odd confused look at his unexpected silence. Desperate to say something, Finn rifled through his brain.

“What about outside of work? Are you seeing anyone?” Luka asked.

“No,” Rory answered quickly. “Definitely single.”

“I have a date with Henry,” Finn blurted. “We’re going mini-golfing.”

There was an awkward pause. “Oh, is Henry your boyfriend?” Rory asked, fiddling with an empty soda can.

“No! I don’t have a boyfriend. Or girlfriend. Or partner. I’m just…dating. Casually.” Finn’s voice got higher and higher as he spoke, the very opposite of casual. Rory’s nose piercing had a tiny white bead on it, pearlescent in the sun.

“This guy is a dating monster,” Luka said, balling up his sandwich wrapper. “Just wait, Rory. The stories he has—”

Oh, God. “Yes, well.” Finn stood, chair screeching, before Luka could say more. “Time to get back.” They both stared up at him. I could not be more awkward if I tried.

Luka gave him a look like he had an alien growing out of his head. “But we can save those for another time. You all done, Rory?”

“Yup. All done.” They smoothed their elegant fingers over their lap and folded them neatly around the soda can—the most beautiful fingers Finn had ever seen.

He met Rory’s eyes, lips pressed tight together to hold in the fluttering in this throat that threatened to burst out. Shit, Finn thought as Rory smiled at him. I’m done, too.