Page 30 of Brad & Finn (Gomillion High Reunion #3)
Brad cherished the memories from that camping trip.
It had finally become clear, to them and everyone else, that he and Kendall were over for good after that last breakup.
Newly single, he felt no need to go to prom, and several of their friends had agreed and planned an impromptu camping trip.
He’d ended up sharing a tent with Chloe, Cory, and Finn, and they’d stayed up late into the night, whispering ghost stories and passing a half-full bag of marshmallows back and forth between them.
He was pretty sure he’d never thought of Finn romantically back in high school.
He hadn’t been able to identify it then, but as an adult looking back, it was pretty clear Finn had a wall up between himself and any romantic connections.
That night in the tent, though, they’d slept back-to-back, cozy under a shared blanket.
He’d had this one distinct thought before falling asleep: he loved Finn with his entire heart, just as Chloe had said.
He knew they’d both probably be going their separate ways after graduation, as most of their class was, but for the remaining weeks of high school, he promised himself he’d take advantage of every moment he had with his friends.
He never regretted missing prom, not even for a second, but the knowledge that Finn might regret it bubbled in his chest like acid reflux.
“I’m not sure what I’d do for a prom…posal?” Brad said, even as ideas began pouring into his head.
“If you’re not sure how to put on a dramatic showing, I can help with that,” she said, but the twinkle in her eye hardened into steel as she stared directly into his eyes.
“But if you’re not sure about Finn, that’s another thing entirely.
He deserves someone who’s as sure as you can be about taking a chance on another person. ”
Brad opened his mouth, no idea what was going to come out, when he heard a board creak in the hallway. He stood up, and when Finn walked in, Brad couldn’t help but notice how exhausted he looked—and not just from a night of no sleep. He looked like he’d been carrying around too much for too long.
Without stopping to think, he walked over and slid his arms around Finn in a tight embrace. Finn immediately tensed, curling forward and shrinking in Brad’s grasp. He could practically feel the tension and agitation Finn had been carrying all morning roiling under his skin.
“Did you get your cookies, sweetheart?” he asked.
A tense moment passed where Brad wasn’t sure if Finn was going to push him away, but when he lifted his arms, he threw them around Brad’s back. “Yeah. And another coffee.”
“How are you feeling?”
Finn tilted his head, looking around Brad’s arm at Chloe.
Whatever he saw made him chuckle softly.
“Better. Sorry, I was in a bit of a mood.” He shifted, his spine straightening as he pulled back, gazing up at Brad with some of that steel he’d seen in Chloe’s eyes moments before.
“I have ADHD, which causes some trouble with executive function, and it can get worse when I'm low on sleep or stressed out. It makes it hard to concentrate and can make me kind of…”
“Pissy,” Chloe provided as she placed a hand on Brad’s shoulder and wrapped an arm around Finn’s back.
“A little agitated ,” Finn grumbled.
Several of the kids Brad had worked with were diagnosed, or in the process of being diagnosed with ADHD.
He knew there were different types and a lot of varying symptoms. Executive dysfunction was one he’d heard of but didn’t know a lot about.
He’d never asked the kids about it, and he didn’t want to push Finn on it now.
Perhaps he could watch some more videos on it later.
Right now, he wanted to comfort his…Finn.
Brad pulled Finn into another hug, nuzzling his nose into his hair. He smelled like the odd combination of hotel shampoo and bodywash, but his underlying oaky scent made Brad smile. Finn saw his smile and gave him a soft one in return before turning to pull Chloe into a tight hug.
“Sorry I was being pissy,” he murmured, and Chloe squeezed him until his back cracked.
They got back to work, but this time with more lively commentary on what they were packing, sharing memories, and making up stories for items they couldn’t explain.
Finn was in a noticeably better mood, and it seemed to brighten the room, casting light on Brad’s shadowy corner of the room as he packed box after box.
Even though they were across the room from each other, he enjoyed every surprised noise and shout of triumph that came from the closet.
Finn gave a particularly loud shout when he found a Polaroid camera in an old backpack.
Chloe raced over to his side, digging around inside the bag until she unearthed a box of film.
She pointed the camera at Finn and snapped a picture, the shutter sound loud enough to carry over Finn’s cries of protest.
When Brad laughed a little too loudly, she turned the camera on him next. He joined them on the floor, and they hid the two photos under a box lid to develop. Finn only lasted a minute before he lost patience and pulled them out, saying, “There’s no way they need that long to develop.”
The quality wasn’t great, but the image was clear enough.
“We have to take pictures the rest of the day!” Chloe exclaimed, holding the camera up by its frayed leather strap.
They put the camera and film off to the side and worked for another hour before Chloe’s phone alarm went off, telling them it was time to head over to the basketball game.
Chloe slung the camera over her neck and tried to fit the film into her magic pockets, but to her disappointment, it didn’t fit.
Brad volunteered, as the one with the largest pockets, and after borrowing three thermoses of Keurig coffee, they set off for campus.