Finished by Claire Kent Page B

relaxed, laidback, all evening, but an unexpected urgency was starting to tighten on his face. “There’s nothing average about you.”
    She reached out to stroke his chest over the fabric of his shirt, since the jacket of his suit had fallen open. “I wasn’t really fishing for compliments, you know. Just telling you how I feel.”
    “I know that, and I’m telling you how I feel. There’s nothing average about you. It’s just not obvious on the first look. It takes a little time for someone to realize how incredible you are.” He laid a warm hand over hers on his chest. “Seriously, I’ve never known anyone else with a heart like yours. You really listen to people—hear what they’re saying, care about what they’re feeling. You genuinely feel for other people. You don’t let them slip away when something better or more interesting comes along. Do you think that’s normal? Do you want to know how often I used to go on dates with women who nod and smile like they’re listening to me but are actually thinking about something else? About making a good impression, about what’s going to happen later in the night, about whether or not I like her, about whether or not she likes me. But you really listen. Other people can be themselves with you and know that they’re safe—because your heart is so big. And deep. And loyal.” He suddenly cleared his throat and glanced away, as if he hadn’t realized he had said so much.
    She was speechless—touched and astonished and almost awed—by what Mike had said, by the fact that he seemed to mean it. She shifted her hand slightly so she could twine her fingers in his. “I don’t really think I’m so different than other people.”
    “Well, you are. You’ll have to trust me on that.”
    “Maybe you’ve just been hanging out with the wrong people.”
    He smiled again, more natural now—lazy and teasing. “Entirely possible.”
    Julia took a deep breath, conscious of a warm wave of affection and pleasure. All from nothing more than a conversation. “What were you like in high school?”
    “Eh.”
    She blinked at his unforthcoming response. “Were you a jock? You look like you would have been.”
    “I played some sports, yeah. But I was never super-popular.”
    “Really?”
    “You know what high school is like.” His expression turned slightly sheepish. “I was in the Math Club and the Chess Club and the Comic Book Club.”
    She giggled and scooted over so she could drape her arm around his middle. “Are you serious?”
    “Yeah.”
    “I bet the girls liked you, though.”
    He gave a half-shrug. “I could get dates, sure. But I didn’t really have much of a social life. I never had a serious girlfriend.”
    “In high school?” She’d known Mike for more than a year, but she hadn’t known very much about his background, and she was fascinated.
    He opened his mouth to respond, but then closed it again. After a few seconds, he said, “Ever, really.”
    “You’ve never had a serious girlfriend? Ever?”
    “Never. Not one I’ve made a commitment to.”
    She stared at him, trying to process this information. “Why not?”
    He shrugged again and glanced away from her. “Trust isn’t all that easy for me.”
    She didn’t know why that was, but it fit what she knew about him. For long time—until just recently, really—he’d always held part of himself back. Now, she wanted to know more. She wanted to know him deeper. “What about Drayton?”
    “What about him?”
    “You trust him, right? You seem to be…committed to him in some way, right? You’ve been friends for ages.”
    “Fifteen years.” Mike sighed and closed his eyes. “But it was never a conscious commitment with us. And we haven’t been close for all that time. We drift in and out of each other’s lives—depending on our situations. But we understand each other, and we both always understood the need for freedom. But, yeah, I guess he’s the longest relationship I’ve