I watched as Finn polished off his seventh beer. I was perched on his lap as we sat on the tailgate of Lucas' truck. Joseph was sitting beside us with Heather standing between his legs. His arms were wrapped around her as her back rested against his chest. If I wasn't so concerned with Finn, I would have been struggling to understand how they happened.

"Let's dance," I whispered to Finn as he nodded to Shane for another can. Shane's brow was knitted together as he studied his friend. Shane was never one to withhold a drink from anyone. That gesture alone added to my nerves. Finn shook his head at my request. "Then how about a walk?"

"I'm fine right here," he finally spoke. Since he had shown up, it had been one word answers. Most were a single request; beer. Shane happily gave him the first few. By the fifth one, he grew more hesitant. Even in the open field, filled with laughter and chatter, I could feel the tension growing around the truck.

"No more beer till we go for a walk," I negotiated. It was a weak attempt as I couldn't very well cut him off. He could over power me to take one, or pick a fight. Either would result in Lucas' going into big brother mode.

When Finn shook his head, I felt my body slump in his hold. The last time he had drank this much was after I told him about Jasper. Normally, he was the one keeping a level head so he could drive people home. I pushed his hand from my waist and was surprised by the disappoint clouding his glazed eyes. I stuck out my hand.

"I said I'm not going for a stupid walk."

"I don't want to anymore. I want to go home, so give me your keys."

"I'm not ready to leave."

"That's fine," I grumbled, trying not to make a scene. "Shane can take you home when you're ready."

"It's my car," he scoffed, "I can drive myself home."

"You're not driving anywhere, man," Shane stated flatly. I flinched at the sight of Finn stiffening.

"Funny," a wicked smile joined the darkening of his eyes, "You don't look like my dad."

"Shut up and give her your keys, Finn," Joseph grumbled. Heather was trying not to stare at us as Joseph straightened behind her. Finn glared at him as he pushed off the tailgate. He stumbled to the side as his feet met the ground. He swatted away my hand as I reached out to stabilize him. I took a step back with my hands raised and found Shane standing behind me.

"Go get in my Jeep, Lainey," Shane ordered. I was ready to protest when I caught sight of his glare on Finn. Heather's hand grazed mine as I blindly retreated to Shane's Jeep. I could hear their voices growing louder with each step I took. Every muscle in me wanted to turn around and intervene. Sliding into the passenger seat, my body slumped forward and my head rested in my hands.

A set of keys landed on my lap and I looked up to see Shane. He nodded to the driver's seat. I climbed over the center council. I followed his gaze to Finn with his hands shoved in his pockets. When he didn't budge, Shane stalked over to Finn and said something too soft for me to hear. Finn nodded as he looked to his left, and away from Shane.

Shane circled his Jeep to stand beside me. The forced smile made me force one of my own. The Jeep rocked as Finn climbed into the seat beside me. Shane held up Finn's keys to let me know without words that he had a ride home.

"Make sure he drinks some water when he gets home." Finn mumbled something in response under his breath and I turned over the engine. Shane nodded at me and stepped back as I guided the jeep back to the road we came in on.

I wasn't sure if I should be thankful for the quiet that filled the Jeep on the ride home, or concerned. I knew something was eating at him. The way his parents had acted before he showed up, I knew it was something to do with them. Prying would lead to a fight, so I kept my mouth shut. When I neared our side of town and readied the turn signal for Finn's street, he pointed straight.

The Jeep rocked again as Finn stumbled out into our yard. He waited for me to meet him before heading to the house. I took out my keys and pushed open the door. Much like his last drunken stupor, Finn lazily kicked off his shoes. He wandered down the hall and I sighed as he entered my room.

Finn was perched on the edge of my mattress with his hands cupping the back of his neck. His body was hunched over and I wanted to do nothing but hug him. Instead, I went to Lucas' room and search for shorts and a shirt for Finn to borrow. My brother will have a fit in the morning when he got home. Right now, though, I didn't have the heart to remind him of the rules.

Entering my room, I waited for Finn to acknowledge me. His eyes slowly rose to meet mine and my body ran cold. Instead of the previous glaze or anger, they were glassy. I held the cloths out to him. Once he had taken them, I grabbed my own pajamas and went to the bathroom to change and wipe the make-up from my face. Passing my room again, I saw he had changed but returned to staring at his feet.

Setting to glasses of water on the nightstand, I sat beside him and took one of his hands in mine. His fingers wiggled in my grasp. I let out a sigh of relief when they didn't pull free but instead laced with mine. I rested my forehead against his bare shoulder. The tattoo binding him to his friends was even with my lips. His rough hand pushed the hair falling over my face behind my ear.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. I rocked my head back and forth. "No. I was an ass and have no reason to be. Not toward you."

"It's been a long day," I rested my chin on his shoulder to look at him. "How about we get some sleep, and you can apologize in the morning?"

Finn nodded slowly. He slid further back on my bed, then guided me to sit beside him. His arms wrapped tightly around me, trapping me close to him. Once he was content, he laid us down with me curled up close to him. His arms tightened as he nuzzled the top of my head. My hand rested on his chest, feeling the fast thumping of his heart. I waited to feel the racing slow before I allowed myself to fall asleep.

**~~**

"Oh, Lainey," a soft voice coaxed me from my sleep. A weight settled on my chest stopped me from stretching or rolling to face the door. Smooth, warm skin rose and fell under my fingers. Squinting past the sun filing my room, I looked down at the weight.

Finn's head was resting on my chest while his arms were wrapped tightly around my waist. The blankets were bunched at the foot of my bed. His leg was hooked around mine, pinning me in place. I wouldn't have complained either, had it not been for that voice calling to me again.

Turning my head to see who dared to wake me up, I rubbed a hand over my eyes. Short blonde hair fighting to escape to the too-high-ponytail and soft brown eyes made me groan. I didn't have to make out the rest of Heather's face to know it was her. Waving my hand in the air, I twisted away from her and closed my eyes. Maybe if I was fast enough, I could ragain the grasp on sleep I had a few minutes ago.

The sound of the chair at my vanity being dragged across the carpeted floor made me groan. Finn's body tightened its hold as he nuzzled his face against my sweatshirt. A series of pokes to my face and a failed attempt to shoo her away had me focused on my friend.

"Good, you're awake," she chirped as she grinned at me.

"What are you even doing here," I dared to check the time, "It's six in the morning, on a Saturday."

"We crashed here."

"We?"

"Yeah," she held up her fingers, "Shane. Joe. Me."

"Lucas," I yawned the question.

"Ditched us to go to Lily's," Heather faked a gag after she shivered at her own words.

"So he hasn't been home yet," I tried not to squirm as the hands around my waist slipped past the hem of my sweatshirt.

"Nope," she popped the word as a knowing smirk curled into place. "But Shane has been making up some excuses to check and make sure the door is still open."

I bit back a smile as his thumbs started tracing circles over my hips. Heather stood up, patted Finn's head and disappeared down the hall. Finn grumbled into my sweat shirt as he nuzzled even closer. My hands rubbed over his shoulders and back before trailing to his shoulders again.

"You seem to be in better spirits," I whisper.

"I like waking up like this," his arms squeezed tighter to prove his point. His head slowly rose as he smiled at me. I could see him fighting with himself. He wanted to kiss me, but he didn't want to let me go either. His thumbs started dancing across my skin as they inched higher under my sweatshirt.

Just as I squirmed, he took the opportunity to pull me down the bed so our noses touched. Our foreheads rested against each other as his lips met mine. It was soft and kind. Purly apologetic for the night before. One of my arms wrapped around his neck as the other one weaved under his to rest across his strong back.

As my hands wandered across his warm skin, his own continued to roam my sides and back. With the apology wordlessly accepted we allowed ourselves to get lost. The kiss grew deeper and hands wandering to new areas. I feel his finger graze the lace of my bra and chills ran through me. The good kind.

"Hand check," a voice boomed. We both jumped and turned to see Shane looking smug in the doorway. "Privacy is key, children."

I held my middle finger as Finn's face landed on the pillow near my head. Shane pulled out his wallet and wiggled it in his fingers. Finn grabbed the other pillow and threw it in his direction. Shane avoided the hit and returned his wallet to the pocket it came from then made his way back to the living room. I sat up as Finn rolled onto his back.

"What was that all about?"

"Shane's an ass," his hand rubbed at his eyes. I shimmied back down and rolled onto my side to face him. He looked at me and I watched as he held back a laugh. "It's his way of reminding me to be smart."

"His wallet is a sign to be smart?"

"It's more about what's in the wallet." The beautiful lopsided smile made me laugh. My hands shot up to cover my face as his own chuckles filled the room. "Yeah. He was subtle about it."

"Could you imagine if Lucas found out," I mumbled against my hands before pulling them away.

"Why do you think I haven't said anything? Your brother has a way of just popping up at the worst times."

I shook my head and closed my eyes. It was still too early to be up and I refused to move. Lips pressed softly to my forehead as the bed shifted. I peeked at Finn as he sauntered from my room. He really did look better than last night. Adjusting the pillow, I wrapped my arms around it, and cradled it tightly under my head.

Fresh coffee brought my sense back to life. Looking up, I saw Finn setting a mug on the nightstand while another was at his lips. Pulling the sleeves from my hands, I reached out for the mug and rolled onto my stomach to take a sip. Finn sat beside me again, took another sip and reached over me to set his mug down.

His chest was pressed against my back as he kissed the crook of my neck. I set the mug back down and rested my head back on the pillow. Finn's arm wrapped around my waist as he nuzzled my neck. The loving embrace mixed with the warmth from his body seeping through my sweatshirt was an amazing feeling. If I could spend the day just like this, I would be the happiest girl. As the weight of his head met my shoulder and his hand find mine buried beneath the pillow, I allowed myself to fall back asleep.