I'm not happy with this one, but I'm posting it anyways. I skipped writing out the dialogue for certain parts because holy fuck, I just don't want to. Y'all know what happened.
[Tumblr] This is for ch1darkcy, the-emerald-tablet, old-lady-at-heart, endemictoearth, and raemondo-earl who responded to thecurvatureoffinnsass' post.
Title is the All Time Low song "A Daydream Away."
"Finn!" his mum shouted from downstairs. "A letter came for you in the post," she said handing him the letter as he came down the stairs.
Finn looked at the letter quizzically before taking it from her hand. It was pink. "Why is it pink?" he looked at his mum, eyebrows scrunched in confusion. "And," he sniffed when he smelled a sugar concoction, "it smells."
"What the bloody hell is this?" he looked to his mum for an answer.
"Watch your language, Finley," she reprimanded. "It looks like a love letter. No return address, pink, smells like the lady's perfume…" she trailed off as she walked away laughing lightly at him.
Why would someone send him a love letter? He was confused. He warily began to open the letter, half expecting something girly to pop out at him when he suddenly stopped. What if it was from Rae? He grinned. This could be from Rae! He'd been trying to get on her good side after being a right prick to her when they first met. It was only earlier he finally touched her for the first time and apologized for being rude. But she also seemed unaffected by him. He'd hoped he would get some sort of reaction out of her. He wanted some sort of confirmation that she liked him back. But why would she want a grumpy sod? He had nothing great to offer her. She'd probably be better without him anyways; he was just wasting his time. He was no Archie.
He'd been pining after her since she proved her musical taste wasn't shit with Sabotage. It was as if he found the female Finn. She was beautiful, funny, got along with everyone, and confident. And whilst he wanted to know if she liked him back he was glad she wasn't one of the girls to act like complete knobs around guys they fancied. There was no ridiculous hair twisting, creepy stares whilst at the same time "sexily" biting their bottom lip, no pushing her chest into his, no flinging their hair and getting it in his face making him choke…
But this didn't seem like the kind of girl to send a love letter covered in too-sweet smelling perfume.
Or maybe she was.
He didn't know. Coming out of his reverie he finally opened the envelope and pulled out a frilly pink paper.
"Dear Finn, you are so fit and lovely. I want to make you mine. Love from, x"
That sounds more like Chloe or Izzy than Rae. But he had his mind set on it being Rae. Chloe was annoying; she was the kind of girl he didn't want. Sure, she was fit. But that's not always everything. He drifted back to picturing Rae in her Stone Roses tee from earlier and how it felt to hug her. Maybe he had scared her off with that hug? Fuck.
He was startled back into reality when his dad snuck up behind him. "What do you got there, Finn? I could smell it upstairs!"
He turned around the same time his mum appeared in the doorway, "Our little boy's got an admirer, Steve. He's growing up!" she pretended to wipe tears from her eyes.
"Our little Finley's growing up?" his father gasped and mockingly put his hand over his heart before grabbing Finn in a tight hug.
Finn laughed and pushed his dad away. "Shuddup!" he grumbled, fixing his hair.
"So who's it from, then? Tell us," his father prompted.
"Dunno. Just says 'x.'" he sighed. "Right, well I'm off. Going to the pub with the gang."
"All right. Be safe, have fun, don't drive when pissed; love you, honey," his mum reminded him as he walked out the door with the letter folded up in his back pocket.
When he got to the pub he was the only one there. About a half hour later Chloe showed up alone. Her and Rae were best mates, he thought. She'd know Rae's handwriting.
"Hiya, Finn," she greeted as she sat down across from him.
"Hey. Listen, I got a question for you," he said pulling the letter out of his pocket and handing it to her. "Do you know this handwriting?"
"What's this? A love letter!" she giggled at the note. "I dunno, Finn. But they could have disguised it because they don't want you to find out."
She handed it back to him and he shrugged. Damn it, he thought. She's actually has a point.
Chop, Izzy, and Archie walked in together. Chop immediately went to the bar to grab drinks as Finn noticed Rae. He grinned as he walked over towards her.
"All right?" he said as he put his arm up to pull her into a hug. He didn't get far with Rae putting her hand on his chest and pushing him away.
"S-stop," she said.
Finn's heart dropped in his chest. What happened? He thought they were all right; he'd just apologized earlier and she didn't mind then.
"What?" he was hurt.
"I really need to talk to Archie," she said looking at him as she grabbed Archie by the arm and took him towards the jukebox.
He just stared at them for a moment, his expression still hurt, before he scoffed and walked over to the phone. Whatever, he though bitterly, fucking Archie. He wanted to check on his nan. It'd been about an hour and his parents should have been back from visiting his nan in the hospital. The phone rang twice before his mum picked up.
"I wanted to check in on nan. Anything new?" he asked.
"Not really," she sighed sadly. "Her vitals are still the same for the most part but she's unable to eat and looks weaker. They say they're going to be watching her throughout the day."
Finn's heart dropped for the second time. It didn't sound good and it was only noon. What if she didn't make it another day? Fuck, he couldn't lose his nan. His eyes welled with tears before he wiped them and responded to his dad.
"Okay. Thanks, mum. I'll be home later. Love you," he said hanging up.
He took a moment grabbing the phone and the wall whilst taking deep breaths to try and calm himself before starting back to the gang.
"Here he is, the big knobhead," Chop said as he joined the gang crowding around Rae and Archie.
"Huh?"
Chop then tried to talk Rae into having what he called a "sexy party" at her house since he mum wasn't home. She wasn't having any of it. Finn was rather disappointed. He really wanted to spend time with Rae. He wished that they could have had the sexy party so that he and Rae could talk and she would reveal that she sent him the love letter because she'd liked him the whole time but didn't know how to tell him. He'd tell her he fancied her as well and they'd be together. That his nan would miraculously recover and he could introduce them to each other. It's almost as if his nan knows everything about Rae as it is since she's all he could talk about when he visits her at the hospital.
He's once again broken out of his daydreams of him and Rae when Chloe opens her mouth. "Oh my god, Finn. Show everyone your love letter."
He gave her a look as if to say, "You should keep your mouth shut." But then the whole gang was asking to see it and started ribbing him about it.
"Let's see it, let's see it," Izzy said as she put her hand out.
He grabbed the letter from his back trouser pocket and handed it to her. As she read it aloud he awkwardly rubbed his ear before looking up to watch Rae's reaction.
"Who would even send a love letter? That is so stupid," Rae said.
Fuck. Of course it wasn't her. He was stupid to think so.
"Well it's stamped Lincolnshire, so it must be a local girl," Archie deduced. But Finn didn't care anymore. It wasn't from Rae, she didn't like him, so it'll just go in the trash now.
"But all letters are stamped Lincolnshire if that's where they're delievered," Rae then added with a bit of attitude.
"What?" Archie said. "Letters are stamped where they're sent from not sent to. You're not serious. You're sixteen years old and you think letters are stamped where they're sent to?"
"That's what my mum said," Rae added, this time rather quietly.
The gang fell silent, unsure of what to say.
"I'm joking!" They broke out in laughter but as Finn watched Rae's expression he knew something wasn't right. She was lying.
It was about two hours later when Chop called Finn saying that Rae decided on having a sexy party. He excitedly grabbed his sleeping bag and shuffled through his CDs and records before he left for Rae's. He wondered why she had a sudden change of heart.
When he arrived she was off again. He went for another hug but she wouldn't let him. Claiming some bull about a no hugging policy even though she'd hugged Archie seconds before. He didn't understand why she was being so weird to him now. Did he do something wrong? Should he not have hugged her earlier? Maybe he should be more obvious. Maybe he could just man up and outright tell her he fancied her. Yeah, that was what he was going to do tonight at the party.
He tried flirting with her about the records but she brushed him off again. What the hell is he doing wrong? Did he really just call her "buddy?" The fuck was wrong with him?
Then she had to nip out to get more booze. While she was gone that Danny bloke showed up telling them about how he and Rae used to date. How they wouldn't leave the bloody hotel room because they screwed the whole time. Chloe showed him to her mum's room so he could use the phone to call and check on his nan again. There wasn't anything new. He sighed and put the phone down, making his way to Rae's room where they had spin the bottle going on.
He sat in the last available spot between Rae and Chloe. He tried talking to her, he wanted to know what the deal was with this Danny fellow; but mostly he wanted to know why she was being so rude today. Finn was confused when she acted jealous that he had to kiss Anna during the game. Is that why she's being rude? Because she's jealous and she actually did fancy him back?
Finn didn't know what to do when they were in the cupboard. He desperately wanted to kiss her, but he wanted to know what the fuck her problem was. That got him nothing except heart break number six of the day. She didn't want to be his friend. He mulled over the conversation in his head multiple times, maybe there was a clue. "Maybe I don't want to be your friend." Fuck, he just didn't know!
Why are girls so bloody confusing?
He stopped in her mum's room again to use the phone. Heart break number seven: the biggest of them all. His world came tumbling down. She's dead. He'd never see his nan again. He wanted her back. He could talk to her, he could sit there and listen to her ramble about anything and everything… She was one of his two favourite people. He knew he was crying, but he didn't care. He heard the door open and Rae say his name. He turned and looked at her quickly.
"Oh, shit," Rae knew what happened.
"Oh, Finn, I'm so sorry," she hurried over to him and wrapped him in a hug, rubbing his back while he sobbed for the grandmother he just lost.
Later they were lying on her bed. Him in his sleeping bag and her under her duvet with Izzy sleeping quietly at their feet.
"You'd've liked me nan," he said softly. "She's always talking about something."
"Oi, what're you trying to say?" Rae quipped.
"Nothing! Just…you're always banging on about it," he smiled.
"You cheeky bastard," Rae whispered, laughing lightly.
"No, in a good way! I like it. I like talking to ya." He looked to her, pulling her pillow down slightly. "And I don't like talking to anybody."
"So, we all right?" he asked unsure.
"Yeah," Rae said. "We're all right."
Finn smiled happily as Rae looked away for a moment before turning back to him.
"Hey, Rae?"
"Hmm?"
"I… I really wish it were you who sent the letter, you know," Finn said shyly.
"What letter?" Rae was slightly confused.
Taking a deep breath Finn replied, "The love letter."
Rae's eyes went wide, and Finn grimaced at her reaction. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything. Just go to sleep."
You stupid fucker, he told himself. He should have kept his mouth shut. He finally got her to talk to him again and now he'd scared her off.
"No, Finn. It's okay. Really. I have something I want to tell you, anyways." Rae said.
"What's that?" Finn asked curiously.
"Earlier when we were at the park, I had wanted to tell you something but you were called back by your mates." Finn remembered that he'd interrupted her and not let her talk. "I wanted to tell you that I like you." She couldn't look at him.
"Really?" Finn asked smiling.
"And in the cupboard, I told you I didn't want to be your friend." Now it was her turn for a deep breath. "Because I want to be more." She chanced a glance at Finn.
He was grinning madly. "Are you asking me out, Rachel?" he teased.
She blushed, quietly answering him. "Maybe. It rather depends on your answer."
"I've been trying to get your bloody attention for weeks now, Rae," he told her honestly. "I thought I was making it rather obvious today."
Rae was bewildered. "Why?"
Finn was back to his confident self now. The girl he fancied liked him back.
"Because I really like you, too. I don't want to be friends either."
"You don't know what you're getting yourself into, Finn, when you say that."
"I don't care. Want to go bowling sometime, Rae?" he smiled, now on his side perched on his elbow staring down at her.
"You'll probably change your mind about me," Rae couldn't look him in the eyes.
But for Finn, there was nothing this amazing girl could do to make him change his mind.
"I doubt it," he smiled again as he leaned down with one specific intention.
Just before they touched he pulled back.
"Hey, Rae…. In the next few days you may be getting a letter in the post in an unmarked envelope. If such an envelope does happen to arrive, just throw it away."
She laughed out loud, causing Izzy to jostle in her sleep below them. "Finn Nelson, did you send me a love letter?"
His face turned bright red, "Shuddup."
"Oh, Finn. I don't think it's stupid, I just hate the idea that someone besides me sent it to you." He smiled gratefully.
"Good, I worked damn hard on that fucking letter," he began to lean down again.
"And Finn."
"Yeah?"
"Chloe's going to be so jealous of me!"
"Why is-" his eyes opened wide in realization. "No!"
Rae was laughing as she nodded, covering her mouth as not to disturb Izzy again. Finn let out a groan as he let his body drop back down beside her. They were silent for a few minutes before Finn spoke up.
"So, bowling? Later this week sound good?" he asked.
"Sure. But I've never played before," she said.
"No worries. I'll teach you." He put his arm around her waist. "Night, Rae."
"Nighty night, Finn."
He laughed and pulled her closer.
