It's been a few years since Finn has seen Rae.

He remembers being seventeen and thinking that she would always be his best friend, that'd maybe she'd always be around. But times change, and people change with the times.

The first Christmas she'd come for a visit he'd had a new girlfriend. And like a coward, he couldn't bring himself to meet up with her and their mutual friends. He didn't want to see the accusatory look that she'd give him.

The second time she'd come for a visit she'd brought her new boyfriend. Finn had stayed away because, once again, he was a dirty coward, and even though he and Rae had broken up more than two years ago he couldn't stomach the thought of seeing her hanging around with some other asshole. Later, he got all the details from Chop. In the end, he wished he hadn't asked.

This year, this summer, however, there's not much to keep them away. He's single, a bachelor by choice, and last he'd heard she'd broken up with that boyfriend of hers.

The breeze is warm when he spots for the first time. It's like someone has stabbed a knife into his brain and he suddenly can't function, because he's seventeen again and hopelessly in love with this girl.

Fucking hell.

Rae's hair is longer. The sun is hitting it and making it shine. Her smile is still bright; she shoots it in his direction as she walks up to him, Chop, and Archie. Chloe and Izzy are behind her, and Finn opens his arms for a hug. Like a twat.

She pauses, hugs him back, and he feels her relax underneath his palms. As Chloe starts babbling on about her fiance, Finn racks his head and tries to recall why he and Rae broke up in the first place.


"How's life treatin' you, Finn?" Her voice is still high and lovely, and he resists the urge to sigh.

"Bullshit," he replies, "the usual." He asks her about her studies, watches as her whole face lights up. She is animated as she talks, moving her hands around and making expressions. God, he'd missed her.

She talks and he listens. She smiles at him and he sips at his pint, trying not to grin, trying not to act like an idiot.

Her words still and she hesitates, running her finger along the ridge of her glass. "You hanging around with anyone?"

Finn shakes his head, and soon he's telling her about his job, and how his cousin is getting married and he has to be in it when he really doesn't want to do and how he's been thinking about getting himself a dog and… It's so easy to talk to her, but yet when her fingers brush over his knee, by accident or otherwise, his words get all tangled up. Years ago, she would've held out her palm and he would've written out his thoughts.

Years ago. His heart hammers and suddenly he feels a bit sad.

He gives her a strained smile, wraps up whatever he was saying, props his elbow up on the table and looks away.


They've all gone round to Chop's. Chop and Izzy have managed to get their own house, even though it's complete shit. It's a place of solace for Finn, though. He can escape here. Chop and Izzy have gone off somewhere—to get drinks, maybe—and he and Rae are left alone, as Chloe and Archie didn't come along.

He takes a deep drag from the spliff before handing it to Rae.

She chuckles and inhales, then sighs out smoke. "I smoked a lot of this during my first year at uni."

"Why'd you stop?"

"Shit beer is cheaper."

Finn finds himself nodding. His cheeks hurt from all the times she's made him grin tonight.

"And then I told him to fuck off, 'cause he was a right twat and his breath smelled."

Finn laughs, harder then is appropriate, and he's sure all his ribs are about to split apart. She's laughing too, and then she's biting her bottom lip almost shyly.

He stands up suddenly and holds out his hand, and maybe its because he's stoned, and maybe it's because he's had a little bit to drink as well, but Rae feels like his again.

Maybe she never was not his to begin with.

Rae takes his hand without question. She asks him what he's doing, but he doesn't answer. He offers her a mischievous smile instead and leads her out the front door. The grass is soft beneath his bare feet and he pulls her down onto the ground before laying back. Finn shuffles close to her, pressing his shoulder and legs up against her. Her body feels warm and he swallows thickly.

"Oh, the stars," she says, clearly pleased. "I've tried to memorize all the constellations at least five times, 'cause they're cool, ya know. Can never find them worth shit, though."

Finn opens his mouth, determined to spout out some crap about stars and astrology, but they fade quickly and he squeezes his eyes shut in frustration. He taps his finger against the top of her hand, an old habit he'd do before he'd start tracing out his thoughts against her skin. But he doesn't spell out anything this time. Instead, he opens up his fingers and she opens up hers and soon they're holding hands.

Rae speaks first. "I really missed you, Finn. Really missed you. So much I just couldn't stand it, sometimes."

This is his Rae, brave, always the one to put herself out there first. She's much stronger then he could ever hope to be.

He turns his head to face her and she is looking right at him.

"I miss you too."