CHAPTER 21: The Finn-dom

On a normal day, Finn would go directly to the kitchen and prepare breakfast the moment he got out of bed. But it didn't feel like a very normal day for him. The first thing he did after washing his face was go to Casey's room. She wasn't there. She couldn't have gone away because her bag was still in the room. He didn't have to scour the whole mansion to find her. Cheeky Jack. He opened the door to Jack's bedroom which was slightly ajar and found their big stash of Maoams sitting on Jack's swivel chair. There were dozens of candies littered across the floor, like a path of breadcrumbs Gretel left behind. His eyes went directly to Jack's bed where two pairs of feet lay. He crossed his arms on his chest and walked towards Jack's bed. He found his twin cradling Casey's head like an American football jock would while running to protect the ball from his massive enemies. His fingers were tangled in Casey's brown locks. Casey's head was buried in Jack's chest, her leg on top of his, hands clutching a pack of Maoams to her chest.

Finn watched Casey breathing slowly beside his brother. She was wearing a pajama set that was thick enough to keep her warm but thin enough to take the form of her tiny waist, her lavish bosom and her shapely thighs. He wondered how Jack felt when he saw her half-naked. He wondered what he would do if it was him who met Casey first. He moved nearer to her, gently touched her arm and whispered. "Casey?" She shifted in her sleep, her eyelids shut. She moved away from Jack and faced the other side. Finn leaned down on her ear and whispered her name. "Casey?" She stirred, her eyelid fluttered open. The next thing she knew was that she was staring into dark green eyes that smiled at her and mesmerized her. "Jack?"

"No, I'm Finn!" He said as he moved away from her sleepy face, smiling. "Oh!" Casey said, her voice faint and groggy as she surveyed the room she was in. She looked beside her and found Jack heavily sleeping, his arm still under her head like a pillow. "Oh my god..." She stood up hastily, realizing quite belatedly how awkward the situation was. "How did you fall asleep here?" Finn asked, smiling cheekily at Casey's predicament. "I don't know I'm just... Jack and I were talking last night and I guess I fell asleep." Casey rubbed her eyes and glanced at Jack again who was sleeping like baby. She turned back to Finn who was biting his lip and smiling at her like crazy. "What?!" Finn chuckled but tried to reign himself when he saw Casey's confused, sad face. "Sorry," Finn said as he chuckled lightly. "What happened to you?! You're eyes look like they were badgered by bees!" her brows furrowed as she realized her eyes felt really heavy and droopy. She stood up and went to the twins' bathroom and checked her face in the mirror. "Oh god..." Finn couldn't help but laugh as Casey moaned at her reflection.

Since they were both feeling different that morning, Finn and Casey decided they'll just have breakfast somewhere else. To Finn, it was a way of finding out what Casey really felt towards his twin. To Casey, it was a way of a running away to just let things sink into her mind. They ate at a little cafe just a few blocks from the Harries' house. Finn led her to a small booth and they both ordered toast but Casey preferred a mug of strong coffee while Finn, as expected of a true English gentleman, ordered tea. "Those sunglasses look very nice on you" Finn said, a cheeky smile still plastered on his face. She stared smugly at Finn and watched as his shoulders shook lightly and his laugh lines showed on the corner of his eyes. "Finn!" she groaned, but he laughed even more. He was like a kid, silently shaking with joy just across her. He was covering his green eyes with a hand and his thin, pinkish lips were turned upwards. It was so infectious that she couldn't help but smile as well. "You know you should be comforting me because now you know I'd been crying last night!"

"I can't help it!" Finn said. As the thin bus boy laid their breakfast in front of them, she somehow felt normal again. She smiled more easily and her chest felt lighter than it was a few hours ago. Maybe I'm just hungry? "Oh good, I can finally get some coffee!" she said, her voice sounded like a chirping bird on a branch. She blew her hot mug, the smell of brewed coffee brought back her energy from the night before. She took a sip of her coffee then grinned and looked outside. The weather was too beautiful to allow one's self to feel down. "So what did you and Jack talk about last night?" Finn asked curious as he watched her look out the frosted glass. Casey set her mug down and started buttering her toast. "Was it about the hate mail?" Finn said, his voice filled with concern. "Oh no, it's not about that... It's just..." She stopped and felt Finn's gaze burning through her, desperate to know more. She sighed. "Finn, I can't do this. I might start crying again and I..."

"It's okay you don't need to tell me if you don't feel like it..." Finn said as he spread jam on his toast.

"I'm so sorry, it's just..."

"No, it's okay..." Somehow, there was a voice at the back of his head that said he might not be the twin she trusts more. "No...I..." Casey took a deep breath as she watched Finn fiddling with his toast. Her heart started skipping a beat again and her hands felt cold and sweaty all at the same time. "Okay, it was something about a guy I was friends with... Back in LA... Before I graduated high school. And it's a touchy subject because I've had to deal with the bullying and after effects for such a long time that I-"

"Wait, you've been bullied at school?!"

"Yes..." Casey answered as she gazed back into Finn's earnest eyes. She took off her sunglasses, set it beside her plate and rubbed her eyes. "Oh your eyes are back to normal now!" Finn said. He reached over and pushed the strands of her hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear. As his fingers touched her face, Casey couldn't help but feel more breathless for a moment. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She smiled and after a while, she launched into a more brief explanation of who Charlie is and what happened. "So since then I always get hate mail in the mailbox and..." Breathe, Casey... "messages in my locker threatening to kill me because they said I didn't save Charlie..." She had to let go of her utensils and rub her hands while concentrating on her breathing to stop her hands from shaking.

"Are you alright?" Finn asked, worry etched on his beautiful face. She's really upset about this, isn't she?

"Yes. I'm... I'm fine." Inhale... 1,2,3...

"Well, why didn't you tell us all about it?!" Exhale... "Finn, it's not like I really killed a person. At some point, I have realized that it wasn't my fault that Charlie died. I chose to study in Bristol because I wanted to move on from being so scared and anxious all the time and I did but..." Silence. Casey did another round of deep breathing, just like what she always does when she's on the brink of crying. I can't break down. "...But it all came back because of us." Finn finished, spitting out the words Casey didn't want to say out loud. She saw Finn's knotted forehead, his eyebrows meeting at the center of his face and his evergreen eyes downcast. Though Finn doesn't always broadcast his feelings, Casey felt the welling anger in his heart as she sat there across him. "Finn," he looked up to her, her brown eyes piercing his. "Listen to me. I don't blame you, or Jack or anyone. This is a whole different thing. It's not like they are bullying me intentionally. I understand them, they were just carried away by their feelings. I'm fine, please don't be mad." Finn looked away, his eyes landed on the sunny outside. How can she still say all these things?! I don't understand why they do that to every girl we're with it's so... "Hey... You and Jack are Internet celebrities, that fame comes with a price."

"I'm so sorry, Casey." She smiled and sighed. "Oh, Finny, don't be! It's okay." Finn looked at his toast, thinking of who to blame about all this. Could it be Jack who was so adamant about going back to Bristol and who ended up finding Casey? Could it be him who was at the right place when Casey and Ken were shopping in London? "Hey, seriously, snap out of it." Casey said then grinned as she held Finn's gaze. He watched her finish her toast. "I like watching you eat, you have such a hearty appetite." Finn said. "You're basically telling me that I'm fat." Casey said flatly. Finn laughed out loud. "No! I mean, you're not like other girls who would count calories and order salads and all that." Casey raised an eyebrow at him as she buttered another toast. "You mean I eat like a man?!" They both laughed. The two walked back to the Harries house afterwards, feeling more cheery than they were when they left the house for breakfast. They were stopped by a couple of girls along the way to take pictures with them. And though Casey couldn't help but worry a little, she was starting to feel more and more comfortable whenever people say they look good together. Well, we feel good together... So I guess... "Will you ever get used to that?" Finn suddenly asked. "Used to what?"

"Taking pictures with me and our fans?"

"I don't know, I think so?"

"Really? Because if you're not okay with it, just tell me."

"No, I'm okay with it," she said but Finn looked at her with questioning eyes. "I swear I'm okay with it. I mean, you have really cute fans! They're always 'Oh my god, you and Finn look good together, you should totally be together, I love you both!'" She faked a British accent and they both laughed out loud. "That was actually good! You could pass off as a British girl!" They laughed even more. It was then that another vlog idea came to Casey's mind. "Hey, you know what?"

"What?"

"I think we should do a Q&A video"

"You mean we and you?"

"No, I mean me and you!"

"You mean, Finnsey?!"

"Yeah!"

"Aren't you scared about the shipping and all that?"

"You know what, I actually think that if this shipping thing works, it could probably dispel all the haters..." Finn, however, wasn't even thinking about the haters. All that's resounding in his head at the moment was Casey's voice saying "me and you."

###