Chapter 13
"Edith, it's not what it looks like." Finn starts, hands outstretched as he moves towards his sister.
"It looks like you've been kissing my best friend!" Edith exclaims incredulously.
"Well, yeah, that's kinda what's been happening." Millie offers with a shrug and a small smile. "You don't mind, right?"
"Millie." Finn groans, shooting her an exasperated look.
"What?" Millie asks, shrugging again. "She knows now. There's no hiding it."
"Woah, wait a minute! Let's back up a bit!" Edith stammers, rubbing her forehead. "How long has this been going on?"
"A few weeks?" Millie offers quietly, moving to stand beside Finn. "Nearly a month?" She turns to Finn for support, who raises his eyebrows at her, silently asking her what they should do next.
"A month?" Edith exclaims, looking over at Bonnie who shrugs in response. "And you didn't think to tell me?"
"Well..." Millie starts, only to be cut off by Edith.
"Finn! You are literally in the room next to mine! You could have told me!"
"Oh give over Edith." Finn sighs, wrapping an arm around Millie's waist to pull her closer to him. "You know now, ok? Calm the fuck down."
"Fucking hell," Edith sighs, turning away from her brother and best friend, Bonnie settling his hands gently on her waist.
"How about we all sit down for a minute, hey?" He suggests, Edith nods at this, watching over Bonnie's shoulder as Finn ducks his head to whisper in Millie's ear before gently leading her to sit at the table.
"I'll make us tea." Finn offers, Bonnie taking Edith's hand and leading her to the table. He takes a seat first, pushing out a chair beside him for her to sit on, Edith deciding against this, gently lowering herself on to Bonnie's lap. He smiles at this, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her back into his chest.
"Just listen, hmm?" He whispers in her ear, Edith relaxing against him as he rubs circles over her knee.
"They could have told me." She whispers back, linking her hand with his that rests around her waist, Bonnie simply humming in response.
"Edie, please don't be angry." Millie says softly, meeting her friend's eyes across the table. Bonnie squeezes Edith's knee, her eyes darting up to meet her older brother's as he comes to stand behind Millie, resting his hands on her shoulders.
"I'm not angry..." Edith reluctantly sighs, looking back at Millie. "But it would have been nice to have been told!"
"We wanted to!" Millie protests, leaning forwards in her chair. "But then everything just kind of got away with us. I know that's not a good excuse but please Edie, we wanted you to know sooner than this."
"You really like him?" She asks quietly, not meeting Finn's eyes as she draws circles with her fingertips on the surface of the table.
"I do, Edie." Millie replies, leaning across the table to take Edith's hand in hers. Finn clears his throat from behind her, Edith's head rising to look at him.
"We want you to be happy with this too Edith," he starts, sitting down beside Millie. "I know this wasn't expected, but it's happened, there's no going back now."
"I don't expect you to," Edith replies. "You supported me when Bonnie and I got together, it's only fair that I do too."
"You don't mind?" Millie asks, trying to hide her smile and Edith shakes her head. "Nothing will change, you know that, right? You've still got your big brother and your best friend."
"I know..." she says quietly, biting her lip. "You better fucking look after her!" She warns Finn, pointing her finger at him. "Or you'll have me to deal with!"
"Edith, Christ!" Finn laughs, sinking down into the chair next to Millie. The four of them sit in silence for a while, Finn only rising when the kettle boils over, to make them all tea.
"Did you have a nice weekend?" Millie asks, watching as Edith's eyes follow her brother around the kitchen.
"It was lovely." She replies, turning her head to smile at Bonnie. "You should come with us some time!"
"Ah, you missed me too much, eh?" Finn teases as he places two tea cups down in front of Bonnie and Edith, tugging Edith into a light headlock as he passes her.
"Hey!" She yelps, wrestling against her brother's grasp. Finn presses a kiss to the top of her head as he releases her, Edith falling back into Bonnie's chest as he and Millie laugh at the siblings. "Didn't bloody miss you at all." She grumbles jokingly, sticking her tongue out at him. "It's Millie I missed."
"Shame, I was going to make your favourite dinner tonight...might just make it for Millie now." Finn teases, settling into a chair beside Millie, flinging an arm over the back of her chair.
"How rude!" Edith exclaims dramatically, falling back against Bonnie's chest.
"I'll make you dinner Edie!" Millie says, joining in with the joke, blowing Edith a kiss across the table.
"Hey! Who's side are you on?" Finn exclaims, sitting up to look at his girlfriend.
"Edith's!" She replies, the three other teens laughing at the shocked look on Finn's face.
"How could you?" He mocks, laying his hand on his chest, acting hurt.
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"Hey," Finn calls from the doorway of Edith's room later that evening. She looks up from her book, throwing him a smile as she waves him in to the room.
"Hi, are you ok?" Edith asks as he flops down on the end of her bed, laid back against the covers.
"Yep!" He replies, popping the 'p'. "Are you really ok?" He asks, turning to lay on his side.
"About you and Millie?" She clarifies, shutting her book and placing it in her lap, holding her page with her finger. Finn nods in reply, head propped up by his hand. "Of course. It was just a shock Finn."
"I just wanted to check. Millie was really worried ya know, she didn't want you to be upset, but..."
"But you can't help who you fall for." Edith finishes for him, leaning forward to grasp her brother's hand in hers as he nods in agreement. "Really Finn, it's fine."
"Good. Good, I'm glad." Finn replies, letting out a sigh of relief. "I'll see you in the morning." He says, pressing a kiss to Edith's forehead as he spots Bonnie hovering in the doorway.
"What was that about?" Bonnie asks as he slides under the covers beside Edith, who pulls him down and in to her arms.
"He wanted to check I was ok with him and Millie." She replies, wrapping her arms around his waist as he presses a kiss to the top of her head.
"And are you?" Bonnie asks gently, reaching over Edith to switch off the lamp.
"I am." She says softly, snuggling under the covers as Bonnie presses another kiss to her head.
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"I want to go and see Tommy, will you take me?" Edith asks Michael, pausing in the doorway of his office the following morning. Edith had missed having contact with her older brother over the weekend; he hadn't been present much the week before with Charlie being ill at home, and hadn't returned to Small Heath on Monday morning, having conducted meetings from his house instead of his office. She hoped he could fit her in to his busy schedule, possibly for a ride out into the fields if he could find the time. Edith was bored lounging around the house with Bonnie training for his first big fight at the gym, Finn off with Millie for the day, and the rest of her family working (including Isiah who she would occasionally hang around with).
"Can't Bonnie take you?" He asks in reply, only briefly glancing up from his paperwork.
"He's training in the gym." She says. "Please Michael?"
"Where's Finn?" He asks this time, around his cigarette.
"Busy, with Millie." She grounds out.
"Millie? Fuck. Didn't see that coming." Michael replies, raising his eyebrows.
"Me neither." She states, leaning against the doorframe.
"How do you feel about that?" Edith rolls her eyes, pushing herself off the doorframe.
"Are you going to take me, or not?" She snaps, then sighs, immediately feeling guilty. "Sorry. I didn't mean to say it like that."
"Come on then." Michael replies, standing up and grabbing his coat. "I'll drop you off, but he'll have to bring you back. Ok? I've got stuff to do." Edith nods, throwing him a grateful smile as they leave the office.
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"I don't want to lose them." Edith says quietly, the pair having been sat in silence for the beginning of the journey.
"What?" Michael asks, glancing over at Edith who was staring out of the window.
"Finn and Millie." She replies, still in a quiet tone.
"What do you mean?" He asks gently, sensing the unease his youngest cousin was feeling.
"They both mean so much to me," she starts, frowning. "I don't want things to end badly and Millie not feel like she can be around me anymore."
"Edith you can't think like that." Michael protests, brows furrowing.
"I know. But then, that got me thinking, what if they get even closer, and then they don't have time to spend with me anymore? What if they get too wrapped up in each other?" Edith asks
"Don't you think they might feel that way about you and Bonnie?" Michael asks, treading gently.
"I didn't think about that." She says quietly, frowning.
"Exactly."
"Do you think it's been like that?" Edith asks, Michael immediately shaking his head.
"No." He assures her, noticing the frown still in place on her face.
"Are you sure?" She checks, looking over at him.
"Edith, don't worry about that right now, ok?"
"Ok." She repeats after a moments silence, looking out of the window.
"Nothing's going to happen. Look at the positive, Millie'll be around more now." Michael offers with a shrug.
"Yeah, sucking Finn's face off." Edith replies
"That's disgusting Edie." He grounds out, pulling a face.
"That's what I walked in on the other day." She defends, copying his facial expression as she turns back to him.
"Seriously?" Michael asks, brow still furrowed.
"Yup. That's how I found out."
"Ugh."
"I know right?" Edith exclaims, shaking the image from her head. "Yuck!"
"Have you told them that's how you feel?" He asks glancing between the road and his cousin.
"What, yuck?" Edith asks with a laugh.
"No!" Michael laughs. "That you're worried you'll lose them."
"No!" She exclaims, throwing him a confused look.
"You should." He states, returning her look with a pointed glare of his own.
"Hmm."
"I'm just saying...things change. The dynamic of your group is going to change now that you're all in relationships, it's natural." Michael explains gently.
"Look at you giving advice! The one person in the family who's never been in a solid relationship, giving relationship advice!" Edith teases, softly poking him in the side as they pull in to Tommy's driveway.
"Hey! Meanie!" He shouts, pushing her hand away. "Go on, out you get." He jokes, leaning over her to open the door, teasingly pushing her out.
"Michael!" She shouts in surprise, struggling against his hands, both of them laughing.
"Oi! Stop messing around and get inside," Tommy shouts from the doorway, having been alerted to his sister and cousin's brawl going on in the driveway by one of his maids. Edith calls an apology over her shoulder, the pair stopping their brawling long enough for Edith to press a kiss to Michael's cheek, offering him a quiet thank you before slamming the door shut and running up the driveway, straight into Tommy's arms.