Lovely Hues | Fillie AU

Chapter Twenty One

It was the next morning that Finn decided he would tell Millie everything he hadn't yet. It wasn't like he was keeping a secret, but sometimes, in his opinion, avoiding a topic tended to feel like secret-keeping and he didn't like keeping secrets from those he loved. And there was now no doubt in his mind that he loved her. He was beyond the childhood feelings of lust. Beyond whatever he had felt for Olivia. This was love. This was what he thought he'd never have.

He sat up in the guest bed of his girlfriend's house and swung his feet over to the cold wooden floor. He was wearing long-johns lent to him by Charlie but wanted back into his own clothes that were folded and laying on a shelf over the heater in the small yet functional guest bathroom. Finally dry and warm, his clothes were beckoning to him like a cozy blanket on a snowy night.

Standing up, he stretched as he walked over the window and saw that a thick fog had rolled in overnight. The world outside was a sage grey and horribly damp. He could barely see three meters beyond the window. Without even going outside he could sense that it was a dense cold out there. Wintery fog was always a kind of cold that permeated a person to their bones and left them in a constant shiver.

His body shook just thinking about it and then he walked to the bathroom. He picked up his clothes and smelled them. They had taken in the aroma of, not only the house, but of Millie as well. Hints of lilac and rose peeked through the warm scents of cinnamon and tea. A scent that, combined, was one that Finn would probably always associate with Millie.

After a quick shower, Finn donned his clothes and combed his hair back. A wave of coffee aroma swept into his nose, signalling that at least one of the other adults in the house was awake.

"Good morning." Finn said calmly, seeing the back of Millie as he walked into the kitchen.

"Oh—" she jumped and turned, "Hi. Good morning."

Her kind smile warmed his chest. He hoped that smile would remain through the conversation they would be having later. Maybe he would bring it up after breakfast. It would be weird to jump right into serious conversation right away.

"Do I smell coffee?" He asked.

"Why yes." She said, "I never drank it before Noah and I married, but once I became a mum of twins, it became a necessity."

She handed him a cup and gestured to the condiments on the table. He took his coffee black though, so he just sat and sipped, his mind coming more alive with each second.

Millie added a single sugar cube and a bit of cream to hers and sat across from him.

"Sleep well?" she pried, "Nobody has slept there since the twins were born. Chloe had stayed with us for a short while to help."

"She's the one who's engaged to the sheriff? Jack?"

"Mhm." Millie hummed.

Finn nodded and brought the coffee to his lips again.

"And you?" he said, "You sleep okay?"

She nodded, "Louisa actually slept in her own bed last night. . .sometimes having her with me makes me sleep better, but lately she's just been moving so much in the night that I've been waking up almost every hour."

She sipped her coffee then said, "I slept clear through the night though." then she sighed in relief, "And it was glorious."

"Glad to hear it." Finn said, watching her closely, something he found himself doing more of these days. He often caught himself just looking at her as she stared off, or watching how her eyes lit up and turned into crescent moons when she smiled. Sometimes—oftentimes really—he couldn't believe that she was not only interested in him, but was in a relationship with him.