Lost In Translation (Laine)

In that moment, Laine couldn't tell if she had stopped breathing voluntarily, or if it was some sort of insane reaction to his touch, his words. Cheating herself out of an emotionless response, a smile broke across her face and she shyly looked at her lap again, letting her hand stay where it was on Finley's face. She knew there was a loop hole and she tried to keep herself from becoming too hopeful before she explored it, "And now?"

As that smile spread across her face, Fin allowed one to form on his own. He bit his lip a little, nervously, as she asked how he felt now. He almost didn't want to answer her. There really was no good reason for her, except that he had once heard that telling a girl you like her made you look like an idiot. He sure felt like one now, sitting on the floor- HISSSSSS.

All the sudden a loud hissing sound broke his focus. The rice on the stove was bubbling over. He jumped up, gently moving away from her before running to lift the pot off the stove.

Disappointemnt. Raw, annoyed disappointment. The feeling ate at Laine as she pulled herself off the floor and carefully put the stool back in it's proper place. She stood there silently, not willing to risk the stool again for fear of another utter humiliation. What the hell was she supposed to do now? It's not like she could really pick up the conversation where they had left off and she definitely wasn't the best at talking points. Glancing at her wrist, she realized she had not put her watch on that morning. Damn, "If it is okay with you, I would appreciate your couch until I can find a place of my own." She said suddenly, switching back to their prior conversation like they had never even taken a break.

Finley didn't look back at her right away as he gently set the boiling pot back on the stovetop, keeping a close eye to make sure it didn't boil over again. "If it is okay with you, I would appreciate your couch until I can find a place of my own." He turned to face her then after she said that, but the smile in his heart didn't make it to his face "No, of course not. I'll be staying on the couch. There's a perfectly good bed through there," he said, using a spatula to gesture to his bedroom door, which was slightly open. He cleared his throat and turned back to the pot, "this is almost done," he said.

He wasn't sure yet if he wanted to recover from missing his chance, but maybe it was better that the rice had distracted him. Soon he was draining the pot and putting the rice, a bowl of veggies and a plate of chicken on the counter between them.

Giving a single nod, Laine fetched her bag from the floor and motioned toward a door that was closed, "That way?" She asked, "I would like to put my things away so they do not clutter your apartment." She didn't smile, but her heart was bursting. What on earth just happened? Did she..move in...with FINLEY? If she were the type to show her emotions she would be a puddle of nerves on the floor by now.

"That way?" Fin nodded as she asked, trying to ignore the idea that she would be sleeping in HIS bed, going into HIS bedroom. "Oh. It's probably a mess in there," he half muttered, "one second," he said, setting down the last food item before slipping into his room.

This have him a chance to take a few deep breaths, even let that smile take over his face for a moment. She was staying. She was alive, and she was staying. After a few moments of reviewing that, he quickly gathered his mess and threw clothes and whatnot in the closet, shutting the doors.

He wiped off his goofy grin, donning a calm smile instead, and stepped just outside the room, "should be bearable now."

Smiling politely, Laine walked passed him, stopping as she grew as close as she would to Finley while entering the room, "I'm sure it was fine before." Her face was only inches from his and she couldn't help but stop for a moment and look at him closely. Smiling a simple smile at him, she continued into the room and carefully placed her bag on the dresser.

That moment of stillness, when she stopped in the doorway, made Fin catch his breath. His expression softened, the tension in his face evaporating... but it all came back when she walked past him and into the room. He turned a little in the doorway to face her. "S-So," Gods, was he stuttering? He cleared his throat, "where have you been the last five years?"