Not always true, but it was a nice sentiment. Vivi obviously felt the same, judging by her fond smile. “I love you too, Allie.”
“Now I’m gonna call Nora,” Alicia pronounced solemnly, and Finn only heard the beginning of Matt’s objection before the call disconnected.
Vivi put her phone back on the coffee table. If Finn were a better person, she’d have been less amused at the idea of Nora getting that call. She also wouldn’t so desperately want a recording of it.
“So,” Finn finally offered. “Are we partying with them next weekend?”
Vivi clapped her hand over her mouth, but it was too late. She choked back a laugh, coughed, and started to laugh for real, her other hand reaching out for Finn’s.
Finn took it, folded it up in her own, and waited for Vivi’s peals of laughter to subside into giggles and then a couple of deep clearing breaths.
“No thank you.” Vivi wiped her eyes with her free hand. “I am totally fine with them living their lives exactly how they want to since they’re not hurting anybody, but no. I’m good.”
Finn couldn’t help smiling. “You’re more of a cartoons on the couch kind of girl?”
Vivi grinned back. “I can think of better things to do on the couch.”
They didn’t do many of those better things on the couch. They tried. They got interrupted a second time by a text, this one from Nora: Alicia’s name and six eyerolling emoji, which surprised and delighted Finn because she wouldn’t have guessed Nora used emoji. By that point, they both had to admit the spontaneity was gone and they might as well move to the bed to be more comfortable.
Comfortable meant room to kiss Vivi anywhere without fear of falling off the couch. Comfortable meant the nightstand was close by, with dental dams in the drawer, and plenty of space to get under the sheets and between Vivi’s thighs.
Finn was a big fan of comfortable.
Vivi was a big fan of Finn’s lucky rainbow sports bra.
They talked afterwards, about Hollis’s accident and Ilsa’s divorce. Finn had to distract Vivi from getting out of bed to start making a list of community resources she wanted to research.
Finn collected their phones from the living room and got them plugged in—well, got Vivi’s plugged in, as Finn’s rarely needed charging—while Vivi went to brush her teeth yet again. Her dedication to dental hygiene was impressive. They snuggled up together, Vivi’s head on Finn’s shoulder. Movies made lying down together look a lot easier; in real life, somebody’s extra arm never had a logical place to go.
“I thought I might tell Nora tomorrow,” Vivi said quietly. “Knockdown’s closed, so she’ll probably be out in a park or something. Would you come with me? Not, like, to be right there when I tell her, but close by.”
“Sure. No problem.” She’d be wherever Vivi wanted her to be.
Finn didn’t remember falling asleep, but noise woke her up. A buzz. Her phone. She fumbled for it in the dim light of morning, rolling slightly away from Vivi. Sometime in the night they’d unentangled from each other, but they were both still in the middle of the bed, tucked together close.
Finn checked the screen. A text.
I hope this doesn’t wake you. This is Dustin Choi. Happy New Year! This is my cell, please text back whenever you get up. We’d like to offer you the position if you can start training tomorrow.
She blinked. She read it four times and it said the same thing every time. A full-time job. With health insurance and paid time off for when her medicines betrayed her, and—Finn had to stop for a second and process—the possibility of paying rent.
“Is everything okay?” Vivi asked drowsily. “Was that Hollis?”
“Yeah,” Finn said instinctively, dazed. “No, sorry, it wasn’t Hollis, but yes everything’s okay.”
Better than okay. Better than she’d had any right to expect. Ridiculous luck, struck-by-lightning luck.
Hell if she was going to complain. She should get up and call Dr. Choi back. She should get her butt to Target and Old Navy to get a work wardrobe if they were open today.
“Vee?”
“Mmmyeah?” Vivi slung her arm across Finn’s chest and nuzzled her face into Finn’s shoulder. Her hair was splayed every which way, some of it in her face, and she hadn’t even opened her eyes yet. Adorable.
Maybe the big news could keep. “I’ve got a few gift cards, need to get some clothes. You wanna help pick ‘em?”
Vivi hummed happily. “Oooh, shopping. Sure. Gimme five more minutes.”
Two minutes later, her breathing was so regular that Finn knew she’d fallen back to sleep. Finn sent Dr. Choi back a quick text, and waited for his confirmation text before she herself started breathing again.
She started a new job tomorrow. Entire social media platforms had been launched, succeeded, collapsed, and died since the last time she’d started a new job. New jobs meant new people, new skills, and for her in this case, no payment handling for at least six months.
That was tomorrow, though. Today, right now, she had Vivi. Beautiful, compassionate, often righteously indignant in the best way. It was light enough now for Finn to see her clearly. After all their time together, Finn would have sworn she could describe Vivi in detail, but she would have missed so many small things. There was a very faint mark on her nose Finn suspected was an old failed piercing. Her hairline wasn’t exactly symmetrical; the right side arched slightly higher.
Finn was finally getting a chance to love her up close, instead of from a distance.
That, Finn knew she could get right.
Epilogue
Finn pulled Vivi’s car into a parking spot as close to the basketball court as she could find and turned off the engine. Even from here, Finn could tell which player was Nora. She dribbled down the court, her long ponytail swinging behind her. Finn wondered if she might give Nora a run for her money once she’d had a chance to dust off her high school team skills, but decided not to bring that up anytime soon, and took off her seat belt.
She didn’t hear Vivi taking off her own seat belt. Finn looked over. Vivi was in those curve-hugging jeans again, a tight cream-colored t-shirt with a big rainbow heart in the middle of it, and pink sneakers. She’d done her hair in two braids that hung down in front of her shoulders. She was overwhelmingly adorable. She was also worrying at her lower lip with her teeth.
“You don’t have to do this,” Finn reminded her.
“Then I’d have to come up with another explanation for Nora of why I called and wanted to talk today.”
“You could tell her I got the job.”
Vivi wrinkled her nose. “I could have told her that over the phone. It’s okay. I’m going to get it over with, and then we can go shopping.” She reached over and unbuckled the seat belt, letting it retract slowly. “We’re still going shopping after, right?”
Finn smiled, caught Vivi’s hand, and brought it to her lips for a quick kiss. “Whatever you want, sweetheart.”
After a deep sigh, Vivi let go and got out of the car. Finn cracked her door and pushed it open, stood up, and searched for a place she could hang out to be nearby, but not too close because this was Vivi’s thing. A green park bench sat not too far from the car, between the parking lot and the court. Perfect. Finn settled down on it as Vivi kept walking. Vivi stopped when she got to the chain-link fence, on the other end of the court from where Nora was executing a gorgeous bank shot.