“Yeah, well, when you go traipsing off, doing extremely dangerous things, I make it my business, Fin! Now I’m not saying I’m gonna make you come home. I realize what a douche I was in asking that of you and I’m sorry for that, but you can’t expect me to stand by while you risk your life! I’m gonna stay whether you like it or not. Just as I can’t make you do what you don’t want, you can’t make me. If you want me gone, you’re gonna have to drag me out of here!”
I lifted my arms, palms out, beckoning her to try it.
Finley took a deep, scary breath then pushed me as hard as she could, shocking me, despite the fact that she didn’t even move me an inch. She crawled up my body with her legs and wrapped her arms around my neck trying as hard as she could to drag me down. I had no idea what she was trying to accomplish and thought it was hilarious so I started laughing which pissed her off even more and she worked doubly hard to bring me down.
“Come on, you big bastard, why won’t you fall!” she said, making me laugh even harder.
She punched me in the shoulder in response, tugging at my clothing and attacking me with every means possible. Her nails dug into my shoulders a little and I winced but tried not to show it. She fell back to the ground, huffing and puffing from her effort, then kicked me in the foot, which earned her a gigantic smile. She fought a grin of her own.
“Stop it, you jerk!” she yelled, swiping a bombshell wave from her face. That grin she fought was starting to crack through and she bit her bottom lip to keep it from slipping further.
I started chuckling again which enraged her and she went for me again, shuffling her feet back and forth, pathetically throwing punches at me. I caught each one without any effort at all but after about ten I’d had enough. I grabbed both her hands, spun her back into me and pulled her arms around herself in a sort of restraint. Her hair draped in her face and with each breath, a strand would tumble away from her face gracefully.
Laughing, I whispered in her ear, “Are you done?”
She huffed. “No,” she stubbornly bit, making me smile.
I looked over at the tea shop window and noticed the old man and young girl watching us. The old man didn’t look pleased, with his arms crossed in front of his chest but the girl looked at us with the slyest grin on her face. Finley noticed it too.
“It’s not funny, An!”
The girl laughed like that’s exactly what it was, which I agreed wholeheartedly. She led the older man away from the window, and I turned back to my prisoner.
“I’m going to let you go, Fin. Are you going to hit me if I do?”
“Yes,” she admitted with edge.
“Fine,” I told her, gripping her arms tighter. Not enough to hurt her but enough to make her uncomfortable. I’ll admit it out loud, I liked the power I held over her. I’d never harm her but I did get a kick out of how much it bugged her. For some reason, I liked to get under her skin. Childishly, I wanted under hers the way she’d delved beneath mine. I wanted some sort of sign of agitation from her, anything that showed me I affected her. I’d take whatever, just to know I stirred her in any small way. “You can just stay in this position then.”
She stamped her flip-flop clad foot on top of my boot, causing me to snort to which she whipped her head my way. Her eyes narrowed. “I’m no longer a fan of yours,” she told me.
I don’t know why I did it but I leaned forward, resting my forehead against her temple. “Yes, you do,” I told her. “You’re putting up this fuss, but I know how scary this all is for you. I can see it in your eyes, Fin. You’re glad I’m here but you’re too proud to admit it.”
“Am not,” she maturely retorted.
“Are so,” I played along.
“Not.”
“Are. Admit it and I’ll let you go,” I also maturely said.
“Never. Not if we have to stand here all night,” she gritted.
“Fine,” I said, unexpectedly spinning her out. She stumbled, but I caught her in my arms.
She pursed her lips. “You’re a pain in my rear.”
“Yeah, well same goes.”
She straightened out her clothing and shoved her hair away from her face before looking me dead in the eye.
“Ethan, I don’t like that you’re here.”
“That may be, but I guarantee you’re still glad I’m around.”
“That makes no sense.”
“It makes perfect sense to me, Fin. You can dislike something yet still see the good it can do for you.”
A muscle in her jaw ticked. “Get on the bike,” she ordered.
I turned my head to find a small red motorbike on a stand near the curb. “You can’t be serious.”
“Oh, I’m serious,” she said with a venomous smile.
“I’m too tall for that. Too big for that.”
“Welcome to Vietnam, idiot,” she said, making me smile inside. I felt relief she wasn’t demanding I left. I would have gone, despite what I’d told her, if she’d truly asked me. I was happy, beyond happy, she hadn’t insisted.
She walked over to the bike, acknowledging me no further, and sat down, pulling a helmet over her head.
I followed her with my bags and strapped them to the back of the bike’s rack. “Let me drive, Finley,” I said, fastening a bungee cord.
“No,” she said, starting the bike.
“You don’t understand, Fin. If I get on the back of this bike, I’ll displace the weight even worse than these bags already are and we could be driving in the middle of the road and fall backwards.”