"Ah?" Finn looked over at Irena and flushed lightly, clearly taken aback by the question. "I… I-I dunno, I haven't really thought about it. I don't really think of her as more than like, a little sister right now. I mean, I like Beatrice, she's great. Just feels a little… you know, when she's a few years younger than me. At least at our current ages."
.jpeg)
Irena raised an eyebrow and kept playing with his hair.
"Oh?" She said casually "but if she were our age, would you still see her that way?"
Finn shrugged a bit, leaning into her touch. "I dunno. Like I said, I never really thought about it before. It's hard to consider hypothetical.."
Irena continued playing with his hair.
"Oh…" she said, disappointed "okay."
Finn sighed softly, relaxing. Honestly, he could see himself liking Beatrice, but it was hard to say for sure. She was two years younger than him, so he was a little wary about entertaining the idea.
Irena kept playing with Finn's hair, staring at the clouds above them.
"I was only asking because I think she's having this idea that he's unlovable and she asked me if she was older if you'd be interested in her and I told her I didn't know honestly." She told him.
"Oh… well, I don't think she's unlovable, if that helps. Probably not. I just haven't thought about being in a relationship with her." Finn shrugged. The idea of dating his friend's little sister also just felt a bit strange.
Irena laughed softly.
"I get it, it's weird to think about, it'd be like you asking me if I'd date Teagan." She told him and kept playing with his hair. "But I will tell her that, and it will make her day."
"Yeah." Finn laughed softly. "Between you and me, I think Teagan might be a little more into guys. I don't know if he knows that yet though." He hummed thoughtfully and closed his eyes, content to be pet for now.
Irena raised her eyebrow.
"And how do you know that?" She said, "Is it like a twin thing?"
"Eh, he's a bit dense with it comes to that kind of thing. He's had his eyes on this guy at school for a while now." Finn yawned a bit. "I think he likes girls too, but he definitely likes that guy."
Irena nodded.
"That's fair," she said "best of both worlds, right?"
"I think Joanna, my older sister was a lesbian because one time I walked in on her making out with her girlfriend, but I dunno, she might've been bisexual, who knows."
Finn nodded a bit, looking across the pool at Teagan floating. "I'm probably bi too. I guess I don't really think about it all that much. I don't think it's really a big deal either way." He shrugged. "Teagan will realize eventually, I'm sure."
Irena nodded and smiled.
"Yeah," she said "it's not really a big deal to me either, im pansexual so…"
"I didn't find until like the end of last year though." She added softly.
"Mm…" Finn stretched and laid back again, relaxing. He was still a bit tired from earlier, but seemed to have otherwise recovered. "I kinda want to let Teagan find out for himself, but watching him dance around this guy is so painful."
Irena shrugged.
I say you let him find out for himself," she said quietly. "I had to watch Beatrice do that with you for like three years."
She looked up as Beatrice went under and did and handstand and started to watch.
"Yeah, I guess so. I guess I'm pretty dense too, then… I had no idea she liked me." Finn laughed softly, watching Beatrice as well from where he sat. "I thought fourteen year old girls were just like that, I dunno. It's not like I've ever really been alone with her, Teagan's almost always with me."
Irena raised and eyebrow and moved to sit next to him on the step.
"She's like—-" she paused.
"She's like, in love with you I guess." She whispered quietly.
"I just thought maybe you would've figure it out by now."
"Well, I dunno!" Finn whispered back, huffing. "Nobody's ever actually liked me before! I didn't figure anybody ever would considering the whole wolf thing, so I guess I never really learned the 'signs'. Never thought I needed to. And I wouldn't have been looking for romantic attention from her anyway."
Irena patted him on the shoulder.
"Finn," she said "you're my best friend besides your brother and my younger sister."
"I think she likes you because of who you are, disregarding the wolf thing. I don't blame you for not being able to read the signs, a lot of people can't and she's gotten better at hiding it too."
Finn sighed softly, closing his eyes. "I just… didn't figure anybody would be able to look past what I am. Nobody else has besides you and her. Everyone is so scared that we'll bite them and turn society against them too."
Irena smiled.
"Well," she said "Beatrice likes you, loves you even, give or take."
Finn nodded, fidgeting with his hands. "That's… cool, I guess." He laughed awkwardly. "I don't really know what to think or say about it, or whatever. I just don't want to break her heart, but… y'know. It's hard."
Irena shrugged.
"I mean, she value's you more as a friend Finn, but she does love you, both ways I guess." She told him. "But overall I think firsthand you're her friend."
"Yeah… that's good, at least. I do like being friends with her." Finn ran his fingers through his hair, looking tired and conflicted. "What do you think I should do?"
Irena shrugged.
"Finn, first you have to figure out how you feel about her." She told "nothing could happen if you don't figure that out first."
She paused and smiled kindly.
"Then, if it turns out, you do like her as much as she likes you, you hav to tell her, or hint at it at least."
Finn sighed again, not really feeling any better. "Yeah, I guess so… I'm just not very good at all this stuff. It's hard to think about." He groaned and sunk under the water for a bit, trying to think, but finding that he couldn't really find an answer that way either.
Irena laughed.
"Sorry Finn," she said "I can't help you with that one, the only person who really knows how you feel about Beatrice is you."
"Well, I definitely don't know." Finn huffed in reply after emerging from the water. He groaned dramatically, wishing somebody else could just think for him.
Irena laughed, then got out of the pool and laid out on her deck chair, turning onto her stomach.