And then there was Finn

Message from the author:

If you enjoy this story, please give the chapter a like and help others find it, too. You are important to its success. And if you want me to write more chapters, please help me easily and quickly on Ko-Fi so I can do that. Thanks a lot.

I was actually hoping to write about Lisa. A sweet, cheesy chapter, a first kiss... But I really enjoyed giving Bella a backstory and setting her on the path to a conversation with Finn, and I think I found a good way to make Bella interesting but not too stereotypical.

Now, please enjoy...

Chapter 55

"So tell me," I ask when I see Finn sitting on the bench, lit by the lights of the surrounding street lamps.

"Does this count as our second date?" But when he turns around, for a brief moment, I can see something in him that seems to confirm my kindling doubts about our all so recent connection. Briefly, I see the doubt in his eyes, the poison that also plagued me and that I hoped I alone would bear.

"With the way you look, it can't be otherwise. Wow." He stands up, turns to me, and immediately the negative appearance transforms into wonder and amazement when he sees me. And immediately, my doubts are also covered, diminished, and I can't help but put my fingers to my lips and giggle.

I look down at myself. The long, red sweatshirt and jeans are frankly nothing special, and even if he doesn't see it that way, I honestly haven't made any effort to look presentable today. Central Park at night isn't exactly the place I wanted to go alone.

But I'm not alone. He's here. He's protecting me.

Bella Taubner. +3 (PS -64)

And besides, his message came way too late to make my body look beautiful.

But he still admires me. He respects my looks, even when I don't make any effort.

Bella Taubner. +1 (PS -63)

But as much as I doubt the thoughts I have about him, they jump into my head and take root there, making me happy. I have to admit to myself that I believe them.

His cell phone - I don't recognize the brand but I don't care - vibrates in his hand, but he puts it in his jacket and walks toward me.

He wants to hug me. He wants to be close to me. He wants me.

Bella Taubner. +4 (PS -59)

I know they're true, those thoughts, but...

"Oh, come on," I laugh and wish his nice words away with an uncaring gesture. "Shut up."

But even my good-natured but dismissive attitude isn't enough to drive him away. He hesitates for a moment, respects me, and I hate myself for thinking less of him for it.

But then he ignores me, comes up to me, and hugs me.

And I hate myself for thinking less of myself for it.

The truth is, it's not Finn's fault. No matter how easy it would be to blame the boy who hugs me in the middle of Central Park, I just can't seem to keep the resolutions I set for myself.

The resolution to be more careful in choosing my partner this time. I was interested in Finn the first moment I saw him.

The resolution not to be a bitch this time and make my partner's life difficult. As always, I'm complicated, annoying, and don't appreciate good feelings.

And, and this is what makes me especially nervous.

The resolution not to immediately fall in love with my potential partner again.

No crush. Love. Real love.

I could puke.

"Are you okay?" he asks when I only halfheartedly return his hug. He looks me in the eyes and has to decide whether it's because of my nausea or the halfhearted hug.

"Yes." I lie. Well congrats, Bella. The perfect start for our second date. Wait. Is it our second date? What has he said?

But I can't follow my thoughts any further when I notice Finn focusing on me. Unlike me, he manages to care about me, even when he's the one who needs me to solve a problem.

He wants to take care of me.

Bella Taubner. +3 (PS -56)

It all started with my boyfriend before my last boyfriend… Actually, the boyfriend before my second-to-last boyfriend. A shitty asshole in middle school who wanted to get his hands on me and, after I punched him, bullied me for the rest of the year. That's where it all started.

I lost my virginity with the next boyfriend. I thought he was the one. Dad loved him. Heather did too. I think she still blames me for the breakup. And I understand her. It wasn't his fault. I wanted too much and expected too little at the same time. A man can't be the perfect gentleman and simultaneously have a girlfriend who expects to be hurt at every opportunity.

The breakup hurt me even more than it hurt him, which in turn hurt him, the gentleman that he was. But I was too stupid, and now he lives in Arizona with his steady girlfriend.

And the last boyfriend, number three... Neither of us made an effort. Me because I was in my ultra-left feminist hate phase... He because he was actually an idiot who couldn't handle my anger. We were both angry, both stumbling idiots, and both stayed together for far, far too long.

So long that he hit me.

So long that I learned that all men are the same.

And then there was Finn.

It shocked me to see how much a normal boy could impact me, right in the middle of the black thing that was my heart. Or maybe it wasn't as dead as I thought. In any case, the day I first saw Finn, the world suddenly seemed much more colorful and warmer than I had ever imagined. The way he cared for his best friend Lisa, determined yet tender, supportive yet able to take the lead, that was something I thought wouldn't exist. I'd given up dating, but he...

With the control in my hands, things always went badly. One disaster after another. First I didn't know who I was, then I didn't know what I wanted, and after that, I didn't know how to get what I wanted. Three relationships, three failures. I was demoralized and deaf to the possibility that a fourth boyfriend might bring something better.

But when Finn and his family visited me at work, it seemed like he had everything under control. Like he was the one I could hand over control to. I was so shocket, I almost dropped his order, making a fool out of me.

And loving it.

Bella Taubner. +1 (PS -55)

With him, I can be ****.

But of course, that's not so easy. I know I'm not designed to just sit there passively while others make decisions for me. I'm not passive. I'm not weak.

But I want to be. Passive. Weak. ****.

And with Finn, I can do that.

Bella Taubner. +3 (PS -52)

That's exactly why I was so shocked when I saw his tense expression, the way he looked at his phone. I wonder what it could be on this phone that is so important that he...

But that's not important right now. Because Finn is still standing in front of me, his eyes fixed on me, a gentle smile on his lips.

And it's up to me.

It's up to me to trust him enough to be passive. I can't exercise control and simultaneously wish I could give it up.

And if I can trust anyone, why not him?

Message from the author:

Is this already information dumb? I'm trying to stick to the saying "show, don't tell," but I think it's easier in the movies, since you can actually show pictures there. I definitely feel good about giving Bella this background, even if it was a lot of internal monologue. At first, I wanted to make her a victim, but I think, to keep the later polls about her balanced, she should also take some responsibility for her misfortune that Finn can resolve and be the hero for her. Incidentally, that's the reason Bella got the Hucow path... And it's a day and a half old. Here, too, I hope my approach makes her character deeper and more important than simply a desire to relinquish control. Now, in my opinion, Bella has a really good reason to enter Finn's harem.

In the next chapter, we'll play from Finn's perspective again and find a solution to the three polls that will remain open for another day. As it stands now, you've equipped me with a healthy mix of low FS and high FS that I can work with very well, even if it does hold one or two surprises for me. Now all that's left is to combine Bella's need for help with Finn's desire for control, and we've created a pair that I believe (if I manage the next chapter well) we can tell Bella about the MCD once she's advanced enough on the Progress Score. That was the case (I have to double-check) from PS +0 onwards.

Telling Bella about the MCD would be logical for her, of course, since she's Finn's girlfriend.

On the other hand, she might not want that knowledge at all, preferring to see control in Finn's hands once he's proven himself to her. And how would that affect Rose?

Your decision.

https://strawpoll.com/QrgewkoEbyp