If He Had Been with Me
by Laura Nowlin
Contents
Chapter 71
Overview
Autumn and Finny sit by the lake watching fireworks, granted privacy by their mothers. Autumn is overwhelmed by renewed feelings and memories, nearly confessing but holding back. Finny senses something is wrong and offers to leave, but Autumn chooses to stay. The moment deepens their unspoken tension.
Summary
As dusk settles by the lake, Autumn and Finny sit together while fireworks begin. Mom and Aunt Angelina keep their distance, tacitly allowing the pair privacy, which underscores the growing closeness between Autumn and Finny.
Autumn watches Finny instead of the sky, overwhelmed by affection she compares to words like “three smooth pebbles” in her mouth. The spectacle triggers a reverie in which Autumn imagines erasing their years apart and recalls being fifteen at Finny’s soccer game, blurring present and past.
Finny notices Autumn’s distraction and asks what is wrong. Autumn deflects, claiming she is tired. When Finny offers to leave, Autumn declines and insists on staying, redirecting her gaze to the fireworks. Her decision preserves the tender moment while keeping her feelings unspoken, heightening the unresolved tension between them.
Who Appears
- AutumnNarrator; watches fireworks with Finny, overwhelmed by love and nostalgia, almost confesses but holds back.
- FinnySits with Autumn at the lake; enjoys the fireworks, notices her mood, offers to leave, stays when she declines.
- MomAutumn’s mother; nearby but deliberately gives the pair privacy during the fireworks.
- Aunt AngelinaFamily friend/aunt; also keeps her distance, reinforcing the tacit approval of Autumn and Finny’s closeness.