If He Had Been with Me
by Laura Nowlin
Contents
Chapter 41
Overview
Finny accidentally connects with Autumn when drunk partygoers use his phone, prompting a late-night call. He apologizes, insists he’s sober and driving, and ends the call quickly. The brief contact unleashes Autumn’s long-suppressed love and memories, marking a powerful emotional resurgence that complicates their ongoing distance.
Summary
Awakened by her ringing phone, Autumn sees Finny’s name and answers, only to hear unfamiliar male voices from a party teasing that the caller is a girl. The call abruptly disconnects, then Finny rings back to apologize, explaining partygoers grabbed his phone and dialed the first contact.
Autumn learns she is first in Finny’s phone due to alphabetical order, a detail that briefly warms her despite the intrusion. Finny clarifies he is not drunk because he is driving, and in the background he quietly asks a nearby woman if “she” is sick again, suggesting he is concerned about someone at the party.
Finny ends the conversation so Autumn can sleep. After he hangs up, the lingering intimacy of his voice in the dark triggers a rush of childhood memories—secret whispers, giggles stifled under covers, flashlight signals between windows, and makeshift string-and-cup phones.
The memories break Autumn’s emotional restraint. Alone in her room, she surrenders to the ache, repeating Finny’s name and acknowledging the painful truth that her love for him remains powerful and immediate, despite their distance and current relationships.
Who Appears
- AutumnProtagonist; awakened by Finny’s call and overwhelmed by memories, she admits to herself that she still deeply loves him.
- FinnyCalls from a party after friends misuse his phone; apologizes, sober and driving; his brief contact rekindles Autumn’s feelings.
- Unidentified male classmates at partyDrunk prank callers who use Finny’s phone, triggering the mistaken late-night call to Autumn.
- Unidentified female at partyHeard answering Finny about someone being sick, indicating a concern that cuts the call short.