Chapter 82

Autumn wakes repeatedly through the late morning and early afternoon beside Finny, sharing quiet intimacy. A call interrupts; Finny silences it, and both acknowledge it is Sylvie. The intrusion forces them to face the implications of last night as they hold each other and weigh guilt.

Prompted by texts, Finny replies that he won’t meet Sylvie’s plane and will see her after dinner with her parents, buying them a few hours. Autumn and Finny speak openly about regret and first times. Finny reveals his sexual history with Sylvie was troubled, tied to her past trauma and alcohol, making last night feel like a true first for him.

They trade confessions of jealousy and pain: Finny punched a wall when he thought Autumn would sleep with Jamie; Autumn once imagined pushing Sylvie for hurting Finny. Finny explains he tried to love only Sylvie, but loving Autumn from afar made staying with Sylvie unfair.

Autumn fears he might see Sylvie and think their night was a mistake. Finny counters with an unequivocal declaration—Autumn is the lifelong ideal by which he judged others, and he loves her. He calls last night the best thing that ever happened to him and says it would only be a mistake if Autumn said so.

Reassured, Autumn agrees they are together. Their laughter softens the tension, and they settle into an easy closeness, confident in their commitment as Finny prepares to end things with Sylvie later that day.