β my arrogance led me to take on more than i could handle. β finn for colette
ONLY THE BAREST TUG AT THE CORNER OF COLETTE'S MOUTH WOULD BEGIN TO INDICATE HER AMUSEMENT. but for those who know her the best β and even that is questionable β she's not usually easy to read. her expressions are often ... subtle, at best, more often only present when she remembers to make them so, when the situation requires. not that she's unemotional β just that it tends to be an internal experience. here, the primary indication of her interest or delight outside the twitch of her lips is the sharpening of her gaze as she turns it sidelong, distant curiosity turned focus in the span of an instant β whether or not finn realizes it.
the reason isn't difficult for colette to surmise, at least in her own head. the contradictory nature of his seemingly simple statement draws her interest, and however briefly, perhaps, the evening has grown interesting. thoughtfully, she swirls the remainder of the cocktail in her glass β a gin gimlet with elderflower liqueur β taking a sip that barely touches her lips before setting the drink back down. she rarely balks at taking a pause before offering a response, if the situation calls for it. she's never been uncomfortable with silence the way so many others seem to be. in this case, it gives her the opportunity to think finn through β what she knows and what she doesn't.
" fascinating, " she says after a pensive hum, her head tilting minutely to the side. the less observant might think her even tone a bit sarcastic, but there's a lilt there that clarifies her genuine interest, for anyone who bothers to listen.
what she knows is that a young man of his profession would, in fact, have a predisposition toward arrogance. what she also knows is that the same arrogance would not likely lend itself to admit such a thing β least of all to a pretty young woman β at least not in most situations. which, of course, leads her to the conclusion that this may not be most situations. what exactly that means is up for debate. after all, he wouldn't be the first man to lean on false humility to make himself more endearing or relatable.
that isn't her impression of him in this moment, but that hardly means she won't press at the edges in curiosity.
" a bit of an antithetical statement, no? " the words roll from her easily once she allows them, each accented syllable fully intentional. " an arrogant man is unlikely to confess his own arrogance, in my experience, let alone admit when he's taken on too much. could be suspicious. " colette draws another sip from her glass, her gaze turning another inch toward him, her interest almost exacting. is he a man with a plan, she wonders, or simply a humble boy trying to convince her of his own ego? " and what exactly is too much for finn dornan, then? "
