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“Well, I’m glad I’m good for something.” He grins.
14
Quentin
“You’re good for everything,Quentin. I want to be with you. I love you and I… I just want to be with you.”
“I want to be with you too. But I don’t know how that’s possible. Even without your dad and Tobias furious. I have to figure out my life and you’re set to leave for your trip.”
“Right. The trip… What if you just came to Europe with me?” She looks up at me bright-eyed. Like it’s the best idea she’s had in a while. Like we might get the happily ever after she’s always believed in.
I hate that I have to crush her spirit.
“I wish I could but… I can’t afford that. I really have to figure out what I’m doing. Where my career is going. It’s do or die for me right now. Either trying to go back and figure out a way to pay for the next year so I can hopefully get off the bench or going back to work for me.”
“Right. I’m sorry. That was a stupid question.”
“It wasn’t stupid. I’m… Honestly it feels amazing that you would even ask me to go with you. I’d love to but I’ve got to get my life in order. I’ve made a mess of it… If we were ever going to have a shot, Madness. I’d have to unfuck so many things right now that I’m not sure how to fix.”
“Well… I’m here. We can fix them together. I can help you fix them. I’m good at that sort of thing. Easton and Tobias have needed me more than once to help them smooth things over with our parents or some girl they were seeing. Once when Easton had a problem with a teacher and was going to fail out of a class too. I helped talk her out of it.”
“Yeah… I can see that about you. I bet you get everyone around to your side of things. Get them to see it how you do. You’re very convincing.” I was fairly certain this girl could talk me into jumping off a cliff.
“Usually. So let me help you. We can fix it. You’re so talented and smart. You’re a good guy, Quentin. Everyone knows it. You just made a few mistakes. We all do that. It’s just a matter of figuring out how to fix them and then make up for them. It’s not the end of the world. I’m sure we can figure it out.”
I honestly believe her in this moment. That my whole life falling apart isn’t nearly as bad as I’ve made it out to be. That between the two of us we can get out of it. I’m desperate to hear her ideas, because I just want some way that this story ends with me getting a chance at this girl. With me having a career that might give us an actual shot together.
“Okay. We can try.”
She breaks out a notebook and pen from her purse a moment later and starts working with me to brainstorm ideas. Nothing, she claims, is too small or too stupid of an idea. We just have to figure out which one is best and to do that we have to put down anything we can think of.
We spend the whole afternoon and into the evening working on her list until I finally beg her to take a break and come get dinner with me. We walk to one of the local diners and get something to go, setting up a picnic on the table that’s behind the cabin. It overlooks the river and with her curled up on the bench, the sounds of the water and the smell of the pines in the evening, even though everything has gone to shit, it feels like in this moment, everything’s right.
She’s staring thoughtfully out over the water when I nudge her gently.
“Penny for your thoughts.”
“I have an idea. I think it would fix everything. But I don’t think you’re going to like it.”
“What’s that?”
She looks back at me, her eyes searching mine for a moment before she says the last thing I’m expecting.
“Marry me.”
I choke on the sip of my drink I’ve just taken. Sputtering and coughing and having to grab a napkin to dab it away. When I’m finished she’s still looking at me like she’s serious.
“I’m sorry,what?” I look at her like she’s lost her mind.
“It would fix a bunch of our problems. Yours. Mine. Give us a chance to be together.”
“Madness. People are usually together awhile before they decide to get married. Like it works the other way around, you know?”
“Sure. But sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures.”
“I don’t think I like being described as desperate.”
“I didn’t mean that you’re desperate. Just that the situation is. Anyway, do you want to hear the idea or not?” She raises a brow at me like I’m a misbehaving toddler.
