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“What?”
“Quinn is that professor.”
“What??” Rebecca’s jaw dropped. “What do you mean? The one that kept you from actually dating? The one you were so hung up on that you actually debated staying here?”
“Yeah.” Emily exhaled. “That one.”
Rebecca’s eyes went wide.
“Nothing ever happened back then,” Emily said, holding up her hand. “Just for the record.”
“Well, of course, it didn’t. Quinn has her head screwed on.”
“I’m detecting some… Anger here.”
Rebecca just stared at her. “Anger? I don’t think I’m angry. I’m just shocked. I guess, it doesn’t really matter. You’re leaving. She does know that, right?”
Emily nodded. “Yeah. She does.”
“Right. Okay.” Rebecca grabbed a knife and started slicing the cheesecake, while Emily went back to getting the coffee ready.
Emily’s hand shook a little as she poured each cup.
That was unexpected. All of it. Rebecca’s concern for Quinn, especially. They must really be good friends.
Emily wanted to tell Rebecca that she didn’t have to worry. That she was sorting out her life. That she wanted more than a fling with Quinn. But she couldn’t say anything to anyone, especially not to Quinn, not until she knew for sure that she could make it happen.
26
Quinn moved the ladder a few inches to the right and climbed up it again, removing more decorations from the ceiling of the community center.
The last week had been just as hard as she’d imagined it would be.
A few weeks ago, she’d planned on working from home for the first week in January, knowing that she had no obligation to be on campus, but as it turned out, she’d been far too restless to stay at home.
New Year’s Eve had been a fun night despite the fact that she knew she’d be saying goodbye to Emily in the morning. They’d gone out with Rebecca and Zach and Lucy brought a date with her too. Quinn had only reached for Emily’s hand when she was sure that no one else would see, especially Rebecca who would probably frown on the whole thing.
But Emily had surprised her, grabbing her hand as the clock neared midnight. She’d led her outside and pressed her against the brick wall, kissing her as fireworks burst in the distance and cheers erupted from inside the bar.
Quinn had brought Emily back to hers that night, and once they got inside, they couldn’t keep their hands off one another.
It was emotional. It was intense.
And Quinn didn’t know how she was going to get over it.
They’d tried to go to sleep around two, knowing that Emily had a long drive ahead of her in the morning, but they couldn’t get enough of one another. It must have been around four when they finally drifted off to sleep.
In the morning, Quinn had struggled to stay positive, but there was very little that either of them could say. They both knew that there was no future there, not without one of them uprooting their lives.
It was too much to ask.
So, Quinn didn’t.
Emily gave her one last kiss goodbye in the early afternoon. She was going to stop by her parent’s house and then keep going back to the city.
Quinn descended the ladder to put the ornaments in the cardboard box behind her. She shifted the ladder again, a little further to the right.
She’d had more than enough time to think about the last month, and she honestly didn’t know how she could have handled it any differently.
