Some people were just too attractive.
‘Hey there.’ The man held out a hand, which was large, and Quinn had no choice but to shake it, noticing that there was no wedding ring. Oh, how he hoped this immaculate man was the gardener. Or the butler. ‘You must be Quinn? I’m Matty.’
Of course he was.
Matty no face actually had a face. And it was just as handsome as he thought it would be. How could he forget Matty was in town? What a fool he was to forget that this man existed in the same world as Noah and Hermione.
Matty made room for Quinn, and he stepped into the hallway, noticing how neatly parted Matty’s black hair was. It was shiny and bouncy, like it was prepped for a man’s hair commercial.
Matty looked like everything Quinn thought he should be. His cashmere jumper, while baggy, still alluded to his biceps. He was fashionable, intellectual-looking, neat and preened.
He wasn’t Quinn.
Matty lifted his model arms to Quinn and relieved him of his jacket that looked old and tired compared to Matty’s catalogue fashion. He hung it up on a nearby coat rack and, with that same happy-go-lucky smile, led Quinn towards the kitchen.
Quinn could smell the food before he entered. It smelled like Christmas dinner, with cauliflower and broccoli boiling on the stove, and roasting turkey in the oven. As Quinn entered the clinically clean kitchen, he was surprised to see it looking lived in. On the steel counters, there were four bottles of wine, and another one was on the kitchen table decorated with a Christmas tablecloth and pillar candles, flickering a warm glow. ‘Driving home for Christmas’was playing on an Alexa speaker.
‘Quinn!’ Noah was the one cooking. He turned from the oven, wearing an apron that made him look like he was a ripped man in a tight speedo, and Quinn wished the ground would swallow him up. ‘You made it.’
He crossed the kitchen and engulfed Quinn in a hug, right in front of camera-ready Matty. When Noah moved away, he kept one hand on Quinn’s neck, and the other grasped his shoulder, a smile on his face.
‘Nice apron,’ Quinn said, looking Noah up and down, remembering that Instagram photo once again. ‘Do you always tan like that?’
‘No, he burns,’ Matty said, coming up to Noah’s side. He placed a hand on Noah’s back, and Noah let Quinn go, his smile fading ever so slightly.
‘He’s right, I do.’
‘We always have some after-sun lotion, just in case.’ Matty smiled.
Quinn managed a smile too, but now he was thinking of Noah with lotion on his skin.
‘Quinn!’
‘Hermione!’ Quinn said, rather too loud, and turned away from the handsome author and his Calvin Klein model with a hot face boyfriend. ‘You went all out. You didn’t have to.’
‘Well, when Noah said you were coming over for food, I thought we should have an early Christmas meal!’ Hermione wore a glittering dress, which shimmered as it caught the light from the candles. The room was dim, with the candles providing most of the light, but Quinn noticed the spotlights in each corner of the room glowing a warm amber. He realised that this room could transform into one of warmth with the right setting and the right guests.
Quinn’s eyes glanced at Noah, and with a jolt, he saw Noah watching him. Reading him, maybe. Was this some twisted game of his? Get him jealous?
No. It couldn’t be. Quinn needed to get real here. Noah was not single. Their romance only existed inside his head. Noah was off limits. Out of bounds. Very much in love with Matty, who had a face.
‘Champagne?’
He was in front of Quinn now, close enough that Quinn could see the freckles on his flushed skin. He wore a T-shirt, showing off his book tattoo, and Quinn fought the urge to reach out and trace his fingers over the bookmark that came trawling out of the inked pages on his skin.
‘Champagne would be perfect.’
‘The chicken is going to burn!’ Matty said to Noah, and Noah went back to the oven, leaving Quinn standing with no purpose in Hermione’s warm kitchen.
‘I hope this doesn’t turn into a business meeting tonight, you two,’ Matty said to Quinn and Hermione. ‘I hear you’re writing her autobiography.’
‘Yeah, that’s the plan.’ Quinn eyed Noah again, wishing he had his champagne just so he had something to hold, something to put his attention into.
‘I was going to write it, but I’m far too busy.’ Matty wrapped his arms around Hermione, bringing her close. She giggled. ‘I’m sure you’ll do just as well, Quinn.’
Not only did Matty have a face. He had the personality of a dick.
‘I can only try.’
