Hux
Ilost all trackof time with Quinn. I could have stayed in bed with her all night, but Rusty started whining at the foot of the bed.
“Oh my God, I completely forgot he was here! He’s so quiet!” Quinn’s voice rang with concern.
I whistled low and Rusty’s nails ticking on the floor signaled his approach. I let my hand dangle over the edge of the bed, and a moment later something wet pressed against my palm. “Hey, boy,” I said quietly, “you hungry?”
Quinn gasped. “Oh shit! That reminds me, I had groceries in the car! Oh my God, oh my God—“ her words dissolved into a string of curses as the bed jostled. “Do you think it’s still good?”
I felt the weight of her leave the bed. I stood up as well, trying to remember where the hell I’d put my clothes. “What all did you get?” I asked.
“Some meats and cheese. Ugh, that and the milk is probably for sure bad.”
Probably, but I still asked, “How long was it out there for?”
“I don’t know, I’d say a couple hours. It’s dark outside now. Let me find my phone, I’ll bring the clothes back.”
She disappeared and I stood there for a moment stark naked just waiting for her, because it was easier and likely quicker for her to get my clothes than me struggling to find them on my own. I bit back a curse, my fists clenching at my side as a hint of anger filled me.
You take small shit like that for granted when you can see—being able to go find your clothes easily. Hell, putting them on even. Especially now that most clothing brands got rid of the damn tags on shirts, so now I had to fucking feel around for the small print on the inside of the material to find the back.
I heard her footfalls on the wood as she returned. “Here’s your clothes.” She placed them softly in my hands. “I just checked my phone and it’s close to 10:30 right now. So the groceries have been in there for two and a half, three hours now. With this heat I doubt anything is good.” There was a layer of annoyance in her voice. Not aimed at me, more like herself for forgetting.
I got the feeling this wasn’t the first time she’d done something like this.
“I gotta go to the store tomorrow anyways. We can get you more stuff.” My stomach growled at the mention of food. I had those leftovers in the fridge, but the idea of Quinn having to eat my leftovers didn’t sit well with me for some inexplicable reason. “How about I help you bring in your stuff, and order us a pizza?” I replied, sliding into my jeans.
“What about Rusty, doesn’t he need to eat?”
“Yeah, but he’ll be fine til I take him home tonight.” I pulled my shirt on next. The idea of climbing back into dirty clothes bothered me, but I didn’t have much of an option. I’d be fine for the rest of the evening.
“You could…you could stay, you know? Oh wait, you just said you need to feed Rusty later never mind.”
Fully clothed, I aimed for the direction of her voice, reaching out a gentle hand to find her arms out, waving around as she talked. She sure liked to use her hands, didn’t she? A soft smile threatened my lips as I drew her into me. “Don’t worry, I’ll figure it out. Let’s get your stuff.”
About an hour and a half later we’d gotten her things into the house, the pizza delivered, and I’d managed to call Travis and convince him to bring over some new clothes for me and food for Rusty.
I stood on the porch waiting for him. Quinn was inside putting the last of her things away.
“So,” Travis said, followed by a clap on my shoulder that made me stifle a curse. “I’m guessin’ you ain’t gonna be comin’ home tonight.”
I huffed a laugh. “That obvious?”
“Fuck, if a girl as pretty as her asked me to stay the night, I’d make sure I stayed forever.”
My lips pulled up slightly, a sense of…not accomplishment but pride maybe swelling in my chest. I’d always been a confident bastard, but the past few years had left me feeling, well, less than. I’d lost my spark. Being around Quinn though, she made me feel confident again. She made me feel alive.
“She’s pretty amazing,” I finally admitted, unsure of how much to share. Travis and I were co-workers, friends, but I wasn’t the type to share my thoughts and feelings with most people. The only one I’d done that with was Reid. And after thefight we’d had a couple years ago, mostly—no, all my doing, I was in no position to call him up and talk about a girl.
Travis chuckled and a familiar hard pressure smacked against my back once more.Fucker. Maybe one day I’d get used to it. One day. “You like her, don’tcha?”
I don’t think there was a word in my vocabulary that accurately described what I felt for Quinn right now. It was more than like, but too soon for love. Even still, the feeling I got when I was around her surpassed that. Her talk of soulmates and fate had stuck with me. Quinn Decker stirred the ashes of my withered soul, sparking something in me that made me feel like the old me might just still be in there amongst the rubble and wreckage.
She was like a missing piece I hadn’t known I’d lost. Hadn’t even realized I’d needed until this moment. But now that I had her, I wouldn’t give her up to save my damn life.
“I do,” I finally replied.
“Well then, I won’t keep you. See ya in the mornin’?” Another clap to the back.
