The rest of the night is fun, with Quinn hanging out and easily fitting into the group. She doesn’t say much, although when Sage comes over to ask her about where she lived in New York, I use the opportunity to learn a little more about this woman who I can’t seem to stop thinking about. A woman who has well and truly friend-zoned me, but who I still want to be around.
By midnight, she’s yawning, and even though I’m fully expecting her to say no, I stand, holding my hand out to her as I say, “Come on, I’ll walk you home.”
“You don’t?—”
“Quinn, I’m not letting you walk home alone,” I say, cutting her off. “Yeah, it’s safe and it’s not that far, but you’re new to Hawaii, and I don’t want you getting lost.”
“Lost,” she says, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
“Lost,” I confirm. “Besides, what kind of friend would I be if I let you walk home alone in the dark?” Quinn mutters something I don’t catch, but I just pinch her side and say, “Come on, let’s say goodnight to our friends.”
I don’t miss the look Miles gives me, nor the warning Daisy whispers in my ear as we say our goodbyes. Eli, the traitorous bastard, is just laughing at me, and I respond by flipping him off as Quinn and I make our way out to the street.
“So, did you have a good time tonight?” I ask as we walk along the deserted road.
“I did, yeah,” she says, giving me a quick smile. “Your friends are all really nice.”
“Your friends too now, remember,” I say, giving her a soft elbow in the side.
Quinn smiles at that. “I thought your brother looked familiar when I met him earlier, but maybe it’s just because he reminded me of you?”
“Maybe, although to be clear, I am the better-looking one.”
Quinn laughs, shaking her head as she says, “Right. Still, he looks familiar for other reasons. I don’t know, like maybe I’ve met him before?”
“He was, well, still is actually, in a band,” I say, grateful that my brother only has eyes for Daisy and isn’t going to be any kind of competition for me with Quinn.
Not that that’s what this is or anything.
“He was?”
“Yeah,” I reply. “Was pretty good too. Released an album and everything.”
“Was? What happened?”
“Um, well, it kinda went to shit when they were on tour on the mainland. They were support for this huge band, and I don’t know, Miles doesn’t really like to talk about it. Miles doesn’t really like to talk about anything, but shit went down, and everything imploded, and now he’s back here. But the band is back together. They’re just taking it slow this time. So, you never know, maybe there will be another album.”
Quinn doesn’t say anything, and when I glance over, she has a look on her face, almost like she’s thinking about something.
I grab her pinkie, tugging gently on it before hooking it around mine. “You don’t, like, have a crush on him or anything, do you?”
This gets her attention as she turns to me, her eyes wide and her mouth open in an O shape. “A crush? Oh my god, Kai, he’s like what, twenty years old?”
“Twenty-two, actually, but you know, he was, is a rock star.”
She snorts out a laugh, shaking her head at me. “Twenty-two, jesus.”
“I’m twenty-four for the record,” I say, taking advantage of the fact that she hasn’t pulled her pinkie away as I now lace our hands together. Quinn looks over before looking pointedly down at our joined hands. Chuckling, I squeeze hers once but don’t let go. “You ever gonna tell me how old you are?”
“I thought you said age was just a number,” she teases, brow raised.
“Oh, it is,” I reply. “But friends should know their friends’ ages and shit. Like what if I want to get you a present for your birthday?”
“You need to know my age to get me a birthday present?”
“Well, I need to know your birthday to get you a birthday present,” I say. “But I’d want to make sure it’s age-appropriate too.”
Quinn bursts out laughing at this, her head falling back. I look over, loving that she looks so genuinely happy in this moment, especially after this afternoon.
