Page 12 of What We Got Wrong

“I suspect he has a crush on someone on the team,” her mom whispered, ensuring the girls were distractedly chattering with Quinn. And, sure, that made sense. They were all pretty sure that Peter was into boys, though it was a complete non-issue in their house. Quinn had come out during high school, but even then, it had been a blip. She knew she was lucky, and she was genuinely grateful for her family.

When the bill came, there was a mildly awkward moment where Liv tried to get her meal separated out so that she could pay for herself, but Quinn’s dad just waved her off, insisting that they could never repay her for “all the trouble Quinn was undoubtedly going to put her through,” and swiped his credit card. After that, they all went to the ice cream shop next door, and again, Liv tried to pay, this time for all of them, but Quinn’s mom stopped her.

“Sweetheart, we’ve got you,” she had said with a wink.

When they returned to campus, Quinn’s family walked her and Liv back to their dorm, trying to put off their goodbye. While Liv said goodbye to her sisters, Quinn hugged both of her parents, thanking them for making the trip. Then, she watched as her parents each hugged Liv, letting her know that she was welcome any time she wanted to join Quinn on trips home.

Finally, Quinn turned to her sisters.

“Okay, girlies, I miss you so much,” she said, pulling them into a group embrace. “I need you to be good for Mom and Dad, and also, please terrorize the boys. Sound good?”

“Yes,” they both agreed, sporting matching expressions of mischief.

She pulled away from them before holding out a pinky to each of them. “Call me if you need anything. Promise?”

“Promise,” they said in unison, each completing the pinky promise.

Quinn pulled them in to kiss each on the top of their head. She knew they were getting closer to the age when they’d be over thinking that she was the coolest person in the world, but God, she was going to miss it. She followed them all to the doorway and watched them until they got to the stairwell before she closed the door.

“Sorry, we kind of stole your whole day. Those kids are going to be obsessed with you from now on,” Quinn said cheerfully, before she’d even turned back to Liv.

When she saw her roommate, though, she stopped short. Because Liv was standing in the middle of the room with torrents of tears streaming down her face. As soon as she processed what she was seeing, Quinn took exactly three giant strides toward her and, without thinking about it, pulled her into a tight hug, squeezing her into her body. Quinn felt Liv take a sharp breath and stiffen at first, before simply melting into her arms. Quinn held her silently, just letting her weep, feeling the transition as she eventually calmed down, her cries moving slowly from sobs to whimpers.

With her arms still wrapped around Liv, Quinn softly spoke. “I have to ask this. They didn’t say anything to upset you, did they?”

Liv pulled away, shaking her head. She sniffled a few times, wiping her eyes. “No, they were wonderful. I’m so sorry, can we please pretend that didn’t happen?”

Quinn was hesitant to agree, taking some time before she spoke, trying to formulate the right words. “You know you can talk to me about anything, right? You can trust me.”

They hadn’t known each other for very long, but she felt confident in this promise. Still, Liv shook her head.

“No, really, I’d rather not,” she said sadly. “Not right now, if that’s okay.”

“Of course,” Quinn assured her, despite not wanting the conversation to be over. Liv opened her mouth to say something but stopped herself. “What?

Liv stared into her eyes for several moments before whispering, “Can I ask for another hug?”

She’d barely even finished the question before Quinn was pulling her into another embrace. Quinn had always been a lot bigger than most of her friends. Taller, yes, but also thicker, carrying a lot more muscle than most women her age. She was aware that Liv was much smaller than her, but she’d never previously understood exactly how she could use the size of her body, trying as she was to wrap herself entirely around Liv, to keep her safe.

“Thank you,” Liv whispered.

“Anytime,” Quinn replied simply, still holding her.

She’d never meant anything more.

Chapter 5

Quinn

Now

Alone in the modest hotel gym the next morning, Quinn was struggling to get her mind right. She hadn’t slept well, her thoughts racing, disappointed in herself. Around 1:00 AM, she’d rolled out of bed, deciding it was the perfect time to review the materials for the conference, reminding herself of the theme, “Innovation Through Excellence,” and made a few notes on how she and Mel might touch on that in their workshop without straying from their approved pitch.

She took the time to analyze the schedule, mapping out the breakout sessions she would attend (there was one on Wednesday afternoon on maintaining mental health in ever-changing environments that she was particularly excited about). She’d even taken a photo of her planned agenda to send to Mel, knowing she was diligent with her Do Not Disturb and wouldn’t respond until the morning.

Quinn laid back down close to 3:00 AM, and she must have fallen asleep, because the next thing she knew she was waking up much later than intended. She still felt like she needed to try to work out, but she’d chosen to jump on the treadmill instead of in the pool for laps, as she only had about an hour before she needed to get back up to her room to get ready for the keynote speaker, officially the launch of the conference. Around a thousand leaders from across J&P Industries were going to be here, and it was important to make a good impression. If even a small fraction connected with the Prism Group for a workshop or two in the next year, or even in the next few years, well, that represented a huge potential for her company.

But seriously…what was she doing here? Even bidding to be a part of this had been insane. To be fair, she honestly hadn’t thought that they would be selected. Their application was solid, the video pitch was good, but it was the long shot aspect of it, the absurdity of the idea that they’d be chosen, that led her to apply. At least, mostly…