Page 64 of What We Got Wrong

“You have no idea,” Liv admitted, shrugging.

A few minutes later, when Quinn approached her, Liv’s mouth went dry. She was just so handsome, and God, remembering the way Quinn took her that morning, the feel of her fingers, her mouth…

Liv clenched her thighs, trying at once to calm her body and to get some pressure where she needed it, again, always ready for Quinn.

“Good afternoon,” Quinn said, greeting them both before focusing her attention on Liv. “I have something for you.”

“I’ll bet you do,” Audrey interjected, and Liv gripped Quinn’s forearm and dragged her a few feet away.

“Sorry about her,” Liv apologized.

But Quinn just laughed, something like fondness in her expression. “Like I said before, she’s a trip. It’s fine.”

“You said you had something for me,” Liv reminded her after a few moments of silence between them, the energy charged as they stood close.

“Right,” Quinn said, reaching into her pocket. She handed Liv a small piece of paper, a phone number etched across it.

“Is this your number? You could have just texted me?” Not that Liv was complaining about the idea of having Quinn’s number in her grasp.

“I will text you later,” Quinn promised. “This is Emma’s, though…”

Liv stopped short. She’d made so many mistakes in her life. Really, more than her fair share, but the way she’d treated Emma after everything that happened between her and Quinn… That was in the running for one of her worst fuck ups.

“She made a joke earlier this week, told Mel to have you call her…” Quinn explained. “She’d love to hear from you.”

God, that softness again. Liv couldn’t take it, not head on like this. Not if all they were doing here was a new attempt at an old goodbye.

“She made a joke to Mel? They’re friends, too?” Liv asked, an endeavor to redirect the moment, as she moved the sheet of paper between her fingers.

Quinn nodded. “You know me. I try to make all my people love each other.”

“I do know you,” Liv said, and she didn’t mean to make it tense, but her words felt heavy.

Too heavy, because Quinn cleared her throat and then said, “We’re having dinner with Dan Copper and his team tonight, but… I’ll text you about…after?”

Liv nodded, words caught in her throat.

“I’ll come to you this time,” Quinn offered with a wink, and then she excused herself, saying that she had to get with Mel to go over something for their presentation the next day. Liv wasn’t entirely following, distracted by the idea of Quinn in her bed.

Liv ordered room service for dinner that night. She wasn’t particularly hungry, but she needed a drink and didn’t want to place a whole order just for wine. While she waited, she changed into her pajamas. It was too early for that, but she wasn’t planning on leaving the room for the rest of the night.

Even after several gulps of wine, it took a while for her to work up the courage to call Emma. She was just about to dial when she received a message from an unknown number with a Michigan area code that simply said. Room number? Liv added Quinn’s contact to her phone and then replied with the answer to the question. Shortly thereafter, her phone pinged with a response.

Quinn: Dinner is going well. Can I come up in an hour?

Liv sent a simple thumbs up in response, not wanting to distract Quinn from her business dinner, before returning to the task at hand. She typed Emma’s number into her phone and, with her eyes closed, pressed her thumb into the call button.

“Hello?” Emma sounded older, sure, but she’d recognize that voice anywhere.

“Hey Em, it’s Liv,” she said, before awkwardly adding, “Olivia…Palmer.”

“Liv!” Emma sounded genuinely happy to speak with her. Even though Quinn had told her to call, the excitement in her voice shocked Liv. “Can we switch to video call?”

Liv agreed, and after a few moments, she was looking at the beautiful face of her old friend. Emma was super cozy, in a sweatshirt with a blanket over her shoulders, and she watched as she settled into a giant brown sofa.

“How are you?” Liv asked.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Emma answered. Like a casual acquaintance would, which… Liv supposed was more than they were to each other at this point. “How are you?”