Page 72 of What We Got Wrong

Quinn nodded, standing and helping Liv to her feet. They went through the motions of their evening routines before landing in Liv’s bed, and Quinn willed her presence to be the comfort Liv so obviously needed.

Liv had a restless night. Quinn felt her tossing and turning, unable to settle. It wasn’t until the early hours of the morning that she fell into a fitful sleep, and only then did Quinn let herself rest.

She was surprised to find the bed empty beside her when her alarm went off just a few hours later. Quinn padded out of the bedroom, bare feet cold against the hardwood floor, and found Liv sipping coffee on the couch, looking completely wrecked.

“I hope you have a good day.” Her monotonous tone did nothing to alleviate Quinn’s concern, nor did the way Liv avoided looking past her own shaking hands.

Quinn took the coffee from her, setting the mug on the floor. “What’s going on?”

Liv took a long time to answer, her chin quivering. Just when Quinn thought she wasn’t going to respond, she whispered, “Today is my sister’s birthday.”

Quinn didn’t even process the motion; her body acted of its own accord, arms wrapping Liv in a crushing hug. She pressed her lips to the crown of Liv’s head, hearing her sniffle. When they separated, there was a steady stream of tears flowing down Liv’s face.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t know,” Quinn said.

“Of course you didn’t,” Liv replied. She tried to casually ignore her own tears, like if she didn’t take them seriously, maybe Quinn wouldn’t either. “You were out of town the last two years for swim. I didn’t want to make a big deal about it. It’s just…so much harder on this day to pretend.”

“Liv, this is a big deal,” Quinn countered. She was an idiot. She hadn’t brought Ronnie up out of fear that it wasn’t her place, that Liv would talk about her sister when she needed to. But she could have at least asked about the important dates, could have made sure she was prepared for something like this.

“Stop whatever is going through your head right now,” Liv said. She reached up to grab Quinn’s chin, shifting her so their gazes met. “I didn’t tell you. You are a great friend, but you have not yet mastered mindreading.”

“Working on it,” Quinn joked, and she was glad to see a hint of a smile ghost across Liv’s lips. “I didn’t mean to make this about me. You don’t need to take care of me right now.”

“I don’t mind,” Liv replied, and Quinn pulled her into another tight embrace. They held each other, letting the warmth from their bodies soothe frayed nerves.

“Okay, well. We’re taking today off,” Quinn announced.

“We can’t. You have swim. We have class.” Liv said this like it was a good argument, and Quinn thought that was just adorable.

Quinn held her hand up to her own neck, grimacing dramatically. “I have this tickle in the back of my throat, actually. Wouldn’t want to get the rest of the team sick.”

Liv beamed at her, and there was nothing that Quinn wouldn’t do to keep that look on her face.

“We’re going to have an adventure,” Quinn said.

“We can just hang out here,” Liv countered. “I owe you a movie.”

“Uh, nope. Please go get dressed. The car will be leaving in twenty-five minutes.”

Liv didn’t move immediately, and there was a split second that Quinn thought she might shoot her down. She seemed to think better of it, though, and scampered off to get ready. Quinn followed suit as soon as she’d texted Emma to cover for her at practice.

She had travel coffees ready as they walked out the door, but Quinn stopped at the first gas station she saw, partly to fill up her tank but mostly for road trip snacks. When she announced this, Liv was incredulous.

“It’s not even 7:00 AM.”

“I’m not sure I understand your point,” Quinn replied. She led Liv into the shop, meandering up and down the aisles, filling her arms with a variety of candy, chips, and a few sports drinks. She added a bag of trail mix—for health—and made her way to the register, waiting patiently for Liv to join her with a couple treats of her own.

When they’d loaded up on goodies and filled up the tank of Quinn’s car, they officially hit the road. Quinn had her phone hooked up, allowing Liv to take control of the music as long as she promised not to look at the destination in the map app.

“You’re technically kidnapping me right now,” Liv said.

“That’s categorically untrue,” Quinn replied. “You got into this car willingly.”

“Hmm. I’m not sure,” Liv said, a levity in her tone that Quinn loved hearing, especially compared to the way they’d started the day.

They drove for over two hours, munching on snacks and singing, poorly, along with the music. Feeling, even if just for a moment, relaxed and carefree. Quinn was struck, not for the first time, by how much she loved being with Liv, no matter the circumstances.

Quinn wasn’t surprised that the lot was empty as she pulled to a stop. She parked so that they were facing the sandy beach, a sign that read “Lake Michigan” to their right, the water extending out as far as they could see in the distance. There was a boardwalk to their left, jutting into the lake, with a giant red lighthouse at the end.