Page 77 of What We Got Wrong

And Liv had her own little pile of gifts. Her parents, along with their “Merry Christmas” text, had deposited some extra money in her account, with a note to buy herself whatever she wanted, but Quinn’s family had put actual thought into her gifts, like her own deck of the card game that Liv had wiped the floor with them playing, and a bunch of kitschy mitten paraphernalia because, as Quinn’s dad said, Liv just needed to embrace the fact that she was a “Michigander” now. Maybe it was things that she wouldn’t have bought herself, exactly, but it was all just so sweet, making her feel cared for in a way she didn’t think she could even try to express.

Again, Quinn sensed that she was overwhelmed, as she felt her friend sneak a quick grasp of her hand, allowing the surreptitious squeeze because Nico had opened a new set of tools for his robotics ventures and was loudly exclaiming the features.

“I’m okay,” Liv assured her softly.

“We’re a lot,” Quinn replied, just as quietly, as if she needed to apologize.

“No, you’re all great,” Liv said, squeezing Quinn’s hand back.

In that moment, she felt lucky and so incredibly grateful to have Quinn in her life. It was because of Quinn, Liv knew, that all this goodness surrounded her, and she never again wanted to experience life without her.

Chapter 28

Liv

Now

Watching her dad talk to Quinn was confusing for Liv. If she was honest, she wished there was a way for her to eavesdrop on the conversation, to get an understanding of what they could possibly be talking about. If she was being more honest, she wished that she could walk over and join them, to take Quinn’s hand and explain who they were to each other.

But Quinn only wanted these couple of days. She wasn’t going to push. Maybe it was strange to draw the line here, but Quinn had been clear. This was simply a chance at a better goodbye.

Luckily, she had Audrey and Rhea as distractions.

“So, like…is competency porn a thing?” Her cousin was eyeing the conversation between Quinn, Mel, and her dad as well.

Liv had to admit that she understood the question. It was strangely hot to watch those two gorgeous nerds hyping up their corporate crowd, even on such a banal topic. She wasn’t going to say that to her cousin, though, and also…

“Maybe you’re just…into Mel,” Liv suggested.

Audrey made a face of complete exasperation, like it was the most ridiculous thing she’d ever heard. “Just because she’s attractive and I let her do truly nasty things to my body last night doesn’t mean I’m joining your big gay coven, Livvie.”

“Okay, okay,” Liv replied. “That feels like a lot to unpack, but…congratulations?”

“It does feel like cheers are in order, so thank you,” Audrey replied.

Rhea laughed at their antics before focusing her attention on Liv. “Your girl did well.”

Liv’s immediate reaction was to correct Rhea, to tell her not to call her that. Not, of course, because she didn’t want Quinn to be hers, but she’d said it so many times it was like a reflex.

“I agree,” she said instead.

“Seems like your dad thought so, too,” Rhea said, gesturing back at them. Liv’s dad was shaking their hands, apparently satisfied with the way the talk had gone, and then he walked away, past Liv and the others without stopping, mouthing that he needed to hop on a call as he passed.

“I can’t believe conference week is already almost over,” Audrey said thoughtfully.

Her cousin was right. Liv hadn’t been thinking about it. The Prism workshop and, she supposed, other Prism-related things had been occupying her mind, but they were on the last day. There was another training, that Liv was pretty sure had already started, before lunch, then the final breakout session, followed by her dad’s final speech, and a party to close out the event. The J&P employees who flew in for the occasion were mostly scheduled to fly out on Friday morning.

Liv knew that the vendors and workshop facilitators would be on the same schedule. Rhea was leaving in just a couple of hours, in fact, and she wasn’t ready to think about it.

They waited for the few others in the room to clear out before approaching Mel and Quinn, who were talking excitedly back and forth. Liv wasn’t quite sure what she wanted to say to Quinn, but she couldn’t stand not being near her for another moment. And unfortunately, she had actual work to do that afternoon, as the last workshop of the conference was dedicated time for the leaders to meet with their respective teams and plan how to implement what they’d learned during the week. She couldn’t skip it. Still, there were about two hours until that meeting started, and she could think of a few ways that she’d like to spend that time with Quinn, if given the chance.

As if actively conspiring against her, she heard her friend speak.

“I fly out in a little while, but would y’all want to go to an early lunch?” Rhea asked, addressing the group, but focusing, it felt, on Quinn and Mel.

Liv felt Quinn’s eyes on her, felt the words to her very core when she heard Quinn say, “I had a huge breakfast, so I think I’m going to skip it. It was so great getting to spend time with you, though.”

Rhea indicated that she understood. Liv thought maybe she understood too well, as she insisted that they all exchange contact info so that they could keep in touch. Quinn looked a little shell-shocked as she handed Rhea her business card… She was simply adorable.