Page 118 of Open To Negotiation

“Shit!” I turned, sprinting to my room. “I have all my toiletries ready to go but I packed all my nice clothes.”

I started throwing things out of my suitcase, shoving only the essentials in my carry-on. Underwear, some sweats, socks, and a few bras. I wouldn’t need all the clothes that I’d packed for where we were going.

“What the fuck is all this?”

I looked over my shoulder to see him staring at all my boxes.

“I’m not moving,” I said as I grabbed my passport, wallet and keys off my counter. He looked at me with an eyebrow raised skeptically. “Well, I am moving. But just to a new place. Focus, though. The problem is I have no funeral appropriate clothing.” I came to stand in front of him.

“The service is tomorrow. You’ll have time to pick something up later today.”

“That’s fast,” I muttered as I shoved the last thing I needed in my purse. I wasn’t overly surprised Theo wanted it over with.

“Where?”

“Huh?” I asked.

“Where are you moving?” I could hear the hurt in his voice from me not telling him. I locked the door and we went down to the waiting car out front.

“I don’t know yet. I was supposed to be flying to Italy tomorrow.” I turned to look at him. “I was going to call you, I promise.” He didn’t say anything, just sat there watching me in his classic intense, Asher way.

“Did you get kicked out of the apartment?”

I smiled, he didn’t. “No. I just… didn’t want to be there anymore. It doesn’t feel like home so I’m going to try and find somewhere that does.” I looked out the window.

I didn’t have to explain to him that it was because my home left me in the middle of the night with no intention of coming back.

Shaking off my discomfort, I pulled out my phone so I could cancel my movers. They informed me they would still have to charge me because of the short notice, the first of many things this decision would likely cost me.

We made good time and cleared the private airfield security quickly. The plane was waiting on the tarmac, and we hurried from the car up the steps to the Knight Enterprises jet.

“How did Knight get to New York?” I asked as we were greeted by the attendant.

“He left the plane with us. He had another company to use, they were able to get a flight together quickly.”

Before I could respond I was crushed against someone’s chest. “Hi, Quinn,” Noah muttered from above me, his arms tightening a little more before he pulled back, resting his hands on my shoulders. “I’m pissed as hell at you.”

“Please. Don’t start with me now.”

Asher spoke from behind me at the same time. “Leave her alone.”

He pushed Noah’s hands off of me.

“Noah…” Will warned.

“No. You’ve been all ‘give her time,’ ‘don’t bother her.’ It’s a bunch of shit. She’s our friend too and she doesn’t get to shut us out because Theo wasn’t man enough to—”

“Stop it.” I cut Noah off as he looked down at me instead of at Asher. “I am sorry.” I looked at Will, Oli, and Jaxson who had all closed in while Noah was ranting. “I shouldn’t have cut you guys out like I did. I haven’t been handling this all very well. And I’m sorry.” Noah’s face softened instantly as the tears sprang in my eyes.

“Damn it, Q. Fine, I’ll forgive you but don’t do it again, okay?”

I nodded as he winked, putting an arm over my shoulder and moved me to one of the empty seats. He was easy to get along with and quick to forgive, I liked that about him.

The plane taxied quickly and everyone tried to keep me engaged in conversation, but they stopped when I gave one-word responses and didn’t track the conversation well, asking them to repeat themselves a couple times.

Sitting on the plane, I was starting to doubt that I should be there. When I heard about Theo’s dad the first thing I could think about was that he shouldn’t be alone. That regardless of all the shit between us, I needed to be there for him. That my heart was with him and that was where I needed to be.

But as we got closer and closer, I wasn’t sure he was going to want me there. He wouldn’t have been alone, he would have everyone else on this plane. They were his family. And he had made it very clear that he didn’t want me.