Page 151 of Key of Kink

Finnley leaned back, shaking his head. “Max is doomed.”

“I’m sitting right here,” I protested.

He ignored me. “You realise he’s normally the calm, mysterious one?”

Quinn tilted his head. “I’ve noticed he tries very hard to be.”

Everyone at the table snorted.

Finnley grinned. “Okay, but serious question.” He leaned forward again. “What’s your musical background?”

Quinn blinked. “My what?”

“You’re dating a bass in an a cappella group,” Finnley said. “Statistically you must sing.”

The word dating landed in the middle of the table like a dropped coin, and

no one corrected him.

What surprised me was I didn’t either.

Quinn tilted his head, apparently unfazed. “I thought I’d already mentioned I have a voice that could break glass.”

Finnley stared at him. “You were being serious?”

Quinn’s eyes sparkled. “Okay, in high school I got banned from choir.”

“How?”

“I improvised harmony.”

“Isn’t that literally the point of choir?” Liam asked.

“Yes.” Quinn’s lips twitched. “But apparently not during ‘Silent Night.’”

Finnley wheezed. “You’re my new favourite person.”

Sebastian pointed at him. “You said that about Elliott last week.”

“That was coffee-related,” Finnley said in a firm tone. “This is different.”

Quinn leaned closer, lowering his voice. “If it helps, once I also set off a smoke alarm reheating pizza.”

Finnley clutched his chest. “Oh, he’s perfect.”

I watched Finnley light up across the table, the two of them already swapping ridiculous stories, and realised Quinn hadn’t just stepped into my Rough Harmony world tonight. He’d walked into it and made himself at home, in the same quiet way he was already making space for himself in my life.

The most shocking thing?

I wasn’t trying to stop him.

Finnley let out a gasp. “Hang on. We’ve forgotten something.”

Theo frowned. “What?”

“The test.”

Quinn blinked. “I’m sorry, the what?”