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And now here he was, picking up mine.
“Cool, Dad. I’ll keep in touch.”
“Sounds good, bud.”
Quinn hangs up, shoves his phone into his pocket, and then shuffles on his feet.
“See?”
I run a hand across the back of my neck, not quite sure what to do. I mean, really. What the hell do I do?
Quinn tugs on his earrings again. “We could swing by my parents’ and I can grab some shit.”
I glance at him, and he smiles softly at me. My heart flutters in my chest. Stupid coffee, making me all jittery.
“Are you…are you sure? You want to spend two weeks…withme?”
Because my own son doesn’t even want to do this. Why the hell would Quinn? I barely know this guy. Don’t teenagers want to spend time with their own kind? I’m like a dinosaur compared to him.
But Quinn isn’t bothered. No, he just shrugs again, like it’s no big deal, and then takes another step toward me.
“Yeah, Grey. I think I’d really fucking like that.”
* * *
“So, you two are going to the UP,” his mom states as Quinn walks to his room to pack, leaving me to chat with this woman who seems completely unconcerned that her son is going on a trip with me.
I mean, not to parent-shame, but I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be comfortable with Joshua going on a trip with an older man for two weeks. Especially one I didn’t really know all that well. Not that Joshua would listen to me. And not that Karen would either. She’d probably let him go just to spite me.
“Yeah, if that’s alright with you?”
“Quinn can make his own decisions. He’s always been an old soul like that.”
I let out a huff because yeah, I’ve noticed that about him. Two years ago, when Joshua had blown me off on my birthday to go to a party, Quinn had shown up at my place with a pizza and two cupcakes.
“Why are you here and not with Josh?” I’d asked.
“Meh, I’d rather sit here with you.”
We ate that pizza on the front porch because I was too afraid to let him inside. Of what that might look like to the outside world.
But that moment in time wasn’t anything but a lonely old guy and his kid’s best friend taking pity on him. The two of us watched the sunset and sat in companionable silence until he left.
It had made the abandonment I felt from Joshua a little easier.
And yet still, I worried for weeks about his parents coming after me or accusing me of something, despite doing nothing wrong. But they never brought it up. I wonder if Quinn ever told them.
Probably not. It seems like he’s free-range and has been for quite some time.
It also seems like his parents have no issue with Quinn going camping with me for two weeks.
Shit, they know I’m gay, right?
“I’m sorry. I heard about what happened with Kevin,” his mom, Catherine, says.
I shift on my feet, feeling awkward because how the hell does she know that? It’s a small town, but it’s notthatsmall.
“Quinn told us. Said you were pretty upset about the breakup.”
