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He states my name firmly and I want to cover my face. I wish he’d stop doing that.
“How long is this process going to take? Everything and all?” He stops slicing at his stick long enough to meet my gaze. He’s not scowling, yet the first thought to cross my mind is that he’s annoyed with how long I’m taking.
Oh. Don’t tell me I’ve misunderstood Quinn’s actual intentions of staring. Does he want me to hurry up?
“Um, well, I’ll be on the mountain for a few more weeks. I don’t want to get your hopes up and then accidentally take longer than intended.” Chewing on the inside of my cheek, I play with my pen. “I’ll be stuck in the lab until probably next spring. Maybe longer depending on the growth rate and how successful we are.”
Does he want to even know all these details or am I talking too much?
“What happens to you once this is all complete?”
Now that’s a question I didn’t expect. Honestly, I haven’t even thought that far. What will I do?
“Well, I mean, I can always move back to the city if I wanted to. That, or I can get my hands on another project. I’m enjoying Fairland so far, it’s been pretty pleasant. I’m a botanist and thankfully, there is so much life on this mountain that I’m sure I can keep myself busy for a whole lifetime.”
He resumes his cutting and I can’t tell if he’s satisfied by my answer or not. The more I spend time with Quinn, the more questions I have. My head is going to explode if I keep letting them go unanswered.
“Why do you ask?” I try, hoping to avoid any possible explosions.
“Just curious.”
That’s all I get? What am I supposed to be able to pull from that? Clearly, I need to push a little more to get my answers.
“I do miss the city life, you know? Being able to get Thai food is the best. There’s nothing like that in Fairland. I’d have to drive if I wanted any sort of Asian cuisine. If I do move back, I can eat that stuff every day.” I let out the complaint before sending a curious glance in his direction.
Quinn’s frowning now. I swear he almost nicks his thumb with his blade. His brows are all furrowed and bunched together. He might not want to tell me what his intentions of asking the question were but his face tells a whole story.
My heart thumps at the idea of Quinn wanting me to stick around. I can’t possibly imagine the guy saying the words out loud. Maybe I’m telling myself words I want to hear, maybe not. No way to know.
“But the lines are so long and torturous,” I continue on in hopes of making him ease up on his frown. “I think I’m pretty satisfied with making the same dishes at home. Surprisingly enough, the grocery store in town has everything I need.”
When he doesn’t respond much other than a simple hum of acknowledgment, I risk everything by nudging his arm and directly acknowledging my guess.
“I’m not going anywhere anytime soon, Quinn.” Offering him a smile, my stomach tightens when he’s got that molten stare back on me. “You’re going to be seeing me around for a long while.”
He lets his eyes linger for seconds before finding something else more interesting to look at. “Fairland has everything you need. Much quieter and more enjoyable.”
That’s all I get from him and it’s enough.
With my smile growing, I return to my notebook and start writing down my findings.
It feels good to confirm one of my suspicions, even if it’s not exactly my priority. Though, I can’t help but wonder if I’ve been right about my other previous thoughts about the man.
Even though it may drag out our time together, maybe I can find the time to test out my other theories.
Quinn
I knew something wasn’t right when I picked up Melanie today. Rather than her usual outfits, she’s decided to go with a pair of shorts and a tank top. I couldn’t figure out why she made the change.
Today’s not like any of the others. Instead of sitting against a tree or on some rock, I’m following behind her, hiking for much longer than usual. Even though we found a patch of her flowers, she keepsmoving.
There’s no point in me relaxing, not when I have to keep following behind closely. It’s a hot day out, sweat is prickling at my skin. When in the world is she going to sit down and pluck at the flowers?
As tempted as I am to ask her what in the world she’s doing, she catches me off guard by sending a smile in my direction. Melanie looks so pleased with herself. Is it because she’s got me all worn down and sweaty? Wish I would’ve gotten a little heads up. I would’ve dressed a little lighter as well.
When her bag drops from her shoulders, I think I’m finally going to catch a break. I’m already picturing the perfect place to find some shade to cool down. When I see her bring one of her knees up to her chest, I frown.
“What are you doing?”
