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“You’ve been a bit obsessed with your crystals,” Julia said gently.
“Listen, Cara,” Quinn said, speaking quickly before Cara could protest again. “We’ve lived with you long enough to understand how much you enjoy dabbling in the occult. We don’t care. Personally, I think it’s pretty interesting, but it’s just a hobby. You can’t waste your entire day looking into a crystal ball or whatever.”
“I don’t have a crystal ball.”
“Is that the point I’m making? No, it’s not, and you know it. You know what I’m saying, so don’t try to avoid it. You’re obsessed, and it’s not normal. Something happened. Was it Nick?”
“No! It’s not him, he’s great, I... I can’t explain it.”
“Like I said, you’re not a great liar,” Quinn said.
Julia sighed. “Leave her alone, Quinn. We’ve tried our best. If she doesn’t want to talk, we can’t force her. We’re not her parents.”
Cara didn’t particularly want to think about her parents right now, and she was saved by the sound of someone knocking on the front door. She hurried to leave the room before anyone else could stand up to answer it, swiftly escaping the conversation.
“Something’s wrong with her,” Quinn said, her voice drifting into the hallway as Cara went to answer the door. “And it involves Nick. The next time I see him, I’m going to-”
Cara opened the door. “Nick?”
Quinn’s voice cut off.
“Hey,” Nick said, giving her a smile. He was wearing a black t-shirt, blue jeans and his dark hair was messy. He looked just as good as she remembered.
Cara smiled back at him. “Hey.”
Cara could hear hushed voices from the open doorway behind her, and she hoped he couldn’t hear them. “Come in,” she said. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“Thanks. Yeah, I probably should’ve messaged before I came over. Is this a bad time?”
“No, it’s fine.”
She led him into the living room and the voices immediately stopped.
“Hey, guys,” Nick said. If he noticed the sudden silence, he hid it well.
Julia and Jackson returned the greeting, but Quinn didn’t even smile.
“Perfect timing, Nicholas,” Quinn said. “We were just talking about you.”
Nick glanced at Cara. “Really? All good things, I hope.”
“What’s with the full name?” Julia asked her. “Just call him Nick.”
“I’m showing him that I’m serious,” Quinn said. “Using his full name gets my point across.”
“I can tell,” Nick said.
Jackson shifted in his seat beside Quinn. “It’s not short for Nicholas.”
“It’s not? What’s it short for?”
“Dominic, right?” Jackson said, looking at Nick.
Nick seemed surprised. “Yeah, but no one’s called me that in years.”
Quinn frowned. “This isn’t how I imagined the conversation going.”
Nick sat on the arm of the couch. “We can start again if you want.”
