24. Levi
CHAPTER 24
LEVI
I don’t think I’ve ever gotten ready and through post-game interviews as quickly as I did tonight. There was something about seeing Quinn wearing my jersey that just made me want to race to claim her.
Between that and wanting to check in with Nana and Nurse Holly to see how they enjoyed the game, I’m just not in the mood to be a people pleaser tonight.
I’ll try to take a little extra time during my next round of interviews to make up for it a bit. I just didn’t have it in me tonight. I’ve tried to shove my feelings down, tried to dull them as much as I could, but I can’t anymore. The second I saw her up in the stands tonight, with my name on her back, I knew that was exactly what I wanted.
My name all over her.
She’s mine—even if she doesn’t know it yet.
Post-game went much quicker since Coach wasn’t in the mood to talk, making for a faster exit. He was furious Quinn wasn’t there. I heard him talking to the assistant coach, specifically leaving out that she quit.
The only time he talked to me outside of yelling at me on the ice was when I was leaving, and the fact that I didn’t hit him should win me some sort of medal or something.
“Where the fuck was Quinn tonight?” Coach Ronnie growled as he walked up to me the second I’d changed.
“She was watching the game,” I told him with a shrug, Jax and Nash both shooting me a warning glance, but I couldn’t have cared less.
“Why wasn’t she working?”
“Well sir, last I heard, she quit, so as far as she’s concerned, she didn’t have anywhere to be.”
The guys look at us wide-eyed as Coach and I stare each other down, his face reddening by the second “This is all your fault, Crosby, and you’ll be on the next plane outta here if I have my way,” Coach growls, but I don’t care. Like I said, I’ll quit if that’s what it comes down to, because I’m at the point in my life where I’m going to put my family first.
Fuck the rest.
“Nah, Coach, it wasn’t me who drove her to quit. Like she said, talk to your other niece, then you’ll know who to point that judgey ass finger at,” I say casually, grabbing my bag and walking away, leaving Coach standing there, shocked.
Like I said, fuck the rest.
* * *
“Did the girls already grab a table?” I ask Miles as we turn into the bar, the smell of beer hitting me in the face.
“Yup, they got here about thirty minutes ago and grabbed a drink,” Miles says as I scan the bar, smiling when I see Quinn and Stella sitting in our usual corner booth. It doesn’t surprise me. I mean, even if Quinn didn’t know our usual routine, Stella would be aware of it, since Miles has taken her here a few times when they’ve been in town on a non-game night.
I'm not sure how long I stand there staring, but it's apparently long enough for Miles to grab us both a shot of bourbon.
“Cheers, brother,” he says as he catches me looking at Quinn. “So have you come to terms with it yet?”
“With what?”
“How down bad you are for that girl. Have you realized just how in love with her you are?” Miles says quietly, and I look at him, surprising us both.
“Yeah, actually, I have. I just haven't had the chance to tell her,” I say with a smile before looking back at Quinn, who's talking to Stella, both laughing. When they notice us, they both wave, and we cheers and down our shots before heading their way.
“Hey, Q,” I say as I slide in next to her, planting a kiss on the side of her head.
“Hey,” she says quietly, turning to look at me with her shy smile. “You did great tonight.”
“Thanks,” I whisper. “And you looked great tonight. I love the outfit…although I think I'll love it more when I'm fucking you in it,” I say only for her to hear as I nuzzle her neck, pulling her into me as she giggles.
Looking up, I see Stella and Miles watching us, both smirking, but I don’t have a care in the world. Everything feels perfect right now. I mean, besides Coach being a dick, which isn't too far from normal, everything has been perfect.
“Nice game,” Stella says as she pours another beer.
“Don't compliment him on a win when I'm right here,” Miles pouts, but Stella just rolls her eyes and ignores him. “Not my fault they won! Just congratulating him since I can't congratulate you here,” Stella says, and I can only imagine what sort of celebrations those two have planned.
“Thanks, Stella. It was definitely fun. But Miles, don't be so sensitive. You played your best too,” I tease, and he kicks me under the table.
We go back and forth about the game for a bit, agreeing on bullshit calls while disagreeing on a few as well.
“Oh, my gosh, I love this song,” Stella says as she jumps up, immediately grabbing Quinn's hand and pulling her from the booth with a giggle. “Let's dance!”
Quinn looks back at me in question, but I gesture her on, excited to see her smile like this.
As the girls start dancing, I can't help but stop and smile. If you had told me a year ago I'd be in love with Quinn Sullivan, I'd have called you crazy. Today if you'd tell me, I'd tell you I've been in love with her for years, and I'm finally letting myself believe she might be able to love me too.
My phone ringing shakes me out of my daydream, my heart immediately dropping at the noise.
Nurse Holly.
* * *
My mind is imagining all the worst-case scenarios. My heart dropped the second I heard the sound of Nurse Holly’s ringtone, as it always does. But this time I could sense something wasn’t quite right.
I mean, all I heard was that there was an incident, and I hung up on Holly and drove straight here. Rushing in through the front doors, Holly’s already sitting in her rolling chair waiting for me, laughing as she looks down at her watch.
“Nine minutes? That’s gotta be a new record for you,” Holly says.
“Would’ve been seven but I got stuck at a light.” I shrug. “What the fuck happened? Can I see her?”
“No, she’s sleeping. We had to sedate her because she was pretty out of it. She was really upset when she realized Quinn wasn’t here,” Nurse Holly says.
“Quinn? Why was she asking for Quinn,” I instantly ask.
“Probably because of what happened at the game. That’s actually what I called to tell you about, only you hung up before you let me explain.”
“I tend to do that.” I chuckle. “But seriously, start at the beginning and explain.”
I wonder if this is what Quinn wanted to talk to me about at the bar.
“It’s not a huge deal. Your nana and Delilah were using the restroom across from where we were sitting, and your nana wandered off. She was gone for less than five minutes before Quinn came walking her back to her seat with us,” Holly says calmly. As much as I want to freak out over her words, I know with her being calm, I can be calm. Holly knows how to prepare me with her words and her tone. It’s an excellent skill to have as a nurse in my opinion.
“Wait, Quinn found her? Why were Delilah and Nana alone?”
“Levi, your nana has full right to her independence, and we can’t force her to let us monitor her every step. I think right now we should just be thankful that it was Quinn who found her. She was pretty frustrated at some staff because they were stopping her from entering an employee only area. Quinn thankfully saw it going down and intervened. Your nana remembered her immediately, which saved the situation. I asked her to watch the rest of the game with us because your nana seemed comfortable with her.”
“She shouldn’t have been alone,” I growl, only hearing that part, my frustration that something bad could have happened making it to where I’m not thinking clearly.
“Levi, we can talk about all of that later. Like I said, I wanted to talk to you. Tonight though, there was not an actual issue because Quinn helped us avoid it. She’s a good one.” Holly winks. “Plus, your nana loves her.”
My heart starts racing. I’m not sure if it’s fear of what could’ve happened or the reality that I had someone on my team, someone who wasn’t paid to assist my nana, willing to drop anything she was doing to help her. Quinn was there for Nana when she didn’t have to be. My heart swells at the reality that, for once in my life, it feels like I have another person I can trust.
I want to thank her. Hug her. Tell her how lucky I am to have someone so selfless in my life. But first, I guess I have to figure out what Nurse Holly was actually calling me for.
“Okay, but why do I feel like you weren’t calling to tell me how awesome Quinn is and there was something more pertinent. You know how I feel about my phone ringing, especially in the evening. No good phone calls happen after 9 p.m.,” I tell her, finally taking a seat.
“I think it’s time we have the doctors evaluate her again. I know she fights us on it, but I really think it’s time. Her memory is getting worse, and so is her frustration. She’s starting to get more and more confused. I guess I just want to get ahead of this thing so we can try everything and anything to help her. There are so many new trials and medications. They’re coming up with all sorts of new things, and I think it’s time for us to come up with a plan.”
I sigh, running my fingers through my hair. This is a conversation I knew was coming, but damn I hoped it would be further in the future. I’m not wanting to face all of this yet, but, unfortunately, we don’t get to decide the plan. Life does that for us whether we’re ready for it or not.
“I know what you’re telling me is true, but that really doesn’t mean I’m wanting to face this head on tonight. Is it fair if I say that I’ll make an appointment with the doctor tomorrow and then we can go from there?”
“Only if you promise I can be there too,” Holly says with a smile.
“Of course you can be there. I couldn’t do this without you,” I tell Holly, meaning those words more than she could ever know.
“Now, not to change the subject, but what is going on between you and the sweet Quinn?”
I smile, unable to help it even with the intensity of this evening.
“I’m not exactly sure, but I’m absolutely going to find out,” I tell her. “In fact, I’m going to go see her now.” Standing up, I give Holly one more hug. Thanks for taking care of her. I’ll connect with you tomorrow.”
“Deal. Now go get that girl.”
* * *
The whole drive home, the only thing I could think about was what I was going to say to her. How I could convince her that maybe this could be real. That maybe, just maybe, we could be really good for each other because I think she’s perfect for me.
But when I pull down my street and start down my driveway, it’s not her car I see at the end of it. Nope, this is a maroon sedan that I know all too well and is probably the last car I want to see right now.
It’s Ally’s.
Fuck my life.
It's as if this evening wasn't bad enough. Now I have another fucking curveball thrown my way. Pulling all the way up my driveway, I throw my truck in park and hop out, seeing Ally rocking on my porch swing.
“I'd say it's nice to see you, but I was taught that it's bad to lie. So what the fuck are you doing here because it sure as shit isn’t to sit here and gossip like old friends,” I bite out, unable to pretend I'm not fucking irritated to see her here, although I'd be lying if I said it didn't bother me to see her wince at my words, something I'm not sure I've ever really noticed her do.
“I'm actually not even here to see you. I was hoping to see Quinn. I need to talk to her.”
“What do you mean?”
“Let's just say my uncle is pretty pissed at me, which I'm sure you know, and well, he made me see the situation in a much different light, so I am here to apologize,” Ally says, her eyes down on her shoes as she pushes off the porch again.
“For what?” I push.
I mean…why should I make this easy on her?
“For everything?” Ally shrugs, looking up at me, and her normally light blue eyes are gray, filled with sadness, and for once I don't want to yell at her.
“I know I'm a bitch, and I know I've made your life and Quinn’s hell. I guess—I mean, I know—I’ve always been jealous of Quinn. But it was her confidence I've been jealous of. Her confidence to know what she wanted to do with her life and chase it. Her confidence to talk to the boy she just met and want to ask him out on a date. Her confidence that every friend of mine envied and every guy I liked wanted. It hurt, and I've been so jealous for so long, and I'm tired,” Ally says, tears streaming down her cheeks as she stares at me and cries.
For the first time, I see our situation for what it was. Two people who were broken, hurt, and used each other as a bandage, except it only made everything worse.
“I get it, Ally. It sucks. But at the end of the day, that shit’s old news. It could be behind us if everyone would let it be.” I shrug, taking the seat next to her, looking down the driveway for any signs of Quinn.
I'm excited to see her.
“You would be willing to do that? Move on? Clean slate?”
“Absolutely. I don't want to speak for your sister, but I'd bet a lot on the fact that she feels the same,” I tell Ally, and it almost seems like she wants to smile. “You just need to talk to her, okay?”
Ally looks at me sweetly. “We were never right for each other; we both know this…but you and Quinn. You've always been a perfect match. Don't lose her. She deserves someone like you, someone who sees her. Someone who fights for her because her family failed her, and I have you to thank for pointing that out. Well, you and my uncle, who's pretty fucking pissed at me and embarrassed about the way he treated you,” Ally says with half smile. “Sorry about that.”
“All good,” I tell her as I stand up, wanting to grab a quick shower. “It's getting late though. Why don't you give Quinn a call in the morning and catch up? I think she and Stella must've been dancing the night away and lost track of time.”
Ally stands up and smiles.
“Thanks, Levi. Sorry I've been such a bitch these last few years. None of y’all deserved that.”
“No, we didn't. But if you cut that shit out, I'm sure we can call it even.” I smirk, giving her a hug right as headlights blind me as someone turns around in my driveway. “Fuck that was bright,” I say with a laugh.
Ally laughs and says good night, and then she's on her way back home. Pulling out my phone, I look to see that I have a message from Quinn saying she was getting an Uber and heading here.
But that was thirty minutes ago?
I decide to call her, but it goes straight to voicemail.
I call her again. Same thing.
After the third try, I finally get a text response, and my heart finally stops racing.
Quinn: Still out with Stella. Probably going to crash at her place since it’s across the street from the bar and then catch a ride home with them in the morning. See you tomorrow
I try to call her again, and it goes straight to voicemail. Well, thank God I have nothing planned after practice in the morning. Plenty of time to spend with Quinn, to talk to her and figure everything out.
Shooting a quick text to Miles to thank him for keeping Quinn safe and getting her home, I head back inside for a shower and to get some sleep.