Chapter 8 Quinn
Quinn
Xan was not who I expected Ezra to be with, but it was easy to see why they clicked.
The two were yin and yang. Where Ezra was dark, brooding, and lacked a single funny bone in his very hot body, Xan was everything bright.
His unruly, baby-blue eyebrows made his sharp face even more expressive, while his easy smile matched his relaxed posture.
Long legs brushed against mine, often shifting as if the most comfortable position was still to come.
I liked the slight paunch at his waist; it made him real.
Based on the stack of scrawls he’d brought with him to the pub, unlike Ezra, he probably had an office job.
Although I enjoyed having the hotness of, well, all my friends around me, it was refreshing to connect with someone who didn’t look flawless.
Though, in his defense, he’d still blow most men out of the water.
A server brought us two massive breakfasts of bacon, eggs, tomato, hash browns, sausage, and more. I stopped recounting my time spent with Ezra at the gym to dig in.
“So, you’re assuming he’s unhappy because he’s lifting five fewer pounds with his chest than the first time you worked out with him?” Xan summarized.
I swallowed my bite. “That, and he occasionally sighs.”
Xan bit his lips together, though I still heard his little laugh.
“Am I off base?” I asked.
Xan shook his head. “No, our relationship has recently gotten very complicated.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “That’s rough, but you’ll get through it. Ezra and I did.”
“Oh?” Xan smirked. “I didn’t know the two of you were involved.”
I choked on a piece of tomato. “No, I meant. Well, it’s complicated.”
Xan took a dainty bite of his food. “I’m all ears.”
“Look.” I gathered my thoughts. “Basically, I trusted Ezra, and then he did things that made me not trust him, but then we talked about those things, and now I trust him again, mostly. As friends. That’s it.” Heat stained my cheeks, but I couldn’t stop it. He had to know how hot Ezra was.
“You fancy him.” A massive grin split Xan’s face, even crinkling his eyes.
“He keeps giving me protein squares, and I’m terrified of the day he calls on me to return that favor, but until that day comes, I’ve decided to trust him. That’s it. Simple, nothing fancy about it.”
Xan beamed. “It won’t come. He taught Greg that recipe himself. He gives them out constantly.”
Ezra wasn’t treating me special; he was just that nice.
Disappointment pricked through the fluster.
I folded my hands together and reminded myself that this was good.
I was literally sitting across from his very male long-term partner.
And Rowan and I were going to give it a go, maybe, if he ever got his contract sorted.
“Greg?” I changed the topic before I could melt into a pile of self-pity.
Xan studied me for a moment, as if he didn’t want to change the topic.
I held my breath.
“The baker for Wicked Wich,” Xan amended, stabbing his breakfast.
I let out a relieved breath and grinned. “You’re just really friendly, aren’t you?” I relaxed another notch.
Xan nodded and swallowed with a slight flush on his cheeks. “Everyone has a story worth telling.”
I wasn’t sure if I agreed with that, but good for friendly Xan. “Anyway, you need to trust him too.”
“The baker?” Xan asked, rubbing his chest and smirking. “I mean, I guess we eat his food, so we all trust him implicitly on some level.”
I picked up a half-empty saltshaker sitting on the table and lobbed it at him. I expected him to stop it with magic. Instead, he caught the glass jar with his hand, only for the top to fall off and spill salt everywhere. He let out a dramatic sigh and put the now-empty vessel back on the table.
Old Quinn would’ve apologized; new Quinn bit back a laugh. I relaxed in my seat and watched him attempt to brush a mound of salt off what was left of his scrambled eggs. “Trust Ezra. You knew that’s what I meant.”
Xan smirked.
“Quinn.”
I turned to the sound of Rowan’s voice. He stepped up to our table and pulled his shoulders straight, putting his hands behind his back as if at attention. Dark bags hung under his eyes. He wasn’t giving me a single detail about his situation with Angela, but I knew it wasn’t going well.
I reached out and gripped his arm. “Is everything all right?”
His forearm was tense and didn’t relax at my touch. It must be going really, really badly.
“Yeah. It’s not smooth, but the process has started.” Rowan glanced at Xan.
Right, he didn’t want to talk about this in front of a stranger. I squeezed him before letting go.
“This is Xan; he’s Ezra’s partner.” I introduced the two. “Xan, this is Rowan. He’s one of Ezra’s generals and has been working with me on combat skills. I’m a lost cause, but Rowan keeps trying.”
“One of Ezra’s generals? My partner must have a high opinion of you.” Xan motioned to a third chair I didn’t remember being there. “Have a seat, Rowan.”
Rowan lowered himself, spine rigid, hands braced on his thighs. I wasn’t used to him looking so formal. Opposite him, I shoveled more food into my face, not willing to waste a single bite.
“Are you enjoying working together?” Xan asked.
“Yes, sir,” Rowan answered.
I slowed down my chewing and raised an eyebrow.
“You don’t need that type of formality with me and Quinn,” Xan said, his eyes twinkling. “I’m just Ezra’s partner, Xan. You can relax.”
Unease burned in Rowan’s gaze. He nodded, but didn’t relax.
“I’m really bad at everything,” I said after swallowing, trying to ease the weird tension. “But Rowan’s really patient. I swear he can feel when my muscles are going to give out. I’ve never been pushed so hard in my life.”
Xan hummed. “That’s quite the talent.”
Rowan grimaced.
I was definitely missing something here.
“Do you hang out socially?” Xan asked.
My heart fluttered. We had once, not a date, but Rowan joined me and my friends at The Rooster for dinner. “My schedule’s pretty crazy, but we’ve managed to get to see a little more of each other.”
Rowan grunted.
I blatantly stared at him, and the barest shake of his head confused me even more.
His lips curled into a tense smile. “And how long have the two of you known each other?”
“We just met this morning,” Xan answered. “I ambushed Quinn as her name’s come up a few times.”
Rowan’s smile turned into a grimace. “Commander Ezra has also been helping Quinn with physical training.”
I scraped the last bits off my plate and nodded in agreement.
The table went quiet, which surprised me again.
Xan had been a ray of sunshine so far, and with a smart mouth, he wasn’t afraid to open.
Rowan wasn’t always as snappy a talker, but I’d never seen him this uncomfortable before.
What if... Wait, how did contracts work?
Angela had seven, apparently. And Xan wasn’t having kids with Ezra.
What if he was also in a contract with Angela?
Oh, wow. Awkward. That would explain why Xan and Ezra were struggling as well.
I swallowed my last bite and decided to put Rowan out of his misery. “Well, I guess I better go keep training.”
Xan smiled and looked at Rowan. “Thanks for letting me borrow her. I’ll make sure our next breakfast doesn’t conflict with her training.”
I raised an eyebrow at Ezra’s friendly partner, already planning on ambushing me again, while Rowan nodded tightly.
Yeah. This had awkward lover drama written all over it.
I stood and pulled Rowan out of his seat. For a moment, I thought he was going to shake off my grip, but he squeezed my hand.
“Thanks again for breakfast, Xan. Maybe I’ll see you around?” I waved.
Xan smiled. “You will. I’ll make sure of it.”
I wrinkled my nose and hurried out of The Rooster toward the coliseum. “Sorry about that. I was ambushed.” I took a deep breath. “Do you want to talk about Angela?”
Rowan stumbled, actually stumbled, and came to a halt.
I stopped walking and searched his face. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” Rowan said, too fast. “I don’t want to talk about Angela.
My dad’s dealing with the contract, but the Moores are pissed, and it’s looking like my brother has to take the heat for it, which is the opposite of what I wanted when I left home.
I wanted to help… shit, and now I’m talking about it. ”
I put my other hand over his and squeezed.
“I like that you talk to me. I like hearing about your family. It was just me and my dad. I can’t imagine having a sibling to rely on and who relied on me.
” Rowan had brothers. I kept losing track of how many there were, but I knew they existed. “Which brother is it, and is he upset?”
Rowan let out a stiff breath. “Niall, my oldest brother. He’s not upset; this isn’t his first contract either… but I left to make our lives better, not to be a burden.”
A burden. The word echoed inside me, mixing with my own experiences. “You’re not a burden.” Words I had spent my life struggling to tell myself poured out of my mouth. “Your family loves you, right?”
Rowan nodded.
“They want to help you. I don’t even know them, but they raised one of the most compassionate, loyal men I’ve ever known. I refuse to believe they consider you a burden.” Tears tried to spring to my eyes, but I didn’t let them.
Rowan cupped my cheek, just like he had a few days ago, forcing my blurry gaze to meet his.
“You’re not either, Q-tip,” he said softly, clearly picking up that he’d struck a nerve. “I don’t know who made you think you were, but if you give me a name, I’ll beat the shit out of them.”
A tear squeezed out of the corner of my eye despite my attempts at control. The only name I could give him was myself. Yes, I was a product of my dad, my peers, and my doctors’ various pieces of advice… but I was the one who’d backed away because I hadn’t known what else to do.
“No one’s a burden.” Rowan’s gaze bore into me. “Everyone makes bad decisions and needs help.”