Chapter 6
Chapter Six
QUENTIN
M y little moon was currently sitting on my couch in my apartment.
When Joey called me and asked me in the politest way I’d ever heard him speak to come home and help his girlfriend with a favor, I didn’t expect Anora to be a part of that favor.
Rory had stormed into our apartment with Anora in tow, talking a mile a minute about her being in danger and how we needed to protect her and find out about some murderer. How we were supposed to find out about said murderer I had no idea.
It felt like a lifetime of translating before I understood what exactly she was talking about, and I could have sworn that the universe was laughing at me—and also doing anything and everything it could to piss me off.
Anora wasn’t in any kind of danger, at least not from me. But I couldn’t come out to all three of them and be like Yeah, so, I murdered that guy because of the way he spoke to you when it was only my first time laying eyes on you.
That would go over swimmingly with the girls. I held no secrets from Joey, and I could tell by the side eye that he was giving me that he knew exactly what had happened to Mark Waverly.
I didn’t intend for his murder to make her worry for her safety. It was my own twisted gift in a way, but I can see how to a normal person it may have been a little over the top.
“Could you ask your buddy on the force to see if he can dig up any information?” Joey asked, and I knew without having to ask that he meant Brendan. Except Brendan was absolutely in no way part of the police force.
I pulled out my phone and pretended to send a quick-fire text to my favorite hacker, when in reality I already knew just how far the police were from catching Mark Waverly’s killer. I gave it a good five minutes of awkward silence before I picked up my phone again, pretending to read a text.
“It looks like the police don’t currently have any leads, but they also think it was a premeditated hit by someone they’re calling the Portland Slasher,” I explained, feeling mixed emotions talking about myself in the third person. “Apparently he takes down the scum of the city and it doesn’t look like Mark Waverly was entirely squeaky clean.”
Had I known that when I bled him dry in a dark alley? No, but it looked like the universe was making up for the earlier bullshit and doing me a solid.
“So, I should be safe?” Anora sounded so fragile, the look on her face so vulnerable that I wanted to take her in my arms and make her feel safe.
People generally didn’t feel safe when they were at the mercy of my hands, but Anora was different. I would take down everyone in Portland if it meant she felt secure.
“I would say that unless you’re involved in the criminal underbelly of Portland, you’d be safe, little moon,” I answered, quiet enough so only she could hear me, staring directly into her eyes and pouring every bit of truth and meaning within them that I could.
“I could also be your personal bodyguard if you wanted,” I said jokingly, louder for our friends to hear, smiling at her to ease the tension.
The brokenness left her expression, earlier wariness returning.
“I’m sure you would love that,” she said with a roll of her eyes, her guard back up and her walls being rebuilt.
“I’m fucking starving. Why don’t we go grab something to eat?” Joey said from the living room, breaking the little bubble between the two of us.
“Rory, I thought we were going on a double date tonight?” Anora asked, confusion painted all over her face.
“Actually, Quentin is the mystery man I had planned for you,” Rory said sheepishly, and I imagined I looked just as shocked as Anora did, because I had no idea what the fuck she was talking about.
“What are you guys talking about?” I asked, beating Anora to the punch.
“I wanted you to meet Rory’s best friend because I know how important she is to her, and you’re my bro, and what better way to meet than a double date? Both of you have terrible dating experiences, so when Rory brought it up, I figured what the hell,” Joey explained, shrugging his shoulders like it wasn’t a big deal that the universe almost brought my little moon to my doorstep without my interference.
“We’ll talk about this double date situation at home, Aurora, but for right now I just want to get something to eat,” Anora scolded before facing me. “And don’t get confused, Quentin. This isn’t a date between two single people. This is a get-together between two people who care deeply for each other and their best friends.”
I smiled at her, attempting to convey that she had little to no control over what this time together would be, and silently promised to make this a night she would remember.
While Rory and Joey had their backs turned, trying to decide where we would eat, I leaned closer to Anora, my lips barely grazing her ear.
“Stop pretending you can fight what’s coming, little moon. This time may not seem like a date, but the next time we are together, you’ll know you’re mine.”
I watched a shiver flow through her body, though I couldn’t tell whether it was from fear or pleasure.
I stood up straight, watching her wide eyes track my movements and her chest rising and falling, her breath quickening. I liked frightening her with my words, knowing I had such a powerful kind of control over her mind and body.
She didn’t snap out of her daze until Joey clapped his hands and declared we were going to a little Italian restaurant downtown, not far from the apartment.
“Everybody ready to go?” he asked, not noticing the tension brewing between Anora and me.
“Ready for anything,” I replied, winking at my little moon before following him out the front door and hearing the whispered concerns from Rory about Anora’s stupor behind me.
* * *
The night air was cool on my face, so crisp that it made me want to take in a lungful and keep it there.
Joey and Rory walked ahead, hands linked together, while Anora walked by herself behind them and I brought up the rear. I quickened my steps to walk alongside her and watched her fumble over her own two feet at my nearness.
“Careful there,” I teased, grabbing her elbow before she could fall face-first into the pavement.
“Thank you,” she mumbled, rubbing her hands up and down along the arms of her thin, long-sleeve shirt. It wasn’t that far of a walk to the restaurant, but I could tell she was already fighting a chill.
“Here,” I said, stripping out of my plain black hoodie and stopping her to drag it over her head, knowing she wouldn’t accept it any other way. It practically swallowed her, but I could see she almost instantly warmed up.
“Thanks,” she retorted, and without another word we continued our walk down the sidewalk toward the restaurant.
I couldn’t for the life of me think of what to say to keep our conversation alive without revealing how much I truly knew about her. Which still wasn’t everything that there was to know—I could tell just by the darkness within her eyes that there were more layers than she showed people normally.
I wanted to peel back every single layer until there was nothing left but her soul laid bare for me.
“Ever been to this place before?” I asked, nodding to the Italian restaurant we were quickly approaching.
“I think I’ve been once or twice with Rory,” she replied simply, but I’d take it over one-word responses any day.
“Any recommendations for what to order?” I asked, poking and prodding for every detail I could gain.
“I like the chicken alfredo,” she responded lazily. “I know it sounds like a basic answer, but you can never go wrong with comfort food.”
I smiled at the second part of her response, storing that thought for later. I was a spaghetti and meatballs kind of guy, which was probably even more basic than chicken alfredo.
“Are you slowpokes coming?” Joey hollered from where he was holding the door impatiently.
I hadn’t realized how far behind we had fallen, but I rushed ahead to take over so he could head inside, and I could hold the door for Anora.
“Three times tonight I’ve done things for you, little moon,” I teased as she passed through the door.
“I’m getting tired of thanking you for things,” she complained, walking in front of me. “That’s three times too many.”
I leaned close to the shell of her ear so I could see if that delicious chill went down her spine again. “I have something else you could thank me for, and three times wouldn’t be nearly enough.”
She stumbled again, tallying up the number of times I’d extended my gratitude to her. Holding her arm to keep her steady, I could do nothing but smile.
* * *
Anora sat on the inside of the booth, practically crawling up the wall to get away from me.
She barely said a word beyond ordering her food, Rory and Joey wrapped up in their own little bubble of love. Her water was left almost untouched, and she burned a permanent hole in the table with her stare.
“Everything alright?” I whispered, and she jumped at my voice, losing her focus and almost spilling her glass.
She eyed our friends to gauge just how much they were paying attention to us before she leaned in close. So close that I could smell the sweet scent of her perfume, the perfect mixture of green tea and marshmallows.
“I would rather be anywhere else in Portland right now than next to the guy who has been stalking me since he laid eyes on me in a coffee shop,” she hissed.
“A little light stalking never hurt anybody,” I joked, and I swear her face turned a deeper red than before, if that was even possible. I loved the pink that would tint her cheeks when she got embarrassed or flustered, and I desperately wanted to know if it was the same shade of pink that bloomed when she was turned on, or right before she came.
I willed myself not to go down that road with my thoughts and keep things going as slow as they currently were. I knew she would only run faster if I pushed her too far too quickly.
“So, you admit to stalking me?” She smiled triumphantly, like she had caught me, but she should have known by now that I never gave her what she wanted easily.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said with a smile, loving to fuck with her in the form of banter.
“Do you have an honest bone in your body?” she asked, her voice again a whisper.
I opened my mouth to say something—anything—else, but our conversation was rudely interrupted by the waitress placing our food in front of us on the table. Anora wasted no time digging right in and keeping her mouth occupied, the three of us watching her with shock at just how fast she was eating.
“Dig right in then, girlfriend,” Rory said jokingly before taking a bite of her own food.
None of us said much after that, making a little small talk in between bites, and, by the time our plates were clean, Anora’s right knee was bouncing up and down while we waited for the check.
I placed my hand on her knee, squeezing it gently to get her to stop. I could feel her muscles tense underneath my touch, feel the warmth from her skin even through her jeans. She had yet to take my hoodie off, and fuck did she look good in it. She’d look good in just about anything—or nothing at all.
Her eyes widened at my touch, but she did nothing to remove my hand. I wanted to leave it there indefinitely, but I knew how uncomfortable it seemed to make her, so with one final squeeze I let go.
“You’ll be rid of me physically soon, but I’ll still be with you wherever you go,” I whispered, and with a growl she shoved me forcefully out of the booth before stalking out of the door and into the night.