33. Knox
CHAPTER 33
KNOX
“ K nox!” Quinn calls in surprise, and the smile on my girl’s face when she sees me makes me perk right the hell up.
“Hey, Princess,” I greet, bending down to kiss her when she’s close enough. Her hands wrap around my neck while mine frame her face, demanding a longer kiss than I should in public, right outside of the art building.
“What are you doing here?” She asks, breathless when we part. I don’t let her go far, wrapping my arm around her shoulder as Rory and Reid trail behind. Quinn’s cheeks are a pretty shade of pink and I can tell that she’s flustered over our display of affection but the truth is, I can’t keep my hands off her. She loves me, and I her, and I’m going to let everyone know.
I smile at Rory and regard Reid with a polite nod. Quinn told me that she was going to talk to him at the coffee house the other day and afterwards mentioned something about him having a possible crush on the barista there and that I needed to stop “pulling my cock out” every time Reid came around.
So, a nod he gets .
Reid tries to smile at me but it looks more like a grimace. I guess we’re both on the same page of trying to accept each other’s presence for the sake of Quinn. I can see Rory and her rolling their eyes from the corner of my vision but I ignore it, letting my shaky hand trail down her back to give her ass a playful pinch. She doesn’t notice the slight tremor because my palm is pressed flat to her jeans. The motion gets me an elbow to the stomach, but it’s well worth it.
“Came to meet you to hear all about how your Art History final and critique went,” I tell her, leading her towards the pathway to our apartments.
To be honest, my head’s been a mess all day and I’m more than thankful that I’ve finished my finals already because I can’t stop thinking about the message I received from my father days ago, rubbing it in my face that the deal has gone through and that Third Street Apartments is going to be getting a facelift over the summer by the person I consider to be the Devil in disguise.
I thought that the walk to campus was going to help me clear my head of the dreaded news I have to break to my roommates and Rory tonight, but the trek didn’t help in the slightest.
Quinn beams but her hazel eyes are knowing. We talked about it last night when we were cuddled up in her room and were taking a break from me quizzing her on her Art History cards. She’s improved tremendously since we started studying together, but I know she was still a bit nervous going into the final exam this morning.
I brush a soothing circle against the small of her back with my thumb, craning my neck down to murmur, “I don’t know how to tell everyone.”
Her eyes soften and she pulls my hand from her back, intertwining our fingers instead. When she notes the minute tremble, her brows furrow and she squeezes in sympathy, letting me know that she’s here if I need her.
Fuck, I love her so much.
“I think the best way to do it is going to be coming right out and saying it.” She offers this solution gently so the others don’t hear, and I nod, biting the inside of my cheek.
I’ve never had trouble telling Ace and Slate the things that I’ve needed to, but this somehow feels worse than recounting the night of my accident and my asshole of a father to them. The fact that he’s still haunting me after I’ve all but told him to fuck off from my life is more than frustrating.
No wait, I’m pretty sure I’ve actually told him to fuck off before.
Why is he so obsessed with me?
I nod at Quinn. She’s right. We’ve planned a dinner for the five of us and decided to tell everyone then. I don’t want to be the source of this bad news, the fact that we’re all going to be scrambling to find somewhere new to live during the spring semester makes my stomach twist. I don’t want to add to anyone’s stress, but I know that I can’t handle it all on my own.
Quinn told me that all of them would rather share this burden than let me go through it alone, letting it eat at me. The guys will notice something is up with me eventually, and I know I’ll feel even worse if I keep it from them longer than I should.
“You’re right.” I want to sigh. I really, really hate this.
My girlfriend winks up at me, bumping me with her hip. “Always am.”
The answering scoff I make gets me a pinch to my own ass.
We come to a fork in the sidewalk. To get to Third Street Apartments we need to head left, but Reid says his goodbyes to the girls and begins heading to the right.
Ugh. I really hate what I’m about to do.
“Hey, Reid,” I call after him. Rory and Quinn both look at me surprised. I’m sure they didn’t even know I knew his name.
Reid turns, his brows furrowed and wearing a frown. I should probably be thanking him for being a good friend to Quinn during the semester, especially when I was trying my best to do everything in my power to annoy the fuck out of her, but extending this olive branch is going to have to do.
“We’re throwing a party Saturday night to celebrate the end of the semester; you should stop by.”
My words hang heavy in the air between us. Quinn pinches her arm, probably to see if this is a dream, and I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from chuckling. Rory’s eyes are nearly bugging out of her head, and I wish I had my phone out to snap a picture and send to the group chat.
Reid stands and stares, dumbfounded. He looks like he’s one second from looking around and trying to figure out if it was actually me or not, even though he just watched the words come out of my mouth. I know he wasn’t expecting me to offer something like this, but hey, I’m trying, even if it is for Quinn and not because I actually want to form a relationship with the guy.
See? I can be nice.
“Yeah,” he answers, but it doesn’t really sound like he means it. Maybe he thinks that this is some sort of joke or something. Either way, no skin off my back if he doesn’t show. At least I can say I was nice about it. “That’d be cool.”
“Cool,” I echo. “You probably know where I live.” Okay, so maybe I’m still a little bit of an asshole .
“Yeah,” he winces, trying to smother it by scratching his head. “Thanks. I’ll see you there.”
I nod, guiding Rory and Quinn down the other sidewalk as Reid returns to his own path.
The girls are still gaping like some sort of alien has taken over my body and is pretending to be me, and it kind of makes me want to laugh.
“What?” I sigh, wanting to get this over with.
“You seriously just invited Reid to one of your parties after you’ve been beefing with him all semester?” Rory explodes, and maybe I should take offense at how shocked they are about this.
“Yeah? You’re both friends with him, so I thought I would be nice and invite him along,” I explain, and they almost swoon.
Woah. These quickly changing moods are throwing me through a loop.
“That is so sweet,” Rory coos and Quinn laughs. “I’m going to text Ace right now and tell him how sweet you’re turning out to be under all of those black clothes.”
I frown, glancing at Quinn, who hasn’t said anything yet. To be honest, her silence is making me a little nervous, so I lean down to ask her, “Is that okay?”
“Yes, of course,” she answers quickly, “I just wasn’t expecting you to do that.”
I look both ways before crossing the road, swinging my hand in hers, trailing Rory as we go.
“I know that there’s no man on campus you love more than me, so I’m pretty confident that we can have Reid around without it being an issue,” I muse, and she shakes her head, laughing along.
This is what I needed after being left alone with my worries all day. My girl and a little laughter .
“I do love you, Knox.”
“I love you too, Princess.”
“Awe, you two are so freaking cute!” Rory exclaims. I hadn’t realized that she turned around and is now walking backwards, her phone propped up in her hands to take pictures of Quinn and I. “Say cheese!”
“So, what’s this all about?” Slate asks, loading another slice of pizza onto his plate.
Okay, when I said dinner, I didn’t mean that I was going to make something. No, that’s saved for Quinnie and the occasional guy’s night when we feel like something more than wings or ‘za.
Tonight, I’m too nervy to cook, but I did pay for the pizza, so same thing.
“What do you mean? Why does me buying pizza for everyone mean that somethings up?” I question, ignoring the look Quinn shoots me. Fuck, I’m too nervous. I’ve barely even eaten a slice, and at this rate, Slate’s going to demolish the rest of them before I can even manage one.
I’m not even sure I’d be able to pick up my slice anyway with how badly my hands are shaking. I’ve stuffed them under my legs for now, and Quinn’s not the only one who’s noticed.
“Because you were adamant about all of us showing up,” Ace adds, talking around his own food-filled mouth. Rory scolds him and it normally would make me laugh but tonight I’m too on edge. “Some of us had plans tonight.”
Slate scoffs. “Yeah, a fuck-fest on the girls’ couch doesn’t count as plans, Acey boy. ”
He’s still been acting strange lately, but in better spirits since the night we all spent at the bar. I’m not sure what’s up with him and I haven’t gotten the chance to catch him alone to ask. When I try, it’s like he’s avoiding me, taking phone calls or telling me he’s on his way out to meet someone.
It’s more than frustrating at this point, and it wounds me. And now I know what it’s like when my roommates have to put up with me.
Looks like I might have some more apologizing to do in the near future.
Quinn sets her hand on my leg where I haven’t stopped bouncing it beneath the table, trying—and failing—to dispel my nerves. I look over at her and my worries seem to fade with the soft smile she’s giving me, her wide hazel eyes encouraging me to say my piece.
I take a deep breath, opening my mouth to speak, when Ace cuts me off, firing a glare at Slate. Rory’s head is in her hands but I can feel the heat of her embarrassment all the way across the table. No one is ever going to let them live the couch-fucking incident down, even if Quinn and I also spent some naked one-on-one time on my couch, without all of the hubbub of someone walking in on us.
We’re sneakier, and I prefer to keep it that way.
“At least I have a girl to fuck on the couch.”
Slate goes still in his chair for a split second that only I catch because my attention is on him. Before I can delve into his reaction, he’s stuffing his face with more pizza and shooting back. “I could have three girls here in ten minutes for a fuck-fest on the couch if I wanted.”
“Please,” Quinn interrupts, silencing the table with her stern voice. It makes my spine tighten and my cock twitch at the authoritative tone. I kind of want her to use that in the bedroom sometime. I can imagine her telling me how to move my tongue while she’s sitting on my face. “I think Knox was trying to tell us all something, and I’m trying to eat, Slate.”
“Ace started it,” Slate mumbles, which is certainly not true.
“Anyway,” Quinn says, making stern eye contact with both of my roommates so that they know she means business. I don’t know why this is turning me on so much, watching her come into herself since rediscovering her passion for drawing again, but goddamn it’s so fucking hot. “Knox, if you’ll please.”
“Thanks, Princess,” I say, smiling at her softly. She squeezes my leg and that’s all it takes for me to untuck mine from beneath my thigh and clasp my fingers with hers. I’m definitely feeling like I need her support right now, especially with the way that everyone else is staring at me.
“You’re very welcome,” she replies, pleased. She’s having no trouble at all tonight, picking her slice back up with her free hand and taking a bite. I watch her swallow, wishing she was doing that around my cock instead.
Head, meet gutter. Now get the fuck out of it.
I clear my throat, fighting the heat that threatens to climb from my throat to my cheeks when I catch Slate, Ace, and Rory all looking at me, their eyes sparkling with amusement.
I suppose I better speak up before any of them dares to say anything about the way I was staring at Quinn.
I decide that ripping the Band-Aid off is the best way to go. It’s not so much as a planned sentence as it is me nervously blurting out what my father has done, but it gets the point across just the same.
“My father’s bought the building and is evicting all of us at the start of summer. ”
I wait for the cries of outrage, the pizza slamming back into plates, the groans and glares, but nothing comes.
No one seems all that surprised by my news.
“Isn’t anyone going to say anything?” I ask, more confused than ever.
The last time I talked to the guys about this, my father was only looking into the building. It hadn’t been a confirmed notion, but maybe they’ve used all this time to wrap their heads around the idea that this might become a possibility.
I look between Ace and Slate.
Ace shrugs. “We kind of figured this was going to happen.”
“Yeah, man,” Slate chimes in. “Your dad is a total prick.”
Stupefied, I look at Rory, who ducks in her seat, squeaking. “Quinn kind of filled me in about it already.”
I look at Quinn, eyebrow raised.
She shrugs innocently. “Sorry!”
I’m pretty sure no one is expecting me to burst out laughing, which is why they all startle in their seats when I do.
“Sorry,” I gasp through my laughter. My stomach hurts and my trembling has calmed down. “I’ve been a nervous wreck all day and you all knew? This is great.”
Ace shifts in his seat like I’m scaring him. Maybe I am. Maybe I don’t know what else to do besides laugh at this utterly fucking shitty situation that’s happening all because of me.
“Knox,” Quinn starts, trying to pull her hand from mine, but I won’t let go. “It’s okay. We’re all going to be fine.”
“Nothing’s going to change except that we won’t be living next door to each other anymore,” Rory promises.
“And we have no plans of letting you go, man,” Slate says, finally having dropped his pizza to his plate. His full attention is on me, and his chocolate eyes are serious, something I haven’t seen often in one of my best friends. It’s almost as jarring as I thought my admission would be. “You’re stuck with us.”
“Stuck with you?” I ask, and I don’t like how insecure it comes out.
The sounds of my friends’ acceptance ring around the table. Each one is an assurance that has my shoulders dropping their defenses and my heart surging with happiness.
“Yeah.”
“Yup.”
“Of course!”
The only person who doesn’t answer is Quinn, and my heart races double as I turn toward her.
She’s looking up at me with so much love in her eyes it makes it hard to breathe. She’s perfect, everything about her from her annoying questions when we first met to the bottoms of her toes. I’ve spent too much time with my head up my ass when it came to her, and I’m never going to let that happen again now that I have her. I’m never going to let her go.
“Yes,” she says softly, lovingly. It’s apparent she feels the same about me. “There’s no getting rid of us because we love you, Knox. And we’ll choose you over some silly apartment building with a sketchy elevator any day.”
Dammit. I hate showing emotions in front of so many people. It makes me feel too vulnerable, but these are my friends, my family.
Which is why I don’t hesitate to lean over and sweep Quinn into a passionate kiss in front of said family, who only cheer obnoxiously.
They’re stuck with me too, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.