Chapter Twenty-Two
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Quinn would rather die than admit it, but she was slightly panicked to wake up to an empty bed. As her eyes grew accustomed to the light, she made out Kya’s silhouette through the window. Kya was on the porch, in the chair she’d claimed as her own, her braids on her bare back, her feet on the rail. She hadn’t run off.
Quinn grabbed a sarong off a bench at the foot of the bed and turned it into a dress by fastening the ties around her neck, then joined Kya outside. She caught the cloudy look on her face but tried her best to ignore it. ‘Hey, love.’
‘Hey you.’
Quinn ran her fingers through Kya’s braids, freeing the tangles. ‘Have you been out here long?’
Kya closed her eyes. ‘Not too long,’ she said quietly. ‘I wanted to catch the sunrise. Paula was right. It was spectacular.’
More than her quick wit, Quinn appreciated her silences. This was who she was at her core, always deep in thought even when pretending not to be. She lived in her head; nothing would change that. Not that Quinn would ever want her to change. She liked her as she was. Quinn’s world was filled with noise, music, laughter, chatter. Kya managed to live in the eye of the storm, kept safe in a bubble of silence, although never quite at peace.
‘I have a question,’ Kya said.
‘Let’s hear it.’
‘Do I still have to call you Quinn after last night?’
Quinn laughed. ‘Call me what you like.’
‘Jade …’ Kya said tentatively. ‘No … You’re my Quinn.’
The way Quinn beamed! She shouldn’t like it as much.
She kissed her forehead. ‘In the mood for what passes as continental breakfast in the dining room?’
‘I’d rather die.’
‘Room service then?’
‘Yes, please.’
‘I’ll get the menu.’
Quinn ordered all their favourites, fruit, pancakes, buttered toast, a pot of coffee, and a cup of tea. They ate on the balcony to the sounds of surf and seagulls. Check-out was at noon. After breakfast, they’d have to shower, pack, toss their bags in the boot of her car, drive back to Miami before traffic picked up. Quinn didn’t want to think about it, but their days, their hours, were numbered. She took another sip of tea and tried to clear her head. Kya was telling a story, something funny Hugo, ever the clown, had done or said – she wasn’t sure. There was so much more at stake. She set her cup down and reached for Kya, drew her close, licked maple syrup off her lips. ‘I wish we could stay longer,’ she whispered.
‘Me, too,’ she whispered back.
‘I have a fitting later today—’
‘Don’t worry about it,’ Kya said, interrupting. ‘I should spend time with Adrian and Hugo tonight.’
Quinn left her seat and slipped onto her lap. She wrapped her arms around Kya’s neck. ‘Tomorrow night is the first gig at LAB. It’s kind of a big deal. DJ Angelo is performing, too. He’s a rising star. You’re coming, right?’
‘I’ll be at every gig, big or small. That’s the only reason I’m having dinner with the guys tonight, to let them know not to count on me for the next few days.’
Quinn went still. The relief was overwhelming. This entire time she’d been convinced Kya was pulling away. She was not one to worry about such things. What had got into her?
Kya stroked her back. ‘Are you all right?’
‘I was just thinking …’
‘About?’
‘Wouldn’t it be easier if you just stayed at my place, instead of commuting back and forth?’
‘It might, if only you hadn’t turned your guest bedroom into a music studio.’
‘There’s always the sofa.’
‘Isn’t it suede?’
‘ Italian suede.’
‘I’d drool all over it.’
‘I’d kill you.’
‘I very much want to get out of this alive,’ Kya said.
‘I reckon you’ll have to sleep with me.’
‘Hmm …’
‘BLU is putting me up for the pool party. It’s a suite, so there may be an extra bed. At the very least a pull-out sofa situation.’
‘You had me at hotel suite. I’ll sleep on the floor for five-star accommodations.’
‘What do you have against our little bungalow?’
‘Nothing.’ Kya brought her hand to her lips. ‘Conch shells will always remind me of you.’