CHAPTER 33
Quinn
Adate… with Cole… God, what am I doing? The question loops in my mind as I dot some BB cream across my cheeks, my reflection frowning back at me from the speckled mirror above the sink.
Rifling through my new navy-blue sunflower makeup bag filled with a few Sephora basics, I pull out the fresh tube of mascara I’d bought just for tonight.
No way was I risking another smudgy disaster with the crusty, three-years-past-its-prime tube I’d used for my date with Fox.
I was actually happy to have a reason to use the gift card that Sophie gave me last year for my birthday.
I cap the mascara and trade it for a neutral lip gloss, fingers brushing against the worn vanity as I lean in again.
The glass fogs slightly with my breath as I drag the gloss over my bottom lip.
I’m way too close, the mirror exposing every stubborn pore, but I don’t pull back. I want everything perfect.
I run a brush through my curls that I’d attempted earlier. Still, the strands resist me, some of them curling in the wrong direction, but they’re definitely better than the ones I wasted an hour on the other night and hey, no near–emotional meltdown this time, so that’s progress.
This isn’t just about looking nice. It’s about proving something. To myself. Maybe Cole too. That I’m not just surviving, that I know how to show up, even if I’m still learning what that means.
I nod at my reflection and throw on my favourite dress, the one I borrowed from Sophie. It’s white and flowy, landing just above my knee, with a sweetheart neckline and spaghetti straps.
I have to admit I do feel cute.
Am I even ready for a date? A real one? The kind that doesn’t end with disappointment or self-doubt. And with Fox, the walking disaster with a god complex? Well, I won’t go there.
I’m honestly not sure I’ve never been taken out in a way that felt intentional. Thoughtful.
I mean, it’s not like I’m looking to date right now or in the foreseeable future, but that doesn’t mean I want to die alone.
Satisfied with my final look, I head down the hallway, wondering what tonight will bring. Cole’s eyes flick up when I join him in the living room. For a heartbeat, he stills. It’s barely a pause but it’s there. A blink. A shift. And then that slow grin starts.
“You look stunning,” he says.
“Thanks,” I reply, suddenly shy. I look anywhere but at him, cheeks definitely turning pink under my sheer makeup.
Dammit, I already know tonight is going to make it even harder not to fall for him. But I have to stay focused. I’m not ready.
“I-uh, thanks. Sure.” I walk over to him, and he grabs his keys from the little bowl he bought for the kitchen bench.
“Ready to go?”
“Yeah. I am. Are you sure you want to do this?”
He frowns, amused. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”
I almost tell him I’ve heard promises like this before, the kind that always came with excuses.
Sorry, babe, I have to work. Sorry, babe, the boys want to go out. Sorry, babe, next time.
His eyes soften, the teasing slipping away. “I’m not him, Q.”
When his eyes find mine, something in the way he looks at me makes me want to believe him.
“Yeah,” I say quietly. “I can see that.”
“Good. I’m ready to go if you are?”
“I am. But can you please just tell me where we’re going? I hate surprises.”
“Nope. My lips are sealed.” He does a cheesy “zipping up” motion at his lips, and my stomach answers by swooping low. And to think the night has only just begun, I groan inwardly.
“Fine. I’ll try to be patient.” I don’t tell him I might throw up from the anxiety of not knowing.
“It’ll be worth it.” He flashes that stupidly handsome smile at me, and my heart melts further of its own accord. I seriously need to get it together.
“I believe you,” I tell him as we walk down the porch steps, now sturdy and silent thanks to Cole’s handiwork. He opens my door like he always does, and I slide into the passenger seat. It hits me how good it feels not always to be the one driving. For years I was the only one with a license.
We head off, driving in comfortable silence, the kind that doesn’t feel heavy or awkward, just quiet enough for my thoughts to catch up.
Cole taps his fingers on the steering wheel in rhythm with the music he’s got playing.
I recognise the next song. One I love. One I’d forgotten I told him about.
“Fortnight” fills the cab and I relax even more.
“You remembered this song?” I ask, turning to look at him.
He smiles, eyes on the road. “Of course I did.”
My heart gives another traitorous flutter, and when we pull up outside Avellana a short while later, I blink, doing a double-take. The lights are low, the front windows dark.
“I thought we weren’t working tonight?” I look over at him, finding his face shadowed but hopeful.
“Don’t worry, we aren’t.”
“Okay… then this better not be a hostage situation.”
He grins. “I mean, technically, I did lure you into my car without giving you a destination.”
“Yeah, I’ve seen documentaries that start like this.”
“Lucky for you, I’m cute and harmless.”
“Debatable,” I mutter, but my lips tug upward anyway.
He shifts in his seat, leaning an elbow casually on the wheel. “You trust me, don’t you?”
I shoot him a look. “I might not if you keep asking me that.”
“Just checking you haven’t changed your mind.”
“I haven’t.” I pause, then add, “But if this turns out to be a murder plot, I hope you know I will haunt you.”
He laughs, eyes crinkling in that way I’ve come to like far too much. “Noted. No murder.”
“Good, glad we agree on something.”
“It’s about time,” he replies, glancing at me with green eyes that soften just a little, voice dropping to a more earnest tone.
“Hey, I know this stuff can feel weird. But I meant it, Quinn. I want to be here. With you. Not because you had a shit date or because I felt sorry for you or whatever. Just… because you’re you. ”
Something in me softens. “Okay,” I say. “I’m ready.”
Cole steps out and circles the car to open my door before I can finish unbuckling my seat belt. He leads me through the side door and up a narrow set of stairs I didn’t even know existed. “I want to show you something.”
“Where are we—”
He unlocks the rooftop access, and when I step out into the night air, my breath catches, and my heart skips a beat.