CHAPTER 35
Quinn
We finally call it a night after (somehow) finishing the cheese. I’m half asleep and nestled into the cushions beside him that he'd thoughtfully arranged. Cole had nudged me lightly when my eyes started to drift closed, and we’d made our way home.
As we amble up the porch steps, his hand brushes mine as he unlocks the door, and I smile, murmuring a thank-you as we step inside. I tell him I’ll see him in the morning and slip into my bedroom, kicking off my shoes.
My fingers tremble slightly as I fish my phone from my pocket. Without hesitation, I tap FaceTime and hold my breath, the sound of the ringing echoing off the walls.
“Tell me everything.” Sophie squeals, her face covered in a thick pink face mask. Somehow, she manages to make even that look hot.
“It was perfect. Like, so perfect. I swear he must have somehow found my Pinterest board. He set up fairy lights, candles, and picked my favourite wine,” I say, tugging the hair tie from my wrist and twisting my hair up, half of it falling out as usual.
“And get this: he laid out a blanket on the rooftop with a homemade charcuterie board. He did a better job than I could have.”
“So are you telling me this man listens?” Sophie swoons, tossing a pillow behind her head as she settles into her couch. “Did he kiss you?”
“Nope. And you know it would’ve complicated things. But… there was a moment. Where I thought maybe, and then my pill alarm went off.”
“Oh, babe.” She sighs.
I grin and wave her off. “It’s so fine, and it might’ve been a blessing in disguise.”
It’s probably for the best. If he’d kissed me, it would have cracked something open I’m not ready to face yet.
“I was so hoping he would have.”
“I know.” I close my eyes and nod. “It’s terrifying how easy it felt. And how much I want to do it again.”
It felt like something more, something real. It was as if I’d finally stopped overthinking. Like the world went still on that rooftop with him by my side.
I’ve never been on a date where I didn’t feel like I had to perform. With Cole, I just got to be.
“Then do it. No rules. No timelines. Just let yourself feel good. Let someone adore you the way you deserve.”
I wince. “No, I won’t and I can’t.”
“I don’t know who you’re trying to convince, me or you.”
“Ugh, why is life so complicated?”
“You’re the one making something so simple complicated, babe. He’s not your shitty ex, and he never will be. The sooner you see that, the happier you’ll be.”
“I guess some part of me is coming around to the idea.”
“Take your time, babe,” Soph tells me as she gets up and relocates to her bathroom. She places the phone on her counter, balancing me between a candle and a toothbrush holder, before turning on the tap and peeling off her face mask.
“Anyway… what's new with you?”
“Well, for starters, I’m so in love.” She leans over the counter to grab her glass of rosé with one hand, then takes me through her kitchen and down the hall.
“Wait, what? With who?”
“Tristan from work…”
“Sophie, what have I always told you?” I look at her disapprovingly and shake my head,
“Ummm, don’t swipe right on guys covered in tatts with buzz cuts and nose rings who look like they’ll ruin my life?”
“The other thing.”
She pauses, setting her serum bottle down with a soft clink. “Don’t date people from work…” she replies, letting down her hair. Her shiny blond hair bounces free around her shoulders, and she reaches for a pink satin rope which she begins weaving her hair around.
“Right.”
“But he’s different. He actually made dinner plans.”
“Oh, good, the bare minimum then.”
“I think I’m right about this one for a change.”
God, I hope so. Every time she gets her hopes up, only to be let down, it chips away at her sparkle, and I hate watching that happen.
She deserves someone who treats her right from the start, not someone who love-bombs her, only to leave her waiting for hours or even days for a Snap reply or an Instagram message.
“I’m happy for you. Just don’t forget to protect your peace.”
“Thanks, Q.” She tilts her head and smiles, her face dewy and plump. “Talk soon.”
“Love you.”
“Love you more.”
I end the call and set my phone on the nightstand. For a moment, I sit there in the quiet, letting the night sink in.
Then I proceed to tug off my clothes, piece by piece slowly.
I float over to my bathroom and step into the hot shower, letting the steam wrap around me like a blanket.
I feel a million times better after my call with Sophie, but still I replay the night in my head, the way Cole looked at me, the way he made me laugh without trying, and the way he didn’t kiss me because maybe, for once, it wasn’t the kiss that mattered most. Maybe it was everything that came before it.