Page 35 of Topping the Jock
I went casual that day, settling on jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. If Quinn turned me down, I would still take Zane’s advice and go out for the day, maybe walk around town and treat myself to a nice dinner. It might’ve been boring to some people, but I’d had my wild party days. That shit didn’t interest me anymore.
My phone lit up with a new message, and I rushed over—maybe too eager to see his response.
Quinn:I have plans already. But we can meet after?
It had taken him that long to type two short sentences? And what plans did he have? A date? It didn’t really matter. I smiled at the last part of his message. He was definitely interested.
Me:Cool. Just message when you’re free.
He sent back a thumbs-up emoji.
Tyler messaged me a little while later and invited me to lunch with him and Neil, so I met them at the same restaurant as before. Over lunch, they asked about my football team, and I said we had won both of our games so far.
“You won the scrimmage games too, right?” Tyler asked, his chair angled toward Neil. I doubted they even realized that they were always leaning toward each other, always touching in some way.
“Yeah,” I answered, wiping my mouth. “I told them not to get a big head, though. A few wins don’t mean we’re unbeatable. Remember when our team got cocky and lost the final game in the playoffs?”
“One of the worst nights of my life,” Tyler answered. “I cried so hard.”
“Aw, baby.” Neil leaned over and kissed Tyler’s temple.
“I think we all cried,” I said, remembering how quiet we all were on the bus back home. Coach didn’t even yell at us. We’d been punishing ourselves enough.
“Any birthday plans?” Neil asked me.
“I’m meeting up with a friend later.”
Tyler smirked. “Does this friend have a name?”
I shrugged, not sure if Quinn wanted anyone to know about us. There wasn’t exactly anus,though.
After we ate, they had to go to a wedding shower for Neil’s sister, so I walked around Main Street, going into random shops I normally wouldn’t pay attention to—like one that sold handmade soaps and another that had a bunch of witchy stuff. I got a free pastry and a coffee at the coffeehouse since it was my birthday, then walked around some more.
My phone buzzed in my back pocket around six that evening.
Quinn:You still want to meet or have you found some other poor unfortunate soul to torment?
Me:My schedule is all clear for you ;)
Quinn:Lovely. I’m so honored. Where do you want to meet?
I texted back my location and invited him to dinner.
Quinn:Dinner? I thought I was just going to spank you and leave.
I laughed out loud.
Me:Okay. No dinner. What about drinks?
Quinn:I’d rather not.
What was he so afraid of? That he’d end up enjoying himself? That he’d find out he liked me?
God, he was one puzzling son of a bitch.
Grinning at the thought of his grumpy ass, I walked to the pier and stared out over the water. Minutes passed, maybe more. I closed my eyes as a chilly breeze tickled my cheeks and swept through the top of my hair. When I opened them again, I stared at a spot where the sun had broken through the clouds and shone on the water. The sunsets in Blue Harbor were breathtaking.
I smiled.
