Quinn snorts. "You're underselling it."
"What do you mean?"
"Being at your best friend's wedding is one thing," he says. "Watching your best friend marry your father is a whole other thing."
I turn to look at him, noting the way his eyes glimmer in the darkness. His glasses are hooked on his shirt, and I can see that his irises are green in the light from the house. "You really want to know what I think?"
He raises his eyebrows. "My lips are sealed."
"Of course it's weird," I mutter. "And like...I didn't want it to happen. I asked them not to when I found out they were together. But they...they loved each other, and I love them, and I couldn't stand in the way of that."
"They put you in a shitty situation," Quinn says. "You've handled it with a lot of grace."
"That's a good way to put it," I laugh, shaking my head. "You know, I'm not sure if I'm happy or sad about it all. About Kylie and my dad. It's a mixed bag, I guess."
He nods, taking a swig of his own water. "I get it. It's complicated, right?"
"Exactly. I mean, I love Kylie. She's like a sister to me. But that makes it worse, because my dad was never around when I was growing up, and he met my best friend and promptly fell in love with her. It's not just weird, it's..."
"Fucked up?"
"Yeah," I mutter. "It's really, really fucked up."
"But you know what?" Quinn says, turning to me with a serious expression. "You're allowed to feel whatever you want about it. You're allowed to be happy for them and sad for yourself at the same time. It's okay to have complicated feelings, and it's okay to sort them out however you need to."
"Thanks, Dad," I laugh.
"Sorry," he snorts. "I'm used to talking my brother through stuff like this...we didn't really have great parents, so I get it."
"Aren't you, like, forty?" I ask.
"Turns out trauma lasts forever," he chuckles. "Thanks, mom and dad."
"Cheers to that."
We click our water bottles together, the plastic crunching in our fists. The waves lap against the shore of the lake, the moon lighting it up like a dark mirror.
"I guess we should probably get back," Quinn says. "Wouldn't want your dad thinking I did something inappropriate with his daughter."
"Right, because that would be scandalous," I say with mock horror. "He sent you?"
"No," he says. "I'm just...a little drunk and needed a break. You just happened to be here."
"I'm flattered," I say.
He gives me a half smile. "You should be. My company is in pretty high demand."
He stands up and extends his hand, and I take it and let him haul me to my feet. We're so close to each other for a second that I could stand on my tip-toes and kiss him...and I consider it purely out of spite because I would really like to show my dad just how it feels to be betrayed by two of the most important people in your life.
But that's not me.
And it definitely isn't Quinn Young.
The reception looms ahead of us, and I feel the dread settling in the pit of my stomach when I catch sight of Kylie in her wedding gown, dancing with my father and staring at him like he's the most beautiful thing in the whole world. I swallow hard, and my stomach churns, and Quinn looks over and grips me by the shoulder.
"I don't know if I can do it," I whisper. "I think...I think I might just need to go to bed and sleep this off."
"Hey," he says. "You've got this. Just...gimme a second."