Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 71044 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 355(@200wpm)___ 284(@250wpm)___ 237(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71044 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 355(@200wpm)___ 284(@250wpm)___ 237(@300wpm)
He’s going to pretend that exchange between my dad and I didn’t just happen? That my dad didn’t almost spill the darkest blemish on my past as if it’s just a passing comment like the weather?
“They’re pretty damned tasty,” I say. “Go ahead, take a bite. A real one. A big one.”
He smiles, then goes for a bite of his taco. This time, I see it register on his face. “Texture is perfect. Eggs and potato inside … hot and buttery.” He keeps chewing, now with his eyes closed. “Whatever salsa or seasoning is inside is, like, exploding over my tongue in some kind of rainbow of flavors …”
I smirk. “Told you.” Then I finally go for a bite of my own taco, and nothing much else is said as we eat.
But everything feels crazy off now.
Weird. Strained. Uncertain.
This is probably the time I’d be quick to call it quits. Old Adrian would feel the boat sinking and be the very first one to leap off of it with my life jacket on, not caring for the carnage I leave behind, leaving it to the fish.
But Quin isn’t like any guy I’ve ever let into my life.
He’s someone I could never dream of hurting.
And yet …
“Y’know, I get it,” he says long after we’ve finished, hanging out just outside the diner, strolling along a skinny pier that runs down the side of the diner and stretches to the beach. “The dad thing.”
I lift an eyebrow. “Yeah?”
“I understand strained relationships with dads. I’ve got one, too, as you know. He thinks I’m just here to party. He doesn’t understand who I am or what I do. I … I know it may not be the same with your dad, but … I just don’t want you to feel alone with your bad feelings, alright?”
My hand comes up to his face suddenly, stroking his cheek. He gazes at me, startled. Our eyes connect. My heart flutters excitedly. My hand on his soft cheek, gentle, nurturing, I feel like I’ve just become incapable of harming the wings on a butterfly, loyal and loving and strong.
“Thank you, Quin,” I say into his eyes. “I appreciate you. You’re a great guy. A really, really great guy.”
He smiles at me, then makes a funny face. “Ugh. Dads, am I right?”
Even though he seems to be making light of it all, I still feel like everything is off balance. My insides are a mess. My breath is uneven. My toes are tingly. A smile is trying to happen on my face, but can’t.
I drop my hand suddenly. “I can drive you over to your friend’s place, if you need me to.”
He seems startled by that offer. “What?”
“To Vann’s. If it’s, like, too much to stay at my place right now. Or if you need some time to figure yourself out, or figure out your showcase thing with your friend. Isn’t it next weekend already?”
That particular fact seems to only now occur to him. “Y-Yeah. It is.”
“I can take you wherever you want to go. Just say it.”
“I …” He looks away for a moment, troubled. “I guess I just …”
I nod, understanding. “You’re still freaked out a bit. With the thing my dad started to say. With me calling us boyfriends.” I let out a small laugh and take a step back. “I’m screwing all of this up, huh?”
“Sorry, no, you’re not, it’s not your fault.” He rubs his eyes and moves to the banister nearby, leaning against it. “I just realized I have so much on my mind …” he starts to say, rubbing his forehead while squinting at the ground.
I’m going to need to spill the rest—the rest that my dad didn’t say. “Quintin …”
“I need to figure out what pieces I’m showcasing. And what to call it. Shit, that’s something else I need to talk to you about.”
“Quintin, I need to—”
“And not to mention whether or not I should—”
“The most recent heart I broke was my brother’s.”
He drops his hand at once and looks at me.
“That’s what my dad was bringing up,” I go on. “It was a stupid thing I did. Several months ago, actually. He was sure he ‘found his soulmate’ with some guy who was here on vacation. But I had a gut feeling something wasn’t right. Sure enough, found the guy at El Amado, a nightclub on the island where no one goes unless you’re looking for something. He was without Kent, all alone. So to prove the point, I made a move on the guy, and as predicted, he was all too eager to go home with me.”
“Wow.”
“I didn’t actually take him home,” I quickly point out, “but … to my brother, I might as well have, because when I told him, it shattered his heart.”
“But you didn’t actually sleep with him. You didn’t do anything wrong.”