Secret
Page 86
She glanced across at where Nick and Tyler were sitting.
They didn’t seem to be speaking. Had Tyler moved closer? She couldn’t tell. Nick almost vibrated with angry tension.
“I think I saw the last text you sent him,” said Adam, his voice easy, his words not. “I’m pretty sure it said f**k off.”
Quinn flushed as guilt punched her in the back. “Yeah—I’m not—I didn’t—”
New stretch, hands overhead, then lowering to reach for outstretched toes. “You don’t have to explain it to me.”
She didn’t follow this stretch. “I was jealous,” she said quietly.
Adam straightened and looked at her. “Of what?”
She looked away. “Of you. I guess.” She swallowed and felt tears gathering behind her eyes. “And then Nick was telling me to stay away from Tyler, and I thought it was so unfair, how he got everything and I had to just sit there and pretend to be his girlfriend, and—”
“Quinn.” Adam’s voice was low, quiet. He moved close.
“Quinn, he shouldn’t have asked you to—”
“He didn’t! That’s the pathetic thing. He never asked me to.
He even encouraged me to find someone else. But I didn’t want someone else. I wanted . . .”
“Him.”
Quinn nodded and looked up. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry.” He gave her half a smile. “I mean, I kinda get it.”
“Are you mad at me?”
“No.” He paused. “I wish you’d told me. Is that why you didn’t come to dance?”
She bit her lip. “That’s part of it.”
“What’s the other part?”
She took a deep breath until she was sure her voice wouldn’t shake. “My mother—she threw me out.”
His face fell. “I wish you’d told me that, too. You could have stayed with me.”
She wagged her eyebrows at him. “Sounds like your apartment is kind of crowded.”
“Don’t do that. Don’t joke. Are you okay? Do you have a place to stay?”
She hedged, worrying that if the wrong person overheard her, they’d call social services or something. This paranoia was ridiculous, but she’d rather sleep on a street corner than be forced into a group home or wherever they’d shove her. “I’m staying with Tyler right now. I’m just waiting out my mother.”
She made her voice casual, easy. “She needs a few days to dry out is all, and she’ll forget what happened.”
Or maybe she’d throw out Jake’s trophies.
Adam was still studying her.
Quinn moved into another stretch, hoping he’d take this as a cue to change the subject. “I’m fine,” she said. “Really. I’m fine.” Motion in the mirror caught her eye. Tyler had definitely moved closer to Nick.
She’d taken Tyler at his word when he’d said Nick had picked a fight Friday night, but now, watching them, it made her wonder. Tyler had compared Nick’s abilities to a rogue lion.
Had he poked the lion with a stick, just to watch it break out the fangs?
With a flash of guilt, she remembered Nick’s fear in his driveway. He’d hidden it under a layer of self-defense and aggression, but she’d seen it.
She was seeing it now.
Adam glanced over. “Nick said their families are fighting.”
“He told you that?”
A nod. “That’s why he didn’t want you seeing Tyler.”
“That’s not all of it,” she said. “I think Tyler used to beat the shit out of him when he was younger.”
Adam froze. “He didn’t tell me that.”
“He barely told me. I had to drag it out of him. I almost didn’t believe him. I mean, you look at Nick and you’d think anyone would be an idiot to pick a fight with him, but—”
“It doesn’t matter what it looks like,” Adam snapped. “All that matters is what it really is.”
“I know,” she said quietly. She hesitated. “Tyler isn’t a bad guy, either, Adam.”
Adam glanced at where Nick and Tyler were sitting. “I hope you’re right, Quinn. I really hope you’re right.”
Nick wondered if he could suffocate Tyler right here and get away with it.
At least it would make this douche bag shut up.
“Your boyfriend looks pissed,” Tyler whispered, his voice so low that Nick wouldn’t have heard him if the air weren’t so willing to carry the words to his ears. “Think he’s jealous?”
Nick didn’t respond. The rest of the studio had cleared out, and they had the risers to themselves. Adam and Quinn were dancing now, their movements full of passion and strength. But Tyler was right: Adam did look pissed every time he glanced at where they were sitting.
He couldn’t possibly be jealous of Tyler. Right?
But why else would he be pissed off? Had Quinn said something? What?
Nick hated that this dickhead was sitting here putting thoughts in his head.
Part of him wanted to leave. He could sit outside, or even take the bus back to Adam’s. Hell, he could take the bus home if he needed to—Adam had explained the line and given him a bus schedule, telling him which spot would drop him off closest to Chautauga if he really needed to help his brothers with a job.
But he’d finally broken and called home before coming here, hoping he’d get someone other than Gabriel.
They didn’t seem to be speaking. Had Tyler moved closer? She couldn’t tell. Nick almost vibrated with angry tension.
“I think I saw the last text you sent him,” said Adam, his voice easy, his words not. “I’m pretty sure it said f**k off.”
Quinn flushed as guilt punched her in the back. “Yeah—I’m not—I didn’t—”
New stretch, hands overhead, then lowering to reach for outstretched toes. “You don’t have to explain it to me.”
She didn’t follow this stretch. “I was jealous,” she said quietly.
Adam straightened and looked at her. “Of what?”
She looked away. “Of you. I guess.” She swallowed and felt tears gathering behind her eyes. “And then Nick was telling me to stay away from Tyler, and I thought it was so unfair, how he got everything and I had to just sit there and pretend to be his girlfriend, and—”
“Quinn.” Adam’s voice was low, quiet. He moved close.
“Quinn, he shouldn’t have asked you to—”
“He didn’t! That’s the pathetic thing. He never asked me to.
He even encouraged me to find someone else. But I didn’t want someone else. I wanted . . .”
“Him.”
Quinn nodded and looked up. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry.” He gave her half a smile. “I mean, I kinda get it.”
“Are you mad at me?”
“No.” He paused. “I wish you’d told me. Is that why you didn’t come to dance?”
She bit her lip. “That’s part of it.”
“What’s the other part?”
She took a deep breath until she was sure her voice wouldn’t shake. “My mother—she threw me out.”
His face fell. “I wish you’d told me that, too. You could have stayed with me.”
She wagged her eyebrows at him. “Sounds like your apartment is kind of crowded.”
“Don’t do that. Don’t joke. Are you okay? Do you have a place to stay?”
She hedged, worrying that if the wrong person overheard her, they’d call social services or something. This paranoia was ridiculous, but she’d rather sleep on a street corner than be forced into a group home or wherever they’d shove her. “I’m staying with Tyler right now. I’m just waiting out my mother.”
She made her voice casual, easy. “She needs a few days to dry out is all, and she’ll forget what happened.”
Or maybe she’d throw out Jake’s trophies.
Adam was still studying her.
Quinn moved into another stretch, hoping he’d take this as a cue to change the subject. “I’m fine,” she said. “Really. I’m fine.” Motion in the mirror caught her eye. Tyler had definitely moved closer to Nick.
She’d taken Tyler at his word when he’d said Nick had picked a fight Friday night, but now, watching them, it made her wonder. Tyler had compared Nick’s abilities to a rogue lion.
Had he poked the lion with a stick, just to watch it break out the fangs?
With a flash of guilt, she remembered Nick’s fear in his driveway. He’d hidden it under a layer of self-defense and aggression, but she’d seen it.
She was seeing it now.
Adam glanced over. “Nick said their families are fighting.”
“He told you that?”
A nod. “That’s why he didn’t want you seeing Tyler.”
“That’s not all of it,” she said. “I think Tyler used to beat the shit out of him when he was younger.”
Adam froze. “He didn’t tell me that.”
“He barely told me. I had to drag it out of him. I almost didn’t believe him. I mean, you look at Nick and you’d think anyone would be an idiot to pick a fight with him, but—”
“It doesn’t matter what it looks like,” Adam snapped. “All that matters is what it really is.”
“I know,” she said quietly. She hesitated. “Tyler isn’t a bad guy, either, Adam.”
Adam glanced at where Nick and Tyler were sitting. “I hope you’re right, Quinn. I really hope you’re right.”
Nick wondered if he could suffocate Tyler right here and get away with it.
At least it would make this douche bag shut up.
“Your boyfriend looks pissed,” Tyler whispered, his voice so low that Nick wouldn’t have heard him if the air weren’t so willing to carry the words to his ears. “Think he’s jealous?”
Nick didn’t respond. The rest of the studio had cleared out, and they had the risers to themselves. Adam and Quinn were dancing now, their movements full of passion and strength. But Tyler was right: Adam did look pissed every time he glanced at where they were sitting.
He couldn’t possibly be jealous of Tyler. Right?
But why else would he be pissed off? Had Quinn said something? What?
Nick hated that this dickhead was sitting here putting thoughts in his head.
Part of him wanted to leave. He could sit outside, or even take the bus back to Adam’s. Hell, he could take the bus home if he needed to—Adam had explained the line and given him a bus schedule, telling him which spot would drop him off closest to Chautauga if he really needed to help his brothers with a job.
But he’d finally broken and called home before coming here, hoping he’d get someone other than Gabriel.
