Love Squared

by A. E. Neal

  With the last piece of crispy bacon in her hand, she raised her eyebrows and shot Nick a quizzical look. "What?" she asked before popping the bacon in her mouth.

  He chuckled and shook his head. "I've just never met a girl like you before, that's all."

  She stifled a laugh with her napkin. "Like what? A pig?"

  He leaned forward and took her hand in his. "No. Beautiful, funny, and I'm not gonna lie, watching you devour that bacon was pretty sexy."

  "Oh God. Stop it. Nothing is sexy about this," she said as she leaned back in her chair, dramatically sticking her belly out, then rubbing it.

  "See, I told you it was sexy."

  "Oh jeez. We need to get you laid or something, if you think that was hot," she scoffed, rolling her eyes.

  After breakfast, they decided it was best to head back to their apartment. Nick had gained a new found respect for Quinn and although he still didn't know much about the brunette who held his heart in the palm of her hand, he took their friendship as a sign that it could be the perfect foundation for a relationship in the near future. But for now, he only wanted to keep her safe and close, because that made him happy.

  Chapter 20

  The ride home consisted of 90's music, bad jokes and laughter. Quinn hadn't been this happy in a long time and she secretly hoped their fun wouldn't end as soon as they got home. She was wrong.

  "Is that...?"

  She shrugged in her seat and the smile she had once wore was completely erased from her face as soon as she saw the black SUV parked outside of their building. "Yeah. That's him."

  "I should call the cops. This is bullshit."

  She laid her hand on his thigh to calm him. "No. I'll deal with him."

  "Seriously, Quinn. There's something about him that I'm not sure about. I don't trust him. And I certainly don't trust him with you."

  "It's fine. I can handle myself," she said as she turned to face him. "I appreciate you looking out for me though. Thank you." She leaned over and kissed his cheek.

  Nick was sure it was only a friendly gesture, but he knew he wasn't imagining the feeling left behind by it. He brought his hand up to his cheek and brushed the spot where the warmth of her lips still lingered and smiled.

  "I'm here for you."

  "You're a good guy, Nick. Thank you," she said as he pulled his truck to a stop, just outside the building.

  Will and Jaysen stood next to the SUV with their arms crossed. Both were equally unhappy when they saw Quinn with Nick.

  Quinn gave Nick one last comforting glance, then stepped out of the truck. He had promised to behave himself, but something about having two full grown men shoot daggers at the girl he cared about, made him uneasy. He hopped down from the truck, slamming the door, then followed Quinn. As she approached Will and Jaysen, Nick balled his fists at his sides just in case they tried anything.

  "What are you doing here?" she snapped.

  "I'm glad to see you're okay," Jaysen said, eyeing Nick warily.

  "No thanks to you," Nick shot back.

  "Guys, enough," Quinn said giving them both a look of disgust.

  Nick crossed his arms over his chest and stood behind her. Jaysen closed the space between he and Quinn.

  "If it's any consolation, I didn't know. I was in a meeting when it happened, Quinn. You were already gone by the time Will informed me of the situation." He reached out to take her hand, but she backed away.

  "Just stop. I don't even want to hear what kind of bullshit excuse you have, Jaysen, because frankly, I don't care. From day one, I told you Hollingsworth was out to get me. I even told you that he was a perverted asshole and you know what pisses me off the more? The fact that he was fucking spying on me! Yet, you never did a damn thing about it and now it's too late. If you really cared about me like you said you did, none of this would have happened in the first place," she snapped.

  "Please just hear me out."

  "I think you've said enough," Nick said as he stepped beside Quinn. "She doesn't want to talk to you anymore. I suggest you leave."

  That caught Will's attention. He was at Jaysen's side immediately and didn't look too happy about it.

  Quinn shook her head and gave Nick and Jaysen the same look. "Seriously guys? This isn't fucking Fight Club," she said, throwing her arms up before she headed towards the apartment building.

  Jaysen reached out and took her arm to stop her from walking away.

  "Just let me go, Jaysen! I'm done talking to you!"

  In an instant, Nick was at her side, fuming. "You heard what she said, now let her go before I do something I'll regret."

  Jaysen glanced down into Quinn's eyes, silently asking her to speak with him alone, but she wasn't having any of it. She shook her arm free from Jaysen's grip and hurried into the apartment building.

  Nick ran into Jaysen's shoulder with his and whispered, "Stay away from her."

  Jaysen turned and walked away with Will right behind him.

  Quinn leaned against her door, tears threatening to fall, she buried her face in her palms and slunk to the floor. She didn't know how her life had suddenly become so complicated. She liked Jaysen, a lot, but his lies and secrecy were quickly getting old.

  "You okay?" Nick asked, kneeling at her side.

  The tears she'd been holding back finally fell and Nick wrapped his arms around her, holding her against his chest while she sobbed. She looked up at him through glassy eyes and wondered why he cared about her so much. He'd always been nice to her and she'd been nothing but an emotional freight train around him.

  "Hey," she said, softly.

  "Hey." He wiped her tear stained cheeks and kissed her forehead.

  "I'm sorry, Nick."

  He breathed her in and held her in his arms. "It's okay. I told you before, I'll always be here for you. No matter what."

  She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. He unlocked the door, carried her into her apartment and laid her gently on the couch. He covered her with a blanket and set her clutch on the coffee table.

  "Maybe you should rest. It's been a hard couple of days for you."

  She smiled at him and closed her eyes.

  Quinn awoke a few hours later to Ziggy purring loudly in her ear. As she rolled over, she noticed a handwritten note on her coffee table.

  Hey gorgeous,

  I hope you're feeling better. If so, I hope you'll join me for dinner. I'm ordering Chinese from Sunrise Dragon. We can binge watch Orange is the New Black and drink copious amounts of alcohol.

  I'll be here whenever you're ready.

  - Nick

  A smile crept across Quinn's face as she read the note again. Wanting to get out of the horrible sweatpants and t-shirt she'd bought in Black Hawk, she padded into her room and threw on a black tank-top, a pair of yoga pants and tucked her feet into her favorite pair of Hello Kitty slippers. She walked across the hallway and knocked on Nick's door. She heard movement on the other side as he called, "Just a sec!"

  A moment later the door swung open and Nick smiled when he saw her standing there.

  "Hey," she offered when he didn't invite her in right away.

  "Oh. Uh, hey. Come on in," he said, motioning he inside.

  "I'm sorry. You look like you were expecting someone else."

  "I'm just surprised to see you. I guess I didn't think you'd want to hang out after everything that happened today."

  She giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You're my friend, Nick. Of course, I want to hang out with you."

  He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her against his chest, tucking his chin against her shoulder, wishing she would have a change of heart when it came to their relationship.

  "Well, I'm glad you're here. You want a drink?" he asked as he released her and she skipped over to his couch, launching herself onto it.

  "Sure. Whatever you're having is great. Thanks."

  Nick made them both drinks and set the copper mugs on the coffee table.

  "You'v
e done a lot with this place since the last time I was here."

  "I emptied the last box a few days ago. Thank God that's over with. I swear I'm never moving again."

  Quinn laughed and took a sip of her drink. "Ooooh, I likes. What is this?"

  "Irish Mule. Whiskey, ginger beer and lime. It's good, right?"

  She took another sip. "I think this might be my new favorite drink."

  They talked, joked and laughed until their Chinese food arrived. Nick ordered lo-mein for Quinn and sesame chicken for himself. They ate on the couch, watched OITNB and drank a few more Irish Mules.

  Sometime between the third and fourth episode, Quinn had fallen asleep in Nick's lap and as he watched her, he couldn't help but to notice how much his body ached to touch her, to be near her, or how much he wanted to kiss her pain away and tell her he'd take care of her. Forever.

  Without even realizing it, he'd fallen in love with her overnight it seemed and as much as it hurt him, he had to let her listen to the messages Jaysen left on her phone. He'd listened to them earlier that day and he wanted nothing more than to delete every last one, but he knew in his heart she needed to hear them.

  He shook her shoulder lightly. "Hey, sweetheart. Wake up."

  With her eyes still closed, she smiled and yawned. She opened her eyes a moment later and realized she'd fallen asleep on Nick's lap. "Oh, shit. I'm sorry. I didn't know I fell asleep."

  "It's okay, I didn't mind one bit."

  Her cheeks flushed and she yawned again, stretching her arms over her head. Nick stood up, walked into his bedroom and returned with her phone in his hand. "Here," he said, holding it out to her. "You left it in my truck."

  "Oh," she said, she'd thought it had been in her clutch the whole time.

  She turned the phone on and waited a moment for the familiar home screen to appear. Nick was careful to mark each message as 'unheard' so she wouldn't know he'd listened to them.

  "Holy shit. I have nine new messages," she said, holding the phone out to him.

  "You should listen to them. I'll give you a minute," he offered, leaving her alone in his living room.

  After the sixth message, Quinn had the answers to her burning questions. "Look Quinn, I know you're still angry with me, but you have to know that I had no idea what that old crack was up to. As soon as Will told me what happened, I questioned Hollingsworth and found out what his motives were. He was after you to get to me and after he saw the pictures of us at dinner, he thought I was undermining him. He lost his temper and pulled a gun on me. There are details that concern you, but I'd rather speak to you in person. Please call me back," he said with desperation in his voice as the message ended.

  Quinn gripped her phone in her hand and got up from the couch. She quietly padded into Nick's room and saw him sitting on the edge of his bed with his hands entwined in his hair.

  "Nick?" she asked, cautiously.

  He dropped his hands to his side and glanced up at her with a knowing look in his eyes. He knew she was going to leave him as soon as he saw her face, and it devastated him.

  "Are you okay?" she asked.

  "Yeah. I'll be fine."

  "I've gotta go. I can't really explain all the details right now, but I have to go."

  He already knew the details and knew she'd made up her mind. "To him?"

  She knelt down in front of him and took his hands in hers. "I can't thank you enough for being there for me...for being my friend."

  He took her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. "I'm still here. You know...if you ever need anything."

  "I know. Thank you." She rose to her feet, turned and waved, then blew him a kiss before she headed for the front door.

  Nick stood as his heart hammered in his chest. "Quinn, wait!" he called after her.

  She turned as he closed the space between their bodies and crushed his lips to hers. She'd been so caught off guard, she didn't see what was coming. Her friend Nick was kissing her and instead of being awkward, it was amazing. She opened her mouth, allowing his tongue to massage hers. She tangled her fingers in his messy hair and kissed him deeper. His hands cupped her face as he kissed her more passionately.

  Suddenly, Quinn put her hands on his chest and pushed him back. "I can't do this Nick. I can't. I want to, but it's not right. We're friends. Just friends," she babbled as she attempted to find her bearings.

  "I'm sorry...I just...uh..."

  "It's fine," she interrupted him and put her finger to his lips. "I just can't do this right now. Not with everything going on with Jaysen. I'm sorry, Nick. I'm so sorry."

  Quinn turned and walked out of Nick's apartment without another word. Nick stood completely stunned as he stared at the door, hoping she would come back to him, but as time passed, it became apparent that she had made her decision and that decision didn't involve him.

  Chapter 21

  One Week Later

  Ever since Jaysen had given her, her job back, normal everyday interaction between her co-workers had been awkward, and to make matters worse, she had a sinking feeling in her gut that Jaysen was behind everyone's strange behavior. She almost felt as if everyone was purposely going out of their way to steer clear of her.

  Even Hannah wouldn't talk to her and her desk had conveniently been moved, leaving Quinn all alone in her cubicle.

  "There's a business matter I'd like to discuss with you, Quinn," her new boss, Mr. Wells said and her stomach dropped.

  "Yes?"

  He rounded her desk with a manila envelope in his hand. "There's a client meeting scheduled next Monday and I need you to go. Stacy is unable to travel due to her condition."

  "She's eight months pregnant," Quinn interjected, she already didn't like him and she'd only been working for him for a week.

  "Like I said, she's unable to travel and I need someone to take over for her. She's the best analyst we have, but I think you can manage."

  She knew this could be the break she'd been waiting for ever since she began working at Beckett and Associates.

  "I'd love to," she said.

  "Good." He handed her the manila envelope. "Your flight leaves Monday morning at seven AM. A car will pick you up at LAX at nine thirty and take you to the hotel. Breakfast and lunch will be covered by the company, but you will need to make arrangements for dinner. Do you have any questions?"

  LA?!? Surely she heard him wrong. There was no way he said LA. She began to panic: the walls were closing in on her once again, the elephant crushed its weight to her chest and it felt like she was suffocating.

  "Quinn? Did you hear everything I said?"

  She took a deep breath, dug her fingernails into her palms and stood up. "Yes, sir. No problem. Thank you for this opportunity."

  "You're welcome. Don't screw this up," he added with a chuckle.

  "No, sir. I wouldn't dream of it."

  "Good," he said waving his hand at her.

  Quinn gripped the envelope and sat back down at her desk.

  Of all the places she could've been sent for her job, why did it have to be the single place she dreaded more than anywhere in the whole world? she thought.

  Now, she had to face her biggest fear, which meant she needed to make an appointment with her therapist immediately or there was no way she'd ever be able to get on that flight to LA.

  Once Mr. Wells was out of sight, she pulled her phone from her purse and dialed her therapist's number. The receptionist answered right away and placed Quinn on hold. Soothing classical music played as she waited impatiently for the woman to return to the line.

  "Dr. Flint's office, this is Maureen."

  "Hi, Maureen. This is Quinn Langley. I need to make an appointment with Dr. Flint as soon as possible."

  "Is this an emergency, Miss Langley?"

  "No...uh...well, not really, but I need to see her before the end of the week."

  "I'm sorry, but she doesn't have anything available until next Wednesday."

  "Shit," Quinn muttered under her breath as he
r palms began to clam up, again.

  "Actually," she began and Quinn heard the sound of a keyboard clicking in the background. "She had a cancelation today. Can you be here by two?"

  Quinn glanced at the clock on her computer screen: 1:14.

  "Yes. Thank you."

  "Perfect. We'll see you at two."

  "Thank you again, Maureen."

  Quinn ended the call and set her phone on the desk. Dr. Flint's office was in South Denver and she had no idea how she'd ever make it on time since she didn't own a car. The only thing she could do, was ask Jaysen, but she also knew he was buried in meetings all day and still upset with her even though she apologized for her behavior.

  Quinn pulled up a new text to him and prayed he wouldn't be angry with her for interrupting.

  Hey. I need to talk to you. Do you have a minute?

  He responded almost immediately.

  Sure. I'll let Will know you're on your way up.

  She stood up, smoothed out her navy blue pencil skirt and headed to the bank of elevators. As she passed the copy room, she overheard Hannah and a few others whispering.

  "I don't know what he sees in her," one woman said.

  "I know, right? I mean, she's not even pretty. I'm more of his type," Hannah whispered.

  "You totally are, Han. I don't get it either," the other girl replied and that's when Quinn knew she'd heard enough.

  In the back of her mind, she knew they were right. She still didn't know what Jaysen saw in her and why he had gone to such great lengths to protect her and get her job back, because truthfully, she knew she didn't deserve him. He had given her special treatment and everyone in the office knew it.