make you miss me • q. hughes

32

"Are you even watching the movie, Scout?"

I look up from my phone and lie, "Yeah."

Quinn rolls his eyes. But he still retakes his spot next to me in my bed so he can't be too mad. Him being next to me was the main reason I wasn't watching the movie before he went to go get water. He looks so... so cute when focused. Then he left the room and I couldn't figure out what was going on in the movie so I went on my phone. God forbid women lie about that kind of thing.

"What happened last?" He asks, nodding to the TV.

"Uh," I drag out the sound. "The guy like fucked up?"

"At least you're committed to your terrible lying."

"If there is one thing I can do it's commit."

He laughs—looking so beautifully Quinn—and pauses the movie. Then tosses the remote to the end of the bed. "That's called being stubborn."

"Think I've heard that thrown my way once or twice," I say.

"More like a million times a year."

"Hey!" My hand reaches over and smacks his chest but doesn't get far in a retreat. Quinn grabs it and holds it there, my palm against his chest. His heart.

"Come on," he says. "You know I'm right."

There was a time I would have argued further. Whether he was right or not. Right now I really just want to kiss him. And I can. So I do. I sit up and scoot closer to him. My hand never even budges from his chest.

Quinn watches me closely. "What?"

I smile and lean down to kiss him. He smiles for a quick moment before joining me on my level. One thing leads to another and would you look at that? I'm straddling the guy and my free hand is in his hair. My mouth leaves his, trailing kisses down his jaw and then onto his neck. It's like he can read my mind and knows what I want to do.

"Yeah, no," he says, gently pulling me back by my hair. Wow, how the tables turn. "I have a reputation."

"I could ruin it for you."

"I know—" A few knocks on the front door cut him off. His face takes on a small frown. "Are you expecting someone? Did you double-book me?"

I roll my eyes. "I didn't even book you in the first place. You sort of just showed up."

"Thought you'd like it." He squeezes the hand still on his chest. "Gonna go answer the door?"

A quick, "Fuck no." slips out and I'm leaning back down at him. There's no way I'm giving up this unexpected guest being underneath me to go answer the door for someone else. Besides, who the fuck would even be at my door?

More knocking, this time more aggressive and Quinn pulls me back again. "Babe, they aren't going away."

"Babe," I sigh out the echo. Not even intentionally. I shake my head slightly to snap out of whatever trance he has me in. "Fine! Fine. I'll answer my stupid door."

"Don't get too excited."

Once I'm up and off the bed, I pat his chest and nod toward his lower half. "Oh, like you probably are?"

"Get away from me," he mumbles while shoving my hand away from him.

I do and he protests. No take-backsies. Even more knocking, this time in a pattern that sounds kind of familiar. What? Whatever. I don't know what it is. But it comes yet again right as I look through the peephole.

Oh, shit.

I check again.

Yeah. That's what I thought I saw. That's exactly what it is. Oh, shit. Oh, fuck. No! No. This can't be happening. Quinn calls out asking if I'm going to open the door or not. Shit, I hope he didn't hear that.

More knocking, even more aggressive than before. "Scouter, I heard that!" My brother's muffled voice barely comes through the door.

Welp. I'm fucked. I swing the door open. "What the fuck are you doing here? Y'know, the other side of the country? I hate surprises. What are you doing here?"

"I told you I was coming over," Atticus says, smiling his stupid smug smile. "You just didn't believe me and that's not my fault."

"Now's not a good time, bud."

"It's not, eh?"

"No."

He shrugs. "You wouldn't put your own brother out on the street would you?"

"You're lucky I've missed you," I grumble.

"Sure, that's it."

Oh god. Oh no. Oh no. Quinn is literally in my bed. Atticus is staring at me and I realize we're not only caught but we're caught red-handed. Out of all the people to show up, it had to be the one who I can hardly lie to. Why does he keep doing this? I practically race away to my room to see he decided to resume the movie.

He pauses it again and his eyes widen the second they land on me. "What? You left. Some of us were actually watching the damn—"

"Atticus is here," I state.

The silence that fills the room is deafening. So deafening I don't even realize Atter has followed me to said room. Until he's right there, looking over my shoulder and laughing. "I fucking knew it."

* * * * *

"Everyone already suspects it's you and Quinn," Atter says. "I mean, come on. There's no point."

"The lack of confirmation is driving everyone crazy and it's gotten me some of the funniest goddamn texts and calls of my life," I say.

Quinn leans back, putting his arm on the back of the couch behind me. "Val wrote me a letter and mailed it to me because she got so worked up over me not telling her anything."

"Jack tried bribing me with like five hundred dollars. Or was it a thousand? Either way—"

Both of the guys talk over each other. It's a bigger reaction than when Jack and Trevor both offered me their bodies on the same day. I laugh while Atter tells me I'm an idiot for not taking that and Quinn goes on about how much of an idiot Jack is. In the comedown, Quinn's arm slips from the couch to be over my shoulders.

"So what is it?" Atticus asks. "You guys a couple officially?"

"Couple?" We sputter out at the same time, almost identical awkward chuckles coming right after. Okay, maybe we're a couple of dumbasses.

My brother laughs. "Okay. Still doing that whole routine. I mean, it's fine. Not everyone needs to label shit."

"We've been on one date," I say. "One official date at least."

Atticus turns his head to the other side of the room. Which—since it's a move I practically created—means he can't look at us without laughing in our fucking faces or letting whatever he's thinking show. It's Atter though so it's probably the laughing one.

"We're all about taking it slow," Quinn jokes.