Every Chapter

Chapter Eight

Ian waited by her door for the rest of the day waiting for her to emerge, he waited for her to come out to eat. For her to leave and go yell at anyone who was in her way, but she didn't. Meals were sent to her, and she remained in her room the entire day until his shift was released and he went home.

He wasn't sure she would come out of her room the next day either. He thought she would remain held up in her room and miss her Monday ritual of going to Café Claws, but she didn't. At exactly 11:00 she came out of her room like nothing ever happened. She dressed how she always did on Mondays, a T-shirt, and shorts. She wasn't trying to impress anyone on Mondays.

She gave him a silent look and he followed her down the stairs without a single word. They loaded into the Tahoe and drove to the café, he wasn't sure if he should bring up the events from yesterday, he was positive it wasn't his place and frankly he didn't care much. The part of him that did care was whether or not she got back together with him. He didn't care if she had shitty taste in men, all he cared about was Tanner suffering and God did he have ideas of how to make him suffer.

"Thank you." Quinn said as they pulled into a parking spot.

Something he hadn't expected to come from her mouth.

"For saving me the first night, for Ray and for Tanner." He gave her a side glance as he put the car into park, unsure where this was coming from.

"I just... Can you not say anything to Rina about Tanner?"

She thanked him as an ulterior motive. She was being nice to save her own ass.

"I just haven't decided what to do yet and if I tell her she will never let me live it down."

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

Her brows lifted and she prepared to defend herself, but he didn't say anything else. Instead, he left the car with a slam of the door. It was her turn to chance after him.

"Ian." She ran after him and the long strides he was taking towards the Café.

"It's not my business."

"You're right, its not." Quinn stopped walking.

"You don't even know what happened." And then he stopped walking and turned himself to face her with a deep laugh.

"Quinn, I heard everything."

She swallowed hard as the memory of yesterday hit her. Of what happened, of what he heard. Her face reddened.

"Everything?"

He stepped closer to her, until he was within a whispering distance.

"Everything."

His hot breath hit her, and she turned her head away, feeling sick. What he heard yesterday was private, beyond moans but the words. She was embarrassed, from an outsider looking in she should leave. From an outsider looking in she should have left a long time ago and now someone else knew about this. Something she didn't even discuss with Rina anymore. She lied to her and told her they'd started having sex over a year ago, a year of lying to her about it. Just to save herself from the conversation and now Ian heard.

"You asshole."
He squinted his eyes and stepped back.

"It makes since why you're such a bitch now."

"Excuse me?"

"You haven't been fucked properly in years."

Her breath hitched and the words dried in her throat. She couldn't even think of a reply. Yesterday was the first time she'd talked about sex with a man in years and now one she detested was looking straight in the face calling her a bitch.

"Go on, say it. Call me an asshole."

Her mouth moved open and closed.

"You..."

He raised an eyebrow at her, and she wanted desperately to wipe the smug look off of his face, but words wouldn't do that.

She reared back her hand and smacked him in the face. Jolting his head to the side.

He turned his head back slowly with a smile stretched across his lips.

"Asshole." She pushed passed him and walked straight to the café. But when she reached the café, she didn't go inside. If she wanted to tell Rina about what happened with Ian, she'd have to tell her about what happened with Tanner and if she wanted to tell her that she'd have to confess to lying. There was no way she could walk inside the café and put on a face good enough that she wouldn't see through it. Instead she walked passed her store and pulled out her phone.

_____________________________________________________________

To: Rina

Give the pastry to someone else today still sick.

Hungover ash xx

Ugh, you're telling me!

Feel better xx

_____________________________________________________________

She locked her phone and returned it to her pocket. Catching her reflection on her phone screen, then she looked to the closest shop window and knew exactly what would make her feel better if her friend could not.

"You passed the Café."

She didn't look over her shoulder at him when she gave her reply. Instead she kept walking.

"I know."

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Ian watched Quinn take the pain of the tattoo like it was no worse than a skim to the knee. In fact, by the time it ended he was pretty sure she had enjoyed the pain the needle brought. For hours she sat perfectly still as the artist brought life to a stack of books on her thigh surrounded by wildflowers. Even he would have needed a break from a tattoo so large, he found a small amount of respect for her that hadn't been there before. He knew she was acting manic, but it was still impressive to him.

She paid the woman who did her tattoo, leaving an equally large tip and she walked out like there was no pain shooting through her leg at all.

He followed after her as she walked further down the boardwalk.

"You sat really well for your first tattoo."

She looked at him for the first time since she smacked him.

"That was not my first tattoo."

He looked over her and raised a brow, she had no visible tattoos except the fresh one on her leg.

She challenged him with her eyes and a small smile placed on her lips as he put it together that they were in hidden areas.

"You may know a lot about me Ian, but you don't know everything."

"Neither does Tanner." His mouth twisted and she stepped forward, placing a hand onto his chest. She was playing a new game now. She knew she could make him angry, but she wanted to make him uncomfortable. To see him squirm the way he made her this morning.

"I wonder who will find out first."

He opened his mouth, but she pushed him away before he could say anything. With the swing of her hips, she walked away straight into the beauty supply store.

She knew exactly what she'd done to him, and she walked away like her head wasn't buzzing. She never really took shit from him before, but the way he left her this morning would never happen again. She needed control of this situation, and she was going to take it.

She walked right into the store, picked up exactly what she needed, paid, and left. She had been thinking about doing this for two years and now was the time.