WORK IN PROGRESS: Dinner Disasters: Drake and Quinn

Chapter 7 (Drake): I Started Running

I drove away from Quinn's place, my eyes flicking to the word SCUM keyed into my hood. Keres had talent, I'd give her that. She'd written the word backwards, from right to left so I could read it properly as I drove.

It was an accusation and a conviction all in one, a word I couldn't disagree with. A word I'd give anything not to have earned. While sitting at the red light, I closed my eyes for a moment in disgust.

I'd gone over to Quinn that fateful night in the bar...and had promptly forgotten the bet, the nastiness, the heinousness of what they'd been talking and joking about. One look in Quinn's eyes, seeing her smile for the first time, hearing her voice returning my introduction and I was done for. I wanted to see that smile every day for the rest of my life. We'd talked, and I'd gotten her number -- I still remember the look in her eyes like she didn't believe I was going to call her. Without returning to my friends, I'd walked out of the bar and immediately dialed Quinn.

"It's me. Drake," I said when she answered. "I just met you inside the bar and you gave me your number after I kind of begged for it."

"Kind of?" she'd teased.

"OK, I all out begged for your number," I admitted with a laugh. Ten minutes of knowing her, and she lightened everything inside of me like no one ever had before.

"That's more like it," she laughed.

"And now I want to ask you out officially. The soonest I have off is Tuesday, and I know it's not a weekend night, but I'd love to take you out to dinner. If you're free."

" Tuesday? Really?"

"We can wait for the weekend," I said quickly, hoping she didn't feel insulted that I'd asked her out for a non-traditional date night.

"No. I just...I'm just surprised you called this fast. I just saw you walk out of the bar."

She'd been watching me!

She'd agreed to let me take her out on a Tuesday, and I came prepared. I showed her my schedule and asked what nights I wasn't working that she could go out with me. Because of commitments on her part and my work schedule, it wasn't until a week and a half after our first date that we were able to have our second date.

That was the date that I discovered my girl had a wild side. We'd taken an after-dinner walk along the river, stopping to kiss along the way, each kiss becoming deeper and more intense. When we'd gotten back to my truck, she'd told me to sit in the passenger seat (No steering wheel to get in the way, Drake) and then she'd climbed in and straddled me.

We'd kept kissing, she kept whispering more and I eventually stripped off her panties. She'd taken them from me and shoved them into the center console (Otherwise, they always get lost, Drake) and then she had proceeded to blow my mind until I could barely remember my name.

At the station, ever since I'd met Quinn, I hadn't been as interactive as usual and they'd noticed and called me on it. A few days after the bet disaster, we were all on shift and they were all asking if I'd taken Quinn out.

"Yeah," I said shortly.

"Give us the details, man," one said.

"No details," I refused. 

"You stand to win a lot of money," Connor said.

"Told you that night after I left the bar and you were all blowing up my phone, the bet's off. I don't want your damn money, and it sure as hell is not why I'm dating Quinn. Don't know how to make it any clearer than that."

"You expect us to believe that you're dating her? She's not exactly in your league," Jessa had chimed in.

I slammed my hand on the kitchen countertop where we were getting dinner ready. "She's way beyond my league. Quinn's sweet and kind and funny, and I happen to think I'm lucky she gave me the time of day."

"Still nothing about her looks," Jessa scoffed.

"Quinn's beautiful," I snapped. "I've dated beautiful women before, but that's all there was to them and the most you could say about them. Beautiful shells but hollow inside. No substance to them. I'm sure you can relate to that," I said to Jessa, and all around us was stifled laughter.

"Fuck off, Drake," she grumbled.

"We going out this Friday?" Victor asked, changing the subject.

"No," I said. "Got plans with Quinn."

"Bring her with so we can get to know her. Sounds like you're serious about her," he said.

"Yeah, I'm serious about her, but I don't want her near any of you."

"Chevalier, you like this girl, I'll like this girl. I felt pretty shitty when I sobered up after that night, and my wife read me the riot act. I'm sorry we said the shit we did. Wasn't right, man, and I apologize."

"Same for me," Connor said. "My girl said she was ashamed of me, of all of us, and I felt fucking awful when I thought about it. Can we just put it down to being drunk assholes and learning our lesson now that alcohol isn't making us stupid? She's been on me about how I act like a total jerk when I'm drinking, and she's right. I really am sorry, Drake."

"It was shitty what we were saying, Chevalier. I'm sorry."

"Drake, I don't think I've ever felt so embarrassed of my behavior in my life as I did when I woke up the next morning and played back in my head the bullshit we'd been spouting. We were awful and I feel like hell about it, man. I'm sorry."

"Drake, really sorry for how I acted that night. I'm glad you like this lady. I'd like the chance to get to know her."

One after the other, everyone who was there that night had apologized within the week for what they'd said and how they'd acted. Except for Jessa, but she'd never made any more comments about Quinn -- until I'd taken her home after shift because her car was in the shop and she'd spotted Quinn's panties in the console. 

She didn't say a word then because when she'd dangled them in front of me, I'd told her to keep her mouth shut about them -- but she'd waited until she was on shift with us and then told everyone that I'd already bagged Quinn, as she'd said, and she'd seen the panties as proof. Since it was before the third date, I'd won part of the bet, she'd reminded all of us.

"Shut the fuck up, Jessa," I'd shot back at her. "I fucking told you, there is no bet so just shut up about it."

Then, before I could say anything else, I was surprised because everyone else on shift turned on Jessa, absolutely tearing her to shreds and ripping into her for bringing up the bet.

"You need to let it go, Jessa, and stop being such a nasty fucking bitch," Victor told her.

"It'd be easy enough to cut you out of the group if you don't stop your shit," someone else told her. "Lay off the bet, lay off Drake and fuck off if you can't."

And on and on, everyone threatening to cut her out of the group if she didn't stop. She'd been so shaken by the vitriol aimed at her that she'd cried, and for once, no one felt bad for her. Jessa got the cold shoulder until she'd sworn she'd never mention the bet again. I knew why the threats had scared her -- she'd told a couple of us one night after a bad fire that we were the only true friends she had and without all of us, she'd have no one.

So I slowly introduced Quinn to my friends and they all loved her. They came up to me privately and at the station and told me how great she was, and although I always remained vigilant about whatever conversations were going on around her, I began to relax my guard.

Another mistake I'd made. Another mistake I was rightfully paying for. Another mistake that might ultimately cost me the love of my life.

After stopping at the grocery store for a few basics, I'd driven home, that word SCUM right in front of me the whole way. I might never get it fixed, but I doubted my boss at my part-time job would let it stand.

I pulled into the parking lot and parked in my reserved space, and just as I got out of the truck, I heard yelling. When I looked to see what the commotion was, I started running.