Dog Tags

Chapter 22

Quinn's POV

The next morning Anthony and I spend our rare days off from our jobs at Latte Day' Coffee Shop hanging out, "Is it weird to spend your day off at the place that you work?" Anthony asks taking a drink of his salted caramel mocha Frappuccino and I shake my head, "I do it all the time, I mean it feels a little odd but it wouldn't say that it is weird." I say before taking a bite of my breakfast sandwich, "What are your plans today?" Anthony asks taking a bite of my sandwich, "I was going to treat myself to a movie today, it is flashback cinema day at the movie theater, but all the tickets are sold out." Anthony gives me a small smile because he knows that I love when our movie theater puts on old classic movies.

"That sounds like you are taking this loss very hard." He jokes getting me to laugh and he starts laughing, "What movie is playing today?" I wipe my mouth and take a drink from his Frappuccino. "Why do you want to know?" Anthony just shrugs his shoulders, "I thought that I might tag along if the movie is any good." I look at Anthony knowing fully well that he has a date with that girl he met at the club, and this makes me think that poor Anthony doesn't know what to do for the date, "I think you should take your date to The Level Up, it is a full - service restaurant with the biggest video arcade in the state of Nevada, and since you told me that she is a huge gamer that would prefect." 

Anthony eyes show me how relieved he is even when he tries to play off, "I had some great ideas, but I will go with your idea because we are friends." I roll my eyes and grin at him, "Thank you for including me in your plans." I get off my chair and fix my outfit, "I will be right back, I am getting an iced coffee." I say walking away from him and up to the counter. I hear the sound of the door open up and when I look behind me I see that it is Nick, he no shirt as all his tattoos are glistening from the sweat on his body, he has on only a pair of black shorts that show off the top of his blue boxers and white sneakers on his feet. I look at him as he pulls his headphones out of his ears wondering what are the odds that out of all the Coffee Shops he would show up to this one. 

Nick looks around the place until his eyes land on me, and I quickly turn my attention back to the young man in front of me, "How can I help you?" He asks with a bright smile on his face, "Hi, can I get a large Iced coffee with a little mike." He smiles at me as he grabs a cup, "Name?" He asks but I don't pay an attention to him as I feel Nick's gaze still on me. "Miss?" I snap back to reality as I look at the guy behind the counter who has a puzzled look on his face, "Quinn." The guy nods his head and writes my name on the cup, "That will be 3 dollars and 96 cents." I hand him a five-dollar bill, "Keep the change." I say and walk off to the side and wait for my order. I wait until my name is called and once I have my drink I start walking back to Anthony suddenly Nick steps in my path,

"Morning Quinn." He asks as I look up at him quickly, "Hi Nick." I look away from and down at the drink in my hand feeling very nervous all of a sudden. "What brings you here?" I raise my head back up to at him as we give each other our full attention, "A friend of mine and I are hanging out. What about you?" I ask not really caring and I look past Nick over at Anthony who gives me a look wondering what is going on. "I always stop here when I get done with my three miles daily run." I take a drink from my cup trying to hide the fact that I am sort of impressed with that, but that is nothing compared to Brenton when he home and runs a daily 6 miles, "This is not a small-town Quinn, and yet we seem to keep running into each other." I stare at him mentally kicking myself for not picking another coffee shop, 

"I see it more like you always seem to run into me." Nick slightly tilts his head to the side, "From my point of view I look at it as more something drawing us to one another." Nick takes a step towards me with only my iced coffee is between us. "If you will excuse me." I say as politely as I can as Nick steps to the side and out of my way, "Thank you." I say as I walk away from him and back over to Anthony. "Why were you talking to Nick Romero?" I don't answer his question as I sit down and ask one of my own, "How you know Nick?" Anthony rolls his eyes looking at me like I am a deer standing in the middle of the road waiting to get hit, 

"It is personal, but I am warning you Quinn, stay away from Nick." I am kind of getting fed up with everyone trying to tell me who I should and who I shouldn't be hanging out with. "I remember people telling the same thing when it came to Emery and yourself." I snap at him because I don't listen to rumors, I let the person show me who they are first then I will decide if I want to be associated with them or not. "You should get going before you are late for date." Anthony looks at the clock on the wall and sees what time it is, "You're right, I should get going." Anthony stands up and walks over to me giving me a side hug,

"Text you later." He says as he smiles at me as I hug him back, "You better, and I want all the details." I say and he nods his head without saying another word as he leaves the coffee shop. I spend another hour or so at the coffee shop catching up my social media platforms before I walk out of the shop myself, but the moment I do I run into Nick again, only this time he has on a light blue shirt. "I can only Imagine what Anthony had to say about me." I sigh an annoying breath, "He didn't say much, but he did make sure to tell me to stay away from you." When someone tells someone else to stay away from you the action most people have would be one of sadness or getting upset, but Nick instead just seems to shrug off the warning Anthony gave me.

"I talked to Emery and I must say that he seemed very protective of you, he almost put me through the wall in my living room because I told him that I wanted to hang out with you." A grin that I can't seem to help comes across my lips,"Emery is one of my best friends, we look out for each other." Nick leans against the door crossing his arms over his chest, "I don't listen to Emery,even when I should." Nick reaches into his back pocket and pulls out two pieces of paper, "I wanted to ask you something." I adjust my purse strap on my shoulder with a curious look on my face as I can't imagine what Nick would want to ask me.

"I am right here, and all ears." I say in a lightly joking tone trying to get Nick to loosen up and not be so tense, "I was wondering if you wanted go to the movies with me this afternoon?" To say that I am shocked of the words that came out of Nick's mouth is an understatement.