{Chapter 16}

{Tiara}

I wake up with a start, panicking when I see that Quincy is nowhere to be seen.

It doesn't help that I'm in a unfamiliar room.

I groan to myself as I sit up and rub the sleep out of my eyes.

I just had the worst nightmare.

I dreamt that he got shot in the stomach. It felt so real. I don't the the dread will ever settle in my stomach.

I fold my blanket around myself and try to get rid of the thought of having to hold him in my arms while he looses the last bit of life left in him.

When I walk downstairs, everyone is sitting around the big table eating breakfast.

Brandon is the first to see me.

He frowns as I shuffle towards the giant fridge.

Everything in this house is so big.

"Hey, what's wrong? You look like shit."

He says.

Ruby pinches him.

"I had a nightmare."

I grumble.

"Ah, that's too bad. The bed here feel like heaven. I would have slept in if it weren't for Derek."

Jenny groans, glancing at him.

He just ducks behind his bowl of cereal to hide his smile.

We all rolls our eyes at each other anyway.

I'm sure everyone in the house heard them up past 3 last night.

"Yeah, thanks for keeping everyone up. Learn how to have sex quietly next time, please."

Ruby says boldly.

I keep my mouth shut.

"You're one to talk, babe. Your scream is sexy as hell but it's nothing short of loud."

Brandon snickers.

Seems like everyone around here is having sex.

That's great.

Quincy, who was busy eating his bacon, looks up.

"Can I eat my breakfast in peace please?"

He complains, his cheeks red for some reason.

Everyone starts teasing him immediately.

"Aw, sex talk gets you all flustered?"

Ruby snickers.

"What a cutie pie."

Jenny rolls her eyes.

It just reminds me of when she tricked me into believing that he actually went to that one sex club.

I shudder just thinking about it.

She's so weird for that.

"Leave him alone."

I grumble, grabbing the orange juice.

"Are you alright? Oh baby, you're shaking. Come here."

He soothes quietly, pulling me down to his lap.

I can't help but relax, melting into his strong arms.

"I'm so sorry."

I whisper, holding him tightly.

All I can think about is him dying now.

I don't want to lose him, he's like my best friend.

"For what, lovie? Don't be, whatever it is, it's fine. I promise."

He says, rubbing my back.

I look up reluctantly as someone clears their throat.

Everyone is smirking at us.

"Wow. You guys are really playing into the whole couple thing."

Derek says amusedly, rubbing his neck.

Ruby nudges him.

"Uh huh. You guys should save all the lovie dovie stuff for the beach later."

She snickers.

I roll my eyes as Quincy sighs quietly.

"I had a dream he got shot."

I grumble, resting my head on the crook of his neck.

She stops immediately.

"Really? That's horrible. Oh, I'm sorry."

"Don't you worry, lovie. It'll take more than a bullet for me to stop being around. Don't you worry your pretty little head about it, yes? I'm fine."

He assures me, reaching for another piece of bacon.

I just smile a little, inhaling his amazing scent.

He smells like baby powder and the infamous ocean breeze soap that he uses.

I wish I could drown in his smell.

I clear my mind before I can start drooling as I awkwardly get up and sit down next to him.

Jenny smiles sadly as I immediately start to play with my fingers, my mind wandering elsewhere.

Never in a million years did I think I would be attracted to such an amazing guy.

When I was younger I had a pretty weird taste in boys.

I didn't have a specific type or anything but I kind of avoided the better looking boys.

I always thought that they would always break my heart just because they knew they could.

I cringe as I think back to middle school.

I remember seeing Rami Malik in Twilight and falling in love with him.

I honestly used to think that he was the most attractive man in the whole world.

Quincy is no Rami Malik.

More like a Ryan Gosling.

Everybody loves Ryan Gosling, he's a very charming man!

Why did I have to switch up?

I ask myself this but I know the answer.

Quincy is so different.

So much better than I ever could have imagined from an attractive man.

"You hungry, darlin'?"

"I don't have much of an appetite."

I grumble, reluctantly pouring me a cup of orange juice.

I personally like apple juice better but the orange juice will wipe away the nasty taste I have in my mouth.

Derek and Brandon start talking about how excited they are to go to the beach later.

They got new surfboards yesterday and they can't seem to shut up about surfing.

I guess I can't blame them though.

We got a brief look at the beach on the drive over here and it looked absolutely amazing.

I sip my orange juice and try not to get all hyped up about it.

It doesn't work though because as soon as it's time to pack up the car, I'm the one ushering everyone to hurry up.

Quincy takes his slow time, folding up his towel.

"Are you trying to make me irritated? Hurry your slow ass up, boy."

I complain, checking my watch.

It's a little after 2.

"I'm coming, baby girl. Chill."

He drawls, reaching for the sun screen.

I can't help but blush a little.

I like it when he calls me baby girl.

The little smirk he sends my way confirms that he knows it too.

"Look, I'm all done. See?"

He gestures to the little pile of stuff he has on the bed.

I walk forward to help him put everything in his backpack.

"Don't be a smartass, Quin. There is nothing that can ruin today for me."

I inform him, grabbing his hand.

"Likewise."

He replies with his lovable lopsided grin.

.

.

.

{Quîncy}

Î sît under the blazîng sun and lîsten to the ladîes chatter about God knows what as Tîara sîts between my legs and rubs sunscreen on my chest.

Î love ît when she touches me.

Ît satîsfîes me to a unknown extent.

Î rest my hands on her soft thîghs as Î enjoy the sound of the waves crashîng out în the dîstance.

There's not many people out today, ît's pretty quîet out.

Just the way Î lîke ît.

"-has a pretty smîle too. Î don't know though, he seems lîke a jerk."

Î frown as Î slowly zone back în.

Who seems lîke a jerk?

Why îs Tîara talkîng about another man!?

Î rub her thîgh slowly, remîndîng her that Î'm stîll here.

She pokes my nose before slowly rubbîng her way down my chest agaîn.

At thîs poînt, the sunscreen îs already applîed.

"Î actually went to school wîth hîm, he had lîke a mîllîon gîrlfrîends în hîgh school. My advîce? Tell hîm to fuck off."

Jenny replîes, amusement în her voîce.

Î can tell that she's enjoyîng watchîng me struggle not to say anythîng.

Î resort to sîghîng loudly.

Of course nobody seems to notîce.

"Î don't know, ît seemed a lîttle weîrd how he started tryîng to flîrt wîth me out of nowhere. That's very unprofessîonal, no?"

Tîara's voîce wîll forever make me relax.

Ît puts my frazzled mînd at ease.

"Dîd you tell hîm that your best frîend over here would kîll hîm wîthout a second thought?"

Ruby gîggles.

What a smart gîrl.

Tîara doesn't say anythîng to that.

She just cups my cheeks în her hands and starts cooîng to me lîke Î'm a baby.

"Lovîe, Î told you about doîng that în publîc."

Î complaîn, grabbîng her hands.

"Doesn't he look absolutely perfect wîth long haîr, gîrls?"

She gushes, twîrlîng a pîece of my haîr around her fînger.

Î roll my eyes.

Who knew that mîssîng one haîrcut would make her lîke me more?

Defînîtely not me.

Îf Î would have known then Î would have stopped cuttîng my haîr a whîle ago.

"Î thînk ît looks better, yeah. Î guess because nobody's really used to ît, you look lîke one of those crîngy boys on Tîktok."

Ruby teases.

"Yeah, except more handsome. And strong."

Tîara adds, pattîng my cheek.

Î can't help but grîn.

She's so adorable.

A lîttle whîle later when she wordlessly starts tuggîng on my hand, Î fînd myself walkîng wîth her next to the shorelîne.

"How are you lîkîng the beach?"

She asks quîetly.

My shoes are completely fîlled wîth sand.

Î love ît.

"Î lîke ît a lot. Î thînk we all deserved a lîttle break from our everyday lîves."

Î say, smîling as the wînd pîcks up.

Î love how the breeze fîlls agaînst my scalp.

Î look over as Î hear the unmîstakable sound of a camera clîckîng.

"You just take a pîcture of me?"

Î ask, nudgîng her a lîttle.

"Yeah. You look so happy. God, you are such a cutîe."

She gîggles a lîttle, reachîng for my hand.

Î bîte my lîp thoughtfully as she gîves ît a lîttle squeeze.

"Hmm. Are you always thîs honest when you're havîng a good tîme?"

Î mutter.

"What are you talkîng about? Î'm always honest. And Î'm always havîng a good tîme when Î'm around you. You're so...dîfferent."

She says thoughtfully.

"Î'm dîfferent? How?"

Î prompt, my heart racîng.

"Î don't know, you just are! Î've never really met anyone lîke you. You're so down to earth and patîent. There are rarely men patîent lîke you. Carîng too."

She says thoughtfully.

Î don't know what to say to that so Î resort to rubbîng my neck and tryîng not to blush.

She always knows just what to say to make me speechless.

"Hey, how's ît goin', good lookîn'?"

My smîle drops îmmedîately as Î hear a man whîstle.

Î guess Î just forgot that Tîara îs half naked, walkîng around.

Î clutch her hand before even thînkîng to.

She îgnores the man as we walk past.

"Relax, sweetîe. Those thîngs just happen."

She says calmly, movîng closer.

"That îrrîtates me."

Î hîss, unnecessarîly upset about ît.

Î don't want anyone admîrîng her body.

Ît's already upsettîng that Î can't.

"Eh. Î don't let ît get to me."

She waves ît off.

Î frown.

"You remember when we talked about the partyîng and wîld sex? Î thînk you should partake. You've really got to lîve a lîttle. Talk to more guys."

Î tell her.

Although ît completely crushes my soul to even thînk of her spendîng all of her tîme wîth another man, Î know that she îs lonely.

And Î know that Î already told her that Î lîke her, we both know that she has better optîons.

"We both know that that's bullshît, sweetîe. There's no way Î'm talkîng to anyone else. What's the poînt, there's nobody else lîke you."

She completely changes my whole perspectîve by sayîng thîs.

Hm.