make you miss me • q. hughes

54

The stool creaks the moment I sit down. The kitchen's stocked for a lot longer than the week Val and I have. Quinn begged me to stay at their house, not the Davis lake house. But my week off lines up with when Z will be there and as much as I love the kid, he's better in smaller doses.

"Hey," Tiny says, bright as ever as she rushes into the kitchen with bags from the liquor store. "Picked up some strays."

"Like who—"

I'm cut off by the clambering noise of boys. That so distinct noise. In what world are they here four hours before we planned? I would've expected them to be more like four hours late. Not early.

"I am going to get so fucking wasted," Finch announces. He's staying with the guys for a bit. Claimed he needs to get the feel of professional hockey players as if he didn't have one literally at his childhood home a few months ago.

"Sorry, no underage drinking this year," I say. He just snorts out a laugh.

A hand gently rests on the small of my back. Instinctively, I lean against Quinn's side and he presses a kiss to the top of my head. Jack and Trevor start dramatically fake gagging for a few moments until they fall into giggles.

Luke shakes his head with a smile. "It's so weird how a year ago you guys could barely be in the same room without arguing. Now you're this."

"Now we're this?" I ask. "What? In love?"

More dramatic gagging. This time Tiny, Finch, and Luke join. Quinn's laughter shakes my body. Through his laugh he says, "We should've kept it a secret just from them."

"Fuck you," Tiny gasps out through her laugh. "Shouldn't have ever been any secrecy! We're the lights of your lives."

"I'm pretty sure we're supposed to be the light of each other's lives," Quinn says, thumb tracing small circles on my back.

"That's ridiculous," Trevor says. "Not like you're married."

My youngest brother groans. "Please don't restart that one."

"What? Give you hangover flashbacks?" I joke.

"Alright, alright," Finch mumbles.

"I say we get this thing going so Birdy gets another disgusting hangover," Jack says with a giant smile.

Quinn laughs. "Only if you're the one who makes sure he doesn't die during it."

* * * * *

Val and I are standing at the end of the dock, nursing our drinks so that there are at least two people who aren't too wasted before 6 PM. We're laughing about some stupid joke Trevor made hours ago that made Finch launch his Twisted Tea out of his mouth and nose.

Tiny calms down first. "Isn't this just a perfect place to get married?"

"I'm sorry?" I say. 'Cause where the fuck did that come from?

"I'm just saying! It's gorgeous there's so much space. There's the lake," she says, motioning around with her hands in only a tipsy Val can. "Would you want to get married somewhere like here? Or even engaged?"

"Uh, I mean, I've always wanted to get married on my parent's property. You know that."

Her jaw drops slightly while she points an accusatory finger my way. "But you aren't saying no about it being good for the proposal."

"Why does it matter?" My mind is going a million miles a minute. Like to the point where my thoughts make no sense to me.

"I'm thinking out loud. No big deal."

The sound of someone running down the dock gets closer. Very quickly. I tense up, expecting to get tackled in the water but luckily, it's not me this time. I laugh as Tiny gets launched into the water with her attacker. Jack surfaces first, shaking the water out of his hair. My best friend follows soon after, her sunglasses and can somehow still in her hand.

"Jeez, why did I pick your brother again?" I joke, watching the middle Hughes slick his hair back. Hands land on my waist and I jump. Quinn squeezes three times. My free hand pats one of his gently. "I'm
joking."

He laughs softly. "Oh, I know."

Jack and Val are arguing in the water. Or, let me rephrase, Val is ranting about how childish that was and they both could've gotten hurt and Jack is smiling wide as ever. Sometimes I forget they've known each other since they were kids. Then this kind of thing happens and everything makes perfect sense.

I'm so distracted watching her, I barely realize my sunglasses are getting taken off from behind and my drink is slowly taken from my hand. It's only when arms wrap around me and my feet lift off the ground that my instincts kick in and I start fighting. Never was one for that flight thing. I smack Quinn's arms as he takes a step forward, closer to the end of the dock. I kick at his legs. I squirm and squirm and I wish my stupid boyfriend wasn't a professional athlete or that I didn't focus so much on cardio over weights.

Then he tosses me.

For a moment, I want to stay under for too long to get him worried. Instead, I resurface to the laughter of the two boys and Tiny saying, "Wow, so stupidity is genetic! She could've gotten hurt."

"She's tough," Quinn says as he stares directly at me.

Jack splashes at Val and cuts her off with another before she can speak. He goes, "Yeah, she's tough. Not you."

"Have you ever drowned?" Tiny retorts, splashing him right back.

Quinn and I have a silent conversation. He shakes his head at my glare. I raise my eyebrows. He shakes his head again. My head tilts to the side. A small sigh comes from him and then he's taking off his shirt and jumping in too. There's a siren metaphor somewhere in there.

He pops up near me and swims over before messily planting a kiss on my cheek. "You're an easy target."

"I'll get you back, asshole," I say.

"I know you will, babe."