Girl's Best Friend

Chapter 8

Briar

I wake up sometime later, but I can tell the sun is shining. My brain aches and I don't open my eyes, but hear voices from the direction of the front door on the other side of the room.

"Why the fuck is my girlfriend sleeping on your couch?"

Ugh. Brad.

"I think the better question is why were you at a party when your girlfriend was throwing her guts up?" Quinn says quietly, as if to not wake me, but I can still hear the vemon in his tone. Brad scoffs in response and I can tell he's getting agitated.

"I didn't know she was that sick." He says and I nearly scream at him. I told him exactly how sick I was.

He just didn't care.

"She threw up all night. Twice while she was unconcious. She could have choked on her own vomit. She could have fucking died." Quinn seethes and my stomach drops. I don't even remember throwing up those times. Brad sighs and growls a little in frustration.

"Whatever. I'll take her home." He says and I peek my eyes open just a little and see him trying to push into Quinn's house, but Quinn blocks him and Hank stands next to him.

"No. Her fever just broke and she's finally sleeping comfortably. Just leave her alone. She needs to rest." He says firmly and Brad narrows his eyes at him.

"You're loving this aren't you? Being the hero?" He mocks and Quinn lets out a humorless laugh.

"Yeah. I love cleaning puke from my dog's fur." He says and I grimace a little at the thought.

I seriously owe him.

"I see the way you look at her." Brad says lowly, dangerously. "I'm not stupid. I know you want her." He says and Quinn sighs heavily.

"Look. She helped me out with my dog, I helped her out while she was sick. I'm not trying to move in on your territory. But I think we both know she's a smart girl and she's not going to put up with you doing stupid shit like you did last night. If you don't treat her right, she's going to dump your ass. And I have no issues being the one to show her how she should be treated, even if it's only as friends." He says and Brad's jaw clenches as his hands turn into fists.

"When she wakes up tell her to call me." He says and turns to leave.

"I'll tell her you asked her to call you. She's an adult, you don't own her." He says and Brad looks even more angry, but he just huffs before turning to leave, Quinn shutting the door quietly behind him.

I open my eyes fully and Quinn's widen in surprise when he sees that I'm awake.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." He says and I push myself up to sit.

"You didn't. He did." I say and he nods.

"He wants you to call him." He says and I roll my eyes.

"I don't really want to talk to him right now." I say and Quinn nods, eyeing me worriedly.

"You feeling better?" He asks and I nod, stretching a little and laying down next to Hank, wrapping my arm around him.

"Yeah. But I feel gross. Do you care if I shower here?" I ask and he shrugs.

"No. That's fine. Are you hungry? I really want to get something in you." He says before his eyes widen in horror. I tilt my head back and laugh as he shakes his head.

"That came out wrong." He says and I can't stop laughing. I go to stand up, but I'm a little dizzy. Quinn sprints towards me and grabs my arm to steady me.

"I know what you meant. I'm not really hungry." I say and he nods as he helps me down the hallway towards his bedroom since the other bathroom only has a toilet and sink.

"I think I have some chicken broth. Will you at least try it?" He asks and I smile up at him, liking this caring side that he's been hiding.

"Yeah. I'll try it." I say and he grins a little.

He sits me down on the toilet before turning on the water, grabbing me a towel and some of his clothes before handing me a new toothbrush and some toothpaste. He points to them firmly.

"Use them." He says and I gasp indignantly.

"What a jerk." I say and he gives me that lopsided grin that makes him look boyish and charming.

"Hank would say the same if he could talk and he's sweet as can be." He says and I chuckle a little, waving him out of the bathroom.

I take a long hot shower, breathing in deeply the smell of Quinn's shampoo and body wash. At some point the smell began to comfort me. I don't know what it is about him, but I always feel comfortable around him. Like I know exactly what I'm getting. It's so rare to find a person like that. After I dress I wander into the kitchen where he's cooking himself some breakfast. There's a bowl of steaming broth with a spoon, as promised, and the smell makes my mouth water.

"Feel better?" He asks and I nod, sitting at the breakfast bar. He puts a glass of water next to my bowl and I smile shyly while thanking him quietly. I eat most of the bowl, but don't want to overtax my still sensitive stomach. I help him clean up the kitchen then sit on the couch with Hank in my lap.

"I don't want to go home." I say with a heavy sigh.

"Why?" Quinn asks and I look over at him. He showered after me and his hair is still damp, tendrils falling down over his glasses. He hasn't shaved and the stubble on his face makes him look even more handsome.

"It doesn't feel like home." I say sadly and he sighs a little and nods, leaning back against the couch. He grabs the blanket and tosses it over me before flipping on the tv.

"Don't you have to work?" I ask and he shrugs.

"I always take a couple of days to decompress after a trip." He says and I nod, feeling guilty that I'm encroaching on his space.

"I can go." I say, going to stand, but he puts his hand on my shoulder and pushes me back down gently.

"Stay as long as you want, Briar." He says before looking at the tv and starting some superhero movie. I could nearly cry at how sweet he's being, but I just snuggle into Hank and the blanket as I watch the movie. It's then that I realize neither of my friends have come over here to even check on me. If it had been one of them, I know I would have taken care of them, helped them, but they haven't even bothered to make sure I'm still alive. I look over at Quinn and blurt before I can stop myself.

"Are we friends now?" I ask and he huffs out a laugh.

"Sure." He says and I smile at how nonchalant he is. I need to take some lessons from him.

"Can I go to Dungeons and Dragons with you this Sunday?" I ask teasingly and he looks over at me with a surprised look on his face.

"Sure." He says again and I find myself becoming more acclimated to his limited conversation skills.

"Can't wait." I say, refocusing on the screen.

We sit in content silence but somehow, it's the most enjoyable afternoon I've had for a long time. Quinn starts another movie after the first and I manage to slip back into a dreamless sleep, still wrapped around Hank.