After Sunset

Chapter Five

"Depends. What are you doing today?"

Quinn knew her parents would have something planned for her. They always did whenever she was idle. And until just a short while back, she'd have done everything they'd ever asked of her.

"Nothing," she lied.

"You sure? Maybe you should call your parents to see if they're okay with you staying out so long."

Quinn knew Dylan was half-teasing, so she would have been shocked to discover Quinn would actually need to call home to reassure her parents that she was okay, lest they send out a search party.

"I'm sure." She got out of bed.

Dylan left the room, and Quinn went into the bathroom. She washed her face and rinsed her mouth to get rid of the stale taste, then followed Dylan to the living room.

"I feel like I'm going to be sick," she said.

Dylan handed her a glass of water and gestured for her to sit on one of the stools.

"That usually happens when one has as much to drink as you did last night," she said. "But don't worry, I have a remedy for that."

"Really? What?" She felt so terrible she would've tried anything Dylan suggested, so long as it got rid of the hangover.

"Just wait and be amazed," Dylan said with a smile.

Quinn usually welcomed the smell of brewing coffee, but this morning it made her feel like throwing up.

"You want something to eat?"

"I can't." Quinn gestured to her stomach.

"I'll make you a sandwich."

"I'm afraid I won't be able to keep it down."

"Trust your body," Dylan urged.

Quinn was surprised at how at ease she felt around Dylan. Days before, Dylan had practically run away from her to put physical distance between them. Dylan put a lot of effort into avoiding her, but that hadn't deterred Quinn. In fact, she'd found it fun to infuriate Dylan, since it required so little effort. She hadn't known when or where along the way she'd come to like Dylan and enjoy being with her, even when Dylan made it painfully clear that she wasn't interested in pursuing any type of friendship with Quinn.

Now Quinn wondered if Dylan had given up on her attempts to push her away. If she was genuinely as mean and rude as she came across, Quinn doubted Dylan would've been on the opposite side of that kitchen counter making a sandwich, especially for her, given that Dylan had strongly expressed how she felt about people forcing themselves into her space.

Quinn didn't blame her. Dylan was a genuine loner. She wasn't used to having people fuss over her. That, Quinn understood. What she failed to understand was why she felt so good being around Dylan, now that they had gotten past the hard part of trying to see whether any sort of friendship between them was worth pursuing.