make you miss me • q. hughes

10

"That isn't what I said," Quinn argues. My stop is too fast for him and his chest runs into my back. He braces himself with his hands finding the all too familiar resting place of my hips. Resting isn't the right word. Every time his hands have been on my hips it's 'cause he has at the very least a firm hold on them.

"It's pretty much what he said," I state.

"What the hell are you on about, Scouter?" Finchy's also put down his slice of pizza. He's never able to focus on anything but me when I'm arguing with someone. Apparently, it's too entertaining for him.

"Well—"

Quinn's hands finally leave my hips. They manage to touch a whole lot more of me than most people would. Sliding down as far as they could before leaving my body completely. "She's on about a whole lot of bullshit."

"Fuck you, Quinn."

"You wish."

"That was so mature." My laugh is bitter.

Seriously who the fuck does he think he is accusing me of flirting with Jack? I mean, yeah. Technically we were flirting but it wasn't like that. Val and I flirt with each other all the time. It's a way to joke around. Not a crime.

As for the being all over him, that was mainly to piss off Quinn at that moment. Not hours later. He shouldn't care this much. It's not even a crime to touch someone else. Putting my legs in Jack's lap wasn't some scandal. However, how Quinn touches me is nothing but scandalous.

"You wouldn't know mature if it bit you on the—"

I spin around to face him. My finger presses into his chest. "Why don't you bite me?"

"Okay! Okay, that's enough." Val pulls me away and puts me in a chair next to Jack.

"Careful. Quinn might get all pissy if I get too close to his brother again."

Jack laughs and turns around in his chair. "What?"

"Didn't you hear? When I was telling you things in the friendliest way possible, Quinn was getting all pissed off."

"Why?"

"Beats me!"

"Can you spell jealous?" Luke whispers to Finch.

Quinn rubs at his jaw with one hand, the other doing a waving-off-type motion in my direction. "I'm going back upstairs."

"Do you want me to bring you some food up?" Val asks.

"No, it's good." His eyes burn into mine. Fired up. "Lost my appetite."

"Okay, well, if that changes..."

"I know, V. Thanks." Quinn's gone in the next second.

Any fire in me sizzles out the moment he's gone. I'm bored in an instant. Finch stares me down from the other side of the table. It's a good thing he doesn't have Atty's ability to read me like a book. He has to opt for looking at me like a math problem he can't quite grasp. It only stops when Luke nudges him to show him something on his phone.

Val huffs and sits down next to me. "Okay, what the fuck?"

"It's nothing," I say.

"That was the most fired-up one yet."

"Yeah."

She looks past me at Jack who's been joined by Trevor across from him. They're already moving on from what happened. Doesn't fuck with them so it makes sense. The way Val's brows have been furrowed since Quinn and I burst in, it's really fucking with me. It's tearing me apart. She should have nothing but a smile on her face at all times.

I whisper a quick, "I'm sorry."

"No. Don't do that." Val pushes a piece of hair behind my ear. I don't know where my hat went. "Don't get all timid and apologetic for being you."

"But--"

"Jean Louise, I am not about to let any situation with a man make you try and diminish yourself. Even if you get in that head of yours and convince yourself it'll improve my time."

"I don't want to actively ruin your time."

"No time with you can ever be ruined." She means it. Val doesn't lie much. And even when she does there's a way to twist it to show she technically meant what she said. She is honestly the most real fucking person I know.

Pushing any guilt down to be burnt the next time a fire starts up, I smile. "You just earned yourself an extra surprise this month."

"Really?" A smile takes over her frown in a second. "You're going to let me jump something on you again?"

"Yeah, I am."

She throws her arms around my neck, pulling me painfully close to her. "You're the light of my life." There's a sloppy kiss on my cheek that follows.

*************
a/n
they're so unserious LMFAO