AN: This is a long chapter. It's kinda like, if this was a TV show, it would be the season finale, where there is a long episode that is kinda happy but sad at the same time. Also, I wanted to give a warning, there is a mention of suicide in this chapter. I'm gonn mark it with "****" So you know when to skip if you don't feel comfortable reading it.
"GET UP! GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP!" Ellie was jumping on Quinn's bed at six in the morning.
"What the fuck? WHAT THE FUCK? GET DOWN," Quinn was groggy but was more concerned that Ellie was jumping on her bed, while she was still in it.
"Get up! We have a big day ahead of us!" Ellie had childlike excitement in her eyes. This couldn't be good.
"Big day?" Quinn rubbed her eyes, she hadn't realized what today was yet.
"It's your birthday, idiot! Alexa play 22 by Taylor Swift!" Ellie yelled this into the hallway as she flipped on Quinn's bedroom lights.
"Alexa," Quin commanded, "Do NOT play 22 by Taylor Swift," she yelled at the tiny machine before looking at her roommate, "I really don't want a noise complaint on my birthday."
"Whatever! Get up, we're having guests over," Ellie left without explaining further.
"Guests? At six in the morning? Hell no." Quinn closed her door and laid back in bed. Rose took the opportunity to lay on Quinn's chest and began purring. With the warmth and the vibration, Quinn could feel herself falling asleep again. Trying to resist the temptation, she picked up her phone and scrolled through Twitter, her favorite pastime.
#HappyBirthdayQuinn was trending, and Quinn found herself brought to tears by the sweet messages that people were leaving. A lot of them were encouraging messages about her being their comfort streamer, and some were talking about how she inspired others to start streaming. There was some fanart of her SMP character, and her Origins character, and some of her and the boys, it all made Quinn's sleepy brain fuzz with happiness. She felt her eyes get heavy and her phone slip out of her hands.
"Quinn, are you getting up?" Ellie called to her from the kitchen. But at that point, Quinn was asleep, and didn't respond.
Ellie came back to Quinn's door, opening it slowly, and she noticed that her best friend had fallen back asleep. Ellie smiled softly, and flipped the lights off. She would wake her up when people started to show up.
"Happy birthday Quinn," Ellie said quietly before going back into the kitchen to prepare breakfast.
It was almost two hours later, when the guests arrived at the tiny apartment that Quinn and Ellie shared.
"She's still asleep," Ellie pointed at the door that went into Quinn's room, and watched as they went to wake her, "Am I the best best friend ever, or what?"
"You are."
When Nick opened Quinn's bedroom door, he couldn't help but smile at the sleeping girl, who had a cat curled up on her chest. He was so happy to see her again, George smiled brightly beside him.
"Is she asleep?" Clay entered behind them, and both Nick and George shushed him, "Oops, sorry."
"Are you sure you're not gonna get in trouble for being here?" George asked Clay, Vanessa had actually grown on George more than he expected, his only problem with her now, was that she was a little controlling.
"What she doesn't know won't hurt her. Plus, I wouldn't miss Quinn's birthday for the world," Clay smiled fondly, watching as Tiki perked her head up, recognizing the voices. She meowed quietly, getting off of Quinn and sauntered over to the boys. When they pet her, she purred loudly.
"Clay you didn't tell Vanessa? What if she finds out? She'll flip," George whispered concerned.
"She won't," Clay felt a little bad, lying to his girlfriend. But he knew that if he mentioned wanting to see Quinn on her birthday, Vanessa would have found a way to make it about her.
"Aw, we miss you too Tiki," Nick spoke to the cat, who was rubbing her head against his palm.
Quinn stirred in her sleep, "Tiki?" she said with her eyes closed, noticing the absence of the cat.
"Meow," George said, imitating the cat who had sauntered over to Clay, begging to be held by her second favorite person in the world.
"Hello?" Quinn opened her eyes, and she thought her heart stopped beating, "What the-"
"Happy birthday!" The boys yelled in unison. Quinn jumped out of bed, and practically jumped into Nick's arms, hugging him first.
"What the hell?" She said smiling. Quinn felt like she was gonna cry, in her head, she made a mental note to thank Ellie a thousand times over. When Nick put her down, she rushed into George's arms, who hugged her affectionately.
"Happy birthday Quinn," George said into her shoulder, there was something so strange about hugging George, seeing as they were the same height and Quinn felt like she overpowered him in their embrace.
When George released Quinn, she took a step back, eyeing Clay hastily, "Can I... hug you?" She didn't know what was too far.
"Come here," Clay opened his arms to Quinn, and she stepped into his hug. Something about the way he held her, said all the things Clay wished he had said. It was an unspoken understanding, and it made up for his absence. For Quinn, it felt like home, it was what she had been missing, for three months.
"Happy Birthday," He said to her, tucking his chin on top of her head, trying to contain the fact that his heart was pounding very loud. Clay hoped Quinn couldn't hear it. She could.
Listening to his heartbeat reminded Quinn of the conversation she had with Clay's sister, when she told Quinn that the timing wasn't right for them. Quinn had secretly held onto the hope that there was going to be a right time for them.
The hug ended before it got awkward, and Quinn smiled at her boys, "Thank you guys for being here, sorry I was asleep, my CRAZY ASS ROOMMATE woke me up at the crack of dawn." Quinn looked at the clothes she slept in, seeing how disheveled she probably looked.
"I love you too!" Ellie yelled from her room, which was adjacent to Quinns.
"Well, get dressed stupid, I wanna eat breakfast," Nick ruffled Quinn's hair affectionately, before leading the other guys out into the kitchen. Quinn swore that Clay turned around again and smiled at her before he left.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh," Quinn yelled silently after they had gone. It had hit her what just happened. Her boys were here. Quinn checked out her closet to see what she could wear, thinking about a lot at once.
Ever since she saw Clay at the farmer's market, she had slowly let herself forgive him. She knew that she was an adult, and that it wasn't right to hold everything over his head. That would just be childish. It was unfair to her, but he wouldn't have acted so strongly if he wasn't trying to chase away his own feelings for Quinn. So she quietly unblocked him, and just hoped that one day their paths would cross again.
Once Quinn had gotten dressed, she went into the kitchen where the boys and Ellie were huddled around the counter, in conversation. Bruno sat at Nick's feet, as he glanced back and forth between his owner and the stranger, just hoping to get some attention.
Quinn was quick to notice the tension between Nick and Ellie. It was something she would have to bring up to Ellie later. She smirked at the two.
"There she is," Ellie greeted Quinn with a hug, "Happy birthday bestie."
"Thank you," Quinn buried her head into Ellie's shoulder, "thank you so much."
"Anything for my best friend," Ellie squeezed her tight, before letting her go and showing her the breakfast on the counter.
"You cooked?" Quinn's face lit up. Ellie nodded. Quinn teased her friend, "And it's edible?"
"More or less, there were a few failed attempts at the pancakes, but I think I figured it out." Ellie walked over to the coffee pot, and poured Quinn a cup of coffee, "Here, you all need to wake up."
Quinn noticed that each of the boys had their own cup of coffee and were quietly sipping it.
"We're not morning people," George said in defense. Quinn knew that if she looked in George's mug, it would be completely black coffee. It was one of the most surprising things about George, because he didn't drink coffee often, but when he did, he only took it black.
Everyone made a plate and began eating in silence. Quinn knew that Ellie was gonna have to take a nap, after exerting so much energy so early in the morning.
"So, what're the plans for today?" Clay asked Quinn, as if she had any idea.
"I mean I was gonna stream for a little bit, later, but because you guys are here I assume we're doing something?" Quinn asked surveying the rest of the group.
"Well, I planned on us all going out to dinner later, but the middle of the day is yours, Quinn, if you wanna stream for a bit that would be great, because then I can rest up," Ellie looked at Nick and George, "Maybe you guys can be in stream with her?"
"Of course!" Nick chirped, "Birthday stream? Hell yes."
Quinn smiled, eyeing Ellie cautiously, was she into Nick? Or was it just eight in the morning.
The group finished eating and Quinn was very aware of how close the guys were to her the whole time. It was like they were trying to compensate for not being together for the past three months. It made Quinn's stomach warm up.
Tiki had unexpectedly scampered under the kitchen table, which sent Bruno, who was sitting by Ellie's feet into a hissy fit.
"Bruno! Stop it," Ellie condemned before leading her dog into her bedroom and shutting the door.
"They don't like having to share a space," Quinn explains, "Tiki normally hides in my room, but I think she missed you guys."
"I think she misses Patches," Clay adds on, "She keeps brushing against my feet," he reached down to pet the cat.
"Patches misses you so much dude," Nick said, "Every time Vanessa walks in, Patches thinks it's you, and then scampers out when she realizes it's not."
After Nick said this, he mentally slapped himself, it probably wasn't the right thing to say. But Quinn recovered quickly not letting it bother her.
"I miss Patches too, it's different having a dog and a cat chasing each other, opposed to two cats. How is Vanessa?" It was only polite to ask, it's not like she could ignore his girlfriend's existence as much as she wanted to.
"She's alright," Clay nodded, he was trying his best not to feel awkward.
"Guys let's take a picture," George changed the subject, and saved everyone from the awkward tension. He pulled out his phone and took a selfie of the group. Quinn was sandwiched between Clay and Nick, with Ellie on one side and George on the other. Tiki was sitting in Clay's lap, purring, "Twitter is going to die."
A moment later everyone's phone buzzed at the table, and they all went to like George's tweet.
Woke up in this weird girl's house. Found out it's her birthday? Happy birthday.
"George, why do you have to say it like that?" Quinn laughed, responding to the tweet.
These weird guys woke me up this morning. They're in my house now, help. (thank you george).
It was beginning to feel normal again. And for that, Quinn was thankful. Each of the boys tweeted a small happy birthday message, Nick's consisted of a video of Quinn standing on the kitchen counter at the house, yelling at him to catch the lizard that was running around. The message was short and sweet. I'll always catch lizards for you. Happy 22nd Quinn.
Clay's was special. He always had a way of adding another level of sentiment, and Quinn knew he did it on purpose. The picture he used was one from their trip to North Carolina, when the four of them went to visit Karl in December. They had been sitting next to each other, both in sweatshirts, under a shared blanket. You couldn't tell in the picture but Clay had been holding her hand. The only give away to this was Quinn's tinted Cheeks, which she blamed on the cold. George had snapped the picture, and Clay had looked at it whenever he wanted to be reminded of how close he and Quinn were. The message was almost cryptic. Always gonna be here for you, even in the snow. Happy birthday to one of my best friends <3.
Clay knew Vanessa would probably get upset over his post, but she had to understand the picture was taken before he met her. She couldn't get too jealous.
"What did you guys want to stream?" Quinn said, glancing at the clock. It was one in the afternoon. After breakfast, the group had piled on the couch to watch a movie that Quinn picked out, of course. And now she was in her room sitting at her desk, the boys sharing her bed. Ellie had taken the opportunity to take a nap, before getting everyone to go out to dinner.
"Well why don't you do like a Minecraft stream," Clay suggested, "You haven't done one of those in a while."
Quinn wasn't gonna question how he knew that, but instead opened OBS.
"What if you tried to beat the game, while we distracted you?" Nick offered. None of them had the ability to join the game with her, so being on face cam was the most they could participate.
"Or you could do item hunting, where we say things that you have to collect, and you have five minutes to get it?" George had seen someone else do this, and thought it would be a good idea.
"That sounds like it could be fun," Quinn agreed, "but go easy on me, will you?"
"No way, my first item's gonna be Netherrack," Clay teased. He had turned his phone on silent, and was starting to relax a little bit. If he squinted hard enough it was almost like Quinn was home with them.
As she started her stream, she tweeted out a small message letting everyone know that she was streaming.
Birthday Stream w Dream, George, and Sapnap! Join Now!
It did not take long at all for her chat to be flooded with birthday messages.
"Hello!" Clay greeted.
"Hey guys," Nick waved to the camera.
"Hello," George smiled.
"Hi guys, welcome back to the stream! As you can see I have some wonderful guests today, and we're gonna do a Minecraft.... Item hunt? Is that what it's called George?" Quinn looked to the British man as he explained how the game would work.
"But before we do anything, it's Quinn's birthday, and we have to sing her happy birthday!" Clay amused himself.
"I am not singing," Nick fake pouted, crossing his arms.
"Guys you really don't have t-" Quinn started, but was cut off by George and Clay who broke out into a very loud rendition of Happy Birthday, which made Quinn burst into a fit of giggles. She watched as Nick, very unwillingly, sang with them. She thanked them when they ended the song.
"Okay, let's get this thing started," Quinn said, loading up Minecraft, "What's the order that you guys are going in?"
"I wanna go first," George exclaimed, followed by Nick and then Clay.
"Okay, so I have five minutes to get whatever you tell me to and if not?" Quinn was trying to think of a punishment.
"Just end stream, no goodbye, nothing, just end." Clay decided. Quinn nodded at him. This was going to be easy enough.
Quinn spawned in the middle of a dark oak forest, "Oh for fuck's sake," She whispered, she knew how big these forests normally were.
"Five minutes... Find a hay bale," George wanted to give Quinn an easy first item. All she had to do was find a village.
"A hay bale? I have to get to a village," Quinn's character started sprinting hoping to find the edge of the forest. The boys behind her tried to be as distracting as possible. At one point, Quinn was pretty sure that Nick started humming the speedrunning music. Quinn tried to zone out and focus on finding a village, finally getting her character out of the big forest. She ran in the direction of the plains biome, normally she could find a village somewhere around there.
"This makes me anxious," Quinn commented, making sure she was being entertaining enough for her viewers, but still trying to win the challenge.
Quinn ended up finding the hay bale with thirty seconds to spare. And then it was Nick's turn. The items she ended up collecting were a hay bale, iron ore, andesite, a bone, a bucket of lava, netherrack, soul sand, and a gold ingot. Quinn ended up dying in the nether and that ended the challenge, she was trying to collect a blaze rod in the fortress and burned to death instead.
"That was really fun," Quinn said to the guys as she ended the stream, closing OBS, "It would be cool if you guys were in game with me though."
"We'll have to keep it in mind for the future," Nick stood from Quinn's bed and stretched.
"What time did Ellie make plans for dinner?" Quinn asked, hoping that one of them knew.
"She said seven o'clock," George remembered something about seven o'clock, but he was pretty sure that was the reservation time.
"Did she mention where?" Knowing Ellie it was something over the top.
"No but she made us all pack a change of 'nice' clothes," Nick half-mumbled, not knowing how much he was supposed to be giving away.
"She's gonna make me wear a dress, isn't she" Quinn grumbled, "I hate when she does that."
"Do you still have that black dress that you liked?" Clay asked, and Quinn had almost forgotten he was with her when she bought it.
"Actually, I might," Quinn moved to her closet, searching through the hangers, until she pulled out a black dress.
"You should wear that, it looks nice on you," it was a simple compliment, but Quinn felt her chest warm up. Before she could respond, her phone started vibrating on the desk, she was getting a phone call.
When Clay looked at it, he frowned, it was a random number. He handed her phone to her, and then pulled out his own. Upon seeing his lock screen, he grimaced and left the room, "Don't answer that, I'll take care of it."
It was too late, Quinn had already accepted the call.
"I know he's with you."
Quinn knew very well who was calling her. It made sense why Clay had left the room, she had probably texted him numerous times.
"I'm sorry, who is this?" Quinn feigned ignorance.
"It's Vanessa. Clay's girlfriend. I know he's with you, I saw it on your stream just now." She sounded annoyed. Shocker.
"Oh I thought you said you weren't a fan of mine," Quinn pointed out, "Well thank you for watching."
"Tell him to come home," Vanessa said harshly. And Quinn's mouth fell open slightly, Nick and George watched her with intent.
"I'm not gonna do that. He's an adult and can make decisions for himself," Quinn wasn't gonna take this shit from Vanessa, not on her birthday.
"I'm not surprised. This is really selfish of you Quinn," Vanessa spat into the phone. Quinn had to hold back her scoff.
"It's my birthday. I didn't invite him, he surprised me, it's not my selfish decision that I was born today, you are arguing with the wrong person," Quinn put her foot down.
"Well, I think you should have a little bit more respect for our relationship, " Vanessa sighed into the phone, "besides, if you didn't invite him then you should have no problem kicking him out."
"Maybe. If you weren't so controlling he wouldn't have to hide things from you. I'm not kicking him out. Take your concerns up with him." Quinn hung up on her. She looked at Nick and George who had the same look of surprise on their faces, "What does he see in her?"
"Vanessa had a really shitty ex-boyfriend, and I think he likes the idea of protecting her," Nick spoke softly, Quinn faltered for a moment. Is that really why he didn't fight harder for her? Vanessa's tragic backstory? Nick must've noticed her change in composure. "Quinn, stop, it's not like you did anything wrong. I think he just knows you don't need protecting."
"Yeah, well, Vanessa isn't the only one with a shitty ex," Quinn crossed her arms, she tried not to think about Marcus anymore, "I never mentioned it to you guys, but before I moved in with you guys, early in my career I had gotten out of a relationship that went south. Really south."
****
"What happened?" George asked, and Nick slapped his arm.
"Not on her birthday, dude."
"No it's okay," Quinn reassured him, she hadn't spoken to anyone but Ellie about Marcus, it was something she had pretended didn't exist, "When we broke up, he lost his mind. He texted me, called me, came to where I used to work, emailed me, messaged me on social media, any way that he could get in contact with me he tried. He threatened to hurt himself if I didn't get back with him. I called the police, but they said there was nothing they could do unless something actually happened. He gaslit me for months after we broke up. I hadn't started streaming yet because he threatened to watch me there too. I had to change my number. I moved out of my moms house, and she moved out of state. I don't talk to her anymore because she blames me for pushing her away. And then one night, I got a call from the police. Marcus had killed himself, and in the note he left, he addressed it to me."
The room was still. Quinn had chills all over her body. She remembered that night so vividly. She remembered his words so clearly, and the way that he wrote to her was almost like a code, as if it was something she had to figure out. Quinn didn't sleep for weeks after that night. Even though it has been over two years, sometimes she'll get nervous when she gets random phone calls, like the one Vanessa had just been a part of.
"I had no idea," Nick moved to Quinn and pulled her into a hug, "I'm so sorry Quinn."
She felt numb in Nick's arms, but she hugged him back, knowing that he was trying to comfort her.
****
"I never told you guys, because it wasn't something that I wanted to remember. When I met Clay, it felt like a new beginning. I was new to streaming, and we had been in a group VC and then he dm'ed me and asked if I wanted to stream 1-on-1 with him some time. It was a breath of fresh air. And then I met you guys and everything was okay again, I moved in and things felt perfect. And then Vanessa was added into the equation and I knew I had to comply with her. She reminded me of him. Even now, the way she called me selfish, the way she wanted him to leave immediately, it was so demanding. I'm afraid she's gonna put him through hell when he decides he wants to be done," Quinn sighed, "But that's life I guess."
"Quinn I-" George was at a loss for words.
"I'm so sorry," Quinn looked up from the floor, where she had previously been staring, and saw Clay who looked flushed with concern.
"It's fine really, people change, people grow... How much did you hear?" Quinn said in defeat.
"I heard all of it," Clay put his hands in his pockets, knowing that Quinn was able to recover all on her own, put into perspective how strong she really was, Clay was embarrassed at himself for underestimating her, "I'm really sorry. I never would have... If I had known-"
"I didn't tell you," Quinn felt like it was the only sentence she could say right now, "I didn't want you guys to pity me, or think that I was vulnerable and hurting. Cause I'm not."
Clay did something a little unexpected. He crossed the room and pulled Quinn into a hug. It took her by surprise, and she felt her eyes water. She needed this. He held her with his arms around her waist and her head in his chest, and he wanted to feel that she was alright. Clay was the protector, he had never known Quinn to need protecting. She had always been charismatic and light hearted, so he knew that her opening up was hard for her.
"I'm not leaving," he said, holding her tightly, "I told Vanessa she was just going to have to deal with it for today."
Quinn stepped back and gave him a small smile, "Aren't you guys gonna fight over that?"
"Probably," Clay put his hands back in his pockets, "but you're one of my best friends, I'm not gonna ditch you on your birthday."
Quinn felt a blush creep onto her face. Before she could react or respond, Ellie's voice filled Quinn's room.
"What the hell?" She asked from the doorway, "Who died?"
"Marcus." Quinn responded, and Ellie seemed to understand. Quinn found herself smiling, at Ellie, at George, at Nick, at Clay, at the fact that she wasn't as alone as she used to think. She had her people.
"Well dinner, the reservation is at 6:30, so you should probably start getting ready Quinn, it's nearly four-thirty," Ellie pointed out.
George shrugged, "I was close."
Quinn ushered the boys out of her room, so she could change. They all sauntered out to the car, where each of them had packed a bag of nice clothes to wear for dinner. Ellie closed the door behind her as Quinn changed, looking at her best friend with wide eyes.
"What?" Quinn asked, stepping out of her clothes, "What happened?"
"I may or may not have heard a certain boyfriend on the phone," Ellie paused for dramatic effect, and Quinn gasped.
"Shut up!" She whispered in disbelief, "What did he say?"
"He totally stuck up for you. He was all 'Babe it's literally her birthday' and 'No I'm not leaving,' and get this! He said and I quote, 'You know I care about her, you're gonna have to just deal with me not being home today.' Isn't that crazy?" Ellie was practically shaking with excitement.
"He was being a good friend," Quinn had to find the reason for everything. She wasn't gonna let herself look too far into it, "You look pretty by the way."
"Thank you," Ellie had been in the middle of curling her hair when she overheard the conversation, and followed to see what was going to happen next. She hadn't put her dress on yet, but Quinn had an image of which one she was probably gonna wear, "But that's not the point!"
"Oh also," Quinn continued to ignore her persistence, "Are you crushing on Nick? It's totally fine if you were, but I was just getting a vibe and I had to see for myself."
"What? I- Quinn, NOT THE POINT." Ellie had turned a shade of pink herself. Quinn laughed at this.
"Go finish getting ready, we'll talk later," Quinn was going to make sure they would not be talking later.
As she got ready, Quinn let her mind enquire about a few things, trying to ignore what Ellie had overheard. She was straightening her hair and decided that she wanted to play music, so she played some from her phone. Nick walked in wearing grey dress pants and a black button up shirt.
"You look handsome," Quinn mused at him as he sat on her bed.
"Yeah, yeah," Nick pulled his phone out to scroll through, "You look very pretty."
"Thanks Nick," Quinn smiled at him in the mirror, she felt like she was home with them again, "Oh! I wanted to ask you something,"
"Okay, shoot," Nick said, not looking up.
"You don't happen to like Ellie, do you?" Quinn watched as he jolted the slightest before recovering himself.
"She's cool, if that's what you mean," He played it off.
"Nick... You know what I mean," Quinn smirked, by his reaction, she knew.
"That's classified," He stood from her bed, blushing, "Is it obvious?"
"Only to me," Quinn nodded, "You guys would be nice together."
Nick nearly face palmed and left the room as Quinn finished getting ready.
Everyone met in the living room, and Quinn had to remind herself to breathe. Clay was wearing his nice khaki pants, with his white button up, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He looked incredibly handsome. George was wearing Black pants and a navy blue shirt, a color that complimented him nicely. Ellie was wearing her red dress, and Quinn side eyed Nick who was looking anywhere but at her.
"Ready to go?" Ellie surveyed the group, before grabbing her purse that was on the counter.
"Oh yeah, let me just grab my shoes," Quinn scampered to her room, and grabbed a pair of thick black heels, before returning to the living room. She discovered that all of the group had left already, heading to the cars, except for Clay, "Oh you didn't have to wait for me."
"I wanted to," he smiled, watching as she put her shoes on standing up, not an easy task, "You look beautiful, Quinn."
"Don't do that," She gave him a knowing smile and shook her head, "Don't call me beautiful, when you have a girlfriend who hates my guts."
"I'm being honest," Clay shrugged, everything about his tone was sincere, "But in that case. You look very pretty."
"Thank you, Clay," Quinn smiled at him and started to make her way out, him following behind her.
Once everyone was in the parking lot, Ellie had instructed that the boys meet them at the restaurant, before saying that she was gonna text Nick the directions. Quinn just shook her head knowingly.
The drive to the restaurant was filled with giggles, and loud music. Quinn felt like a teenager again, getting in a fancy dress and going to eat with her friends, she hadn't done this in a while. Ellie played her variety of bad music, screaming the songs at the top of her lungs as Quinn focused on driving.
At the restaurant, the waiter led the group to a table and Quinn found herself sitting between Clay and George, Ellie and Nick sitting across from them. It was only awkward for a second, when Ellie realized this, but she recovered from it, like a champ. The group made small talk until the waiter came to take their order.
Waiting for their food Quinn was looking over Clay's shoulder, watching Tik Tok with him. Something about how close they were felt nostalgic. Even worse, it didn't feel wrong, to be this close with him. He would hum every once in a while at a funny video, and would glance sideways a little bit, to see if Quinn was laughing too. It was a small moment, but it was incredibly sweet.
George felt a little bit like he was fifth wheeling, but it was okay, because in his eyes, Clay and Nick would be taken care of, as long as Clay made the right choice. He tweeted something hoping it would go unnoticed.
Sitting at dinner with the gang feels more like I crashed a double date....
Was he trying to cause chaos? Yes, of course. But it was all from the goodness of his heart. He didn't trust Vanessa, at all. He couldn't sit idly by and watch as she controlled his best friend. Was it a little unwarranted? Of course. But he would do it again in a heartbeat.
When the food came, everyone mostly ate in silence, enjoying the good meal in front of them. Ellie and Quinn probably talked the most, chatting with each other about various things, her upcoming streams, what they were doing in the week, what they should get at the store, basic stuff.
Clay was trying to picture Vanessa here. He knew she didn't fit, and she would ultimately cause drama, if all of Clay's attention wasn't on her. He frowned, in the worst way, he was glad she wasn't here.
After everyone was finished eating, Clay insisted on paying, despite Quinn and Ellie's many attempts to persuade him otherwise. The group stood from the table and exited the building, thanking the waiter and the hostess.
Outside, Quinn began saying goodbye to the boys, as they decided that they were gonna go straight home from the restaurant. She hugged each of them tightly, not knowing the next time she would be seeing them. Everyone went to their designated ride.
"Quinn," Clay stopped her, "I wanted to apologize."
"For what?" She looked at him with confusion.
"For Vanessa, she can be a little... temperamental, you didn't deserve to be yelled at by her." He couldn't look at Quinn in the eyes, he was too afraid that he was gonna tell her everything if she met his eyes. He knew that he had put Quinn through enough, and that she deserved so much better than the guy who made her a second choice.
Quinn could read the internal battle on his face, she reached out and touched his arm, "Don't apologize, it's okay, I can handle it." Quinn herself was having an internal argument, Clay had always made protecting a priority, but this time it was him who needed help, even though he wouldn't ask for it.
"I probably won't be able to hear from you for a while," he said honestly, "Vanessa was pretty upset that I stayed."
"She shouldn't have that much control over you, it's not healthy Clay," Quinn crossed her arms, "even if she was worried about me, that doesn't give her the right to control your life."
"I know, and we're working on it," Clay looked away, she was right. As she normally was.
"It'll be okay, " Quinn didn't know whose sake she was saying that for, "I promise."
Clay pulled her into a hug, one more time, not knowing how long it would be before he could see her again. When they broke the embrace, Quinn looked at him, not wanting to go yet, even though she knew she had to.
"We'll see each other soon," She nodded, she was lying and she knew it. Still hearing it made her believe that it was true, "Goodbye Clay," she said before boldly standing on her tippy toes, and kissing him on the cheek.
As she walked away, Clay was left with a blush that crept onto his cheeks, and an ache that surrounded his heart.