“Why?”
“Because she left us. With him. She left me.”
Quinn presses his hand over my heart. “Whatever you’re feeling is the right way to feel. There are no rules. No right or wrong. You feel how you feel.”
“Why do I still love her?” I didn’t think I did, but love burns for her in my heart, barbed and painful.
“Because you do.”
I cough out a laugh. “You make it sound so simple.”
“It is. Our heads and hearts are complicated places. There doesn’t have to be any logic to the way we feel. We don’t have to be able to explain it. You love her. You miss her. That’s all that matters. Don’t try to twist your emotions into some kind of mould.”
I blink fiercely. “The card I was looking at last night… it’s for a private investigator who specialises in tracking down missing family members. Missing. She’s only missing from our perspective. I’m sure she knows exactly where she is.” I wipe my hand over my face. “I’m sorry.”
“What for?”
“Ruining our date.”
Quinn smiles. “You haven’t ruined anything. I’m glad you feel able to talk to me. We might live together, but we don’t know each other that well. Yet.” He plays with the buttons on my coat. “I still want a second date.”
“So do I.”
He tips his head back a fraction, which I take as an invitation. I kiss him softly, as I did in the bar. He dips a little and leans against me. In response, I tighten my grip and pull him against my chest, happy to hold him up if that’s what he needs. His heartbeat is swift like a bird’s. He strokes his fingers over my jaw, his touch tender and light. I cup his cheek as our lips part and stoop to rest our foreheads together. He’s almost three inches shorter than me.
“I really like you.”
He smiles. “The feeling’s mutual.” He straightens, fully bearing his own weight again.
I lift my head and look around. “The rain’s stopped.”
“That’s a shame.”
“Why?”
“I was enjoying hiding here with you.”
“We can stay here.”
“It’s a bit cold to stay out much longer.”
“True.”
I hold his hand and lead him out of the bandstand. There are puddles everywhere, making it impossible to take two steps without having to dodge or walk through one. It’s not long before the bottom of my trousers is soaked through. There’s still drizzle in the air, enough to dampen our skin and hair without drenching us. Maybe we should have stayed in the bandstand longer.
“Where would you like to go on our second date? Another bar? The cinema?”
Quinn shakes his head. “Have you ever seen me stay awake for a whole film?”
“No.”
“And that’s just at the house, with the lights on. Now imagine a dark, cosy cinema.”
I can, easily. I can also imagine putting my arm around his shoulders while he sleeps with his cheek pressed against my chest. It’s probably an inappropriate thing to daydream about.
“I could take you out for dinner.”
Quinn smiles. “Dinner would be nice.”
