Quinn nodded her head. Madison had managed to sum Rory up quite nicely. Quinn ran a hand through her thick dark hair.
“What are you thinking?” Madison asked, her voice thoughtful.
“I’m thinking that I should go ahead and have that conversation with Autumn.”
“Just like that?”
Quinn swallowed hard. She considered her answer.
“It looks as though Rory is coming whether I want her here or not. But who cares? I’m not worried about Rory. I want to be with Autumn. I waited two months just for the chance to ask her out. And being with her is amazing. I’ll be damned if Rory is going to come between us.”
Quinn was surprised by her own sureness. She rose from the booth. Autumn worked from home, so Quinn knew where she’d be.
“Good for you. Rory is in the past where she belongs,” Madison assured her. She gave Quinn a tight squeezing hug. Quinn offered her friend a smile and walked towards the door.
Autumn was exactly where Quinn expected her. She seemed overjoyed to see Quinn. It was enough to break down every wall Quinn had put up.
“I wasn’t expecting you,” said excitedly. She brought Quinn in for a huge hug. Autumn pulled back and studied Quinn’s face.
“What’s bringing you by?”
“There’s something I want to talk to you about.”
Autumn raised an eyebrow. She was clearly studying her. There was something about the weight of Autumn’s gaze that shook Quinn’s core. A quiver of doubt ran through Quinn. Autumn caught her momentary hesitation and took a halfstep forward. Autumn took her hand and wound their fingers together.
“Whatever it is, I’m sure it’ll be okay.”
Quinn wasn’t so sure. This thing between the two of them had been wonderfully uncomplicated. Having an ex that refused to give up was messy. Was it too messy for Autumn? Quinn wouldn’t know if she didn’t allow the woman inside.
“It’s my ex,” Quinn began.
“The one who cheated on you?”
“Yes.”
“What about her?”
Autumn’s tone remained calm. She was the picture of composure. But Quinn didn’t miss the way she took a step back and crossed her arms. Quinn’s heart tightened, would letting Autumn in mean losing her forever?
“She’s planning to come see me at the bar. I told her not to. I told her that I don’t want to see her. But she’s planning to come anyway.”
“You can’t do much about it. If she wants to come, then she will. But if you don’t want to see her, why not just avoid her once she gets here? Surely, she’ll lose interest eventually.”
“She found something I’ve been looking for since I moved. A necklace from my grandmother. I told her to just mail it. But Rory insists on a face to face. I’m afraid if I don’t meet up with her at the bar I won’t get the necklace back.”
Quinn met Autumn’s blue eyes. She expected to see judgement, but all she saw was concern instead.
“I’m sorry. It’s really shitty that she’s not taking what you want into consideration. What can I do to help? Do you want me to be there with you?”
Quinn fought every urge inside of her to throw her arms around Autumn and pull her close.
“I was afraid you would be mad,” Quinn confessed.
“I am mad, just not at you. I’m mad that she’s not listening to what you want. And she’s holding something she knows is valuable to you hostage. She’s being very selfish. But there’s no reason to be angry with you. You’ve done everything you can, but you can’t control her. Besides, the two of us aren’t exactly official. You could technically date someone else if you wanted,” Autumn explained.
Quinn reached out to grab Autumn by the waist, pulling her in close.
“Do you want to be?” Quinn asked.
