I rubbed my side and took one of the clean bowls from the dish rack.
“You all right?” Quinn asked, coming up to the stove and stirring the stew with a ladle.
“Swell.”
With a snort, Quinn grabbed my bowl and filled it with stew. “Eat up.”
I took it to the table, grabbed a spoon and dug in. The hot, meaty gravy hit my tongue with an explosion of flavor and comfort. Quinn was perched on the end of the table, fiddling his thumbs.
I pointed my spoon toward him. “What happened to your wrist?”
Quinn yanked his sleeve further down. “Nothing much. Light sprain is all. Happens teaching self-defense sometimes. It’ll be fine in a day or so.” He slid off the table, grabbed his laptop from the glass coffee table in front of the couch and settled on the couch to work.
As soon as I’d licked my bowl clean, I rinsed it and quietly snuck into my bedroom. It was strange constantly sharing the same space with someone, and I wasn’t yet sure where the line was drawn when it came to encroaching on Quinn’s privacy.
I tucked myself into bed with my laptop and emailed a student named Garret, who’d been rescued by The Raven last year. After that, I sent Mom a quick update on my roommate, and then I swapped the laptop for my English Literature readings.
Alone in my room was fine. It was normal, and it... well, there was something comforting about knowing there was someone in the next room.
Dum-da-da-dum-dumcame a knock at my door.
I straightened. “Yes?”
Quinn opened the door and let himself in, swinging his armsinto a clap. “See, the thing is,” he said and jumped onto the bed, pinning one of my feet. I wedged it free. “You don’t have a TV.”
“It’s not my thing,” I said, slipping a bookmark into my book and resting it on the second pillow.
“I’ve been bored out of my mind the last few nights,” he said as he laid himself on his side and propped his head up with his elbow.
“Don’t you have studying to do?”
“I can’t be studying all the time, I’d go nuts.”
I glanced at my required reading. “You could invite someone over if you like. I won’t disturb you.”
“Don’t have anyone I want to invite over right now.”
“Not Shannon? Hunter?”
“Nope.” He shook his head sadly. “Shannon is taking Hunter out to dinner tonight.”
“Is there something wrong with that?” I asked.
“No. It’s just... she tries too hard sometimes. Not that she’d ever listen to me when it comes to Hunter.”
I thought back to the moment at Crazy Mocha Coffee. “She’s very protective of him. I’m sure that’s normal for a sibling.”
Quinn plucked at the blankets close to my toes. “Yeah, sometimes.” He pinched my foot. “Let’s play some cards or something. Game?”
I hesitated a moment and then pointed toward the small bookshelf I had in the corner next to the dresser.
“Third shelf from the top. And Quinn?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m good at cards.”
Chief Benedict leaned backin his chair and gazed at each of us sitting around the oval table. I sat at the perfect angle—the Cathedral of Learning looked like an extension of his prominence.
