“What! Peas are the best.”
“They’re gross.” I scrunch my nose and shudder at the thought, making him laugh, and I too join in.
It feels weird to laugh.
It’s a good feeling.
“You should laugh more often, it suits you,” he says, his eyes kind and sincere.
I hold his gaze for a few moments before I tear my eyes away and carry on eating.
Thankfully, for the remainder of our meal, he doesn’t press for any more answers, and after he insists on paying for the food, we head out.
We reach his car, and he opens the door for me. “Come on, I'll drop you home.”
Shit, if he drops me home, he’ll see the dump of a neighbourhood I live in.
“Um... no, it's okay. Just drop me off at college and I can walk. It's not far, honest.”
“Quinn, I couldn’t live with myself if anything happen to you on your way home. At least if I drop you off myself I'll know you're safe. Please let me drive you home.”
Knowing that I’m losing this battle, I concede, slipping past him and climbing into his car. He shuts the door and rounds his side before sliding in behind the wheel.
He gives me a comforting smile as he turns the key in the ignition, his car rumbling to life.
Chapter 12
Dwight
She's still not telling me everything. I just know it. She’s being vague and evasive with her answers, but I don’t want to push her, because she’ll become defensive and close herself off even more.
Every now and again I glance over to her where she sits beside me in the passenger seat, and notice how she avoids looking my way, how she fidgets with her hands nervously in her lap, and all I can think of is reaching over and touching her, hold her hand and reassure her that she’s safe.
“It’s the one up there on the right, just by that tree,” Quinn says, snapping me back to reality, as she points to the house, and I pull up to the curb outside and switch off the engine.
I take off my seatbelt and reach for the door handle.
“What are you doing?” she asks.
“Before you argue, I’m walking you inside.” I hop out of the car and round her side, opening the door for her. She grabs her bag from the foot well and steps onto the sidewalk.
I take a quick disapproving glance either side of the street, noticing a homeless man lying in the doorway to one of the houses across the road and a group of kids huddled together in a circle, probably dealing drugs.
Quinn shouldn’t be living on a street like this.
We walk side by side up the narrow path leading to the front door, and once we're inside, we make it up four flights of stairs until we finally reach her apartment. The corridor is dark and narrow, a couple of the lights overhead flickering.We stop outside her door and she turns to me.
“Thank you for dinner and for dropping me home.”
“It’s no problem, Quinn. What kind of teacher would I be if I let you starve? Do you have your phone?” I ask.
“Yeah, why?”
I hold my hand out and she pulls it out of her pocket and places it in my palm. “I don’t like you living in this neighbourhood, it’s not safe for a girl like you.” I add myself into her contacts, send a text from her phone to mine so I have her number, and hand the phone back to her.
“A girl like me?”
“All I mean is, you’re a young woman living alone on a neighbourhood renowned for crime, you’re easy prey. Just promise me you’ll be careful.”
