“Tell me who you are, Jess,” Quinn said, breaking the silence with his simple question as we lay in bed afterward—me settled into the crook of his arm.
It was clear Quinn was expecting a profound reply. But I wasn’t an enigma. I was just a girl—living.
“I mean, I know you’re a cool chick. Adventurous. Quick-witted. Caring. But who are you really? What do you think about when you lay your head on the pillow every night?”
That he cared to even ask set him apart.
“Honestly,” I said as I turned toward him, “lately… you.”
He smiled. “Obviously.”
I agreed. “Obviously.”
I got a kiss for my answer, but from the expectant look on his face he wanted more. Sighing, I answered his question. “I’m a girl who holds tight to what is hers.”
Quinn studied me, absently sliding a strand of my hair though his fingers. “See, I knew you wouldn’t give me a generic answer. You’re too deep for that.”
“I’m really not that deep. I want what everyone wants—to not lose the things I have.”
“Like?”
“Noah. My job. My family. My apartment.”
“Me?” he asked presumptuously.
I circled my finger over his chest. “Yes, and you.”
A still fell over us. What was he thinking?
“What about you, Quinn?” I asked, trying to coax him from his silence. “What doyouthink about when you lay your head on the pillow every night?”
“What don’t I think about is a better question.”
“You have a lot going on inside your head?”
“Normally, it’s like a battlefield in there, but lately things have calmed down.”
My heart pumped a little faster. Did I have something to do with this easing of the mind?
“What’s changed?” I whispered.
Quinn averted his gaze, fixating instead on the ceiling. “I don’t know. I feel different.”
The teasing words spilled out before I could stop them. “Oh, my god. Please tell me you weren’t a virgin.”
He laughed hard at that. “What part of today made you think that?”
My body instantly reacted to his suggestion, especially with the finger that was now lazily trailing along my skin.
“I’m kidding. Tell me,” I insisted. “How do you feel different?”
The pause was so pronounced that I wasn’t sure he would answer… but I shouldn’t have doubted him. “With you, I don’t feel like I have to prove myself. It’s like a weight has been lifted from me. I can’t explain it, but that’s why I pursued you the way I did. It’s almost like I needyou—in order to beme.”
His answer hit me in the feels. He was a surprisingly introspective guy.
“When we first met, Quinn, you said you wanted to be seen. I thought it was an odd thing to say because you’re such a big personality. Everyone is watching you, wanting to be like you. Yet you don’t feel that way about yourself.”
“It’s just…” Quinn closed his eyes, drawing in a deep breath. Something I’d said hit a raw spot. “Never mind, I shouldn’t complain.”
