“Okay. I’m… sorry, no one has ever asked me that before. I’m not sure how to answer.”
“He’s a great listener,” Matty said, rescuing me.
“Am I?” I raised my brows.
“Yeah, remember the other day when I was telling you I thought that ingrown hair on my neck was infected? And you didn’t walk away.”
“That was only because Brandon was holding me down.”
“And he’s funny.” Mike jumped into the compliment game. “You wouldn’t think so by looking at him, because I mean, come on, he looks like a douche. But jokes really are funnier when he tells them.”
“Gee, thanks.” I laughed.
“And he’s a good guy,” Brandon said, surprising me. He wasn’t the sentimental type. “When I first auditioned, I was determined to hate him. I thought he was a poser who’d only gotten where he was through nepotism, but the night we met, he told us why he picked us to be in his band and his reasoning—it was deep, man. From that point on, I had nothing but respect for him.”
And just like that, the guys saved me from the black hole the interview was spiraling into.
“I have one last question that I promised my friend’s daughter I would ask. Quinn, are you single?”
“I am.” I grinned, coolly sliding my fingers through my fringe. On Tucker’s advice, and that of thousands of internet girls, I’d decided not to grow my hair back to shoulder length just yet. Besides, Jess liked it short. Not that it mattered since she hadn’t been found. Tucker’s guy had looked for her, but I hadn’t been able to provide enough identifying information to pull her up in a search.
The more days that passed without her, the more I realized how much I wanted her. Jess had become my obsession. Every show I scanned the crowd. Every car with a RYde sticker on the back, I peered in the window. And every opportunity I had to jump into bed with another girl to forget Jess ever existed—I passed on. Yes, that’s right, I’d become a born-again virgin at the exact point in my life when females were literally dropping in my lap.
“But I do have a crush on a girl named Jess.”
It just slipped out. Totally unplanned, but the minute I said it, there was no taking it back.
“Oh really?” The host’s perfectly arched brows lifted higher. “And does Jess also have a crush?”
“That’s the big question. I’m not sure.”
I explained her being called away in the middle of our date and getting the wrong phone number from her.
“Can’t you just look her up?” Matty asked.
“I could if I had her last name, but I don’t. The only thing I can do now is wait and hope she reaches out to me. So Jess, if you’re out there…” I looked into the camera. “Call me.”
“How is she going to do that if she doesn’t have your number?” Brandon questioned.
“Oh.” I winced. “Yeah. Okay. Let me try that again. Jess, contact me through social media. I don’t care which one. I just have to see you again.”
Matty leaned in, overly invested in the story. “Dude, not smart. You need a glass slipper. Something Jess can slip her foot into and prove she’s the real Jess; otherwise you’ll get a million women sending you DMs.”
“Oh yes,” the host said, “I like this. A modern Cinderella story. You can have her answer a question only she would know.”
I knew just the one. Looking into the camera, I said, “Jess. Don’t leave me hanging. Contact me and answer this one question, so I know it’s you. Where did I want you to take me the day we met?”
18
Jess: Jesserella
Ilearned of Quinn’s mighty quest from the local barista. I wasn’t exactly sure where I’d been for the past few days, but it certainly wasn’t anywhere near social media or I would have seen my name trending right alongside a certain promising young rock star. My only excuse for being out of touch was that Noah had no outlet for his pent-up energy and I had become his power cord. I worked all day and played all night. But not the fun kind of play. No, this was eight-year-old boy fun, which meant it either included electronics or copious amounts of bodily fluids.
But I’d managed to drop him off at school early today, and now I had twenty minutes of ‘me’ time to sip coffee and stare off into the abyss.
“Jess,” the barista called.
She watched me intently as I approached the counter, a smile stretching across her face. I looked behind me to see if there was anyone more worthy of her attention, but no, it appeared to be me she was rooting for.
