‘Would something have happened, Noah?’ Quinn whispered. ‘If Matty hadn’t walked in?’
Noah bit his lip, almost making any reserve Quinn possessed wither into pieces. ‘That was another thing.’ Noah moved closer to Quinn. ‘I wanted to kiss you last night, Quinn.’
This couldn’t be happening. Quinn threw his head back, leaning against the sofa. He glared at the ceiling, aware that Noah stared at him.
‘Poor Matty.’
‘I’m not saying anything has to happen,’ Noah said. ‘Especially with what’s happened between me and Matty. But we’ve not been good for the whole year. I’m surprised we’ve lasted this long. It’s not your fault. The relationship was over and it ran its course. It’s just… You helped speed up the process.’
If what Noah said was true, Quinn could feel somewhat better about the ordeal. Sure, maybe he’d been the crux, or the straw that broke the camel’s back, but that was it. He’d stepped in at the last moment when the foundations were ready to cave in.
‘This is … a lot.’
‘I appreciate that.’
Quinn fixed Noah with a stare that he hoped told him he was in control of the situation. Even if he felt anything but. ‘You mean it when you say it wasn’t my fault?’
‘Yes. You remember when I spoke about being heartbroken?’ Noah asked, and Quinn nodded. ‘Well, I’ve been heartbroken for about six months. Because I haven’t had the heart to tell Matty that it’s over. And the way he’s been towards me, behind closed doors … well, it hasn’t been good. We would have broken up after Christmas, if not now. These things happen. This needed to happen.’
Quinn reached out for Noah, taking his hand in his. Noah breathed, looking down at Quinn’s fingers.
‘Where is Matty now?’
‘Well, that’s the thing.’ Noah sighed. ‘He can’t go home. The snow’s back. We’re snowed in again. So, he’s staying in another room. Maybe he’ll go before Christmas, I don’t know. But it’s a little awkward right now.’
‘Do you want to stay here tonight?’
Noah looked stunned. ‘Please don’t think I came here tonight under the pretence of anything.’
‘I invited you.’
‘I know, but I still came.’
Quinn squeezed Noah’s hand. ‘I know you didn’t come here under any other pretence, Noah. My offer still stands. If you want to stay here tonight, you can.’
‘Thanks,’ Noah said. ‘I’d like that.’
Quinn smiled. Switching on the TV and grabbing a blanket, they settled on the sofa to watch a sitcom. Within half an hour, Noah’s snores reached Quinn. He looked uncomfortable, so Quinn tried to tilt his head. Noah groaned, eyes flickering open.
‘Sorry,’ Quinn whispered.
But Noah smiled, reached for Quinn, and hugged him. Quinn took a breath, unsure what to do.
‘Hug me, handsome,’ Noah whispered.
Laughing, Quinn wrapped his arms around Noah, as his head rested on Quinn’s chest. Quinn watched the sitcom as Noah drifted back to sleep, but he didn’t take any of it in.
* * *
Without Ivy, the signing the next morning would have been a disaster. Quinn was one hundred per cent sure of that. When he opened the shop, it didn’t take long for people to arrive before Blair even appeared. Quinn thought he’d been proactive by prepping the author signing place at the back of the shop last night, but now he realised he didn’t know how to make sure people queued adequately.
‘Line up, line up,’ Ivy ordered as she ushered people into place in the warm shop. Incense burned in each corner. ‘Queue in the first aisle. Exit through the second. If you want to buy books, third aisle to the till.’
‘Wow, she’s got this covered,’ Daniel said.
Quinn thought he might have been able to do something similar, but his thoughts were all over the place after last night. Noah was still upstairs.
‘Blair isn’t going anywhere!’ Ivy called to the throng of people, proceeding to explain the queuing situation. ‘He will have time for you. We will have tea and coffee available as you wait!’
