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Me:

Yeah. Just tired. Heading home.

The typing bubble appears, disappears, then appears again.

Quinn:

Okay. See you soon.

I frown at that.

See you soon?

It isn’t until I pull into my building that I understand. Her car is already in the visitor spot.

Quinn is waiting for me outside the building with Pickles at her feet, bundled into her jacket with her hands tucked into the pockets. The second she sees me, her whole face lights up.

I should be happy she’s here. Any other night, seeing her waiting for me like this would be the best part of my day.

Tonight, all I can think about is how quickly she’s going to realize something’s wrong. And I really don’t want to talk about it.

“Hey.” She comes toward me as I grab my bag. “Two assists. I saw the second one and…”

“Not tonight, okay?”

The words come out sharper than I mean them to, and she stops a few feet away from me.

Her smile disappears.

I immediately regret it.

“Okay,” she says slowly. “Bad game?”

“No. Good game. I’m just tired.”

I unlock the building door and hold it open for her, and Pickles trots inside ahead of us.

She looks at me for a second, confused more than anything, before following me toward the stairs. “I know. You’ve just seemed off all day.”

“I’m fine.”

We make our way upstairs, and I can feel her watching me even though I keep my attention straight ahead.

By the time I unlock my apartment, I already know I’m handling this badly, but knowing it and knowing how to stop are apparently two different things.

Pickles rushes inside as soon as I open the door. Quinn follows more slowly, and I drop my bag beside the entrance harder than I need to.

“I’m not trying to annoy you,” she says. “I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

“And I told you I am.”

The silence that follows makes me realize how much of an asshole I sound.

Quinn looks down at Pickles, running her hand over his back.

I should make more of an effort to fix this. Tell her I’m having a shitty day and it has nothing to do with her.

But I can’t muster the energy. I’m tired, bone-deep exhausted, and I just want to be left alone.