When I get to the bottom before him, I make a mad dash to the condo. Even though a drink sounds great, I’m desperate to talk to Quinn.
She answers on the first ring and I scoot to the edge of the patio to see if anyone comes in.
“How much time you have?” I ask quickly.
“As long as you need.”
“Good, you’re gonna need it.” I replay everything that’s happened in the last twenty-four hours.
“So what happened when you got to
the condo?”
“Everyone was awake and waiting for us. We ordered room service and watched TV. I pretended to be exhausted and went to bed. Then stayed up all night trying to make sense of everything.”
“What happened this morning?”
“I stayed hidden until Nate finally knocked on my door. The Randolph’s had an early morning ski class. Bryce probably didn’t need the refresher, but I was glad not to face him. My parents had breakfast for us and we successfully dodged the ‘Devon and Bryce’ conversation. Then I went skiing with Nate. Now, I ran off to call you while the condo is empty.”
“Do we have the proper amount of time to truly break this down?”
“No.”
“So how real can I be without you freaking out? More so, without you sneaking away to get on a plane and making a fool out of yourself?”
“Quinn! I’m not a flight risk, anymore. As much as I want to run, it would kill my parents. Besides, I’ve matured. Packing up and running out of here would show glaring signs of immaturity.”
“How many times have you thought about leaving? Be honest.”
“Three,” I sigh into the phone. “But I really did change my mind. It was just panic at being in the same house with him for so long. So it’s your job to help me figure out a way to get through this.”
“I think you need to go with the flow. See how things happen.”
“That is your advice? Surely you have something better than that.”
“Nope, that’s it.”
“You saw me, Quinn. You lived with me. You know how badly he hurt me.”
“Devon, I hate to tell you this, but being the awesome BFF that I am, it’s time you wake up to a dose of reality. I was there too when Holli made her announcement. I watched the devastation and dread fill Bryce’s eyes. It was obvious to me he cared a lot more for you then he’d ever let on. But because of the situation and impending breakdown, it was my decision to never bring it up again. Months later when you were starting to recover, it was obvious you had changed. Sure you still tell goofy jokes and a quirky sense of humor, but now you’re guarded.
“You’ve never given any other guy a chance. And to be honest, I was surprised at your reaction when Holli miscarried. You sent a fucking card. You didn’t call, you didn’t go home, you never even really acknowledged the loss, and how it may have affected Bryce. You were a different Devon.”
“I was hurting still, and trying to protect myself.”
“From what? You had to know that if things progressed you couldn’t hide from their relationship forever.”
“I wasn’t hiding!”
“Yes, you were. But that’s okay. I’ve supported you forever. I’ll continue to support you until we’re old spinsters rockin’ the nursing home. But if you want my advice, let it go. Be kind, be funny, be yourself. Lose the tension, because believe me, I’m sure everyone around you feels it. Be his friend, Devon, just like you were. Remember the whole maturity thing? This is the time to show it. You have to let go of the past, it’s done.”
Tears overflow onto my cheeks and I let a small sob escape. “Quinn, I’ll try. But sometimes I still lie in bed at night with a racing heart and feel the pain crushing me. It makes me so mad, because it’s ridiculous how obsessed I was with him. Almost creepy.”
“No, it’s called young love. First love. And some say it’s the most intense of your lifetime. I, for one, believe that theory having watched you.”
“How’d you get so philosophically smart?”
“I read every smut book that comes out. I’m finding them to be extremely educating about love and sex. Maybe when we’re in Miami, I can test the sex part out.”