Page 36 of Hard Hitter
"Zoey, I have a date tonight and I need it to be big," Quinn stated.
"A date? Quinn, you go out with women all the time," said Zoey, and Quinn could hear her eye-roll from across the line.
"Not like this, Zo,” said Quinn. He braced himself for the admission. No doubt Zoey would freak out. She’d been trying to get him to tell her about Rae since she’d started working for him two years ago. "This is the girl. The one I always pretend doesn't exist when you ask about my mysterious past love. The one that got away. The..." he paused, taking a deep breath. "This girl is probably the love of my life and I really, really,reallyneed to not fuck it up."
Silence.
Quinn waited a few beats. "You still there?"
More silence.
Checking his phone to make sure the call hadn't dropped, “Zo-”
"Oh my God. Oh...my God.Oh my God!"Zoey exclaimed, followed by a high-pitched shriek. Quinn winced and pulled the phone away from his ear briefly. "Quinn! Are you serious? How? When? Ohmigod, Quinn...is this a joke? This had better not be a joke!"
"It's not a joke. I'm completely serious," Quinn replied.
Another shriek of excitement.
"So are you going to help me or not?" Quinn asked. "I have no idea how to do this date, but it needs to be the best."
"Yes! Yes, I will help you! Oh, Quinn, I'm so happy for you!" Zoey squealed again. "What's her name?"
"Raelyn DeRose. I just call her Rae, though."
"Oooh, Rae..." Zoey cooed. "Quinn, I can't believe it. I mean, I knew there was a girl in your past, but I thought it was like someone who'd broken your heart or rejected you. I didn't realize you still thought of her as theloveof yourlife!And you're actually going to do something about it!"
"I've spent the last six years thinking I'd blown my last chance with her. And then I ran into her again and it was like...this is it. Ihaveto make this work, Zoey. I need to," said Quinn.
"Aw, Quiiiinn, that's the sweetest thing. And it came fromyou!"
"Yes, I have feelings and a past. Everyone's shocked," Quinn huffed. "Now can you help me? It's tonight. I have an idea but I don't know if she'd like it."
"First tell me about her," Zoey said. Quinn could hear her settling in on the other line like she was getting comfy on the couch, ready to gossip with her girlfriends. "How'd you meet? What are some of your favorite memories? How did you screw it up?"
"Why are you assumingIscrewed it up? Maybe it was just poor timing. Maybeshescrewed up and I've had enough time to get over it." It was stupid to get defensive when he had in fact been the one to mess everything up, but he didn't appreciate the assumption.
"Quinn, please."
There was a moment of stubborn silence before Quinn sighed, "Okay, yeah I fucked up."
"Tell me everything. Start from the beginning, and don't leave out the messy parts."
Feeling as though Zoey might simply be satisfying her own curiosity by asking for the full story, Quinn hesitated. However, the idea he had for the datedidhave a lot to do with things that had happened in the past. Deciding that some background information wouldn't hurt, he began.
"Okay, well, we met when we were seven…" He told her everything. The story of how they met and how embarrassed he was when Rae's dad insisted on dropping him off after the party. The first time he ever saw Rae's house and how he couldn't figure out why in the world a girl who lived like this wanted to be friends with him. The first time she stuck up for him at school when some of the rich kids teased him for his thrift store clothes. The sports they always played. Rae insisting her parents take her and her friends to a Tigers game for her eleventh birthday because she knew Quinn didn't get birthday parties. That day at the local ballpark when he started falling for her and how that was one of his favorite memories.
Then came high school. Playing seven minutes in heaven their freshman year and reluctantly making out with some other girl when the bottle didnotland on Rae. Getting even more upset when she also did not land on him. Going to homecoming as friends, then junior year getting beat to the punch by Liam Hamilton. Rae and Liam's short-lived relationship after the dance, and Quinn avoiding being around them as much as possible. The big locker room fight when he'd overheard Liam bragging about how far he’d gotten with her. Senior homecoming and prom. Even graduation night. Then the last time he saw Rae in college, thinking he was finally getting another shot and screwing it up in less than a few hours.
"... and then we almost had sex last night, but it just didn't feel right. To do it like that, I mean. She, andus,felt more right than anything, but…" Quinn trailed off, hoping she understood what he meant.
"Wow…" Zoey said after a pause. "That's a lot to unpack."
"Yeah, I know," Quinn said, running his hand nervously through his hair.
"Quinn, I feel like this girl is your soul mate. You need to not screw it up this time.”
"Yes, I'm aware." Quinn didn't appreciate the reminder of just how much was riding on this date going well.
