With Every Heartbeat(81)

He opened his eyes and grinned. “Then I guess we’re good.” He offered me a fist bump. When I clanged my knuckles against his, he whispered, “This would probably be the beginning of a beautiful friendship, except I don’t make friends with chicks, so...I’ll probably never talk to you again after tonight.”

“That’s okay. I don’t like your crude jokes anyway.”

He laughed outright, which caused Cora to turn around curiously and Quinn to lift his gaze to the rearview mirror.

Ten slapped the back of Quinn’s seat. “Looks like I got the more entertaining date, thank God.”

I was tempted to reach out and pinch him for stirring that pot. But it did cause Cora to narrow her eyes, which didn’t break my heart any. I couldn’t believe she was being so delusional as to think Quinn hadn’t heard her comparison of him and Ten.

“As if anyone would want to entertain you? It’d take a freak to match your awful sense of humor.”

Quinn glanced at her sharply. “Did you just call Zoey a freak?”

He’d been so stony and silent after she’d insulted him, but now that my head was on the chopping block, he was ready to jump to my defense. My heart ached, and soared, and then ached some more.

Cora fumbled over her words. “What. No! Of course not.” She glanced back at me. “You know I didn’t mean it that way, right?”

I wished I could say something witty and scathing to help side with Quinn and let her know I was still upset with her for what she’d said about him, but I had nothing. I hated confrontations, and I’d never be able to have one around more than two people. “Don’t worry about it,” I mumbled and lowered my gaze.

“I don’t think you’re freakish,” Ten spoke up. “In fact, I think you look amazing tonight, like someone’s wet dream come true.”

Quinn stomped on the break when he almost drove through a red light. Then he whipped his gaze around to glare at his roommate. When Ten merely grinned back, I cleared my throat.

“Um...thanks?” Though I wasn’t sure if I was that grateful for such a compliment.

The light turned green.

Quinn hit the gas.

And no one else spoke until we reached the bar.

The night seemed to be getting worse by the second. Quinn and Cora didn’t bother to hold hands as the four of us walked to the front doors, where the bouncer recognized Quinn and Ten and let the four of us in without carding or charging us.

Since Asher had been hired at Forbidden, he’d set up all kinds of musical entertainment. Tonight was supposedly their first night to have karaoke. So as soon as we stepped through the doorway, some guy on stage began an awful rendition of Alicia Keys’ “Fallen.”

“Oh my God. Kill me now.” Ten groaned and elbowed Quinn. “Remind me to never work on karaoke night.”

“Ooh, there’s Rachel,” Cora announced, bouncing on her toes. “Let’s go sit with them.”

But Ten braked. “Over my dead fucking body. That chick annoys the hell out of me.”

Cora scowled at him. Then she glanced at Quinn as if silently asking him to step in and side with her.

“Why don’t you go over and say hi?” he suggested. “We’ll find a table.”

Her mouth fell open. I think this must’ve been the first time he hadn’t given her what she wanted.

I was tempted to cheer for him and root him on, even though I knew I shouldn’t. I should be Switzerland.

I totally wasn’t Switzerland.

“There’s an open table,” Ten announced, nodding toward a small round tall table that actually had two guys sitting at it.

“But—” I started, only to stop when he approached the men and told them we needed their seats.

My jaw dropped as they actually obeyed and left. They even apologized to me for sitting there first. I gazed after them before looking up at Ten.

“They’re freshmen football players,” he explained.

I shook my head but sat in the chair across from Quinn so I’d be by Cora and Ten. But Ten caught my arm and shook his head. “Hell no, honey. I don’t sit by other dudes if I don’t have to.”

He tugged me out of my chair, stole it for himself, and forced me to sit between him and Quinn. As Ten lifted his hand to flag down a waitress, I glanced at Quinn. He was waving a hello to Noel and Asher at the bar, who both waved back, and then he turned to catch me watching him.

His eyes saddened, but he forced a smile. Then he glanced toward Cora where she was sitting with her friends and chattering away. His sad, forced smile died completely.

I glanced at my hands in my lap and picked at the blue fingernail polish Cora had put on me, suddenly wishing Caroline were here. Or Reese and her cousin Eva. Anyone to spruce up the dismal start of this agonizing double date.