"You know it’s not like that between Anya and me," I protested.
"No. I don't know that. You just expect me to believe it. Just like my father expects me to believe that what he decides is best for me. I'm sick of it! Life should not be this complicated."
She dodged around me and headed for the doors.
"Where are you going?" I asked.
"To get a cab."
"Come on, let me drive you home," I said. "It’s the least I can do to make it up to you."
"Don't you have work to do?"
I shook my head. "It’s optional. I'd get paid, but I don't have to do it. And right now, the most important thing to me is driving you home safely."
She did not talk as we found the car and started towards Summerlin. I racked my brain to find a safe subject to talk about.
&
nbsp; "So, what would you like your non-complicated life to look like?" I asked.
Quinn frowned out the window. "That's easy. All I want is a job that I like that supports me and lets me be independent."
"Sounds practical." I wondered how much her parents had lectured her the night before. "What happened to using your talents? The game today showed you are really good."
"Turns out I'm really good administering emergency first aid, too," Quinn said. "So I don't see anything wrong with finding both a job and a hobby that I love."
"The hard part is figuring out which is which," I said. "It took me years to realize gaming was more than just a hobby for me."
"Well, not that many people can make a lifestyle out of it. You either have to be well-connected, experienced, and sponsored like you, or filthy rich like Anya. I didn't see many other people like that today. Everyone else had day jobs, but they were not enjoying themselves any less," Quinn said.
"True. But you stood out," I said.
"So does Anya. Are you going to tell me what's going on with her or not?"
I scowled and wished we were not so close to Quinn’s parents' house. "I already told you there is nothing going on between us. She would like there to be and we've flirted in the past, but I have never been interested in her that way. Don't let her get in your head."
"It’s kind of hard not to when I walk in and find you two together this morning. You admit she has the hots for you and you two spent the entire night alone together," Quinn said.
"No. We were not alone. In fact, she spent most of the night hanging out with Jasper. He'll tell you all about it," I said.
Quinn opened her door just as I stopped the car at the end of the driveway. "Fine. I believe you. It’s just one more reason this is all too complicated for me right now."
Before I could say anything else, she shut the door and walked away. I drove home and ran up the steps to my apartment two at a time. Jasper was spinning on one of the kitchen stools and chatting with a few of his odd friends.
"Hey, there he is," Jasper said.
I jerked a thumb towards the hall. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
He looked at his phone and jumped up. "Yeah, sure, buddy, but make it quick. We've got to get out of here."
His friends cleared up their stuff and headed towards the back stairwell. I watched them go.
"They parked out back. Checking out the best way to help me move," Jasper said. "So, what's up?"
"Did anything happen with you and Anya last night?"
"Oh, whoa. She's hot, but no. We just flirted. I thought when you disappeared that something might happen, but she crashed solo on the couch."