be eating dinner together right now.
When they arrived at the hotel, Josh went straight up to his floor. On the way, he decided he would go to Quinn's room and see if he was there. If so, he would apologize and see if they could salvage something out of the night.
He stopped at Quinn's door and knocked. He waited a couple of minutes, but no one answered. He tried again, harder. No response. Giving into temptation, he put his ear to the door. Not a sound.
Disappointed, he went to his own room. Could Quinn have gone somewhere with Clay? He wouldn't have thought so before, but now he wasn't so sure. After only knowing the man for a couple of days, the thought of him with someone else shouldn't upset him. Somehow it did.
* * * *
Had that been a knock on his door? Quinn tilted his head to listen better, but the sound didn't come again. Just to be sure, he left his seat on his room's tiny balcony and went back into the room. He reached the door in a few quick strides. When he opened it, the hallway was empty, as he'd suspected it would be. Who would be coming to visit him? Nobody in the group knew which room was his, except for Josh, and Josh was still at the park.
Quinn sighed and went back out to the balcony and resumed his seat. The view of people splashing in the pool, laughing and playing, didn't match his mood. The day had started out so well. He'd had hanging out with Josh to look forward to. What time they had been able to spend together had been fun. More fun than Quinn had had in months, if not years. Josh wasn't just a pretty face, although he was very attractive. Quinn thought his lithe, slimly muscled body was sexy, but his eyes were what Quinn liked most. They were deep and warm, the kind of eyes that laughed with you, not at you.
He hated to admit it, but Damien was right. Trying to monopolize Josh's whole vacation wouldn't be right. Quinn had been stupid to hope there was more to Josh's behavior than being nice. Josh probably wouldn't have acted like he minded if Quinn had chosen to stick around, but obviously there were other people who were interested in him.
Although Damien might be an obnoxious jerk, in Quinn's opinion at least, he was good-looking in a high maintenance kind of way. He looked right standing next to Josh in a way Quinn knew he himself didn't. The man was even funny, unlike Quinn, even if his humor was on the mean side. "Too serious," "closed-off," and "boring" were just a few of the ways Quinn had been described in the past, none of which was a personality trait a guy like Josh would be looking for.
Of course, Quinn could always go for Clay. The clingy man had made his willingness to do whatever Quinn wanted, whenever he wanted it, crystal clear when he'd followed Quinn out of the park and back to the hotel. Too bad Quinn wasn't into sex for sex's sake. Besides, Clay didn't want him for him. He doubted Clay had any interest in getting to know him at all. The small man seemed to regard him as a giant sex toy, and someone convenient to flirt with and easy to fluster.
Maybe what Clay offered was the best he could get. He hadn't had much luck with relationships. The guys he met either wanted him because he was a big guy they thought would dominate them or get rough with them, or acted like he was invisible. Neither of those made him happy. All he wanted was a nice, normal relationship with a nice, normal guy. The guy didn't have to be hot, or rich, or popular, or practiced in bed. Quinn would settle for caring, unafraid to commit, and a good personality. Where he was going to find those qualities in a guy who was willing to overlook his oversized body, average looks, and shyness was a mystery. If his own father had seen him as worthless and weak, how could he expect total strangers to see him as anything more?
He let his head fall to the chair back and sighed. This dating stuff was hard, and it only got harder. Poor Steph had tried to get him in a situation where he could have a chance.
When they arrived at the hotel, Josh went straight up to his floor. On the way, he decided he would go to Quinn's room and see if he was there. If so, he would apologize and see if they could salvage something out of the night.
He stopped at Quinn's door and knocked. He waited a couple of minutes, but no one answered. He tried again, harder. No response. Giving into temptation, he put his ear to the door. Not a sound.
Disappointed, he went to his own room. Could Quinn have gone somewhere with Clay? He wouldn't have thought so before, but now he wasn't so sure. After only knowing the man for a couple of days, the thought of him with someone else shouldn't upset him. Somehow it did.
* * * *
Had that been a knock on his door? Quinn tilted his head to listen better, but the sound didn't come again. Just to be sure, he left his seat on his room's tiny balcony and went back into the room. He reached the door in a few quick strides. When he opened it, the hallway was empty, as he'd suspected it would be. Who would be coming to visit him? Nobody in the group knew which room was his, except for Josh, and Josh was still at the park.
Quinn sighed and went back out to the balcony and resumed his seat. The view of people splashing in the pool, laughing and playing, didn't match his mood. The day had started out so well. He'd had hanging out with Josh to look forward to. What time they had been able to spend together had been fun. More fun than Quinn had had in months, if not years. Josh wasn't just a pretty face, although he was very attractive. Quinn thought his lithe, slimly muscled body was sexy, but his eyes were what Quinn liked most. They were deep and warm, the kind of eyes that laughed with you, not at you.
He hated to admit it, but Damien was right. Trying to monopolize Josh's whole vacation wouldn't be right. Quinn had been stupid to hope there was more to Josh's behavior than being nice. Josh probably wouldn't have acted like he minded if Quinn had chosen to stick around, but obviously there were other people who were interested in him.
Although Damien might be an obnoxious jerk, in Quinn's opinion at least, he was good-looking in a high maintenance kind of way. He looked right standing next to Josh in a way Quinn knew he himself didn't. The man was even funny, unlike Quinn, even if his humor was on the mean side. "Too serious," "closed-off," and "boring" were just a few of the ways Quinn had been described in the past, none of which was a personality trait a guy like Josh would be looking for.
Of course, Quinn could always go for Clay. The clingy man had made his willingness to do whatever Quinn wanted, whenever he wanted it, crystal clear when he'd followed Quinn out of the park and back to the hotel. Too bad Quinn wasn't into sex for sex's sake. Besides, Clay didn't want him for him. He doubted Clay had any interest in getting to know him at all. The small man seemed to regard him as a giant sex toy, and someone convenient to flirt with and easy to fluster.
Maybe what Clay offered was the best he could get. He hadn't had much luck with relationships. The guys he met either wanted him because he was a big guy they thought would dominate them or get rough with them, or acted like he was invisible. Neither of those made him happy. All he wanted was a nice, normal relationship with a nice, normal guy. The guy didn't have to be hot, or rich, or popular, or practiced in bed. Quinn would settle for caring, unafraid to commit, and a good personality. Where he was going to find those qualities in a guy who was willing to overlook his oversized body, average looks, and shyness was a mystery. If his own father had seen him as worthless and weak, how could he expect total strangers to see him as anything more?
He let his head fall to the chair back and sighed. This dating stuff was hard, and it only got harder. Poor Steph had tried to get him in a situation where he could have a chance.
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