Quentin could not believe his luck. He had taken a huge risk, asking Em if he could stay. But she'd asked to see his childhood photos. He'd told her about his mother. They had a conversation, a real conversation, and she had called him Q. Like they were close. She'd teased him and she'd kissed him, not as a precursor to sex but just to do it, because she was happy with something he had said. And her plans were already perfect for him to slip himself into. He couldn't help but let hope grow in his chest, push up against the lines she'd drawn between them. If she'd said no it would have destroyed him.
But she didn't say no.
They were lying in bed now, watching some action movie with that one hot bald guy with the gun. His brother liked these movies, too. She was curled up against his chest, resting the laptop on their blankets. Her legs were pressing up against his, her hands gripping her old, dry caramel corn. It smelled terrible and it tasted worse, because Quentin had, in fact, put some disgusting caramel corn in his mouth so he would get to stay here and watch B-list movies with the girl he was in love with. Em was munching on it happily, which almost made him want to try it again. Almost.
He didn't think he'd ever been this happy. Here in this little room with a beautiful girl in his arms he felt more alive than he had ever felt. Despite himself, and the fact that the sun was still up, he found himself drifting off to sleep. He was so warm, almost hot, but Em's constant shuffling kept it from becoming unbearable. He was comfortable here. He knew without a doubt that he wanted to sleep like this every night, with her squirming around in his arms. He only had to figure out how to get her in his bed.
Quentin imagined her in his home. They would be laying in his california king, with a movie playing on his flatscreen instead of this little laptop. He would have to get a flatscreen. He'd ask Edgar to pick out a good one for him. He'd get more pillows. Or maybe he'd just give her his card and let her pick it all out. She could make his room her own, make it soft and warm like she kept her place. Or maybe they'd find somewhere new together. He loved his brothers, but he couldn't live with them forever, and he doubted Em would want to spend her life with them. They could pick somewhere downtown, a little closer to Novatech. A penthouse with a big kitchen, so he could cook for her in the evenings. Maybe a pool on the balcony. Did Em like pools?
"Do you like pools?"
"Yes, very much." Em replied. "Why do you ask?"
"No reason." A pool, then. Maybe a hot tub too, for the winter. Did they make heated balconies? It would be nice if they could go outside any time of year. He'd put in heated flooring, too. A place that was the perfect temperature. Of course, there were certain benefits to the cold air in this room. Em kept moving closer to him, trying to leech off of his heat. It was adorable. He might miss this someday, but he still didn't want her to be cold. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer. She accepted his embrace, which felt insane. This night was making him reconsider everything he thought about Em. Maybe she felt more for him than she said. If she liked him, even a little bit, he could work with that. If there was even the littlest spark or feeling it would be enough.
He watched her while she watched the movie. She'd acted like it was so lame but she seemed genuinely interested in it. Or maybe she was just interested in the hot guy. Quentin looked at the man on the screen. His body was similar, wasn't it? So maybe that was just her type. Though he wasn't bald. He didn't plan on shaving, though. He knew for a fact that she loved his hair.
If she wanted him to shave his head, would he? It was such a stupid, silly question to ask. Obviously that situation was ridiculous. She would never ask him to shave his head.
But he would, if she wanted it.
Quentin couldn't think of a single thing he wouldn't do for her. Truly anything, everything, if she would just look at him. She'd always placed this time limit on their relationship, always making sure he remembered that it would end. Not necessarily on purpose, but she did. Em was never trying to hurt him. Any pain he felt was his own fault. But he couldn't help it. He had never intended to fall in love with her. It had just… happened, and he couldn't bring himself to regret it.
He held her tighter and resisted the urge to kiss her forehead. He couldn't give himself away too soon, or he would scare her off. He had to take this slowly. Going slow was not in his nature. He had always been the kind of person to get things done as soon as possible. He had escaped his father's control and started a multi-national company by making quick, decisive moves. He was historically quite impatient, anyone who had worked under him could tell you.
"Are you okay?" Quentin looked to see Em staring up at him.
"Yeah. Why?"
"You seem… quiet." She looked back at the movie. "Is this normal for you?"
"Yes."
"Oh. Okay, good." She shifted against him. "What kind of movies do you usually watch?" Quentin had an answer, but it wasn't a good one. 'The Princess Bride' - he'd never seen it. It was the only movie he could name.
"I don't really watch movies." Quentin said.
"Shows, then? Or do you have real hobbies?" She grinned.
"If I have free time, I spend it with my brothers. Sometimes we watch movies together, but honestly I'm usually on my phone."
"You don't watch the movies with them? They're your brothers." Em sat up a little bit. Quentin laughed.
"My youngest brother loves watching shows, he always has. My older brother can get into them too, but for some reason it always puts me to sleep. Any video longer than twenty minutes, honestly. I just can't get into it. My brothers would get so mad when we were younger because they'd be trying to watch something and I was snoring. At some point my younger brother downloaded these puzzle games on my phone and told me to just sit there and play. If something really funny happens he would rewind and make me watch it, but I don't really remember any of it. Edgar always makes stuff sound way funnier than it actually is."
"That's your brother?" She asked.
"My younger brother, yeah." Quentin nodded.
"How old is he?"
"Twenty-two, twenty three next month. Martin and I, that's my older brother, are trying to surprise him with something, but he's way too clever. For the past five years we've been trying to get him and every year he figures it out. This year I think we've got something really good though."
"What are you doing?"
"Last year his best friend moved away for work, and he's missed him like crazy. Edgar talks about him all the time. I sort of think they're dating, but Edgar hasn't said anything about it. His first boyfriend was a complete dick, and after that he's been so nervous about introducing any of his partners to us. I don't want to push him, you know? But I know he misses his friend so we're flying him out for the weekend. We're throwing a party that Friday night, and then going on a little shopping spree on Saturday. And on Sunday we were just going to sit around watching movies. Like I said, he loves that." He didn't realize how long he'd been going on for until he saw the look on Em's face. God, he must have sounded so lame.
"You spend a lot of time with your family." She was smiling in a way that made him want to tell her everything.
"My brothers, yeah." He nodded. "Every chance I get."
"You did say you don't like going out." Em recalled.
"Can't stand the bars, and the clubs are even worse. I only go when my friends force me to." Or when he was looking for a hookup, but he hadn't done that in a long time.
"Same." She laughed. "Is this movie putting you to sleep, too?"
"Yes." Quentin said. "But I'm also having a good time."
"You can play your puzzle games if you want to. I won't be offended." She giggled. He shook his head.
"I'm… thinking about stuff."
"Yeah, I bet there's a lot going on in that head of yours." She pushed back against his chest. "Alright. Let's finish the movie."