This Time Next Year(78)

‘Maybe you have something I could change into,’ she said, righting herself and stumbling backwards.

Quinn found her some of his gym shorts and a T-shirt to wear. She went to change in the downstairs bathroom. She didn’t have another bra with her, so she just put the T-shirt on over the coconut bra. Once she was back in the living room, she realised how ridiculously big and solid this made her boobs look. While Quinn was in the kitchen, rather than go back to the bathroom again, she decided to subtly perform the magic trick that all girls know – the one that involves taking your bra off beneath your T-shirt and pulling it out of an armhole. Unfortunately, this was not a smooth operation when the bra in question was made of two giant coconut shells.

Quinn came back in with a bottle of wine and averted his gaze when he saw what she was doing.

‘Is my T-shirt attacking you?’ he asked. ‘Do you need some privacy?’

‘All good,’ said Minnie, finally pulling the coconuts out through the bottom of the T-shirt. Oh, why hadn’t she thought to pick up her change of clothes?

Quinn poured them a glass of wine and she told him about Leila’s engagement. She covered her face as she told him about Leila’s reaction, how she hadn’t remembered the conversation at all. The lines around Quinn’s eyes creased into deep grooves and he let out a deep, hearty laugh.

‘So she had no idea what this whole scene was in reference to?’

‘Not an inkling,’ Minnie gave a wincing smile.

‘Oh Minnie,’ Quinn leant back against the arm of the sofa, laughing. ‘That’s very sweet of you to plan all that for your friend.’

As he looked over at her with his warm blue eyes, she couldn’t help but feel again that she’d known this man for far longer than the time they’d spent together. They sat in contented silence for a minute and then Quinn leant over to top up her glass. She shouldn’t have anything else to drink; if she did she’d say something stupid. She’d mention the elephant in the room and she’d ruin things again.

‘So, how are things with you?’ she said, looking up at him over the rim of her wine glass. ‘How’s Amanda, or Amanda two, whatever her name is? Any madly romantic proposal on the cards there?’

Oh great, she’d done it – she’d mentioned it. Why had she brought up Amanda? Quinn didn’t want to talk to her about his love life! Quinn shuffled forward on the sofa, then took a long sip of his wine.

‘I guess we should talk about what happened at the zoo,’ he said.

‘It was a month ago, Quinn, you don’t need to explain. It’s fine, whatever, I was just making conversation. You know; how’s work? How’s the weather? How’s your girlfriend? We don’t need to talk about it at all, if you’d rather talk about the weather, this sunshine we’re having is lovely, isn’t it?’

She was babbling.

‘Minnie,’ he said, cutting her off, ‘I felt like such an idiot as soon as you left.’ He leant forward, putting his wine down on a side table and then propped an elbow on each knee. ‘We had such a great day together and I ruined it, I’m sorry.’

‘Well, they do say penguin poo is a real aphrodisiac.’

‘You don’t need to make a joke about everything, Minnie. I’m trying to do the decent thing here.’ Quinn closed his eyes but carried on talking. ‘I’m no good at relationships, I just end up hurting people. I’ve got my business, my mother – I don’t have the capacity to look after … for anything else.’

‘Quinn, it’s fine. It was a moment, I’m over it. Wow, do you have this much angst every time you almost kiss someone?’ Quinn made a face of embarrassed amusement. ‘Anyway, what makes you think I’d need looking after?’

‘Well, I know you’re now holding out for your knight on a shining unicorn.’

Minnie scrunched up her face. She knew she shouldn’t have told him all that stuff when he’d been drunk at the office.

‘Look, you don’t have to give me the whole “tortured loner” routine.’ Minnie rolled her eyes at him and his mouth twitched in the hint of a smile.

‘Is that what I’m doing? I wasn’t aware there was such a routine.’

‘Yeah, guys do it all the time,’ Minnie said, with a limp-wristed flap of her hand. ‘Poor me, I can’t get close to anyone because I had a tough childhood.’

She said it in a mocking voice, then flashed him a quick grin. Humour was the only way she knew to defuse an awkward conversation, the only way to salvage some sense of dignity in this dynamic.

‘Wow, OK. Sorry for being so obvious,’ he said, brushing his stubble with a palm and leaning back in his chair.

‘It’s fine, I forgive you. I’d just rather you were playing a more original character trope in this romcom. “Tortured commitment-phobe” is so nineties.’

‘Is it now?’ he laughed. ‘And who said we were in a romcom? If I’m going to be in any kind of film, I’d want it to be a thriller or an action movie.’

‘I don’t think management consultants get to be action heroes,’ said Minnie. She was relieved to be on safer ground. The elephant in the room had been dealt with. Now they could pack it up in a giant elephant-size box, bury it in the garden and never speak of it again. It could all just be banter and friendly conversation again.