Page 48 of Quarantine Crush
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Well, you tell him I’ve got a stockpile of toilet paper I’m willing to trade favors for if you know what I mean.”
She winks, and I press my lips together to hold back a laugh. “I’ll let him know, Mrs. Henderson.”
She waves and saunters off as the elevator doors close.
I pull out my phone and fire off a text to Knox, letting him know about his side hustle option. When the elevator stops a floor later, I glance up and smile. Reed walks on, his eyes brightening when he notices me.
“Hey, Embry,” he says, his eyes twinkling above his mask. It’s cloth and decorated with little hot peppers, which makes me smile.
“Hey, Reed,” I say, slipping my phone back into my pocket. “Fancy meeting you here.”
Reed laughs. “It’s actually kismet.”
“Oh, really?” I ask. “How so?”
“You’re just the girl I was looking for,” he says, holding up a long-stemmed rose and bright red envelope that I somehow missed until now.
“Those are for me?”
He nods. “You never actually responded to my last note,” he says, rubbing a nervous hand over the back of his neck. “Nor did you return my Tupperware, you little thief.”
I laugh as I take the offered flower and note. “Sorry about that. I was actually meaning to bring you both today, so maybe it is kismet after all.”
The elevator comes to a stop, and Reed holds his arm out for me to exit. I step off, crossing to the small table and two chairs that sit barely inside the lobby. Reed follows, taking the chair opposite me as I open the envelope and read the words scribbled on the card inside.
When I finish, I glance up, my eyes colliding with Reed’s hopeful ones. I chew on my lip, torn about what to do. Knox has made no secret of his dislike for Reed, but I’m starting to think that he’d hate anyone who might be interested in me.
“I’m not sure,” I finally admit. Reed’s face falls, and I reach forward, placing a hand on his arm. “That’s not a no. I just don’t know how comfortable I’d be going on a date with Knox in the other room. It’s kinda awkward.”
“I guess I can understand that,” Reed says. “How about this? Why don’t you ask Knox? If it makes him uncomfortable, I’m happy to wait for the end of this quarantine to take you out properly.”
I tilt my head, contemplating the idea. Part of me thinks I know what Knox will say–fuck no–simply because it’s Reed. But another part of me wonders if he’d actually do that. He’s made it clear that he doesn’t want me for himself, but surely he won’t stop me from finding someone who does.
“You’d really be okay with waiting if it freaks him out?”
“Of course,” Reed says, placing a hand over the top of mine, and I can’t help but think this isdefinitelynot following the social distancing protocols. “For a chance to finally take you out, you’ll find I’m willing to do ’most anything.”
His words are sweet, and his proposal of a virtual balcony date is cute, so instead of shutting him down, I find myself nodding in agreement.
“Okay.”
“Yeah?” he asks, his brown eyes crinkling in the corners.
“It’s a date,” I say. “If not now, then after quarantine ends.”
After a few more minutes of chatting, Reed walks with me to my mailbox then back upstairs, entertaining me with stories of his family all the way back to my floor.
“I guess I’ll see you soon?” I ask, stepping out of the elevator.
He reaches an arm out to keep the door from closing and nods. “I hope so.”
I step back a few steps, pulling my mask off when we’re more than six feet apart, and smile before turning back toward my apartment. Not being able to read people’s facial expressions is one of the weirdest things about quarantine life.
I open the door and slip inside, feeling the smile fall from my face at the sight of Knox. He glances up from where he’s working on the couch and frowns.
“Thought you went to get the mail,” he says, his eyes narrowing on the rose in my hand.
