It felt fuzzy and safe to be within Quinn’s arms. They stayed like that for a while, basking in the moment. Then, coming to her senses, Darcy broke the hug and came inside the room, leaving the door open as a sign for Quinn to do the same. He hesitantly followed her and closed the door behind him.

Darcy was sitting on the bed, and with grave eyes gazing at Quinn.

“What does he want from me?” He looked away for a moment, then, as though he had been Karl himself, replied shamefully:

“You, probably.”

“I can see why you two are friends...” She commented, sighing. “You both have very remarkable ways of showing love to someone.”

“No!” Quinn protested. His brows were knitted into an offended frown. “My kind of love and his are completely different!” Realizing he had reacted too strongly, he added, now calmer: “I read his journal. It’s fucked up, Darcy, big time.”

“More fucked up than you?”

“Yes! He’s.... he’s... obsessed. The whole journal is about you, about how he wants to...”

“Fuck me?” Darcy’s features were surprisingly cold, as though it didn’t concern her at all.

“Yeah.”

“Great... first an old stalker, and now a potential rapist. What’s next?” She sighed, resting her forehead on her palm.

“That’s why I told you to stay away from him.”

“Yeah, I figured. I can’t even report him right now. He just got out of the hospital, and whatever I say will be blamed on his unstable mental condition.”

At first Quinn was surprised at her keen remark, and then he remembered that she was a detective novel writer. She was probably used to these tropes.

“And... to make it worse... I destroyed your only evidence..” He added guiltily. Darcy looked at him hopelessly. “I took a piss at his diary.”

“Huh? Why?”

“It pissed me off... oh the pun’s not intended. Sorry.”

As an avid appreciator of wordplay, Darcy could not hold back her laughter. She could use that in E.G.G. Seeing her smile, Quinn automatically smiled as well.

“Ah Quinn, has anybody told you that you’re a living contradiction?”

“No, but yeah, I see your point.”

Darcy was silent for a moment. Then she stood up and walked towards him. Quinn took a hesitant step back. He had been trying his best to keep his distance from her, especially that she was wearing nothing but a bathrobe. He had been struggling to keep his eyes away from her cleavage, which was even more visible when she was sitting down.

“You said your love was different from his. How is that?” Her eyes were piercing. Quinn’s heart was a mess.

“That’s... I am not sure how to explain.” He averted his ocean orbs away. “He sees you as an... object. I see you as a person.”

Darcy noticed how nervous he seemed. His cheeks were quite visibly flushed too. She quite liked this side of him.

“How kind of you...” She muttered with a tint of sarcasm.

“I didn’t mean it like that... was just explaining that we’re not the same in anyway so...”

“You want to say that you respect me as a person right?” For once in her life, Darcy understood the feeling of authority that extroverts feel when imposing themselves on somebody’s personal distance. Her face was just inches away from his. She could see his lower lip tremble.

“Yeah.” Quinn was trying his best to find any source of interest in the desk upon which he fixed his eyes. He could feel Darcy’s warm breath on his neck, and the scent of her shampoo caressed his nose.

“Then it won’t be a problem if I do this, right?” Knowing what was about to happen, Quinn shut his eyes. He heard the soft fall of her bathrobe as it hit the floor.

“Darcy... Please don’t do this.”

“Do what?” Her voice vibrated across his neck. He instinctively hid his lower part with his hands.

“This... why did you undress?”

“Why not? This is my room, isn't it? Besides, you respect me, right? So you won’t assault me even if I am naked.” Quinn pursed his lips. He wondered if he would. Did she want to make him out to be as messed up as Karl?

“Open your eyes. You don’t seem to have trouble doing it with other girls. Is it because my body is not as attractive?”

“No! Not at all! It’s the... opposite actually.”

“Then open your fucking eyes.”  

Quinn drew a long breath, and slowly lifted his eyelids. In front of him was Darcy, right within his reach, all glamorous in her nakedness. Her penetrating hazel eyes seemed to be gazing into his very soul.

“You look... so beautiful.” Quinn said, somehow feeling on the verge of breaking. Darcy’s eyes wavered slightly, and her cheeks reddened, which made it even worse for Quinn. He was glad that his hands were hiding his boner since it kept them away from her.

“You shouldn’t do this with just anyone, Darcy.”

“I could say the same to you.”

“I... haven’t done it since. I thought about it a lot and...” Words were hard to come by at this overwhelming sight of Darcy. She looked so grand to him, so majestic even. He wanted to take her in, to see every detail on her skin, every mole, every scar, and kiss it. However, Quinn felt that if he looked away from her eyes for a moment, he would disappoint her beyond repair. Yet, at the same time, he felt some kind of longing in her eyes, as though she wanted him to touch her. But then again, he told himself, it was probably just his dick telling him what he wanted to hear.

“And?”

“And... and I realized how wrong it is... Listen Darcy. Uhm, right now is not the perfect time for me to be verbal about my inner fears... I can barely..”

Feeling her hands touch his, he let out a soft whimper. Gently, she removed them from his crotch and looked at it for a while.

“Doesn’t it hurt?” She looked up at him again.

“No?”

“Because you always wear tight pants, so I thought maybe it hurts to get hard in them.”

“It’s... it’s not that tight.”

 Darcy tried to pull her hands from his, but he held them back. His hands had to be kept busy. And what better a distraction, than Darcy’s soft and warm fingers?

“Aren’t you convinced yet?” He asked, feeling himself slowly reaching his limit.

“I was before I even asked you.” Darcy half smiled.

“Then... why are you doing this?” He entangled his fingers with hers. She blushed at this gesture. Quinn thought it was simultaneously adorable and erotic. Her wet braided hair dripping across her exposed shoulders did not make it any easier for him.

“It’s a little payback, I guess.”

“So it really did bother you... you do care about what happened...” Quinn frowned in frustration.

“And if I say that I do?”

“Then it will give me hope that you feel the same way about me.” Darcy smiled once more, and brought her face right in front of his, her lower lip touching his. Quinn shuddered.

“And if I say that I do?”