Page 139

“You worked that out all by yourself?” I quipped. “I’m impressed.”

He ignored me. “I’m Theo.”

Quinn shook his hand. “Hi. I’ve heard about all of you.” His eyes sparkled. “Some of it was even flattering.”

That earned a ripple of laughter.

Milo crossed the room first, grinning. “You’re the librarian.”

Quinn blinked. “How do you know that?” He glanced at me. “You told them that too?”

One by one they approached, their smiles warm, and Quinn returned them, standing tall and not shrinking an inch.

Sebastian folded his arms. “So you’re the reason he’s been checking his phone mid-rehearsal.”

I glared. “I do not check my phone mid⁠—”

“You’re probably the one who made him laugh too,” Elliott cut in.

Quinn’s eyebrows shot up. “He laughed?” He snuck another glance at me, then beamed. He buffed his nails on his jacket. “Well, what can I say? I have excellent material.”

More laughter followed, and whatever tension I’d perceived in the room dissolved.

“Do you sing?” Zane asked

Quinn hesitated. “In the shower. And one of these days, I’ll shatter the glass screen.”

Finnley snorted. “You’re not about to audition for us, are you?”

He grinned. “I think you’re safe.”

Theo clapped his hands once. “Right. Before this devolves further… Quinn, welcome. You can sit anywhere that isn’t Max’s chair.”

“That’s not a rule,” I said.

“It is now,” Theo replied.

Quinn glanced at me. “You’ll have to excuse Max. He can be a bit bossy.”

Theo smirked. “Tell us something we don’t know.”

A few of them exchanged amused glances.

Quinn scanned the room again, curiosity lighting his expression, and I realised how much this mattered to him, seeing this part of my life, the part that existed far away from Obsidian.

He already knew one version of me.

This was the other.

“Go find a spot near the back,” I told him.

Quinn found a seat near the rear wall and sat, legs stretched out, hands loosely clasped, watching.

I took my position. Theo raised his hand, and the first chord of ‘Hallelujah’ settled into the room, deep and resonant. I focused on breath, timing, the familiar weight of harmony settling around us.

Mostly, I focused on not looking at Quinn.

By the second verse, curiosity got the better of me.