Color Blind: The Proposal
by Eon
Alexandria Thomas stood on the balcony of the hotel room, enjoying the breeze blowing through her hair. Apparently she had a different idea of out of town than her boyfriend, Quinn, did. Maybe he'd known that she would tell someone about this, and then they wouldn't know where to look for them. Not that Xandri didn't like the Wolfe family's private suite, because she did. It was just that she was a little confused about what was going on.
It's been a year, Xandri thought, leaning against the balcony railing and propping her chin up in her hands. A long but mostly wonderful year. She loved Quinn, and although they'd been through a lot in the last year, she wouldn't trade it for anything. Slowly but surely he was becoming a warmer person. Xandri knew that Quinn would always be a little cold and distant, at least to most people. But he had warmed to her and sometimes he even told her the things he was feeling deep down. She wondered what another year would bring.
"Xandri?"
Quinn's voice floated through the open doors of the balcony. Smiling to herself, Xandri turned to face him. He looked good, in jeans, a black button down shirt open over a white wifebeater, with his hair pulled back into a neat ponytail. He was even wearing his reading glasses. He's so cute in them, she thought, stifling a giggle. Quinn did not think he was cute in his glasses, which was why she hardly ever saw him in them. But occasionally Xandri had come home to find him in a chair with a book in his lap and his glasses on the tip of his nose. She didn't think he really understood why she hopped into his lap and started kissing him all those times, but he was reading more lately.
"Sooo, are you gonna tell me what's going on?" Xandri asked, leaning into him when he reached her.
Quinn just shrugged. "I just wanted to get away for the weekend."
"You're no fun," Xandri said, pouting.
"I'm not?" Quinn's eyebrows rose and he stared down at her curiously.
"Don't even give me that look," Xandri grumbled, pulling away from him and moving back into the hotel room. "You know damn well that you are."
His soft laughter followed her into the room. She loved it when he laughed, but especially when he let go, instead of keeping himself to quiet chuckles. And Xandri knew now that he was ticklish, but she'd save that little secret weapon for later. Quinn leaned against the doorjamb and grinned at her.
"Why don't you take a shower and get dressed?" he suggested. "We're having dinner in the restaurant downstairs."
Xandri's eyes widened. "But I didn't bring anything that I can wear in that place!"
"I guess not," Quinn said, nodding. "Well, we'll make do somehow. At least go take a shower."
"Are you saying that I stink?" Xandri demanded. She tried to keep a straight face, but failed.
"I'm saying take a shower," Quinn said, the expression in his eyes unreadable.
"Gonna join me?" Xandri asked, her tone light and teasing.
"Already took one."
His tone of voice was stoic and final. Frowning, Xandri turned away and stepped into the bathroom. As she closed the door something thumped against it. There was a long garment bag hanging on the hook on the back of the bathroom door. What did he do? she wondered, her hands trembling as she reached for the bag and carefully pulled it open. The dress was dark blue, the color her loved on her. A split overskirt of silk chiffon hung from an empire waistline. Simple, elegant, and hanging with it was the scarf he'd bought her in Paris.
Xandri opened the bathroom door and raced back out into the bedroom. She caught Quinn by surprise when she jumped on him. He grabbed hold of her, but he couldn't keep them from tumbling down to the bed. She cupped his face in her hands and pressed her mouth enthusiastically to his. Quinn laughed softly beneath her lips, then kissed her back.
"Careful, little Xandri," he murmured, his tone light. "Don't want to break me."
"No," Xandri agreed, slipping off of him. "But I would like to wear you out a bit... later."
She stood up, giving him a wink before heading back into the bathroom. Quinn seemed to love to do these things. She realized it was his way of expressing what he felt without having to say it aloud, and she really didn't mind. When he can say it no other way, Xandri thought, he says it out loud. And, well, she loved him dearly, but more often than not, his actions were more romantic than his words.
One would get the impression, looking at Xandri, that Quinn had fantastic taste in women's clothes. But no, it was Sada who went with him when he shopped for her, to help him pick something out. Admittedly he was getting better at it; this dress had been one of his choices. Sada was like a very patient younger sister giving her insufferably dense older brother advice on dating. In fact, Quinn sometimes forgot himself when they hung out together and had to remind himself that she wasn't his sister.
"You know, you spoil me rotten," Xandri said, interrupting his thoughts.
Quinn grinned across the table at her. "I need to do something with all that money. Since I started painting again, I can't seem to breathe past all the commissions."
"You're well loved," Xandri told him, smiling. "And you deserve it, you know. You've done as well as your mother, doing book covers. I can't believe you've done so many in such a short time."
Yes, he had. And he had a reason for how hard he'd been working lately. Staring across the table at Xandri, who picked daintily at her salad, he knew it had been the right reason. The two of them were actually spending a lot of time working together in their art. Xandri found places to photograph, mountains, waterfalls, rolling valleys, beautiful beaches, and he used them as visual aid in his work on book covers. Quinn found that she had a good instinct for the sort of thing he needed for his commissions.
"When is your next one due?" Xandri asked.
Quinn shook his head. "No, no more work talk. Tonight is just for you and me, okay?"
"You know, you've been really romantic lately," Xandri said, her eyebrows lifting slightly. "Not that I don't like it, because I do, but... I get the feeling that you're planning something."
He wasn't going to tell. Quinn refused to say anything, although she bugged him through most of dinner. He didn't mind because it was more playful teasing. She tried to catch him off guard several times and failed. Xandri's dark blue eyes sparked with laughter and good-humor. He waited until she was leaning back in her chair, hands resting on a pleasantly full tummy, before he rose.
"Come on, little Xandri," Quinn said, holding a hand out to her. "Let's dance."
Her eyes widened slightly, but she took his hand. It was a pretty thing, the dance floor in the center of the restaurant, although he had to admit he'd used to hate it. When Quinn had come here, usually with Melanie, he'd thought having a dance floor in the middle of a restaurant was just a pain. And he still felt that way, only know it served his purposes well. Which would be, Quinn thought wryly, embarrassing myself in front of a bunch of people eating dinner.
Still, when the music started up, he pulled Xandri close. He'd searched for the perfect song for this moment, and he'd found it. The words drifted through the room and he felt her grip on him tighten when she heard.
'The show is over, close the storybook... There will be no encore... And all the random hands that I have shook... Will be reaching for the door... '
"I love this song," Xandri murmured. Her breath was warm against his neck.
"I know," Quinn told her, leaning his head against hers.
'I know I can be colorful... I know I can be grey... And I know this loser's living fortunate... Cause I know you will love me either way.'
She was warm in his arms. Quinn sang softly, only loud enough for her to hear. Xandri's hands crept up along his back and he felt her fingers in his hair. He almost laughed at her soft mewl, disappointment that she couldn't bury her fingers in his hair the way she wanted to. Once she had complained that he was too obsessive about being neat and tidy. And so Quinn had broken out the finger paints and gotten back at her with some not so neat and tidy sex. It was one of their private little jokes now.
"Thank you, Quinn," Xandri said quietly. The music was winding down.
"I told you not to thank me for this sort of thing," Quinn reminded her, leaning his head down until the tip of his nose touched the tip of hers.
Xandri shook her head. "Not that, love. Just... I don't know, maybe it sounds stupid, but thank you for... for being alive. I mean... aggh!"
Quinn laughed softly. He slid an arm around her waist and led her off the dance floor, towards the exit of the restaurant. This was nice, being here, away from everyone else. He'd wanted to take her to Paris again, but he couldn't plan it into their schedules, so he'd settled for the hotel. Quinn had had his best birthday ever here, with her, not that long ago. And he had to admit, the large bathtub in their hotel room could come in handy.
"I suppose I should thank your parents for that," Xandri said, a hint of teasing in her voice. "My life wouldn't be as good without you."
"Nonsense," Quinn said, also teasing. "You'd never have to hear me whine."
"True," Xandri agreed, turning her head and grinning up at him. She leaned close to him, and her voice was a husky whisper when she spoke. "But I'd also never get to hear those little noises you make when you're inside me, either."
He loved that her cheeks still turned bright red when she said things like that. Although Xandri had overcome much of her shyness, there was...