Color Blind
Copyright© 2026 by Evie Olivia Niven
Chapter 5: Talk
Quinn dried himself off and changed his clothes while Xandri was in the shower. If I ever see Andre again, I’ll kill him, he thought, growling beneath his breath. He rolled his clothes into a ball and tossed them into the hamper, then dropped down on his bed with a sigh. She was so innocent. It reminded him, rather forcibly, of things he’d rather not remember. Quinn groaned and rolled onto his stomach.
“Quinn?”
Her voice brought him to attention. He lifted his head and glanced at Xandri, who stood in the open doorway of the bathroom. A towel was wrapped around her hair, and her t-shirt hung down to her thighs. She shouldn’t be allowed to look sexy like that, Quinn thought, biting his lip. He’d tried, briefly, to deny his attraction to her, but it had been completely unsuccessful. He might have loved Sada, but something about Xandri had him lusting after her.
“Feel any better?” Quinn asked, pushing himself up.
“A little,” Xandri replied. “Um ... can I sit?”
Quinn gestured to the bed. “Make yourself comfortable. Although I warn you, you may not want to move once you do.”
Xandri chuckled softly. She clutched her coat tight to her chest as she clambered up onto the bed. Quinn watched her, his body tightening when he caught a glimpse of her thigh. Knock it off, you pervert, he thought, scowling. She’s just an innocent young kid. Although, truth be told, he didn’t know how old she was. Sada had said Xandri was even older than she was, but Quinn found that hard to believe.
“Do you mind if I smoke?” Xandri asked.
Quinn’s eyebrows shot up. “You smoke?”
“Uh ... sort of...” Xandri answered hesitantly. “I have bad nerves, sometimes, and ... well, where I grew up, they didn’t believe in medication...”
Quinn watched curiously as she fished around in the pocket of her coat and pulled out a baggy and a lighter. The baggy had thin, white rolls in them that looked sort of like cigarettes. Ah, he thought, catching a whiff of it as she lit one up. That’s pretty typical, actually. He knew a lot of people who smoked marijuana. Quinn smoked cloves occasionally, when he was particularly satisfied with a painting or just depressed.
“Where did you grow up?” Quinn asked, taking the joint when she offered it to him.
“A convent,” Xandri replied, smiling wryly. “I was left there when I was an infant. One of the sisters ... she was raised in a foster home and had a bad experience. She convinced the state to let them raise me.”
Quinn nodded. “Not as innocent as you look, then. So you’re really older than Sada?”
“Twenty-three,” Xandri said, taking the joint back from him and taking a hit. “And mostly as innocent as I look. They schooled me in the convent until I was eighteen ... probably because of my mom.”
“I thought you said you didn’t know your mom,” Quinn said, his eyebrows raising.
Xandri shrugged. “I didn’t. And that’s why. She had a baby she couldn’t care for and just left. I guess they thought I might be predisposed to that sort of thing, or something.”
Ah, I see, Quinn thought. Of course, no matter how caring religious folks could be, they could also be overzealous. And there were probably a lot of them who wouldn’t believe in medication, especially if Xandri had been stuck in a particularly traditional church. He imagined that being kept away from schools for so long had made it difficult for her to be around people. It explains why she’s so innocent at her age, Quinn thought. Although I suppose it isn’t entirely unlikely ... some people are just late bloomers.
“You’re very lucky,” Quinn said quietly, taking the joint as she passed it to him again. “I guess it’s not your fault, really, but now you know better than to let strange men follow you.”
“I can’t believe he got the jump on me,” Xandri admitted. “I got tangled up in my coat; otherwise, he would have been sorry. I take judo.”
Quinn’s eyebrows raised. “Really? Are you any good?”
“Good enough to take care of creeps like him,” Xandri replied, taking the joint back from him.
Quinn chuckled. It was nice to see that she could relax; he’d thought she might be really uptight. Xandri wasn’t like her friend Janice, who was shallow and one-dimensional. She had a lot of deeper levels, he imagined, judging by the little she’d shown him tonight. Much more interesting to draw, he thought. And much, much more interesting to talk to. Janice had gone on mostly about herself and MTV, which had driven Quinn crazy. Apparently, guys weren’t the only ones who never grew up.
“So how did you get started on this?” Quinn asked, holding up what was left of the joint. “I don’t imagine they were passing it around the convent.”
Xandri laughed. “No, Bea got me started. My first day of college, I had this big panic attack. She grabbed me before I fainted and pulled me outside to her car and smoked with me.”
Quinn nodded. That explains a lot, he thought. Bea is a real wild child. Perhaps she was trying to make up for being named Beatrice, the world’s most horrid name. He knew from experience just how wild she could be. Although nothing had ever come from it, he and Bea had shared a casual relationship for a while. Even now, she and Quinn got together from time to time, although they hadn’t for quite some time now.
“I’m getting tired,” Xandri murmured, stifling a yawn. “I ... I should probably get home...”
“In this weather? I don’t think so,” Quinn said. “Sleep here. At least until the rain stops. I can wake you when it does, if you’d like.”
“I guess so,” Xandri said. “Your couch doesn’t look so bad, anyway.”
“Sleep in my room,” Quinn insisted. “I don’t sleep very often myself ... you might as well...”
Xandri’s cheeks turned red. “Oh, but I ... I can’t...”
Quinn eyed her curiously. Such a mystery, she was. Xandri was definitely nervous, but somehow he had a feeling it had nothing to do with the fact that she’d almost gotten raped. He watched her as she tucked the bag away in her coat, then leaned forward on the bed, getting closer to her. Xandri turned her head slowly, her eyes widening when she realized just how close he was. Quinn chuckled softly.
“Afraid you might get ravished, little Xandri?” he asked, his voice a faint murmur.
“I ... no, I ... uh, uh ... no...” Xandri stammered, her cheeks darkening further.
“Get some sleep,” Quinn said softly. “You’ll be safe.”
He brushed his thumb against her lower lip, which quivered slightly. Safe, Quinn thought, climbing off the bed. From being forced. Seduced? Maybe not ... He left the room, leaving her to make her own decision. Somehow he knew Xandri would end up sleeping in his bed. It was so comfortable; Quinn had made certain of that when he’d bought it.
He realized, as he walked into the kitchen, that he was starving. I haven’t eaten since ... I don’t even remember, he thought. Quinn made himself a sandwich and ate quickly, then headed back into his room. He paused, looking over Xandri, who was already asleep. In truth, he’d been musing with the idea of painting her while she slept, but it hadn’t been completely serious. Looking at her now, Quinn could feel his fingers itch with need.
She was curled up on her side, with the blankets tucked around her waist and her arms against her chest. Xandri’s chestnut hair spread out over the pillow, contrasting with the black pillowcase. Her face looked so serene. I don’t believe in angels, Quinn thought, sitting at the stool behind his easel. But looking at her, I almost could ... It was an odd thought. Aside from Sada, no girl had stirred thoughts like that in him for a long time. Maybe it couldn’t hurt to give in to his passions, just a little bit...
Xandri trembled as she climbed under the covers. Quinn’s voice echoed in her head. I’m not afraid of being ravished, she thought, curling up on her side. I’m afraid of not being able to resist. That made her quake straight down to her toes. Attraction was not something she was used to, and having it come up so suddenly and so strongly knocked her for a loop. If Xandri hadn’t been so tired, physically and emotionally, she never would have fallen asleep.
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