Quality Assurance

by Sasha L. Miller

  Josh snickered, though there was something unsettling about the phrase 'the first few bites.' "So you don't know why I can remember Monday at lunch?"

  "Not really," Quinn said, deflating. "It—I must have done something to screw up on Friday, besides not remembering to heal you, and it's affecting how you react to it now."

  "That's not going to mess me up long-term, is it?" Josh asked, wondering why he hadn't thought of that sooner.

  "No, oh, definitely not," Quinn refuted immediately, straightening up and looking horrified at the idea. Liquid sloshed out of his mug—too light to be coffee, so maybe he was drinking tea? "Dammit."

  "Sorry," Josh apologized, jumping to his feet. "Where do you keep paper towels?"

  "What? Oh, no, don't worry about it," Quinn said. He set the mug down on the box he'd picked it up from. The cardboard immediately soaked up the tea still clinging to the bottom of the mug, staining it a dark color. Quinn brushed ineffectually at the soaked spot on the front of his shirt before standing and leaving the room. He disappeared into the kitchen, which was visible through the opening over the dining bar. He reappeared after a moment and dropped a dark brown kitchen towel on top of the spot of spilled tea on the carpet.

  "Um, I need to—" Quinn said, plucking awkwardly at the front of his shirt.

  "Right," Josh said, sitting back down as Quinn left the room again, disappearing behind a door on the far side of the living room.

  Josh glanced around. The living room was a mess, with boxes everywhere and not much in the way of places to put anything. There was a TV stand with a medium-sized television set perched on top of it across the room. A slew of wires led to the DVD player perched on top of it—probably Quinn had been watching something before Josh had shown up.

  There were DVD cases piled out on top of one of the boxes, and he could see what looked like books in another. The curtains hanging in the windows were plain, medium-dark blue with a simple brown pattern along the bottom of each panel. Quinn had curtains hung and the TV and DVDs unpacked—he had Josh's kind of priorities.

  "Sorry about that," Quinn said, reappearing. He was wearing neater jeans and another ugly plaid shirt—red with blue—and Josh wondered if it was a camouflage. No one would take accusations of vampirism seriously if they were levered against a clumsy, awkward, poorly-dressed schmuck who wore the ugliest plaid shirts in existence.

  "No problem, sorry I upset you," Josh said, smiling sheepishly.

  "You didn't? Not really," Quinn said. His forehead furrowed in confusion. "Um, did I offer you anything to drink? I'm a horrible host, I'm sorry."

  "You did, I'm fine," Josh said. "I should probably get going, anyway." Even if he didn't want to go. He'd rather stay here and pester Quinn about the whole vampire thing. What would it be like to grow up a vampire? To have to drink people's blood to survive?

  "Are you sure?" Quinn asked, wiping his hands on the front of his jeans, but he looked more relaxed as Josh stood.

  "Yeah, I should get home," Josh said easily, trying not to be hurt that Quinn was happy he was going. "I won't tell anyone. You can come back to work tomorrow."

  "Right, no, I will," Quinn said, almost tripping over a box as he moved to walk Josh to the door. "And thank you, for not saying anything and for coming to—well, for coming."

  "No problem," Josh said, heading down the stairs. Quinn stayed at the top, one hand wrapped around the banister as he watched Josh. "See you tomorrow."

  "Bye," Quinn said, waving as Josh opened the door. Josh grinned at him before letting himself out, shutting the door firmly behind him.

  He was an idiot, but he was a still-living idiot, so he was going to pick up Chinese and a six pack and spend the rest of his evening communing with his couch in celebration of the fact that he'd spent an hour with a vampire and hadn't been eaten or killed.

  Josh tried to quell his nerves as he walked into work, focusing on keeping a polite smile on his face instead of scowling as he took the stairs to the second floor. He had no reason to be nervous. There was nothing saying he'd run into Quinn today, or that he had anything to be worried about with regard to Quinn.

  He probably had more to worry about from Elena. She'd want to know how his visit had gone, and she'd want lots of detail. That he'd avoided both her and Quinn all day yesterday meant nothing. Today was Friday, which meant there was bowling tonight. Since he'd avoided Elena the previous day, she'd probably invite Quinn and try to corner him today.

  Thankfully, Steve had him helping remove old equipment from the server room and prepping for the upcoming reorganization. He'd be spending most of his day locked in a tiny, keypad-access-only room that had one phone, poor cell reception, and no terminal to check email at.

  That meant he could feasibly avoid everyone and not add to Elena's no doubt already outlandish speculations about him and Quinn. He also wouldn't have to deal with Quinn being nervous around him or figure out what to say to him.

  Josh paused at the top of the stairs to take a sip of his coffee before letting himself out of the stairwell and into the second floor lobby. Turning left, he wound his way through the maze of cubes until he reached his. He started up his computer first, and then set down his coffee and settled in his desk chair.

  Fifteen minutes later, he was heading back down the stairs to the server room in the basement. The worst part of working in the server room, Josh thought sourly, was the strict no food or drink rule, which barred him from having his leisurely way with his coffee.

  He paused on the first floor landing as the door opened, and of all people, Quinn stepped into the stairway. He was absorbed in a thick book that looked like one of the in-house training manuals, and Josh had to clear his throat to pull Quinn's head from the book and keep Quinn from running straight into him.

  "Oh, sorry," Quinn said, snapping the manual shut. He blinked quickly a few times, then surprisingly, he smiled at Josh. "Hi."

  "Hey," Josh said, confused but not upset that Quinn wasn't nervous around him. "I see you've recovered admirably."

  "Recovered?" Quinn asked, smile slipping.

  "You were sick," Josh prompted, kicking himself for bringing it up. Obviously the caffeine hadn't hit his brain yet.

  "Oh, right!" Quinn said, nodding enthusiastically. "Yes, I'm feeling much better now, thank you."

  "Cool," Josh said, giving Quinn a brief smile and finally realizing that Quinn was actually wearing a plaid shirt in the office. It was a decent plaid—understated blue-on-blue—but it was still plaid.

  "Um, I should—" Quinn said, lifting his book. It was a training guide, to one of the more complicated report writers the company produced.

  "Right, and I need to—" Josh said, pointing down. Quinn gave him another smile before heading upstairs, and Josh returned it before heading down.

  Why did he have to be so stupid around Quinn? If that had gotten any more awkward, he'd have had to throw himself down the stairs. Sighing, Josh opened the basement door and headed to the server room, trying to ignore that less-than-stellar meeting with Quinn in the stairwell.

  The bowling alley was more crowded than usual. The jukebox seemed louder, the drunken party next to them was more obnoxious than most of the usual crowd, and Josh kept getting irrationally annoyed at the girls for fawning over Quinn, who'd apparently never bowled before.

  Josh wasn't being the best company, but he couldn't bring himself to perk up. He'd gotten a headache late in the day that he was blaming on inhaling too much dust in the server room. Between that and the obvious way the girls were plotting, he was getting more and more irritable.

  The only highlight of his evening was that he was actually winning for once. Usually Ashley kicked everyone's asses, as she'd been playing since she was a kid. She even had a matching set of bowling shoes and her own shimmery, powder blue ball. She was so wrapped up with Quinn, however, that she wasn't paying any attention tonight.

  Josh smothered a scowl, taking another sip of his beer before setting it back down. He was
being a responsible drinker and pacing himself tonight; he didn't want an awkward repeat of last week. Josh wouldn't be able to face Quinn at work if he drunkenly tried to hit on him tonight, and if he drank too much, he'd definitely try it.

  Elena stepped down from the raised platform of the bowling lane, crossing the seating area to sit down next to him. Carrie stood from the opposite bank of seats, saying something that made Ashley laugh and Quinn crack a smile.

  "Hey, 'Lena," Josh said, watching as Carrie picked up her ball and headed to the lane.

  "Hey, Joshie," Elena said, crossing her legs and stealing his beer. She was wearing skinny jeans and a low-cut, dark blue blouse with ruffles and no sleeves. "Are you okay? You've been quiet all night."

  "I'm fine, just not feeling it," Josh said, taking his beer back when Elena handed it to him. He set it on the table without drinking any, glancing up at the scoreboard as Carrie knocked down three pins.

  "Is it because we invited Quinn?" Elena asked, frowning. "You seemed to be getting along. I didn't think you'd mind."

  "It's not Quinn," Josh said, rolling his eyes. "I like him fine." Josh paused, wanting to kick himself. That was only going to egg Elena on. "He's a good guy," Josh added lamely, like that would help.

  "So, what? He doesn't return the sentiment?" Elena pressed, drilling her nails against the table.

  "It has nothing to do with Quinn," Josh muttered. He stood before she could reply, moving to take Carrie's place when she stepped down from the lane. His name flashed on the scoreboard. He threw the ball without paying much attention and managed to knock down eight pins.

  Maybe he could skip out early. He wasn't having any fun, and he didn't want to be pestered about it until he spilled, and he didn't want to ruin the evening for everyone else by being a drag. Maybe if he sat by Quinn the girls would leave him alone, though probably they'd leave him alone with Quinn, and Josh wasn't sure he wanted to deal with that awkwardness, either.

  Stepping back down from the platform, Josh hesitated, then decided Quinn was the lesser of the two evils and headed to the table to the right. Ashley flashed him a grin as she stood to take her turn, and Quinn offered him a small smile as Josh took the seat next to him.

  "Having fun?" Josh asked, then winced at how rude he sounded. "The girls like having you here."

  "It's fun?" Quinn offered stiltedly. "But I can— I don't mean to intrude. I know they're your friends—"

  "Quinn." Josh cut him off, smiling and shaking his head. "I don't mind you coming. Don't listen to whatever lies they've been telling you."

  "Are you sure?" Quinn asked, frowning. "I mean, that's what Elena said, but you don't seem like—like last week."

  "Yeah, where were you then?" Josh asked, remembering that he hadn't noticed Quinn last week until the end of the evening. "Carrie invited you, but I don't remember you being down here in the pit."

  "They ran out of shoes and wouldn't let me down here without them," Quinn said, lifting a foot a few inches as though to display the ugly pair of bowling shoes he'd rented for the evening.

  "Oh," Josh said. He leaned against the hard plastic back of the bench, stretching his legs out in front of him. "But don't worry about it. It's not you, it's me being in a bad mood because—"

  A loud bout of drunken laughter came from the lane on the other side of the divider behind them, and Josh grimaced.

  "Partly because of that," he muttered, then realized Ashley had taken Quinn's turn for him and Elena was back up.

  "If you want, we could leave?" Quinn offered, then ducked his head in embarrassment. "Um, they probably wouldn't mind so long as we leave together."

  Josh scowled at Carrie and Ashley, wondering what nonsense they'd been telling Quinn. "I'm sorry about them," Josh said, making a face at Carrie when she stuck her tongue out at him and grabbed his beer from the table in front of her. "They're all fixated on hooking me up."

  "Do you think they'd lay off if they knew we already had?" Quinn asked, keeping his voice quiet enough that Josh had to strain to hear him. "Because you could tell them if you wanted."

  "It wouldn't make them lay off. It would only make them worse," Josh grumbled. "Did you want out of here, too? I don't want to make you leave if you're having fun."

  "It is fun, but it's loud?" Quinn offered, wincing when an alarm went off somewhere, signaling that someone had managed a strike.

  "All right, then let's go," Josh said, standing. Quinn followed suit, and Josh felt better about the whole evening, if only because Quinn was willing to talk to him and pull one over on the girls.

  "Hey, we're going to take off," Josh said loudly as they approached the table where Ashley and Carrie were sitting. Elena was stepping down from her turn at the pins, her ball rolling up on the return conveyor.

  "Oh, but we haven't been here that long," Ashley said, then added after a not-at-all-discreet elbow from Carrie. "Heading home or somewhere else?"

  "Somewhere quieter," Quinn said, looking apologetic. Josh smothered a grin when Quinn's eyes widened as he realized the implication of that phrase.

  "Well, have fun, and Josh, you're doing lunch with me on Monday since you keep blowing me off," Elena said with a too-sweet smile. Monday's lunch would be an interrogation with a side of food.

  "Thank you for inviting me," Quinn said politely. Josh almost wished they were going somewhere quieter instead of using each other as a way to leave without any long, drawn-out drama.

  "It's a standing invite. You can join us any time," Carrie assured him with a pretty smile. "Have fun, you two. I'll see you next week."

  "See you," Josh echoed, forcing a last smile for them before leading Quinn out of the pit.

  They returned their rented shoes, and a few minutes later were outside. The air was brisk and chilly, a precursor to winter, and Josh crossed his arms, pausing a few steps into the parking lot. Quinn stopped beside him, giving him a curious look.

  He could invite Quinn to go someplace quieter, maybe a coffee shop or something. Would Quinn agree, Josh wondered, or would that be pushing it? Probably pushing it, Josh decided with a sigh. He needed to keep his distance, despite the girls' attempts to set the two of them up. Quinn was a coworker, and a vampire besides. Josh had no business trying to tap that.

  "Thanks," Josh said instead. "I'm sorry you've gotten dragged into their schemes. I should've warned you."

  "It's okay," Quinn said. He shrugged, the movement outlined by the flashing neon lights of the bowling alley's brightly lit sign. "Um, I guess I'll see you around?"

  "Right. Drive safe," Josh said, then cringed because who said that besides his mother? Quinn nodded, giving him a wave as he headed across the parking lot in the opposite direction of Josh's car. Josh moved a moment later, trudging through the lot toward his car and wondering why it felt like he was missing something important.

  Josh wandered into the kitchen, poking around in the cupboard above the microwave. He shut the cabinet door without taking anything out. Turning, Josh leaned against the counter and surveyed the kitchen. Everything was tidy, nothing was left out, and Josh rolled his eyes at himself because he was bored and going stir-crazy because of it.

  He'd tried watching a movie, but his attention had lasted for as long as it had taken for the lead actor to appear. Dark hair and pretty blue eyes, and every time he smiled, Josh thought of Quinn. He'd tried a video game next—something mindless and bloody—but that hadn't required enough concentration, and Josh kept finding himself thinking about Quinn, wondering what he was up to this weekend, whether he played video games, or if their taste in movies was similar.

  Worse, he kept trying to manufacture a reason to go by Quinn's place. Despite knowing what a bad idea it was, Josh was curious and interested despite the risk of vampire bites. Josh almost wished he didn't know. It was more obnoxious than thinking Quinn was a wannabe vampire.

  Sighing, Josh pushed away from the kitchen counter and headed to his bedroom. He'd go for a walk. That didn't take any concentration, and maybe
afterward he could settle into one of his regular weekend kickbacks and get his mind off Quinn.

  He pulled a pair of sneakers out of his closet, pushing his feet into them without bothering to unlace them. Turning to leave the room, he paused when he caught sight of the neatly folded, dark blue sock on top of his dresser. Quinn's sock. He'd left it in Josh's bedroom the night they'd met.

  Josh stared at it for a long moment before deciding that he needed to return it. It could be an expensive sock or a present. Even if the way Quinn dressed didn't support the 'expensive' theory, and who gave socks as a present? Before he could talk himself out of it, he grabbed the sock and headed out of the apartment. He snagged his key ring off the hall table and paused only to make sure he locked the door to his apartment behind him.

  The drive to Quinn's place was short, but by the time Josh pulled into a guest parking space, he was rethinking his logic. Returning a sock, really? Besides being a stupid excuse—he'd thought of a dozen better earlier that morning—did he really want to remind Quinn of everything they were supposed to be leaving behind them?

  Josh sighed again, then stuffed the sock into his center console and snapped it shut. He sat in his car, frowning at the front door of Quinn's apartment before deciding he should at least say hello since he'd come all the way out here. But he was throwing the damn sock out when he got home.

  Climbing from the car, Josh locked the doors and headed past the obnoxiously shaped shrubbery. He second guessed himself again on the front stoop, but then rolled his eyes and rang the bell. Only a few seconds passed before Josh heard footsteps hurrying down the stairs, and then Quinn opened the door.

  "Hey," Josh greeted, suppressing a smile at the sight of the faded red-and-black flannel shirt Quinn was wearing, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He was also wearing a pair of faded, light blue jeans with a hole in one thigh, and he was barefoot, toes curling into the carpet.