"Quinn, I'm going to be honest here because I don't know how else to say this. What the hell is going on between you and Michel Baxter?" Mr. Harrison's words stilled Quinn's coffee cup. He'd been slowly raising it to his lips but now? He was staring at Mr. Harrison, his eyes wide.
"Pardon?" Quinn asked, more confused than anything else. His heart was racing in his chest suddenly as Mr. Harrison frowned grimly. He stared down at his own coffee cup for a long moment.
"Yesterday when the whole office was in besides you, that idiot came storming in. He looked like a damn beast ready to kill and when he noticed that you weren't here, he threw a fit. Imagine that? A grown man throwing a damn fit. In my office!" He grumbled loudly. "I understand that it's his own company and he's going to end up on the board of directors at some damn point, but have some decency, would you? After all, his own damn engagement was announced at the end of the year party. You'd think he'd be on his best behaviour for a week at least, right?" Quinn nodded, agreeing with Mr. Harrison's opinions.
All the while, he was trying to process what he had said. Michel was…looking for him? Why? Sure, Quinn had blocked his number, but it was only temporary. He'd needed some space while dealing with everything that was going on, including his feelings. Surely Michel could understand that.
He wasn't…holding the fact that Quinn hadn't shown up to the end of the year party that seriously, right? He wasn't a child, and maybe Quinn had been coddling him in some capacity, but he was now engaged, like Mr. Harrison said.
"Quinn? Are you in trouble with him?" Mr. Harrison's sudden question had Quinn laughing before he caught himself. He had been, and he knew what Mr. Harrison wasn't saying. He was asking Quinn if he'd gotten in with a bad crowd.
Mr. Harrison's scowling, concerned expression told him that much when Quinn looked up at him. Quinn put down his coffee cup, covering his face for a moment as he sighed. He couldn't tell him what they had been doing. That would put too much pressure on his shoulders because Quinn knew that Mr. Harrison would take it. Same hometown or not, he was a good man.
"I'm not involved in anything like what you're speculating, Mr. Harrison, so you can relax." Quinn told him, slowly uncovering his face to smile at the older man. Mr. Harrison's ears turned red as he coughed, embarrassed.
"I didn't believe that you would, but I've seen stranger people do stranger things. I just wanted to make sure that you hadn't embezzled from the company or something stupid like that." He muttered. Quinn laughed, openly and loudly at his concerned words.
"I wouldn't do something like that, and certainly not with Michel." Quinn told him, amused by Mr. Harrison's words. Quinn hesitated for a second before he gave Mr. Harrison more information. Explaining this much wouldn't hurt, right? Mr. Harrison had a good heart, and while Quinn wouldn't go into severe detail, knowing the basics wasn't bad. "I'm sure you've heard the rumours, but Michel and I were childhood best friends. We attended kindergarten together up until middle school. We lost contact during high school and university only for me to be scouted by the Baxter corp when I graduated. We've connected a little bit, but not anything that would cause anyone harm." Quinn told him.
Mr. Harrison visibly relaxed, which told Quinn he'd been seriously worried for him. Quinn found out why shortly after.
Mr. Harrison sat back on the couch, rubbing his hand over his face as he let out a relieved sigh.
"Oh, thank anything holy. I was so worried, Quinn. I don't think the others noticed, but he was in a terrible mood at the end of the year party. You were already not doing well with your grandmother back home and when he came in yesterday I just…I feared something more was going on." Mr. Harrison admitted. Quinn's shoulders softened as he smiled at his kind manager.
"I told Michel I would be able to make it, but obviously, I wasn't." Quinn explained. He didn't need to know the full context. Only Noah, Michel and Quinn did. Mr. Harrison sighed.
"Did you explain it to him?" He asked and Quinn gave a bitter laugh.
"Mr. Harrison, have you ever tried to explain you couldn't do something to Michel before?" Quinn asked. From the way that he scowled, Quinn knew that he knew exactly what he meant.
"If he comes back today, which I think he will, you're excused to deal with him privately. Even use my office if you need to. I don't want the others to spread rumours about you, especially when it comes to fucking Michel Baxter. You don't deserve that kind of slander." Quinn felt his eyes widen at Mr. Harrison's words. He never swore. Never. Hearing him swear because of Michel?
Quinn couldn't stop giggling.
"That's kind of you, Mr. Harrison." Quinn told him with a warm smile. Mr. Harrison stared at him for a long moment before he sighed, shaking his head.
"Now, how is your grandmother doing?" He asked, switching to what he probably wanted to ask in the first place. Quinn knew that he was going to try to recruit Mr. Harrison when he left, but also knew that the man was stubborn enough that he probably wouldn't leave. A shame. He was a really good man.
~
Quinn was firm when he told others that there was no need to pester him about what happened. He easily explained that it was a personal family issue, but that everyone was fine. He could have gone into more detail, but he didn't want to. He trusted his team, he didn't trust the others in the company the same way.
Case and point, like Mr. Harrison warned about, Michel came bursting onto the office floor later that day around lunchtime. Quinn admittedly was about to go for lunch with a few of his coworkers, his suit jacket back on after working several hours without it, when the elevator doors opened and Michel stepped out.
Quinn noticed his handsome head jerking around, scanning the room until his eyes landed on Quinn. His eyes narrowed as he started to storm towards Quinn, while Quinn felt his eyes widen. Why did he look so pissed? Quinn had no idea why he was reacting this way.
Sure, Quinn hadn't been able to attend the end of the year party, but was it really this big of a deal?
"Quinn Rivers." Michel snarled. "There you are, you little snot-nosed brat." Quinn felt that that was slander. Quinn had never been a 'snot-nosed brat'. Quinn had always blown his nose as a child. Michel had been the snot-nosed brat, so Quinn felt he was just projecting.
"I wasn't hiding." Quinn defended, straightening his back. He thought that he was going to be strong, thought that he was going to be able to handle this when others were around, but the closer that Michel got, the weaker Quinn's knees got. Fuck. He was remembering.
He was remembering everything. The moments they shared and the pain that had torn through his chest when Michel had tossed him aside so callously. Quinn swallowed thickly, aware that everyone was watching him and that Mr. Harrison's offer of help was off the table.
He always took lunch in his office with his partner. A cute midday online date that Quinn would never, ever interrupt. He wasn't a monster, and honestly, it was so sweet that Quinn knew he would earn enemies if he interrupted it for selfish reasons.
Michel stormed closer, his own black suit flapping as he did so. He was barely contained when he got to Quinn, attempting to tower over him more than he did. Quinn wasn't short by any means, and for the first time, he was glad for it. Quinn noticed he was a bit disheveled, a bit out of sorts, and it was the first time that he noticed that.
Before, Quinn had never seen him disheveled. Or maybe he'd never noticed it. A warm heat went up the back of Quinn's neck, his embarrassment at his own foolishness making an appearance. Quinn clenched his hands tightly, staring back at Michel. Michel seemed confused by that. Before now, Quinn would defer to him, even just a little. Now?
Quinn saw no reason to tend to his pride.
"Michel, I was just about to leave for lunch. Can this wait for after work?" Quinn asked coolly, and that seemed to shock everyone, Michel included. For one, Quinn had never called him by his first name before. He'd always called him Mr. Baxter, not referencing that they'd had a close relationship before. Quinn had done so to make it appear that they hadn't been close, even as children.
Quinn saw no reason to hide it since he knew that no one thought he'd been hired through his connections at this point. There was also the subtle feeling of success because Quinn knew that Michel liked it when others called him by his last name. It had been written all over his face. He liked it when he was given a position of authority.
Michel scowled.
"I have a business meeting after work, so no, it can't wait." He hissed and Quinn blinked. Was he always like this? Why hadn't Quinn noticed it before?
Quinn glanced towards his coworkers and gave them an apologetic smile. Sophie caught on quickly.
"We'll grab you something to go, Quinn. Your usual?" She asked and Quinn nodded, grateful. She quickly ushered the others out, even if it was clear that they all wanted to stay. After all, it wasn't often that anyone was cornered like this in their own office.
Those who ate their lunch at the cubicles were going to get a full rundown of what was going on between Michel and Quinn, at least if Michel had his way. Quinn didn't want that.
"Can we at least go to a conference room and chat?" Quinn asked, sliding his gaze back to Michel. He was frowning at Quinn, staring at him like he was a strange creature. Quinn felt that wasn't unusual. After all, Quinn was also feeling the same. He felt like he had never noticed who Michel was before this, and clearly, Michel was feeling the same.
"You don't have any on this floor." Michel growled and Quinn sighed.
"There are some on the floor below. Can you just not make this difficult for everyone involved and agree to it?" Quinn's voice carried and those by the elevators looked back, shocked that Quinn would speak to anyone like that. Michel's face turned red, and Quinn could feel an explosion coming on, but Quinn wasn't going to deal with it. He grabbed Michel's hand and dragged him towards the stairs.
They would be quicker.