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It took him a moment to see that she was holding a gift bag in her hand. He narrowed his eyes and asked hesitantly, “What’s that?”

Rae pushed herself away from the door frame and entered the room. “Well, the stripper-gram I ordered didn’t show, so I suppose this will have to do.”

Quinn snorted a laugh and shook his head, reaching his hand out to take the bag. He laughed again when he realized the bag read ‘Merry Christmas, Ya Filthy Animal!’ on both sides. He held it up. “Is this literally something you found laying around because you forgot to get me a real present?”

She shrugged, holding her hands up. “I just know you don’t like people going all out for you, so I didn’t want you feeling guilty that I spent five dollars on the bag alone.”

Setting the bag on the bed and beginning to pull out the tissue paper that also looked like it had been pre-used, Quinn remarked, “That’s actually oddly thoughtful, if you think about it.”

Rae plopped herself down on the bed. “Well, what can I say? Work smarter, not harder, am I right?”

Quinn pulled the wrinkled tissue paper out of the bag and reached to the bottom where there was a white jersey folded, with maroon and gold lettering.

He pulled it out, shaking it to unfold it and held it up.

It was a customized Arizona State baseball jersey, with Devils on the front in maroon letters, outlined in gold.

The back read ‘CASEY’ with the number twenty-one underneath.

He looked at her and quirked up an eyebrow. “My jersey number is seven. ”

“Right,” said Rae, “which is a lucky number because we were seven when we met. But I think your new lucky number should be twenty-one. Because it was on the twenty-first.”

Quinn looked at the jersey and back to her, smiling. “It’s also your birth date.”

“Happy coincidence. Now you’ll never not be able to think of me when you wear that,” she replied, rather smugly.

“What if twenty-one isn’t available?” Quinn asked teasingly. He was absolutely elated that she’d thought to put something personal for her on his jersey. It was better than her adverse reaction to him having a new girl best friend.

She looked thoughtful for a moment and hummed. “Then I guess twelve would be okay. It’s the same two numbers. I think you’d still think of me.”

Quinn nodded, “I’ll see what I can do.” Looking back at Rae, sitting cross-legged on the bed, he bit back the extra-wide smile that threatened to show itself.

She stretched out on the queen-sized guest bed, leaning back on the pillows and was giving him the same look as earlier when he couldn’t quite figure out what she was thinking.

“Did you know Arizona is, like, the second highest ranked party school in the country?” Rae turned on her side and combed her fingers through her long hair.

“I don’t really plan on partying much,” Quinn said, grabbing one of his older t-shirts from the vanity drawer and pulling it on.

“That’s what you say now, but when you realize that’s where all the hot babes are, I’m sure you’ll cave,” Rae said playfully.

Well, there’s only one hot babe I want, and right now she’s on my bed.

“I feel like I’m going to be the only virgin on campus next year,” she commented, seemingly out of nowhere.

Every muscle in his body froze as a frequent fantasy of his flashed through his mind. Only this one now featured that new blue bikini. Quinn couldn’t look at her, unsure what his face would do, but he had a feeling he might get a little carried away like he did with the sunscreen earlier.

“I guess there’s a whole year between now and then, though.” Rae continued playing with her hair, twisting it, tousling it, sliding her fingers through it.

“Is that some goal of yours?” Quinn asked finally. “To lose your virginity before college?”

“Uh, yeah,” Rae said, flinging her hand out as though it were obvious.

“Quinn, all people do in college is have sex. Between classes you study, and then you have sex. And then you get a study partner so you can act like you’re being a good student, but really, you guys just hook up in bed on top of all your books. ”

Quinn let out a bark of laughter, “Rae, I think you watch The O.C. too much.”

“Those are high school students! So I feel like that really drives my point home.”

“So, what, you want to lose it now so you’re prepared for all the sex you plan on having in the library and on top of books?” Quinn could hardly take this conversation seriously.

“I mean, it would be nice,” said Rae. “Think about it. The first one is a big deal, right? So once that’s out of the way...well, I guess I don’t know. Does it get more casual?”

“Why are you asking me?” Quinn asked, stretching out on the bed next to her.

“Wouldn’t you know?” Rae looked at him with narrowed eyes. “Wait, would you have told me? We are best friends, and that seems like something friends would share.”

“Would you have told me?”

“Well, yeah. You would’ve been the first person I told,” she replied. Quinn furrowed his brow and made a face. “I probably would’ve come right over to share that we were finally on the same level. Although, by the sounds of it, I would’ve just been bragging.”

“I have never been more glad that I punched Liam in the face the day you two were supposed to have sex,” Quinn said, imagining the revulsion he would have felt if Rae had come over just to tell him she’d just lost her virginity to her piece of shit ex-boyfriend.

Rae looked at him thoughtfully for a moment, and Quinn didn’t know what to think of the look on her face. She bit her lip for a beat, then spoke. “I have a proposition.”

“You’re propositioning me?” Quinn teased.

“That’s one way to put it.”

“Rae, you know what that means, right?” Quinn chuckled. She always managed to say sexual things that she’d never intended to come out that way.

“Yes, I do,” Rae stated. “Would you want to have sex with me?”

Blink.

I, uh...what? I must be hallucinating.

“What?” Quinn stared, eyebrows shooting up into his hairline. His whole body froze, and he no longer had any knowledge of what was going on. Where he was, why he was lying in bed with his best friend, what in the world had led to this conversation? What the hell was Rae saying?

“Not right now,” Rae said, holding a hand up. “I mean, it is awfully convenient that we’re in bed together, but I mean...you’re obviously, ya know, aesthetically pleasing, and I trust you probably more than anyone. What if we make a sort of...pact?”

Quinn’s heart was pounding in his chest, his blood rushing in his ears as he listened to the one girl he’d wanted for four years tell him the reasons she wanted to lose her virginity to him.

The image of Rae’s sun-kissed skin as he gave her an overly sensual sunscreen massage clouded his mind, along with all the thoughts he’d had during it.

The memory of his first full look at her in that bikini had the beast in his chest stirring with excitement once again.

He cleared his throat, which had suddenly gone insanely dry. His voice still cracked when he asked, “Um...what kind of pact?”

“What if we agree that if neither of us has had sex by the end of the school year. Or prom? The school year? I don’t know,” Rae shook her head and waved her hand.

“Whatever. If we haven’t lost our virginity by the end of the year, the date is yet to be determined, then we do it with each other. You'll be my first, and I’ll be yours.”

Holy shit. Yes. One-hundred percent yes.

Quinn forced himself to stay calm, to not just blurt out his response. Of course he would agree to this. How much of an idiot would he have to be to turn it down?

He considered for a moment before realizing this wasn’t exactly what he’d had in mind.

He didn’t want to just have sex with Rae because she didn’t want to be the only virgin on her college campus, but this was at least a good sign, right?

She was attracted to him enough to consider getting naked with him and engaging in intimate acts she had yet to do with anyone else.

Of course, she was asking them to both lose their virginity…

“Are you sure?” Quinn asked. “I mean, you don’t want it to be more...special? With someone you’re actually dating?”

“A lot can happen in one school year,” Rae said, grinning shyly. “You don’t have to say yes, it was just an idea. I feel like I’m completely freaking you out.”

“No, no,” Quinn said quickly, perhaps too eagerly. “Um, I mean, I’m good with it.”

“You’re good with it?” Rae said, eyeing him skeptically.

“Yeah, I’m in. It’s a deal...or a pact, or whatever.”

“Shake on it.” Rae stuck her hand out, her winning grin pulling up her lips.

He slid his hand into hers with a triumphant grin and shook it once. “It’s a deal.”