Page 18 of Lakeside Longing

Rebecca leaned closer to Quinn, whispering in her ear, “You okay?” Her voice was soft and soothing, and Quinn found herself nodding without thinking. She could feel Rebecca’s breath against her neck, and it sent shivers down her spine.

Quinn tried to shake off the strange sensation that had taken hold of her. She couldn’t believe how easily she had been swept up in this moment with Rebecca. She knew it was wrong, so wrong, but she couldn’t help herself. She wanted to lean into Rebecca, to feel the warmth of her body pressed against hers.

Quinn closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath as she tried to calm herself down. She knew she needed to focus on something else, anything else, to distract herself from the intense feelings that were running through her body.

She opened her eyes and turned to look at Rebecca, who was watching her with concern etched across her face. “I’m fine,” Quinn said quickly, trying to sound casual and unaffected by what had just happened between them.

Rebecca nodded slowly. “Okay,” she said softly before letting go of Quinn’s hand and turning back towards the movie.

The movie continued, but Quinn couldn’t concentrate. Rebecca’s touch lingered in her mind. She took a large gulp of wine, the rich, warm flavors burning a trail down her throat. Attempting to distract herself, Quinn focused on the details of the film – the dusty setting, the creaking floorboards, the flickering candlelight. She tried to analyze the edits, the pacing, the acting, anything to take her mind off the growing sense of disquiet within her.

But every time she caught a glimpse of Rebecca, Quinn felt an undeniable spark she couldn’t ignore.

As the movie neared its end, the tension in the room thickened. Quinn’s anxiety grew, her hands clenching and unclenching in her lap, but the tension wasn’t entirely from the film.

Quinn’s gaze kept drifting to Rebecca throughout the remainder of the movie. She couldn’t help but notice the subtle movements—the slight tilt of Rebecca’s head as she focused on the screen, the way her eyes widened during a particularly intense scene, the tiny creases that formed between her eyebrows when she was absorbed in the suspenseful moments.

It was strange for Quinn to feel so drawn to someone, especially in such a short amount of time. She had never felt this way before, and it was unsettling, exhilarating, and terrifying all at once.

The final scenes of the movie unfolded, and Quinn couldn’t deny that Piper had done an exceptional job portraying the lead character’s descent into madness as she grappled with the supernatural forces within the house.

As the credits began to roll, Rebecca reached for the remote and lowered the volume, not turning off the television. She turned towards Quinn, and in the glow of the screen, Quinn could see the softness in her eyes. “So, what did you think?”

Quinn took a moment to gather her thoughts. “It was intense,” she finally said, meeting Rebecca’s gaze. “Piper did an amazing job, as usual. She really can take on any role, any genre.”

Rebecca smiled, and Quinn’s heart skipped a beat at the warmth in her eyes. “She was excellent.” There was a brief pause, and Quinn felt a charged silence build between them. Rebecca’s gaze remained on her, and Quinn could see the firelight dancing in her eyes. “Quinn, I want to be completely honest with you.”

Quinn swallowed. Was Rebecca feeling this too? “Okay,” she said, her heart beating loudly in her ears.

“Sarah is worried about you. She has been since you came back, but especially when you told her that you’re renting this place for a year. She thinks there’s something wrong. Obviously, I would never tell her about what you told me. But I’m just letting you know that she’s worried.”

Quinn’s stomach dropped, and she tore her eyes away from Rebecca. How could she have thought that someone like Rebecca would feel the same way about her? She cleared her throat and reached for her wine. “I know. She’s been acting weird too.” She took a long drink, feeling more foolish and embarrassed than she had in a long time.

“Before her birthday, she asked me to see if I noticed anything unusual about you. I said I would even though I didn’t think you’d tell me anything.”

Quinn felt like she’d just taken a punch to the stomach. She blindly put her glass down and focused on taking a deep breath in. Rebecca had only asked her over for dinner so that she could try to find out what was going on with her and tell her mother?

This was worse than being rejected.

Rebecca continued. “I just want you to know that I would never betray your trust, no matter how good of a friend your mother is to me.”

Quinn could only nod. She didn’t trust herself to speak.

“And that while I agreed to try and talk to you at the party, I asked you over last night on a whim. It had nothing to do with her.” A hint of a smile ghosted Rebecca’s lips. “I’m not attempting to play detective. I’ve enjoyed these last few days, and I just wanted to make that clear incase it comes out after the fact, that your mother had asked me to do that.”

Quinn pushed herself off the couch without saying anything, crouching down in front of the fire and adding a few sticks and then another log to the flames.

12

Rebecca watched from the couch as Quinn crouched in front of the fire and added another log. Quinn still hadn’t said anything. Rebecca had only wanted to be honest, to help Quinn’s mother understand what was going on, but now she worried she may have overstepped and been too honest.

Rising from the sofa, Rebecca came around the coffee table to stand beside Quinn, who stood to meet her gaze. Rebecca could have sworn she saw the shimmer of tears in those vivid blue eyes, and her heart ached at the sight.

The rain was coming down harder now, the patter against the windows and roof providing a soothing backdrop to the charged silence between them.

“Hey,” Rebecca said softly, reaching up to gently brush a stray lock of golden hair behind Quinn’s ear. Her fingertips lingered, tracing the delicate curve of Quinn’s cheek. “What’s wrong?”

Rebecca’s voice was laced with concern, her brow furrowed as she searched Quinn’s face, desperate to understand what was troubling her. This wasn’t the confident, composed actress shehad come to know. This was a raw version of Quinn, one that was even more vulnerable than last night

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