Page 1 of Fragile

Prologue

New Years Eve – One Year Ago

"Five.”

My pulse races.

“Four.”

Our eyes lock.

“Three.”

He leans in.

“Two.”

I lick my lips.

“One.”

I watch as he drops his head into the kiss, and my heart shatters for the millionth time in my life because the girl he’s kissing isn’t me.

Chapter one

Quinn

Being in love sucks.

Being in love with someone who is blissfully unaware... that’s a special kind of torture.

As I sit, I think about short, dark hair that would bristle against my fingertips if I could run my hand over it. Warm brown eyes like pools of expensive chocolate and caramel. An athletic build that makes my mouth water each time I see it ripple beneath fitted t-shirts. My entire body comes alive at the thought of him…

“Earth to Quinn?” My daydream is interrupted by my best friend and roommate for the second year running. The look on her face has me blinking rapidly because, no, I was not listening.

“Sorry, got distracted. Let’s carry on.” I wave my hand dismissively and smile. With a glance at everyone around us in The Hangout, the common room in the athlete’s building, I focus back on my task. We usually commandeer this room on Sundays for our scrapbooking sessions, the little group slowly growing in members.

Hudson and Jay sit on the long couch, squabbling over pink and purple tape. Indie sits on Seb’s lap, as per usual, and even though she’s still looking at me, I can tell she’s focused on my brother more. A surge of happiness floods me and even though, right now, we’re missing one person in our friendship group, this year is going to be great. I can feel it. It’s our second scrapbooking session of the new school year, so everything feels fresh and exciting. New page, new chapter, and yet another year fantasizing about someone I’ll never have. But that’s okay, I’m used to it.

“Quinnnnnn,” Hudson whines, dragging out my name. “Jay is using all the pink tape, and he doesn’t even like pink.”

“You guys need to learn to share. Did they not teach you that in kindergarten?” I chuckle, then reach into my bag, pulling out a brand-new roll with tiny pink hearts and throwing it to Hudson. He leans forward, his hand snatching it from the air as I say, “I got this one just for you.” Finding the other tape that’s blue with teal hearts, I throw that one to Jay. “And this for you.”

Both boys look at me with the biggest grins. “You’re the best,” they say in unison.

I shrug. “I know. Now, do you need anything else, or are you done arguing?”

Hudson and Jay both tear open their tapes, arguments forgotten. “We’re fine now.”

Everyone settles into a quiet rhythm of scrapbooking their own projects, and I look down at mine. This particular page is similar to my others. Tiny hearts surround the printed pictures of the cookies Indie and I made at Thanksgiving last year, the recipe making my stomach rumble. With a smile, I run my finger over the doodles of the cookies. As I brush my fingers over more drawings, heat blooms in my cheeks, specifically when I reach the one of a hand. The inspiration of the real thing that gripped my waist and sprinkled flour in my hair. Nearly a year ago, yetit feels like it was yesterday. His touch burned into my skin, and it’s never left.

But what started out as a hand quickly ended up evolving into sketches of the tattoos I know he has. A few vines, abstract drawings, roses, some playing cards, my favorite one being the Queen of Hearts. They all litter the pages like a memory. Shrinking into my chair, I pull my notebook closer to my chest, keeping it to myself and glad no one except me looks at it, because they’d immediately notice that the entire thing holds hints of him. Even if the topic has nothing to do with him, it always does. He’s woven into my life so deeply, it’s painful, yet I wouldn’t want it any other way.

I swallow a sigh and find myself in need of a distraction. “How is the team feeling with the new recruits?” I ask my brother and Hudson.

“We’ve got another linebacker and he has just as much attitude as the current one.” Seb chuckles, winking at Hudson.

“Oh yeah?” Hudson replies, amusement in his tone. “Well, good thing I’m an excellent teacher; he’s learning from the master.”

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