Page 34 of Fragile Heart

After a few minutes, he shouts, “One more time!” Everyone gets into position, and Bella slides gracefully back into Hudson’s arms. Why did he have to invite me here on this day?

I watch them do the scene again. When Hudson’s hand trails up her leg, I make myself watch his face this time. His lips are inches from hers when he breaks out into a devilish smile. There’s a reason he’s one of the sexiest people in Hollywood. He knows how to turn it on when he needs to.

The director cuts the scene again, and Hudson, Bella, and Vaughn head in my direction. Vaughn spots me first and points me out to Hudson. His eyes fly to mine, and he actuallysmiles. Not his acting smile, but a true smile.

He picks up his pace and does something I don’t expect in a million years. He hugs me. Like a full-on, arms wrapped around my neck, bear hug. It startles me, to say the least, so it takes me a second to wrap my arms around his middle. I breathe in his citrus scent and close my eyes for the briefest second, letting myself enjoy the moment.

When he finally releases me and pulls away, he looks me up and down and says, “You’re here.”

I nod. “Look at you.” I gesture to his tux. “I don’t think I’ve seen you in anything except sweatpants.”

He smiles again, and my knees almost give out. What is wrong with me today?

He puts his arm around my shoulders and turns me to his co-stars. “Vaughn, you remember Quinn?” I almost don’t hear Hudson say anything because all I can think about is how close I am to him right now.

“How could I forget those cookies? Good to see you, Quinn.” His eyes dart from me to Hudson’s arm around me. His smile indicates that he’s happy with what he sees.

“This is Bella Monroe,” Hudson tells me, like I wouldn’t know who she is. I smile and wave awkwardly. She doesn’t look impressed by me at all. I’m sure it’s because of Hudson’s behavior with me. She sees me as a threat, which is almost comical. If you put the two of us next to each other, I can’t imagine anyone choosing me over her.

But I won’t pretend that it doesn’t feel nice to have someone be jealous of me for a change.

Hudson leads me around the set introducing me to several people. I hear their names, but I know I won’t remember them. I just smile and nod and tell them it’s nice to meet them.

Eventually, Hudson’s arm drops from my shoulder. I hate the feeling of disappointment that washes over me. But it’s gone instantly because he interlaces his fingers with mine as we walk.

We’re holding hands again like this is normal for us now. I try to push away the butterflies in my stomach. I don’t want to get my hopes up. Hudson might do this with all his friends, who are girls. This might be nothing to him, so I need to keep myself in check.

After their short break, Hudson sits me in his chair next to Vaughn, who isn’t in the next scene. Bella and Hudson walk back to the set, where they get into place on the dance floor.

“So you and Hudson, huh?” Vaughn whispers.

I look over to see the coy smile on his face. “Oh, we’re just friends.”

I can tell he doesn’t believe me. “Well, be that as it may, I’ve never seen my boy so happy. You know he waltzed in here the other day with a huge smile on his face because of a damn LEGO set? A fucking smile, Quinn. I can’t remember the last time I saw him smile.”

My heart swells just imagining the smile on Hudson’s face. I love when he smiles because it’s so rare that it feels like a gift just for me. “Oh.”

“You did that, Quinn. You can deny it all you want, but he’s different since he met you. He’s happier.”

I suck in a breath. “Well, I’m glad. He deserves to be happy.”

Vaughn puts his hand on my arm. “That he does.”

We focus back on the scene in front of us. My body tenses when I see Hudson’s lips inches from Bella’s. They never actually kiss, but it’s an uncomfortable closeness for me.

My growing feelings for Hudson are making me jealous when I have no right to be. I sit up a little taller in my chair and tell myself I’m fine, and this doesn’t matter.

But my confidence fades while I watch the two of them almost kiss over and over again as they reshoot the scene. Did he know this is what I would see if I came here today? Does he want to reiterate that we’re just friends by making me watch him with someone else?

I look over at Vaughn. He’s looking at me in a way that tells me he’s sorry I have to watch this.

After a few more minutes, I see Cara walking towards the door. “Hey Vaughn, I’ve got to go. Will you tell Hudson I’ll talk to him later?”

“Sure.” He looks concerned when I walk toward Cara and ask her to take me back to the front of the studio. I’m sure he saw my face despite my efforts to hide my emotions.

I follow Cara back to the golf cart. She doesn’t try to make small talk with me, which I appreciate. All I can think of is Hudson and Bella, and it makes me sick to my stomach. I practically run to my car when Cara parks the golf cart by the main building.

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