Page 35 of Fragile Heart

CHAPTER14

Hudson

Disappointment floodsthrough me when I head back to my chair to see Vaughn alone, scrolling through his phone. I look around, but I don’t see Quinn anywhere.

“Where’s Quinn?” He looks up at me with a pained expression.

“She said she had to go, and she’ll talk to you later.” He winces as he finishes saying it. My brows crease together in confusion, and I feel all the makeup plastered on my face start to crack a little.

“She just got here, though.”

“Man, what did you think would happen when you invited her on a day where you’re filming shit like this?” He gestures toward the set.

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“I mean, you were basically making out with Bella right in front of her. Based on the look I saw on her face, I don’t think she enjoyed it very much.”

Shit. I didn’t even think about it. I knew Quinn was off today, and I wanted to see her. I hadn’t looked that far ahead to see what scenes we would be filming.

“But it’s not real. I’m not into Bella,” I explain.

“I know that, and you know that, but does Quinn? She’s probably not used to things like this. Maybe it looked real to her.” He shrugs.

I rub my temples, thinking of what a giant fuck up I am. My feelings for Quinn are growing faster than I ever would have expected. In fact, I never expected to feelanythingfor her. But she shoved her way into my life, and I let it happen. I welcomed it with open arms because she sees me for me and has no hidden agenda.

I wanted to show her around because I thought it would be fun for her to see a movie set. Instead, it looks like I brought her here to rub another woman in her face.

“What’s your plan with her, Hud? I thought she wasn’t your type?” Vaughn asks. It makes sense that he would be curious. I’ve never brought a woman to set before.

“She’s not my type, and I think that’s why I like her so much.”

His eyes widen. “So you actually like her? You’re not just trying to hit it?”

“Nah. We haven’t even done anything. I want to do things right with her.” I realize all this now. I like Quinn, like really like her. I’m always thinking about her, always trying to find a reason to text her even if I know she’s working and can’t answer. I actually look forward to seeing her, which I’ve never experienced before.

“Holy shit. I never thought I’d see the day. After Jessica, I thought you’d never be a one-woman man again.” Hearing my ex’s name fills me with dread. Not that she’s a bad person. We ended things on good terms, but we'll always be connected because we were together while filmingOlympians. Our names are always thrown into articles together, even if we haven’t talked in months. We have a lot of the same friends, too, so we’ve occasionally been at the same parties. People automatically assume we’re getting back together because we’re seen in the vicinity of one another. It’s exhausting.

“Don’t sound so surprised.”

Vaughn laughs. “You can’t blame me, man. You don’t exactly have a history of relationships.”

I shrug. “I know. Shit, I don’t know if anything will happen with Quinn. I just know I like being around her.” And I like talking to her and looking at her and touching her.

“She seems like a good one, Hudson.”

“She is,” I agree.

He hesitates before saying, “Just be careful with her, ok?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask, getting instantly defensive.

“Look, I just know your reputation. . .” he trails off.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” I scoff, rolling my eyes. “She’s different, ok? And I’m different with her.”

He claps a hand on my shoulder. “I’m happy for you, man. Now you need to convince her that you and Bella aren’t actually a thing.”

“Fuck.” My head tilts back, and I look up at the ceiling. I wanted to have Quinn here with me, but I fucked it up, and now she might be upset.

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