Page 41 of Fragile Heart

That’s what she said, but is that me? Am I the right person? I don’t fucking know, and I’ve never been so confused about a woman in my life. I’ve never truly cared.

Jessica was different. We’re both in the spotlight all the time. Everyone expected us to be together since we were co-stars inOlympians, so we obliged. Don’t get me wrong, Jessica is beautiful, so it wasn’t a hardship to date her. But as we got older, we grew apart. She learned how to be in the spotlight while I drowned myself in alcohol because I couldn’t handle the pressure. The paparazzi showing up everywhere I went was too much for me. I couldn’t even leave my house without drinking half a bottle of something strong to completely numb myself.

Jessica loves the Hollywood lifestyle. She always acted annoyed when the cameras found her, but I’d catch her looking up the pictures later. She loved it then and still probably looks at anything the gossip magazine covers say about her.

It got to the point in our relationship where neither of us actually cared about the other. We stayed together because everyone expected us to. Eventually, I couldn’t take it anymore. I ended it and moved out of our house after seven years of dating.

I started partying harder, and my life spiraled out of control. I was numb. I didn’t care about anything or anyone. That’s why my agent was only bringing me made-for-TV movies. It’s all I could get at the time. Then I made a string of bad choices, which led to me losing my license and ending up in rehab. That’s why this movie is so important. It’s my chance to show everyone that I’ve changed.

And now there’s Quinn.

I care what she thinks of me. I care how she feels. I fucking care about her. And I don’t know what to do about it.

Which is how I find myself walking up to the diner at seven a.m. on a morning I know Quinn is off. I’m hoping I’ll get lucky, and Holly will be working this morning because she’s the one I want to talk to.

The door chimes as I walk in. I’ve never been here this early, so the place is filled with mostly unfamiliar faces. But it seems to be my lucky day because I immediately spot Holly’s blonde head pouring someone’s coffee behind the counter.

I make my way up to the counter and find an empty seat. Holly spots me and saunters over.

“Mornin’, Hollywood. What can I get ya?” she asks. I cringe at the stupid nickname she gave me.

I clear my throat. “I was hoping I could talk to you about something,” I tell her as quietly as possible. Thankfully, she hears me so I don’t have to repeat myself.

Her hand moves to her chest, and she sarcastically says, “You want to talk to little ol’ me? To what do I owe the pleasure?”

I roll my eyes and start to get up. “This was a bad idea.”

She laughs and puts her hand on mine to stop me from leaving. “I’m kidding, Hollywood. What’s up?”

I sit back down on my stool and lean in towards her. “I wanted to talk to you about Quinn.”

Holly stiffens. “What about her?”

“She told me about Kyle.” I watch as Holly blinks slowly.

“Did she now?”

“Yes. And now I don’t know what to do.”

Her brows crinkle in confusion. “What do you mean you don’t know what to do? You can’t bring someone back from the dead, right? That’s not like an actor superpower or something, is it?” I stare blankly at her and give her time to laugh at her own stupid joke.

“I mean, I don’t know what to do about Quinn. I like her.”

“Like, like her, like her?” she asks with raised eyebrows.

“Yes. I want to be with her.”

She smacks both of her hands down on the counter. “Oh my God. I knew it. I told her you liked her, but she wouldn’t believe me. See, I’m always right about this stuff. I should be a matchmaker or something.”

“Are you done?” I ask, unimpressed by her tangent. She nods, but her proud smile doesn’t go anywhere. “So, obviously after she told me about him, I realized she hasn’t dated anyone since him. How do I know if she wants something more from me? I don’t want to seem insensitive or anything. I don’t know how to act around her now.”

“Wow, I need to make a mental note to write in my diary thatTheHudson Porter is asking me for advice. But let’s be serious for a second.”

“Fucking finally,” I mutter but loud enough for her to hear.

“She likes you. I know she does. Kyle was a great guy. For real, everyone who met him loved him. He and Quinn were perfect together.”

“Is this supposed to make me feel better?” Because all it’s doing is building up a jealous rage in my chest.

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