Chapter Three

~Quinn~

“So, I'll see you around, huh?” He smiles, biting his lower lip, an action that causes a sudden, warm heat to pool deep underneath my belly as his car rolls to a stop in front of my dorm.

“Yes, we'll see,” I grin back, hoping I sound cool and not completely desperate. The entire car ride over here has been surprisingly exciting. He's asked me more questions than I've asked him, like he's genuinely interested in knowing me. When he asks me about my mother's occupation, I quickly lie and say she's a chef at some random restaurant. I just can't tell him she’s the legendary coach who could make or break his entire career.

I know lying when you're about to die is probably not a good look for me, but I promise myself I'll tell him the truth soon. If we actually work out, maybe I could even convince my mom to save a slot for him on the national team. It's something she would definitely do for me if I submitted that request along with my doctor's report. He was so nice, so soft, and literally everything I've ever imagined him to be.

I waved back at him one last time as I finally got out of the car. Life was going surprisingly smooth for once, and I just hope the universe was feeling nice enough to keep it that way for a little while longer.

Donna was already gone when I opened the door to my dorm, but she left a bright yellow post-it-note stuck right on the front of my refrigerator.

[Really? Salvatore? I need all the details as soon as you get back!]

When I call her back, she doesn't answer. She's probably already asleep or still on her long way back to the family estate. Everyone at home knew how completely obsessed I was with him, all except for my mom. She always insisted that I could do better than a high school hockey player with, in her words, nothing to help me build a stable future with. I couldn't care any less about her opinion on that. After microwaving a portion of the Korean fried rice Donna left for me, I turned on an old Felix The Cat cartoon on my tablet and pulled out my notepad.

“It's almost here, I'll tick everything off soon,” I whispered to myself, my eyes scanning down the list until they caught on number 13. Do something crazy in public.

My mind instantly flashes back to the arena. “No, f*ck you, Blackwood!” I had screamed it without a single thought.

I've never been that openly profane in public before. The raw rage was a new feeling for me, and so was the fact that I truly did not care what anyone around me thought. I've always locked up my feelings, especially my anger. But then I shake my head. No. That wasn't crazy enough. It wasn't planned. This list is for me and Kade alone, not for reacting to some violent jerk.

“What have I done?” I whisper with a heavy sigh, letting my head fall back against the couch cushions.

***

In the following days, I started seeing Kade around campus more often. My application to join the ice skating club was accepted, and we were lucky enough to bump into the hockey team during their practice on some days. I didn't see the Blackwood guy anywhere. I learnt from a group of chatting girls that he was suspended. Good for him. He deserved worse.

“Kade's looking at you,” Evie, a new friend from the skating team, whispered to me while we packed our things up after another practice session.

We've become pretty close lately, especially since we sat together in a huge lecture hall once and then tried out for the club on the exact same day. Yes, she knows I attended high school with Kade, but she definitely does not know the depth of my feelings for him.

“Really?” I gasp as I turned my head to meet his gaze. He smiled right at me, gave a little wave, and I could barely manage to wave back before I turned around, my heart hammering. It felt like my insides could explode from the sheer excitement.

“You shouldn't get your hopes up,” a snobby, familiar voice snapped from right behind me. Esmeralda. My annoying cousin who had leeched off my family since before I was even born. She was almost everywhere that I went. She chose ice skating, she chose psychology, and she even dyed her hair the same shade of brown as mine, just to make her stupid point that she was better than me. I could let her have all of that, but not Kade. Definitely not him.

“You should really mind your own business,” I scoff as I hurriedly slipped on my leg warmers over my leggings.

“Yeah, right? I'm just being nice to you, Quinn. Kade Salvatore would never actually go out with someone like you.”

I don't even bother answering her. I've figured out that arguing with Esmeralda is like poking a punching bag; it'll just keep swinging back at you, and I don't have the patience for that game anymore.

I shove my things into my bag and head out of the chilly arena when I see Kade suddenly skate over to me.

“Hey, Quinn?”

“Hi... Hi...” I'm stuttering again. That is so stupid. Get it together.

“You were amazing back there on the ice today,” he says, his smile easy and genuine.

“Thank you,” I manage to form a complete sentence despite the entire swarm of butterflies going crazy in my stomach.

“So, there's a bonfire next week. It's nothing official, just a crappy little party, but I was wondering if you'd want to come with me?”

Don't act desperate. Don't act desperate. Play it cool.

“Yes! I'd love to! That sounds awesome!” I squeal, sounding like I've just been asked to marry him.

“Great, I'd really like to see you then.” He grins, and it feels like the sun is shining right on me. “Do you have a ride back home?”

I do. There's a black Porsche parked a few miles from the arena waiting for me, but I'm not going to let that get in the way of this moment.

“No,” I say, maybe a little too quickly.

“Give me a sec, I'll go change and then I can take you home, okay?”

I just nod, too excited and nervous to say any more words as he turns and jogs off toward the locker room. I turn my head slightly to find Esmeralda still watching, and I see her angrily storming out the other door. A petty part of me is glad she saw that. Kade Salvatore was officially off limits for her copying parade.

He returns after about thirty minutes, now changed into a simple blue sweat shirt and black shorts and sneakers. I think my saliva has already dried up from drooling over him too much, but actual sparks fly when he casually swings his arm over my shoulders and helps me open the door to the passenger seat of his car.

I love watching him drive. He's so perfect, fixing his gaze intently on the road with his veiny hands controlling the steering wheel with a relaxed confidence.

The car stops suddenly in the middle of a quiet street, and he lets out a deep, low breath.

“Stop looking at me like that,” He groans, his voice filled with a rough tension that I can't quite name.

“Like what?” I ask, my own voice coming out as a whisper.

“Like you want me to f*ck you right here.”

I gulp, my throat suddenly very dry.

“Your eyes are giving me a hard on right now,” He adds, his gaze intense and locked on mine.

All my defenses are crashing down around me as he takes off his seatbelt and leans closer, cupping my face gently with his hand. “You look so beautiful right now, you always are... and it's driving me completely crazy, making me feel things that I shouldn't be feeling. Things I've been trying to keep aside since we were back at Wellsprings.”

“I..I..” I can't speak. My body feels cold and hot all at once, and it's incredibly hard to process what he is saying to me or what he is doing to me.

“Do you have a boyfriend, Quinn?” He asks, his thumb tracing a slow, burning path across my lower lip, and I could swear that he was going to kiss me.

“No,” I gasp, my breath mixing with his.

“Good.” He says, leaning even closer. He's going to do it. He's going to kiss me. But it shouldn't be here. It should be in Vegas, under the bright lights. Not here in a parked car on some random street. My hand flies up and presses against his chest, stopping him just as our lips merely brush in the faintest touch. He lets go of me immediately and leans back hard into his seat.

“I'm sorry, I..,” I start, my words tripping over each other.

“No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that,” He hisses, running a hand through his hair in clear frustration.

“It's not your fault or anything,” I try to reassure him.

“It's okay, Quinn. Let's just get you home,” he says, his voice now flat and distant.

I swallowed the rest of my words, they stuck in my throat like a lump. After pacing back and forth around my room for what felt like an hour, I finally pick up my phone. Kade Salvatore almost kissed me. He clearly likes me. I'm caught between being utterly excited that my dreams were actually coming true, that the universe is finally on my side, and I could get everything I've ever wanted. On the other hand, I feel like I messed it up by stopping him, and now I have to fix it.

Holding my breath, I searched for his I*******m account and typed out a message, my fingers sprinting quickly across the screen.

[Hey, Kade. About what happened tonight. It's crazy but you were right about hiding feelings but what if we didn't anymore? I don't have a boyfriend because...

I clicked on the backspace button. That sounded so cringe.

I tried again, pouring my heart out.

[Hey it's Quinn. I can't help but think about what happened tonight and I really feel the same way, I've liked you since I was 13. Since you dropped off your sister at ice skating camp years ago. You had a blue sweatshirt on like you did tonight and a pair of blue jeans. I knew it was you, Kade when my heart leaped then and still leaps for just you. It's crazy, isn't it? I'm not used to texting but, what if you didn't have to hide your feelings anymore? What if you didn't have to ask if I had a boyfriend? What if you were my boyfriend?]

I hit send and flipped my phone over on the bed, chewing on my nails like a crazed squirrel. My phone buzzed. I grabbed it, my heart in my throat, and after making the quick sign of the cross, I opened it. The message was marked as ‘seen’. But then my heart dropped straight into my stomach when I saw a new post notification looming at the top of my screen from Kade. I clicked on it, confused. I saw a screenshot of my private chat. What?

The caption made my blood run cold.

[Another day, another delusional fan. @quinnsc, I belong to one person only, learn to know your place]

My phone slipped from my numb grip and clattered onto the floor when I saw the second slide. It was a photo of him and Esmeralda kissing.