In Every Universe | Quinn Hughes

5 | Lily

QUINN HUGHES WAS EVERYWHERE — AND WHAT'S WORSE, is that my heart beat out of my chest every single time I saw him, whether I was angry at him or not. I don't know what on earth is wrong with me? I'm trying to convince myself that I have a thing for Trevor, or Alex, or anyone else, even Jack, but it's not working.

I can't help it, not with Quinn constantly barrelling into my life with his perfect hair and sad eyes and that slight stubble that literally brings me to my knees. I don't get it, there are plenty of boys my age at this school who are cute, but I don't want cute, I want rough and commanding and older. I never knew I'd be this kind of girl.

I never knew I'd have a kink for being someone's little girl. I was a freshman, he was a senior, and everyone knew it. It was near impossible that we'd actually date, but the idea sparks a flame deep within me.

It's all I can think about right now, as he wraps a much larger, rougher hand around my wrist, which looks small and frail in his grip. He tugs me into a quiet corner of the cafe, not daring to look back at me, maybe in case I ran off. I feel like my breathing as stopped completely as he turns to face me abruptly, eyes glossed and hooded as he looks up at me through his dark lashes.

He licks his lips, furrows his eyebrows, likes he's deep in thought and can't find the right words to say. There's not a single soul in this part of the cafe, shielded from the rest of the busy spot by a wall full of pot plants and hanging vines. It feels secluded, private, but it's still very much so public, so when my mind dives to the gutter without warning, I curse myself.

Of course, I'd think about sex at a time like this. Being a virgin at eighteen will do that to you.

I'm beginning to get impatient, and like, really horny, I just want to go home and whip out my trust vibrator or I'm going to do something stupid, like sink to my knees and—

"I think I've pissed you off somehow," he begins, cutting me off. All feelings of lust are quickly replaced with anger. Is she seriously only just figuring that out? He runs a hand through his hair, seemingly fighting back nerves, but I can't help letting my eyes wander along the path his hand takes. "I don't know what, or why, you're mad, but I'm hoping I can make it up to you somehow."

Snorting, I cross my arms over my chest. "You can't just pretend I don't exist for a whole year and expect me to be your best friend."

He frowns. "I wasn't pretending you didn't exist, Lily—"

"really?" I snap, cocking my head to the left. "What would you call it, then?"

Quinn bows his head, seemingly with nothing to say, so I continue. "I'd call it ignoring my existence like nothing happened, like you didn't promise you'd see me again after dropping me home."

He chewed the inside of his cheek, something I've realised he does when he's feeling awkward. "Alex called you his girl."

I blink, pausing. "What?"

He shrugs, nodding, and avoiding my eyes as he kicks his shoes against the wooden flooring. "Like three days later, he said you were his girl, he's one of my good friends, I didn't want to be the guy who bulldozes a relationship because I couldn't keep my hands to myself."

I blink again, eyes wide open and mouth slack. "Alex—he. . . What?"

Was this a fucking joke? I'd been deprived of Quinn Hughes and his phenomenal kissing all summer because of fucking Alex and his inability to accept when our relationship had ended? I could scream. Instead, I frown at Quinn.

"Why didn't you ask me?" I whisper, not sure if I'm feeling angry, hurt, or both. "Instead of just assuming?"

He sighed deeply, scratching his cheek, seemingly remembering a moment he'd tried to block from his memory. "When you got to the lake house, the first thing you did was run at him and throw your arms around him. Fuck, Lily, you even had your legs around him."