SPARKS

Chapter Two

She took a step back, looking away, pretending to admire the house. It was a nice house, but it wasn't what she wanted to look at right at that moment. When Quade turned back around, Hazel stared. She couldn't help it.

He wore a dark sweatshirt, a pair of worn-looking jeans, and heavy, clunky boots. Even sitting in the chair, he seemed to take up the whole room. Silas was a big guy, but this man was bigger. He had shoulders that seemed to stretch out his sweatshirt. From where his sleeves were rolled up, she could see the sheer massiveness of his hairy forearms.

With his dark hair cropped closely to his skull, Quade looked harsh. There was no other way to describe it. His face just had a harsh severity about it. Couple that with the piercing intensity of his pale blue eyes, and it was no wonder that Hazel couldn't keep her hands from shaking. It was like the heat from their touch had imprinted on her skin.

"Do you need any help?" Hazel somehow managed to find her voice before ripping her gaze away and turning.

Taylor pointed to one of the cupboards, her eyes trained on the barely boiling water. "If you could just grab some mugs, that'd be great."

"Okay."

She grabbed some, set them down, and then went back to petting the dogs. Silas talked with Quade. From the corner of her eye, she could see him nod. He said a few things here and there, but for the most part, just listened.

"Okay, it's ready," Taylor thrust the insulated pitcher of hot water into Silas's hands. "C'mon, let's go."

With that, they headed out. Hazel scooped up as many blankets as she could from the couch and followed them outside. People swarmed around the table to get hot chocolate. One by one, they took a blanket, until she was left with only one. With a cup of cocoa in her hand and a blanket in the other, she headed back to her chair.

There was only one problem. A single chair was left. And there were two people still standing. Her and Quade.

They both looked at each other as she walked closer.

There was really only one thing she could do. She unfolded the blanket, spread it out on the ground, and then sat down cross-legged, all while cradling her mug of hot cocoa. Both huskies swarmed her, licking at her drink, but she guarded her hot chocolate with dogged determination. One eventually gave up and ran off to its next victim. The other flopped down beside her.

Quade looked down at her. "Do you want the chair?"

"No, thanks. I'm fine down here."

He sat down and stared into the fire, as still as ever. Every so often, he'd scratch behind the husky's ears, but that was it. Those pale eyes stayed trained where they were.

From across the pit, Ben and Hannah sat together, whispering into each other's ears. Hazel just glared. She knew it was stupid and immature, but she glared. They weren't supposed to have been here tonight. A blanket was spread on top to cover their laps. Hazel didn't want to know what was going on underneath.

For awhile, they all just listened to the soft twang of country music playing in the background. It was peaceful. People talked, but she drowned them out. All they ever talked about was old high school memories. She didn't much care for those anymore. Too much of high school had been tainted with Ben and her own stupidity. Even too much of college had been infected with him. All the years she'd wasted.

Hannah laughed then. "Remember that one time in volleyball when Coach Hendrick...?"

She listened with half an ear as Hannah explained the same old story she always told. It wasn't even that funny. After hearing it over a hundred times, stories tended to lose their ability to make people laugh. And this one certainly didn't make her laugh anymore.