Heartstrings on the Blue Line - Quinn Hughes

chapter twenty-two - hangout

"𝕒𝕝𝕝 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕤 𝕀 𝕕𝕚𝕕.. 𝕛𝕦𝕤𝕥 𝕤𝕠 𝕀 𝕔𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 𝕔𝕒𝕝𝕝 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕖.."

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Gen

It has been a week since Quinn and I had had our first kiss, and it's been a dream. I can't even believe that it's real. The only thing is, after that night , we've been awkward towards each other. When we hang out it's in a friendly way. No touching or anything just casual hang outs while I study, or late night FaceTimes.

We aren't official yet, but I don't know when he's going to ask me to be his girlfriend.. Or if I have to ask him.

We've hung out with each other everyday, and I just fall more and more. I just can not say that to him yet.

"Snap out of this little trance or coach is going to yell at us." Complains Eva.

"Shit sorry, I blanked out." I respond to her attempt to get me to pay attention.

"Gen, you start with your new routine, we don't have a lot of time until the next competition; let's see where you are at right now." Coach calls me.

I nod and take a few strides out to the middle of the ice where I waited for Val to give me the go ahead nod.

The chill of the ice rink welcomed me as I glided through my routine, the sound of my skates cutting into the frozen surface a comforting melody. It was a routine practice morning, or so I thought until I caught a glimpse of Quinn standing at the rink's edge, his presence sending a jolt through my routine.

I gracefully turn and spin completing the routine flawlessly, or at least I thought flawlessly.

Once Val explains what I could do better, I walk off the ice to see Quinn.

Once I caught sight of his fluffy hair and red cheeks from the cold arena, my heart warmed up a little bit.

"Quinn, what are you doing here?" I asked, a mixture of surprise and joy in my voice.

He grinned, "I thought I'd catch a glimpse of the incredible figure skater everyone's talking about."

I blushed, the cold air doing little to cool the warmth spreading across my cheeks. "Flattery won't get you out of explaining this unexpected visit."

Chuckling, he replied, "Well, I thought I'd surprise you. Watching you skate is something else."

We found a quiet corner to chat, away from the crisp noises of other skaters doing their routines . Quinn, seemingly genuinely interested, listened as I shared stories of early morning practices, the exhilaration of nailing a new move, and the meditative quality of gliding across the ice, but of course he knew all about it, he was a hockey player..

As we conversed, the initial awkwardness from our recent hookup melted away. The atmosphere became comfortable, a shared appreciation for each other's worlds bridging the gap. The noise of all the skaters had stopped, so that made me aware that practice was over

"Thanks for coming, Quinn. It means a lot," I said, a genuine smile playing on my lips.

He smiled back, "Anytime. Maybe next time I'll bring hot chocolate or something."