Lee

19 Hockey Fan Go Ducks!!

[chirpsandkisses]

Masterlist

In My Blood Trevor Zegras/Quinn Hughes

Summer Feelings Quinn Hughes/OFC

[chirpsandkisses]

In My Blood

This is inspired by "In My blood" by Shawn Mendes hence the tittle this dated back to when Quinn was in Vancouver and was visibly struggling and it is before the Trevor trade so he is on the ducks. I hope you guys like it this one is kinda sad but I loved writing it and I hope you guys enjoy it!

Quinn is in a state of mind where he just wants to give up, but he knows he can’t. He is the one who takes care of everyone, and he never wants to ask for help because he doesn’t want people to see that he is weak. Even though, deep down, he knows he has his brothers, his teammates, and his friends to help if he needs it, he continues to hurt in silence.

Until one day, he finds himself lying on the bathroom floor, feeling nothing but the overwhelming weight of being a captain and the insecurity that comes with it. He wants something to ease his mind. One drink, he thinks, and maybe he’ll feel better. But he can’t even bring himself to get up.

The next night, he goes out drinking. He finds a guy to take home, thinking it will make him feel better, but it doesn’t. It never does. He reaches the point where he starts to believe that things won’t get better. Once again, he finds himself on the bathroom floor with that same overwhelming feeling of emptiness. He knows he needs help, but he doesn’t know how to ask for it. He feels like he is in too deep, too far gone to come back. The walls in his mind are caving in, and he just wants to give up. The Tylenol and Advil he takes aren’t enough to quiet his mind. He needs someone to help him, but he continues with his life, acting like everything is fine.

That is, until it’s time for his game against the Ducks.

That’s when someone finally realizes that something is wrong with him. Not his teammates. Not his coach. Not anyone from the Canucks.

Trevor Zegras.

Trevor notices the way Quinn’s eyes look darker than normal, the way his head hangs low, and how it seems like Quinn just wants to give up. Quinn knows that tonight is the last night he will be able to hide how he’s feeling. He knows Trevor noticed, and eventually, he will talk to Quinn about it.

Quinn is glad someone noticed, but he didn’t want it to be Trevor Zegras of all people.

The second the game ends, Quinn tries to get out of the rink as quickly as possible. But, of course, Trevor is faster.

And he is waiting outside the locker room when Quinn walks out.

T: Hey.

Q: I have to go, Trevor. I don’t have much time, but it’s good to see you.

T: I’m not letting you walk away, Quinn. I can tell you aren’t yourself. I’m not saying you have to tell me everything, but I do need you to hear me. I’m here for you, and I love you. You are fucking amazing, Quinn. Because it seems like not a lot of people have told you that lately.

For the first time in months, Quinn feels seen, like he can finally open up a little. Hearing Trevor say those things honestly makes him believe it. Quinn can feel the tears welling up in his eyes. He doesn’t remember the last time someone told him they were there for him, that they loved him, or that he was amazing.

He flings himself forward, wrapping his arms around Trevor. Trevor holds him, letting him cry while whispering to Quinn that everything will be okay.

When Quinn finally lets go, he looks up at Trevor and smiles for the first time in weeks.

Q: Thank you.

T: Quinn, I mean it. I am here for you.

Q: I know.

T: Do you want to talk about it?

Q: I just feel like I’m crawling in my own skin, and I feel like I just want to give up. Every time I look at my phone, I feel anxious. It’s all about me having a shit season and how I’ve let the team down as a captain. I just feel alone, and I hate it, Trevor. I try to chill and breathe, but I can’t. I need help. I know I do, but thinking about telling someone makes it worse.

T: Quinn how long have you been feeling like this?

Q: A couple of months now, Trevor. I find myself lying on the bathroom floor because I don’t feel safe alone in my big room, and being in the tiny space helps me not think about too many things. But then I find myself at bars, taking random men home and letting them fuck me so I can try to feel something. But I don’t. I never do. I’m fucking pathetic.

T: You aren’t pathetic, Quinn. You’re hurting, and you need help. I know that’s scary, but you have a lot of people in your corner who can help you. You will get through this. I know you will.

Q: You know, you’re the first person to notice that something was off. None of my teammates, none of my coaches, not even my brothers noticed—but you did. And for some odd reason, I’m glad it was you. I know I used to give you so much shit when we were younger, but you were always my favorite. You always knew when I was sad or mad and always tried to cheer me up. And here you are, years later, still here for me. That means a lot, Trevor.

T: You mean a lot to me, Quinn. I will always be here for you. I mean it—for real. Always, Quinn. You can’t and won’t ever get rid of me. Call me anytime you need someone. I don’t care what time it is; I will answer you, even if you just want to tell me you love grapes.

That gets a tiny laugh out of Quinn before he looks at Trevor again.

Q: Why would I call you to tell you I love grapes?

T: My point is, Quinn, it can be the tiniest, most dumbest thing, and I will still pick up. I’ll tell you I love grapes, and I love you, and I’ll make sure you’re okay before I hang up. The last thing I want to do is lose you. So call me before you do anything. I will jump on a plane if I have to, Hughes.

Q: Thank you, Trevor.

Quinn looks down at his hands before looking to the side as the locker room door suddenly flings open. Boeser steps out.

B: Hey, I’m the last one. The bus is leaving soon, so you have, like, two minutes.

Q: Okay, yeah. I’ll be out soon. Thanks.

He gives Trevor a quick nod before heading out to the bus.

Q: That’s my cue. I have to go, but thank you for this, Trevor. It helped a lot.

T: Anytime, Quinn. Let me know you got back safe.

Q: Yeah, I’ll text you.

Quinn gives Trevor one last hug before walking out to the bus. For the first time in a long time, he feels happy. He knows he has someone in his corner and that he isn’t alone.

During the bus ride back to the hotel, his mind is clear of the bad thoughts it’s normally filled with. When the bus finally pulls up to the hotel, he takes out his phone and sends Trevor a quick text.

Q: I made it safely to the hotel. Thanks for caring.

T: Glad you made it. And I will always care.

Quinn smiles at his phone before shoving it into his pocket and heading up to his room. Once he’s inside, his body is overtaken by tiredness. He quickly changes into his pajamas before climbing into bed.

When he lays down, he feels peaceful. He picks up his phone one last time, opening his messages and clicking on Trevor’s name. He hesitates, debating whether or not to text him, but eventually decides to send a message.

Q: For the record, I love grapes, and I love you.

He quickly sees three little dots pop up before the message appears on his screen.

T: I love you too, you dork. Now get some sleep. You need it after the great game you played tonight.

Quinn sends a quick goodnight and a heart to Trevor before plugging in his phone and settling into bed. For the first time in months, he gets the best sleep he’s had in a long time.

He has the help he needs now. He isn’t stuck feeling like nothing matters anymore. Of course, he still has bad days throughout his healing, but he never fails to call Trevor and talk things through with him.

After some time, Quinn is even able to tell his brothers how he feels. Just like he knew deep down they would, they’re there for him. The same goes for his teammates.

But, of course, above everybody else is the one person who noticed first.

Quinn never would have imagined that his older self would be looking to Trevor Zegras for help and healing. Somehow, though, he likes it. He doesn’t want it to change, and he knows it never will.

For the first time in a long time, Quinn can look toward the future and feel happy knowing that he will always have one constant in his life.

Trevor Zegras.

[chirpsandkisses]

Summer Feelings

Olivia Turcotte has been in love with Quinn Hughes for years, quietly holding onto her feelings while watching him from the sidelines. Every summer at the lake house brings her closer to him, but she never knows if Quinn feels the same way.

This summer, Olivia finally thinks she might have a chance—until Quinn arrives at the lake house with a beautiful blonde girl by his side, introducing her as his girlfriend. Heartbroken, Olivia tries to hide how much it hurts, especially when Quinn barely acknowledges her and lets his new girlfriend treat her terribly.

But everything changes when Olivia discovers the truth: Quinn's girlfriend isn't actually his girlfriend at all. Quinn only brought her to the lake house because Trevor convinced him that Olivia had a boyfriend, and Quinn wanted to make her jealous.

Now Olivia has a choice. Can she forgive Quinn for breaking her heart and give the two of them the chance they've both secretly wanted for years? Or did Quinn's jealousy-driven plan ruin their chance before their love even had the opportunity to begin?

Being Alex Turcotte's sister means knowing the Hughes brothers and all the rest of his dumb friends. Alex lived with the Hughes brothers during his time at the USNTDP, so we all became very close. Luke and I have always been the closest, while Jack and I have an understanding of each other. But as far as Quinn and me? It was awkward. We didn't talk to each other that much—just quick hellos and goodbyes. We always acknowledged each other one way or another.

What Quinn doesn't know is that I've had the biggest crush on him for years. I mean, in all fairness, no one knew except Cole Caufield. He was definitely my bestie out of all of Alex's friends, and we're pretty close.

Last summer was when everything changed. See, here's the thing: Quinn and I were actually talking to each other and even hanging out. We were going out to dinner and taking late-night walks. Unfortunately, that never went anywhere, though.

So, I decided that this summer, I would finally tell Quinn how I feel. But that all went to shit when Quinn finally got to the house—and he wasn't alone.

I was only twenty-two, and my love life came to an end before it even started.

Today was the day! The day I would finally see Quinn after what felt like two very long summers. The house was already ready since Alex, Trevor, Cole, Jack, and I had all gotten here late last night. Quinn, Luke, and Jamie Drysdale, one of Trevor's teammates, were all coming today.

It was two o'clock when I heard a car pull into the driveway. I quickly got up and ran to the porch to see who it was. I got my hopes up, thinking it was Quinn, but it ended up being Luke.

I opened the door and headed over to him when Jack came running out behind me. Smiles spread across our faces. I slowly walked down the porch steps as Jack went running down them to help Luke with his bags.

LT: Hi, Lukey.

LH: Hi, Liv.

LT: How was your flight?

LH: It was good.

LT: That's good.

JH: I'm glad you got here safe, bro.

LH: Yeah, let's head inside. I want to see everyone.

LT: Yeah, they're waiting.

We start to head up the stairs, but then we hear a honk. I whip my head around to see Quinn pulling up in his Jeep. I have a huge smile on my face when he parks and gets out, but it quickly starts to fade when I see a blonde girl jump out of the passenger seat.

I can feel tears welling up in my eyes as he walks over and intertwines their hands. I blink away my tears and stand there with a fake smile on my face as I look at him, his eyes focused on Jack.

JH: Who's this, Quinn?

QH: This is my girlfriend, Amber.

A: Hi, it's nice to meet you. Like he said, I'm Amber. You're Jack, right?

JH: That's me.

QH: And the tall one is Luke.

LH: Hey.

A: Hi, nice to meet you too.

Luke doesn't say anything back. I think it's time for me to speak, but Quinn doesn't look at me or introduce me to his new little girlfriend. Instead, I see her look at me for a quick second before turning back to Quinn. Her squeaky, high-pitched voice cuts through the ringing in my ears and snaps me back to reality.

A: Well, I would love to see the rest of the house.

She turns her whole body toward Quinn before speaking again, but this time, it's directed at me.

A: My bags are in the car. If you can, grab them and bring them up to Quinn's room.

LT: You can bring in your own bags.

A: Oh, um... Quinn said there was a maid, and I thought that was you since he didn't say anything about another girl.

LT: Wow. Um, okay. I'm going to go inside now. Quinn, make sure to bring in your lovely girlfriend's bags.

A: I would watch your tone when speaking to him.

I look over at Quinn, and he finally looks me in the eye for the first time. I can tell he's putting on a front. His face says he doesn't give a fuck, but his eyes show just how much it's bothering him to see me hurt.

LT: Yeah, fuck this.

A: Quinn, are you just going to let her talk to me like that?

LT: Oh my God, I can't. Um, I am going to head to the store to get away from whatever this bullshit is. Do you two need anything?

LH: I'll drive. Jack, you want to come with us?

JH: God, yes, please.

LT: Okay. I'm just going to tell Alex that we're leaving and grab some slides.

LH: Okay, sounds good. We'll be in the car.

I quickly turn and head into the house. I beeline it straight over to Cole's room, where I see him and Alex chilling on their phones.

LT: Hey, heads up. Quinn brought some girl home, and she thought I was the maid. He didn't even try to defend me, so don't be surprised if she or Quinn are assholes to you guys.

AT: I'm sorry, what?

LT: Yeah.

AT: Where is he?

LT: I think they just walked in.

AT: Okay.

LT: Okay.

Alex walks out of the room pretty quickly, and I can feel Cole's eyes on me as I look down at his shoes.

LT: Can I take your slides real quick? We're going to the store.

CC: Yeah, go ahead.

LT: Thanks.

CC: Are you okay?

LT: Yeah, why wouldn't I be?

CC: It's me, Liv.

LT: I don't want it to ruin my summer.

CC: I'm here if you need me.

LT: Yeah, thanks.

I give him a small smile before walking out of his room and heading outside to hop into Luke's car. The second I get in, it doesn't take long for them to start talking.

JH: Okay, what the fuck was that?

LT: That's what I want to know.

LH: First of all, she had no right saying what she said to you. Second, Quinn was an ass for not saying anything.

JH: Yeah, I'm going to talk to him. That wasn't okay at all.

LT: Good luck with that. The only time he even noticed I was there was when I said I was leaving.

JH: He is being an asshole.

I stayed silent, not being able to admit that even if he was being an ass, I could see that he didn't want to be.

A couple of minutes later, Luke pulls into the parking lot. I hop out of the car first, with Jack and Luke following behind me. We all head inside, grab what we need and want, and it doesn't take us long before we're done and heading back to the house.

When Luke pulls into the driveway, I see another car, most likely meaning Jamie is here. Jack gets out of the car first, with Luke and me walking behind him into the house.

LT: Jamie is here.

LH: Yay! I love that dude.

JH: Yeah, we know, Luke.

Jack and Luke both head out to the back as I go into the kitchen to put everything away. I can't help but notice the back door opening and closing. Then I hear footsteps, and I can tell they're his. I know his footsteps better than anyone's from all the late nights when I'd hear him heading out to the back porch when he couldn't sleep, and from the early mornings when he'd get up to make everyone breakfast. 

I would like to say I only know his footsteps from those moments. I hate admitting that I know them from the times he would sneak girls into his room at night and then sneak them back out in the morning. I would hate to say that I know them from the nights I would stay up, hoping he would walk into my room when he couldn't sleep, or wake me up in the morning to help him make food. But I keep those thoughts to myself.

So, before he even starts to talk, I know it's him. I can feel that it's him. I try my best not to focus on him, but the second I'm too short to put the chips away, my brain turns to mush the moment I hear his soft but sharp voice.

QH: Here, I got it.

LT: Thanks.

I toss the bag at him and keep my head down as I walk over to the fridge to put the drinks away. I can see out of the corner of my eye that he's leaning against the counter, watching my every move.

QH: Ollie...

LT: Don't.

I turn toward him, my face red with anger. I feel my tears start to sting my eyes, and I try so hard to make sure he doesn't see.

QH: I'm sorry.

LT: You don't just get to say sorry and think everything is fine, Quinn. Your girlfriend thought I was the maid, and then you didn't even try to say anything to her. You just let her say that about me.

QH: I know. I'm really sorry. You know I am.

LT: Do I, Quinn? You know, not once did you say hi to me outside. You stood there and introduced her to Jack and Luke while I stood there looking at you. Not once did you look at me until I said I was leaving. So how am I supposed to know that you're so sorry?

QH: What was I supposed to say? "Oh, Liv, hey. This is my girlfriend. I'm so sorry that we can't act like a couple again this year, but I loved you last summer, and it was nice while it lasted."

LT: Oh, fuck you, Quinn. You thought we were a couple? Are you fucking kidding me, Quinn? When the hell did we act like a couple? What, when we went on walks? When we went to dinner? Quinn, you never once kissed me or held my hand, so no, don't tell me we acted like a damn couple.

I feel my voice crack as the tears finally spill over.

LT: I have loved you for a long time, and if you would've given me any sign that you wanted me, I would've taken it. You know damn well that if you wanted to be together, we could have made it work. So please, don't sit here and tell me that you loved me.

I wait for him to say something, but he doesn't. He stays silent, so I take it as my sign to walk away. I quickly make my way upstairs to my room, and the minute I'm inside, I let the tears I've been holding back finally fall.

My knees buckle as I sink to the floor, sitting there and thinking about everything that just went wrong. I know Quinn wasn't trying to hurt me, but he did, and I can't get that out of my head.

I scoot my back against the wall and sit there for a moment before I hear a tiny knock on my door.

JH: Liv, can I come in?

LT: Yeah.

I hear my door open. I see Jack's feet as he walks in. He plops down in front of me and gently lifts my head.

JH: Hey, what happened?

LT: We got into a fight.

JH: What did he do? He looked pretty pissed when he came out and then left.

LT: He left?

JH: Yeah.

LT: Did he say anything?

JH: Just that he wasn't going to be back for a while.

LT: Do you guys have his location? A lot was said, and I don't know where his head is at. I just want him to be safe.

JH: He turned it off. That was the first thing Luke checked.

LT: Fuck.

JH: Hey, he'll be okay.

LT: Yeah, I hope so.

JH: But I came up here to talk about you, to see if you were okay.

LT: I could be better, but you know...

JH: Yeah. My brother is an idiot.

I let out a slight chuckle before we lock eyes. I then see his hand reaching up toward my face, and before I can process what he's doing, he presses his lips to mine. I pull away the second I feel him.

LT: Sorry, um... you should leave.

JH: I'm so sorry. I read that wrong. I'm so sorry.

LT: It's okay, um...

JH: I'm going to go, but if you need anything, I'm here.

LT: Thanks, Jack.

He gets up and walks out. I get up and go lie on my bed. I try calling Quinn to see if he answers, but, of course, he doesn't. I decide to try one more time before giving up.

I don't realize how tired I am until my eyes grow heavy, and I'm out.

When I wake up, I can tell it's a couple of hours later by how dark it is outside. I sit up, slip on my slides, and head to the kitchen. The house feels very empty, and I think I'm alone until I see Jamie sitting on a stool, drinking a smoothie.

LT: Hey, where is everyone?

JD: They went on the boat. I stayed back so that when you woke up, you wouldn't be alone.

LT: Oh, thanks, Jamie.

JD: Yeah, I figured you wouldn't want to be alone.

LT: Do you want to come up to my room?

JD: Sure.

LT: Okay, come on.

We both walk up to my room. When we walk in, Jamie sits on my bed as I grab my pajamas and change in the bathroom. When I'm done, I go and join Jamie on my bed.

LT: You want to watch a movie?

JD: Yeah, I'm good with that.

LT: Okay.

I put on a movie, and I can feel Jamie getting closer to me. He then wraps his arm around my waist, so I cuddle into him and run my hand up and down his chest.

LT: Thank you for staying back for me, Jamie.

JD: Of course. If I left the pretty girl all alone, something bad could have happened.

LT: Mr. Drysdale, are you flirting with me?

JD: Maybe just a little.

LT: God, you're so hot. I could kiss you right now.

JD: I could do a lot more than kiss you, love.

LT: Then do it.

Before I can rethink anything, he pulls me onto his lap and gives me a kiss that feels amazing. I lean into him as he starts placing soft kisses along my neck, but then I realize this is a mistake, so I stop and gently push him away.

JD: Did I do something? Did I hurt you?

LT: No, um... I just don't think I can do this. I'm sorry.

JD: You're fine, Liv. I get it.

LT: Um, you can stay if you want.

JD: I think I'm going to head to my room, but if you need anything, I'm here.

LT: Thanks.

JD: You're welcome.

He gives me a kiss on the head before sliding off my bed and walking out of my room to go to his. I sit there on my phone, just thinking about everything that happened today, when Alex pops his head into my doorway.

AT: Hey, sis. I just wanted to check on you before I head to bed. Are you feeling better?

LT: Yeah, I'm doing better. Thanks.

AT: Okay, good. Sleep well. I'll see you in the morning.

LT: Yeah, you too. Goodnight.

He walks out, and I see Cole walking by. I take my chance to call out to him.

LT: Coley, come here real quick.

CC: Give me a sec, Lili.

I wait for him to come into my room, and as he does, I put a smile on my face.

CC: What's up? Are you okay?

LT: Yeah. Is he okay? Does anyone know?

CC: No, I'm sorry, honey.

LT: It's okay. Are you all going to bed?

CC: Yeah, it's ten, and we're all pretty beat.

LT: Okay. I'm going to go watch something downstairs. I'm not tired since I took a nap.

CC: Okay. Don't wait up for him too long.

LT: Okay. I love you.

CC: I love you.

Once he walks out of the room, I slip out of bed and put one of my hoodies on as I head downstairs to sit on the couch. I put a movie on in the background for some noise as I pull out my phone to read.

A while later, I can hear tires crunching outside, and I know it's him. I wait for him to walk through the door, and when he does, he looks like he's been crying for hours. It makes me want to cry, too.

LT: Hey.

QH: Hey. Why are you awake? It's late.

LT: I was worried.

QH: Sorry to keep you up.

LT: It's okay. I don't think I would be able to sleep anyway.

QH: Bug...

LT: Um, you're safe. I'm going to go to bed.

QH: Can we please talk?

LT: I'm tired. I'm going to go to my room.

QH: Liv...

LT: No, I can't do this right now.

QH: She's not actually my girlfriend.

LT: What did you say?

QH: She's not my girlfriend. I only brought her to make you jealous because Trevor said you had a boyfriend.

I look at his face and see that he's dead serious, and I can't take it anymore. I have to get out of this room before I do something stupid. So, I quickly turn toward the stairs and run as fast as I can.

QH: Olivia!

I can hear him the whole way up to my room, but I ignore him. The second I'm in my room, I take off my clothes and change into some biker shorts and a T-shirt. I need to go on a walk, so I peek my head out of my door to make sure it's clear.

I walk down the stairs and out of the house. I barely make it off the porch before I hear footsteps behind me.

QH: You shouldn't be out here alone this late.

LT: I'm fine, Quinn.

QH: So we're lying to each other now?

LT: You lied first.

QH: And I am sorry about that.

LT: You know what I don't understand? Why? I don't get why you didn't just ask me if I had a boyfriend. Instead, you listened to Trevor and got a fake girlfriend to do what, exactly? Make me feel like shit? Because if that's what you were going for, you nailed it, Quinn.

QH: I feel like shit. I'm so sorry that I made you feel like shit. It was never what I planned to do.

LT: Oh, great. So you didn't plan to be an ass; it just happened.

QH: God, I don't know how much more I have to say I'm sorry.

LT: Your sorry means nothing to me when I can't look at you and recognize the Quinn I know and love.

QH: Wow.

LT: Wow what, Quintion?

QH: You know what? You act like you're not also part of the problem.

LT: Oh, fuck you, Quinn.

I go to walk back into the house, but I feel his hand catch my wrist and pull me back.

LT: Let me go.

QH: No.

He pulls me close to him. I'm inches away from him, and I can see in his eyes that he's sorry. My eyes quickly flicker from his lips back to his eyes.

LT: Quinn, please.

QH: Look me in the eyes and tell me you don't see how sorry I am and how much I love you. If you can do that, then I'll walk away and leave you here.

LT: I can't do that. I know how sorry you are, and I know how much you love me, but you lied to me. You came here, said you had a girlfriend, and let her treat me like shit. It was just for you to tell me it was fake, and I hate that I just want to forgive you because I can't live without you.

QH: I will make it up to you every fucking second, but all I know is that I want you, and I never want to lose you.

LT: I don't want to lose you either.

He grabs my hands, intertwines our fingers, and gives me a kiss on the top of my head before pulling me into a hug.

LT: We should go inside.

QH: Yeah, we should.

LT: Will you lay with me until I fall asleep?

QH: Of course.

I give him a kiss on his cheek before heading upstairs to my room. I change back into my pajamas, and then we both lie down on my bed. I drift off to sleep pretty quickly from lying in his arms.

The next morning, I hear tiny whispers, which is weird because I thought Quinn would be gone, but he's not. Then I realize he's dead asleep next to me, and that's when I recognize Trevor's voice.

LT: Trevor, why are you in my room?

TZ: Well, Quinn wasn't in his room, and I am hungry, so I came to the next best place. But then I found Quinn. Look, you guys are so cute!

He shows me his phone, and it's a really cute picture of Quinn and me cuddling.

LT: Okay, first, I hate you for waking me up. Second, send that to me, please.

TZ: Only if you make food.

LT: Give me ten minutes, okay?

TZ: Okay.

He walks out of the room and closes the door. I give Quinn a kiss on his forehead, and he starts to wake up.

LT: Good morning.

QH: Good morning.

LT: Trevor has requested food.

QH: Of course he has.

I sit up and grab my phone, Quinn doing the same.

LT: I thought you would be gone.

QH: I was going to leave, but you kept tossing and turning, so I decided to stay.

LT: Oh, well, thank you.

QH: Of course. Um, also, Amber left this morning.

LT: Oh, okay. Well, that saves the awkward conversation.

QH: Yeah.

LT: I'm going to put some sweats on.

QH: Can I have a kiss?

LT: No, I have morning breath.

QH: I don't care. I am finally with the love of my life, and I would like a kiss from her.

LT: Okay, fine.

I give him a quick kiss before shuffling over to my dresser to grab some shorts and a crop top. I quickly slip into the bathroom and change. Once I'm done, I walk back out and see Quinn still sitting in bed.

LT: I'm going to start cooking. I'll see you soon.

QH: Yeah, I'll be down in a second.

I walk down to the kitchen and grab some eggs, bacon, and pancake mix. I grab two bowls to mix the pancake batter and crack the eggs. Once I'm done with that, I see Quinn coming down the stairs, followed by Trevor, Luke, and Jack.

LH: Where's your girlfriend, Quinn?

QH: Um, long story short, she's gone, and Lili and I are trying things out.

TZ: Wait, my plan of lying to you actually worked? Thank God! I was so done with having to see her look at edits on TikTok and be like, "He's so fine. I miss him. I can't wait till summer when I see him shirtless. And God, he looks so hot driving that boat."

LT: And this is why I hate you.

TZ: Love you too.

QH: Anyway...

I go back to making the food, and once it's done, the boys help set the table. We all quickly eat before heading out to the boat.

Quinn is driving while everyone else is in the back. I make my way up to him and sit on his lap. He instantly snakes his arm around me, pulling me as close as he possibly can, and kisses the side of my head.

QH: So, you watch edits of me, huh?

LT: God, I'm going to hurt Trevor.

QH: I think it's cute.

LT: Yeah, yeah, whatever.

QH: I love you.

LT: I love you too.

I snuggle into him, and as the night goes on, everything feels peaceful and right.

Once the sun goes down, Quinn pulls the boat back into the dock. The rest of the boys head to the backyard to start a fire pit. Quinn and I stay back on the boat. I show him the picture Trevor took of us. He keeps his head on my shoulder the whole time as he watches me post it to my Finsta.

@Thebesttrucotte: my boyfriend is cuter than yours 

@zigggythezebra: hey where are my photo creds 

@thebesttrucotte: the only reason you have the photo is because you came into my room without permission to ask for food like you aren't 23 

@rowdythatsmee: wait cute 

@thememegod: i love you bug 

@thebesttrucotte: I love you bear 

@jamsondrystallion: trevor is a creep 

@zigggythezebra: leave me alone jamie 

@hairlessscat: omg it's happening 

@chickencolecaufiled: yay i don't have to listen to her be sad you aren't together p.s if you break her heart i break you 

@turkeybutt: i second what cole said love you guys tho 

@thebesttrucotte: god guys i wasnt that down bad 

QH: We are so cute.

LT: Yeah, we really are.

I sit up and give him a kiss before lying back against him, just taking in this moment and letting it sink in. I am finally with the man I've loved for years, and I can't help but feel happy with how everything has turned out. For the first time, I don't have to wonder what could have been. I have him, and I can't wait for every year and every summer after this.