Page 50 of Fragile (Cedar Lakes University #2)
Chapter forty-nine
Miles
The sun casts a warm golden glow over everything it’s touching. The air is thick with the smell of pine trees, fresh water, and the unmistakable smoky scent of a fire burning in our little make-shift pit. It’s perfect, the kind of evening you only get in Oregon right at the cusp of summer down here by the lakes, where the days are long and the nights are just cool enough to remind you that spring hasn’t completely let go yet.
Quinn sits in front of me, legs tucked up as she plays with the label on her beer bottle, the condensation making her fingers glisten in the fading light.
“This view never gets old,” she says, her voice almost lost in the gentle rustle of the trees. She leans against me, her arm brushing mine, and I can feel the tension from the past year slowly melting away like it has been for the last few months. Slowly, but surely, I’m beginning to feel like myself again. I’m allowed to be the twenty-year-old—or I guess twenty-one tomorrow—who can live life the way I want to. And with her by my side is exactly where I want to be.
“Yeah,” I reply, taking in the way the sunlight catches in her hair, turning it into a halo of copper and gold. “It’s like everything else disappears out here.”
Across the fire, Seb crouches down, coaxing the flames higher with a few more sticks. Indie sat beside him, marshmallow skewered on a stick, her curly hair spilling over her shoulders as she grins at something Seb whispers in her ear. The two of them have always been a force together—quiet, steady, but with a spark that makes you think they could set the whole world on fire if they wanted to.
Hudson, meanwhile, is busy cracking open another beer—his fourth, maybe? He’s laughing at Jay, who’s halfway through telling us a story about his most recent gym trip.
“And then,” he says, shaking his head as if he still can’t believe his own stupidity, “I hit the ‘increase speed’ button instead of the stop button, and next thing I know, I’m face-first on the floor, the treadmill just spitting me out like some kind of—”
“Some kind of human slingshot?” Quinn suggests, her voice laced with amusement as she takes a sip from her bottle.
“Exactly!” Jay exclaims as he points at her with the hand holding his beer. “But, you know, less cool and more ‘please someone kill me now.’”
“Why you suddenly working out so much, man? Huh?” Hudson teases, nudging his arm.
Jay turns a shade of pink I haven’t seen on him before. “No reason, just you know…because.”
“It hasn’t got anything to do with G—”
“Hudson, shut it,” Jay interrupts and places his hand over his mouth.
Quinn chuckles beside me, and I feel the sound vibrate through her body and into mine. “I think maybe Jay’s got a secret crush…”
“Tell me all the gossip later,” I say, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
“I’m still not used to this.” Hudson waves his hand in our direction. “But you’re cute and I’m jealous. Just a little bit.”
“Aww, Huds, you want to sit in between Miles’s legs?” Quinn laughs.
“No, no, this spot is reserved for you only, Queenie. Birthday boy rules.” I hug her closer to my body, kissing the side of her neck.
“Maybe I want a little something like that.” Hudson pouts as he shrugs.
“My boy is growing up so fast.” Jay sniffs, wiping a fake tear from his eye, and everyone erupts into laughter. “Soon there’ll be no hookups at all, and then I can finally sleep soundly.”
“Shut up, you all suck. I need new friends.”
“Don’t be salty, princess.” Seb stands up, brushing his hands off with a satisfied smile as the fire crackles to life. He glances over at Indie, who is toasting her marshmallow to a perfect golden brown, and grins. “You’re up, marshmallow queen.”
Indie lifts the stick, the marshmallow glowing. “Who wants s’mores?” she calls out, her voice light, carrying a hint of that carefree joy that’s been missing for too long.
“Right here,” Seb says, reaching out, but Indie playfully pulls the stick back just out of his reach, sticking out her tongue.
“Patience,” she teases. Grabbing a graham cracker and a piece of chocolate to complete the s’more, she hands it to him. Seb takes a bite, and the chocolate and marshmallow ooze out of the sides, smudging the corner of his mouth. Without missing a beat, Indie swipes the goo with her thumb and pops it into her mouth, grinning.
“Okay, who’s next?” Indie asks as she looks around the circle.
“I’ll take one,” I say, grabbing a cracker and chocolate from the stack next to us, taking the stick as Indie passes it over.
Quinn leans in close, her breath warm against my ear as she whispers, “Make me one too, baby?”
I freeze for a split second, the word “baby” hanging in the air between us. It's the first time she’s ever called me that, and it hits me like a jolt of electricity. I can feel my heart skip, then pick up speed, my pulse thrumming in my ears. It’s such a simple word, but coming from her, it feels like a small shift in the universe, like things between us just clicked into a new gear.
I turn my head to look at her, my eyes searching hers, trying to read the expression on her face. She’s smiling, just the faintest curve of her lips, like she knows exactly what she’s said. I can’t stop the grin from spreading over my face too, as I quickly kiss her lips.
“I’ve only got one good arm, and it’s my almost birthday, shouldn’t you be making me one?”
“Listen, I know exactly what you can do with that good arm of yours. Besides, the cast is off now, and your physio says you should be exercising it,” she whispers, dipping her face closer to my ear, “and I know exactly how to celebrate your birthday with you later.”
“That a promise?”
She nods, and my body reacts, her smile wicked and I’m here for it.
“Hey, what’s the plan for tomorrow?” Jay asks, bursting our little bubble. “Hiking or chilling here?”
Quinn tilts her head, looking at the group again. “Definitely hiking,” she says. “We’ve been cooped up too long studying. I need to stretch my legs.”
“I’m down,” I say. “But if anyone bails halfway through, you’re on your own.” I give Hudson a pointed look, and he immediately throws up his hands in mock surrender.
“Hey, I’ve learned my lesson. No more late-night benders before a hike. Scout’s honor.”
“Were you even a scout?” Seb asks, arching an eyebrow as he pulls Indie closer, his arm slung casually around her shoulders.
“I got kicked out for setting the scout leader on fire during our overnight camp out.”
Everyone falls into more fits of laughter. Faces turn red as everyone doubles over, clutching their sides, unable to contain their amusement. “Of course you did, Hudson,” Indie laughs out. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
A couple of hours later, the fire crackles, sending up a shower of sparks as Seb tosses on another log. The sky is a deep, inky blue now, with the first stars beginning to peek through. Jay is talking about some trail he read about—something with a waterfall at the end—while Indie leans into Seb, her eyes half-closed as she listens. Hudson is sprawled out in his chair, looking up at the sky with a content expression, and Quinn is still between my legs, her hand resting on my knee.
I feel lighter than I have in months. This—this is what I’d been missing. The laughter, the teasing, the feeling of being surrounded by people who know me inside and out, who’d seen me at your worst and still wanted to hang out by a lake with me on a Friday night.
Quinn leans her head on my shoulder, and I can feel her smile against my skin. “This is nice,” she murmurs, just loud enough for me to hear.
“Yeah,” I agree, resting my chin on her head. “It really is.”
As I hold her, I realize that this moment, this feeling, is what I’ve always wanted. It’s not about the perfect words, it’s not even about being perfect. It’s about being with the person who means everything to you and knowing that they feel the same way.
And in that simple truth, I find everything I need.