Page 53 of Inked Heart
The words land square in the center of my chest.Because for the first time since I met her, Quinn Thomas is standing here without a boyfriend.And the part of me that’s been waiting quietly in the background suddenly realizes something very important.
I’m not waiting anymore.
Chapter Fourteen
The Man Who Waited
Quinn
There’s a strange kind of quiet that settles over you after something big ends.
Not the peaceful kind but the stunned kind.The kind where your brain keeps trying to catch up with what just happened.That’s exactly where I am right now.
Standing in Mason’s gravel driveway beside Damien while the muffled bass from the party thumps behind us like a distant heartbeat.
My relationship is over.Five years.Gone in one night.In a single moment.It should feel devastating and part of me does hurt.That’s unavoidable.You don’t spend that much time building a life with someone without feeling the cracks when it collapses.
But there’s another feeling mixed in with the pain.Relief.And that realization alone makes my stomach twist with guilt.
“I should probably go home,” I say quietly.
Damien nods.“Probably.”
But neither of us moves.Which feels a little ridiculous considering we’ve been standing in the driveway for a solid minute already.But leaving means facing reality and right now reality feels a little overwhelming.
“You okay to drive?”he asks.
I blink.“Yup.”
“You’ve been crying.”
“I’m not drunk.”
“That wasn’t the question.”
Despite everything, a small laugh slips out.“I’m fine.”
