Chapter 1: Lost and insecure, you found me…

Earbuds plugged into ears while the soft beat of Coldplay's "Yellow" played. The rain was falling and, once again, those old 'All Star' were too slippery for her liking. Over her head, a grey — much like the sky above — umbrella, keeping her blonde locks from getting wet and her perfect make up from being ruined. Perfect. Quinn wanted to laugh at the thought of anything about her life being perfect. That was just a façade, just a good image for the world around her. And who was she for that world? Just a normal girl, daughter of the town's best lawyer, A+ student and president of the school's literature club. Quinn never got in trouble, said a curse word, smoke or drank. She is eighteen but could very well to be considered an adult, since she acted as such since she was eleven.

When Judy Fabray died, six years ago, she left two daughters and a loving husband in this world. Quinn was eleven and Amelia was only five, and they were as close as two siblings could be, which turned out to be a blessing when their mother passed away. Said "loving husband", Russell, lost his mind when his wife died. Judy was his life, his entire world. The man was lost, no reason left to live. Not even the two daughters he had, two scared children waiting for him at home every night, only to meet a drunk jerk instead.

Thinking about it, Quinn almost felt bad for blaming her father so much. The two of them, her parents, had the most beautiful love story one could ever think about. And they were so happy, all four of them, that sometimes she would close her eyes and pretend everything was like before… of course, her wishful thinking was interrupted whenever he stumbled into their home, barking drunk orders at her and her little sister, calling them out on their tiniest mistakes, blaming them for everything wrong that was in his life. And, surely, there was the worst part. Quinn felt the dry lump in her throat forming when she thought about it; his heavy hands colliding against her face, strong fingers grabbing her delicate arms and pulling, tossing her away from him whenever she tried to approach or help.

The memories sent a shiver down her spine, making the covered bruises on her face, arms and ribs pulse with the pain she was already so familiar with. Tears filled her hazel eyes but she wiped them away before anyone could see them falling. She would have time to cry later, after putting Amelia in bed and curling up under her own covers, praying to God to wake her up from that nightmare.

— Oh, good morning, Quinny. I didn't know you were coming today. — Said Annelise, the owner of the flower shop Quinn worked at, as soon did she walk into the place. — I thought I had given you the Saturday off this week?

Quinn gave the woman her best smile, the one she was a pro at after so many years of faking, and shook her head, putting the umbrella down and closing the door behind her.

— You did, Anne, yes. — She chuckled, walking up to the older woman and kissing her cheek softly. Annelise was around sixty and the closest to a mother figure that Quinn have had in a while. The woman was sweet, always had a good story to tell and, probably because of her big passion for the, smelled like flowers all the time. — Turns out that Amy is spending the day at a friend's house and I didn't want to be home alone all day. Is it okay?

Lies. She wouldn't be alone, per say. There probably would be a very hungover Russell who would avoid her all day in his office until it was time for him to leave and get drunk again.

— Of course it's okay, darling. — Annelise replied with her usual sweet tone and smile, touching Quinn's arm gently. The blonde winced in pain, happy to be wearing a cardigan to hide the bruises, and recovered quickly. Anne didn't buy it, and Quinn knew very well. She knew that her boss was suspicious about her home situation. It wasn't the first time she had caught her, either hiding bruises or taking meds for pain. — Can you help me with those boxes in the backroom? I have to get rid of all the old paperwork.

Quinn nodded her head obediently and skipped to the backroom to do as told before Anne could say anything else. She had never asked anything personal about Quinn's life in one year and a half she worked there, but the girl knew that she was suspicious and the last thing she needed was people talking about her and her family. It was enough to be known as "that orphan girl"; she didn't need to be known as an abused child either.

— Quinny, I'm going out to get some tea, do you need anything? — Anne called from the other room, waking the girl up from her deep thoughts. She just shouted back a "No, thanks" and a minute or so later, she heard the soft bells of the door ringing as her boss left the shop.

Quinn continued to check the boxes for the old paperwork when she heard the bells ringing again, which made her frown and shake her head. Anne probably forgot her key again, as it had quite became a thing for the older woman lately. She got up from her knees and smoothed her dress, walking back up to the front room.

— Anne, did you forget… — She started, but was cut off by the figure of a tall male, not the short old lady she was expecting. He looked around nineteen, tall with broad shoulders and blonde hair cut short; he was a mix between a soldier and a model, his posture firm and arms crossed over his wide chest. Quinn couldn't help but notice how serious he looked. — I'm sorry, can I help you?

The guy cleared his throat and licked his full lips that had been previously pressed together in a firm line.

— I need flowers.

Quinn snorted, looking down at her feet. Obviously. The man seemed to notice how stupid that had sounded, because he was in a flower shop after all, so he scrunched up his nose and sighed.

— Sorry. I meant, um, flowers for dead people.

This time she couldn't hold back a chuckle, looking up from her feet to this stranger's face. Her laughter died when she noticed, once again, how serious he was. His jaw — a perfectly straight and manly jaw, she noticed — was clenched and he hadn't moved from his previous position, arms crossed over his chest and standing tall. She swallowed dry in her throat and nodded her head.

— I'm sorry, sir. What kind of flowers do you like? Roses, violets…?

— Anything. Just— just give me anything.

Quinn nodded her head, looking around the shop to try and get some ideas. Her eyes met a dozen of white roses with a hint of pink on the counter, probably some client's order already, and she walked up to it, taking one out of the bouquet and offering it to the tall man that stood a few feet from her.

— These are my favorite. Annelise herself makes them.

The man didn't move from his position, just nodded his head once as if giving Quinn the okay. But she wasn't taking just dead. Whoever this guy was visiting, this "dead person", probably deserved more than a flower that some girl they didn't know was picking. For some reason, she suddenly was mad at that tall, unbelievable handsome stranger that wouldn't even look her in the eye.

— Don't you wanna smell it? — She shrugged, walking towards him and offering him the flower again. The man just stared back at her, not moving at all. — It's called Rosalie.

After what seemed like forever, he broke out a small, barely there smile.

— What? — He asked, a quizzical expression on his face.

Quinn smiled back weakly, offering the flower again and biting the inside of her cheek when he finally took it.

— The flower's name. It's Rosalie. Rosalie is Annelise's daughter's name.

The stranger smelled the flower, and his shy smile grew a bit larger. Quinn snorted when she noticed how small and out of place the rose looked in his big, strong hand.

— Who's Annelise? — Stranger asked. Quinn also noticed that his tall posture had changed slightly, and he looked less like a lion ready to attack now.

— Annelise owns the shop. She is my boss. — She explained, walking back towards the counter and grabbing the bouquet before handing it to the man. — I'm assuming you're not from here, because everyone knows Annelise in this town.

The man grinned and Quinn would be damned if she didn't admit that was the single most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. She shook her head briefly, not allowing herself to act like a silly teenager like those in the movies that her sister likes to watch.

— No, I'm not. I'm here to visit my, um, my family… My father's family, actually.

Quinn nodded her head, trying to get busy with the bouquet arrangement. In all truth, she wanted to know more; about his life, his family, who he was. Even his name, for Christ's sake.

She hated herself for acting like that, all hormonal and not at all like herself.

— Oh. Okay. Um, it'll be $20. — She said, not looking from her hands that held the bouquet up to him. The guy took it, and if she had been looking at him, she would know that he didn't take his eyes off her face.

Stranger handed her the money and Quinn just took it, murmuring a quiet and simple "Thank you" and forcing a smile to the client. Not that her eyes ever met his face again, afraid that she would make a fool out of herself again. She couldn't allow herself to act so silly, so much like the girls her age. She had a lot more to worry about than some handsome guy.

Said handsome guy was on his way to the door, not looking back, when he stopped abruptly. Quinn lifted her gaze from her hands to him, frowning. Stranger turned around flashing the same grin she felt her knees going weak for a few minutes before, and Quinn swallowed a dry gulp.

— My name is Samuel, by the way.

Samuel. She nodded her head, feeling her face warm with the obvious blush that was now there.

— Quinn.

He nodded his head once, and she swore she saw his eyes changing color from dark green to bright blue when he spoke again.

— I'll see you around, Q.

And the weird stranger who had walked into this place looking like a soldier, left the same shop with the posture of a teenager, smiling ear-to-ear.

Little did they both knew, their lives had changed forever right then.


A/N: Hello, everyone! I loved your reviews and I hope everyone continue to send them my way, because that's the best part of being a writer: feedback. This story, like I said before, makes me very proud and I hope it amuses you as much as it does to me.

This chapter you'll know a little bit about Quinn's story and you will get to see their first encounter. Yes, there will be mentions of child abuse in this story so if you're not comfortable with it, don't read. Of course, I won't go too hard into the topic because it's touchy for me as well, but it is part of what makes this story so beautiful (to me, at least). As for this Sam... gosh, he is my favorite. I hope everyone falls for him as hard as I have. Enjoy this chapter and the next one will come this week, if there is enough feedback!

Song Used (for the title): You Found Me, The Fray