roommates

twenty three

It was incredibly early. The sun had not risen, and the only people up were those who were especially anxious for their flight. Like Quinn and Clay. For the first time in a while, Quinn woke up alone in bed. It probably would have been smarter for them to stay with each other the night before, but Clay hadn't packed yet, and Quinn had some stuff to do at her apartment before she left.

She got out of bed quietly, noticing that the light was on in the kitchen. Clay must've used his key to get in. The suitcase that was once sitting on Quinn's floor, was now gone.

The light in the kitchen seems much brighter at 4 a.m.

"Good morning baby," Clay was already wide awake and ready to go, Quinn envied this as she yawned into his embrace.

"It's so early," Quinn pouted, she wanted something to eat.

"You can sleep on the plane, but you gotta get dressed or else we'll miss our flight," Clay was being overly affectionate and patient with a girl who was not a fan of mornings, "And if you get ready quick enough we can go get coffee on the way to the airport."

"Now we're speaking the same language," Quinn noticed Clay's outfit, he was in jeans and a t-shirt but he had a sweatshirt with him, most likely his way of preparing for the New York cold. His hair was also wet, meaning that he had woken up especially early to shower, "Did you even sleep?"

"Mhm, a little bit," Clay hummed, "Listen, your suitcase is in the car, and it's already running, so it'll be warm when you get in, I'll go wait for you." Clay kissed the top of Quinn's head, before walking out of the apartment.

Quinn yawned loudly, and tried to shake some of the tiredness out of her body. She wishes she had enough time to take a shower, but she knew that wasn't the case. So instead, she dressed quickly, wearing an outfit that was similar to Clay's, before doing a last minute sweep of anything she might want to bring in her carry on.

"You ready?" Clay said once Quinn was buckled into the passenger seat.

"Yes," Quinn was getting more excited, it had been a while since she had been anywhere else, and was excited to be going alone with Clay.

"Do you wanna stop and get coffee?" Clay offered, and Quinn declined saying that she would find somewhere at the airport, her nerves settling in.

"Let's get checked in for the flight and then we'll get something to eat," She decided, watching the cool January night go by in Clay's car window. The inside of the car was warm, and secluded from the outside world. In here, it was just Quinn and Clay, not the famous streamers, but the people. It felt safe. And as Clay's hand rested on Quinn's thigh, she knew that she was safe, that she would always be safe with him.

*****

Airports were a nightmare. It was actually one of the things that stressed Quinn out the most, because there was no sense of urgency, except for the parents who were running with their kids to make their flight. It was as if everyone was on their own time clock. Which was nice if you didn't have a flight to catch.

"Quinn, will you relax?" Clay was watching as she checked the time on her phone a few times, "We have so much time still."

"You're right," Quinn nodded, trying to quiet the anxious voice in her head. She slipped her hand into Clay's empty one as they waited in line for security. She was looking around the airport, seeing all the different types of people who were waiting at 5 in the morning with them.

There were so many kids who seemed to be falling asleep standing, Quinn was able to sympathize with them. As they inched forward in the line, Quinn could feel her body relaxing more and more, and she yawned.