Can't Take My Eyes Off You || Quinntana

Twenty Two

Quinn and Santana spent the rest of the day testing out songs, laughing, and crying together. It turned out that Santana had more than one good song. In fact, she had at least twenty. The girl had been writing masterpieces for years without sharing them with anyone.

It was 11 pm when Quinn reluctantly agreed to go home. Santana suggested that Quinn should spend some time around her family while she was in town. Quinn wanted to argue, but knowing that Santana's parents were off vacationing somewhere instead of enjoying the holiday with their daughter, she complied.

Nighttime drives were always special to Quinn. There was just something about being under the streetlights and cranking up her music so loud that she couldn't hear her own thoughts. Nothing else could come close to it.

Tonight was no different. Friday I'm in Love by The Cure came on the radio, the volume so intense that the steering wheel was vibrating, and she took a moment to laugh about how on-the-nose the song was. She was driving home on a Friday night, thinking about how absolutely enamored she was with the most beautiful girl she knew. Life was looking up.

Before she knew it, she was driving down her street and pulling into her driveway. She inched the front door open, trying to be as quiet as possible. Her mother was a very light sleeper, and she was not looking for a nighttime interrogation. Shutting the door behind her, she tiptoed into the foyer, then into the living room.

"Quinn."

She jumped. On the couch, wide awake, was Frannie.

"You almost gave me a heart attack," Quinn whisper-shouted. "What are you doing?"

"Sorry! I just wanted to talk to you."

Quinn paused for a minute, scanning her sister from head to toe. She didn't look mad. She didn't look particularly happy, either.

"What's up?"

Frannie didn't respond for a moment, instead focusing intently on picking at her cuticles.

"I'm worried about you, Quinn. I know mom has been pretty tough on you, but you've always handled it so well. Yesterday, though, it seemed like you were ready to break out in tears any second. Is something going on?"

Quinn had a few options. She could deny that anything was wrong. She could make up a story, blaming her mood on college stress. Or, she could tell her sister the truth. Frannie, I'm gay. I'm gay, and I'm terrified to tell mom because I think she won't love me anymore. I don't know what to do.

"Oh. It's just college stress. You know how the ivy leagues are."

"Yeah." Frannie furrowed her brow. "Of course." She stood up to hug her sister. "Just know that if anything is ever bothering you, you can tell me. I'm here for you, Q."

I'm gay. The words were right there, on the tip of Quinn's tongue. All she had to do was open her mouth and let them free. But, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't. Instead of rolling off her lips, the words seemed to find their way to her stomach, twisting and turning and leaving her ready to vomit.

"Thanks, Frannie. I should get to bed. I'm really tired. Love you."

"Love you too."

Quinn pulled away and walked upstairs to her room. The whole time, she thought about turning around. She could still change her mind and come out to Frannie. She wanted to. But her feet continued forward, and she was left laying in bed with a growing pit in her stomach.

I'm gay, Frannie. I hope you still love me the same.