Can't Take My Eyes Off You || Quinntana

Twenty Five

Quinn's past week had been something out of a movie. She had admitted to having feelings for her best friend, cried with her quite a few times, gone on a late night diner date, and told her she loved her. It was a whirlwind, and as quickly as it appeared, it was gone.

She found herself sitting in her dorm, playing with a ring on her finger (a cheap one she'd swiped from Santana before leaving her house in the morning), wondering if the past few days had even happened at all. The ring seemed like the only proof that it wasn't all a dream.

"So," Nora broke the silence.

Quinn perked up.

"How was your Thanksgiving?"

"Well, I visited my old high school, had dinner with my family, started dating my best friend..."

"No way." Nora jumped up out of her bed. "Quinn, that's amazing!"

"I know. She told me how she felt about me, and I was scared, but I just kissed her. And god, it felt so right."

Nora let out a small squeal.

"Jeez, Nora, I never took you for the squealing type."

She laughed in reply. "Normally, you would be correct. I'm just so happy for you, Quinn. I know this hasn't been easy."

Quinn nodded. "It's still imperfect. I have no idea how I'm going to come out to anybody. The only people who know are Santana, this high school friend who walked in on us making out, an old lady who owns a diner in my hometown, and, of course, you."

"It might not seem like a lot, but that's three more people than last time I saw you. This is progress."

Quinn took a moment to ponder that. "I guess you're right. Also, I've been thinking about that LGBT alliance group thing you told me about, and I want to go."

Nora squealed again.

"If you keep squealing, I'm going to change my mind."

Nora took a deep breath. "Okay. I'm completely calm. Lucky for you, the next meeting is tomorrow evening. We can go out for coffee and then go together?"

Quinn quickly agreed. She was starting to realize how badly she needed help with understanding her identity.

She was happier than she'd ever been now that she was with Santana, but some things still didn't feel right. Kissing her was incredible, but she felt guilty afterward. A voice from her past kept telling her it was wrong. And, of course, there was the issue of being stuck in the closet. She wished she could be more like Santana, Blaine, or Kurt: out, proud, and unapologetic. But she was frankly terrified.

. . .

"You're an iced coffee drinker, too? God, I can't believe I spent the first few months of living together thinking you were straight."

Nora laughed. "I could say the same about you."

"It's funny how we—uh—lesbians," Quinn stumbled, not used to the word yet, "find our way to each other without realizing it. It's like some gravitational force."

Nora smirked.

"What?"

"Nothing. I'm just really excited for you to come to the meeting."

The friends walked to the building where the meeting was being held, shivering as they sipped their iced coffees.

In the conference room, they were met by a very attractive south asian person with a wavy black undercut.

"Hey, Nora! New friend?"

"This is Quinn. She's my roommate."

Quinn did her best to put on a friendly smile.

"I'm River. My pronouns are they/them. Come take a seat. Hope you enjoy the meeting!"

Quinn and Nora found seats next to each other and chatted as the circle of chairs filled up. Quinn scanned the group, noting septum piercings, odd earrings, and brightly colored hair. For a place where she was supposed to belong, she certainly felt like an outsider.

The meeting began with a few members introducing themselves, presumably some sort of leadership team. River was among them. They opened up the discussion, and immediately, a girl with long black hair raised her hand, excited to contribute.

Quinn hadn't noticed this girl during her initial scan. Maybe she'd came late. She was wearing a collared shirt layered underneath a black sweater, paired with a cute skirt. It was something Quinn thought she might wear if she were a bit more fashion-forward.

"Hi. If you don't know me, I'm Kimi. She/her pronouns. I wanted to give everyone a bit of an update on how I've been doing. For those of you know are new, I'm lesbian, which I only realized very recently when I started dating a girl, and I've been struggling with coming out.

"And the update is...I came out to my parents! I was really scared, but I listened to all of your advice. I did my best to explain that I love girls and why it's important to me to share that part of myself with them. They were confused at first, since I've dated boys before, but they told me that they loved and accepted me. They were even excited to meet my girlfriend."

The circle burst into applause, a few people even cheering. Kimi flashed a wide smile.

"Thanks, everyone."

More people spoke, and Quinn was amazed by how much she could relate to. People described strict parents, religious trauma, comphet, and more. There were also terms she'd never heard of before. One person spoke about being genderfluid, another sharing about being asexual.

It was a lot to take in, but it was also a space where Quinn felt safe. When the discussion died down, she surprised herself by raising her hand to speak.

"Hi everyone. I'm Quinn. Um. She/her. This is my first time coming, and I just wanted to thank everyone for making me feel welcome. I recently realized that I am in love with my best friend, who is a girl, and I'd only ever dated boys before. It was a lot for me to process. I didn't realize until today how many people had gone through similar things. So, thanks. I think I'm going to come here more often."

She looked down at her feet, feeling her cheeks heating up.

"We're really glad you're here," River replied. "Thanks for sharing, Quinn."

For the rest of the meeting, everyone discussed ways to make Yale more LGBT-friendly. Quinn didn't have much input because, well, she hadn't thought much about it. But, she was determined to have ideas for the next meeting.

When the meeting wrapped up, River went over to Quinn and Nora again, inviting them to an open mic at a local cafe they were performing at the following night. They accepted.

Until that evening, Quinn had felt like an outsider at Yale. She occasionally attended a study group before a big test, and she met with a secret society sometimes, but she had never felt like a part of anything bigger than herself.

Now, after one meeting in a conference room full of misfits, she had a new family.

Sorry I've been a little MIA recently! I've said it before and I'll say it again: school is a lot. Anyway, I hope this chapter was worth the wait. Also, my inactivity has made this story's rankings completely tank, so if you're enjoying it, please interact with this chapter :)