Can't Take My Eyes Off You || Quinntana

Thirty Two

January was something out of a dream. Quinn's break ended, so she returned to New Haven, this time with Santana by her side. Santana moved into a quaint little apartment only a short walk from Yale's campus and working at a diner. Quinn was busy with her studies, but she still stopped by the apartment as often as possible, studying in the armchair they'd picked out together at a secondhand shop or cooking dinner with whatever she could find in the fridge.

On the weekends, they'd explore the town, starting out with places Quinn knew, like her favorite coffee shop, and eventually finding hidden gems. An amazing Indian restaurant hidden between a pharmacy and an Old Navy became their regular date spot. One Friday evening, they found themselves there, enjoying some heavenly samosas with River and Kimi.

"So let me get this straight," River said through a mouthful of food, "You two were on a cheer team together, and now you're madly in love?"

Quinn and Santana looked at each other, then back at River, and giggled, their faces turning red. "Some high school coming of age rom com shit, huh?" Santana remarked.

"You know," Kimi said, taking a sip of her water before going in for more samosas, "I once had a secret relationship with a girl in my dance class."

Now, it was Santana and Quinn's turn to gawk. "No freakin way. Spill." Quinn excitedly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

Kimi blushed. "Well, she and I met when we were both 16, and there was an instant connection. We started hanging out at each other's houses all the time, and we grew closer, so close, in fact, that our lips touched."

River burst out laughing. "That was the best way you could've put that."

"So everyday in dance class, we had to pretend everything was normal. The other girls would bring up their boyfriends and first kiss stories, and we put on our best poker faces. Then, on the weekends, we'd go driving together at night and blast music. We'd have picnics in the park. We'd also make out in her basement. And nobody had a clue."

"That's the teenage dream," River decided. "Minus the having to hide it from everyone."

"Oh, for sure. Until she dumped me with a handwritten note."

The whole table winced.

"The first real heartbreak is the actual worst." River reached for another samosa.

"True that," Santana uttered. "Although in my case, it led me to the love of my life."

Quinn looked down at her feet and shook her head. "God, you're so embarrassing."

The friends laughed, then spent the rest of the evening sharing incredible food and even better stories.

. . .

"I wish I could stay like this forever." 

Quinn adjusted her head against Santana's chest, sinking deeper into the bed. Santana's heart thumped a steady rhythm. She took an inhale, savoring the scent of her girlfriend's new perfume.

"Who says you can't?" Santana twirled a strand of Quinn's hair on her finger. She looked up at the ceiling, studying patterns in its texture.

"The pile of materials I need to study before Monday," Quinn groaned, sitting up and checking the time. "It's 1 am. I should probably go soon. Or at least go to bed here." She adjusted the tank top and sweat shorts she'd stolen from Santana, having refused to stay in her jeans and blouse while they cuddled and watched tv. She started to get off of the bed.

"Wait," Santana pleaded, already feeling the emptiness where Quinn had been lying merely seconds before. "Want to listen to one record before you go? We don't even have to listen to the whole album, just one side?"

Quinn weighed it out in her head. "I suppose," she faked reluctance, "but I get to choose the album.

Santana grinned. "Works for me."

Quinn flipped through the vinyl collection they shared, finally landing on the Blue LP from Christmas. She handed it to Santana.

"A or B side?"

"B," Quinn decided. "Definitely B."

Santana gently placed the needle on the record, then sat down, her legs crossed, on the rug in her room. Quinn looked down at her, slightly judgmental at first, then shrugged and joined her on the floor.

Joni's silky smooth voice filled the room, imperfect because of minor scratches from many, many plays. Santana reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind Quinn's ear, her hand lingering on her cheek.

"You are so gorgeous." She pulled Quinn's face toward her, then pressed their foreheads together. The two remained there, feeling each other's breath, their heartbeats quickly speeding up.

Quinn lifted her eyes to meet Santana's, their foreheads still touching. She burst out in a laughing fit. "You look like a bug!"

Santana joined her, collapsing on the ground. She laid her head on Quinn's stomach, looking up at the ceiling once again.

"I love you so much it hurts," Santana whispered.

Quinn interlaced her fingers with Santana's. "I love you even more."

The final song came to an end, and Quinn kept her word, heading for her dorm so that she'd be well rested for a long day of studying.

The silence in the apartment seemed to fill Santana's ears. She could still feel Quinn on her lips, the remnants of their goodbye kiss filling her with warmth. Unable to sleep, she rifled through the pile of mail that she'd dumped on the table earlier. One return address instantly caught her attention. William Schuester?

She opened the envelope and was greeted with stationary covered in beautiful script. A wedding invitation. For Valentine's Day? It was in just under a month. Weren't people supposed to plan their weddings like a year in advance? Although, to be fair, this was the man who decided to wait to write the glee club's original songs until they were physically at nationals. He wasn't exactly well organized.

It looked like she and Quinn would be seeing their glee club friends a lot sooner than expected.

Hi everyone! It's been a while. Things have been going a lot better for me. I now have a girlfriend of over two months, which is very exciting, and I've seen some improvement with my mental health. Hope you all are doing well! Maybe I'll be somewhat consistent with releasing chapters. We're almost to the end...