Sam put on his blazer, looking himself up and down in the mirror. He knew they were only going to Breadsticks but he felt the need to dress up for Quinn. She had only been back for a few hours but it was as if Quinn had breathed new life into Sam. There was nothing wrong with Sam's life, he had everything he always thought he'd wanted; he had a good job, he was saving up to buy his parents a house, everything was on track. But it always felt like he was living the same day over and over again. And with Quinn here, it was finally feeling like that was about to change.
Quinn straightened her knee length, off white dress for the fifth time. She didn't know why she was so nervous, it was only just dinner. As she put the final touches on her makeup, Quinn couldn't help but think about her first date with Sam. How she had tried her best to not let him charm her. She had never told him but she had found his jokes really endearing. Whenever he would start doing an impression, his eyes would light up like Christmas tree, more so when he thought she found them funny. A knot began to form in Quinn's stomach, a mix of nostalgia and regret taking over her. He had always been so good to her and she couldn't help but think that they might still have been together, had she not cheated on him. Being prom queen was all that had mattered back then but going through life and seeing what people could really be like, had made Quinn realise how important it was to cherish someone like Sam. Someone who would love her, even at her worst.
Quinn was snapped out of her thoughts by a knock on her door.
"Hey Sam." Quinn said, opening the door.
"Wow. You look beautiful." Sam said, clearly in awe of her.
Quinn blushed at the comment. "You don't look so bad yourself." She said, looking him up and down and then looking away.
"Should we go?" Sam asked, extending his arm for Quinn to take.
"We shall." Quinn said with a small smile as she took Sam's hand.
By the time Sam and Quinn got to breadsticks, they were both starving; so, they spent the beginning of their night, deciding what to order and practically inhaling their food once it came.
"Um, I forgot to ask, how's Puck?" Sam said, chewing a bite of his pasta.
"I don't know, I haven't spoken to him, in a while." Quinn said, playing with the food on her plate.
Sam looked at Quinn with a confused expression on his face. "Wait, you guys broke up?" He asked.
"Yeah, about six months ago." Quinn said, trying to avoid Sam's gaze.
"What happened?" Sam asked.
Quinn looked everywhere, but at Sam. She didn't want to look at him, knowing she was about to try.
"I'm sorry Quinn, you don't have to talk about it." Sam said, reaching for her hand.
Quinn looked at Sam's hand on hers and smiled to herself.
"No, it's not that." Quinn said.
"Then, what is it?" Sam asked.
"I don't' really know." Quinn said, with a small chuckle, brushing the small tear off her cheek.
Sam really didn't know what to say, he tried to think of something supportive to say but decided to go with a reassuring smile instead.
"I just.. I had everything in New York. I just wasn't happy. Something always felt missing, even when Puck and I were together. We really tried to make it work but I guess the distance got in the way. Or maybe, we just realised we weren't what the other was looking for. Quinn paused for a second, starting to cry again.
She began again, this time talking between sobs. "I've just been walking around with this empty feeling for no reason. And finally, last week, I decided to quit my job and come to Lima because it was all just too much. I didn't know what else to do. And sitting here, with you, in Breadsticks, it's the only time, I haven't felt like a fish out of water. I finally feel like, I can breathe easy, you know?"
Sam just stared at Quinn for a moment. He couldn't help feel absolutely shattered seeing Quinn like this. He wanted to protect her, make her know she was loved. So he did the only thing he could think of. He walked over and sat down next to Quinn and wrapped her in his arms. Quinn hugged him back, beginning to cry, against his chest. He held her, letting her cry in his arms, hoping to God he was making her feel better. In that moment, he would've done anything to take her pain away.
After what had felt like an eternity, Quinn looked up from Sam's chest. Tears were still flowing down her face but there was a smile on her face. Sam smiled back at her, wiping away her tears.
"Thank you, Sam." Quinn said.
"Always." Sam said, with a smile.
Sam and Quinn continued to talk for the rest of the night, reminiscing about glee club and high school. Both of them were relinquished from the weight of the world and their responsibilities for a few moments, finally feeling happy for the first time, in as long as either of them could remember.