Jeff's smile faded. There was a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.
"Is that a problem?" he asked, taking a step towards Quinn. She stared at him, not sure how to answer that. Now, she knew where she'd seen him before. It was in that parking garage, where the Warblers had faced off with New Directions and Sebastian had put rock salt in Blaine's slushy.
"I… I don't know," Quinn replied, looking him in the eye. She didn't want it to be a problem. Quinn had nothing against the Warblers, well, except for Sebastian and that they were competitors in regionals. But otherwise, they had never caused each other any trouble.
She didn't think anyone would mind if, maybe just this once, she hung out with Jeff the Warbler. Then again, she thought of all the people that would mind.
"Quinn," Jeff said. He gave her puppy-dog eyes. "Please?" Quinn laughed and smiled at Jeff. She didn't know, but it felt right to be with him.
"Okay," Quinn agreed, causing Jeff to smile. "Just… I think maybe we should go somewhere else. I don't want any of your Warbler friends to ban me." Jeff laughed and took her hand, surprising Quinn.
"I know a perfect place."
Quinn stared at the hot-air balloon uneasily. Jeff looked at her sideways, waiting for her to give him an answer. She gazed at Jeff.
"I don't know, Jeff," she said.
"Oh, come on, Quinn!" Jeff whined. "It'll be fun, I promise."
"But I barely know you, how do I know you're not gonna murder me up there?" Quinn teased. Jeff squeezed her hand, which he hadn't let go since they were at Dalton. Quinn liked it that way, and wanted it to stay that way.
"Trust me," Jeff said. Quinn smiled and nodded.
"I do," she replied, dragging him towards the hot-air balloon. Jeff followed obediently, staring deep into Quinn's eyes. She had to look away.
The balloon went up, and Quinn squealed, holding onto Jeff. She smiled up at him. She was glad she was with him. There wasn't any other place Quinn would rather be.
Jeff felt the same way, of course. He wrapped his arms around her, taking the risk that she wouldn't like it. But she did, and snuggled closer to him, her head resting on his chest.
A strand of Quinn's hair fell in front of her face, and Jeff immediately pulled it behind her ear. He had so many feelings for her that he just wanted to shine. Of course, if he told her that, she might think it sounded silly.
They stood there as the balloon went up, in each other's arms, not worrying about what everyone would say. Not caring about anything but being with each other. Quinn could stay there forever, resting in Jeff's arms.
Jeff pulled back and stared at Quinn, considering what he was about to do. Both of them knew the next turn of events. He leaned in, and Quinn closed her eyes.
He hesitated a moment, admiring how Quinn looked. She was more beautiful than he had ever seen her before. Then, placing his hand on Quinn's cheek, he kissed her.