Chapter 9
July 18h, 2010
Summer into Junior Year
"Lost in the sun"
The house was abnormally quiet as Leroy pushed open the front door. Suitcases in hand, Hiram followed and noticed the silence as well. He checked his watch. It was 7:30am, and their daughter didn't seem to be home. Their weekend excursion had transported them back to earlier days that were filled with overwhelming passion and freedom and love. Of course many years later those same feelings still existed, but the last two days had been a reminder of where it all began.
-/-
It began with a curtain. Hiram was seventeen, an admitted theater geek, and an employee at Lima's infamous Sheets N' Things. After surviving a full school day, the young man spent his evenings inside the extensive store folding sheets and working the cash register. Some nights he stocked the shelves with new products. Those were his favorite nights, when he could roam the aisles and imagine shopping there one day with his...his lover for sheets for their new home. Hiram was gay, gay as a rainbow, his father used to say. Both of his parents were extremely liberal for Lima, Ohio, and acceptance, he had found, came easily in their household. Of course no one but his family knew. He was bullied enough for his love of the arts and his lack of athletic talent. Imagine what coming out to a school full of homophobic neanderthals would bring for the him.
One late night, the running back of the McKinley football team entered the deserted store cautiously. His sneakers squeaked against the linoleum floors as he walked up and down the aisles searching for a new towel for his gym locker. Hiram was stocking the curtain aisle, admiring the new prints and designs of the fabric. Leroy turned and froze when he saw Hiram caressing one curtain in particular.
The boy was wearing jeans a size too big for him and a baggy Sheets N' Things vest over his brown t-shirt. His red hair curled down to his ears, just above his freckled skin. Leroy's throat dried instantly.
"Excuse me?"
Hiram turned to face one of the jocks that tormented him at school. His stomach dropped. Trying not to flinch, he put on his best salesman smile.
"Yes? How may I help you?"
Leroy's eyes darted to the floor nervously, then back to Hiram's. What did he need again? Right, towels. He needed towels.
"Uhm," he stuttered, looking down to the curtain in the boy's hands, "that's a nice curtain."
Hiram smiled enthusiastically, nodding in agreement. "It's part of this new sunshine collection my boss ordered for the spring time sale. I would die to have these in my kitchen you know? Like cooking, and then looking out the window and seeing these sunny swirls. I don't know," he said, slowing down his ramble with a deep scarlet blush, "That was probably a 'faggy' thing to say, right?"
Leroy winced. He recognized Hiram from school and was pretty sure that Hiram recognized him too. It was no secret that the boy was the victim of the incessant bullying that went on at school. It was Leroy's team that was doing the harassing. They had beleaguered Hiram, yelling every slur for homosexual at him in the halls of McKinley. Part of him was ashamed to be associated with the team, but Leroy's fears of being outed and therefore becoming a victim were too strong to be ignored. Because of these fears, Leroy was left standing by helplessly as they flushed some guy's glasses down a toilet or spray-painted Hiram's locker with the word fag in big black letters. It only further confirmed that Leroy was a hypocrite. Leroy hated himself on most days.
But his team wasn't here right now. He didn't have to play their games.
"That's not faggy," he said softly. "I really like this one too. It reminds me of... well this is embarrassing, but it reminds me of you a bit."
Hiram gazed at him with a look of adoration mixed with shock, not knowing that the answer to his next question would be the answer that would make him fall in love with Leroy.
"How so?" he asked, trying desperately to keep his composure.
"Uh-, well I guess it's because you don't let the assholes at school get you down. And your smile's bright too like... like sunshine..."
Clearing his throat, Leroy attempted to change the subject as perhaps the deepest blush in recorded history pervaded his cheeks.
"Anyways, I was just looking for... uh, a towel. Could you help me find one?"
The redhead grinned and nodded eagerly, placing the curtain back on its shelf and guiding Leroy to aisle seven. Leroy smiled and nodded as Hiram rambled on about thread counts, trying to ignore the pounding inside of his chest and the sweat forming on his hands. It wouldn't be until a month later that he would realize that this was the moment he fell in love with a dorky theater-obsessed Irish ginger who made the best snicker doodles in Lima, Ohio.
-/-
"Lee? Why do I feel like we're in some sort of horror movie, and some guy with a mask is going to come out of the closet and stab us?" Hiram asked with a hint of fear in his voice.
The sound of that voice brought Leroy back to present as he grabbed his husband's suitcase and lugged it upstairs.
"You're paranoid," he teased from the top of the staircase, "Remind me never to watch IKnowWhatYouDidLastSummer or Scream with you ever again."
"No!" Hiram protested from below. "Didn't you love it when I jumped into your strong arms for protection?"
Laughing, Leroy rolled his eyes and blushed. He had loved it, but he couldn't let Hiram know that. He trudged down the stairs happily.
"Nope, didn't love it at all," he teased as Hiram's jaw dropped playfully, feigning shock.
The men took to the kitchen to make themselves a small breakfast. The sunlight streamed in through those curtains while Leroy flipped the vegan pancakes his daughter had insisted on buying. Hiram slipped off of his stool and wrapped his arms around his husband's broad shoulders. A warmth shot through them. Leroy smiled brightly, shaking the pan lightly, and sighed. How he could be so happy was always a mystery to him. Well, not really. A certain redhead might have had something to do with it.
Just then, as lips were beginning their movement toward each other, the kitchen door was flung open. The men didn't so much as bat an eye, continuing to kiss until their hearts were content. The brunette waited patiently, grabbing a bowl of strawberries from the refrigerator.
"Morning, love," Hiram managed to say once he separated himself from Leroy.
"Good morning, Daddy," Rachel said with a megawatt smile, popping a berry into her mouth.
"Oooh somebody's in a cheery mood!" Leroy commented as he slid the pancakes onto a platter.
Rachel playfully rolled her eyes. "It's nothing, Dad. I went for a nice swim this morning."
"Is that some euphemism that I am not aware of, honey?" Hiram asked with a wink.
"Uh-God, no! I simply went to the pool and swam laps for an hour. You two are so perverse!" Rachel exclaimed with a blush.
The men laughed heartily as they took their seats. Their daughter remained standing, gazing into the distance. She seemed to be lost in her mind.
"Earth to Rachel," Leroy teased.
"What? Oh-," Rachel smiled, "Sorry, I just need to go shower. I had breakfast earlier before swimming, and Quinn and I will be dining at that new vegan restaurant this afternoon at 1pm so..." she hesitated slightly, "I'll be upstairs uh- yeah."
With that the girl was scurrying up the stairs. The men looked at each other.
"That was..." Hiram began.
"Odd," Leroy finished.
-/-
Rachel plopped her bag on the floor, and then proceeded to collapse onto her bed. In a word, she was exhausted. For one thing, she fell asleep at two in the morning though her walk with Quinn had only lasted about half an hour. Her brain just wouldn't shut off. As she tried to fall asleep it kept replaying their walk over and over again.
Then she woke up at 6am to go lap swimming. Even though her body was screaming at her not to go, Rachel needed to see Quinn again, body be damned. Of course now she was paying for it in the form of sore calves, dripping wet hair, and the strong stench of chlorine that stained her body. It was so worth it though.
-/-
Watching lap swim was normally boring for Quinn, but the instant Rachel started coming, the insipid morning became extremely interesting. Quinn shifted herself on the chair, her foot falling asleep, and placed her head in the palm of her hand. A yawn stretched out her face making her eyes watery. Then the door opened, and Quinn found herself completely awake.
Rachel strolled in with much more confidence and a bright smile. Another pink bathing suit hung over her frame. Quinn tried not to gape, but how could she not? The girl was smoking, even Quinn had to admit that. She had endless legs, toned calves, and the perfect amount of curves. The brunette flashed her a wave before getting into the cold water to begin her workout.
And then Quinn watched. She watched like her life depended on it. Like watching a tennis match, Quinn's hazel eyes flashed back and forth following Rachel's movements in the water. The water melded with her body, forming around her curves, and her feet left a trail of bubbles behind. Effortlessly was the only way to really describe how Rachel swam. Quinn found herself mesmerized.
Time flew by, and before she knew it the lap swim was over. Rachel hoisted herself out of the pool and shuffled over to her towel, water dripping down her skin. Quinn hopped off of the stand and, holding her rescue tube over her shoulder, walked over to meet the brunette.
"Hey, Rachel," she greeted kindly.
The brunette grinned, towel firmly wrapped around her body, and took a breath.
"Good morning, Quinn!"
"How are you?"
"Well, actually, I'm quite exhausted. You see this blonde girl showed up at my doorstep at midnight last night demanding I walk with her! I barely got any sleep!" Rachel teased.
Quinn blushed profusely but played along. "Oh really? That's odd... she must really really like you then, huh?"
Now it was Rachel's turn to blush and giggle.
Mission accomplished.
"I guess so," Rachel said dramatically, "I actually have a question for you, Ms. Fabray."
Quinn laughed at the formality. "I have an answer for you, Ms. Berry."
The brunette rolled her eyes and continued. "What time do you get off of work?"
That was an interesting question. "12:30...why?"
Biting her lip, Rachel shifted her weight nervously. "Well, I was hoping that one of these days we could hang out the normal way, as in not at midnight or in the pool for three seconds. I don't know if you'd be up for it, but maybe we could grab lunch later?"
Quinn beamed in adoration. Those rambles were too cute. She nodded in agreement. "I am more than up for it, Ms. Berry. Where would you like to go? I know they opened up that little vegan place on Kramer Street. Wanna try that?"
"Oh yes! I've been wanting to go there! That sounds perfect! Why don't we meet there around one?"
"One is perfect."
You'reperfect.
Rachel blushed at the thought, feeling lucky that Quinn wasn't a mind reader. That would be problematic. Those hazel eyes locked on hers, causing her to lose her train of thought. She couldn't believe it had taken her so long to notice them. They held a lot of secrets.
"Well, I guess I'll see you later, Quinn," Rachel began as she picked up her things to go find refuge in the locker room.
"I guess so," the blonde teased with a genuine smile.
-/-
And now Rachel was pacing the floor. What does one wear to an... outing with a friend at the new vegan restaurant? Formal or casual? Brain racing, Rachel flung open her closet door. Nothing seemed to be good enough. She didn't even know why she was getting so worked up about it, but her innate desire to please everyone, especially Quinn, might have had something to do with it.
Finally, about an hour later, the brunette decided on an outfit. It was simple, a mix between casual and formal, and a perfect blend of colors to fit her skin tone and eye color. Rachel examined herself in the mirror. Scrutinizing every feature until it was just right, she wondered how this would pan out. Would it be awkward?
-/-
"It's not going to be awkward," Santana said, exasperated by her best friend's paranoia.
Quinn was putting the finishing touches on her look. After a quick, scalding shower, she had called over Santana for... well... advice. Rachel had kind of asked her to hang out, and Quinn didn't know what to do or how to act. For the past few years their relationship had consisted of either quick glances in the hallways or full-blown confrontations over a certain Finn Hudson. Now they had reached a sort of truce, but Quinn still felt like she was walking on thin ice.
"I've never like... hung out with her alone before. What if she doesn't like it? What if we have nothing to talk about? What if she hates it? What if the food is nasty?"
Santana rolled her eyes playfully. "Jeeze, Q, I haven't seen you this nervous since your first date with Finnept."
"Oh shut up. This isn't a date. It's a casual hang out between friends," Quinn recited.
The brunette blinked. "What, is Berry contagious or something? You sound just like the dwarf."
"Again, shut up! I just... I want to do this right, Santana."
"Do what right?" Santana asks incredulously.
"Be her friend!" Quinn shouted, not realizing the volume of her voice until she was staring at a wide-eyed Santana.
"Whatever. Go be her friend and live happily fucking ever after in the fucking friend zone. It's fucking paradise," Santana yelled back, immediately silencing the blonde.
"Sorry," Santana mumbled guiltily.
Santana retracted into herself, pulling her knees into her chest from her perch on Quinn's bed.
Quinn sighed. It was obvious why the brunette was lashing out at her, but Quinn didn't want to push Santana yet. The girl sat on her bed, staring solemnly out the window. With a finger, she twirled her dark brown curls round and round. Quinn knew the mannerism well. It meant that she was upset.
"She called me last night," the brunette said softly. "Said she misses me."
Making her way over to the bed, Quinn looked at her best friend.
"Is that a bad thing?"
"Yeah," Santana started, " cuz I miss her too, but she misses me as a friend. I miss her because I-," she cut herself off before she revealed too much of herself.
"San," Quinn cooed, beginning to wrap her arm around Santana.
"Forget it," she said dejectedly, shrugging off the gesture. "Have fun at lunch. Are we still on for our run tonight?"
Quinn nodded, ignoring her friend's obvious avoidance of Brittany. "Meet at my house at say 11pm?"
"Right."
Lifting herself off of the bed, Quinn slung her bag over her shoulder and walked to the door. They needed to talk about Brittany. They couldn't avoid it forever. Santana and Quinn both had tendencies to be blind to what was right in front of them. They were complete cowards when it came to who they loved. Santana had been in love with Brittany since the day Quinn had met them freshman year. Though oblivious to it at the time, Quinn always had that little voice in the back of her head telling her it was something more. She just never listened to it until the realization smacked her in the face. And then they fell apart when Santana, unable to fully acknowledge and articulate her feelings, pushed the blonde out of her life in a way only Quinn and Brittany really understood.
Sure, the two were still hanging around together, pinkies linked, but there were differences only the trio could truly see. Right now Quinn just wanted to smack Santana up the side of the head so she could see what a mistake she was making, but she knew that would never really wake Santana up. She needed to come to this realization herself. Quinn just hoped her epiphany didn't come too late.
"Hey, S?"
"Yeah?"
Quinn smiled softly. "You should call her back and tell her that."
"Tell her what?" Santana asked, though she knows exactly what Quinn is referring to.
"You know what. I don't want my best friend to have any regrets."
With that, the blonde was off, stomach churning and fingers shaking, leaving Santana staring at her cell phone with an equally churning stomach and equally shaky fingers.
A/N: I hope you guys are enjoying this! Thank you all for story alerting and reviewing! It means so much to me. Happy Wednesday!
