It felt like I was in a cage since the date with Quinn on Friday. Not in a bad way though, but for four days, it was all I could think about. It was like sitting in a cage only Quinn had access to. I was wrapped around her finger, and for some reason, I liked it. I was happy, I was glad to be a part of her day. I was also happy she saw me for me and didn't judge me. No, she called me beautiful. She trapped me under her spell and for every single day that passed I got more and more scared that I was going there. It was scary because it was something I wasn't used to feeling a lot or even receiving. I was usually someone who intimated people - teased and scared people off. No one really wanted to date me for who I am. Back home, they wanted me because I was Santana, the popular cheerleader. Not in the new school, I changed it, I pretended in the beginning that I wasn't into cheerleading - that I wasn't once a bully. I was, and now they know, but they are still my friends.

The school day had just ended when Quinn came over to my car before I drove away, she knocked on the window. I looked at her and winded it down. Her eyes seemed a little red, like she didn't sleep enough during the night. She looked breathless, it made me think she ran towards the car before it was too late.

"What happened?" I worried.

"God, are you avoiding me?" she asked.

"No, why would I?"

"You haven't answered my texts today or even looked after me" she said, her voice was low and hard.

"You couldn't come look for me?" I implied.

"Why didn't you answer any of my texts then?" she asked, leaning her arms on the sash.

"I forgot my phone at home"

"Oh.. I thought you ignored me" she yawned.

"Are you okay?" I asked her.

"I'm just fine," she removed her arms from the car sash and stood up straight "don't you worry about me" and she just walked away.

I looked at Quinn take some fast steps and her whole walk screamed 'pissed'. I stepped out of the car and followed her. I grabbed her arm and she turned around. Her face was pale, paler than usual. The hazel eyes looked lighter than always, in some way they looked shinier. The blood cracked eyes were simply just unhappy.

"Quinn, talk to me"

"I'm not happy about you being so close with Brittany"

And then it hit me. Quinn had seen me with Brittany earlier during the day. Me and her were sitting outside in the sun when Brittany took my hand and told me she wanted to compare our skin tones. From that, it went to her comparing the differences of our hands. The size, the fingers.. Everything. It made us laugh a lot. It may have looked like something flirty was going on from Quinn's point of view, even though it wasn't. I understood her jealousy. Still, she had nothing to do with mine and Brittany's friendship.

"What makes you say that?" I asked even though I was almost sure why.

"You know I'm not blind," she turned around, letting me face her back "I can see that you like her"

"Just because we played with each others hands?" I asked.

"Why would you even?" she turned around.

"Why does it bother you?"

"Because I don't like the thought of someone else touching you" she looked right into my eyes, trapping me yet again.

"Really?," I looked right back into the angry eyes "last time I checked we weren't even a couple. Why do you care who I touch and not touch. You have no right"

"I said we weren't a couple yet" Quinn looked around and noticed many people from school starting to show up so she lowered her voice. "And you know I care, you know I like you" the cold voice melted.

"I know.." I looked down at the ground, nearly blushing.

"Then why do you keep fighting it?" she asked.

"I'm sorry"

"I mean, do whatever you want.. But if that's the case then I will too" she sounded like she was threatening me, she had that soft yet sharp tone that made me feel like I had no choice.

"No, I get it"

"Fine.." she said. Her hand was hanging, the fingers were spreading, screaming for me to grab and hold them. But I couldn't.

"Are we okay?"

"We are" she affirmed.

"I'm going home now, yeah?"

"Let's go to riverside.. For a while only" Quinn suggested.

Riverside park, our spot.

"I don't know," I sighed "I'm really tired"

"Don't be boring, come on" she grinned.

"I'll drive" I smiled back. Like always, she managed to convince me.

"I have my car here"

"So?," I raised one eyebrow "I can drive you here after or you leave it here and I drive you to school tomorrow. It is your own car right? I'll have my moms all week"

Quinn looked at me for a while before answering my question. She turned around after hearing a loud laugh from some guy on the phone and then looked back at me, a simple smile answered my question.

When we got there we sat down immediately. Of course, the usual bench, the usual view, the usual girl next to me. The perfect moment.

"Can I ask you something?" I broke the not so long silence between us. Quinn nodded. "What made you like me in the first place?" I asked.

Quinn chuckled, her face turned soft. The hard - tough expression wasn't visible. It was just Quinn. No filter, nothing.

"You want pure honesty?" she asked.

"Of course"

"Okay. Truth is, I first started liking you because I was in some way intimidated by you," she looked up at my face "but then, when I noticed that you're not that scary after all.. I started seeing you."

"You started liking me because you were scared of me? How does that even make sense?" I laughed.

"I was impressed, you managed to make me feel like I wasn't scary enough" the corners of her mouth turned up and the perfect front teeth showed.

"And then.. what did you see in me?" I asked.

"I saw you. Just you. I don't know how to explain, I saw you and then I kind of saw myself. I felt like you and me, we were so much alike. I teased you more than I ever teased anyone else because I wanted you to be scared of me and maybe somehow the same way I did - start liking me"

I watched Quinn stare ahead of her at the many trees, the different colors, shapes. The whole picture I had right beside me - Quinn along with the beautiful trees - it was like watching a movie on a big screen. A flawless picture made by flaws - formed into pure perfection. Her words made me feel stronger, they infatuated me in some way. It was like I could only see the good things in the world - things that were good for me, to be more correct.

"Oh.." my eyes were still observing her every move.

"Do I dare to ask you the same question?" she half smiled.

"It just happened"

"Just happened? I get no background story at all?" she joked.

"It just happened," I looked away "it came really slowly, kind of creeping in on me more and more every day. And it brought me here" I reached for Quinn's hand. "Are you happy?"

"I feel blessed" Quinn said, in a tone that showed she knew her choice of words were quirky. I laughed and had my heart racing at the feeling of having her squeezing my hand. "Yes, Santana, I'm happy"

"Me too"

"You're still coming to the party on Friday right?" she asked.

"Yeah"

Her hand was warm, it made up for my forever cold hands. The soft, tender feeling of holding her hand sent little butterflies through my whole body. I leaned my head on her shoulder to breathe in her smell. Happily, it wasn't cigarettes. It was like the smell of something out of this world - in a good way of course. It was like the smell of roses, vanilla and that mixed with her own scent. And it was relaxing, peaceful. The fully grown leaf covered trees before our eyes were yet again creating a outstanding picture for us to stare at. It was almost as good at looking at Quinn. I felt her hand palms getting a little sweaty from the warmth from my body being sent to my hands and then surrounding her own. The grip got harder for us to keep and both me and her felt the slippery, yet comfortable hold. She let go of my hand and dried the tiny bit of sweat that was produced on the cheerleading skirt. I raised my head from her shoulder and felt her cupping my face, leaning in to take me away to somewhere only we knew.

"Quinn..?" I said as I pulled away.

"What?"

"What does Brittany have on you?," her face turned from dreamy to wondering in a heartbeat "she doesn't want to tell me"

"Is this about that time she went to your place?"

"Yeah.. I don't know, it feels like it wasn't about the smoking thing. You said yourself she doesn't even know about it"

"And?"

"And what? Can't you tell me..?"

"There's nothing to say, really Santana" she brushed some hair of my face with the warm, comforting hand.

"What would she warn me about then?" I asked.

"I think she has a little crush on you, she probably just wants you to stay away from me so she can have you all by herself," she laughed "that's not gonna happen, am I right?"

"Of course not, I'm just wondering what she would possibly be talking about"

"Like I said, Brittany is probably jealous.." she put a strand of hair behind my ear. I had let my hair out of the ponytail when we were in the car. "Do you believe me?" her look was intense.

"I guess"

"You guess?" she asked, her eyes getting smaller.

"Do I have another option?"

"I'm telling you the truth" she claimed.

"Then I guess I believe you" I stood up.

"But why guess?" she was still sitting down.

"Okay," I was right in front of her, looking down at the curious face "I believe you" I said. She smiled out of amusement.

I turned around and started walking towards the car. My slow steps were increasing the pace as I heard her catching up with me. I didn't know what I wanted to get away from, or why I was even annoyed in the first place. It was just the fact that something about Brittany's little meeting to come warn me about Quinn crossed my mind during the moment and it was hard to let go. Before I was even halfway out of the park, she grabbed my waist, pulling me back. Her arms tightened around my belly. I felt her lips, her face, being pressed on my neck - it was like she was afraid that I would leave her alone. She hugged me tighter as I tried to slink out of her amazingly lubricious, charming hug.

"Stop.." I panted.

"Don't go" she whispered right into my ear.

"Santana, stay with me" she nearly begged, her voice was kind yet demanding.

"I'm not leaving" I looked down at the hands around my waist slowly letting go of my body.

"I didn't mean to upset you," she said "I'm sorry"

"You didn't do anything" I turned around.

She grabbed my hand and walked me to one of the trees that was surrounded by a floc of purple/pink little flowers by the edge of the asphalt and the grass. She sat down, leaning her back on it. She looked up at me, expecting me to do the same as her. After taking in the smouldering look, I did. I sat down beside her and leaned my head back, I sat in the exact same position as Quinn. I closed my eyes, every single thing that surrounded me became black - covered up by something as simple as my eyelids. The noises of the nature, the quick steps of people jogging in the afternoon or the light breathing from right beside me - they became a part of the darkness. My mind sailed away as my eyes remained shut. Everything from school to my mood went through my brain. A light lump of happiness landed in my chest as I thought about the fact that summer break was very close. After summer break, we would be going to college. That's the hard part I heard from people - leaving your friends and family. And you're only lucky if you get into a college close to where you live. The coming week we would get our final grades and begin applying to colleges. I would apply to many colleges in New York with the major psychology. That was what I wanted to study, to become a psychologist. And of course, I would apply to universities in other states as well. I was just starting to think about what me and Quinn would do after high school if we were a couple then when she gave me a slight poke on my nose. I opened my eyes and the blonde angelic girl in front of my eyes was holding up a flower. When she noticed she had caught my attention, she leaned back on the trunk. She was holding a flower by the stem of it, all petals of the baby pink flower were picked off and thrown on the grass between the little space by her parted legs.

"...she loves me" and the last petal was thrown along with the others.

My heart felt like it stopped for a second, it skipped a big beat as the words that left Quinn's mouth hit me. I took a deep breath and as I did a unsteady quiet laugh came out. It was like I was winded after a long run. To be telling the truth, I knew I loved Quinn. But, was I in love with her? I didn't know what it felt like to be in love - the real deal. I really didn't know. Was it like what I felt with her? Being nervous around the person, constantly having them on your mind and having your breath taken away just by hearing their voice?

"Do you?" her face came closer.

"I'm.. I, I-" I couldn't believe I was stuttering. It wasn't me, I don't stutter. It was embarrassing, stupid.

"Calm down" she stroked my arm. She started smiling at me - again, taking my breath away. "I was joking, thought it would be romantic" she laughed.

"Oh," I sighed in relief "I know" I lied.

"You're adorable, did you know that?" she said and laid down, using my thighs as a pillow instead of the warm grass. I smiled down at her, she was looking up at me, scanning my face.

"Maybe you think so" I lightly grabbed the tassel that was holding her hair up in a ponytail and carefully pulled it off, the blonde hair spread across my legs. She rested her head harder in, letting down all the weight of it instead of hesitating like she did with her hair up.

"You're adorable, really" she said again.

I started to feel myself blushing. It was hard to keep it. She made my heart flutter.

"Am I making you shy?" she said as the smile on her face grew bigger.

"Somehow, yes" I said, she just let out a soft laugh.

I brushed my hand through the silky hair repeatedly. I gently stroked it, as if my hand was a brush and my mission was to get all the nonexistent tangles out. I started to twirl it around my fingers into a little screws. I let it go just to yet again brush my hand through it, the soft hair was like like water. No tangles, nothing was in the way for my hands reaching the thin, smooth hair ends. The smell of her hair reached my nostrils and it was just like sitting in a pile of flowers.

"You're unique.. You make me happy" she asserted.

"Really?"

"Really. I'm never happy. Yet, here you are.. My own personal source to happiness" she shut her eyes.

I took my hand out of her hair and started lightly brushing her eyebrows with my fingertips, carefully, I didn't want to make her uncomfortable. I skimmed them between her eyebrows, down to her nose and landing on the soft lips. Her eyes were closed. I briefly scanned my fingertips around her mouth. It felt like stroking the cheek of a baby, her lips were like small, thin, yet rich lines of tenderness. She separated her lips from each other, to breathe in deeply from both her nose and using the mouth. The hazel eyes were still covered by the light eyelids. I stopped to just look at her, no touching - nothing. Her alluring face sent strong feelings right into my chest, having them live there for as long as I viewed her. It was like the first time we kissed, peaceful and simple. Nonviolent, just us. At the spot where we first met - alone. Where she admitted she liked me - where I ignored her feelings. Also exactly where I took them in and accepted them. The spot where I started to live by her feelings. For a second I thought she had fallen asleep. She was quiet, no smile, she looked like she was dreaming. It wouldn't surprise me if she was sleeping, I remembered how she yawned earlier and the blood cracked eyes. I let her lay still, I was afraid to move - I was scared that I would wake her up if she now had fallen asleep. And then again, I was trapped inside the Quinn belonging cage. Still, scared and tingly - all along with the feeling of happiness.

"Are you sleeping?" I whispered awfully quiet. As if we were at an empty park where only me and her talked, breathed and made noises.

She opened her eyes. The brown/green dots were shimmering like opalescent orchids, framed by the long lashes, flickering enough to brighten the world. The flaxen hair flowed in straight to adorn her immaculate splendid skin. Her straight nose made up with the other divine features. A smile as uplifting as the fresh air showed, making me sigh with complacency.

"No" she whispered back.