Quinn's POV:
"Why didn't you say anything earlier when I was pouring my soul out to you?" She rightfully queried.
"Because I may be smart when it comes to school, but this is a foreign concept to me. I don't know how to do this. Love hasn't exactly been on my side and I just didn't know if I could try because losing you would be too hard. And cut me some damn slack, Santana. I thought you were in love with someone else a few hours ago. I spent the whole day trying to get the two of you together even though it hurt me because I thought it would make you happy and that was all I wanted."
"I was never in love with her. I liked her, but I think the only reason I liked her so much was because of how much she reminded me of you. Kurt helped me through this earlier because I was oblivious, but I think she reminded me of you and that I needed… this sounds bad and she didn't deserve this, but I think I needed like a practice round."
"A practice round?" I smiled at her.
"I told you before that you're my Q. You have always been important to me even if I didn't understand why until very recently. It was like I needed to try to see if I could do this relationship thing again so soon after what happened with Brittany. It was like I needed to make sure I could do it before I could try with you because this is too important for me to mess up."
Her arms finally remembered how to move and they wrapped themselves around my waist and pulled me closer. My head was against her neck and we were hugging the most important and amazing hug of my life. I finally moved back to face her. She smiled at me and pushed hair back behind my ear causing my eyes to close and my smile to spread.
"So, we were alike, huh? Do I have to worry about you two since she and I are so similar?" I smirked at her.
She had this intense look of sincerity.
"You never have anything to worry about, baby. God, even when it was just sex, I belonged to you. I just didn't know it yet."
"I love it when you call me baby like that." I took her hands in mine and walked us over to the bed. I lay down and she slid up next to me. She leaned in and I wrapped my entire body around her nuzzling into her neck and breathing her in.
"I'll call you baby forever if you let me, Fabray. I seriously love you."
"I love you too." I loved saying it out loud.
On my silent cab ride with Rachel, I had practiced my speech in my head running through it over and over while I nervously watched the cab driver move me closer to her block by block. I wanted to say so much more than just those three words since this would be the first time I'd ever really gotten to say them with actual meaning behind them. I wanted to tell her about how I clutched that sweatshirt nightly or that whenever she's near me, I suddenly get nervous. I wanted her to know that I loved listening to her talk about her crazy customers at the bar because I loved hearing her describe people like her description was the only one that mattered in the world. I wanted to tell her that I loved cooking for her and that I loved writing her those post-it notes when I knew I'd be spending time away from her because I needed to communicate with her in some way just to feel sane. I wanted to tell her that I had made up my mind a long time ago about moving to New York and only a part of that decision was made because of school. I wanted to tell her so many things, but I guess those three words are the only words that really matter right now or ever.
I thought she would make a move and kiss me, but she didn't. She just stayed in her position and stared at me with the most beautiful face I'd ever seen her show me. Her eyes lit up. She was happy and she was happy because of me. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore.
"Are you going to fucking kiss me now or what, Lopez?"
She smirked and leaned in. I could taste the salt from her tears as she gently touched her lips to mine. I pulled back.
"I'm so sorry I made you cry, San." I cupped her cheek.
She took my bottom lip between hers and let it go.
"It's worth it if I get you… like this."
She kissed me more deeply and I could feel her tongue reach for mine and I gave in as she moved on top of me in one fluid motion. My arms went around her neck and I could feel her press into me. This feeling was different than any I had ever experienced. I finally knew what everyone was talking about. She must have felt me thinking because she lifted her head and looked down at me perplexed.
"What are you thinking about? Do you want to slow down or stop cause we can wait?"
"I was just thinking that I finally get it." I smiled.
"Get what, beautiful?" She kissed my forehead.
"What all the fuss is about? This first love thing is pretty amazing."
She smiled and kissed me again.
"I don't just want to be your first. I don't know how it's possible and if asked, I will never admit saying this to either Hummel or Berry because I would never hear the end of it, but I think I met my soul mate years ago and never knew it. I've never felt this way, Quinn."
"What about with Brit-"
She cut me off with a light peck to my lips.
"I meant what I said. I've never felt this way, baby." She confirmed.
I kissed her this time. This girl who I've known for the better part of my life may actually be my forever.
"Wait!" I announced.
What? Why am I waiting? What the hell is wrong with me?
She lifted herself up and straddled me with a look of concern on her face.
"You want to take things slow, don't you?" She always gets me even when we're fighting or we're apart for a long time, she always gets me.
"I know it's ridiculous; lame even. I guess I really am a prude, huh? It's not like I don't want too and it's not like it's our first time. I'm just being stupid."
She moved to lie down next to me and placed her hand on my stomach over my shirt.
"You're not being stupid and we both know you are no longer a prude, Quinn Fabray. We should do things differently this time though. We shouldn't start with sex. We should lead up to it. I want to lead up to things with you and do this how we would do this if we had just met. I don't want us to miss out on any of those experiences just because we've already done things or because we've known each other forever. Let me take you on a date."
I laughed.
"A date, huh? Now, who's being lame?"
"I am never lame. I am being romantic, Fabray. Don't get used to it."
"Don't worry, I won't. I like it when you're my feisty Lima Heights girl." I rolled over on my side and placed my hands under my head.
"Adjacent," She corrected. "Let me take you out. I want us to have a real first date story to tell when we're old and boring so we have to tell the tales from our young, hot glory days."
"Who are we telling this story too exactly?"
She squinted her eyes at me as I smirked at her. She knew where I was going with this.
"We haven't even had a first date yet, girl. You sure you want to hear my idea of our life together because I've had like the entire afternoon to consider what might have been after you didn't say anything in that library? I've got pretty much the whole thing planned out now. You sure it's not too soon? I remember how you thought I wanted to move to Yale with you after our first time and you had a momentary freak out so you had to make sure to mention that it was just a one-time thing, ya big liar."
I smiled at her and closed my eyes.
"Tell me," I commanded.
She took her fingers and brushed the pads gently against my face over and over.
"You're going to Columbia because you love it and because I can't stand you being three hours away and you'll graduate with all the honors because you're you. I'm going to get into NYU's music program, but I'll be a few years behind you, which is fine because you're going to grad school too."
"I am?"
"Yeah, I'm going to be a starving artist so you'll need to get all educated so you can get a good job and make that paper."
I chuckled without opening my eyes. I could feel her staring at me and I could tell she was smiling as her fingers continued to dance across my skin.
"So, I'm your sugar mama?"
"Okay first, the way you just said that was adorable and second, it's just until I record my first album and start making my tour money."
"I love when you perform. Keep talking. I like it so far." She didn't say anything for a second. "San?" I went to open my eyes, but she placed her hand over them gently.
"Keep them closed for this part."
"Okay?"
"Remember, you asked for my plan." She paused and her voice shifted to a shaky whisper. "One day and it won't be tomorrow so don't try to tell me that this is only a thousand time thing now, but one day I'm going to ask you to marry me." It took everything in me to keep my eyes closed. I knew she could feel my breath stop. "I'll know you're going to say yes until right before I actually ask and then I'll freak the fuck out thinking maybe I'm crazy; that this whole thing was a dream because there's no way this perfect girl would want to be with me forever, but then you'll say yes because you know I'm amazing and that even though I am not perfect, I am perfect for you." She paused. "Still love it?" There was fear in her voice as her fingers trembled against my skin. I moved my arms so they were under her shirt and gliding across her back because I knew that action always calmed her; made her feel safe. I felt the tension in her body leave as my hands stilled.
"We haven't even been on a date yet and you're already proposing?" I joked hoping that would also help calm her fear that I would run at the thought of marrying her.
"You wish." And her confidence was back.
"Continue." I leaned in to rest my forehead against hers.
"Our wedding will be perfect except for the part where Berry sings because we can't tear the microphone out of her damn man hands."
"I'm surprised you're even inviting her."
"I didn't. You did."
"Oh, of course." I shrugged my shoulders and my hands went back under my head.
"It's been a very long day and you're obviously about to fall asleep now, so I'm going to wrap this up so I can watch you do that because I love watching you do that and not in a creepy way, but in that adorable, romantic way people always talk about. We'll be super rich obviously so we'll have a place here, but another one somewhere in the burbs."
"Why are we living in the burbs, baby?" I asked sleepily relishing in the fact that I get to call her baby.
"For those damn kids we're going to have. The boy and the girl, remember?"
"Yeah, I remember. Two kids, huh? What happened to the Santana Lopez who just wanted to move from girl to girl and leave the feelings at the door?"
She kissed my forehead and whispered.
"She fell in love with Quinn Fabray."
The End
I know some of you may be thinking, "What the hell? Why would you end it there? It's really just the beginning." I'm not a big fan of dragging a thing out beyond its natural ending point. I should also probably admit now that I've had this story written since before I posted the first chapter and it was fun/interesting to see what your thoughts were on the progression compared to what I had already written. I hope you enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it. I will leave you with one final note: To epilogue or not to epilogue? I'll let you all decide.