"Here is a Caramel macchiato for the beautiful lady." Santana said entering the bookstore. The smell inside, becoming more and more usual, is pleasant.
Quinn laughs. "Are you going to bring me one every time we see each other?"
"Probably. Why? Is it bothering you? Are you complaining? I can drink it if you don't want it..." Teased Santana.
"Not at all! Give it to me!" Cried out Quinn, holding out her hands.
Santana laughed. "Okay, okay. Bossy" She chuckled. She takes the hand of Quinn, and like every time now, she feels tingles in her hand. Like a small electricity discharge. She puts the cup in her hand and once she is sure the blonde is holding it firmly, she takes her hand away and crouches for a few seconds to say hello to Romeo.
"I have a surprise for you." Quinn said shyly.
Startled, Santana looks up and smiles. "Really? What is it?"
"It's not much. If you do not like it that's okay. I just wanted - well I was like-"
"Quinn, I'm sure I'll like it. Don't worry." Santana cuts Quinn when she saw that she was starting to ramble. She puts her hands on Quinn's to reassure her, seeing that she was fidgeting.
"Okay." Quinn blushed.
Much to Santana's regret, Quinn withdrew her hands to take the gift. She turned and fumbled on the desk before finding her bag. She takes out a small package wrapped in red paper.
"It is nothing really. It-".
"Quinn…" Santana said with a tone indicating to the blonde that it was okay.
"Okay. I shut up." Quinn looked down biting her lower lip waiting for Santana to open the gift.
Oh my God. It's so sexy when she does that. Get yourself together girl. Thought Santana.
Santana opened the gift and found inside a small, simple black notebook with a small red cloth bookmark.
"It's a little notebook for when you have questions that pop into your head. So, you write them down and then you can ask them to me without forgetting them. Or you can even write other things in it, like-"
"It's perfect." Santana cut the rambling of Quinn.
"Really?" Quinn looked up with a small smile.
Santana looked at the girl in front of her and seeing the pretty blonde, staring blankly looking away but a smile that could melt the hardest heart in the world, she felt something she hadn't felt for a long time.
Santana is extremely touched by Quinn's little kind thought. It's not much but it's the idea that counts and it's very cute. "Really. It makes me very happy and believe me, I will use it."
Quinn blushed looking down, so she changed the subject. "So, why did you leave early yesterday?"
"Oh. It's just that they were talking about something that I don't like."
"Do you want to talk about it?" Quinn asked concerned.
"Not really. Maybe later." Santana says hoping Quinn doesn't ask for more. It's not that she doesn't trust her it's just that right now she wants to enjoy the moment with the blonde.
"Okay. If you want to talk about it later, I am here." Said Quinn unfazed. The blonde knows that pushing people to talk is not right. Well, it's not like she knows it because she had many interactions with people, on the contrary, but because she feels like she wouldn't like it. "So, what is your favorite color?"
Santana laughed, not expecting the blonde to move on so easily. She will not cease to surprise me. Thought Santana. Usually, people don't stop to ask until they have an answer. Well, at least the interviewers and her friends.
"Red and you?" Quinn laughed and Santana took a second to understand her mistake. "Oh shit! No! I mean- I'm sorr-"
"Tana, it is okay. Do not worry about it." Quinn cut Santana and giggled so hard that it made Santana laugh too.
Once the young girls calmed down, Quinn spoke again. "I still have to work a bit so you can stay but I don't know if it will be very interesting for you..."
"What do you have to do? Maybe I can help you." Said the Latina not wanting to leave Quinn.
Quinn smiled a little bit relieved too that Santana did not want to go. "I have a big stack of books to put on the shelves. If you want, we can do it together. But that is really if you don't mind."
"No, it's okay. Just tell me what to do."
"I am going to show you how to do it." Quinn stood up, and, without the help of her cane or her dog, began to walk in the direction of the first shelf with a book in her hand.
"At the back of each book, there is a small label with Braille, and it is thanks to this that I know the name of the author, the book and the registration number... So, for you it will be easier you just have to look at the book."
Santana watched Quinn walk slowly with her hand still touching the edge of the wood. She then stopped in front of the shelf and turned in Santana's direction. "Then you put the book in alphabetical order."
"Is it complicated to understand Braille?"
"It doesn't seem exceedingly difficult to me since I have always done that. On the other hand, for people who were not blind at the beginning and who had to learn it afterwards, yes, I think it must be difficult. Look."
Quinn extended her open hand, palm up, towards Santana who understood that she had to give her hand. So, she put her hand in that of the blonde who pulled it a bit to bring her closer. Once closer to Quinn, Santana's breathing hitched before picking up a little more.
God. I hope she doesn't hear me breathing like an ox. Thought the Latina.
Quinn took Santana's hand and more particularly her first and middle finger and hovered them over the label written in Braille.
"The first line is the type of book, the second is the author, the third is the name of the book and finally it is the number." As she explained this, Quinn moved Santana's hand so that she could feel the little dots at the same time.
"Wow. Well, I think it would be hard." Santana chuckled, totally impressed by Quinn.
The blonde giggled and took the book and put it on the shelf to hide her little blush caused by Santana's proximity.
Santana smirked before asking what books she had to take care of.
"I sorted them out. You can take the pile on the far left. They are the travel books and it's in the shelf at the back."
"No problem." Santana picks up the stack of books before starting work. "So. What do you do all day? Other than sorting books." Santana joked.
"When I work here, most of the time I translate books. I switch them from normal to Braille. Like that many blind people are not limited. There are not many books for blind people. Reading is my passion, and before, I felt limited because there was not a lot of choice. So today I make sure to translate books that are a little more complicated and rarer to make them accessible. This makes people like me feel less different."
"And how do you do that? I mean, how do you translate books you can't read?"
"It depends. Most of the time I have an extremely sweet lady in her seventies who records her voice reading the books and then I listen the audio I translate it."
"Oh. So, you spend your days listening to a grandmother's voice. It's so nice." Teased Santana.
Quinn laughed. "Yeah, I think she is my only friend. But she is super kind and brings me cookies all the time which are amazing! "The blonde admitted with a genuine smile as she continued with her task.
"She was your only friend before I arrived." Said Santana with a genuine smile while passing her sentence off as a tease by shoving Quinn a little bit.
Quinn blushed hearing the Latina. "Yes, but she was my first friend." Said the blonde laughing.
Santana loving this little game had a big smile on her face. "So, if I understand correctly, I'm competing with a little grandma who bakes cookies?"
Quinn chuckled. "No there is no competition. You are not worth her cookies."
Santana gasped pretending to be offended and putting her hand over her heart.
"You just broke my little heart. I'll tell you that I have lots of assets!"
"Really? Which ones?" Continued the blonde teasing Santana.
The Latina loving more and more this little game they had, answered. "Well, firstly I-" She was cut by her phone ringing. "Hold that thought."
She took out her phone and sighed when she saw the name of Will, her manager, appear on the screen. She stayed on the phone with him for a few minutes while watching Quinn out of the corner of her eye who had resumed her work.
Without realizing it, Santana smiled when she heard the blonde humming.
Santana hung up and moved closer to Quinn before placing her hand on her shoulder to let her know that she was back. Quinn turned and mooved her head in her direction.
"I just got my manager on the phone and he wants to see me to tell me about stuff -I did'nt really listen- so I have to go." Said Santana a little annoyed.
"Oh." Quinn says disappointed. Santana saw the look on the blonde and she didn't like it at all. But at the same time, it pleased her to know that Quinn did not want her to go away.
"But I'm free tonight. So, would you like to take a little night walk in central park? You, me, Romeo." Said Santana hoping Quinn would say yes.
When the Latina saw a big smile on Quinn's face, she too was very happy. "Yes! Of course. I would like to. Well, we would like to." She said referring to her dog.
"Perfect!" The two girls arranged a meeting point and a time. "Well, see you tonight."
And gathering all her courage, Santana leaned in and kissed Quinn's cheek. And before she had time to see the blonde's blush and small smile, the Latina stepped out of the bookstore.
"Okay so Santana. First question: did you write new songs?" Santana looks at him with a fake smile. "Seeing your face I guess not. Therefore, knowing that you can't tease a song that will probably never exist, we have to find another way to get you top trending on twitter." Said Shue.
"I don't need to be top trending on twitter. Or any other social media."
"Yes, you do."
"No, I don't." Said Santana unimpressed.
"Yes."
"Still a no."
"Santana!" Will yelled in exasperation.
"That's me." The Latina likes to annoy her manager so much. It is surely a passion after making music.
"Your career is at the top. Everyone loves you and your last album is still in the top 10 sales even though it was over a year ago. But it's like everything. We have to keep you on people's minds. We have to keep some news feed on you so that people don't lose interest."
"So, what's your solution?"
"We just have to do an interview. A few trivial questions about a night when you were a little too drunk with your friends. A few questions about your love life and who you find to your liking now. And finally, a few questions about the featuring you would like to do the most, and that's it."
"If I understand correctly, you want me to do an interview with all the questions on the subjects that I hate to talk about. That's right?"
"I do what I can Santana. If you don't like what I offer, make another offer." Sighed Will.
"I don't know, I make music." Santana paused. "Or at least I did. And your job is to manage my career in a smart way. I am not the one that think of this type of things."
"Okay so tonight you go clubbing with your friends, post some sexy pics with your beautiful assets and that will be a start."
Santana glared at her manager. "I'm not free tonight. So, no." The angry Latina picked up her things to leave because she knew that if she stayed around Will any longer, she was going to make the headlines but for killing a man. She then headed for the door before stopping and turning back to Schue. "Oh, and before I forget. Next time you talk to me like that, I'll fire you with my fist in your mouth. Got it?" She got out and slammed the door before going angrily towards her car.
"What a dick. I don't even know why I keep him."
Santana arrived in the lobby of her building fifteen minutes later. "Hello Franck." She greeted the concierge in his sixties.
"Good evening Miss Lopez, how are you?"
"Good and you?"
"Very well. I left your packages in your dining room."
"Perfect, thank you very much." She smiled at him before getting to the elevator to her penthouse.
Arriving in her hallway, Santana placed her bag on a small table. She paused a few seconds before a big smile appeared on her face. She has time to take a shower and get ready to join Quinn. Which may take longer than expected.
With an excited step, Santana walks towards her bathroom to run a bath.
After a ridiculously hot bath, and Mr Blue Sky by Electric Light Orchestra playing in the background, Santana finds herself in her underwear in front of her huge dressing room with her hands on her hips and a determined look on her face. "Okay, let the show begin."
¤Santana¤
So, Santana, be logical. You're just going for a night walk in a park you're not going to a Gala. Cocktail dresses can therefore be excluded. And even all the dresses actually. Then, it's a little cool outside so same, skirt and shorts we forget. So, we technically are dealing with pants and a little sweater.
Great. I have made good progress. Now I just have to find the right color, the right shape, the right material and many other things because depending on what I'm wearing it will send a different message. If I dress too relaxed, she'll think I don't care. Which is absolutely not the case. If I put on something too fancy, she'll believe that I'm a superficial girl. And if- wait a minute.
Okay. I may be a little bit dumb. She is blind. Which means that she will not see what I am wearing.
Take a deep breath. Relax and above all, why am I talking to myself?
Just keep it simple, and everything will be okay. Just grey jeans and a sweater with a bare shoulder, sneakers and inevitably, a cap to avoid being recognized, and it will be perfect.
Just as I put on my bracelets, I see the time and it's time to go. I take my bag and I go down before leaving in the direction of central park.
I wait a little bit where we said we will meet when I see Quinn and Romeo coming my way.
Quinn, as usually, is wearing a cute little sundress. That's another question that I should ask her.
I move closer to her before greeting her.
"Hey Santana. How was your date with your manager?" Quinn chuckled.
"Could have been better. And you, did you manage to finish sorting the books? I'm sorry I left so early and couldn't help you."
"Do not worry about it. It is my job. That was kind of you to help me in the first place."
"So, where do you want to go?" I ask looking around.
"I don't know. I will follow you."
"We'll just walk and see then."
"Lead the way."
I hesitate for a second before asking. "Can I?" She frowns looking confused. Of course. She can't see my arm.
I just link our arms together so that we are close, and she can feel where I am moving.
I can see her blush a little. What a cutie. I need to make it happen again.
"You are very beautiful tonight." Fulfilled mission.
"Thank you. I wish I could tell the same but…" She has a small smile and I chuckled.
"It's okay. So, why do you always wear dresses? Every time I saw you, you were wearing one."
"It's because it's easier for me. When you have to put on pants, plus a shirt, plus a sweater, then shoes, it's easy to make mistakes with the colors or anything else. Whereas, when you put on a dress, it is just one clothes so it's easier to match."
"That's smart. I think I spent 30 minutes choosing my outfit because there was always something wrong so I can understand that choice." I hear her laughing and, while walking, I observe her.
Her cheeks are slightly pink, but I don't know if it's from the cold or if it's because she is blushing. She then styled her golden hair so that the top hair was pulled back with a clip but just two strands were left in front. It allows to clear her face and see that she has put on some mascara and a little pink lipstick making her lips very attractive. Too much attractive even.
For a few minutes we just walk in silence, just enjoying the presence of the other. This is also what I like about her. We don't feel the need to fill the silence or talk all the time. Sometimes we don't speak but we feel just as comfortable. It's nice.
"What made you want to make music? I mean, was it a dream?" Quinn said after.
I turned to look at her before thinking for a few seconds. Several people have already asked me this question, but I always answered in a futile way. With her I want to be honest.
"I don't think it was a dream. I've always loved music. On Sundays with my parents watching them dance and sing, in the evening my mother would sing me a lullaby or other things. Music and singing have always been part of my life. I never shone in school. I mean, I was a good student but nothing more. On the other hand, music and singing, I knew that I really had something. This is what gave me and still gives me confidence. Well, a little less now because I have a little trouble writing new things. But whatever. The point is, when everyone had to choose their university, I absolutely couldn't see myself spending my next few years in a classroom. The music was obvious then. And at the end of the year, I sang for graduation and when I saw the faces of my classmates, I thought, this is what I want to do."
Did I really say all of this? I never said what I just said. I look at Quinn and see that she is interested in what I'm saying. She has a small smile.
"Are you close to your parents? Did they were a good support with your choice?"
"On this point, I really can't complain. Whatever I do they have always supported me. And yes, I am very close to them. I see them less than I would like and sometimes I miss them, but I love them. A lot. Besides, I just thought about it, but I don't even know how old you are." I feel like she's a little bit younger, but I could be wrong.
Quinn chuckled. "I am 23."
"Wow. I'm old compared to you. Actually, I'm talking to a baby." I teased. "I'm 26 years old."
Quin laughed. "I'm not the baby. Actually, I am the one talking to a grandmother. Are you too going to bake me cookies?"
"Ouch! This is a low blow." I laughed loudly, pushing Quinn aside a bit, jokingly.
After a few seconds, our laughter subsides. "And you, how did you get to this bookstore? Did you go to school?"
"Yes. I graduated majoring in Letters Studies at Yale. I got my diploma earlier and so I decided to do a thesis on 'The history of English and French books and the consequences on contemporary books'."
"Wow. That's impressive. Don't tell me you were at the top of your class."
Quin chuckled and blushed a little. "Actually, yes, I was the valedictorian."
Oh my God. She will never cease to amaze me. It feels like she's smart, but this is impressive. I might be a little intimidated.
The blonde continues. "So, during my thesis I discovered this bookstore with lots of old books that were perfect for my subject. Then, I asked if I could work there. That way, while working in the bookstore I could write my thesis at the same time. And today I'm writing a book, but I like working here, so I stayed."
"It's incredible. I would never have been able to do what you do. And besides with your parents it must not have been easy. Did you do all of this to prove them wrong?"
"I think it is rather the opposite. I did all of this to prove to myself that they were wrong. They always told me that I would never be able to do something right. That I was an idiot or things like that. So, I think that if I have done all this it is to convince myself that they were wrong and that it is not because I am blind that I am incompetent."
I can't figure out how anyone can think that Quinn sucks. I mean, she just feels so inspiring, and strong, and amazing to me. And I've only known her for a few weeks.
When she told me her story, I hurt so much for her. When looking at her, I still feel something in my stomach. She doesn't look sad, she looks determined.
I know it's super-fast and usually I never get attached to people that quickly, but there is something about this girl that attracts me so much. I feel this connection that I have never had with anyone and I feel like I need to be near her.
Gather you courage Santana, and move into action.
"I've never seen someone who looks more like a role model than you. I mean, I can't imagine a life without my parents supporting me. Even when I told them I was gay they were happy for me." First little information. "At the same time, I think they must have noticed my love for blondes before." Second little piece of information.
Apparently, the message got through because I see a little bit of pink hitting Quinn's cheeks. I hope she is not homophobic otherwise it will break my heart. But she doesn't seem like it.
"Oh my god. I think that if I had told my parents that I was gay they would have crucified me alive." Quinn chuckled.
Wait a minute. Did she-?
"Because you are gay?" Hope she doesn't hear how hopeful my voice is and I feel like I have the biggest smile on my face.
"No, I am not." Oh. "But at the same time, I don't know what I am. I have never really felt an attraction for anyone before. People know their sexuality by noticing that they are more or less attracted to a sex or a gender, or that they notice that they like a person a little more than normal. But I do not see what people look like at first. So, I cannot be attracted to a body. And then, the only way for me to feel something for someone is through their voice or their personality and yet, I've never had a long enough interaction with someone to feel anything."
Ah, that's already better. It means that it can change. I can't lose faith. So far, we've not known each other for a long time, but you never know maybe one day she will start to feel what I already feel.
Even though I'm not in love, or at least not yet, I know that I feel something more than friendship.
Again, we spent a few minutes in a comfortable silence before Quinn spoke again.
"It's getting late. I think that I should go home."
"Yeah of course." I look at my watch and -wow- we've been here for more than two hours. Time flies with her. "On the other hand, I'm not comfortable knowing that you come home alone late at night. If you want, I can take you home?"
Quinn turns her head in my direction and her smile grows. She nods and we leave in the direction of her apartment with our arms still entwined.
When we arrived in front of her building, Quinn thanked me and told me she had a great time.
She leans in then, and I understand that she wants to give me a kiss on the cheek.
I move closer and I feel her lips on my cheek. It is with surprise that I feel lots of butterflies in my stomach, and with greater surprise that her lips remain a few seconds longer than a normal kiss. When she pulls back, I see that her cheeks are all red.
"Good night Santana."
"Good night Quinn." She turns around and I see her enter her building with her dog.
I stay a few minutes looking in the direction she left with a smile before shaking my head with a big smile and turning back home.
Later, when the two girls fell asleep with a smile, they had each other in mind.
That's it for this chapter (a little bit longer than the others).
Like always I hope you liked it!
If you have any comments, I would be happy to read them!
Take care, and I'll see you next week!
Kiss