After a few hours of catching up the crew find themselves downstairs, some on the couches and others on the floor, laughing and simply enjoying being back together.
The fireplace roared as Santana yawned.
"Okay" Noah says, moving to stand "As fun as it's been, I'm exhausted. Let's pick our rooms and meet back downstairs for breakfast tomorrow? We can talk shit and drink more"
Everyone nods and grabs their luggage, each sizing up the best and biggest rooms.
As luck (or the group) had it Quinn and Santana ended up on opposite sides of the house.
The night continues and each girl tosses in their respective beds, unsure of the reason. Maybe it was being in the same vicinity or simply tired from the trip. Memories haunted their dreams.
.
.
"What are you even talking about right now Quinn?" Santana exhales, reaching for the wine "Do you hear yourself?"
"I already put a deposit down Santana. I told you, it's extremely exhausting traveling across town everyday and I'm constantly at the office. You work within walking distance. Do you really want me taking the subway at all hours?" Quinn shakes her head, returning her attention back to her phone "UGH. Speaking of, I have to go back into the office. Richard needs a file for the deposition."
"Why does he need it right this second? Can't you go in later? It's two am Quinn"
"We both know Richard can't and won't wait and I have court in a few hours, we need all the documents and evidence ready to present" Quinn exhales, reaching for her coat
" That's such bullshit and you know it. All of that can wait, you just don't want to. The second Richard calls or texts, all of a sudden it's how high can Quinn Fabray jump " Santana responds, as her phone rings. "Oh God Damn It." She exhales dumping the wine into the sink
"First of all, I'm a Lopez now but I can channel my inner Fabray real fucking quick. Second of all this is my career, Santana. Besides, I don't remember me acting like this when you were gone for practically half the year on the first book tour and then almost another year for the second. Speaking of, is that your phone ringing Santana? Why don't you just ignore it? Why can't you do whatever it says in the morning? It is two am after all" Quinn mocks as Santana reaches for her coat.
"Don't start Quinn" Santana huffs, walking past the blonde.
The elevator ride is silent as both check emails on their phones. The elevator buzzes signaling they've reached the bottom and both women finally look up.
Quinn pulls her jacket tighter against her as Santana hails a cab.
"You know, this is the longest we've seen each other. How long has it been? Do we even know?" Quinn exhales as the cab pulls up
"I'm surprised you noticed. I do know actually, it's been almost two months" Santana exhales, opening the cab door "What are we doing here, Quinn?"
"I don't have time to think about that right now Santana." Quinn exhales, giving the driver directions. She looks back and watches Santana's silhouette fade into the early morning. Quinn exhales, resting her head against the seat.
Santana watches the cab fade into the darkness and exhales.
What the hell were they doing?
They used to be inseparable. Quinn and Santana had always been the IT couple among their friends and now it felt like they had to schedule any time together. And those times always ended up in one or both of them being called back into work. Both women were so wrapped in their careers they lost sight of the things that truly mattered.
Distance became their new response.
Careers became their priorities.
Each new career milestone meant more time away, more time away meant more cracks in the relationship and eventually what's cracked, crumbles.
The phone calls became scarce, the text messages nonexistent. Before either girl realized, Quinn was living in her own loft downtown and Santana had chosen to stay in the loft uptown.
.
.
Kurt reaches towards the nightstand, shutting off the alarm. He looks over at a sleepy Blaine and smiles. His curly disheveled hair was always wild in the morning. They had been married for a few years now and to be honest it had been better than he expected. Marriage wasn't something Kurt ever saw for himself but finding true love changed his carefully stands and moves to the restroom, as he brushes his teeth he hears a song he's long forgotten. He slowly cracks the door and peeks out, smiling when he notices which room the music is pouring from. There was no way he was missing this. Tiptoeing towards said room, another door opens.
"HOLY SHIT!" Noah yells, grabbing his chest "The fuck are you doing Kurt? That's fucking creepy man!"
"Shut up Noah!" Kurt motions for him to be quiet and points towards the room. Noah nods and quickly follows.
Noah slowly opens the door and both boys take a seat on the bed. The bathroom door is closed and the steam from the shower slowly seeps out.
Singing the next part, Santana add a little rasp and laughs to herself
The taste of you on me, and me on you
I often wonder if my finest days are behind me
We were living in a golden haze so free
I miss us dancing in the midnight rain, do you remember?
Upstage and springtime and the days they change right in front of me
.
Kurt closes his eyes, slowly swaying in place as Noah steadies himself with both hands, shifting his attention towards the floor.
"I just don't understand Noah," Kurt whispers "They were what we all envied. Truth be told I tried to model my marriage around theirs, I just don't" Kurt sniffs "Understand"
"I don't know what happened either K" Noah whispers back, embracing the young man "And I'm not sure I want to know either. It's terrifying knowing something out there is strong enough to separate the two of them. None of us stand a chance."
Kurt wipes his eyes as the song continues.
Hearing Santana sing was like witnessing a miracle. Since she had started writing, her singing fell by the wayside. Arguably the greatest singer to ever join the glee club, Santana had traded in her voice for her words. On various occasions the group had begged Santana but she would never sing. The last time she had graced the stage was at her and Quinn's wedding, it was a hauntingly beautiful rendition of In Case You Didn't Know. Kurt would never admit it to anyone but he had recorded the performance on his phone and watched it countless times. The love on Santana's face, the power in her voice and the way she swayed effortlessly in her beautiful wedding dress. The way Quinn's hazel eyes sparkled, her attention fixated on the stage. It was a true testament of their love. Had Kurt been a betting man he never would have guessed it would be them that would fall apart.
Santana's sad voice picks up once more and his attention shifts back…
.
And of all the things I miss, I miss the view
I miss the way you look beneath the streetlights and the moon
And of all the things I miss, the taste of you
The taste of you on me, and me on you
.
"We should probably go, she's sad and all but she'll still kill us" Noah whispers as the water shuts off. Kurt nods furiously as both quickly exit the room, careful not to slam the door on their way out.
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