Chapter 16: Perfect Combination
Chapter song: "On The Street Where You Live" – Nat King Cole
Time: October

Augustin Prideaux was lying on a chaise longue in his blonde tutor's bedroom. He was holding a baseball in his hands, which he would repeatedly throw up in the air and then catch it again. Because of the extraordinary length of his legs, his bright red All Star-clad feet were dangling out over the end of the chaise longue.

"I just don't understand," he said. "You have a driveway and you have a parkway, yes? But what do you do in a driveway?"

Quinn was lying on the bed on her back, facing the ceiling, with her feet where her head should be.

"You park your car," she answered.

"Right. And what do you do in a parkway?"

"On a parkway. You, uh, drive I guess."

"Exactly." He threw the baseball up in the air. "So you park in a driveway, but you drive on a parkway."

"I suppose so."

"You don't think that is strange?"

"Well, I never thought about it before… I guess it's a little odd, but every language has its weird rules."

"I have another one," he said, throwing the baseball up in the air again. "Last week in government class, I say that when a man become president, he oversee the poor. And the teacher say 'yes, that is his job'. So I say 'if that is the American president's job, then U.S.A. is definitely not God's own nation.' Then she give me a detention."

"I don't get it," Quinn said, frowning.

"Apparently in America, there is grand difference between oversee and overlook."

"Wha-… oh, you thought your teacher was telling you that it was the president's job to overlook the poor." She giggled a little.

"Don't laugh, Quinn, it is strange! Why is to overlook something the opposite of to oversee something? How is that logically?"

"Sorry, Gus, it's not logical," she said though still giggling.

She then rolled onto her stomach so that she could see him. As she had expected, he was desperately pulling at his earlobe while only throwing and catching the baseball with one hand. She twirled a strand of her hair around her finger and sighed. Then he noticed that she was watching him.

"Quoi?" he asked.

"Nothing," she said with a smile. "It's just that… I don't know, with the baseball and your All Stars, you kind of look like a real American boy now."

"Thank you… I think," he said, raising an eyebrow. They both laughed at that remark. "So, tell me. I know you are not a sport girl-"

"Sports girl or sporty girl – you need to add an extra letter."

"Okay, I know you are not a sports girl. So why do you have a baseball in your room?"

She tried to recall where she had gotten it. "I think my dad bought it for me once. He took me to a baseball game and he got me that, so I could play with it in case I got bored during the game."

"You got bored?"

"I don't remember, it was a long time ago and I was just a little girl. I probably did though, I tend to get bored during those kind of things."

"But you see football games in school, no?"

"Well yeah, I do. I was always present at the football games in sophomore year since I was on the Cheerios, and even though I still don't really get it, I still like to be there. Guess I've kind of grown used to being there during an important game. Plus, I know so many of the players and it's always fun to watch your friends." I only watch one guy out there on the field, but I don't need to tell Gus that.

"I see. But you and your father are not, uh, you know, you do not speak, no?"

"No, we don't." Quinn said harshly.

"So why is it you keep the baseball?"

"I… I don't know. My father let me down when I needed him the most and I still haven't forgiven him for that. That doesn't mean all our memories are erased, though. He's still my father and I had a thousand wonderful moments with him from when I was a little girl. He may be out of my life now, but that doesn't mean he was never in it."

Gus could he see her jaw clench and unclench, so he decided to change the subject. "What do we listen to now?"

Quinn raised herself up on her elbows and squinted over at her ipod in the docking station, since she couldn't instantly recognize the song, as it was in the middle of an instrumental break. "We are currently listening to…" she tilted her head a bit. "… the album called 'Nat King Cole does My Fair Lady'."

It had become a tradition for the two of them to listen to Nat King Cole whenever they were together.

"Ah, that I have see!" He exclaimed. "Audrey Hepburn, yes?"

"Yeah, Audrey Hepburn starred in 'My Fair Lady'. It's a wonderful movie, I think I've watched it fifty times or something."

"This is a good number for you, then. Nat King Cole and 'My Fair Lady'. Perfect combination," he smiled.

"I guess," Quinn answered. "This isn't my favourite number, though. Would you like to hear my favorite?"

"Yes, very much!"

Quinn got up and went over to the docking station. She scrolled the wheel on her ipod for a bit and then she pressed play.

Soon after, the smooth voice of Nat King Cole swam out of the speakers.

I have often walked down this street before.
But the pavement always stayed beneath my feet before.
All at once am I several stories high
Knowing I'm on the street where you live.

As he'd done before, Gus quickly got up and grabbed his tutor by her waist. They began swinging around her room to the mellow song.

"I like this," Gus said as Quinn rested her head in the crook of his neck.

"Hmm, it's such a beautiful song," she answered with her eyes closed.

"Oui, c'est très romantique," he murmured into her hair.

They danced close together throughout the song, him enjoying her sweet scent, her enjoying his tight embrace. As the number ended and a slightly more upbeat song came one, Gus looked down at Quinn, but she didn't pull away from him; she just kept her head on his chest.

"Quinn, are you okay?" he asked a little worried.

"Yes, I'm fine Gus, but do you mind holding me for a bit longer?" she said giddily.

"Bien sûr," he whispered with a smile upon his lips.

She let go of his hand and draped her arms around his neck, while he tightened his grip around her waist. Standing so close to him, she could feel his heartbeat.

Wonder if he can feel mine as well.

She let herself daze off for a while, not really sure whether it were her knees or Gus holding her up. She was thoroughly enjoying herself, when she felt his upper arm twitch a bit. That brought her back.

She pushed herself away from him (though just a little bit), so she could look him into his eyes.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"Anything for you, chérie," he whispered back, kissing her cheek.

He kept her company for another hour before she drove him home. In the car on her way home, Quinn thought I don't know what's going on between us… but if Blaine is right, this is the best friendship I've ever had.

She went to bed that night with a smile upon her lips.

Thank you for reading
I've had a rough day and I needed a little Quinn/Gus-love, thus I wrote this. Hope you like it, I'll update soon enough :-)