Hi, all! I think the chapter after this one is going to be the last, not quite sure yet but think it will be, so please review and let me know what you think of the story. Thanks! :D
I smile shyly and she gives a small, nervous laugh, releasing me and looking down at the ground.
"What does that mean?" I frown, and she shrugs.
"It means call me this time." She smiles and I nod meaningfully.
"That, I will definitely do. Gimme it." I pull my phone out of my pocket and open a new contact before passing the phone back to her with a smile.
"Santana, this is Kurt!" Blaine appears next to me, his arm wrapped around a thinner boy who he seems to be leaning heavily on.
"Hi, it's nice to meet you." He smiles and gives a little wave, and I glance between the three people in front of me, my mouth hanging open slightly in shocked confusion.
"I'm going home with Kurt!" Blaine announces with a grin, and I frown as it becomes obvious that he's had a few more drinks since I last saw him.
"Um, okay." I glance back at Quinn, but am relieved to see her inputting her number into my phone regardless, "Sorry, are you the Kurt from before?"
"Oh. Yeah. I am. Sorry." He glances away guiltily but I shake my head with a smile.
"It's cool. Blaine is clearly very behind this. His call." I smile again and Kurt nods before gesturing to the door.
"In that case we're gonna go!" He grins and Blaine gives a small giggle,
"Um, where do you...actually, uh, live?" I ask awkwardly, "Just you know, for Blaine's safety and stuff."
"Oh, sure no worries." He waves his hand and I smile, "I actually live over by the Lima Bean? If you know it?"
"Um, yeah I do. Uh, if you guys are leaving then I'm going to head off anyway." He opens his mouth to speak, looking guilty again, but I shrug, "You could both just come to mine if you want? Blaine was supposed to be staying, and my mom won't mind?"
"No, I really couldn't." Kurt smiles politely, but Blaine waves his arm.
"No! I promised I'd go see Mama Lopez! It's been so long!" He's slurring slightly and Kurt begins to shake his head, but Blaine leans in close and whispers something, and the thin boy seems to hesitate before looking at me apologetically.
"You're sure you don't mind?"
"No, I'd be setting the bed up for this one anyway." I nod at Blaine, "As long as you don't mind sleeping in the den?" He shakes his head and Blaine beams.
"Okay, so you can call me." Quinn says firmly as she hands back my phone. I smile and nod seriously.
"That I will do. Well, Blaine has clearly peaked this evening, so I suppose I'm gonna lead these guys home. Now that it's officially a new year."
"That it is." She grins, and follows me to the door, glancing uneasily over her shoulder, "Oh God, I have no idea where Franny went. I hope she didn't leave."
"Oh, do you want me to wait until you find her?" I pause at the door and turn back to scan the room. The bar has emptied a lot since the start of the night as people have moved on to other 'more exciting' clubs, but I still can't see her. Unfortunately, I can't see Sam either.
"Um, you might not like this." I cringe and glance at Quinn, who raises an eyebrow.
"What's up?" She asks, still scanning the room for her sister.
"I don't see Franny. Or Sam." I grimace apologetically and she sighs heavily, "But I can try calling him?"
"Would you? Please. Sorry. Just, tell him to stay at least three feet away from her because her husband is a body builder." She nods solemnly and my eyebrows shoot up, while Kurt's jaw drops.
"Really?" He asks, stunned, but Quinn shrugs.
"No, he's a project manager but Sam doesn't need to know that." She grins and I chuckle, but shudder as the door behind us swings open, letting in the cold air.
"Hey, guys, what's up?" Sam is standing behind us, and I whirl round to face him with a glare.
"Hey. Don't suppose you happen to have seen a drunk married lady, have you?" I raise an eyebrow and he smirks.
"Yes I have, but I was a good boy." He winks at Quinn and I stop a heavy scowl from spreading across my face, "I just put her in a taxi out front and sent her on her way." He smiles proudly and Quinn throws her hands up in the air in defeat.
"Awesome. Well at least she's on her way home." She rolls her eyes and I smile at Sam, who nods before heading back to the bar, "I guess we're all leaving then." She shrugs with a small smile and I nod, crossing to get my coat from under the pile on the hooks and shrug it over my shoulders.
"So, are you just going to get a taxi by yourself?" I ask with a frown, wrapping my scarf around my neck and passing Blaine's coat over to Kurt.
"No, I'll probably walk, it's not far." She shrugs happily but I bite my lip as I pull my gloves on.
"I can't let you walk home alone. I'll just give Kurt my key and they can let themselves in, Blaine knows his way around and everything." I nod with a sincere smile, but she shakes her head.
"No, don't be silly. I'm fine walking by myself, you know it's not far." She reasons with me, but I frown at her excuses.
"I don't like to think of you walking home alone. Why don't you stay over at mine with these guys?" I point at the two boys loitering by the door and she glances between them, then back to me before taking a breath.
"I can't. I'll just walk, it's cool." She smiles politely, but it doesn't seem to reach her eyes.
"Really? You sure?" I raise an eyebrow and she gives a small chuckle, glancing down at her feet as her cheeks pink a little, "I'd like it if you did." I say plainly, giving her a small shrug, and she lifts her eyes to mine again, taking a deep breath.
"Okay. I'll text Franny's husband so they know where I am. Thanks." She smiles again and I nod confidently before turning and leading the group out of the door with a secret grin.
-ooOoo-
"Okay, Blaine keep it down when we get in, please don't wake my mother." I glare at him and he grins innocently, placing a finger on his lips exaggeratedly as I unlock the door. We all pile inside the house and begin removing coats and shoes and scarves, and I lead Kurt and Blaine through to the living so the thin boy could deposit Blaine on the sofa.
"Make yourself at home guys, if you want you can get yourselves some drinks while I set the bed up? The kitchens just through there." I leave the room and pad through to the den in my socks to set the bed up. As I kneel down to pull out the futon in the corner, Kurt enters behind me.
"Hey, want me to do that? Seeing as I'm kind of the reason you're having to set it up." He smiles apologetically and kneels beside me.
"If you can manage I'll go get sheets." I smile brightly and turn to leave, almost walking into Quinn in the hallway, and I smile shyly, "Hey."
"What a surprise to see you here!" She exclaims and I roll my eyes with a grin, "Blaine is half passed-out on your sofa asking for something called Mr Chubbs?" She raises a quizzical eyebrow and I blush furiously.
"Oh, um, yeah don't worry about...that. I'll sort, I mean, he'll be fine, just. Just leave him." I stare down at the ground and she nods slowly, suppressing a smile. "I'm going to get...sheets."
"Okay. I'm going to make a drink, would you like one?" She smiles contentedly but I shake my head.
"I'm fine thanks, I'll just take water to bed. There's juice and stuff in the fridge, or tea, coffee, hot chocolate in the cupboard above the stove." She nods and heads to the kitchen, and I quickly jog up the stairs.
Returning back to the den with two sets of sheets, Kurt and I quickly make the bed before he goes to collect Blaine from the living room. We say our goodnights and the boys retire to the den, a small sign stuck on the door warning my papi not to enter. He may have served in the army for like a billion years, but even he doesn't need to see whatever state they'll be in tomorrow. I throw a sheet, pillow and blanket on the living room couch, and find Quinn in the kitchen, sat at the table looking through her phone. She stands quickly as I enter, smiling shyly.
"Hey, I've set up the couch for me, so if you want I can show you to my room?" I point in the direction of the stairs,
"What? No, I don't want to turf you out! I'll take the couch, it's fine." She smiles and I roll my eyes.
"You're a guest, of course not. Um, do you want some pyjamas to borrow?" I raise my eyebrows and she glances away before nodding.
"Yes, please. I'm sorry to be a such a pain." She grimaces apologetically and I roll my eyes.
"God, stop apologizing! If it was a problem I wouldn't have invited you all here. I promise." I echo her own words from earlier in the week, and she chuckles as I jerk my head for her to follow me.
"Oh, I got you a drink of water." I pause in the doorway and turn back to face her as she's holding out a glass, "You said...you might want one...so I thought I'd do it. For you." She stares down at the ground as her cheeks flush, and I can't help but grin as I take the glass from her, "If you don't want it, I mean, you know. I just thought maybe it'd help you out. You were...making beds."
"It's great." I grin, "Thank you very much. I appreciate it." She glances up at me and I take her hand in mine before leading her up the stairs.
She follows me into the bedroom and I quickly make a beeline for the bed, grabbing the stuffed animal and shoving it beneath the bed.
"What was that?" She asks, one eyebrow raised and a smug grin spreading across her face.
"Nothing. That was nothing." I shrug casually but she narrows her eyes suspiciously, "Was that Mr Chubbs?" she asks knowingly and I sigh, my shoulders slumping as I nod slowly.
"Yeah." I reply reluctantly, "He's a big polar bear with a bobble hat."
I'm aware my face is burning, and I immediately turn to the dresser to hide my bright red face, but Quinn visibly softens.
"Aaawh! That's so cute, I wanna see him!" I turn to glare at her, but she's giving me puppy-dog eyes and I sigh, defeated and embarrassed.
"Alright but you can't make fun of me." I reach under the bed and pull the toy out, brushing fluff off his hat while she sets the drinks down on the side, before she takes him from me, gently but enthusiastically.
"Oh man, he's a cutie! I like him." She pulls him close against her chest and buries her face in his back with a big grin, and I feel my heart melt. "He smells like you."
She lowers her voice as she says the last part, but I hear every word and my heard immediately speeds into over-drive. I clear my throat quietly, refraining from asking what I smell like and how she knows, instead busying myself in retrieving some pyjamas to distract myself from the whole adorable mess behind me. Stepping toward Quinn, I check the length of some pyjama bottoms against her leg, and she narrows her eyes in confusion, "You realize we're the same height? And probably size." I stare blankly at her and she smirks good-naturedly as she rolls her eyes, "So if they fit you, they'll probably fit me." She nods and my face burns as I realise her point, quickly shrugging to cover it up.
"I was just using it as an excuse to touch you." I reply with a playful wink, and she giggles before snatching the bottoms out of my hand. I hand her a t-shirt and point her in the direction of the bathroom so she can change, and quickly strip off my own clothes, pulling pyjamas on before she can return.
"Santana I mean it," she announces on her return, "You stay up here and I'll take the couch. It's not fair to make you sleep down there." She frowns and shakes her head, but I shrug,
"It's fine, you're the guest. You get the bed." I smile and she sighs impatiently.
"I'm not sleeping in this bed unless you're sleeping in it as well." She folds her arms decisively and my breath catches in my throat as my heart seems to skip a beat.
"Y-you can't make me." I finally find my voice, but I'm aware that there's little to no commitment there.
"Well if you go sleep on the couch, I'll just sleep on the couch opposite and noone will sleep in your bed." She shrugs, glancing around the room smugly, "Your choice."
I sigh heavily and swallow hard before nodding, "Okay, fine. But you'd better keep to your side!" I joke, crossing to door and closing it quietly, my back pressed against the wood, "Which side would you like?"
She's stood by the bed, stroking the hat of Mr Chubbs absent-mindedly, "I don't mind." I gesture to the side she's stood on, before strolling overly-casually to the side opposite and perching on the bed. We get ready in silence and I tuck my legs into the bed, folding the cover carefully as I settle on the pillow. Quinn flicks the light out, plunging us into darkness before laying down facing me. I want to move closer to her, hold her hand maybe, or have her put her head on my shoulder. But that might freak her out.
Instead I close my eyes and edge my hand across the gap between us, until I can feel the warmth from her body. If I stretched my fingers out I would feel her hip, or her waist, maybe. I'm not sure how far down the bed she's laid. I consider moving my hand out more, wondering if my fingers would come into contact with my own t-shirt, or with her bare skin. The idea of her bare skin makes my fingers tingle, and I retract my hand, tucking it close to my chest.
"You bed is comfy." Quinn whispers in the dark, and I open my eyes to see the light reflecting off her own.
"Good." I smile and as my eyes adjust to the limited light. She grins back, and I take a deep breath. "What do I smell like?"
She seems taken aback by my sudden question, but simply raises an eyebrow and twists her mouth as she contemplates it. She sighs heavily and shuffles a little closer across the bed, before closing her eyes and lifting her head off the pillow, inhaling slowly.
"Mulled wine. Cinnamon." She pauses and I scoff.
"Well I only smell like mulled wine from tonight!" I reason quietly, and she nods understandingly. I drop my voice, slightly defensive, "And I always smell like cinnamon at Christmas."
"I like it. Well, you also smell like whatever perfume you wear; I've noticed different ones." She shrugs and I nod in confirmation, "And then there's this other smell." Her voice drops and my breathing turns shallow as I listen intently, "That I can't really put my finger on. It doesn't really smell like anything. It's just there, under all the other smells. I like it." She opens her eyes again and gives me a small smile, and I grin.
"Good. I'm glad." I turn to lay on my back, settling myself closer as I do, until the length of my arm is resting beside Quinn's front. I shiver and my skin tingles as her hand shifts, stroking down the length of my arm until she takes my hand in hers, linking our fingers. I turn my head to face her and she grins at me.
"I gave you my number tonight." She admits with a drunken giggle, and I frown quizzically but chuckle nonetheless.
"Yeah. I remember." she giggles again and I squeeze her hand to get her attention, raising a questioning eyebrow.
"Sorry. It's just that, I totally never do that." She looks down, embarrassed, and I shake my head disbelievingly.
"Whatever. Everybody says that!" I scoff and she rolls her eyes, her face falling into a more serious expression,
"Yeah I know, but I've really never done that." She bends her elbow, lifting our clasped hands into the air as she twists our fingers in different ways, "You're a first."
I frown suspiciously and watch her bite her lip as she fidgets with our fingers, "I don't believe you." She looks up at me, mildly taken aback, and I shrug, "I refuse to believe that you've never given your number to somebody. Someone at some point must have asked you for it."
She shakes her head slowly with a sad shrug, "Not in a...romantic sense. At the risk of sounding cheesy." I shake my head and she gives me a small smile, "Yeah, nobody's ever asked for it. So I've never given it."
"Well to be fair, I didn't ask for it either." I deadpan, "It was forced upon me against my will."
"Seemed like it." She nods, rolling her eyes playfully, "The drooling and blushing were sure signs that you never wanted to see me again."
"Glad we cleared that up." I reply mock-seriously before breaking into a grin. "So why me then?" I know I'm being a little forward with my questions; I think mulled wine has gone to my head, but she doesn't seem to mind.
"I have no idea. Usually I'm too shy to even talk to people; probably why noone ever wants my number." She chuckles and I nod contemplatively.
"It's a possibility. Well, if it helps, I'm glad it was me." She meets my eyes and I grin before leaning forwards and placing a gentle kiss on her lips. I pull away and she smiles bashfully before resting her head back on the pillow beside me.
"Okay, if you could be anything in the world, any job, what would you be?" she asks seriously and I take a deep breath, frowning as I exhale slowly, turning to stare up at the ceiling as I answer.
"I don't know, that's a tough one. Maybe some sort of awesome scientist that knows lots of cool stuff. You know, about planets and the galaxies and stuff. Orrrrr...like a translator or something that could take me around the world, you know?"
"Yeah, that's cool. Something you could use to learn and travel and explore?" I nod enthusiastically and she smiles, "I think I'd probably be a writer, or proof-reader. Maybe an animator for Pixar or something, although I've heard that's a lot of work." She curls her lip and I giggle,
"Yeah, you should choose something simpler like an astro-physicist. Piece of pie." I scoff and we fall silent for a few minutes, "So why a chocolatiers, then?"
She sighs heavily and I feel like I've touched a nerve, but she replies nonetheless, "It's just a job, really. It's interesting, I suppose, and you know" she shrugs, "It pays enough."
"Enough for what? Are you saving up for something?" I roll onto my side to face her again as she shakes her head a little.
"No, I, uh, I pay my parents rent to still live there. It's kind of a long story, you won't want to hear it now." She smiles politely and I glance around the room thoughtfully,
"Well...I have all night. If you want to tell it, I'm all ears." I smile and she lets out a sharp sigh before nodding reluctantly.
"Okay, so...I had this boyfriend in high-school and we were supposed to go to college together, but I got cold feet." she speaks slowly and deliberately and I narrow my eyes slightly as I listen to her, "I just, I had this moment where I thought to myself...my whole life is being planned out by my father and my useless boyfriend, and I'm going to go to college and then have to marry him and have two-point-four beautiful bouncing babies and then I'll be a stay-at-home soccer mom and never achieve anything and I'll just grow old and miserable and bitter, and...Jesus Christ I don't want any of that." Her eyes grow wide as she talks and I nod understandingly.
"So what happened?"
"I broke up with my boyfriend, and in a moment of sheer madness, when my father asked why, I told him the truth. Because I didn't want to spend my life married...to a guy." She bites her lip and smiles ruefully, and I grimace slightly. "Yeah, I know."
"What did your parents say?" I frown and she rolls her eyes.
"Oh, they said a lot of things. That I was a disgrace, and my father said he never wanted to see me again; he almost threw me out of the house but my mom stopped him." I wince and she shrugs, "So he downgraded my bedroom, refused to pay my college tuition and cut me off. He said he'd put a roof over my head but apart from that I was on my own."
"That's awful." I frown sadly but she shakes her head.
"No, I'm just used to it. It's a shame I can't get anything round here that pays enough to get my own place, or enough to save up to pay for college myself. So until then I'm kind of stuck in dead-end jobs, you know?"
"Yeah." I bite my lip with a small frown but Quinn shrugs, smiling brightly and seemingly brushing off the conversation.
"So you work in the city, what do you actually do?"
"Um, well...I was always pretty good at math, and I had a dream of going to the big city, getting a job and saving up to travel the world or something, I don't know what my plan was. I landed myself a job as an accountant for a school in New York, and earned enough to live out there renting my own place." I smile and she nods, impressed.
"Awesome."
"Yeah, it was. But now the school is closing down due to some poisonous substance in the walls, and the fact that it's just a breeding ground for violence and gang warfare." I shrug and Quinn grimaces, making me chuckle, "But I couldn't find anything else so...I think I'm I'll be coming back here for a little while once my contract is ending in a few weeks." I smile shyly and she nods, a slow grin forming on her face.
"That's cool. I'm glad." She leans forward, moving her other hand to my neck as she drops a small kiss on the end of my nose, and I giggle happily. My fingers draw circles on her hip and I lean in again for a longer kiss on the lips, my heart pounding in my ears until I pull away and we lay in silence. I listen to the sound of her breathing regulating as we start to doze, laid smiling in the dark.
"Santana?" Her whisper breaks the almost-silence and I open one eye to see if she's looking at me, but her eyes are still closed and so I snuggle back down into the pillow.
"Yeah?"
"I like you." I can hear her smile through the whisper, and my stomach flutters at her confession.
"I like you, too. Quinn." I smile at the sound of her name leaving my lips, and we fall asleep a few minutes later, facing each other with our fingers intertwined.