CHAPTER 20

The next day, Theo walked into school a different man. He was unrecognizable. Everything about him was the same - he still played football, he was still part of the glee club, he was still 6'4, still 200 pounds, still had amber eyes, still dressed the same. But it was all a bit… different. For one, he stood a little taller. He held himself a little higher and prouder. His hair, for once, was brushed and wasn't a disheveled mess anymore. His eyes weren't shrouded by the bags and veil of exhaustion. His clothes didn't make him look like a homeless mess. And the biggest change… a faint smile graced his lips.

Theo walked into McKinley High feeling lighter than he had in almost a year. He was far from a finished product, perhaps he never would be, but he was on the mend. He had cleared the highest hurdle, and while the rest would surely not be smooth sailing, it sure as hell would seem that way compared to the turmoil he had been through in the past year.

It didn't take the boy long to find Quinn. The blonde was grabbing some books from her locker in preparation for the school day, and so Theo spotted her almost instantly. Walking over to her, Theo took a deep, calming breath. This part surely wasn't easy. He knew he wanted to be with Quinn. That much was clear to him. And he finally felt like he had moved forward enough from Marley's death to no longer feel guilt about wanting to be with someone else. However, that still meant closing the door on a chapter in his life that Theo never intended to have end, which was hardly an easy feat.

He could do this, he told himself. By the end of the night, both him and Santana would have gone on a date with the people they cared so much about, and then they'd meet on the back porch at the end of the night. That was the deal.

Theo walked over to Quinn and tapped her on the shoulder. When Quinn turned around, she did a double take. She didn't know who the man opposite her was, but he certainly didn't look like the Theo she had come to be used to.

"Wow… you look…"

"Would you like to go out with me tonight?" Theo suddenly asked her. Quinn's eyes widened and her jaw dropped in shock at what she had just heard.

"W-w-what?" Quinn stammered.

"Look, I'm really sorry for what I've been doing for the past little while, the way I've been jerking you around. I haven't asked you out, but I hadn't closed the door either. I was playing with your feelings, trying to stall as I worked out my own. That was wrong. You didn't deserve that at all, and I'm really, really sorry." Theo apologized to her. "But I would love to go out with you, Quinn. I'm all in now."

A plethora of different things ran through Quinn's mind as she contemplated his offer. She heard Santana's words from a few weeks earlier. "I don't think he's emotionally ready to be taking that step, and I don't want either of you to get hurt," Santana had told her. And based on the Theo that Quinn had met for the past month, if she was being brutally honest, she would be inclined to agree with her friend. But Theo now… there was something about him. He looked infinitely better than Quinn had ever seen him. Like a man reborn.

"Yes. I'd love to go out with you."

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Despite the nervousness he was feeling, Theo was over the moon. He was ecstatic, buzzing with anticipation for the date that night. The school day flew by, but strangely, he didn't see Santana all day. He didn't pay much attention to it, as the pair didn't have any classes together that day anyways, but the fact that he didn't see her in the corridor at any point was a bit peculiar.

He couldn't focus on it though. He figured Santana was just preparing for her date with Brittany that night in the same way that he was preparing for his date with Quinn. Given that he was taking Quinn to Breadsticks that night, the place where most of Lima went for a first date, there was a chance he'd see her there anyways.

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Quinn sat before her vanity mirror in her bedroom. There was still a little while until her date with Theo, but her heart was already pounding, and she could already feel the butterflies fluttering in her belly. For some reason, this felt different to any of the previous dates she had ever been on. Not that she hadn't cared about Finn, Sam and Puck. But during this date, she felt like there was more at stake. With the other boys, she knew that she had a relationship waiting for her with any of them, no matter how badly their first dates had been. She was the head Cheerio. She was smoking hot. She was the most popular girl in school. They all had wanted to date her, no matter what her actual personality looked like. But Theo… Theo actually cared. Not only that, but with Theo, she knew exactly what she was competing against, what she was going to be compared to, whether Theo intended to or not. He had been head over heels in love with a girl who, at least by his description, sounded nothing short of perfect. Theo didn't care about the looks or the popularity. He cared about the person within, and Quinn just prayed that that person was good enough for him.

That being said though, she did spend the entire afternoon/evening prettying herself up in front of the mirror, applying delicate touches of makeup with surgeon-like precision, and glancing at her phone a few times to make sure she didn't miss a text from Theo. Not that she was expecting one from him. He didn't really use technology much. He didn't have any social media other than Messenger. Quinn had found that one out the hard way, as upon his arrival in Lima, she had spent an entire night trying to stalk him on Instagram, only to find that he didn't have an account on the app. A weird move, particularly for a teenager during their generation, but it only added to the mystery that was Theo Martin.

No… mystery was the wrong word to use to describe him. Enigma was probably more accurate. There was no doubt that Theo had a large personality. He was strong-willed but quiet, competitive but kind. But underneath all of that, there was a part of him that he hadn't revealed to anyone. From what they had talked about during the introduction assignment, Quinn figured it had something to do with his wife's passing, but she didn't know what. Little did she know, that was a part of it, but there was another part of him that he hadn't revealed to anyone, not to her, not to Santana, not to anybody.

The mystery around him only made Quinn more interested in him, but not in a standard teenage girl getting to know the new quiet kid kind of way. This was deeper. After Theo' words had dragged her out of her emo funk, she had caught a glimpse of the immense pain that he held within, and she was determined to help pull him out of it. Determined to give him what he thought he didn't deserve, but in reality he deserved and more.

Another reason why she was so nervous was that for the first time in her life, she had actually made the first move. Her and Theo had chemistry. She was sure of it. Not artificial chemistry concocted by pressure from the rest of the school like it had been with the football players she had dated. This was real chemistry. Every time she saw him, she saw snippets of what could be between them, and what it could be was a realer relationship than she had ever had before. They could be something really special. Quinn knew it. She just hoped that Theo felt the same way.

After she was done getting ready, she paced around her room, trying to calm her nerves. She watched the clock on her wall tick closer to 7 pm, and as it did, her nerves amplified ten-fold. Would he show up on time? Would he show up at all? They hadn't seen each other all afternoon, so they had not communicated about the date further than that morning. But if there was one thing that Theo was, it was punctual. Sure enough, at almost 7 o'clock on the dot, Quinn heard a loud ring of the doorbell. He had arrived!

The moment Quinn opened the door, Theo' jaw immediately nearly hit the ground. Quinn looked like an absolute vision. He knew that she was naturally gorgeous, as he had seen her for the past month, but now that they were finally going out on a date, it felt like he was seeing her beauty for the first time.

"Wow… you look… you look… I mean… you… you clean up nice." Theo stammered, unable to complete a sentence as his jaw was still very much on the ground. Quinn couldn't help but giggle at his gobsmacked reaction, blushing faintly at the compliment.

"Thanks." She replied. For a moment, Theo was frozen to the spot, unable to get his brain to communicate with the rest of his body. It took standing there for a few more seconds, gawking at her like a weirdo for him to finally snap out of his trance.

"Let's get going, shall we?"

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"So… this place looks interesting." Theo remarked, as he stepped into Breadsticks, never having been there before. "Why do they call it Breadsticks though?"

Almost as soon as the question left his mouth, a waitress came over and set down the largest plate of breadsticks Theo had ever seen in front of them.

"Never mind." Theo commented.

"Yeah, they're obligated to give you unlimited breadsticks. Last year, Santana brought a whole wheelbarrow and forced them to bring her more and more breadsticks until she had filled the entire thing up." Quinn replied.

"Yeah, that sounds like her." Theo chuckled.

"Breadsticks is like the restaurant to go to in Lima." Quinn explained. "Everyone from McKinley comes here, especially on first dates."

Quinn and Theo made small talk for a little while longer, the conversation flowing freely between them. It felt so easy between them. It always had. There was never a lack of things to talk about, never an awkward silence that was perhaps synonymous for a first date. Soon, the conversation turned in an unexpected direction.

"So… talk to me about exes." Quinn said. "You already know about mine: Finn, Puck, Sam. It's only fair I learn a bit about yours. Apart from Marley, what was dating like in Florida and Lebanon. You must've been quite a heartbreaker." She remarked, assuming as much due to his good looks, but at the same time curious to hear the answer. There was almost… jealousy. But that was crazy, right? They weren't even together yet, Quinn told herself.

Theo chuckled.

"What's dating like in Florida and Lebanon? Uh… I wouldn't know actually. Apart from Marley, I've never gone out with anyone."

Quinn's jaw dropped in shock.

"You've never been on a date before?!" She shouted. Theo laughed and shook his head.

"Please, shout a little louder. I don't think my old friend from Lebanon quite heard you." Theo remarked. "I started dating Marley when I had just turned 14, remember? She was my first, and my only, first date. Not unless you include when I was 8, going to Baskin Robbins with a girl in my class."

"What? H-how?" Quinn stammered. Theo shrugged.

"Well her mom took us there and paid for the ice cream, so there wasn't much to…"

"Not the Baskin Robbins date, you idiot! How have you never been on a date before? Not even a casual one before you met Marley?"

Theo again shrugged. He didn't really know what to say. He knew the answer to that question: before he had met Marley, he was hardly in the right place or state of mind to be asking anyone out. But he couldn't say that. That was one period of his life that he had absolutely no interest in talking about.

"I don't know. Never really wanted to, I guess. I was more than satisfied with the friends I had. Didn't really feel the need for a girlfriend on top of that, as I was happy where I was."

For a few moments, Theo held his breath, anxiously waiting to see if she bought the lie. Thankfully, her face soon broke into a small smile, setting to rest his nerves a little. Quinn couldn't help but feel a little happy that he hadn't dated too many girls before. She was already having to measure up to Marley, but having to measure up to other girls was something huge she feared. At least, she didn't have to worry about that.

The rest of the date ran pretty smoothly. They talked some more, learned more about each other. Quinn got to hear snippets about what Theo's life was like back in Florida and Lebanon. She noticed that he steered clear of any mention of his mom. Quinn asked him about it and Theo just put it down to the fact that him and his mom weren't that close, even before they had emancipated, and while that was true, it didn't tell the whole story.

Theo and his mom had never been close in a normal mother-son way, but growing up, Theo knew that in his mom's own way, she still loved him. She had always been extremely tough on him and only ever accepted the best from him. Straight A's, captain of a host of school teams… she had demanded Theo do it all. She wasn't afraid to call Theo out and insult him for his mistakes, and they rarely ever celebrated his achievements. But Theo was fine with that. It worked for him. He was a pretty tough guy, so was definitely able to handle his mother's toughness, and even her distantness. But then, when he had turned 10 and they had moved to the U.S, everything had changed…

Theo, in turn, learned all about Quinn's past. When Theo asked about Quinn's past before McKinley High school, she didn't answer, but instead reached into her purse and pulled out a small photograph, sliding it across the table towards him. Theo picked it up and looked at it for a moment, before looking at Quinn, confused. She was just showing him a random photo of some overweight red-head girl?

"This is me." Quinn told him, her heart racing as she spoke. She couldn't believe she was doing this. Couldn't believe that on just a first date, she was revealing all of this about herself. But she couldn't hide it from him. Couldn't lie to him. If this was going to be different to her past relationships, then she needed to be honest with him. "Or rather… who I used to be. 4 years, 80 extra pounds, a nose job and a dye job ago."

Theo looked at her, even more confused, as he held up the small photograph and then held it beside her face to compare. It took him a few seconds, but he finally realized it.

"Oh I see the resemblance now!" Theo murmured. It took him a little while, but he could finally begin to see the similarities between Quinn and the girl in the photo. Quinn nodded, on the verge of tears.

"Look, I get it if you hate me, but I swear…"

"Hate you? Why would I do that?" Theo asked, genuinely perplexed at this comment from Quinn.

"I'm a fraud!" She cried. "I'm an ugly, fat fraud!"

"How? Because you dyed your hair like pretty much every American woman at some point?" Theo remarked, not at all fazed by the comment and speaking in a quiet, calm, soothing voice. "You lost weight? Started exercising? How is that something to be ashamed of? If I had managed to have such an incredible transformation, I'd be bragging about it 24/7."

"You don't have to say that, Theo." Quinn murmured, looking down in shame. Theo shook his head.

"Believe me. Don't believe me. It's up to you." He told her. "And as for the nose job… I've played contact sports my whole life. Chances are between scars, broken noses and every other injury I've gotten, I've had more cosmetic surgery in the past decade than you ever will. You have nothing to be ashamed of, trust me. Me personally, I think provided back then you were the same person on the inside you are now, you would've been just as awesome. But if you feel more comfortable now, that's what matters."

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The rest of the date went pretty well. They finished eating, paid and left the restaurant. But despite that, they didn't really want the night to end yet, so they decided on a casual walk through the park as they continued to talk. Quinn grasped Theo's arm and huddled close to him for warmth in the October chill. Quinn was thinking about the fact that this was far and away the best first date she had ever been on. It had been everything she had imagined it would be and more, and it was taking everything she had not to pull him into a passionate kiss right then and there. And beside her, Theo was thinking very similarly. He never thought, after Marley's death, that he'd be able to go on another date again. He never thought he'd want to. And yet, tonight had proven otherwise. He had an incredible time with Quinn, and he never wanted the night to end.

So they didn't let it. They spent the rest of the night talking and walking. Walking and talking. They walked all over the city and the conversation did not die down once. They learned more and more about each other, and with every passing second, they felt the shackles around them - that had previously been binding them and preventing them from being who they wanted to be - loosening considerably.

However, just like any other good thing, the night had to come to an end at some point. Theo walked Quinn back to her house, and the pair stood on the front porch, facing one another. Theo stared into her deep jade eyes, faintly illuminated by the moon above.

"So tonight was fun." He murmured. Quinn giggled quietly at his sudden discomfort, knowing exactly what was coming, and she nodded.

"It was." She replied. Theo took a deep breath. He was going to do it now. He was going to ask her.

"Quinn Fabray, will you be my…"

However, halfway through his sentence, he was interrupted as Quinn leaned in and kissed him. Theo was immediately consumed by shock, but he quickly recovered and kissed back. The couple kissed on the porch, entranced in their moment, for an eternity. They eventually broke apart, more for the need of air than anything else.

"Yes."

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There were no words to describe just how perfectly the night had been in Theo's eyes. It was simply an indescribable combination of bliss and jubilance. It had been a huge milestone for him, 11 months after his wife's death, finally moving on enough to go out with someone else. But the best part… he had been so wrapped up in having such a great time with Quinn that he hadn't even noticed it.

However, his happiness came to an abrupt halt when he walked into Santana's place at the end of the night, preparing to head to the back porch to meet her. Once again, the house was completely silent as he had entered, so he figured that Santana was either already back from her date with Brittany, or she wasn't back yet. Therefore, Theo decided to investigate, walking to the back porch, and he saw Santana's back to him. She was already home, so Theo stepped outside to meet her.

"San, the date went so well! It was incredible! We hit it off so well, and she even agreed to be my girlfriend at the end of the night!" Theo exclaimed.

Yesterday, when Theo had met her on that very porch, he had been alarmed to see the rage and anger on her face. This time, however, as Santana turned around to face him, the expression on her face that greeted him was shockingly even more so. It had him stunned to the spot, immobile.

By this point, after living with Santana for almost 2 months, he had seen all sides of her. He had seen her happy. He had seen her angry. He had seen her scared - though she would never admit it. But what he saw that night… it was new, and it was more terrifying than any of the other emotions.

Santana's face was stained with tears. It bore the weight of sorrow, evident in the subtle lines etched around her weary eyes. The usual sparkle and fire in her gaze had dimmed, replaced by the glimmer of unshed tears. Her once vibrant complexion appeared paler, a delicate canvas tainted by the shadows of despair. The corners of her lips, normally curved with mischief, now drooped slightly, mirroring the heaviness she carried within. The traces of tears glistened on her cheeks, like fragile crystal droplets clinging to delicate petals.

Theo's face, meanwhile, was filled with questions. However, they were left unsaid, as Santana said 3 words that told him all that he needed to know.

"She chose him."

Theo's heart broke for her. Never for one moment did he genuinely consider the fact that Brittany might choose Artie over Santana, and it appeared Santana hadn't either. While Theo had spent the day in the 7th heaven, Santana had spent it in the depths of hell. After having been rejected by Brittany that morning, Santana had cut class and spent the entire day wandering aimlessly around the city, filled with shock, before she finally went home and spent the evening allowing her frustration, devastation, and humiliation to break through in the form of tears.

It was all Theo could do that night to wrap an arm around Santana and comfort her. They remained there, seated on the back porch, for an eternity. The two of them, despite only knowing each other for a few months, had already both been through hell together, and so Theo knew exactly what to say to comfort her: nothing. Not a word. He correctly knew that Santana wouldn't appreciate words right now, but his presence was enough. She knew that he was there for her no matter what.

An amazing day for Theo had come to a bitter end. But it wasn't done yet. Eventually, Santana retired to her bedroom for the night, dreading what the next day would bring. Theo, however, did not do the same and head to his own room. In fact, he left the house altogether, making a beeline to a location that he had only been to once before.

Knocking on the door, it wasn't long before it was answered, and he found himself standing in front of a blonde, McKinley High cheerleader. Not Quinn, but the third prong that made up the fierce trident that was the Unholy Trinity.

"Theo! What's up?" Brittany greeted him, cheerfully.

"You made the wrong choice." He told her. He was blunt. He was direct. That was a large part of who he was, and he wasn't going to change that. Certainly not now, while anger was evidently laced in his tone.

"Pardon?" Brittany asked, though she already knew exactly what he was talking about. He could tell as much based on the look on her face.

"You made the wrong choice. Picking Artie over Santana." He repeated. "Nobody, not Artie, not that entire Glee club, not anyone in your entire life cares about you as much as Santana does. You threw away something that could've been really, really special. The way she cares about you… trust me, that doesn't come around often."

If anyone knew that, it was Theo. His whole life, there had been only 1 person who had cared about him like that. Just 1. And she wasn't even here anymore. He took one more long look at Brittany, before nodding.

"That's all I'm here to say. Goodnight, Brittany."

With that, Theo turned on his heel and walked out into the night. Brittany watched him leave, before shutting the front door and walking back into her house. She walked into her bedroom, where someone was waiting for her, sitting on her bed.

"Who was that?" Artie asked her, curiously.

"Oh… it was Theo." Brittany told him. Artie raised an eyebrow.

"Theo? At this time at night? What did he want?"