Author's note: Hi guys, sorry about the long gap between updates! Hope you're all still with me! I've got lots of personal stuff going on so updates may be a little erratic for a while but I'll write when I can. I hope you enjoy this chapter, I'm a little worried that it's below par so please let me know what you think!
Chapter Thirteen: Trust
Santana was a ball of nervous energy in the days leading up to her commercial shoot. She was unable to focus or concentrate for more than minutes at a time, starting tasks and then getting bored just as quickly. She'd begun to re-organize their closet, but had given up almost as soon as she'd dumped all of their clothes onto the bed, leaving Quinn to clear the mess away. She'd made a study chart for finals but had so far failed to stick to it at all. In fact, Quinn wasn't sure she'd even seen Santana pick up a book.
Quinn was fully immersed in finals preparation, and too busy cramming information into her exhausted brain to worry about how much time her fiancée was devoting to studying. Three nights in a row, Quinn was at the university library until close to midnight, having stayed on after her work shifts to get in a little extra revision; and on one occasion she actually fell asleep whilst studying there, only to be woken by her favorite security guard who gave her a stern lecture about overdoing things and sent her home.
When Quinn was stressed, she slept fitfully, suffering from nightmares and restlessness. She woke up often, her heart pounding and her body covered with a sheen of sweat. This in turn would wake Santana, and though the brunette was sympathetic at first, she soon began to get irritated by the lack of sleep.
Irritability mixed with nerves made Santana grouchy and stubborn, and anxiety over finals caused Quinn to be highly strung and intolerant. Not wanting to fight, both girls were making a conscious effort to be understanding of the other's shortcomings, but they were finding it far from easy. By the start of finals, both girls were willing the week to be over so that life could go back to normal.
Santana's call time was seven thirty on Friday morning and even though Quinn's class wasn't until ten, she was awake before dawn to make Santana the good luck pancakes that her fiancee had begged for as they'd been getting ready for bed the night before. Quinn had her textbook propped open against the syrup bottle as she worked at the stove, but she couldn't help but glance over at the sleeping brunette every few seconds, smiling to herself as she watched Santana turn over and reach over to Quinn's side of the bed without stirring. Finding the sheets cold and empty, Santana's brow furrowed but she still didn't wake.
Quinn slid the last of the fluffy, golden-brown discs onto the plate and added a liberal amount of sugar to a steaming cup of black coffee, just the way Santana liked it. In a vain attempt to put something healthy into her fiancee's stomach, Quinn quickly diced some strawberries and banana, and tossed them into a bowl along with a handful of blueberries. Arranging the dishes neatly onto a tray, Quinn carried everything over to the sleeping brunette. She set the tray onto the nightstand, then crawled onto the bed, pressing her body against Santana's lithe frame.
"It's time to wake up, sweetie," cooed Quinn gently, but Santana merely groaned in response. Sometimes, Quinn wondered if her fiancée would sleep through the end of the world. "Baby?" coaxed Quinn, sliding her fingers under the hem of Santana's tank top to stroke her taut abdominal muscles. She felt goosebumps erupt beneath her fingers and Santana squirmed slightly but still didn't wake. Quinn chuckled to herself and decided to step up her game plan. She pressed her lips lightly against the hollow of Santana's throat, and breathed in the heavenly scent of the woman she loved. Quinn trailed a path of tiny, featherlight kisses over Santana's impossibly smooth skin, stopping when she reached the sensitive spot just behind the brunette's left ear. Feeling playful, she couldn't resist nipping at her sleeping fiancee's earlobe, as she wondered exactly how far she could take this before Santana awoke.
Quinn slipped her fingers under the waistband of Santana's sleep shorts, biting her lip to stifle a groan as her own body began to thrum with desire. Santana's skin was soft and satiny, and, as Quinn slid her fingers between the brunette's shapely thighs, deliciously hot and wet. Quinn began to stroke her fiancée into consciousness, tracing light, intimate circles with the pads of her fingers.
Moments later, Santana's eyes fluttered open and she gazed blearily at Quinn through her long, dark lashes.
"Good morning, sleepyhead," Quinn greeted her with a mischievous grin, biting down gently on the soft flesh of Santana's exposed shoulder as her fingers continued their ministrations between her legs. Santana gasped in response and Quinn's eyes fell appreciatively on her fiancée's chest which was rising and falling erratically beneath her tank top.
"Mmm," Santana hummed, as Quinn's fingers found a particularly sensitive spot. "Good morning to you too. What... Oh, God, right there... What time is it?" She squirmed and bucked at Quinn's touch as she panted out her question.
"Don't worry," Quinn placated her, "it's still early. We have plenty of time." She planted a series of kisses across Santana's collarbone as she spoke. "I thought you were never going to wake up though," she pouted, kicking the sheets that had tangled around Santana's waist down to the foot of the bed. "I have big plans for you this morning, and they involve you being conscious."
Reluctantly, Quinn removed her fingers from between Santana's legs, eliciting a mewl of frustration from her fiancée. Smiling to herself, Quinn tugged Santana's shorts down over her hips, sliding herself down the bed as she did so. "This needs to come off too," she said, pulling at the hem of Santana's tank top. Santana obligingly divested herself of the last of her clothing, tossing the shirt carelessly aside. Quinn licked her lips as she allowed her eyes to feast on her fiancee's naked figure.
"You too?" pleaded Santana, indicating Quinn's pajama-clad form. "Please?"
Slowly, deliberately Quinn peeled her long-sleeved shirt off her body, shivering as the cool early morning air hit her exposed skin. She shimmied out of her sweat pants but left her underwear on, earning her a fierce glare from her fiancée. "It's my turn," Quinn murmured by way of an explanation as she lowered herself back onto the bed, "and I know you, sweetie. If I get naked, this will all be over a lot sooner than I planned. I want to take my time with you, and I want you to keep your hands to yourself."
"You're the one who has trouble keeping her hands to herself," huffed Santana. "Which reminds me, we still haven't followed through on our conversation at Thanksgiving..." She trailed off but grinned suggestively at Quinn, who felt a sudden, intense rush of arousal.
"It's my turn," she repeated firmly, her cheeks flushing at the images Santana was contouring in her mind.
Santana smirked. "Okay, but just remember this conversation for future reference," she said with a giggle that turned into a moan as Quinn plunged her tongue into the wet heat at Santana's center.
An hour and a half later, Santana had wolfed down a plate full of reheated pancakes, showered and dressed, and left the apartment in a whirlwind, after pressing Quinn up against the door for an intense and passionate goodbye kiss that left Quinn squirming uncomfortably with unfulfilled lust. To take her mind off her discomfort, Quinn busied herself with straightening up the apartment and cramming in a little last minute revision of her notes before leaving to get to class.
As she danced gracefully through the throng of morning commuters on the sidewalk, Quinn's mind was more focused on Santana than on her impending test. She hoped that the experience was everything her fiancée wanted it to be but she was nervous for her too. In fact, her stomach was filled with butterflies on a par with watching Beth perform at her first ever dance recital. She was more nervous for Santana than she'd been for herself during her first Cheerios competition and her first solo in glee club. She rummaged in her bag for her iPhone to send a quick message of luck to her fiancée, but when the screen illuminated she saw that Santana had beaten her to it.
Hope you kill it in your lit final, Santana had written, my favorite little geek! Love you lots and can't wait to tell you all about my shoot! Hope you don't get tied up at work tonight cos I want you tied up at home instead, ha ha!
Quinn's cheeks flushed scarlet at the not so subtle innuendo in Santana's message as she hurriedly typed her response.
Love you too, baby, and hope the shoot goes well... How am I supposed to focus on my test after that message though?
Almost immediately, her phone chimed with Santana's response.
How about I threaten to withhold my sweet lady kisses unless you get an A? was Santana's suggestion.
Ha, replied Quinn. Like you could resist me! Remind me which one of us was screaming "oh, God, baby, don't stop..." this morning?
You suck, Fabray! Quinn chuckled at Santana's inelegant response.
Sometimes, she texted back, adding a smirking emoji for emphasis.
And I love it! Santana texted. Gotta go, babe, they want me in hair and make up! How cool is that?
Very cool, agreed Quinn. Break a leg, baby, I'll see you tonight xxxx
She switched her phone onto silent before shoving it back into her bag, trying to force her overstimulated mind back into academic mode, ready for her final.
The test went well and Quinn went to lunch with friends before starting her shift in the library. Her friends were all excited about her engagement to Santana and kept asking her questions about wedding plans that made her palms sweaty and the butterflies in her stomach feel more like bats flapping around.
"Are you going to get married here or back in Ohio?" her friend Amy, a petite girl with a cloud of vivid red hair, asked excitedly as they tucked into slices of overladen pizza.
Quinn shrugged at the question.
"Um, Ohio, I guess," she said with a frown. "We haven't really talked about it, but our families are there so..." She broke off and shrugged again, sipping her water.
"Do you want Beth to be there?" asked Tom, Amy's boyfriend, his long legs stretched out under the table. He was at least a foot taller than his girlfriend, and was quiet and thoughtful whereas the redhead tended towards loud and vivacious. At first glance, it was hard to see what attracted them to one another, but once Quinn had gotten to know them, she realized how alike they were, not in their hobbies and interests but in their outlook on life. In that way, they reminded Quinn of herself and Santana. On the surface, they were completely different too - they liked different music and movies, Quinn was a book worm whereas Santana hated to read, Santana loved spicy food but it made Quinn sick to her stomach - but underneath all of that superficial stuff, Quinn knew that Santana was her soulmate. Both of them were fiercely protective of those they loved, and both of them would go after their dreams with a ruthless determination. Quinn would do almost anything for Santana, and she knew that her fiancée would reciprocate without hesitation.
"Earth to Quinn," her friend Ellie was giggling, snapping Quinn out of her reverie. "Where did you go just then?" Three pairs of eyes were fixed on her curiously, and Quinn couldn't help but blush.
"I'm sorry, I was thinking about Santana," she admitted sheepishly, to a chorus of awws from the girls. She wracked her brains to remember Tom's question. "Um, I'd like Beth to be at the wedding but I don't know how practical that is," she said with a soft sigh. "It's really up to Shelby. But, as we're not even thinking about a wedding until we're done with school, and Santana's only a sophomore, we've got at least a few years to get it all figured out. So, what did you guys think of the test?" she asked, trying to change the subject. She and Santana hadn't even had chance to talk about their plans yet, and she felt funny discussing the possibilities with her friends. Luckily, her friends had plenty of opinions on the exam paper and she was able to sit back and enjoy her escape from the spotlight for a while.
As the semester was pretty much at an end, the library was quiet and there wasn't a lot for the staff to do. This enticed Quinn's colleagues to ask her the same kinds of questions as her friends, and eventually Quinn escaped into the stacks to shelve returned books in an attempt to get some peace. She was thrilled that her friends and colleagues were excited about her engagement, but she felt like it was being taken away from her somehow. She'd been so busy with school and work that she hadn't had time to think about what she wanted from the wedding, and she hadn't asked Santana what she wanted yet either. Still, she reasoned, winter break was almost upon them, and she and Santana would have time to take stock and discuss what the future held. She felt a shiver of excitement as she imagined planning their wedding together, and she resolved to discuss it with Santana over the break.
Once her shift at work was over, Quinn hurried back to the apartment, hoping to at least get dinner started before Santana arrived home. Her cellphone was ringing as she unlocked the apartment door, and she hurried to answer it in case it was Santana. It wasn't. Rachel was calling to ask about their holiday plans and invite them out to dinner the following night.
"Almost everyone's going to be there," Rachel explained cheerfully as Quinn rummaged through the cupboards and the fridge, laying out the ingredients and utensils to make dinner. "Artie already had plans with some friends from film school, but Kurt, Blaine, and Sam are in. We miss you guys - I know you're in a blissful little loved-up bubble, but we'd love to see you."
Quinn laughed. "Rach, San and I have been busy with classes. I promise we're not trying to neglect you and we're hardly in a bubble!"
"Oh really?" Quinn could picture Rachel's raised eyebrow at her disbelieving tone. "So, when's the last time you guys had sex?"
Quinn blushed at Rachel's typically direct question and was forcibly reminded of the disastrous celibacy club meeting during sophomore year when Rachel had announced to the guys that girls wanted sex just as much as they did.
"Um..." she mumbled, embarrassed and Rachel laughed triumphantly.
"Ha, see... bubble!" she insisted. "But it's okay, we'll all forgive you as long as you come to dinner tomorrow night."
"I'll talk to Santana when she gets home from her shoot," promised Quinn, switching the phone onto speaker so she could start dicing onions.
"Okay," Rachel agreed, sounding somewhat mollified. "And you can tell Santana that I hope her shoot went well, despite the ungracious, gloating and inaccurate text message she sent me when she got the job. I am happy for her."
Quinn snickered. "I'll tell her, Rach, I'm sure she'll appreciate the sentiment."
"Did you put me on speakerphone?" Rachel demanded petulantly. "You know I hate that, Quinn."
Quinn sighed and rolled her eyes indulgently, not wanting to listen to Rachel give her another lecture about her opinion of speakerphones when in truth Rachel was merely sulking because she didn't feel she was getting Quinn's undivided attention. Quinn wiped her hands on a dish towel before picking up the handset and promising her she'd call her back after she'd talked to Santana, but she really had to make dinner right now.
She needn't have worried. The chilli was simmering on the stove and the plates were warming in the oven by the time Santana burst through the door, bouncing over to Quinn and swinging her around in an enthusiastic hug.
"Hi," she whispered, her gentle tone in contrast with her excitable actions. She brushed her lips lightly against Quinn's, and Quinn felt a delicious shiver travel the length of her spine.
"Hi yourself," she replied, threading her hands into Santana's hair to hold her in place. "I take it today went well?"
"I loved it!" Santana's eyes literally sparkled with delight. "This is it, Q, this is what I want to do with my life. Not commercials forever, obviously, but I want to be on a set or on a stage. Other than when I'm here with you, that's where I belong."
"You can tell me all about it over dinner," Quinn promised. Santana immediately let go of her to inspect the pans on the stove.
"You made me chilli!" she beamed, and Quinn nodded happily.
"It's your mom's recipe," she explained. "I made one extra spicy for you, and one that's mild for me."
"Did I tell you how much I love you?" Santana asked wonderingly. Quinn giggled.
"I believe you may have intimated something like that this morning," she said, biting her lip at the memory, "when I, you know..."
"Hmm, and speaking of this morning," Santana said, rummaging through her purse and pulling out a paper bag, "I bought you a gift." She handed it to Quinn with a lascivious grin.
"What is it?" Quinn asked, goosebumps erupting all over her body as she took in Santana's wolfish expression.
"Open it," insisted Santana, bouncing on her heels in anticipation.
With clumsy fingers, Quinn opened the bag and peaked inside. "I chose them because they match your eyes," Santana explained excitedly. "Do you like them?" Wordlessly, Quinn nodded as she fingered the olive green satin scarves. "I thought they might work better than handcuffs," Santana continued.
Quinn swallowed hard. Santana obviously mistook her silence for reticence, because she suddenly reached for Quinn and held her close.
"We don't have to do anything you're not comfortable with," she promised, her lips at Quinn's ear, the paper bag crushed between them. Quinn shook her head.
"I know," she replied, nuzzling her head against Santana's shoulder. "And I do want to. I love you." She pulled back enough to gaze into her fiancee's eyes. "I trust you." Slowly, she pressed her mouth against Santana's, her tongue stroking along Santana's full lower lip to request access. The brunette willingly deepened the kiss, groaning as Quinn's tongue explored the recesses of her mouth. When they parted, they were both flushed and breathing hard.
"I only have one request," Santana said hopefully. Quinn raised an eyebrow and waited for her to continue. "Can we eat first because that chilli smells really good and I was kind of too nervous to eat anything at the shoot?" An apologetic yet adorable pout spread across her features and Quinn couldn't help but laugh.
"Sit down, sweetie," she said through her giggles. "I'll fix you a plate."
"Best fiancée ever," Santana murmured as she threw herself down onto the couch.
"Hmm," Quinn murmured as she began to serve the chilli. "And don't you forget it!"