They're lying spooned together in Quinn's bed. Quinn is behind Rachel, with one arm wrapped around her waist and the other tangled in her hair massaging her scalp. She can't see Rachel's face, but Quinn can tell by the way she is breathing that her girlfriend is awake.
Quinn can't see the clock from where she is, but she has a feeling it's sometime after three in the morning. She knows they should be sleeping, because they both have class in the morning and Rachel has a train to New York to catch in a few hours, but she doesn't plan on wasting one minute they have together. Exams are coming up and she knows this is probably the last time they will be able to see each other until Christmas break.
"Mmm, don't stop. That feels good," Rachel says sleepily. Quinn notices her hand has stilled and slipped from Rachel's head. Before she can resume her massage, Rachel rolls over. Her hand comes up to cup Quinn's face. "What're you thinking about?"
"You." They both smile, then Rachel blushes a bit and giggles. Quinn leans in and kisses the tip of her nose.
"What about me?"
Quinn grins mischievously.
"Wouldn't you like to know." Quinn's teasing only lasts about five seconds, though. She gives in the moment Rachel begins to pout. Quinn nips her protruding lower lip then kisses her.
"I was thinking about high school. You said you used to have a crush on me, but then it turned into something more." Rachel nods when pauses. "I was just wondering when it turned into 'something more'."
"You want to know when I realized I love you?" Rachel says.
"Yeah, I guess."
Rachel thought for a moment.
"Junior year. When we were fighting over Finn. When you said that stuff about marrying him, I was more upset about you being stuck in Lima than losing him to you. Then everything just clicked." Quinn kissed her again. When they broke apart, Rachel asked: "What about you? When did you fall in love with me?"
Quinn doesn't hesitate at all.
"The first day of high school," she states with certainty.
Lu – Quinn. She's Quinn now. Quinn is at her locker, putting her things away. She's looking over her schedule when hears the clicking of shoes and peeks around her locker door.
Marching down the middle of the hall is a tiny girl wearing a plaid skirt and a sweater with a reindeer on it. The girl's head is held high and she doesn't seem to have a care in the world. Everything about her projects an air of confidence.
Quinn is jealous.
She forgets that she is supposed to be the hot blonde cheerleader now. She might look the part, but inside she still feels like the shy girl who keeps her head down and doesn't have any real friends. She's spent all summer practicing her confident strut and her icy glare, but all that was stripped away the second she saw the girl.
As the girl gets closer, she grips her locker's door hard enough to leave marks on her palm. There's a strange feeling in her stomach she can't quite identify and her heart is starting to pick up speed.
The girl's right in front of her now, and she notices that Quinn is looking at her. She smiles brilliantly.
"Hi." Upon hearing the girl's voice, Quinn's heart begins to pound even harder and her stomach feels like it is flip-flopping. She knows she should say something but her mouth is dry and she can't find the words.
She decides to go with something easy and safe like 'Hi, I'm Quinn', but when she opens her mouth the bell rings and the girl runs off to her classroom with an apologetic smile. Quinn is left alone in the hallway with her mouth still hanging open, wondering exactly what just happened.
"You – the first time you met – you actually fell in love with me at first sight?" Rachel asked.
"Yeah. I mean, it took me a while to accept, but it was always there. There's never really been anyone else for me."
Rachel fumbles for words.
"Quinn, I – you never – why didn't you ever say anything?"
Quinn shrugs, then she smiles that small, shy smile that is reserved for Rachel.
"You know how school was. Things were different then." Quinn strokes Rachel's cheek with her thumb. "But that doesn't matter anymore. I've got you now."
Rachel smiles her special Quinn smile makes her whole face light up. She wraps her arms around Quinn and kisses her lightly before pressing their foreheads together.
"Yeah, you do."