When she woke the next morning, she was greeted with a cat, who was sleeping right on her face.

"Tiki, ugh," Quinn shoved the cat from her current sleeping situation. And Tiki meowed annoyed at her owner, who sat up and stretched.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," Clay's voice nearly made Quinn jump out of her skin. It made sense again why she had slept on the couch.

"Jesus, good morning, Clay," Quinn stood, hoping she didn't look as groggy as she felt. Clay crossed from the kitchen to the living room and handed Quinn a mug with coffee in it, she smiled at him thankfully, "How'd you sleep?"

On the inside Quinn was trying not to melt. She had forgotten how handsome Clay looks in the morning. His hair a little tousled, his face a little pink, his eyes still a little heavy, he looked so good.

"I slept great, although Tiki did make it a point to wake me up at 8 am sharp. Which I thought was a little strange," Clay leaned down to pet the cat, who was laying at his feet.

"Oh yeah, I should've mentioned that. Ellie has trained her without me knowing, they formed some sort of alliance behind my back, and I never get to sleep past 8. Sorry," Quinn reminded herself to scold Ellie.

"So... How'd you sleep?" Clay asked.

"It was okay, I'm not a big fan of our couch, Ellie picked out the furniture when we first moved in, and I kinda just had to agree, it's not the most comfortable place to sleep, but it was more important that you got some rest," Quinn said the last so nonchalantly that Clay did a double take.

"Quinn, I really think we should sit down and talk," Clay stated this seriously.

"Okay," any bit of tiredness in Quinn drained out of him at his words, "But not here."

Quinn didn't want Ellie and Nick to butt in at point in the conversation, or try and be distracting. If they were gonna sit down and talk, they needed to be able to have time to say what seven months of distance couldn't explain.

"George isn't home today, he's been out of town to see his family, the house is empty, we could go there," Clay suggested, Honestly, he was nervous, he couldn't let this go to waste, if Quinn was willing to sit down and talk, he had to be honest. Completely.

"That's probably best," Quinn tried to give Clay a smile, but she couldn't block out the fact that her heart was beating in her ears, "Yeah, let's do that."

Quinn felt frozen in place, no matter what happened from this point forward, she wasn't going to run. She was going to stay and fight for what she wanted.

The car ride back to the house felt nostalgic. Quinn couldn't help but stare out the window, and Clay couldn't help but to stare at her. She looked so unsure, it scared Clay, he wanted to do anything to put her mind at ease, let her know that he was sure, that she was safe.

"Oh wow," Quinn blinked hard at the house, as if she was still dreaming. She hoped that she wasn't and this was real, but it wouldn't surprise her if she woke up in bed.

"Is it like you remember?" Clay was easing the tension out of her, knowing that this was kind of a big deal for Quinn.

"Mhmm," she nodded, remembering why she was back. As she got out of Clay's car, she noticed that he was watching her, and it made her blush a little. In truth, Clay was trying to read Quinn, seeing how she was feeling.

"So where should we do this?" Quinn asked as she walked in the all too familiar living room. Things were mostly the way she remembered them, but some of the furniture was rearranged, and the rooms seemed a lot smaller, but maybe that was just because Quinn was trying not to freak out.

"Wherever you want," Clay put it in her hands, "I want you to be comfortable."

Quinn sat on the couch. She wasn't expecting to be this nervous, but everything in her body was screaming for her to run. She had to reassess herself, it was just Clay, she could handle him. She tried not to jump when Clay took a seat on the couch by her, with enough distance to almost make it awkward.

"Quinn," Clay could feel her nervous energy, it radiated from her, "It's just me, okay?"

Hearing him say that, Quinn relaxed a little, it was just him, nothing terrifying, just Clay, and she cared for him, she was in love with him, this shouldn't be this hard.

"I need to hear you tell me that no matter what happens, we're not gonna push each other away," Quinn blurted out, it has been the thing that was on her mind the most. She knew that if they had this conversation, if they figured things out for them, nothing would ever be the same.

"I promise, I'm not going anywhere anymore," Clay said honestly, "letting you go, watching you from so far away, it was a mistake, I shouldn't have let it happen."

"I don't want to run from this," Quinn looked down at her hands, "from you, from... whatever happens next."

"As much as I would love to pretend that the last seven months didn't happen and believe me, I wish they didn't, I can't not apologise to you about everything that happened. You deserve more than that," Clay had said like he had been thinking about this for a while, almost like he rehearsed it, "I met Vanessa through an online dating site, thinking that if I met someone else, it would be easier to get over you."

"Sheesh, you certainly didn't waste any time," Quinn was joking, but there was a little bit of hurt that returned.

"I know, I'm so sorry. I told myself that the best way to make sure that we stayed friends was to make sure it wasn't awkward. So I went out with Vanessa, and I didn't realise that she even knew who I was. She seemed nice enough. But the thing was Quinn, she wasn't you. She laughed at all of my jokes, even the ones that were stupid as fuck, and she agreed with everything I said, it was like I was going out with a puppy dog. I'm pretty sure I talked about you the whole time, because all I could think about was how she wasn't you."

Quinn was a little touched by this, but she was mostly confused, "So why did you keep going out with her?"

"I didn't plan on it. Honest to God. But she mentioned to me that she didn't have a good track record with relationships, as I was trying to tell her that I didn't want to see her again, my sister saw her name pop up on my phone. I was in the middle of trying to explain that I had feelings for someone else, and that was why I couldn't see her anymore. I was kinda trapped," Clay still couldn't believe how unfortunate his timing was. It was almost ironic.

"I had no idea, if I would've known..." Quinn remembered the argument they had that night, he had tried to explain it to her, to talk to her, and she pushed him away, "I'm so sorry Clay."

"No, I'm an idiot. Because even after we argued, I could've stopped talking to Vanessa, but I'm an idiot and I'm too prideful for my own good, and I didn't want to lose you, so I brought Vanessa into my life officially. It absolutely crushed me to see the look on your face when you met her for the first time, it felt like I was watching myself dig my own grave. And quite honestly I was, because then I got drunk and I told you everything I had been dying to say to you, and then I turned around and tried to cover my ass," Clay closed his eyes, it was like he was remembering what he said that night, "If I could go back and change everything I swear to you I would."

Quinn had found herself moving close to Clay the more he spoke, hearing all of this, knowing how many times he wanted to fix things, knowing that she was also to blame, made Quinn feel like an idiot herself.

"And Vanessa had mentioned asking you to move out, when she found out that you were the girl I had feelings for. At first we argued a lot about it, because you were one of my best friends and there was no way in hell that I was gonna kick you out. But once she caught me drunk and confessing my feelings to you, I was trapped, yet again. I had to comply. And it wrecked me, completely. I drove Vanessa home that morning and we argued the whole way back to her house. This was when she told me the story about her shitty ex, that you later on found out was a lie. Speaking of, how did you find that out?" Clay had wondered that for most of the night, the Streamys had been a strange event and Clay stayed up the whole night just thinking.

"It wasn't hard," Quinn explained, "Once I found out her last name, I was able to look up her public records, now I couldn't find hospital records, because those are confidential, but I was able to find the police report that she filed about the car she stole. Vanessa would've been arrested if she hadn't gotten so hurt." She noticed Clay had tensed up when she mentioned Vanessa getting into a car accident, she reached out and rested her hand on his leg, "Sorry, I forgot."

"It's fine," he assured her, "Every time I wanted to leave Vanessa, something else happened and I felt so stuck. And then of course I was watching how incredible you were doing, and all I could wonder was if I held you back from that."

"I don't think you did," Quinn bit the inside of her cheek, "I just think that not being in the house gave me the ability to grow my content some more. I was able to reach out to people I didn't talk to a lot, it helped me grow as a content creator."

"Well, you grew beautifully," Clay admitted, "you were all I heard about, on Twitter, on Tik Tok, everyone was talking about you. I was so proud, but I couldn't do anything about it." He frowned at this.

"Clay, you were with Vanessa for a long time, surely you had to catch feelings for her," Quinn couldn't deny it, she wasn't gonna lie to herself, of course he had to feel something for her.

"After a while, I did. She was sweet, and the viewers liked her enough. My mom wasn't her biggest fan, but I think that's because she's been rooting for you and I. But yeah, I felt something for Vanessa, it's hard to explain it though, because it's nothing compared to how I feel about you," Clay locked eyes with Quinn, it seemed like they were finally getting to the good part.

"And how do you feel about me?" This was a frightening question. This was the moment that would make it or break it for Quinn.

"It's gonna sound so dorky coming out of my mouth," Clay's cheeks turned pink, "You make me feel alive, Quinn. And that's weird because of course, I'm alive, but you make me feel like everything that happened before you, didn't matter. Even from the moment I met you, it was like I was seeing the world with new eyes. You changed me, without even trying. I was so captivated by you, you're so confident and talented, I had to get to know you. And then I knew you and you were everything I had been missing."

Quinn thought she was going to cry. She was 99% sure that she was going to cry. Hearing this from Clay, hearing him honestly tell her how he felt, was so overwhelmingly good, it flooded her body and it made her want to pass out on the spot.

"Quinn, you are honestly the most amazing person I know. I had always hoped that I would get the chance to protect you, to make you feel safe and cared about, but then I found out how strong you were all on your own, and I knew you didn't need me. I realised how stupid I was, because it wasn't me who was protecting you, it was you protecting me. And it's so selfish of me to bring you here and tell you all this and hope that you'll just accept it, because I know you deserve to be with someone who never made you hurt the way that I did. And it's selfish of me to think that after everything maybe we can finally make things work, but I can't not be selfish right now," Clay was pouring his heart out, and Quinn was so shocked. She had always imagined having this moment, where someone would pour themselves out to her and she would know that she had fallen for them, but she never thought that it would happen on the couch of a house she lived in, with one of her best friends.

"I should've fought for you harder," Quinn said, swallowing, "There were so many moments that I could've told you the truth, and I could've changed everything. But I was so afraid," Quinn willed herself not to cry, even after hearing Clay speak, she was still afraid, "I couldn't let myself risk losing you. We were both idiots, Clay."

Clay had taken her hand at this point. It was such a tender moment, they had really connected, neither of them could doubt that the other had feelings for them. They were in the same boat.

"I thought if I prioritize my career, it would keep me from falling for you so hard. But I was so wrong. Clay I've never been more wrong about anything. I ran away because it was the only thing I could think to do," Quinn cupped Clay's cheek in her hand, "I can't run from you anymore. I don't want to. I don't care about what people think, I don't care about ruining our friendship, I can't risk losing you again."

"So what do you think we should do," Clay was hoping the answer was obvious enough, "I need you to know that whatever you decide, I'll agree with," he wanted her to be sure.

"I don't know how to start, but I know that I don't ever want to be jealous again. I don't ever want to see you with a girl as Twitter speculates if you're together or not. I don't want to know what your mom thinks about the girls you bring to meet her, because I don't want there to be other girls. I want it to be me, Clay. I just don't know what to say next," Quinn had gotten it off her chest, after months and months of thinking it, she had finally said it out loud. And God, it felt so good.

"Sometimes," Clay started, "you don't have to say anything at all."

And then he kissed her.

Feeling his lips against hers, Quinn knew that it was going to be okay. The first time they kissed, it was shy and there was so much that they had to learn, it was nothing like this.

Clay kissed Quinn like he was the only girl in the world. He held her so gently, one of his hands on the side of her face, his other holding against her waist.

Quinn was sure she died. She was dead and this is what heaven felt like. Her whole body was warm, and she was so in sync with Clay, there was no way this was real. She kissed him like she wouldn't be able to again, praying that this was the first of many.

When Clay stopped kissing her lips, he kissed every piece of skin that he could reach on her body. He kissed her cheeks, her nose, her forehead, her neck, her arms, her hands, Clay had her in his grasp, and he was determined to keep her forever.

Quinn was laughing, it was such a sweet thing, Clay was like a little kid with his affection, it was so pure and abundant. When he was done kissing her, he held her, laying back on the couch, just enjoying the feeling of finally having Quinn there.

Their legs tangled together, their bodies were pressed close, Quinn had laced her fingers in his, and was hiding her face in the crook of Clay's neck, this was the happiest she had felt in such a long time. She knew her face was red, and she could feel his heart beating almost out of his chest, this was real, and Quinn was so happy.

"I want you to be my girlfriend," Clay said, "But I want to ask you in a better way."

"Is there really a better way to do it?" Quinn didn't want anything too crazy, she didn't want Clay to feel like he had to make it up to Quinn.

"I was thinking about a nice date, flowers maybe? Unless you don't like flowers, because then I won't get you flowers, I'll get you something else," Clay was rambling.

"Clay, breathe. I think a nice date would be a good idea. As long as you're okay with me just melting in front of you," Quinn laughed a little, and felt him laugh a little too.

"Can we just stay here, forever?" Clay sighed, "I've waited so long for the opportunity to do this," Quinn could feel his fingers playing with her hair, she was sure that she would pass out.

"We could stay here forever," Quinn rationaled, "But then we wouldn't be able to do anything else, and I think that's just not fair."

"You should move back in," Clay stated, "Think about how much fun that would be."

Quinn kissed his jawline, "It would be fun, but I don't think it would be as great as you're thinking, at least not yet," She felt him sigh and continued speaking, "Plus I think there's something exciting about being able to invite you to stay the night after a date, if I moved back, it ruins the excitement."

"So would it be too forward if I asked you to stay tonight?" Clay thought aloud, a tease in his voice.

"I don't think so," Quinn smiled into Clay's skin, "As long as I get to stay with you."

"Oh it's cute that you think you would stay anywhere else," Clay blushed as he felt Quinn kiss his neck, could this get any better?

"I hope you don't plan on getting up soon," Quinn cuddled herself into Clay's chest, "because I'm exhausted from sleeping on the couch."

"Well, how about I do you one better," Clay offered, "but you might have to stand for just a second so I can get up."

"What? No," Quinn pouted, "What did you not get about 'I hope you don't plan on getting up anytime soon.'"

"Just trust me," Clay said. And Quinn stood up grumpily, "Jump," he instructed. It was something he had said to her before, when he hugged her goodbye, but this time, it wasn't the end, but the beginning of something great. Clay carried Quinn into his room. The cool air and the familiar room made Quinn hug him a little tighter.

"You lay down and take a nap, and I'll make lunch," Clay suggested, and Quinn wanted to pout. She wanted to take a nap with him. Luckily, Patches jumped up onto his bed. Clay nearly threw Quinn down, and she laughed, which made him laugh, and then they were both laughing, and Patches had taken advantage and rubbed her head against Quinn's ribcage, purring loudly.

"Someone missed me around," Quinn petted the cat fondly.

"She wasn't the only one," Clay watched as Quinn laid back in his bed, petting Patches and getting comfortable. He leaned over and kissed her forehead, "Get some rest."

"Okay," Quinn grumbled, "Kiss me?" She stuck her lips out like and pouted.

"You might be the death of me," Clay smiled before complying.

"You like it," Quinn persisted.

"I love it," Clay said, leaving his room, closing his door, and trying his hardest not to turn around and crawl in bed with her. He couldn't wait to tell his mom.