It was incredibly early. The sun had not risen, and the only people up were those who were especially anxious for their flight. Like Quinn and Clay. For the first time in a while, Quinn woke up alone in bed. It probably would have been smarter for them to stay with each other the night before, but Clay hadn't packed yet, and Quinn had some stuff to do at her apartment before she left.

She got out of bed quietly, noticing that the light was on in the kitchen. Clay must've used his key to get in. The suitcase that was once sitting on Quinn's floor, was now gone.

The light in the kitchen seems much brighter at 4 a.m.

"Good morning baby," Clay was already wide awake and ready to go, Quinn envied this as she yawned into his embrace.

"It's so early," Quinn pouted, she wanted something to eat.

"You can sleep on the plane, but you gotta get dressed or else we'll miss our flight," Clay was being overly affectionate and patient with a girl who was not a fan of mornings, "And if you get ready quick enough we can go get coffee on the way to the airport."

"Now we're speaking the same language," Quinn noticed Clay's outfit, he was in jeans and a t-shirt but he had a sweatshirt with him, most likely his way of preparing for the New York cold. His hair was also wet, meaning that he had woken up especially early to shower, "Did you even sleep?"

"Mhm, a little bit," Clay hummed, "Listen, your suitcase is in the car, and it's already running, so it'll be warm when you get in, I'll go wait for you." Clay kissed the top of Quinn's head, before walking out of the apartment.

Quinn yawned loudly, and tried to shake some of the tiredness out of her body. She wishes she had enough time to take a shower, but she knew that wasn't the case. So instead, she dressed quickly, wearing an outfit that was similar to Clay's, before doing a last minute sweep of anything she might want to bring in her carry on.

"You ready?" Clay said once Quinn was buckled into the passenger seat.

"Yes," Quinn was getting more excited, it had been a while since she had been anywhere else, and was excited to be going alone with Clay.

"Do you wanna stop and get coffee?" Clay offered, and Quinn declined saying that she would find somewhere at the airport, her nerves settling in.

"Let's get checked in for the flight and then we'll get something to eat," She decided, watching the cool January night go by in Clay's car window. The inside of the car was warm, and secluded from the outside world. In here, it was just Quinn and Clay, not the famous streamers, but the people. It felt safe. And as Clay's hand rested on Quinn's thigh, she knew that she was safe, that she would always be safe with him.

*****

Airports were a nightmare. It was actually one of the things that stressed Quinn out the most, because there was no sense of urgency, except for the parents who were running with their kids to make their flight. It was as if everyone was on their own time clock. Which was nice if you didn't have a flight to catch.

"Quinn, will you relax?" Clay was watching as she checked the time on her phone a few times, "We have so much time still."

"You're right," Quinn nodded, trying to quiet the anxious voice in her head. She slipped her hand into Clay's empty one as they waited in line for security. She was looking around the airport, seeing all the different types of people who were waiting at 5 in the morning with them.

There were so many kids who seemed to be falling asleep standing, Quinn was able to sympathize with them. As they inched forward in the line, Quinn could feel her body relaxing more and more, and she yawned.

"Just a little bit longer, and then you can sleep," Clay kissed the side of her head again as she leaned back into him.

What a pair they looked like. Clay was almost a whole head taller than Quinn, who was leaning against him like he was a wall, neither of them fully awake, but both so happy together that the drowsiness didn't matter.

As long as the line felt, the actual security scan was simple enough. And the two were able to get through without any trouble. From there, all they had to do was find the flight and board when called upon.

"We have an hour." Clay was adjusting the straps on his backpack, this was his carry on bag that had a few random objects in it.

"We can eat now," Quinn nodded at the places that were currently selling breakfast, "I'm hungry, plus when we land we have to find the hotel and stuff so I want to eat while we have the time."

The two wandered in front of all the different food places, trying to find something that was good enough to fill their stomachs before the flight. Quinn stopped in front of a McDonalds, "I think I want pancakes," she commented, scanning the menu.

"I might have to agree with you on that," Clay nodded, "I was gonna get a bagel, but the bagels in New York are so much better."

"Truth, I can't wait," Quinn said as she entered the McDonalds line with Clay by her side.

"Let me get it," Clay offered, "You bought the plane tickets."

"You can't keep using that, babe," Quinn laughed, letting him hand his card to the cashier, who looked way too awake for the time.

"I'll see how long I can get away with it," he winked, thanking the cashier and collecting the bag with the food. Quinn led him to a room with small tables, by a big window. As they sat down, they realized that the sun was beginning to rise.

"I always forget how pretty the sunrise is," Clay commented, quietly munching on his breakfast.

"That's because we're never up to see it," Quinn teased, for a moment giving herself the ability to just look at the sun.

"Are you excited?" Clay asked mindlessly.

"Oh I am absolutely pumped. I love New York, and I'm excited that we get to go together, like just the two of us," Quinn reached for her phone that was buzzing in her pocket. It was a text from Ellie wishing the both of them a safe flight.

"Do you wanna do anything touristy?" The last time they went to New York, Clay didn't really get a chance to tour the city, because he was so busy, but he knew that Quinn and the boys got a chance to see some of the sights.

"We have a whole week baby, we can do whatever you want," Quinn smiled at him, looking back at the sun that was now higher in the sky. She was excited for this trip, but not because she was going to New York with Clay, but because this was her chance to see what living with him would feel like. It is nice to have an apartment to herself, but it's almost counterproductive, paying rent on an apartment when there's a huge house that Clay lived in by himself now. Quinn was just worried that it was too soon, everything seemed to happen so fast, but it wasn't like she had just met Clay, she had known him for years. Still, she couldn't quiet the anxious voice.

"You look nervous," Clay pointed out, "Are you nervous to fly? Still?"

"A little," Quinn lied, "The idea of being up so high makes my head spin, just a little."

Clay checked his watch, their flight would soon be boarding, "Well, it's a good thing I'll be there with you, you done?" He offered to take her breakfast trash. And then, the two walked hand in hand to where the desk was, and waited for their seats to be called to board.

"I'm going to sleep on the plane, I'm warning you now," Quinn said to Clay.

"It's only like three hours," he refuted, but he had already accounted for the fact that Quinn was going to sleep.

"I know, but still, I always fall asleep on airplanes," Quinn could only really remember two other times that she flew, but she fell asleep both times.

When their seats were called, Quinn and Clay made their way onto the plane, hoping that no one on the plane was going to recognize them. They had been lucky thus far, but it was also still early.

The flight was easy enough, you probably could've guessed how it went. Quinn gave Clay the window seat, because she knew that she was going to be asleep, and sure enough when they were fifteen minutes in the air, she had fallen asleep on his shoulder. Clay of course took the opportunity to take many pictures, and tweeted one of them with the caption "in the air... and she's asleep. Only Quinn..."

Clay shook his girlfriend awake as they were about to land. It was the bumpiest part of the plane ride, which made Quinn hold tightly to Clay's hand, as he tried to distract her with the view outside of the small plane window.

It was exactly as Quinn had remembered. Even from inside the plane, Quinn could feel the energy buzzing from the city, tall buildings, loud cars, and so many people. She was so excited to be back.

Even the New York airport seemed so alive. It was more chaotic, but now that she didn't have a flight to catch, Quinn thrived in that energy. She was pulling on Clay's hand like a child, tugging the 6'3 man through the crowd as if he was the same size as Quinn.

"Baby, slow down, before I knock someone over," Clay put a momentary pause to Quinn's actions, however she simply shrugged and smiled.

"They'll live."

It was as if they were racing to get to their hotel room. They collected their bags and made their way outside, hailing a taxi, and checked in, like it was nothing.

"Clay," Quinn scolded, "The room is huge."

It was a gorgeous room, really. Clay insisted on booking the hotel room because Quinn bought the tickets, however she wasn't expecting him to book such a fancy room. A huge window, with a balcony looking over the city, a large bed in the center of the room, a bathroom with probably the nicest shower Quinn had ever seen, a closet that was much bigger than anyone would ever need, and a television that Quinn knew she wouldn't spend much time watching.

"I figured, because it's the first trip of many, we should spoil ourselves a little bit," Clay let go of his suitcase and crossed the room, pulling Quinn with him. He pulled her onto the balcony before facing her towards the city and hugging her from behind, "Plus I know how much you like to see New York at night."

"This was your Christmas present, why do I feel like I'm being spoiled here?" Quinn reached up and played with Clay's blonde hair, she was breathing in the moment.

"I know, I know, but you bought plane tickets to New York, I just wanted you to know that I appreciate you so much," Clay pressed a soft kiss against Quinn's neck, "We made it Quinn, we really did."

"We made it for sure."

The day stood still for them. It was cold, with the wind blowing fiercely, but the sun still shone against the city, giving it warmth and glow. Quinn watched the city, people hurrying down below, taxi's starting and stopping, billboards changing display, she couldn't get enough of the view. Clay watched Quinn, and he didn't want to look away.

"Are you hungry?" Quinn asked, tearing her eyes away, pretending that she didn't see Clay staring at her, "We can go get something to eat!"

"We can do whatever you want," Clay smiled, he was so excited to go around the city with Quinn, as her boyfriend, not just her roommate.

"No way," she crossed her arms, "Do you want something to eat? I refuse to make all the decisions on this trip."

And so it began. The pair bundled up, which really just meant putting hoodies on, before making their way downstairs, and outside, taking on the city air from ground level. They walked up the streets, hand in hand, smiling and conversing, and every once in a while stopping to take a picture with a fan who recognized them. It was weird, and was such a unique experience, Quinn didn't know if she would ever be able to replicate the feeling it left in her chest.

They found little things to pass by the time after they ate lunch at a small pizza shop, they entertained themselves by walking in stores and randomly stopping to look at items that neither of them needed. They took a taxi to a park and took in some of the fresh New York air, and even watched some children play at the park. It proved to be a long day.

By the time they made it back to the hotel, the sun was well set, and the stars began to peak out of the sky.

Clay stretched out on the bed when Quinn turned her back to unpack the last part of her suitcase.

"Clay, your shoes," Quinn scolded when she saw him laying out on his back with his arms tucked under his head, his shoes hitting the end of the mattress.

"Shit, my bad," he kicked his shoes off, letting them drop on the floor right beneath him. Quinn took a seat on the bed next to him, picking up the remote and flipping the TV on. Clay repositioned on the bed so that he was laying horizontally behind Quinn, kinda wrapped around her as she looked at the hotel's menu on the TV.

"They have a pool?" Quinn asked as if Clay knew the answer, "where the hell was that?"

"Uh, according to the hotel guide," Clay pointed, "to the left of the lobby, it's like an inside pool."

"We should go swimming," the guide said that the pool was open all night, "that would be fun."

"Yeah..." Clay agreed, "Except we didn't bring bathing suits, because it's January, and New York."

"Like that's a problem," Quinn scoffed, "we can just wear underwear, it all looks the same."

Before Clay could say anything else, his phone started buzzing in his pocket, so he sat up and pulled it out to reveal an incoming FaceTime call from his mom. He answered it with a smile.

Quinn scooted closer to him as the FaceTime loaded, catching both of them in frame.

"Mom, hi!" Clay smiled, snaking one arm around Quinn.

"There's my kids, look at you two! How was the flight?" His mom was probably Quinn's third favorite person on the planet, besides Clay and Ellie, respectively.

"The flight was good! Quinn slept the whole time," Clay teased.

"I did," Quinn owned up to it, "Our flight was so early, and someone was in my house at 4am this morning."

"We were on time, weren't we?" Clay shot back, in friendly banter.

"How's the room?" His mom asked many questions like this, including asking about the day they spent, the food they ate, what they were planning to do the rest of the week, it was nice to hear from someone who cared.

"Okay, well, I'll let you guys get back to it!" His mom said goodbye, wishing them a safe night, and promising to call them again tomorrow at some point.

"She's so funny," Clay said, throwing his phone down onto the bed, using both arms to pull Quinn into his lap.

"She's so sweet," Quinn countered, "I'm glad she called to check up on us, that's not something I get often."

"She calls me all the time," Clay rested his head on Quinn's shoulder, "I can give her your number and let her call you more. She would love that."

Quinn rolled her eyes, "Your mom has my number idiot. But she doesn't call me all the time because you're her son."

"Don't even," Clay said, "you heard her, she said 'there are my kids.' Plural. The both of us. I am so telling her to call you all the time now."

"Do it then," Quinn rested her hands in her lap, "I will answer her all the time. But don't get butthurt when we bond."

"Quinn, I would love for you and my mom to bond. Be my freaking guest, be her best friend, my sister and I could use a break," Clay teased, before letting his voice settle on a more serious note, "but for real, she loves you, like actually cares about you so much. And I think she's over excited about the fact that we're together, because she's been betting on us since day one."

"Her and me both," Quinn smirked, "Now come on, let's go swimming."

The pool took a little bit to find, it was certainly well hidden down a hallway. But to their surprise, no one else was in the pool, meaning that they had the whole place to themselves. So they stripped down to their undergarments, (Quinn wearing a basic black bra and panties, the closest thing that resembled a bathing suit, and Clay wearing plaid boxers,). Before she could make the decision to get in the pool herself, Clay picked Quinn up despite her protests and jumped in the pool, with her in his arms.

This caused Quinn to chase him around the pool, laughing at how cold the water was. They swam, racing each other, chasing each other, and just enjoying the peace and quiet for a while. That was until Quinn could not hold back her shiver, and she swam to the steps trying to convince Clay to go in the hot tub with her.

"But it's gonna make me so tired," he whined.

"It's already 10," Quinn pointed out, "it's not like we have to be up for much longer, come on," Quinn was standing at the edge with her hand outstretched for him to grab, as he was trying his hardest not to just stare at Quinn as she was dripping onto the pool deck.

"Alright, fine, we can go sit in the hot tub, but if you fall asleep, I am not carrying you upstairs," Clay took her hand, getting out of the pool himself, and letting her drag him into the hot tub, the warm water sending a shock up his body upon contact.

Quinn sighed as she settled into the water, sitting down across from Clay.

"You know, it is just us in here," Quinn had a devilish look in her eyes, "You can come closer to me."

Clay smirked, no way was this actually happening, he dreamed about this one time but never thought it would come true. He must've waited too long, because Quinn took it upon herself to swim across the hot tub and sit in his lap.

"Hi baby," Clay mumbled, his brain a little too fuzzy for Quinn to be so close.

"Hi handsome," Quinn kissed his cheek, she had goosebumps on her body from the warm water, and Clay was able to feel this as he rested his hand on Quinn's thigh.

She was sitting on his lap sideways, her left shoulder against his chest, her face turned towards Clay, they were nose to nose. All it would take was a centimeter and their lips would touch, but there was so much tension, neither of them wanted to move.

Everything up until this point had felt watched, their relationship was surrounded by friends and family, and of course their jobs. It hadn't settled in how real this was, how raw their affection towards each other was.

"Clay," Quinn's voice was barely audible, and she wasn't even sure that he heard at first.

"Yeah?" Clay's heart was beating out of his chest. Quinn was his girlfriend, he had kissed her many times, so why did this feel so different? He was hoping that she didn't notice the way his chest rose and fell with his breathing.

It was silent for a moment, and Clay shifted his hands underwater, twisting Quinn so that she was facing him for real, his hands settled on her waist, and he waited for her to say something, anything. He wanted to explore this feeling in his chest, he wanted to follow it and see where it took them as a couple.

"Clay, I love you," Quinn mumbled, connecting their lips, finally.

The words were familiar to their ears, when Clay said it on New Years Eve, both of them bubbly in a drunken haze, they were happy. The feeling was all real, and it meant something, but when Quinn said it like it was just for his ears, there was a new weight to the words.