Impractical (1)

10

Month after month, she felt trapped. On and off, why couldn't she commit to him? Fear. Anxiety. She couldn't adhere to his strict rules of being in a relationship, but she felt obligated to be with him. She cared for him, she did - She just couldn't tell how much. There was a barrier blocking her way, standing between them.

"Brian," She called as she opened the door. A forced smile pulled at her lips as his eyes scanned her features, "What are you doing here?" She asked, adding, "Where are the guys?"

"I thought they were here," He mentioned, motioning to the stack of cars in the driveway, "I thought you may have thrown a party without me."

"You know you'd be first on the invite list, Quinn." She hummed, her eyes falling to look at his lips for a quick moment before she took a deep breath and faced the ground, "Those are just some distant relatives from my mother's side of the family."

"Are you alright?" He asked, a light chuckle escaping his lips as his hand lifted her chin to face him, "You seem stressed."

"I'm always stressed, Quinn, you should know that by now."

"How are things between you and Sal?" He asked, his words hesitant to roll from his tongue.

She could hear the hesitation in his voice as he spoke, and his eyes followed her as she stepped outside, "We broke up," She told him, crossing her arms against her chest, sighing, "Again."

He didn't know what to say. Her unhappiness didn't make him any happier, but her displeasure with Sal made him eager for information - He wanted a chance with her, but Sal was so indecisive.

"It's ridiculous!" She exclaimed after a moment, stomping toward the swing that sat in her front yard, "He won't make up his mind, meanwhile I'm stuck waiting because he will come crawling back expecting for everything to fall back into place."

"Is that what you want?"

She slumped down in the seat, resting her elbows on her thighs and propping her chin in her palms. She looked up, regretting the moment she met his eyes. He watched as she paused for a moment before turning back to face the grass, "I've been with him so long, not being with him will make everything uncomfortable."

After all the time she had given to him, it felt more like a chore. She cared about him and felt connected to him, but she felt guilty.

"You can't trap yourself in a bad relationship because you're afraid of the discomfort that will result from it," Quinn told her, leaning back and placing his arm around the back of the swing. She noticed and leaned back to let his hand drape over her left shoulder, "I mean, you told me you broke up, and that means you're free to do what you choose." He quickly leaned forward, pulling his arm back into his lap and angling his body toward her, "I think you should choose to come to my place and watch a movie." She snapped to look in his direction, her eyes wide. He smiled, telling her happily, "I'll order a pizza."

They walked around the corner and down the street, entering the large house, "Where are your parents?" She asked him as she fell to sit on the living room couch, grabbing the remote from the coffee table, "I wasn't informed that we would be alone."

"I didn't think it would be a problem," He smirked at her as he fell onto the couch, letting his head fall into her lap, "They are on vacation." He looked up at her and she twisted her fingers through his hair - It was so soft.