Brittany's absolute favorite part of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was the cheshire cat. Well, duh, cats were the best animal, and cats that smiled and disappeared into thin air were not only the best, but they were magical. And Brittany loved magic. It's one of the main reasons she found herself reading the book so often, and when she sat down at her favorite coffee spot since moving to New York (okay, so it was the only one she'd gone into yet), she was so happy that she would finally be at the part when the cat made his appearance. And disappearance… And reappearance…
Taking a sip of her hot chocolate, Brittany grinned and flipped a page in the book. But today, for some reason, she just couldn't get into the story as much as she usually did. She had a deadline tomorrow at The Village Voice about some VMA performance, and Brittany hadn't even started. Being honest, Brittany hadn't even watched the VMAs this year, and she didn't know how she was going to talk about Justin Timberlake's performance when she hadn't seen it. Sighing in frustration, Brittany closed her book and looked up and around the cafe.
The people in New York were so much quicker than those back home. They rushed, they pushed, they didn't even smile. As Brittany looked around however she saw someone standing still, and she immediately caught her eye. Not only that, but the woman was looking directly at Brittany. Awkwardly, Brittany adverted her gaze down to her lap. What had that even been about?
Santana caught the blonde staring back at her and she quickly looked down, embarrassed. 'What are you doing, Santana?' she thought. 'She probably thinks you're a stalker or something.' She grabbed her latte and strutted over to the woman. Surprised, the blonde bulged her eyes and almost choked on her hot chocolate. The closer she got, the more she realized how attractive the blonde was. 'You're an adventurous girl,' she thought. 'Isn't now the time to take chances? Just be a friend to her..' "Um, hello. I'm sorry you probably think I'm a stalker or something for staring at you for at least 5 minutes and I apologize. I saw you reading over here, sipping your drink, and I was distracted. You look lonely, so I thought you could use someone to talk to.." Santana said with little to no confidence. Which was strange because usually, she would flirt right away and ask for her number. But, this girl was different.After a moment, when Brittany was sure that the woman had looked away, she glanced over, this time super discreetly. Only to her surprise, the woman was walking in her direction. Oh god, Brittany thought. It was probably her co-worker. She had met so many in the last couple weeks, she couldn't keep track of them all, and she definitely didn't recognize this woman. Deciding to just pretend she knew her, Brittany forced a tight-lipped, but friendly smile, and watched as she walked over.
Up close though, Brittany was sure she had never seen the woman before. She was… gorgeous to say the least. That was a face she would have surely remembered, even in a bustling city like New York. When she spoke, Brittany listened intently, confused by why she had approached her. When she had finished however, Brittany was speechless. People weren't this friendly in NYC, at least not from what she'd met so far. Maybe someone from her hometown might say something like that, but it'd been months since she'd been there, and Brittany had almost forgotten how to respond to friendly conversation.
"I… I didn't think you were a stalker," Brittany eventually shook her head, not sure where she was going with this. "I actually thought you were someone I worked with. Wait, you don't work at the Village Voice, do you?"
As Santana stood by the blonde's table, she really had no idea what overtook her. It was like, there was a magnetic pull between her and the stranger and she just couldn't stop herself from making her way towards her. She hoped that the woman wouldn't think she was a creep or anything by approaching her just like that. Her intentions were nothing but good. Santana just had to talk to her before she left the cafe or else she wouldn't forgive herself. The corners of her lips slowly lifted up as she smiled down at the blonde as she greeted her, her heartbeat quickening simultaneously.
Santana gulped soundly, biting her bottom lip slightly. The blonde really was pretty - like, she was pretty from afar but as soon as Santana got to stand in front of her face to face, wow, was she beautiful. The Latina didn't have much trouble entertaining people - she did it for a living. She never really was required to talk to the people she entertained or whatever though. And now, she was going to make the first move on actually attempting to talk to someone - not a customer but it's the same she knew herself that she didn't have the best friend-making skills, she was willing to take the risk this one time. She was a daredevil. She's willing to take a chance. Even though every person she attempted to make friends with left her mid-air because she had too much baggage. Too many demons. Not one of them stayed too long. She found it hard enough to make friends. How much harder would it be to keep them?
The Latina smiled at the girl's reply, letting out a little chuckle of her own. "Good." she sighed out softly in relief. Though the girl didn't look too eager in her approach, at least the blonde was entertaining her and didn't brush her away or anything. "Uh,no. I sing at a small club in Brooklyn. Nothing big but it pays my rent." she shrugged and offered the blonde her hand. "I'm Santana, by the way. And you are..?"
Brittany's face tensed up as she squinted and smiled, extending her arm. "I'm Brittany, but you can call me Britt," she shook the brunette's hand for an awkwardly 2 minutes. Brittany relaxed back into her seat and motioned for Santana to join her. "Yes, I work at the Village Voice as an intern. I'm a writer, well aspire to be one," she took a gulp from her coffee cup and set it down firmly. "However, I am a bit curious. You said you perform? Where?"
Brittany felt like she shouldn't have asked. If she knew anything, it was that people don't like giving away personal activities to strangers. What if she was a stripper? I mean-with that body she might as well be. Or a go-go dancer? It really wouldn't matter to her, as long as she kept Brittany away from that world. Back home in Georgia, her father would bring home prostitutes and strippers to screw when she was sleeping. She and her brothers tried to ignore it and there's only so many times a kid can ask, "Is she my new mommy?"
"Uh, ok, Britt." Santana smiled and accepted the blonde's hand, shaking her hand slightly. "I don't have a nickname for my awkwardly long name, sorry." she said sheepishly, taking her hand back after realizing that she's been shaking it for far too long. Her eyes widened slightly as the blonde carried on on talking about occupations, holding back the giddy feeling of accomplishment. She got the girl talking to her. That's a good enough accomplishment considering Santana's not good at that stuff at all. "Oh, a writer. That's interesting." The Latina responded to Brittany's invitation and sat on the seat across from her before crossing her long, tanned legs. "I don't read a lot of newspapers or articles so i wouldn't know about that stuff." she said ,scrunching up her nose slightly. "But it sounds super cool though. I bet you're really good at what you do." Santana smiled, fiddling with her empty cup. "Yeah, I perform." the Latina sat back on her chair, nodding slightly. She leaned forward slightly as if she was going to tell a secret and cupped a hand around her mouth, whispering softly. "Don't tell anyone but I work as a cage dancer in this strip club in The Bronx." She kept a straight face for a while before letting out a chuckle, shaking her head slightly. "Nah, I'm kidding." she leaned back to her seat, biting her bottom lip. "I'm actually a cabaret singer in this small bar in Manhattan." she shrugged a bit before crossing her arms. "It's a pretty chill place. Apart from the occasional pervs who keep ogling at me whenever I'm onstage." she said in disgust. "Tell me more about your job- No, actually. Tell me more about you." Santana stopped herself form saying anything more, realising that that just sounded really weird. "I know it may seem really creepy.. but you intrigue me, Brittany."she smiled slightly, looking towards the blonde in front of her. "I think we'll be great friends.""I intrigue you?" Brittany giggled and placed her hands in her lap. "Well, I have to say that you intrigue me as well." It was true. There was something mysterious and confusing about the woman. It was clear she was a discreet type of person, that kept her feelings and emotions out of relationships and conversations. Brittany hoped that they would become best friends. She could use a friend right now.
"My life. My life is-confusing. Where should I start? I was born and raised in a little town in Georgia. I lived with my two brothers, my dad, and my mom. My mom died of cancer when I was about 10 and my brothers were about 6 and 7. After that, my dad took up drinking as a hobby. He would drink day and night, non-stop. When he felt like it, he would slap us, kick us, treat us like his punching bags basically. I was also sexually abused. When I was 16, I got the hell out of there and never looked back. Hitchhiking wasn't the safest way of transportation but it got me here. And now I'm an intern at one of the best newspapers in the city." Brittany took a deep breath, regaining the air in her lungs.
Santana beamed widely as Brittany voiced out that she intrigued her as well, feeling the pride of being able to keep a conversation going without being awkward or whatever. For some reason, she felt at ease with Brittany. It was a nice feeling - certainly a nice change from her past encounters with strangers. She liked the way Brittany was approachable and she certainly wasn't the type of person who'd judge her because of her past. She honestly did think that they would get along really well with each other. Like they balanced each other out in terms of personality and attitude. It was great. Santana felt great. Now, to actually be able to keep this friendship for the long run. The Latina listened silently as Brittany told her the story of her life, her eyes widening slightly as she didn't expect for the blonde to just open up to her like that - especially with the situation with her father. It all sounded so horrible and it definitely hit close to home considering she didn't have an awesome childhood either. She reached out to gently place a hand over Brittany's, hoping that she wasn't overstepping her boundaries or anything, and squeezed her hand gently in an attempt to comfort her, letting out a sigh after hearing the very vague but basic story of the blonde's life. "You didn't have to tell me all that stuff, Britt. It must've been hard for you." she murmured softly under her breath, her dark brown eyes lifting up to look into light blue orbs.Brittany gasped as she reached for her hand. After a few seconds, she squeezed back, feeling comfort in the grasp. "It wasn't that hard. I tell my story to everyone. It's just-sometimes…I have trouble trusting people. You, know? I've been hurt so many times my body is kind of numb to everything. It takes a lot to break my walls," Brittany sighed.
Brittany got up from her seat and grabbed a spare napkin on the table and scribbled down some numbers. "I have to go, my boss is making me work at noon. But, when you get a chance, call me."