If Santana had to frost one more cupcake she was going to kill someone.
She had been working since eight that morning; it was now seven thirty at night. She cursed herself for covering a co-workers shift. She was beyond tired and achy, and at this point she thought that if a customer were to walk in she would be downright mean.
Her boss had left an hour and a half ago to go to a dinner party, leaving her the only working staff in the little shop. Santana began to contemplate closing early when she noticed someone sitting on one of the benches outside the shop.
"What the hell..." Santana muttered. It was the middle of January in New York City. It had started snowing lightly the previous night and it still hasn't stopped. So why the hell would someone just be sitting outside in the freezing cold? Santana strained her eyes to get a closer look at the person; they almost seemed like a familiar face.
Then it clicked.
"Oh my god..."
Santana yanked off her apron and grabbed her coat as she started towards the door. She knew she recognized the face of the shivering person outside the shop. It was Rachel Berry. She was an off broadway star, though Santana hadn't seen her in anything for awhile. Santana had always been a huge fan of her work, and used to go to many of her plays. Rachel was also a faithful customer at Coffee and Cupcakes, which happened to be the shop at which Santana was working, and had worked at for three years. So as Santana opened the door and approached the trembling actress she couldn't fathom why the she was sitting out in the snow.
"Excuse me?" Santana hissed into the cold air. "Are you gonna sit out here in the cold, or are you going to come inside?"
Rachel slowly turned to look at Santana. Her clothes and skin were filthy, covered in dirt and grime. Her teeth were chattering, and her eyes were watering. It was one of the most pitiful sights Santana had ever seen. With a quivering breath Rachel began to speak.
"I would feel rude if I just sat inside; I can't buy anything."
Her voice was raspy and weak. So much so Santana couldn't almost hear her when she spoke. Rachel turned away from Santana, thinking that was the end of the conversation, and began to curl in on herself to preserve warmth.
But Santana was not finished.
"Um, no. I'm not going to let you sit outside and get hypothermia- that is if you don't already have it." She reached down to grab Rachel's elbow to pull her from the bench. "Come on inside, I'll make you something warm."
Rachel looked as if she were about to protest, but Santana dragged her in anyways. Once they were inside Santana stopped at one of the plush couches and shot a look towards the freezing girl. "Sit."
Rachel was obedient. Santana took off her own jacket and wrapped it around Rachel's shoulders to try and stop her shaking. Santana didn't know how long this poor girl had been out in the cold, but she knew she had to warm her up. She jumped behind the counter and began working.
"Now, you've come in here so many times I practically have your order memorized. You're not a coffee person, so you usually ask for a green-tea, and then for a banana-nut muffin-" Santana spoke as she pulled out a cup and a plate. Rachel was watching Santana with steady eyes, but she still couldn't control her shivering. Santana continued, "But, I noticed that if you come in and you're particularly cheery, your order is different. You ask for a chai-tea with extra whip cream, and a red velvet cupcake."
"How do you..." Rachel began to ask.
Santana looked up from the counter and smiled at her. "I have a good memory. Here." She walked around from the counter and sat next to Rachel on the couch. She placed a steaming cup of chai tea and a red velvet cupcake on the table in front of her. "And don't worry about paying; it's on the house."
Rachel looked from the table to Santana a few times before she timidly wrapped her still gloved hands around the cup of tea. "I didn't make it too hot, though. I didn't want you to go into shock or anything." Santana pointed out as Rachel continued to warm her hands on the cup. Rachel nodded and licked her chapped lips.
"Thank you." Rachel rasped out before she took her first sip. As she drank Santana could almost see some color going back into Rachel's cheeks. Satisfied, Santana got up from the couch and began cleaning up the shop, continuing with her plan to lock up early. She would sneak glances at Rachel who still hadn't touched her cupcake, but was gulping down the tea. She had no idea what had happened to the actress; how she ended up freezing and alone outside of a little cupcake shop. Once she was done sweeping she stowed away the broom and walked over to the couch again.
"Can I ask you a question?" Santana started, uneasy. "What happened? I mean, I'm a big fan of yours. I've been to so many of your plays..." Santana stopped when she saw a single tear begin to fall down Rachel's cheek.
"I-I..." Rachel stuttered, trying to hold in sobs. Then she broke. Rachel had put the cup down on the table and had collapsed in on herself, shaking with cold and cries. At first Santana watched the girl break down, unsure of what to do. Then she reached out and began rubbing soothing circles into Rachel's back.
The words came out of Santana's mouth before her brain even processed them.
"It's gonna be okay. I'll make sure you're okay."
0~0~0
Santana looked at Rachel as she slept in her bed. She couldn't just leave her. Not once Rachel had told her what happened.
The theater company Rachel had been a part and a founder of went bankrupt. Many of the actors and actresses, including Rachel's best friend and roommate, packed up and moved away from the city. Rachel stayed, assuming that she would be able to work something out. What she hadn't been expecting was that she would actually become homeless. For three weeks Rachel slept in subway stations, at bus stops, on bridges, or anywhere where she could possibly keep warm for the night. Three weeks she went without a shower. Three weeks she went without a proper meal. Three weeks she went without a bed to sleep in. Three weeks doesn't sound like a long time, but when you're fighting the biting winter of New York, three weeks can seem like a lifetime.
When Rachel had tried to thank Santana and leave Coffee and Cupcakes, Santana rolled her eyes. "You really think I'm just going to let you walk out that door right now, knowing you have no place to go?"
Now Rachel was sleeping in Santana's bed. Santana can't remember the last time she had a girl in her bed. She had had her partying days when she first came to the city four years ago, but she was well-rounded now. A working class woman. But as she saw Rachel sleeping soundly in her bed, she couldn't help but feel a little flicker of desire in her. But that fire was quickly diminished whenever Santana would remember how malnourished and, well, sick Rachel was at the moment. First thing tomorrow Santana was taking Rachel to a doctor to make sure she didn't have pneumonia. Even now as Rachel slept she was shivering, despite the mountains of blankets Santana had piled on top of her.
Santana collapsed onto her couch and looked around her apartment. It wasn't much; just a studio apartment. There was a bed in the corner, which is where Rachel currently slept. On the opposite wall was the couch where Santana was sitting. Then there was a small kitchen area with a little table. Santana was lucky enough to have her own bathroom as well, and not have to share one with the other residents on her floor. She didn't live with any roommates, or pets. She lived on her own.
It was small, but quaint. She had bookshelves lined with cookbooks and handed-down recipes. There was an old piano by the window (which takes up most space on the wall). Santana isn't very good herself, but the piano was her grandmother's and she had left it to Santana when she died. So for now it sat collecting dust. She had no television, she never really saw the need. On the coffee table sat a vinyl record player, and on a shelf underneath the table was where she stored her numerous amount of records.
Yes, quaint. Santana felt at home here. But she couldn't shake the feeling of comfort she felt because there was another person sleeping across the room from her. And not just any person, but Rachel Berry.