Sam set his bags down at the front door and turned towards his fiancé. She walked up to him with a smile on her face but the worry and pain in her expression was all too obvious.
"I'll be home in time for Christmas Britt."
He closed what little space was left between them and wrapped his arms around her. Sam was in the military and he was leaving for duty. This wasn't his first deployment and Brittany had been expecting this for a while now, but that didn't make it any easier.
"I know. Doesn't mean I won't miss you until then." She pulled away a bit and looked up at him. "Who's going to cheer me up with amazing impressions while you're over seas?"
He smiled down at her, "I think you'll live without those." She shrugged cutely and he placed a gentle kiss to her forehead.
Sam pulled away from her and reached into the pocket of his jeans. He held his hand out, fist clenched tightly and palm facing down. Brittany gave him a questioning look and he smiled gently back at her and nodded towards his hand. She played along and put her hand under his. When he opened his fist she felt something familiar fall into her palm. He kept his hand on hers, not breaking eye contact.
"I'll be back." Sam said in his best Arnold Schwarzenegger impression, causing Brittany to laugh and roll her eyes. He smiled and pulled her close to him again. Sam gently coaxed her to look up at him and he kissed her, trying hard to put everything he was feeling into that one kiss. Their last kiss until he would be home in December.
After they parted he picked up his bags and walked out of the apartment. There were no I love you's because they both knew that's what the kiss meant. There were no goodbyes.
Brittany looked down at the palm of her hand to see the beautiful shine of a new gold ring. This wasn't just an engagement ring Sam had given her to keep safe while he was away, it was a promise. A promise that he would be back for it, for her.
Before he got into the car that was waiting for him, Sam turned back to Brittany. She looked up at his bright, loving smile and smiled right back at him.
He blew her a kiss and sent her a wink, "See you later."
That was 2 years ago.
Brittany walked quickly through the brisk air that autumn brought to New York City. She was on a mission, a mission to avoid eye contact with anyone she recognized while she made her way back to her safe, warm apartment. Work had been the same as usual. She taught dance at a somewhat prestigious dance academy, one where people with too much money enrolled their bratty kids who didn't actually have an interest in dance. After a day of dealing with children, who were used to getting everything they wanted, and parents, who were used to the same thing, all Brittany wanted was to get home and relax.
She made it to the front of her building and hurried up the front steps. Mission accomplished, she thought to herself as she made her way to the stairwell.
She placed her hand on the door handle to her apartment. It was after 5pm on a Friday which meant only one thing. The door flew open without her turning the handle and she found one, Quinn Fabray standing in front of her. She wasn't surprised. She started rooming with her best friend a few months after she was told about Sam's disappearance. This was not Brittany's choice. She loved Quinn but she never wanted to admit she needed a roommate after what happened, even if it was her best friend. But after a particularly severe night and a trip to the hospital, Quinn convinced Brittany to move in with her.
"It's Friday." Quinn stated factually.
"Oh what do you know, it is!" Brittany gave her a thin smile that didn't last long, before squeezing past her to get into the apartment.
"So..." Quinn dragged out while following Brittany through the front room towards her bedroom, "we're supposed to go out for dinner."
"I wasn't involved in the decision to go out every Friday; you made that deal with yourself. So I hope you and yourself have a great evening."
Quinn frowned, no matter how long this new Brittany had been here she still couldn't get used to it. "You always put up a fight and then you end up enjoying the meal."
"Not true, I enjoy spending time with my best friend. The meal is usually terrible. You choose these fancy restaurants that we have to dress up to be at. They overcharge for portions that you would find on the kid's menu at a normal place. I don't even know where you get the money to go to these places! Aren't you a student?"
Quinn watched as Brittany pulled out her things, getting ready to shower. "You used to love dressing up."
"Do you have some secret escort job I should know about?" Brittany asked with a smirk, ignoring Quinn's indirect attempt to talk about what's really bothering her.
"Come on, we won't go somewhere fancy." Quinn offered Brittany a sincere smile and Brittany couldn't help but smile back.
She rolled her eyes, "Fine, but you're paying. I haven't got my pay cheque yet."
"Deal!" Quinn's smile grew as Brittany left the room to have her shower. She sat down on Brittany's bed and looked around the room. Her eyes fell to the nightstand where Brittany had left her jewelry, including a necklace with two golden rings on it. Quinn's smile faded. Ever since Sam disappeared Brittany had not been the same. She used to be a happy, bubbly person and it was rare to see her without a smile on her face. She was outgoing and curious; everything intrigued her and she was eager to learn new things. Now, even when she smiled, it was easy to see she wasn't happy. Nothing interested her anymore and she spent all of her time at work and in the apartment. Friday night dinners were Quinn's way to try to connect with the old Brittany. As the days went by and she still couldn't find what had made Brittany who she was before, she became more and more afraid that there was none of that Brittany left.
"Spotlight Diner?" Brittany read the sign out loud and followed Quinn in.
"Apparently the waiters and waitresses sing and dance and stuff." Quinn whispered over her shoulder, clearly excited about the prospect of a musical diner.
The man at the front of the diner showed them to their booth and they both settled down and started going through the menu.
Quinn looked over her menu towards Brittany, "I think I'll get the veggie burger, what about you?"
Brittany shrugged in response just before a waitress appeared at their side.
"Welcome to Spotlight Diner, I'm Santana and I'll be your waitress this evening. Can we start you off with some drinks?" Brittany looked up from her menu, drawn in by the tone of the woman's voice. She seemed... Bored? Weren't waitresses supposed to even just pretend they enjoyed their job? She looked at the woman standing beside them. She was fairly short, naturally tanned, and had beautiful black hair that was tied up into a wavy ponytail. Brittany couldn't help but wonder how her hair looked when it was down. The woman, Santana, looked towards Brittany, revealing her gorgeous brown eyes. She was stunning.
"Um..." Brittany couldn't stop staring into the brunettes eyes.
Quinn looked between the two and decided to cut in. "I'm Quinn this is Brittany." Santana slowly broke eye contact with Brittany and looked over to Quinn. "Water, please, for both of us." The Latina nodded.
"I'll be right back with your water."
Brittany went back to looking at her menu without a word, blocking her view of Quinn's smirking face.
Santana made her way back to the bar, prepared to fill two glasses of water, but very unprepared to go back and face her two new customers.
"Oo la la," Santana heard from behind her. She rolled her eyes and turned to face Rachel Berry. "Two attractive blondes, possibly on a date together?"
"Can it Berry." Santana scoffed and Rachel's jaw dropped as she pointed towards her name tag that clearly read Rachel. "Oh please."
"I'm just saying, they are clearly two attractive women and you are on the hunt. Well, at least you should be."
Santana turned around and started to fill two glasses of water. "They could just be friends. Besides, even if they are on a date, that means they're taken genius."
"You never know unless you try. Something you have clearly given up on."
"I've been with women since Dani." Santana replied as Rachel walked away.
"One night stands don't count." Rachel called back and Santana gave her an angry glare, before looking around to make sure nobody had heard. For once, the diner was somewhat empty and Santana couldn't feel more relieved.
She picked up the glasses of water and walked back towards the blondes.
"Here you go," she placed the glasses on the table, "are you ready to order your meals?"
"I'll have the veggie burger please."
Santana wrote Quinn's order in her notepad and looked to Brittany, who was already looking right at her.
"Get me whatever you would recommend." Santana looked at her with slightly squinted eyes. That was an odd request, and she wasn't sure what to order for the woman. What if she had a food allergy? Santana figured if Brittany had a food allergy then she wouldn't have ordered the way she had.
"Aren't you supposed to offer to perform or something?" Quinn asked the waitress.
Santana finally broke eye contact with Brittany to write down something in her notepad. "If people come in here and don't know the gimmick then I'm not going to inform them of it." She shrugged and held out her hand, silently asking for the menus.
Quinn raised an eyebrow at her and slowly handed her the menu. "Then why work in a place like this?"
Santana looked down at the menu and shook her head, "It's a job." She then turned to Brittany to find the blonde smiling at her and holding up the menu. Santana took the menu politely but didn't offer a smile in return. "I'll be back with your food ASAP." With that she turned around and left.
"What a terrible waitress. I won't be tipping highly." Quinn whispered and took a sip of her water.
"Terrible because she isn't pretending to be happy with her job?" Brittany shrugged. "Maybe she just isn't fake."
While they waited for their food Quinn started to tell Brittany about her day. Brittany tried to pay attention but she was too distracted by the beautiful Latina that was running around serving other guests.
"She doesn't smile."
Quinn looked up at her friend and sighed, realizing everything she had been saying was falling on deaf ears. "So? Like we said earlier, she hates her job."
"Right, but everyone smiles at some point. She talks to a lot of different people in a day, at least one has to make her smile."
Quinn tilted her head slightly, studying the way her friend watched the waitress. The old Brittany had always been interested in people. She knew what to say and when to say it. Maybe she hadn't been the best at understanding jokes or sarcasm but she had a natural ability to understand feelings. When she found someone she didn't instantly understand, she was drawn to them. Quinn hadn't seen this part of Brittany in approximately 2 years.
"What are your plans for Christmas?" Quinn asked her friend.
Brittany stopped watching the brunette and turned towards Quinn. "Thanksgiving just barely passed and you're thinking about Christmas?" She took a sip of her water in order to avoid eye contact.
"Yes." Quinn replied evenly. Brittany knew why Quinn was asking about Christmas and Quinn knew she was trying to avoid this conversation.
"I haven't thought about it yet, Q." Brittany responded honestly.
Just then Santana appeared beside them with a tray of food. She set Quinn's veggie burger down, followed by Brittany's mystery dish. Brittany looked down to find some sort of pasta with shrimp. She smiled.
"I love shrimp." She said looking up at Santana.
"Good, I figured you didn't have some sort of allergy or you would've told me about it." Quinn let out a stifled giggle and Santana glanced at her. "Or, at least, I'd hope so."
Brittany frowned at her food, "That would have been the smart thing to do I guess. I'm allergic to mushrooms."
Santana looked back at Quinn, hoping to find some sort of clue as to whether or not Brittany was joking, but she was no help. "Well, there's no mushrooms in there so you're good." Santana stated as she turned back to Brittany. The blonde smiled at her and Santana politely nodded again and walked back to the bar.
She reached the bar and sat across from Kurt, who was drying some dishes.
"Having fun with the ladies?" He questioned and waggled his eyebrows, earning him a glare from the Latina. "Which one?"
Santana's features softened but she didn't respond. She knew he was asking which one she would be interested in but she wasn't in the mood to play along with his addiction to match making.
"Is that even a question Kurt?" Rachel joined them at the bar. "I may not be into girls but even I can see that the shorter one is the one Santana would go for."
"The taller one does look a bit like a hot mess."
"Obviously."
Santana looked back towards the two blondes and blocked out the noise of her friends discussing her "type" of woman. Quinn was obviously more put together. She dressed classier and she had very proper mannerisms. Brittany dressed like she didn't care. Santana had caught Brittany staring at her a few times since they met and she figured Quinn wouldn't be caught dead staring at anyone. She couldn't deny it; they were both beautiful. Still, there was something about Brittany that intrigued her.
"Hello? Santana?"
Santana turned back towards her friends to find them looking at her expectantly.
"Which one would you go for?" Rachel asked excitedly.
"Just humour us." Kurt encouraged.
Santana sighed. No matter how much these two irked her, she couldn't dislike them. They didn't always get along but somehow they had become her best friends and her roommates. "The taller one, Brittany."
"You know her name?" Kurt asked as a smile found its' way to his face.
"Both of their names. Quinn, the shorter one, introduced them for some..."
"Hold on." Rachel interrupted. "You would go for Brittany? She looks like she hasn't slept in days. Not to mention, she seems incredibly uninterested in the conversation with Quinn. It's only polite to pay attention to your date."
Santana stood up, she'd had enough of this ridiculous conversation. "Don't be so quick to judge, Manhands. Maybe it isn't a date." She turned and walked away, leaving Rachel with her jaw hanging and eyebrows knit together in disbelief.
"Don't look so surprised." Kurt nudged Rachel's arm. "You know she means it with love."
The rest of dinner for Brittany and Quinn had gone relatively quietly. There wasn't much conversation and the silence was comfortable. They were used to being around each other and they didn't need words to appreciate the company.
"Hey, hope the food was good." Santana came to the table and picked up the empty plates.
"Fantastic. Thanks." Quinn offered her a friendly smile.
"Two bills or one?"
"Just one. It's my treat this time." Quinn smiled and winked at Brittany who smiled back.
Santana nodded and walked briskly towards Rachel at the bar. "Fine, you were right, it is a date."
As Santana got their bill, Brittany and Quinn started to get ready to leave. "You don't actually have to pay. I can afford a place like this."
"I want to pay. Like you said, these dinners are my idea anyway." Quinn assured her friend.
Santana brought them their bill, told them to go to the bar when they wanted to pay, and said her goodbyes.
"I'll just be a second B." Quinn told Brittany as she made her way to the bar. Brittany looked around the diner, trying to spot Santana. She saw her at the other end of the diner cleaning off another table. She wasn't sure why but she felt the need to talk to the Latina again. Brittany swiftly made her way through the diner and beside Santana.
"Thanks for the shrimp."
Santana jumped and turned to Brittany. "Jesus!"
"Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you."
"No it's fine. Um, you're welcome. I'm glad you liked it."
"Also," Brittany looked down at her hands, still embarrassed that she had not thought to notify Santana of her allergy earlier, "thanks for not killing me with mushrooms."
Santana let out a slight chuckle and Brittany lit up when she realized the woman was smiling. "Anytime you want to have dinner and not die from an allergic reaction, you know where to find me." Santana said while holding out her arms, gesturing to the diner.
"Great, I'm counting on it."
"Come on Britt." Quinn called from the doorway.
Brittany nodded to Quinn then turned back to Santana who was still smiling at her. "Bye Brittany."
Brittany's smile grew, "See you later Santana."
The blonde turned on her heel and walked out of the diner. Santana couldn't help but notice what Brittany had said, and more than that, what she had implied. That beautiful, mysterious blonde would be back, and Santana couldn't wait.