Ellipsis

Part One

Seven long years of trials and tribulations had implanted a seed of hostility and one of bitterness in Dani Walker's heart. Once with big dreams and aspirations of studying marine biology and spending her days swimming around with some of the greatest fish known to man, she had little to show for them. At 25, Dani was without a degree at all, in fact a struggling waitress by day and an under qualified gym trainer by night. It wasn't three years earlier that she had saved enough to acquire a monthly gym membership. Working out freed her mind, body and soul of all of its pent up frustrations, frustrations brought on by a stressful work and home life and also a result of years without the love of another. She worked out so furiously and passionately that a gym trainer working there at the time, Albie, had suggested that she try motivating some of the people trying out their 'get fit, not fat' programmes and to this day, she still found herself showing up every evening to work out with them. As payment, they gifted her with a free, forever gym pass and $50 a week, barely enough for the services she offered but she wasn't one to complain.

One thing about Dani is that she isn't exactly one for company. Sure, she used to enjoy partying and surrounding herself with her friends. However, they had dwindled over the years, moving on and moving away and it seemed as though she had become the forgotten one. Years that lacked much social interaction had turned her into what one would describe as a recluse and without a doubt, Dani Walker had become the most unapproachable person you could ever meet.

That's why, on the 8th of August when a group of forgotten faces had walked into the Abacus bar and restaurant, she had harmlessly handed her section over to another and continued her shift in peace. Sure, her eyes had wandered now and again over to the group of adults that she remembered from high school, the sound of them laughing triggering a feeling of emptiness in her heart. Emptiness was something that Dani believed she had left in her past when she'd become content with being alone, but it seemed as though the familiar feeling was easily resurrected. She wondered why they were all here at once, in her city. Over the years she had, had run ins with people from school countless times, but never all at once. And never her.

She was nearing the end of her shift, killing time by collecting empty glasses and serving when she bumped into her. The years had served her well. The baby face that she had once known was missing but she looked pretty much the exact same. Perhaps she was a little taller and her hair a little longer but aside from that, her honey brown eyes and supple lips were just as she remembered and had imagined since.

'Sorry' she mumbled, expressionless. She moved out of the girls way and dodged her, walking away without so much as a word of acknowledgement. Thrusting the glasses into the dishwasher out back, she returned and the girl was gone, sitting with her friends once more.

'Dani, table 6 wants you.' someone called out from her previous section, ahh, the girl she had swapped with.

'Table 6 isn't in my section' she stated simply, turning away.

'And? They asked for you, I'm clocking off now anyway so you've got to take over.' the petite girl she'd never really spoken to before mentioned.

Right. Of course, that would have to happen now.

She took a deep breath and walked to table six, the table that was occupied by the people from her past. She pulled out the pad of paper and the pen from her mandatory, uniform fanny pack.

'How can i help you?' she asked bluntly, refusing to make eye contact with them. She stared so deep into the empty paper that within seconds she was sure that she could read her history essays from seven years prior on it, she could also see her lips and her hair and her honey brown eyes. Her head snapped up in time for one of them to speak up.

'It's Dani, isn't it? Dani Walker...' a guy asked, she looked at him for the smallest of seconds, milliseconds or whatever and offered a small nod. It was Puckerman, Noah. She'd hated him with a passion in high school but without the stupid mohawk he looked easier to tolerate.

'Yessss, i remember... You went to high school with us, wow, i haven't seen you in years.' he remarked, the rest of the table was looking at her intently. Rachel Berry, Kurt Hummel, Blaine Anderson, Quinn Fabray, Santana Lopez. They all looked the same, plus a few years.

'I know I did, what can i get for you today?' Dani asked impatiently, twiddling the pen around her fingers before preparing to write.

'Well, nothing really... We just wanted to see that it was really you' Noah admitted, Dani huffed.

'Well it is, and if you don't mind i have to get back to work.' One last glance in her direction and she was off, walking towards another table. She was looking back, of course she was.

High school had been a difficult time for Dani. She battled with identifying herself and identifying her sexuality. She hadn't dated at all in high school, knowing within her own mind that she possessed a stronger attraction to women than men but afraid of the ridicule and discrimination that she would receive for it to the point that she kept her mouth shut and said or did nothing. Santana Lopez was the only out and proud gay person that she knew of at the time and even she wasn't as 'out and proud' as some would suggest. She had been caught making out with a girl in the basement and all hell broke loose, whilst her parents were fine with it, her peers were not. Lucky for her, Santana Lopez was the kind of girl that didn't give much consideration to what others thought of her and as a result, the torment she received had no effect on her whatsoever. Dani, at the time didn't know whether she was supposed to look upon her as an icon, i mean, she just carried herself and her sexuality so well, who wouldn't aspire to be just like her? Well quite frankly, it was all lies. Almost inevitably, Dani had developed a physical attraction to the girl as soon as she heard of her love of the same sex. It wasn't so much a crush, but Dani became aware of her, absolutely everywhere and she shamelessly watched her body at any opportunity. Santana and Dani hadn't been friends by a long stretch. They didn't fit into one anothers lives at all until that one fateful day that changed Dani's life forever.

The only class that Dani and Santana had together was gym class. Dani didn't mind because it meant that she got to watch the other girl in that short skort that complimented her ass perfectly. The shorts part was not visible at all and Dani often found herself imagining what was beneath the pleated red skirt. Well obviously she knew what was there but she wanted to experience it firsthand. She remembered the day as if it was only yesterday. She'd stepped onto the field, late only to see Santana Lopez leaning against the wall wearing her skirt and the smallest sports bra she had ever seen. She was sure that Santana ought to be put in detention for being so indecent but she would be lying if she didn't admit to thinking about everything she could possibly do to that beautiful body. Her attire exposed her toned abs and emphasised her large, round chest. Her eyes stared for too long and she tore them away and down to her long, slender legs. She thought about them wrapped around her head whilst she perched herself between them, her tongue working at her slowly. Slow and steady wins the race. SNAP OUT OF IT. Present Dani was warring with past Dani, she didn't wish to relive anymore of the gruesome tale.

'I see you over there, checking me out, Walker.' Santana Lopez smirked, raising her eyebrow.

Dani's eyes snapped up to meet Santana's, 'Um, no i wasn't.' she lied.

'Hmm' Santana said simply, moving towards her. She took her hand, leading her away from the field and back into the locker room, sitting her down and perching on top of her lap. 'You see, at this point i don't really care if you were looking at me or not.' she admitted, stroking Dani's jet black hair away from her face. 'I kinda haven't gotten any in a while and i feel like you might be able to help me with that.' she stated, rather than asked. Dani just kept her eyes on Santana's, not replying, agreeing, disagreeing- just looking, gulping, swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat. Santana stood up and took her hand again, leading her towards the showers and locking the door shut. She said no more, pushing Dani down until she was flat on the ground. In a swift movement she removed her skirt and sat on her knees beside Dani. She smiled, pecking her lips briefly. Dani's eyes were wide and unknowing. The Latina had risen on to her knees, positioning her naked centre above Dani's face. She gulped again. 'Don't be shy' Santana said, offering the words of encouragement as she lowered herself closer to Dani's mouth. In seconds, Dani's tongue had tentatively reached out, licking up Santana's slit, absolutely no idea what she was doing. The action didn't gain the desired reaction from Santana so Dani moved her attention to her clit- the pinnacle of sexual stimulation for a women she had once read. She enclosed her lips around it, hesitantly sucking it into her mouth. She was rewarded with a moan from Santana. She continued, her tongue probing into her wherever it could, looking for a reaction. Sometimes, Santana would grumble impatiently, others she would moan quietly, indicating that Dani was doing something right. She continued, her tongue sliding into her, thrusting in and out. It was probably sloppy, she knew it and it took longer than she expected it should for Santana to reach her climax. When she did she climbed off of Dani, sitting beside her again. It was quiet as Dani sat up and wiped her mouth, Santana putting her skirt back on. 'You've never done that before, have you?' she asked. Feeling humiliated, Dani shook her head. Santana simply smiled and pecked her lips, standing up and helping Dani up too. 'Thanks, Dani' she said as they walked back into the locker room and went their separate ways. It was that fateful day that Dani knew that she was undoubtedly gay. She also knew that she'd never be able to look Santana Lopez in the eye ever again.

And she didn't. Dani left school without ever having another interaction with Santana, sometimes she watched her but mostly she avoided her at all costs. She didn't lose her own virginity until months after she'd moved to the city. A one night stand. She'd imagined Santana the whole time.

Present Dani resumed her place behind the bar. Her safest bet, her only opportunity to stay away from the group. A confessed sceptic, Dani believed that luck didn't exist. And if it did, today it simply wasn't on her side. Within minutes of serving at the bar, Santana Lopez had sauntered up to it. 'Hey, Dani' she said with a smile, resting against the bar, purse in hand. Dani nodded, acknowledging her.

'How may i help?' she asked, avoiding eye contact.

'Actually, i wondered if you'd like to join us after your shift ends?' Santana asked hopefully.

Dani shook her head quickly 'No thanks' she said, without any further explanation.

'Oh.' Santana said, disappointed, much like Dani had been that day when she'd failed to fully satisfy her. 'Um, in that case, at least let me buy you a drink?' she asked.

Dani shook her head 'No need, i get them for free..'

'Even so, I'd like to buy you one.' Santana said, opening her purse.

'No thank you.' Dani said, moving on to serve another customer. Santana though stayed still. Unmoving, watching Dani until there was no customers left to serve and the two were left alone again. Dani wished that she could roll her eyes but she didn't want to be rude.

'How have you been?' Santana asked, with a smile. 'I haven't seen you in years.' she said.

'Great.' Dani offered as a response.

Santana nodded, defeated. 'Um, how come you're here? In New York?' she continued, trying to hold a conversation.

'I moved here after graduation.' Dani shrugged, not reversing the question.

'wow, that's great' Santana said with a genuine smile. Dani meanwhile was sure that she hadn't had this much social interaction in years. 'I'm splitting my time between here and Cincinnati at the moment... though I'm hoping to make my time here more permanent... I'm looking for a place of my own' she told Dani who only offered a nod in response. 'Do you think i could get your number, Dani? I'd like to meet up for coffee or something, sometime. It'd be nice to catch up' Dani could almost scoff in response, 'catch up' the two were never friends in the first place, Santana couldn't convince Dani that she actually cared what Dani had been doing for the past seven years if it was the last thing she ever did.

'I don't have a phone' she replied. It was the truth. She didn't have a cellular device because she didn't need one. She didn't need the additional cost every month when she had no use for it. The only people that could ever need to contact her were her boss, for work and occasionally her mom. The both of them had her address and her landline telephone number.

'Oh' Santana said in disbelief. Dani just shrugged. 'You're not great with people. Did you know that, Dani?' Santana asked, pouting slightly. Dani used to like her pout.

'Thanks, yes, i know captain obvious' she replied, acting sassy.

Santana sighed but before she had a chance to reply, Dani's boss called her, letting her known that her shift was over and she could leave whenever she had finished up.

Dani's eyes met Santana's for the first time that evening. The girl was staring at her, intrigued. 'What are you doing for the rest of the evening?' she asked Dani.

'I have to go to work.' Dani stated, wiping down the bar before clocking off and collecting her things.

'You just finished work' Santana laughed, following after her.

'Yes, now i have to go to my other place of work Santana.' Dani sighed, her heart leaping when she said the girls name aloud.

'Where else do you work?' Santana asked, raising her eyebrow, not sure whether to believe her.

'In a gym.' Dani said, restlessly, moving around the bar and heading for the door. Santana grabbed onto her wrist, stopping her from going any further.

'Then i guess I'm going to have to come for a workout' she shrugged, wanting to continue her conversation with Dani.

Dani rolled her eyes this time. 'We don't have day passes.' she said, pulling her wrist away, turning her back to Santana as she walked away.

'Then I'll get a membership' was the last thing she heard as she exited the bar and ran to the subway station, not wanting to be late.

On the subway she thought back on her interaction. Sure, she could be perceived as rude but she wasn't overly concerned about Santana seeing her as 'rude', not after what the two of them had experienced seven years earlier. Dani wasn't one to usually bear a grudge but she harboured some strong, unresolved feelings from that day that she wasn't quite ready to let go of. No matter how much she tried to deny is though, Santana was looking good. She looked just as beautiful as she had done years ago but her face seemed to have softened, indicating that her high school hardness had been forgotten over the years. She looked nicer.

Dani was late for work. By the time she had arrived, the women were already waiting for their class. She quickly changed into her sports bra and shorts, jumping onto the bike at the front of the class, talking the girls through their warm up. This job required her to do more talking than she was comfortable with and she had to be way more enthusiastic than she actually was, but the women were nice and made it slightly bearable. Half an hour in, they were on the treadmills.

'Okay, ladies. If you'd like to up your speed and incline, go right ahead! If not, keep going! TWO MINUTES' she shouted, increasing the speed of her own treadmill, running in time to the music blaring out of the speakers.

'DANI!' her boss shouted from out front. She sighed and cut off her machine, grabbing her towel she wiped at the sweat on her forehead, telling the ladies to carry on until she was back. She walked out front, her boss chatting with a woman at the desk.

'DANI!' her boss smiled. 'I'm going to need you to show this lovely woman around the machines when you've finished with your class if you're okay with that?' Dani nodded hesitantly, still wiping at her forehead. She was exhausted. The woman turned around, their eyes meeting. She was smiling... smirking... Santana. Dani's breath caught in her throat and she averted her gaze to the target bag she held in her hand, no doubt she'd stopped to buy clothes before checking out the gyms close to the bar.

'I'll be half an hour, go to the locker room and change and then take a seat.' Dani mumbled, walking back to the class. She feared that she took out her frustration on the class from that point onwards, pushing them harder than they were capable. She didn't understand why Santana was trying so hard to get in touch with her. It made her uncomfortable. She had the class working to her own personal limit and it was clear that 15 minutes later, a majority of them were in pain. Santana returned, taking the seat closest to her. Whenever Dani's eyes travelled to her, the girls eyes were on her, on her body. Her heart pounded and she ran faster.

By the end of the class, the women were bent double, limping towards the locker room, clutching their sides. Dani probably would have laughed if she didn't have Santana to deal with and if she actually ever laughed. She nudged her head towards Santana, gesturing for her to follow her upstairs where the gym was full of empty machines.

'How can i help you?' she asked impatiently.

'Well i thought if you wouldn't stay for a drink, meet up for coffee or give me the time of day at all then my last option was to have you help me get fit again.' Santana admitted with a confident shrug.

'Why is it you want from me?' Dani asked, not making eye contact, curious as to whether Santana wanted the same as she did last time she'd spoken to her.

'I want you to help me get my abs back.' Santana stated, Dani briefly wondered if that somehow had a double meaning.

'Um, well if you're looking for a good cardio workout you'll probably want the cross trainer, maybe the bike and the treadmill too... We have a stepmill too if you want to work on your thighs.' she explained.

'Are you saying i need to work on my legs?' Santana smirked slightly. Dani shook her head, no. 'So you've been looking then?' she laughed, scrunching up her nose.

'Do you want my help or not?' Dani sighed.

'I know how to use the machines, Dani.' Santana smiled.

'That maybe so, but it's mandatory for me to walk you through it. I can't lose my job.' Santana just nodded and gestured for Dani to show her. That she did, her voice monotonous and uninterested, keeping her eyes away from the girl. When she'd finished giving her the demonstration, she hoped on to the machine next to her, the two of them working out in silence.

'You look well.' Santana remarked. Dani nodded, focusing on matching her running to the music.

'You see, the polite thing to do is say I look well back, unless i don't.' Santana sighed.

'You look well, Santana' Dani said, making the girl smirk.

'Are you out of the closet yet?' Santana asked abruptly, making Dani's eyes widen.

'Yes, i am.' Dani replied, making Santana gasp. Dani guessed that, that wasn't the answer she expected because she seemed to be at a loss for words. They were silent until the timer sounded and Dani indicated for the two of them to move on to the next machine.

'I want to apologise for that day' Santana said sadly.

'What day?' Dani asked.

'You know what day.' Santana sighed, feeling guilty about it for the first time.

Dani only shrugged. 'It's fine, no big deal.'

'It was a big deal, Dani. I didn't realise at the time, but i do now.' Santana frowned.

'I don't need your pity.' Dani said, her frustration growing.

'You don't have my pity, Dani. It was an apology, just accept it.' Dani nodded. 'So what have you been doing for the past how ever many years?' she asked with a smile.

'Not much' Dani replied. 'You?'

Santana smiled, a breakthrough. 'Um, i went to college... I got a degree in criminology but have since changed my career path. I work as a chef now. I have a restaurant in the city and one in Cincinnati.' she nodded. Trying to maintain the conversation, asking Dani another question. 'So, married, kids?'

Dani shook her head.

'Are you seeing anyone?' Santana asked with a smile. Dani shook her head.

'Are you?' she asked, Santana shook her head.

Dani raised her head, her eyes meeting Santana's. The girl was looking at her intently, a smile on her face. Her heart started racing and she looked away, running faster. Santana stopped her machine, jumping down and grabbing Dani's spare towel, dabbing her face with it. Dani raised her eyebrow stopping her own machine.

'We aren't finished yet.' she stated.

Santana shrugged 'I'm pretty burnt out.' she admitted. 'But I'll be back... When do you work next?'

Dani gulped. 'Tomorrow.' Santana nodded, collecting her things.

'See you tomorrow, Dani.' she said, heading out of the door. Dani's jaw was almost on the floor, her eyes wide. She collected herself, gulping and shaking her head. She was being stupid, so stupid. Despite that, a small part of her was intrigued as to what tomorrow would have in store.