A white picket fence, a family of two or three children, toys scattering the yard. A husband that would provide for you and your family.
This is the kind of future that was engraved into Santana's mind. This is what she thought she was supposed to have, anything else would seem to have come up short in comparison.
She grew up being read fairytales of the princess being save by the prince and them living happily ever after. Santana grew up believing that a prince will come and save her, and that they would live happily ever after.
Until she met her.
All blonde hair and blue eyes. Those damn blue eyes.
The first time she saw them was on the school yard playground. Santana was on the swings and she was across the way on the slides. The girl was pretty, a lot prettier than Noah or Rachel or even Quinn. Santana thought she was new, she'd never seen her before.
The girl saw Santana looking at her and waved. Santana didn't know what to do so she just sort of stared.
After what seemed like an hour, Santana finally mustered up a little half wave to the little girl across the playground that was still patiently waiting for acknowledgement.
Seeing Santana's pathetic attempt of a wave, the girl slid the rest of the way down the slide and ran over to where Santana was on the swings, with a wide grin on her face.
Santana dug her feet in to the sand to stop from swinging so she wouldn't kick the new girl by accident. She stayed sat where she was just in case Noah might sneak up and steal her turn on the swings. He always does that when she least expects it.
The girl stands a few feet away from Santana, rocking back and forth on her feet, hands behind her back. She stares at the floor, not sure what to do next.
But it's not like Santana does either, the girl came over here on her own anyways.
Up close, Santana can see freckles scattered across her face, the sunlight making them dance along the bridge of her nose and just under her eyes, on the tops of her cheeks. Santana thinks she's even prettier close up.
The girl looks up and Santana almost gasps because the girl's eyes are like the sky's blue. They are so bright and happy that Santana thinks she could just look at them for the rest of forever.
"Hi. I'm Brittany." She holds her hand out expectantly.
Santana looks down and the bare hand in front of her. It looks so soft and inviting and Santana almost doesn't know what to do with it.
"You're supposed to shake it." Brittany's voice startles Santana, making her jump slightly. It's sort of like she read her mind.
She looks up into enticing warm sky blue. A smile takes Brittany's lips, nodding her head encouragingly at Santana.
She hesitantly brings her hand up to meet with Brittany's, giving it a light shake.
And as if it were possible (which Santana would've thought not), Brittany's smile grew into a large, wide grin, and if Santana didn't know any better, she'd think that Brittany's face would split in two.
"Now you say your name." Brittany instructs her, again nodding in encouragement.
They still haven't let go of each other's hand.
"Santana" comes out in a squeak. She clears her throat and tries again. "My name is Santana."
"Santana." Brittany's smile grows softer but remains radiant. "That's a really pretty name, Santana." She squeezes Santana's hand in hers when cheeks opposite to her heat up.
Santana has never been called pretty, let alone thought her name to be pretty.
"Thanks." She mutters.
Brittany pulls a little on Santana's arm. "Why don't you play with me on the monkey bars, Santana." It wasn't exactly a question.
Santana can feel her cheeks burn again as she looks away from Brittany and to the ground.
"I don't know how to do the monkey bars." She mumbles.
Brittany doesn't say anything, she just pulls at Santana's hand again. It makes her look up to Brittany. She expects her to laugh and tell her that only babies don't know how to climb the monkey bars. Santana expects Brittany to take her hand out of her own and run off, telling the whole playground that Santana can't climb the metal rope.
But that's not what Brittany does. Instead, Brittany's smile grows warmer and bigger all the same. Instead, Brittany tells her just the opposite of what Santana thought.
"That's okay. I can teach you."
Now Santana really doesn't know what to do because besides her teachers, no one has ever taught Santana to do anything, let alone something that should be easy like the monkey bars.
Santana utters an okay and Brittany leads her over to the jungle gym.
And Brittany stays true to her word. They stay on the bars, Brittany coaching Santana along, making sure to help her when needed, until Santana has the first half down pat. Brittany even runs to Santana after she takes a ill landing fall.
"Are you okay?" Brittany all but yells, immediately running to Santana to check if she has any injuries.
"Yeah, I'm fine." She clutches her left hand to her chest.
"Let me see," Brittany cooes, gently taking Santana's hand in hers.
"Really, I'm fine." It's a weak protest but Santana doesn't want Brittany to see her cry (which she's about to do) and if she doesn't touch her, she won't cry.
But Brittany doesn't let up.
"Here," she says with Santana's hand in hers. "Squeeze my hand."
"Why?"
"So I can make sure it's not broken." She says, like it's the most obvious thing in the world.
"What are you, a doctor?" Santana snaps. "My dad's a doctor and he doesn't make me squeeze his hand when I fall."
Brittany's face falls and her grip slackens. She turns her face away from Santana and bites her lip.
"I just wanted to help and make sure you were okay." Santana barely hears Brittany's ghost of a whisper.
She goes to take her hand away fully but Santana tightens her hold on Brittany. She doesn't want her to let go. Not yet, at least.
"No, wait. I'm sorry." Santana can hear Brittany softly sniff. "Are you crying? Please don't cry. I'm sorry, honest." She pleads, begging for her new friend (or maybe former-new friend) not to be upset.
Brittany looks at Santana through her eyelashes, eyes wide and misty. It makes Santana's stomach clench uneasy.
She squeezes Brittany's hand To show her that's she is okay and sorry for making her cry. She really didn't mean for her to get upset. Even though she barely met the girl, something about Brittany being upset sets Santana off, and she feels like she would do anything to make her friend better.
"So you're okay?" Brittany asks, rubbing her eye lightly.
"Yeah, 'course. I didn't fall that hard." Santana tightens her grip to make her point. "I'm real sorry, Britt. I didn't mean to yell at you."
Brittany stops rubbing her eye and smiles at Santana, wide and easy. She tucks a fly away hair behind her ear and Santana feels something flutter in her heart.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Santana asks uneasily.
Brittany shakes her head and stands herself and Santana up.
"Come on. You haven't got across the bars yet. And if you want, I can hold your legs while you go across."
Santana looks around at all the other kids and shakes her head.
"That's okay. Just make sure I don't fall again."
Brittany jumps up and down, smile wide and easy, Santana's hand still firmly in her own.
Santana wonders briefly that maybe Brittany can be her prince that'll save her.