Part 2
It was barely light when Santana opened her eyes. The constant buzzing of her phone on her bedside table had awakened her. Her eyes opened fully and met the face of Finn Hudson snoring like the giant that he was. All desire to continue sleeping flew from her as she rolled out the opposite side of the bed.
She grabbed her phone from the table and received the call. Santana had no idea why Kitty was returning her call at this hour but was glad for a reason to be far away from the Hudson boy.
The morning air was still cool as she escaped to the balcony. She shut the glass door behind her. "Kitty, why are you calling so early?"
"I forgot you were probably sleeping. How's the honey moon?" Kitty got straight to the point. Unlike Santana, her best friend was a huge fan of Finn Hudson.
"It's not a honey moon and I really don't want to talk about him. Why didn't you answer my call yesterday? What's going on?"
"Oh that. I fainted and was sent to the hospital. My phone was at home but Ryder just brought it to me."
"What!" Santana shouted then looked over her shoulder to see if Finn had stirred. "Have you been overworking?"
"Maybe, it's probably also my new diet."
"Kitty, how many times do I have to tell you you're beautiful just the way you are? Ryder must be worrying himself to death over you."
"I was just trying to follow this tried and proven diet I found on the internet. It said to drink lots of fluids and eat a small block of cheese when I was really hungry. I knew it was too good to be true and I'm not doing it again."
"Good," Santana said with a sigh. Her friend had always had this obsession with looking really thin. "You don't need a stupid diet. Take it from me."
"Because you're a lesbian right? I'm joking. I know, you were always the reasonable one."
"At least you didn't die bitch," Santana said a little lighter.
"Whatever, but really how are things going with Finn?"
"Ugh, I wished he'd just ignore me like he usually does. Now he wants me to sleep with him which is like gross."
"I'll do it!" Kitty volunteered.
"Get yourself a tan and come down here ASAP, I'm sure he won't know the difference in the dark."
They both laughed. It would be pretty funny if they got Finn drunk and traded places.
"It sucks for you, like, I feel bad that he would demand that of you."
"Yeah, well he wanted to do it last night but I got away with telling him I wasn't ready…down there."
"Great! But how are you gonna keep coming up with excuses? I mean the hair excuse will only hold him back a few days."
"He said I had to do it with him tonight whether I was ready or not, which kind of sounds like he's forcing me to have sex with him. Could I just refuse?"
"You can, but then you'll have to tell him why. Maybe you should just tell him you're a lesbian."
"And what? Give him political ammo against me if I ever run against him in the future?"
"It's that or you sleep with him along the line. Look, I just don't want you to get hurt."
"Thanks Kitty. I should have thought this through before signing the contract. I really thought I could get by and fake it all."
"Is there any way to back out?"
"That's going to cause me a lot of problems with a lot of people. I'll probably never get a job on the Hudson team again and my dad will be mad for throwing away an opportunity."
"It's up to you, but if it really comes down to it. You can say no to Finn. You don't need a better reason to not sleep with him than that you don't want to."
"I'll remember that. Thanks for your support Kitty, and don't you dare go do anything foolish like live off dices of cheese again."
"I won't. Hey, Ryder is coming to take me back to the office now. We've got lots of work to do. Enjoy your vacation! Maybe you'll meet a hot Hawaiian girl! Bye!"
Santana was about to say 'I already have', but Kitty had disconnected. She went back into the room and decided to take a shower.
By the time she emerged from the bathroom, hair dried and dressed in a similar fashion as the day before, Finn was just waking up.
"Good morning Santana," he said as he rubbed sleep out of his eyes.
Santana said a quick good morning and then told him she was going to do her make up in the dressing room. She went in and locked the door.
An-hour later she was finished. She took extra long to get her makeup just right because she wanted to impress Brittany today.
Finn had knocked on her door twenty minutes ago telling her he needed clothes. Santana put down her palette of eye shadow and found a Polo shirt, chunky shorts and a pair of underwear. She opened the door and threw them at an unsuspecting Finn.
He didn't bother her after that.
After her fixing this and changing that, she decided that her makeup would have to do. She didn't know why she was so nervous to see Brittany again. Maybe it was because she wasn't only going to see Brittany but the girl would be seeing her…all of her.
The others were in the middle of breakfast when Santana finally joined them. She ate quickly and then excused herself to make a phone call. Nobody besides Finn seemed to mind that didn't care for their company. He had on an annoyed face when she left to walk in the garden.
In the middle of the rose garden was a thick trellis giving shade to a swing. Santana sat down and waited for Brittany or someone at the shop to pick up. It was ten o'clock now so certainly the shop was open.
"You've reached Waxology, how may we help you?" A voice Santana couldn't decipher answered. It could have been Brittany but she wasn't sure.
"Umm, hi is Brittany there?"
"Brittany is with a customer right now, are you coming in for an appointment or do you just want to talk to her."
"Actually, I wanted to make an appointment but I also want to see Brittany." Santana slapped her forehead thinking she sounded way too eager.
"Okay, well can I have your name please?"
"Santana Lopez,"
The girl on the line repeated her name out loud.
"We're pretty free this morning. Is there…"
"Hello! Santana?" A perky voice replaced the previous operator and Santana instantly knew that it was Brittany.
"Hi, Brittany?"
"Yep! So it sounds like Marley is setting you up for an appointment. You know, you can just come see me without getting a wax as an excuse."
"Oh uh, I do actually need to get a wax even though not a lot has grown back yet."
"Okay…" Brittany drawled.
"Oh my god, I'm sorry. This is so embarrassing." Santana nearly hung up then and there.
"No it's fine; I talk about it all the time. It's part of my job. So when are you coming in? I've cleared my schedule for you."
In the background, Santana could hear Marley asking about the other customers. Brittany indiscreetly told her to take them.
"I'd really like to see you, but if you're not free…"
"No, I'm totally free. You can come anytime." Brittany quickly assured.
"Okay, what about right now?" The sooner Santana got away from Finn the better.
"That's great!"
"Actually," Santana realized that she had no car and had no idea if she could just borrow one of the Hudson's cars along with a driver. She was probably going to get lost if she drove herself. "I don't have a car and I don't know how soon I can get one."
"Oh well, you're staying at the Hudson's place right?"
"Yep,"
Without a moment's hesitation, Brittany replied. "I could go get you if you wanted."
"You'd do that?" Santana said in surprise.
"Why not?"
"Won't your boss be mad?"
"You're a friend of the Hudson's so you're practically VIP. I'll just tell Shannon I'm abiding by her rule to give good customer service."
"I really appreciate it Brittany" Santana said breathing a little easier.
"No problem, I'll be at the front gate in fifteen."
"Okay."
Santana hung up the phone and did an internal squeal. She couldn't believe Brittany would do all this for a girl she'd met the day before. But then again, Brittany had asked her to coffee after talking to her for ten minutes. Santana had no idea what else the girl would do; still, she couldn't wait to find out.
"Where are you going Santana?" Finn marched after her. She had gotten her handbag and put on her shoes, now she was walking down the drive towards the front gate.
"Out!" was all she said without turning around.
"Hey, we're going banana boating in an hour. Will you be back by then?"
"Probably not," Santana stopped under the shade of the guard post.
"You don't have to do this Santana. I want you to have fun with us. Come on; let's go get ready to swim." He tried to grab her wrist but she swung her arm away.
"You go have fun with your friends; I want to see the town." She said defiantly.
"Fine. We can move banana boating to this afternoon."
"No!" Santana shouted at him. "Don't you get it? I don't want to be around you."
"You're still mad about what I said? Christ! I dunno why you're making such a big deal! Are you a virgin or something? Just tell me!"
"It's none of your business," Santana pointed a finger in his face. Just then, a small blue colored jeep rolled up in front of the gate.
The guard on duty quickly left his post to see who it was.
"Hey, I should know!" Finn was saying but Santana wasn't listening anymore. She was already following the guard to the door.
"It's alright," she told the guard. "That's my friend; she's picking me up to see the town."
The guard opened a small door for Santana to go out.
"Don't let her go!" Finn shoved the guard aside and rushed towards the jeep.
Santana had already seated herself in the windowless, roofless car and slammed the door.
"Go Brittany! Drive!" She yelled as unfamiliar adrenalin rushed through her body. For once she felt like she was doing something spontaneous and exciting.
With a slightly confused expression, Brittany put the car into motion and backed down the way she'd come. She did a U-turn with Finn still in hot pursuit of the car but there was no way he could catch up.
They left him in a cloud of dust.
A few minutes into the drive Brittany turned towards Santana. She stalled when she saw her fountain of black hair blowing wildly in the wind and heard Santana giggling.
"Hi Santana, so you want to tell me what that was about?" Brittany said. She would have loved to go on watching Santana let her hair down but then she might get them in a car accident.
"That was just Finn, my idiot fiancé." Santana said with less enthusiasm. Brittany's face also dropped at the title. "It's not what you think." She corrected when she saw the change in Brittany's demeaner.
"Really? Because I think you look beautiful today." Brittany changed the subject.
Santana couldn't help but blush. She'd been told before that she looked beautiful but never from a girl who wasn't her own mother. "My hair is a mess." She mumbled modestly.
"I like it." Brittany shrugged. Santana smiled wider and looked the other way. Being under Brittany's scrutiny was making her way too hot under the collar. She didn't know what else to say to this very bold girl so Santana settled for looking at the view and stealing glances at her.
Brittany put in a Beach Boy's disc and began to sing a little. This gave Santana a chance to get a good look at her. She was wearing a white polo with 'waxology' screened over the left breast pocket. Her jean shorts barely covered any of her milky white legs that went on for days. They looked muscular too, probably from all the surfing she did. Come to think of it, Brittany had the most perfect athletic body Santana had ever seen.
She also had a winning smile. There was no denying that Santana was absolutely attracted to her.
"Aren't the Beach Boy's the best?" Brittany asked. She had her eyes on Santana again. Something about them had Santana speechless and completely lost.
"I guess I don't listen to them much." Santana mustered.
"That's a crime," Brittany replied seriously, "But I forgive you because you'll be hearing them a lot for the next few days."
Santana was a little confused, "why's that?"
"Cus you'll be sticking with me," Brittany winked. "But first things first, we're here!"
She parked the car and got out. Santana on the other hand began to have a mini panic. 'Here' meant that they were at the wax shop and that very soon Brittany would be getting a very good look at her.
"Santana are you coming?" She realized that she hadn't made a move to get out of the car. She didn't know why she was being so hesitant. Wasn't she the one who wanted to see Brittany? Didn't she make an appointment? For the love of god, she'd freakin asked Brittany to pick her up!
"Uh Santana?" Brittany appeared by her door. "Are you okay? You don't look so good."
"I'm fine, just making sure I have everything." Santana held onto her purse and looked around knowing that there was nothing else that was hers in the car.
"It's okay if you're not feeling well. I can take you home or you can just lie down inside."
"Thank you Brittany, but I'm really okay." Santana gave her a reassuring smile and hopped out of the car.
Brittany led Santana to the entrance of the shop where they were required to remove their shoes.
"Shannon's policy," Brittany told her. "She kind of likes to keep things uber clean so no shoes allowed or else I'll be on mop duty for the rest of my life."
"Wouldn't want that," Santana played along.
"Definitely not."
Brittany opened the door for Santana and told her to make herself at home on the couches in the waiting room. "Here's a form you have to fill out so we know a little of your medical history and what service you want."
Santana nodded and looked over the form.
"I'll be right back, just gotta check with Marley which rooms are free." Brittany said before disappearing behind a curtain.
Santana filled in all the blanks and ticked off the appropriate answers. Her hands shook a little because she was still feeling nervous. It wasn't like she'd never had a wax before but she always did it at the same place with the same person. She remembered the first time, at sixteen; her mother had brought her to see Ms. Corcoran. Santana had been uncomfortable showing herself to the lady but Ms. Corcoran put her at ease with her warm smile and professional attitude. Before Santana knew it, Ms. Corcoran announced that she was done.
However, now Santana was in a new place and getting waxed by a new person, no less a girl she was beginning to form a crush on.
Brittany reemerged from behind the curtains separating the waiting area from the service area.
"Okay, so I've got room three ready. Do you want to follow me?" Santana got up and handed the form to Brittany. They walked through the curtain that led to a hall with three doors on either side. When they came to room three, Brittany let her in. To Santana's relief, it seemed up to par with the place Santana was used to getting her wax. It had a nice clean smell and was decorated with random objects from the island.
"So, if you'll lie down here," Brittany pointed to a bed in the center of the room, "I'll take a look at this." She waved the form in her hand.
Santana got on the bed and adjusted herself into a comfortable position. She was still trying to calm the butterflies in her stomach.
"I have a serious question for you Santana." She turned to Brittany and cocked her eyebrow. "Do you want me to do your wax? I promise that I'm 100 percent professional at my job, but if you think we're too familiar, I won't hesitate to have my colleague do it for you."
For a second Santana considered not having Brittany do it but then it was a choice between Brittany and some girl she'd heard on the phone. The latter didn't seem any more appealing to Santana and a part of her trusted Brittany.
"It's okay, you can do it." Santana affirmed.
"Okay," Brittany said with a smile. "So, this is the part where I go over the form just to make sure I've got everything correctly. You want a full Brazilian wax. You have no allergies to beeswax and the last time you visited a cosmetologist was a month ago."
Santana nodded.
"Then we're all set."
Brittany handed Santana a pair of disposable g-strings and left the room so that Santana could remove her pants and underwear. She returned when Santana said she was ready. Without saying more than 'I'm going to start now' Brittany got to work applying talcum powder to the area and then spread the warm wax onto her. She laid the thin cloth strips on top of the wax and left it for a moment to harden.
It was strange to be in the same room as Brittany and to not hear her talk. Santana could also sense that Brittany was doing her best not to let her eyes linger down there for longer than was necessary.
When the time came to pull, Brittany did so very quickly and cleanly. Santana was relieved that the pain was minimal.
"Brittany," Santana said when the silence was becoming a bit much for her. She didn't know it was possible but she missed Brittany's animated voice. "I don't mind if you talk."
"Oh, I thought maybe it'd feel awkward for you. Most of the time, clients just like me to get it done and not bother them with my stories or questions."
"That's not a problem; I like it when you tell me things. I think it's more awkward when you're not talking" Santana giggled.
"Really?" Brittany's eyes widened, "that's how I feel too. It's so hard for me to stand around and not say anything. That's why I have lots of stuff in this room, so I can look at it when I get bored."
"I'm pleasantly surprised at how you've decorated it. The picture of the beach is really nice." Santana pointed to a large picture taking up half the wall.
"It's the nicest beach on the island, and it's the one I live nearest to. My house is actually a five minute walk away and the view is so pretty in the morning."
"Wait, you live on the nicest beach on the island?" Santana's mouth dropped.
"Yeah, you should stay over sometime. All the tourists are gone so it's just the locals – most of the time it's deserted." Santana was about to say something but Brittany said to hold it as she quickly stripped off another set of cloth.
"So what do you say?" Brittany said when she was finished applying the next set.
"I don't know Finn is already mad at me."
"Right I forgot you have a boyfriend," Brittany grimaced.
"He's not…we're not together like that." Santana tried to explain. She knew she wasn't doing a very good job because Brittany was wearing a confused frown. "We have a marriage contract."
"I know what marriage contract is, all married people get one." Brittany said in a quiet voice.
Santana growled in frustration.
"So that actually makes him your husband. Sorry I used the wrong term." Brittany pointed out the part she had obviously gotten wrong.
"No! He's not my husband either; he's just some boy I foolishly agreed to marry to further both our political careers. I don't even like him!"
Brittany for the first time was lost for words. She wasn't stupid but she never imagined that people did things like that in politics. "You don't?" She stuttered.
"I don't," Santana confirmed. "It really was a stupid decision, and here I am getting a wax just because he wants to have sex with me. How stupid can I get? "
"Oh, so you're going to have sex with him?" Brittany obviously didn't like the sound of it.
"I don't know. I definitely don't want to but it's complicated."
"What's complicated about saying no?"
Santana sighed. "Because, he'll push me for a reason and I can't tell him that…he can't know…"
"That you might be actually be gay?" Brittany finished her sentence.
"Yes," Santana wondered how in the world Brittany knew. Then again she might just have awesome gaydar because she was flirting with her on the first day they'd met. Maybe Santana smelled like a golf course. "How did you know?"
Brittany smiled. "I'm done with the front, could you turn over for me?"
"Fine," Santana tucked her legs in and let Brittany get back to work. The girl still hadn't answered her. Either she hadn't heard the question or she wasn't answering on purpose.
After she was done, Brittany took off her gloves and said she'd wait outside for Santana to get dressed again.
Brittany walked with Santana to the front desk where she got Santana's bill. "That'll be 60 dollars… Ms. Lopez." A certain satisfaction settled on Brittany's face now that she knew Santana's last name.
Santana rolled her eyes and got three twenty's from her purse.
"Wait, you have to tell me first how you knew I was a lesbian. Is it that obvious?" She said in a whisper. She retracted her hand, keeping the bills close to her chest.
"It was the way you only stayed to watch me surf, when I was leaving you got up to leave too. And, it was the way you looked at me when I came to say hi." Brittany replied. The scene replayed in Santana's mind, and yeah she had been leering pretty hard at Brittany's body and her gorgeous face. She gulped, guilty as charged.
"Oh yeah? And how is it that I look at you?" Santana flirted freely now that Brittany knew she was just her type.
"…Like you'll accept the invitation to stay the night at my place so that you don't have to go back to your fake boyfriend." Brittany smirked, clearly having planned to invite her all along.
"Are you really asking me to go home with you?" Santana didn't think she'd ever learn how forward Brittany could be.
"Santana, I didn't ask you to sleep with me. We can have a good time without doing that." Brittany said. "Besides, if you say yes, I'll get a bunch of my surfing friends together for a huge bonfire. You'll absolutely love it. There'll be barbecue, singing and dancing, booze – just a whole lot of fun. And then I can show you the stars. They're so bright this time of year and I swear you will have never seen stars like this in the city – ever!"
"Okay Brittany!" Santana chuckled. She had to cut Brittany off before the girl forgot to breathe.
"So you'll come?"
"Yes, I'll go with you but if I'm staying overnight then I have to get more stuff from the house."
"Of course, I'll drive you back and pick you up when you're ready. But that will probably have to be after we close shop. It's not tourist season so we're pretty consistent with our closing times that's like at five. I can ask Shannon to go early though if we don't have many appointments, she's less strict with my time once surf season starts anyways."
"Brittany, that sounds great." Santana shook her head. Brittany really could go on forever. Not that Santana didn't love to listen, but a customer just walked into the shop. Brittany in her excitement hadn't noticed. "But maybe you should get back to work and I'll call you later?"
"Oh," Brittany said as she saw the customer waiting patiently on the couch. "It's Mrs. Jackson. She always has Marley do her. I'll just tell Marley she's here and then I can take you home."
"Thank you Brittany," Santana said and on second thought shoved the 60 bucks at Brittany. She'd almost forgotten to pay.
"Right," Brittany took the money and put it in the cashier machine. "Okay just wait a second, I'll be right back."
True to her word, Brittany returned not two minutes later with Marley in tow. Once Mrs. Jackson was in good hands Brittany grabbed Santana by the arm and headed to the car.
As the car got started, Brittany turned to Santana with a glint in her eyes.
"What is it Brittany?" Santana asked. The girl seemed to be struggling with words, which was odd behavior for her.
"Well, do you want to go home right now? It's my lunch break in half-an-hour and there's this amazing seafood place on a beach near here. No pressure but it's really one of those things you shouldn't miss when you come here and I'd love to take you there. It's called the seafarer."
Brittany stopped talking and waited for Santana's answer. She looked less confident than before as she searched Santana's face.
"Heck, why not. Let's do it!" Santana decided after taking a few seconds to think it over. She hadn't been able to say no to Brittany on anything so far, and it didn't seem like she'd be able to deny the blonde anything any time soon.
Who could blame her? She was on a beautiful island – friendless. And here was this incredible girl wanting to show her the best time. Hell, as if she was going to say no to that!