Santana Lopez was in love with Brittany S. Pierce. And that is why she had to let her go. Brittany deserved freedom. She deserved a girlfriend who could be there for her, always. Santana was too far away, she was too busy. She wasn't a good girlfriend for Brittany, not now at least. Brittany deserved better. In order to keep from hurting her further, Santana had had to end things with Brittany. At least for now.
"I'll never stop being your friend, and I'll never stop loving you." Santana had said to Brittany during their tearful goodbye. She'd waved goodbye, and turned to board her flight. She wanted so badly to turn around and run back into Brittany's arms, where she felt safe and at home. She wanted to wrap her arms around Brittany and kiss her cherry lip smackers lips. But for Brittany, Santana didn't. She was letting her go free. It was the right decision, wasn't it?
The plane ride was long and tough. Santana had spent most of it with her face burrowed in her complementary blanket, hiding her tears.
"Are you okay, honey?" The old woman next to Santana asked, lowering her glasses in concern. "You look like you're having a rough day."
"I'm alright." Santana choked out. "It's... I had to say goodbye to my girlfriend today. Well, I guess now she's just a friend." Fresh tears sprung to Santana's eyes. You're doing this for Brittany, she kept reminding herself.
The old woman rubbed Santana's shoulder soothingly.
"Love is a lot harder than it is in the movies." She said sympathetically. "I remember when I first found that out."
Santan hiccoughed and turned to the old woman. Her hair was gray and her face aged. Her eyes were a light brown color, warm and kind.
"What did you do?" Santana asked.
"I had to break up with my boyfriend, even though I didn't want to. We wanted different things, we were going different places. It wasn't right to tie him down to me. I didn't want to be the anchor holding him back."
Santana nodded, her tears subsiding.
"That's exactly how I feel." She said. "And it's not like I can never be with Brittany again. When we're older, if she wants to.." Santana's voice trailed off. "I just hope she understands why I did it."
"I'm sure she does." The woman smiled.
They were silent for a moment. Santana rested her head again the seat and stared off out the window at the blue sky. It was clear and open, like Santana's future. Santana felt a bit of excitement for the first time. She was going to New York City! She was going to live out her dreams. She could do anything she wanted.
"Are you a singer?" The old woman asked.
"Yes!" Santana turned to her, smiling. "But how did you know?"
"Singer's are artists. They're dreamers. You look like a dreamer, you have that look in your eye."
"What look?"
"Like you are a star. Like you are special. Like you are going to do big things."
Santana laughed, wiping her eyes.
"I hope so!" She said. "I'm Santana, by the way."
"I'm Elizabeth." The old woman smiled. She reached into her purse, fumbling through papers. She handed a small card to Santana.
"Here's my card." She smiled warmly. "Call me if you ever need anything, or even if you just want a friend to talk to."
Santana took the card from her, her heart truly touched by this woman's kindness. She'd already made one friend, who's to say she can't make more. New York was already starting out good. A new, fresh beginning.
"Thank you." She said. She hesitated, then leant forwards and hugged Elizabeth.
~
Santana stood in the airport doorway, clutching tightly to her big black suitcase. She took a deep breath. She about to take that first step outside, into New York. This was it. This was the moment that would change her life. She tried to push all the regret away, the "what if's" and "maybe's", she tried to forget Brittany's crying face as she told her it was over.
She put a smile on her face, hoping soon it could be a real smile. Then Santana pushed open the door and walked out onto the street.
The air was cool, but not too cold. The wind blew her long hair behind her. She buttoned up her red cardigan, trying not to remember it was Brittany who'd gave it to her.
Santana started down the street, her high heeled boots clicking. Her pace was fast, she was eager to get away from her past and walk into her future. She slowed once she reached the main road, whistling and throwing her arm in the air to hail a cab. After a couple minutes, one stopped. She threw her suitcase in and climbed in after it.
"Where to?" The driver grunted.
Santana dug into her purse and pulled out her phone. She read off Kurt and Rachel's address.
Santana sat back in her seat, gazing out the window. They drove past Tiffany's, Grand Central Station, Times Square. Santana felt a true smile coming on. This was her dream come true. The only problem was that in her dreams, Brittany was right there next to her.