A/N: All of the reviews and favs/follows motivated me to write this chapter so soon. I'm glad to see that you liked it! This chapter and the next are going to be the calmer ones before the real angst begins. I really can't wait to write those ones. I apologize for any mistakes, and I hope that you enjoy!
Warning: PG-13
Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Glee.
"Santana Lopez?" Finn asked rather stupidly. He knew that it was her as soon as he turned around and his eyes took in the sight of her. She hadn't changed much, but he couldn't help but notice how good she looked. Immediately, he stood up and pulled her in for a hug.
Much to his disappointment, he hadn't been able to keep in touch with her. He had joined the Army during one of the busier time periods. Unfortunately, that meant that it was practically impossible to keep in touch with anyone, really. Whenever he got free time, he would usually alternate between writing a letter to Quinn, his parents, and occasionally Kurt. As the blonde politely pointed out, he wasn't able to write frequently. It was a little funny how she was the one he made sure to write to every single time he could, yet she probably didn't even consider that. Nope, instead she decided to find somebody who was physically there for her, not in spirit and writing. 'Physically… God, what if she had sex with furby?' Just the thought made him sick to his stomach and caused his already broken heart to shatter even more.
Swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat, he pulled away and asked, "What are you doing here? I thought that you were living in New York…"
Santana flashed him a wide smile. "I still do, I just decided to come home and visit my family. Lucky that I did, too. When did you get back?"
Almost at once, Finn's mood began to spiral downhill. Taking a seat, he sighed and claimed, "This afternoon… well, technically yesterday afternoon."
The raven-haired Latina took a seat next to him. "That's great. I… I really did miss you, Finn." Once the words left her mouth, an array of emotions instantly swelled up in her. Over the past four years, she had tried desperately to put the goofy boy out of her mind, but, despite all of her efforts, she couldn't help but worry about him every single day. Much to her dismay, seeing him right now only caused her to realize that she still felt something for him. Even after all these years. She wasn't even the one who was in a relationship with him. Speaking of which…
"I thought you'd be with Quinn." she commented, motioning the bartender over to her and ordering a glass of water.
Fidgeting with his glass, he looked down and said quietly, "I was… for about five minutes."
As soon as those words left his mouth, her curiosity immediately peaked. "What do you mean?"
A humorless chuckle escaped his lips as he turned his head and looked at her. "I mean that I was there long enough to discover that she had found someone else…" His voice cracked when he said miserably, "She didn't wait for me."
"I'm… I'm so sorry." Santana replied sincerely, though she was clearly shocked. There was a time when she used to dream about her still somewhat best friend screwing things up with this man, but she never thought that she actually would. She felt bad for him, but she couldn't help but think how her fantasy just became a reality. If she was being honest with herself, she had always thought that Finn deserved better than Quinn. However, that thought was probably influenced by the strong feelings that she felt for him. That she still feels for him.
Deciding that he probably didn't want to go into details, she changed the subject. "You, uhm, look really nice. The soldier attire looks really well on you."
With a slightly relieved laugh, Finn inquired, "You really think so?"
She nodded eagerly with her signature smirk gradually appearing on her face. "It's pretty sexy, if I do say so myself."
Although he knew that she was probably joking, Finn couldn't hide the blush that appeared on his face. Yeah, he really wished that he had learned how to control that.
Clearing his throat, he asked, "So, what are you doing at a bar near Lima at three in the morning?" Motioning to her water, he added, "I mean, you obviously aren't in the party animal mood, unless you're able to get drunk off of H2O…"
She rolled her eyes at his lame attempt at a joke but continued to smile. "I'm here with a few friends, but I have to catch a flight back to New York tomorrow afternoon. Ergo, no alcohol for me."
"Damn, that's awfully responsible of you, Miss Lopez." he remarked in an appraising tone before ordering himself another shot.
"I can't say the same for you." she commented as he downed the entire drink immediately after it arrived. "You do know that it's against the law to drive under the influence, right Finniot?"
His lopsided grin reappeared at the sound of one of his offensive yet teasing nicknames. In response to her answer, he simply shrugged. He really didn't care. To prove his point, he ordered two more shots. Taking one in his hand, he raised it to her in a toast and chugged it down.
Eying him warily, Santana claimed, "I am not going to let drive home while you're drunk."
"Who says I'm drunk?" Finn shot back. However, his attempt was feeble due to the fact that his words were a little slurred.
She shook her head before standing up and grabbing his arm.
"W-what are you doing?" he sputtered, choking on the second shot that he had just drank.
"I'm taking you home."
"I don't wanna go home!" he complained in a very childlike manner, though it was tinted with the effects of the alcohol he had consumed.
Giggling lightly, Santana stopped and turned around to face him. Becoming serious, she said, "Give me your wallet."
"No."
When she gave him one of those bone-chilling glares, he instantly caved and hastily tossed it at her. Drunk or not, that look happened to scare the shit out of him.
After paying their tabs, which happened to be more than a little expensive, Santana tugged the now seemingly clumsy man toward her car.
"Wait…" he drawled. "What about my tr… truck? S-someone is going to steal it!"
"Trust me Finnocence, nobody is going to steal that piece of shit." she promised. Although she didn't need to, she added, "But I'll bring you to pick it up before I leave."
He simply nodded along. Once they had climbed into her car, he turned his head and looked at her. "You're a really great friend, you know? Like, really great."
Avoiding his gave, she nodded curtly before buckling her seatbelt and starting the engine.
"Put your seatbelt on." she ordered as she pulled out of the parking space.
"Yeah, yeah." he muttered with a nonchalant wave of his hand, but obliged anyway.
There were a few seconds of silence before Finn broke it. "I don't get why she d-did that. I mean, I'm worth waiting for, right?"
Santana was aware that he was staring at her, but she chose to ignore him. He continued a second later. "It was weird when I saw her tell that… cheese puff haired dude that she loved him. Yeah, his hair was all… cheetos puff like, but it wasn't orange. It looked pretty fucking stupid to me, but I guess she liked him for it. Anyway, you want to know what my heart felt like when she said it?"
Once again, she didn't respond.
"It felt like someone had gotten a hammer and hit my heart. Like, really, really hard. It hurt worse than anything I felt when I was away. And I got hurt badly, too. Oh, and when she kissed him, it was as if the pain I felt wasn't enough. Nope, she had to run over the shattered pieces with a bulldozer just because she wanted to. Do you think that I deserved to feel like that?"
Glancing at him, she replied sincerely, "No."
"Yeah." he nodded. "That's what I thought, too."
There were another few seconds of silence before he spoke up once more. "Santana, please don't take me to my house."
At that, she glanced at him once more. "Why not..?"
"I, uh, I don't want anyone to know about how that… bitch broke my heart. Oh, and I'm not supposed to be drinking, but…" he trailed off with a small shrug.
Releasing an exasperated sigh, she exclaimed, "Where am I supposed to take you then?!"
Despite his intoxicated haze, he managed to give her a sheepish smile and ask shyly, "Can I crash at your place?"
"M-my place?" she echoed in astonishment.
"Yeah." Finn replied with a small nod. Usually, he would be more of a gentleman and not invite himself into someone's house, but he just wasn't in his right state of mind.
"My family is there, though… I don't think they'd want me to bring a drunken guy home in the middle of the night." That was obviously a lie. She had done that so many times that her parents probably expected it. However, she had turned her life around over these past couple of years. Every now and then her wild side would show, but, for the most part, she had her life under control.
"Please…" he begged. "I just... need to be with a friend tonight."
Exhaling slowly, she nodded once. "Fine, but you have to sleep on the floor."
A dopey smile appeared on his face. "Thank you, but are you sure that you don't want to sleep with me? I mean, I'm c-completely available now."
They had just pulled into her driveway when she immediately snapped her head in his direction. "Are you serious?" Her tone was a mixture of disbelief and a slight amount of hope.
He cackled. "Serious about what..?"
With a roll of her eyes, she got out of her car and headed toward the front door. Like a dog on a leash, he instantly followed her, albeit unsteadily.
"Nice place you got here." he commented loudly once he stepped into the house. Just when he was about to say more, she placed her hand over his mouth.
"Be quiet, okay?" she hissed.
When he nodded obediently, she pulled him toward her room.
After closing he door softly, she turned around and faced him. Looking him up and down, she said, "As much as I love the look, it's a little weird to sleep in your uniform. Did you want me to grab you any of my dad's clothes or..?"
She immediately stopped talking once he shook his head.
"Alright." she remarked with a shrug. "Listen, you stay here. I'm going to get ready for bed. Do I need to tie you up, or can I trust you to shut up and not wander around?"
Finn nodded before a smirk crept onto his face. "Tying me up… that actually sounds kind of hot."
Santana stared at him for a few seconds before deciding that the safest thing would be to scoff and gather her things. She then made her way to the bathroom.
Five minutes later, she reappeared in a black tank top with matching shorts. This happened to be the most appropriate pair of pajamas that she kept at her former home.
Unfortunately, Finn wasn't passed out like she had hoped he would be. Nope, instead he was sitting on her bed with his head in his hands and … crying.
Forgetting that it was probably a bad idea, she made her way over to him and sat down next to him. She then wrapped her arms around him and felt a tug in her chest when he rested his head against her chest. Instantly, she cradled his head and stroked her fingers though his hair in a soothing manner. They stayed like that for a good five minutes before he finally calmed down.
Slowly, Finn lifted his head and hastily wiped his face before looking at her. "I-I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me."
She simply shook her head. "You don't have to apologize for anything. I get it. You're… hurting."
He didn't want to admit to that, so instead he offered her his best smile before he became aware of just how close they were. Not even thinking about what he was doing, he leaned in and kissed her.
To say that Santana was surprised was definitely the understatement of the year. The kiss felt good. More than good, actually. If she was being honest with herself, this kiss was fucking great. But it wasn't right. Not when he was upset and drunk. With great self-discipline, she didn't wrap her arms around him and deepen the kiss like she wanted to. Instead, she placed a hand on his chest and gently pushed him away.
Instantly, confusion and hurt flickered into his brown orbs. "Why did you do that?"
"Finn, you're drunk and heartbroken. I'm not going to take advantage of that." she replied with a regretful look in her eyes before she stood up and began to walk away. However, she didn't get far because he gently grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down.
When their brown eyes met, he stated without even a hint of his previous intoxication, "You aren't taking advantage of me. I want to do this."
"You're going to regret it in the morning." she retorted in a matter-of-fact tone that also held a hint of hurt.
He reached out and gently cupped her cheek before shaking his head and saying, "No, I won't. I just- I want to."
"Tell me, would you be doing this to get back at Quinn?"
Finn took only a few seconds to ponder this before shaking his head once more. His decision most likely wasn't thought out to the full extent, but he didn't doubt it. "No."
She continued to look at him doubtfully.
"I'm an adult now. A single one, at that. I can make my own decisions." he murmured before lowering his head and kissing her neck.
"This is a mistake." Santana breathed, trying her best not to succumb to the pleasure that she felt at his touch.
He pulled away and looked at her once more. "Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. Either way, I don't mind. I need this, San. Please…"
She stared into his pain-filled eyes for a few seconds before nodding her head slowly. This was probably going to screw with her emotions, but she really didn't care.
He smiled at her before capturing her lips once more and pushing her onto the bed.
The following morning, Santana was awoken by the sound of her alarm. Groggily, she turned onto her side and hit the off button. 8:30 A.M.
'Four hours until my flight leaves…' she thought to herself with a sigh.
Slowly, she turned onto her side and smiled when she saw Finn sleeping next to her. Sure, maybe it was most likely revenge sex, but she enjoyed it just the same. However, she was highly aware that it was probably only a one time thing. Just as she assumed, it didn't help her with the feelings that she felt for him at all. In fact, she could've sworn that she had even stronger feelings for him.
Quietly, she rolled out of the bed and picked up a fresh set of clothes before heading to the bathroom to take a shower.
With a loud sigh, Finn picked his head up off of the pillow and looked around. Confusion immediately crossed his features. 'Where the hell am I?'
He felt a light pounding in his head as he cautiously sat up on the bed. Spotting a glass of water on a nightstand, he immediately picked it up and chugged it. After setting it back down, he scratched the back of his neck and looked around.
Almost at once, the events of the past day came flooding back to him. He really wished that they hadn't.
Exhaling loudly, he got off of the bed and put his clothes on. He was tugging his boots on when she spoke.
"I told you that you would regret it." Santana commented, looking at everything except him, while she stood in the doorway with two cups of coffee.
Finn snapped his gaze up to her and instantly shook his head. "Actually, I don't." Noticing the cups in her hand, he asked, "Is one of those for me..?"
She nodded and forced a small smile before walking over to him and handing him a cup.
He gave her a thankful look before drinking deeply from the caffeine.
After about a minute, he claimed, "I don't know what to do."
"About what?" she questioned curiously before taking a seat next to him.
"Life." he sighed. "It's just… I kind of always pictured a future with Quinn. Now that that idea is crushed again, I don't know what to do…"
Santana stared at him in astonishment. "You aren't going to talk things over with her?"
Looking at the floor, he shrugged. "What is there to talk about? I literally caught her cheating on me. Well, maybe not cheating, but she did move on."
"Well," she began slowly, "Do you want to fix things with her?"
He glanced at her uneasily and gave another helpless shrug. "We… we tried to make things work three times. Maybe this is a sign that it just isn't meant to be." It was easy to distinguish the absolute heartbreak in his voice.
Not knowing what to say, Santana placed her hand on his arm. Suddenly, an idea popped into her head. It was absolutely ridiculous, but… well, what'd she have to lose?
"You don't want to stay in Lima." She meant it as a question, but it ended up coming out as a statement. Finn simply nodded his head.
She took a shaky breath before suggesting on a whim, "You could come back to New York with me."
Instantly, Finn snapped his head up and stared at her in amusement. When he noticed that she was serious, his features gradually morphed into complete and utter shock. "Are you serious?"
"Yes." she replied as if it was no big deal.
"B-but… that's crazy!" he exclaimed.
"Maybe." she remarked with a small shrug. "But sometimes it's good to take a risk… you never know what might happen."
Finn pursed his lips in thought. Obviously, this was a completely ridiculous idea. He just got back a day ago! Then again, he didn't want to become a Lima Loser. He definitely didn't want to be stuck in a town where every little thing would remind him of Quinn. Maybe going with Santana would allow him to start fresh. Plus, he had always loved New York.
Thinking that he was probably going to say no, Santana added reassuringly, "It's not a hassle for me, Finn. I have a spare bedroom in my apartment. Oh, and I just so happen to live in the same building as Noah Puckerman and Rachel Berry. They really miss you. Kurt and Blaine are also in the city. Did you know that they're both making their way up the Broadway ladder? Berry, too. All of us are pretty good friends now and-"
"I thought that I was the only one who rambled." Finn interrupted in a teasing tone. When he saw the glare that she shot him, he decided to get to his point. "I… I think that's a great idea. It gives me a chance to start fresh, and I could definitely use that."
"You'll really come?" the Latina asked, unable to keep the excitement from entering her voice.
Finn's signature grin crept onto his face. "Yeah." he said softly. "I have to let my parents know, though… but I'm pretty sure that they'll be fine with it."
"Great!" Santana exclaimed with a large smile on her face. Suddenly, it faltered when she said, "About last night-"
"You don't have to say anything." he cut her off abruptly. "We'll… we can talk about it some other time."
It wasn't the answer that she was hoping to hear, but it wasn't all that bad either. "Okay." Pausing to take a sip of her coffee, she stated, "Our flight leaves in about three hours, so I'm assuming that you want to get home and pack." When he nodded, she practically ordered, "Then we have to leave right now. Your car is still at the bar."
"O-Kay." He didn't even get a chance to get the word out fully before she pulled him up and led him outside.
"Pushy." Finn muttered as he climbed into the passenger seat.
Santana slid into the driver's seat and looked over at him. "I heard that. Do you want to walk there?"
Hanging his head, he answered in an exaggerated wounded tone, "No, mother."
"Okay, after last night, never call me that again." she replied instantly with an accommodating glare.
He stared at her in confusion until it finally began to sink in. "Sorry…" Being a guy, even one with shreds for a heart, he couldn't help but impulsively ask, "Do you, uh, think we could do that again..?"
"As in..?" she trailed off suggestively.
Finding his throat to be suddenly dry, he simply nodded.
A soft sigh escaped her lips. "I really don't think that's a good idea. It's going to take you awhile to get over Quinn - if you do at all - and I'm not anybody's rebound."
He furrowed his eyebrows. "I wasn't going to make you a rebound…"
Taken aback, she stared at him with disbelief coloring her features. "So, what would I be then? Some sort of booty call? I don't do that."
"No, no, no! I'm not like that!" he immediately replied, shaking his head rapidly. "I meant as in… friends with benefits."
Unable to help herself, she began to laugh. This had to be some sort of joke because things never worked out this well for her.
Taking her laughter the wrong way, Finn asked in confusion, "Was I really that bad...?"
When she heard his question, she instantly stopped laughing. "Wait, are you serious?"
Thinking that she was referring to the question he had just asked, he said, "Yeah… I know that it's been a couple of years, but was I really that bad?"
"No, you weren't bad at all, but I meant are you serious about the whole 'friends with benefits' thing?"
"Yes…" the extremely confused man answered slowly.
Turning the key in the ignition, Santana shrugged and stated, "Okay." It took a lot of willpower to not sound like a kid on Christmas. Maybe this wasn't the kind of relationship that she wanted with him, but it was a start. Anything was better than being just friends.
"C-cool." he stuttered, surprised that she had agreed so quickly.
The drive back to the bar was in silence, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Unfortunately, the lack of words caused Finn's mind to drift to thoughts revolving around Quinn. He wasn't being entirely honest with Santana when he claimed that he didn't regret last night. Obviously, he enjoyed it – a lot – and he really did want to do it again, but there was a part of him that felt incredibly guilty. It would probably only take one visit to fix things with Quinn, but he really wasn't sure if he wanted to. He had noticed that there was a cycle that they went through. They would be together happily for awhile, break-up, pine after one another, get back together, and then repeat. As he thought about it more and more, he realized that it was more than a little foolish of them to do that. Being older now, he really wanted to do, well, adult things. Like get a job, hang out with friends, and simply be in love without having to worry about any problems. The little game that he and Quinn played just didn't fit into that picture. He didn't want to have to constantly worry about losing the girl that he loves. He didn't want to have to worry about her cheating on him. Plain and simply, he didn't want to relive high school over and over again. 'I need to start over; start fresh. I need to get over her and find someone new…' This thought seemed utterly stupid to him at first, but as he pondered it, he began to like it more and more. However, following through with the plan… well, that was going to be an entirely different story.
Well, I did say that there would be Finntana. Have no fear though, there will be Fuinn soon enough. I'm just building the plot :-] Uhm, I really have to read that book... So, until next time, leave a review and let me know what you think! I really do love reading them! Thank you for reading!
