Santana wasn't sure if Nina was the best wingman - or, more appropriately, wing-girl - in town or if she had just made everything that more difficult for her.
Because, okay. Nina was the one who invited Brittany to the Zoo with them and now the blonde was in Santana's apartment, seeing the girl's room as Santana put the food away. And the mere thought that Brittany was in her house made Santana a little dizzy and her knees a little wobbly.
On the other hand, she had to think about the fact the Brittany was the first other adult with whom Nina had connected. And Santana didn't believe she should jeopardize that just because the blonde was gorgeous and she might have had a very vivid dream about her after the day they met.
But, if Santana was being completely honest with herself, she would have to agree that Brittany seemed as interested. And maybe - just maybe - they could have a shot at something real. Maybe Nina wasn't a roadblock for them, but a converging point of some sort.
The thoughts running through Santana's mind were too fast and too unsettling and she needed to lean back on the kitchen counter to regain her composure. "Damn it, Lopez", she sighed. "Get a grip on yourself."
She pushed her body forward and followed the sound of giggles and voices all the way to Nina's room. It had been her office before her niece entered her life and they were still modifying it to make it more girl-friendly. At least, the loss of her home-office gave her the perfect excuse to not take work home. When she closed her front door, Santana tried her best not to be a manager, just Nina's aunt.
Leaning her back against the inner wall, Santana took a moment to watch as Nina showed Brittany her favorite stuffed animal. It was a ragged old yellow duck and it was the only toy her brother seemed to think of packing when he dropped her off. After realizing that he wouldn't be back any time soon, she took Nina to numberless shopping trips and, now, the girl's room was packed with every kind of age-appropriate toy she could find. But no matter what they bought, Ducky was always the one Nina carried to bed with her.
"You know, I used to have one just like this when I was your age." Brittany's sweet voice reached Santana and she made no effort to keep that stupid smile at bay. In fact, she was mesmerized by the interaction she was witnessing. They were both sitting on the floor and Nina looked at Brittany with sparkling eyes, like the blonde was the coolest, most amazing thing ever. "Really?" The woman nodded and took the toy she was being offered, smoothing it.
"Sure did. It was my favorite one." Santana wasn't sure if it was true or not, but she wouldn't be the one to question. Their interaction seemed so easy that all she wanted was to stay exactly where she was and observe them for the rest of the day. In fact, she could learn a thing or two from Brittany's easiness around kids.
But when Nina's excited "mine too" echoed through the room, a chuckle escaped the manager's throat and two pairs of eyes turned her way. Nina had this shit-eating grin on her face, the one that made all of Santana's problems melt away. And Brittany... Well, Brittany smiled at her as if she'd known all along that Santana was watching them.
"Are you girls ready to go? You don't wanna keep those penguins waiting, right?"
It's a beautiful Spring day and the Zoo is buzzing with people. Santana is a little overwhelmed, but Brittany seems to know her way around and she decides to trust the blonde's directions and enjoy the tour. Looking around, she sees families walking about, kids holding both their parents' hands, fathers carrying their children on their shoulders, mothers wiping melted ice cream from smiling faces.
And, then, she looks down at her little miniature, who absorbs all this with wide, curious eyes. Nina holds her hand absentmindedly and she wishes she knew what she was thinking, seeing all these conventional, regular families. Even though Santana is just a circumstantial mother, she can't help thinking that Nina is the best thing in her life - and she feels bad for feeling lucky. But she doesn't have time to dwell much on that thought, 'cause Brittany steers them towards some new animals and Nina starts pushing her hand like she can't get there fast enough.
A small crowd is gathered in front of where the tigers are kept. Santana herself is having a little trouble seeing the creatures, so she can only imagine the sight Nina must be getting - knees, butts and backpacks. As she looks around, searching for a way to get her niece closer to the edge, she catches a glimpse of a movement out of the corner of her eyes. When she turns, she sees that Brittany already has Nina siting on her shoulders, gazing at the huge, striped cats with a big smile on her face. Lowering her gaze, Santana notices Brittany's hands securely holding Nina in place and a similar smile on her lips.
Brittany looks at Santana and, for a brief moment, the brunette can't help but thinking that they look a lot like all the other families she saw walking by.
She doesn't put Nina back down after they've left the tiger's cage. "You know, you don't have to walk around with her like that." Brittany shrugs a little and Nina yelps with the movement. "It's fun", she answers and darts away from Santana, mimicking a wild horse's gallop. Perched on her shoulders, Nina shrieks, laughs and giggles like Santana has never seen. The manager just shakes her head - apparently, Brittany is more of a child than her niece.
Santana is pretty sure she likes it.
The penguin exhibit divided into two parts. First, the visitors see the animals on their dry habitat, waddling around and caring for the little ones. Amidst the ice, there is a lake-like pool. The water slightly dark and Nina and the two women could see them jumping in from time to time.
As they walked around, they came to some steps that would take them to an underground level, where they could see the insides of the pool. Nina held both Brittany's and Santana's hand when they started going downstairs. On the second step, the girl looked behind and pulled on Santana's hand. " They walk funny", she said with a pensive, serious look on her face.
"Yeah, they do, sweetie. But have you seen them swim?" Nina shook her head just as they reached the bottom stair. Santana pulled them along until Nina could stand with her nose almost pressed against the glass. She kneeled beside the girl and pointed towards a group of penguins that swam, missile-fast, together. "Wow" was all Nina could answer. Santana stole a glance to see the amazed look on her niece's face. At that moment, she felt like the most amazing person on the world.
"See? They are weird up there, but they are awesome down here."
Santana had her hand on Nina's shoulder when she felt fingers grazing hers. Looking up, she found the brightest smile on Brittany's face. Somehow, that look combined with Nina's, made Santana feel even better, as if making those two smile was the most important thing on her life.
After admiring the penguins for a little while longer, the trio made their way back to the Zoo's open area. Brittany was on Santana's left and Nina on her right, taking in the sights, people and animals. The two women talked like they knew each other for a long time and not less than a week. Santana was still amazed at how easy it was for her to talk to the blonde. It felt like she had nothing to hide, nothing to sweep beneath the rug. She had no game, but with Brittany she didn't need any game. She could just be herself.
They could already see the exit sign, when Santana heard a shrill voice calling out for her. She looked around, trying to find the sound's origin and determine if she could possibly make a beeline towards the exit, Brittany and Nina in tow. But, before she had the chance, a pale looking boy stopped in front of her, grinning behind dark lenses.
"Santana Lopez! I can't believe it. It's really you." His voice was loud and attracted a lot of attention. Attention she really didn't want.
"Hi, Kurt."
"Oh, my God! Don't tell me this is your daughter! She's just adorable! And she looks exactly like you." Santana looked at Nina, who seemed completely puzzled by the new addition to their party. "And won't you introduce me to your wife?"
Santana seemed baffled by Kurt's questions. She had no idea how to tell him that she wasn't married and that she didn't have a daughter. It should be simple, really, but she felt frozen; rooted to the spot. How could she explain Nina's situation, in front of her, without reminding the girl of everything that had happened? So, when Brittany shot her a sympathetic smile and took Nina's hand, asking if she wanted to have some ice cream, Santana was beyond relieved.
After making sure they were out of ear shot, Santana faced Kurt once again. Like always, he seemed intrigued by the possible gossip. "Kurt, that's not my daughter. That's Nina, my niece. She's been staying with me for the past few months. As for Brittany, she's just a friend." The word 'friend' tasted bittersweet on Santana's tongue. It was nice having her as a friend, but she was more than sure that she would like to be more, so much more.
"That's unfortunate. Girl is gorgeous" he said and she couldn't help the smile that found its way to her face because, really, Brittany was gorgeous. "And, if I'm not mistaken, just your type, right?"
"Well, we're just friends. Now, what are you doing here?"
"Me and David just moved to the city, he was transferred a couple of months ago. It's, actually, the first weekend the three of us got to enjoy together."
"Three?"
"Yeah. We adopted a boy two years ago. You have to meet him, he's the most precious thing." When Kurt started talking about his family, he had this big, honest smile on his face. If Santana wasn't so worried about her two girls, she would be a little envious. "In fact, here they come."
Santana looked over her shoulder to find David walking towards them, a smily boy on his arms. He seemed happier than she had ever seen him. He stopped by Kurt's side, one hand on the small of his back. They looked good together, specially with the new addition to the picture.
"David. So, Kurt finally convinced you to get married?", she teased.
"Something like that. I cave in four years ago. Best decision ever."
"That's debatable."
"Santana!"
"What? I just think that a guy like David could do better than 'Prancy Smurf'. Guess it's an acquired taste, right?"
"Just so you know, we're very happy together, right, David?" Kurt looked at his husband, who looked utterly amused by the exchange. "In fact, we should get going. It's time for Benjamin's nap. It was nice seeing you, Santana."
"You too, guys."
Only after she was sure they were far enough, did she turn to look for Brittany and Nina. She eventually found them on a bench, thoroughly enjoying their ice creams. The girl seemed enraptured by whatever Brittany was telling her. Santana almost didn't want to break the moment, but after her encounter with Kurt, there wasn't anything she wanted more than to sit by her niece, hold her tiny body and listen to Brittany's voice telling stories about talking animals and kick-ass princesses.
"Hey", Santana breathed as she approached them, one hand lingering on Brittany's shoulder, between her silk-smooth hair. "Auntie Tana, Brittany bought me ice cream. Do you want some?", Nina asked almost thrusting her dripping dessert in Santana's face. The brunette laughed a little and took a bite, sitting besides the girl. "Awesome."
When Santana looked to her right, Brittany had a question mark dancing in her eyes, but with Nina there, she knew there was no way they could talk about Kurt and what he had said. Instead, Santana settled for a thankful smile.
"So, are you girls ready to go?"
"Already? Can't we stay some more? Please, auntie!"
"We've walked the entire Zoo. There's nothing else to see, kiddo. And we can't take up Brittany's entire day." She didn't even glance at the blonde, she just cleaned Nina's hand, grabbed their stuff and stood up. There was no chance she was staying any longer.
The drive to Brittany's apartment was almost silent. Nina fell asleep as soon as they left the parking lot and only the radio broke the car's stillness. Following the blonde's directions, Santana parked in front of a nice, brick building. It looked old, but well kept; with character, as her mother would have said. It suited Brittany's personality.
"Look, Britt", Santana started, tentative. "About what happened down at the Zoo -"
Brittany shrugged. "You don't have to explain, Santana. I imagined you wouldn't want to explain Nina's situation in front of her. No big deal."
"Yeah, thanks for that." Santana tried to smile, but all she managed was a grimace. "But, as for the other thing he said -"
"About us being married?"
"Well, yes."
"I can see why he would think that." At Santana's puzzled look, Brittany laughed a little. "I mean, we were walking around the Zoo, on a Saturday, with a little girl that looks just like you. It's understandable, right?"
"I guess. It's just that, I'm not sure what my brother told Nina about me and I'm not sure how to tell her that I'm", Santana glanced at Nina through the mirror before finishing in a whisper, "gay."
"Not an easy conversation, I agree. But the least you fret about it, the better. I should know."
Santana wanted to ask what Brittany meant by that, but Nina started stirring on the backseat. Time to leave.
"Thanks again, Brittany. For everything. I actually had a really good time today."
"Me too. So, I'll see you guys again on Wednesday?"
"Definitely."
A/N: this chapter was supposed to be a little bit longer, but since it had been so long since the last update, I decided to stop here and split it. Hope you guys enjoyed it.
See you next time.