Author's note: I am terribly, terribly sorry for the extremely long wait and for the horrible chapter I have to give you! I had major writer's block, and school started up again, and I also have rehearsal for a school musical every day, so my time to write is very very slim right now. I feel horrible, though, and I'll try to get you a new chapter in the next day or so. I promise it will be much better than this one and will answer some of your questions. For now, here is this, enjoy!
You Found Me: Chapter Three
I pulled up in the parking lot in my piece of shit car and went into the restaurant where I had agreed to meet Sarah for lunch, but my mind was still on Brittany. Sarah wasn't there yet, so I waited for her off to the side and became lost in my own thoughts.
I didn't notice when someone's voice started saying, "Anita!" I didn't respond at first. I had gotten so used to Brittany calling me Santana.
"Anita!" she said again. I finally realized that was my name. In front of me was my friend/girlfriend/whatever, Sarah. She was almost a head taller than me, and had long blonde hair and stunning blue eyes. I guess I have a type.
"Sarah! Sorry, I zoned out for a moment," I replied honestly.
"It's fine," she said. "You ready to order?" I nodded, and she grabbed my hand and led me up to the counter.
Ten minutes later, we're sitting at a secluded table in the back corner of the restaurant with our food, and she's talking animatedly about something, and I couldn't pay attention to it to save my life. I barely touched my macaroni and cheese which, yes, is a very lame thing to order on a date, but it's fucking delicious, and Sarah knew very well that it was my favorite food. But I continued to nod at random intervals, hoping she wouldn't notice that my thoughts were entirely elsewhere.
"Anita?" Sarah said. "I just asked you a question."
"What?" I blinked and tilted my head, trying to remember what she had just said.
Sarah sighed dejectedly. "Anita, I'm going to be honest with you here." She paused and stared at me. I nodded, signaling for her to continue. "I like you. You're…interesting, and I like that. And I know that you like me." I nodded, confirming that statement before I could stop myself. She smiled a little. "I really want this—us—to go somewhere."
"I want that too—"
"But that's not going to happen if you don't even try to be interested in what I'm saying."
"I'm sorry. I'm just feeling a little sick, that's all," I lied. I looked down, not out of shame, but so she wouldn't figure out that I was lying.
She became sympathetic. "Oh, I didn't know, I'm sorry. We can do this another time. You should go home and get some rest."
"No, no," I protested. "I already missed yesterday and I feel bad about—"
Sarah cut me off. "Anita, it's fine. You're not feeling well. Just go home and rest. I'll call you later, ok?" She stood up and disappeared, but then came back a few moments later with a box for my food. She emptied my bowl into the container, closed the lid, and grabbed my hand to stand me up. "Let's go."
I didn't say anything as she walked me out to my car, still holding onto my food and my hand. I turned around to grab the box of macaroni and cheese and thanked her.
She smiled. "Just feel better." Then before giving me time to say anything, she leaned in and pressed her lips to mine, just for a moment. "See you later, Perez," she said, with a playful wink.
I just nodded and got into my car and drove away without looking back. I didn't know how I felt or what I was going to do.
All I knew was that the kiss felt nice. I hadn't had a kiss like that since…Brittany. After I left, the most I had was one night stands and meaningless fucking. It was easier without feelings…
I got to the restaurant twenty minutes early, but stayed in my car. I didn't want Brittany to think that I was actually eager to talk to her or something, even though I really was. God, I was dying to have an actual conversation with her. I had forgotten how much I missed just talking. It was one of my favorite things to do with her. Besides kissing. And fucking. And cuddling.
But I had to clear my head. I was here to answer her questions and get her out of my life. Nothing else.
I waited until I saw her enter the restaurant before I got out of the car. I went inside and found her sitting on the bench, waiting. She saw me before I could say anything to her. "Santana!" she called, and waved me over.
I went over and sat down next to her. "It's Anita," I said. "Are you waiting for a table?"
"No, silly," she replied. "There's plenty of empty tables, I was just waiting for you."
We were led to a table and sat down, then ordered some wine. Before she had the chance to say anything, I asked, "Brittay, what the hell are you doing here?"
She looked taken aback, almost hurt. "I…we were going to talk."
"No, not here, here. I mean here in California." I hadn't meant to sound rude before, but I didn't apologize.
"Oh! I got a job!" She was suddenly excited. "I'm the new choreographer at this really high-end dance studio, it's awesome!"
I just nodded. She had a job. That would make it a bit more difficult to kick her out of my life entirely. As long as she wanted to still be in it, she would be difficult to shake off if she was sticking around for a while.
The waiter brought us wine, poured us glasses, then left us with the bottle. As soon as he was gone, I gulped it down and emptied it in a few seconds. Alcohol would make this better. Brittany eyed me cautiously, but I just poured myself another glass.
After a moment of awkward silence, Brittany asked me, "So how did you find this place? It's nice."
Small talk. This was going to be a long night. "I went here for dinner with a friend." That was all I said. I didn't care what she thought I meant when I said friend. Hell, I still didn't even know what I meant. I was here with Sarah last week. That area of my brain was a little foggy, plus the extra fog, considering I was just finishing my second glass of wine. I already knew this was not going to end well.