RG Ch 4 21:00
The girls left the hotel and called a cab and at Rachel's request started their long trip to Cortona. Santana was more than hesitant to spend hours in a car just to see a fucking Market place and go to where they filmed the movie from the plane ride that had been haunting her since they left JFK.
"Rachel why couldn't we just stop at one of the 5 freaking markets we have passed already. What is so special about this freaking Cortona place?" Santana said moodily with her head in her hands.
"Because Santana, they built a fountain just to film the movie and I want to see if it is still there!" Rachel said her eyes filled with excitement as she watched the passing landscape.
"Rachel, you could have googled that shit and we could be eating right now. Why the hell couldn't we eat before we left?"
Rachel ignored Santana's complaints and kept her gaze out to the window on the flowers.
"Do you think the cab driver would pull over and take our picture?" Rachel asked grabbing San's arm
"Well he better damn well do it, for how much we are paying for this damn cab ride. Ask him your doe eyes, that always works on the butch chick at the walmart."
"Santana Lopez, it is not nice to judge people like that! Maybe she just likes loose clothes and short hair. You have never even talked to her." Rachel said replacing her smile with a scowl.
"Boy isn't that right. You think you know a girl as innocent and shy and then she eats you out in the shower. Totally see your point." Santana was smiling and trying hard to contain her laughter by smothering her giggles with her hand.
"Santana! That is unbelievably inappropriate! What if the driver had heard you? You needn't broadcast our sexual relationship on full blast in front of a strange man!" Rachel's face was flushed with embarrassment and she quickly made a barrier between the clear plexiglass in front of her with a newspaper she had picked up so the driver wouldn't see her crimson cheeks.
"Calm down, calm down. He probably doesn't even speak English, Rach. And put that paper down, you look ridiculous. Besides you are sitting behind him, he cannot even see you without making an effort. And even further, anytime he looks back here he is staring at my tits so I don't know why you are the embarrassed one." Said Santana plainly, recrossing her slender tan legs.
"You have no way of knowing he doesn't speak English, Santana. Besides if you are bother by the man looking at your chest, then cover them with your sweater." Rachel said, with no intention of lowering the paper.
"Oh please it doesn't bother me. Even before I had my surgery , I had people staring at my breast. Or my ass. Yeah usually my ass," Santana thought outloud before continuing, "either way it doesn't bother me. And we can easily find out if he understands English."
"Santana you shouldn't let people objectify your body." Rachel said with a tone of concern.
"Need I remind you Rachel, that you are the one who said I would end up working on a pole?" Santana retorted trying hard not to let the bitch mask slip on.
"San, I have told you a thousand times how much I regret saying that! I was in the moment and I was angry with you! I didn't mean it!" Rachel was clearly on the verge and her faced turned a deeper shade of red as she placed her hand on Santana's bare thigh.
"I know Rachel, I'm sorry I shouldn't have brought it up in the first place. Lets just check this dude language setting ok?"
Santana leaned forward slightly and rapped on the clear barrier between the front and back seat.
"Excuse me Mario, can you hear me?" She said through the plexiglass.
"Santana! Be nice!" Rachel hissed as the driver slid open a small window meant to pass through fares.
"Si signora?
"Can you tell me where in Rome they sell sex toys and lube?" Santana asked genuinely
"Oh my god!" groaned Rachel burying her face in her lap.
"Escuzi?" the driver replied, clearling not understanding what he had been asked.
"See Rach. No English." Santana smiled down at Rachel's doubled figure. "Never mind, Mario." Santana said to the driver waving off her question.
Still confused the driver turned to face the road once again. Santana looked over to see a very cross Rachel staring at her with her arms crossed.
"Come one Rachel, can't I have a little fun? You have had me in this cab for over an hour to see a dumb fountain and buy some grapes." Santana said trying hard to stop laughing.
"If you didn't want to go with me to see the 'dumb fountain' then you should have said something!," Rachel said tears starting to fall down her hot cheeks. "You don't have to embarrass me in front of a complete stranger."
"Rach, don't cry." Said Santana who immediately stopped laughing and scooted closer to her girlfriend. She pulled Rachel's arms apart and with a bit of effort got the girl to look her in the face.
"Rachel please, I am sorry. I do want to go, I'm just cranky because I haven't eaten and my left butt cheek has fallen asleep from being in this car so long. Rachel, please don't cry."
Santana face had completely stopped laughing and was looking at Rachel with her eyes full of guilt. She knew very well she probably shouldn't have said any of the things she did. After all Rachel did, just last week, wait in line for over two hours with her for a sale at a boutique in the city instead of going to see the Broadway musical they had originally planned on seeing that day.
Rachel sniffed and looked her hands.
"Which is also my fault cause I made us leave right away!"
She began crying again and brought her hands up to cover her face.
"No Rachel, its not your fault its mine! I made you get in the shower with me and well, it took more time than I had originally planned." Santana said pulling Rachel's hands away from her face.
"Which is also my fault! God, this is not going anything like I had planned! This was supposed to be romantic and enchanting! I am ruining it all!" Rachel cried harder and tried to pull away from Santana's grip unsuccessfully.
"Rachel Berry, stop this. The shower was amazing, mind-blowing even. I just should have eaten a granola bar or something. Anyways I take it all back. I really do want to see the fountain, and the flowers and the market and everything. But not as much as I want to see you smile right now." Santana pleaded with a still crying Rachel until she looked up into Santana's dark eyes.
"That was really sweet, Santana, thank you." Rachel said as she pulled the corners of her mouth up into a little smile.
Santana bent to kiss the tears of the smaller girls cheeks and then pulled her tight against her body in a long warm hug.
"All I ever want is to see you smile, Rachel." She said as she pulled back from the hug. "Now are we there yet?"
"According to the map we only have about 10 more minutes and we are there! And I promise as soon as we get there we will get food before we do anything else." She said wiping away the last few tears and grinning widely.
Santana loved that Rachel so easily forgave these small spats they had as though they had never had them. She never could do that herself, it was more like her to hold onto the topic of the fight and bring it up later when it would hurt the most. But she was slowly getting better at forgiving since she started dating Rachel.
After a few minutes the car slowed and pulled into the small town of Cortona. Rachel was beyond giddy, despite that ten minutes prior she had been bawling like a toddler pushed to the ground by a bully. As soon as the car was stopped she jumped out and unloaded her camera to being taking photos before Santana had even removed her seatbelt. San unbuckled and paid the driver and gave him one of her signature air smooches before grabbing her bag and exiting the car.
"Rachel are you seriously taking a picture of the toilet sign?" Santana said as she watched Rachel snapping photos of just about everything.
"Yes I am." She turned quickly on her heels and snapped a photo capturing a very confused look from Santana.
"Was that really necessary?" She said digging through her purse for her phone to check the time.
"Of course it is. I said I was going to take pictures of the most beautiful things in Italy and that includes you." She said snapping a photo of a rare blushing Santana. "Now stop fiddling for your smart phone and lets get some lunch!" Rachel skipped forward to look down the street for a restaurant to eat in.
"Aye Dios Mio" Said Santana trudging after Rachel.
It only took a minute or two for them to find a small café that served the traditional favorites and wine, and the girls were in heaven. Santana was thrilled to find that they had breadsticks, hard or soft that came with any pasta dish you ordered. The girls ordered fettucini to share and extra bread sticks and a bottle of their homemade wine, which came in an old green glass bottle with a wax seal over the cork. After about twenty photos of the food and a few of Santana's "hungry face", the girls finally, as Santana would say, "Got their eats on".
After lunch the girls found that the fountain had indeed stayed after the filming of the movie and Rachel insisted on taking pictures of Santana posing in front of it, but San was not too into the idea.
"Come on, San. People take your
picture everyday in Central Park with cell phones and you won't let me?" Rachel complained to a stubborn Santana.
"That is different Rachel, I am not posing for them. They are creepy new yorkers who jerk off by the rocks as I go jogging." She said in defense. "Besides this is different. This is a small town with nuns and stuff. The last thing I want to be remembered for here is posing next to the statue in front of nuns while they have their afternoon tea!"
"Fine just sit on the edge then. AND SMILE!" Rachel commanded.
Santana complied with Rachel and after a few photos she stood and quickly walked towards the Market.
"Ok get your grapes, Belle. I am going to look at the flowers over here." Santana walked to the opposite side of the market and started running her fingers along the petals of some bright sunflowers that were in a large wooden barrel. As she did so Rachel instead of getting her grapes she took a few minutes to take some pictures of Santana. She had never seen the Latina smile so wide without someone cracking a joke or falling off of something and landing on their face. She was stunning surrounded by those golden flowers and Rachel needed to capture it. As Rachel was taking her photos a few other tourists behind her noticed and decided that they needed the same photo of the beautiful brunette smiling in the flowers. It was in fact a very beautiful sight.
However beautiful it was, it was short lived. Santana looked over and the smile faded instantly into a look of displeasure. She walked around the stands to Rachel and gave her a very disapproving glare as she picked out her grapes.
"What was that all about?" She asked as Rachel still had yet to speak.
"What was what?" Rachel said laughing and pulling up a large bunch of dark purple grapes. "These look amazing, don't they, San?"
"Answer the question. What was with the camera happiness? Who are those people?" San asked frustrated.
Rachel ignored her and paid for her grapes and walked over to a bike rental station.
"Rachel!"
"Santana!" Rachel laughed and paid for two bikes while offering the man some grapes with a smile.
"Seriously. Are you seriously not going to answer me?"
"I just took a picture of my girlfriend looking pretty in some flowers. I don't have a clue what they were doing. But when you see the photo you might understand." Rachel winked and wheeled a bike to Santana.
"You want me to ride a bike in a mini dress and stilettos?" She asked seriously.
"I brought you some sandals. Lets go! Flower time!" Rachel patted Santana on the back and mounted her own bike and started down the street.
"Aye Dios mio. Ayuda me!" She cried climbing on the bike and awkwardly riding after the smaller girl.
After about fifteen minutes of riding they were well into the fields of flowers and the only house in sight was at least a quarter of a mile out. Rachel stopped and dismounted her bike and quickly turned to snap a picture of Santana yet again, as she had at least five times now.
"Am I supposed to be smiling in these candid photos, my love?" Santana asked stopping next to the camera happy Rachel.
"Nope. They are candid photos so the world can see how beautiful you are when no one is looking but me!" Rachel smiled wide and helped the Latina off her bike and out of her stilettos, which were now pinching her feet.
Rachel pulled some flip flops out the bag and handed them to a wobbly but grateful Santana. Leaving Santana next to the bikes while she changed her shoes, Rachel ran out into the flowers off of the path and after a mixture of taking pictures and dancing she pulled a blanket out of her bag and laid it down.
"Who are you Mary Poppins? That bag is like never ending." Santana said as she walked slowly over to Rachel who was now sitting on the blanket taking up close pictures of the bright red flowers that were surrounding them.
