Author's note: Hey everyone! Sorry this took awhile. I was offered a long term substitute teaching position for 6th graders and life became pretty hectic. I am back in action, though! Hope you enjoy the update. I spent all day writing it. =]

Chapter 4

The afternoon hustle and bustle of the city greeted us the moment we stepped out onto the street. People lingered all around. Many were rushing past, scurrying to get someplace. Taxis were crowding the streets, blaring their horns at one another. It felt like a scene from a movie.

I fell into stride beside Brittany, taking in the fresh autumn air. It felt good to get out of the studio. I was finally able to breathe easily. The air no longer felt stifled and suffocating. How could Brittany have known that this was exactly what I needed?

"Feeling any better?" she asked timidly.

"Yeah, I am, actually…"

"Good, I'm glad."

She smiled at me, that million-dollar smile that made me weak in the knees. It was quite adorable if you asked me.

Still, I felt the need to apologize for my earlier melt down.

"I'm sorry for completely losing control up there. Dylan and I do not see eye-to-eye about ninety percent of the time."

"You don't have to apologize. I admire your ability to fight for what you believe in. I could never even begin to imagine all the work your job entails."

I let out a shaky laugh. "Let me tell you, it is not easy."

"So, what were you arguing about to begin with?" she questioned.

I contemplated answering her question, but soon realized it would put a lot of things into better perspective for her.

"I wrote a song about something in my life that had a great affect on me. When I went into the studio to lay down the track, Dylan told me it was pretty much shit and made my voice sound weak. He wanted to refurbish it to his liking."

"But it's your song. You worked hard in creating it. I'm sure it could not have been as bad as he is making it out to be."

"He's the professional, though. He gets the final say on things."

She stopped in her tracks and looked up at me. I shortened my pace and came to a halt next to her.

"I'm sorry. It really sucks that he doesn't take your hard work and determination into consideration."

"It's okay. I'm used to it by now."

"I wish there was something I could say to make you feel better," she stated with a sad look on her face.

"Hey," I said brushing her shoulder with mine. She looked up at me again, searching my eyes for any signs of what I was about to say. "I started feeling better the minute we left that building. Thank you for realizing that is what I needed."

I saw her eyes light up and a small smile form on her lips. "I am pretty good at reading people."

"Oh yeah? Well, then, tell me Oh Wise One, what am I thinking right now?"

She contemplated this in her head for a moment before a big smile adorned her face. "You are thinking about how much you want a large cup of coffee right now. Oh, and about how much you enjoy my company."

I laughed both to myself and out loud. Those were, indeed, two things currently on my mind. In fact, I could not form a statement that was truer than that even if I wanted to.

It felt good to see Santana laughing and smiling. It was a nice change from the mood she reflected earlier.

I really wanted to give Dylan a piece of my mind. Yet, somehow, I knew that would not make things any better.

It killed me to think that Santana actually believed her song wasn't any good. I wanted to reassure her. I wanted to do anything to calm her down and make her relax.

The rest of the walk to the coffee shop was spent in silence. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence, though. If anything, it felt normal and necessary. It was as if we both needed to come to terms with the thoughts we were having.

When we finally made it inside the shop, I decided I was going to learn as much as I could about Santana over one cup of coffee.

"I've never been here," Santana exclaimed from my side.

"Really? Well, you are in for quite a treat then" I said with a wink.

Why was I being so flirtatious? I needed to teach myself to think before I spoke. It was one of my many bad habits.

"So, what do you recommend?" Santana asked.

"Either the pumpkin spice latte or the autumn harvest blend coffee," I said excitedly.

"Hmm, I'll go with the second one."

"Hi, my name is Dawn, what can I get for you ladies today?" the lady at the register inquired.

"Yes, I need two large autumn harvest blend coffees to go."

I saw Santana reach inside her purse for her wallet and quickly placed a hand on top of hers to stop her.

"It's okay," I stated, "my treat."

She looked up at me as if she was about to object. "Really," I continued, "let me buy it for you."

She smiled bashfully before nodding her head in exception.

Once our orders were handed to us and I had paid for them, we made our way over to one of the tables in front of the shop window.

Santana took a sip of her coffee and hummed contentedly. "Wow, Brittany, you were not lying. This is heaven in a cup."

"But that's not possible!" I explained. "There's no way heaven could fit into a cup this size, silly!"

Santana let out a small giggle. I was glad to have her laughing and enjoying herself.

"So, tell me about yourself, Brittany…What do you do besides work at the animal shelter?"

The answer to that question was fairly simple. "I dance."

"Dance?" she asked.

"Yes, dancing is my favorite thing to do."

"That's awesome. Are you any good?"

"Of course I am, silly. Although, I have yet to have any successful auditions," I admitted dejectedly.

"You audition?"

"Mmhm."

"For what types of roles?"

"Anything really. My last audition was for Saturday Night Fever. Unfortunately, I didn't get a callback."

I felt my face drop in defeat. I just didn't understand why I wasn't being offered any parts.

"Never give up hope," I heard Santana say.

"Yeah, well, hope is easily lost for me."

Santana reached across the table and squeezed my hand. "I believe in you. I bet you could do anything you set your mind to."

I wish I had as much confidence in myself as Santana had in me, but I didn't. I was tired of being let down all the time.

"Thank you," I said taking a sip of my coffee.

"So, what else should I know about you?"

"Hm, let's see…I'm 24, originally from Rhode Island, graduated from Cornell University with a major in dance…."

"Wow, so you've lived on the East Coast your whole life?"

"Yup, born and raised!"

"Awesome, what's Rhode Island like?"

"It's small. There isn't much terrain or mountains. It's pretty much as flat as a pancake. The beaches, however, are beautiful," I explained.

"One day, I'd like to travel through all 50 states. Hopefully I can make that happen once my album releases and my manager starts to book tours."

"That's a good goal to have. Is it on your bucket list?"

Her cheeks reddened and she smiled sheepishly. "It might be."

"I like that. Maybe I should add it to mine."

"You should."

We both took a few more sips of our coffees.

I was delighted to know that Santana was interested in learning more about me. Now, it was my turn to find out about her.

"So, tell me about yourself. Have you always wanted to be a singer?"

She smiled sweetly before replying with a quiet, "Yes."

"That's a nice dream to have."

Santana placed her coffee down upon the table. "I've been singing for as long as I can remember. I believe I was two years old when I received my first toy microphone. I remember begging my parents to sign me up for STAR search, or one of those other shows. They were always too busy, though. So, when I graduated from high school, I took the money they had given me as a present, and moved out here. Now, I'm trying to live out my dreams."

"That sounds very complicated. Where are you from originally?"

"I'm from Florida. Well, that's where my family is, anyways."

"I love Florida! What part are you from?"

"Miami Beach…"

"Wow. It's really nice there! What do your parents do?"

Santana's head dropped and she became fixated on her hands, which were placed in her lap. I thought I had overstepped a boundary and began to feel terribly guilty.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry."

"No, it's okay. It's just that they were hardly around as I was growing up because of their hectic work schedules. My father is a heart surgeon at Mount Sinai Medical Center and my mother owns her own corporate law office."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's fine."

I didn't want to make her sad again, so, I didn't know whether or not to keep asking her questions. She must have saw me becoming flustered, though, because she nodded her head and assured me it was okay to continue.

"You said you have a brother?"

"Yes, his name is Mateo. He's Lily's father. He's currently serving our country in Iraq. It's his second tour."

"That must be so hard for you and for Lily."

"Yes, it is. It's the reason why Lily doesn't talk. Every person she's ever counted on has left her."

"You haven't…" I said.

"I know. I don't plan on it either. Lily needs consistency. She needs to know what love is. I am going to give her everything she needs and more. I love her so much."

"I know you do. Anyone can see that from miles away. You're doing such a fantastic job with her, Santana."

She blushed again. I kind of enjoyed having that affect on her.

I wanted to know everything about her. She was like a drug that I was slowly becoming addicted to. I was happy just to be in her presence.

"So, do you have a boyfriend?" I asked her.

Her demeanor changed suddenly. She looked nervous and took to biting down hard on her lip.

What was she so scared to tell me, I wondered?

I smiled at her before moving my hand towards her and lifting her chin. "You don't have to be nervous around me, you know. I don't bite…not too hard."

She let out a small laugh. It was a sound I was beginning to enjoy hearing. Every time it happened, my stomach felt funny. It was almost as if I swallowed a butterfly and it was fluttering around inside of me.

I guess people call that having butterflies. Well, these butterflies that I was currently having were very strong.

Santana looked up at me and began to speak. "I…um…I like girls."

I let this information sink in for a minute before I responded. "That's cool," I said flashing her a bright smile.

"It is?" she said inquisitively.

"Of course," I replied. "I've always believed that what makes you different makes you beautiful. Liking girls doesn't change who you are. You are still beautiful on the inside."

She let out a sigh of relief. I was glad she didn't hold back from telling me. I figured it was only fair to tell her about me, too.

"I like both." I said. It was simple and to the point.

"So, you're like a switch hitter?"

"Pretty much. I prefer hitting from the right side of the plate, though. The right side always feels more comfortable to me."

"What's so special about the right side?" She questioned.

"The right side, to me, means who I feel more confident and happy with. The right side signifies the sex that understands me better and makes me feel things I don't usually feel with the other side."

I could tell she was intrigued. "So, which sex represents the right side?"

"Girls. It's always been more about the girls."

I never saw a bigger smile light up Santana's face than the one that did in that moment.

I've never felt so connected to a person before. It was just so easy to talk to Brittany that I didn't want to hold anything back from her.

She didn't judge me. Instead, she made me feel more confident in myself than I ever had. It was an amazing feeling, yet, at the same time, a bit scary.

It brought back so many memories from my past. It was the same memories that haunted me in my sleep.

My heart was fragile. It always had been. When, the one person I thought could never break me, did, I gave up on trying to find happiness at all. I think that is why I became such a cold-hearted bitch.

Brittany brought out something in me that I had not seen for a long time. She made me want to be a better person.

It was very strange how someone could enter your life in an instant and turn it upside down. I barely even knew this woman and, yet, I already wanted to know more about her. I wanted to spend more time with her. I wanted us to be friends.

I looked at my watch to check the time and saw that it was close to two o'clock. Dylan was going to kill me.

"As much as I don't want to, I really need to get back to the studio and try to accomplish something before I have to pick up Lily from school."

Brittany laughed. "I guess I stole you away long enough."

"Trust me, if I could I would stay here and talk to you all day."

Her cheeks tinged a shade of pink. She was so adorable.

"Thank you for getting me away from there and making me relax."

"You don't need to thank me, Santana. I just wanted to help."

"You did."

We threw our cups into the trashcan on the way out the door.

When we returned to the studio, Dylan and Mike were waiting for us in the lobby.

"Awful long coffee break…"

I was about to speak when Brittany cut me off.

"I'm sorry that's my fault. Clocks confuse me so I just always turn them off everywhere I go."

I let out a soft giggle. This girl was something else.

I realized then, that I wanted to keep in contact with her.

"Give me a minute Dylan…then I will get back to work."

"A quick minute" he said.

I grabbed Brittany's hand and dragged her into the recording booth.

"He is a very angry person," Brittany let out.

"Yes, he is."

I quickly found a pen and paper and jotted my number down onto it.

"Here…" I said handing it over to her.

She looked at it before smirking and saying, "I don't talk to strangers."

I laughed out loud and she followed suit.

"I just wanted you to have it in case you ever need anything."

"So, I can call you to hear that song you were working on earlier?" she insisted.

"Ha-ha," I laughed. "Only if I can call you and schedule a time and place to come watch you dance."

She smiled at me before tucking the piece of paper into her pocket. "Sounds good."

I opened the door and followed her back out into the lobby.

"Thank you again for the coffee."

"It was my pleasure."

I turned my attention to Mike. "It was nice meeting you."

"You, also," he said shaking my hand.

They turned and walked out the door toward the elevator.

"Okay, enough distractions for one day. Let's get back to work."

"Whatever…" I said, turning my bitch mode back on. This was going to be one of the longest hours of my life.

I drove over to the shelter with a huge smile plastered to my face. I was happy. I couldn't help it. There was just something so extraordinary about Santana.

I was on such a high that I managed to arrive early to work. My boss was almost as shocked as I was.

I immediately went to work cleaning out cages and filling water bowls. I took the dogs outside four at a time to get some fresh air and exercise.

My mind kept thinking back to her. I couldn't control the fact that I wanted to see her again. It was making me nervous in anticipation. I pulled out her number from my pants pocket and created a new text message.

"Studio Z. Tomorrow at 11 am. I hope you like freestyle dance." I typed to her.

I smiled before sliding my phone back inside my pocket and calling the dogs over to bring back inside.

I left the studio a little later than I had planned to. This meant I had to rush home to get Aristotle before picking up Lily.

I had just pulled up outside of Lily's school, when my phone buzzed.

I let out a sigh of exhaustion, figuring it was Dylan telling me to come into the studio again tomorrow to work on the album.

However, when I read over the message, I couldn't help the sudden excitement that came over me.

It was from Brittany. She had texted me information to go watch her dance.

I quickly responded back to her, "I am very familiar with freestyle. See you at 11."

What the hell was wrong with me? Why was this girl making me so giddy?

Aristotle climbed into my lap and started licking my face. "Thanks, buddy."

I saw Lily walking towards the car and told Aristotle to hop in the back seat.

"Hey, sweetie how was school?"

"It was okay."

"Just okay?"

"Yeah."

I really did not want Lily to regress back into not talking.

"Look, I brought Aristotle with me."

Her face immediately lit up. "You remembered!"

"Of course, I told you I would." She leaned over the seat and gave Aristotle's ears a scratch.

"So, here's the deal. Before we go to the store you have to tell me some good things and some bad things about today."

Her smile faltered. "Do I have to, Tia?"

"Yes. I owned up to my part of the deal, so, now you have to give me something in return."

"I got a one hundred on my math worksheets, I raised my hand in circle time, and I got a sticker on my spelling sentences."

"Buena, Niña. That's awesome! I'm so proud of you!"

She smiled up at me.

"Did anything bad happen today that you want to tell me about?"

Her smile fell again and she turned to look out the window.

"It's okay, Lily, you can tell me."

"Some girls made fun of me, Tia. They said I didn't have a mommy or a daddy."

"Oh, Lily…" I said taking her in my arms. "You know that isn't true."

"I miss my daddy!" she cried.

It was so heartbreaking. I didn't know what to say to make her feel better. This whole situation sucked.

"I miss him, too, but do you know what, your daddy loves us very much…and we have to be strong for him, okay?"

She nodded her head to show me she understood.

"If those girls bother you again you need to tell a teacher, okay?"

Again she nodded.

"Promise me?"

She looked into me eyes. "Okay, Tia Tana, I promise."

"Thank you. Now let's go shopping for Aristotle."

"I can't wait to buy him lots of toys!"

"Well, we better get going then," I said starting up the car and pulling out of the lot.

When I finally finished taking all twenty dogs outside, I started filling up their bowls with food.

I had just finished filling the first five bowls when Brad yelled out, "Pierce, we need more dog food. Can you run to the store and pick some up?"

"Okay, boss," I yelled back.

I hated being told what to do. It was so aggravating. I filled the rest of the bowls before setting the bag of food down and grabbing my purse.

I walked out to my car and headed in the direction of the nearest pet store.

Lily, Aristotle, and I had arrived at the pet store. After climbing out of the car, we walked over towards the entrance. There were no carts in the store whatsoever.

"We need a carriage, Tia."

"Okay, wait here with Aristotle and I'll go get one outside."

I left them near the registers and walked back outside. I headed towards the side of the building where the shopping carts were all waiting in a line.

As I approached them, I was so busy thinking about everything that happened today that I never saw a tall figure coming towards me. We ran right into each other.

"Oh my god. I am so sorry!" I said.

"It's okay," the other voice let out.

As we both caught our balance and turned to look at each other, I suddenly felt tingles run down my spine. I know that voice, I thought to myself.

"Santana?" I said.

"Brittany?"

We both let out stifled laughs. What was going on today?

"Well, I am not any mathematician, but what are the chances of this happening twice in one day?"

"I know, right? We keep running into each other."

"Literally. Ha-ha." I let out.

"What brings you here?" she asked.

"I just have to pick up some bags of dog food for the shelter. How about you?"

"Lily and I are shopping with Aristotle."

"Awe, are they here?"

"Yes, they are waiting inside. Come say "Hi", I bet they both would really enjoy seeing you."

"Okay." I said, smiling.

We both stood there looking at the shopping carts.

"Go ahead, you first." I offered.

"Thanks, Britt."

She pulled out a carriage and started walking back towards the store. I looked into the night sky and smiled up at the stars. "Thank you so much! I think you have definitely laid a hand here."