Santana watched in amusement as Charlie practically crawled back to the store, she really didn't run. "You know if you do this every day, it wouldn't be that bad."
Charlie gasped at her, she had thought it was going to be a simple run, a simple run not wind sprints and god knows what else Santana had suggested she do. She had complained until she realized that there was some unwritten rule if you could speak you could do more. Santana was a cruel mistress—Charlie flushes when the thought of Santana in leather enters her mind. "Uh-huh," Charlie mumbles.
Santana grins, "So we'll do this tomorrow after classes?"
Charlie merely slumps forward sliding down into a seated position, and hands her the keys to their apartment.
Santana laughs, "You're going to hurt tomorrow."
"Why is that funny?" Charlie demands. "That's awful! I wouldn't laugh at you if you were in pain!"
Santana can't help but laugh harder as she opens the door and extends her arm for Charlie, who grabs it. With a bit of effort, she yanks Charlie to her feet. She had a feeling that Charlie was totally playing this up, she had managed to keep up, only being a few steps behind her. She was considerably more fit than she had imagined and those arms. Strong, she definitely did something. "So, what's your story?"
"My story?" Charlie says as she stumbles up the stairs, practically crawling the way there. She needed to stop doing things to impress women, it never ended well for her. She was going to be in so much pain tomorrow.
"Yeah everyone has one, what's yours?" Santana questioned as Charlie opened the door to the apartment above the shop and stumbled in heading straight for the fridge. She hangs back for a moment before taking a step inside. It was homey, it looked lived in and she could see the pictures of Lawrence and a woman standing together and looking very much in love. She takes a step towards it. "Is this your grandma?"
Charlie flicks her eyes towards her as she guzzles down water messily. She nods and then coughs, slamming her hand into her chest. She finally moves over to look at the photo on the wall closer with Santana, her grandmother had been gorgeous and from the picture so full of life. "She gave him a pity date, and he managed to charm her. At least that's what he says, I never got to ask her for the truth. She died before I came to live with him." Charlie admits. She glances at Santana, holding up her hands before she could apologize. We hadn't been that close, but I think I would have liked to know her. I love my grandad, even if he is a pain in the ass sometimes but I know he misses her."
Santana nods watching as Charlie pulls away, "I would have liked to have met her too, though given your families fascination with food, I probably would be working off thirty pounds instead of the three that I gained."
Charlie flicks her eyes over to her, "You're exaggerating," she says with a shake of her head.
"Aren't you the one that fattened up a girl that you liked?" Santana asked as Charlie heads back to the fridge and grabs another bottle of water and hands it to her.
"He told you?" Charlie blurts out her cheeks flushing.
"Your grandfather likes to embarrass the crap out of you, when you're not around." Santana admits. "He adores you. Where is he anyway?"
Charlie shrugs, "He's probably visiting some friends, or you know visiting my grandmother," Charlie looks at her carefully. "Also, I didn't fatten her up, she just kept asking me for more, and I was learning how to bake and stuff and she offered to be my taste tester. Grandpa used to bitch about how I was using up all his inventory for this girl. It's totally not my fault."
Santana snorted, like she'd believe that, but she smiles and takes a sip of the water. "So, what is your story, I mean I thought you were just living with him because it's cheaper than living in the dorms."
Charlie shrugged, "I've been here since I was fourteen and my parents caught me in a compromising position with another girl. We were just messing around—but they're religious and my dad kicked me out. There was lots of throwing, lots of hitting, the whole thing was rather dramatic. I didn't have anywhere to go, and I knew I couldn't go to my dad's family so I came here, just to figure some stuff out like what I was going to do." Charlie hummed. "He was used to the drama as he calls it, raised two girls, my mother and my aunt Cassandra. He didn't ask any questions, I guess he thought I had run away or something. I stayed the night, and the next morning he fed me and made me breakfast, said he'd pick up a bus ticket for whenever I wanted to go home."
"Yet you're still here," Santana points out taking a seat on one of the comfortable but dated sofa's,
Charlie nods and picks at her cuticles slowly, "Long story short, I told him I was kicked out. He was confused by it, like even at my Aunt Cassandra's worst he had never kicked her out, she still had a home to come home to. He thought I had done something unforgivable and I told him, half expecting the same reaction that I got from my dad. He was just confused. 'I like women too.'" Charlie snorts at the statement. "I thought he didn't get the me being gay thing so I explained it to him, and he was still confused. Not that I liked women, that I was kicked out for liking women. I mean I don't think he understood the whole gay part, but like he just couldn't wrap his head around why I was kicked out. Like maybe if I was killing small creatures or enjoyed playing with fire or something—anyway he got super quiet when he figured out that I hadn't been kicked out for being a budding psychopath. Then he got super angry and marched to the phone and called my mother, and he cursed her out. Told her until she grew up she was no longer welcome under his roof anymore, and something about disowning her. Then he hugged me and made me a congrats on coming out cupcake."
Santana blinks. "Not a rainbow cupcake?"
"He wasn't as hip to the community back then, he just knew he loved me. Though if we're being honest, having a gay grandkid is all the rage here, so he now totally uses it to his advantage with the old ladies that he flirts with. Do you have any idea how many times he's tried to set me up?" Charlie shook her head.
"I have an idea. I think he thinks this is a date. He's always singing your praises when you're not around. I think he ships us."
Charlie's cheeks went red, "Well, ignore him. I do—I mean you're beautiful and all but like I'm happy we're friends and oh—god I really need to shut up. Jesus fucking Christ Charlie pull it together, you can't just babble on and on when a—" Charlie flicks her eyes down to where Santana has a hand on her knee and stutters, her brain shutting down and the words dying in her throat.
"I'm going to kiss you now, is that okay?" Santana asks trying not to smile at Charlie's red cheeks. A tomato never looked this good. Charlie nods wordlessly and she leans in and gently kisses her, on the lips. It takes a moment before Charlie responds and she's surprised at how good the baker is at this. She certainly wasn't a virgin.
Charlie moves to bring Santana closer when she feels her back and her legs spasm in protest, and grunts as she pitches forward landing face first on the ground. "Ow Fuck! Why the hell would anyone do this?"
Santana bites her lip to keep from laughing as she moves to massage Charlie's back. "I told you to stretch before we started and honestly we should have stretched after we finished. Here let me just massage the cramps out, and then we'll get you a banana or something."
"Okay, this isn't that bad—ahh," Charlie groans loudly, covering the sound of her grandfather opening the door to apartment. "Fuck where'd you learn to do that with your hands?"
Santana snorts, "I used to be a cheerleader you know. Head cheerleader, giving massages to my girlfriend at the time was something that just happened after our crazy coach brought the pain."
Charlie lets out another low moan, "Right—oh fuck, right there!" She brings her head up when she hears what she assumes is the door closing and shakes her head. She's just going to just enjoy Santana's gentle ministrations for now.
~O~
"So."
Charlie looked at her grandfather who had been avoiding her since he'd come back from wherever he'd gone to. "Yeah?" She prompts eating some of her mashed potatoes.
"Did you use protection?" Lawrence asks, reaching over to slap Charlie's back hard.
"What?"
"Protection, that's important! I mean I wish you'd have used your room."
"No! We didn't! I didn't! She just gave me a massage! God pops get your mind out of the gutter!"
"Me? You were moaning! You can't have sex in my living room!"
"I don't want to have sex in your living room! I hurt, everywhere! Why do you think I took a long bath!" Charlie shouts horrified.
"You were supposed to be making your move. I gave you plenty of time."
"She tortured me!" Charlie insists. "I hurt so much."
"So, nothing changed?" Lawrence sighed, his granddaughter was hopeless.
"Well—we kissed, but only till my back gave out," Charlie admits after a moment. "She gave me a massage and then helped me for a bit—but nothing happened. Stop smiling gramps! Stop it! We're not even dating."
"But you're going to see her again?"
"I said I'd make her dinner," Charlie mutters under her breath her cheeks flushing.
"That's my girl, best way is through her stomach. That's how I got your grandmother to stay with me."
"You fattened her up?" Charlie grins when her grandfather smacks her upside the head. She laughs and bites her lip. "She's totally out of my league, you know, that right?"
"She's only out of your league if you think that, she likes you. So be happy. Nothing less attractive than second-guessing her feelings. You're funny, you're smart and you're driven, and I've caught her looking at your butt. It's rather disturbing."
"Pops!" Charlie flushes. "Wait what's wrong with my ass?"
Lawrence snorts at this, "Nothing, absolutely nothing. Just be yourself and if it doesn't work then she doesn't know what she's missing."
