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Chapter 7: Getting there
Santana's POV
Saturday 9th January 2016
That's the holiday period all over now so I'm glad things are getting back to normal. However I'm not so happy about the fact I can't seem to shake off this crush I have on Brittany. I know Eva thinks I should be honest and stuff but I don't think it would be very fair of me to tell Brittany I like her when she is with someone else. At first I really wanted to but I'd hate that if it were to happen to me so maybe I should try and get over it without having to say anything to Brittany.
"Hey" Brittany smiles at me when I walk into the café. "Coffee and a doughnut?" she asks.
"Yes please" I say while sitting down on a stool at the counter. "It's cold out there today" I state.
"I know it is so why have you been running in the cold?" she asks.
"I've got to keep fit somehow" I say.
"I suppose, anyway here is your coffee and doughnut" she says while placing the things in front of me.
"Thanks" I reply while biting into my doughnut.
"Isn't your birthday coming up soon or something?" Brittany asks me.
"Yeah, don't remind me" I say with a groan.
"What's wrong with having a birthday?" she laughs.
"There is nothing wrong with a birthday, I just don't want to turn 26 that's all" I say.
"Because it's so old" she says jokingly. "I'm so glad I'm only turning 18 next month" she smirks.
"Are you having a big party for your 18th?" I ask.
"I don't know, why… would you like to come?" she asks.
"Don't be silly, I wouldn't be seen dead at an 18 year olds party" I say. "I like the more mature parties not the silly high school ones" I smile.
"Yeah-yeah" she rolls her eyes at me. "I was only joking anyways, I didn't think you would want to come. You have to be cool and fun to enjoy a party and you aren't either of those" she smirks.
"Oh, you're cheeky this morning aren't you?" I say. "What happened, did you get out of the wrong side of the bed?"
"You normally say that when someone is grumpy or in a bad mood, you don't say that when they're only joking with you" she tells me.
"Maybe I think you are in a bad mood this morning" I state. "When I walked in you gave me the biggest glare ever for some weird reason."
"I wasn't glaring at you, I was glaring in general because a customer really pissed me off" she says.
"The customer is always right Brittany" I say.
"Well this one wasn't, he was convinced the jam he had was strawberry when it was raspberry" she says. "He asked for raspberry so that's what I gave him but he came over complaining saying it wasn't the right kind. Don't worry he didn't see me glaring."
"Ok cool" I say. "So what are your plans for the rest of the day when you finish?" I ask.
"I'm filling out university applications. I would have liked to have had them done by now but never mind" she replies.
"Oh I remember when I did mine, I hated it" I say. "I hate the part where you write about yourself and why you'd be a good student for that particular university."
"Yeah I hate it too" she agrees.
"Hey if you need any tips just let me know, I know I said I hated it but it doesn't mean I didn't have plenty of practice at filling in applications" I say. "I sent to numerous places so I have some tips."
"You wouldn't mind helping me?" she asks.
"Of course not, I can even give you some help right now or will your manager be mad that you're doing other things during work hours" I say.
"No it should be cool" she says.
For the next ten minutes or so I help Brittany with ideas on what she could put for her personal statement section. I thought it would be boring but it was rather fun. I think any time I get to spend time with Brittany, its fun. She's so easy to talk to and have a laugh with. I think…
"I need to talk to you right now" Quinn says storming over to me.
"Good morning Santana, how are you?...oh I'm fine Quinn, thanks for asking" I say while glaring at her as she pulls on my arm.
"I'm not in the mood for childish behaviour Santana, I just need to talk to you urgently" Quinn states.
"Well I'm afraid you can't, I'm helping Brittany just now" I say. "I can come over tonight if you want and we can talk then" I offer.
"No we have to talk now, please Santana" she says almost begging with tears threatening to fall.
"Quinn, what's wrong?" I ask worriedly.
"Please I really need to talk to one of my best friends right now" she says.
"Ok but I sort of promised Brittany that I'd…" I get interrupted.
"Don't be silly, go with Quinn. You can help me another time" she says. "It's fine Santana, honestly."
"Ok well how about we meet tomorrow and finalise your application. We could meet at that café that we've went to before" I suggest. "If you're not too busy of course" I say.
"Well if you're ok with that then cool because I really want it finished as soon as possible" she says.
"I'm cool with that so will I meet you there about 10am?" I ask.
"That's fine, see you tomorrow" she says and then Quinn and I leave.
"Quinn what the hell is going on" I ask as we walk back to my house.
"I think the wedding is off" she replies.
"What do you mean you think?" I ask.
"Well we got into this massive argument and then Alex said maybe we shouldn't get married anymore so then I stormed out and came to find you" she replies.
"Ok well once we get back to mine you can tell me all about it" I say.
"Ok" she nods. It takes us another ten minutes before we arrive at my house.
"So tell me, what was the argument about?" I ask as we take a seat on the couch next to one another.
"Well it started off being about how messy the apartment was and then I started blaming him for it" she tells me. "And then we ended up arguing about pointless things before it led to the wedding. Santana I don't know what to do anymore" Quinn says in tears.
"Oh honey" I say sympathetically while hugging her.
"I love him Santana, I can't lose him" she says crying.
"So what were his exact words?" I ask, trying to get my head around things.
"He said: maybe I'm just not the guy for you Quinn, maybe this whole marriage thing isn't going to work" she replies.
"Oh I see so basically you were arguing about him not doing what you think he should be doing so that's why he said maybe he's not the guy for you" I say realising what she means.
"I guess I expected things to be different but they're not going to be" she says. "Do you think he's right and I am expecting too much of him or am I right?" she asks.
"Well…I don't know Quinn" I say hesitantly.
"Santana you're one of my best friends, I want you to be honest with me" she says.
"I don't think you want to hear what I have to say Quinn" I tell her.
"I do Santana" she says. "Please you're important to me so I can trust you."
"Honestly?" I ask and she nods. "Quinn, I never thought Alex was right for you in the first place. I can't stand the guy and you deserve better" I say and she looks at me shocked.
"But…I don't understand…I mean" she tries to say something but it's not coming out properly. "Why have you never said anything before?" she asks.
"I know it seems sudden but you seemed happy so I didn't want to say anything before but that's how I have always felt" I say.
Brittany's POV
Sunday 10th January 2016
I am so glad Santana is going to help me finish my applications for university today. I should have had them done before Christmas but things got in the way but technically they aren't due until the end of January so I'm probably not too bad for time. I just hate the thought of deadlines hanging over my head so the quicker I get my applications finished the better. Ideally I would like to stay home and travel to university but if I don't get in anywhere close enough then I'm going to have to move to student accommodation so I'm sort of sending my applications in everywhere and praying I'll be accepted to some of the closer institutions. Santana told me that she still lived with her parents when she went to university and although it took a bit of her day to travel, it was well worth it because she didn't have to leave anyone behind so I'm hoping I can do the same.
"Hey sorry I'm late" Santana says while rushing over to me. "I was visiting my parents and then their dog decided to take a bath in mud outside and shake his fur the minute I stood next to him so I had to go home and quickly change" she tells me.
"That's ok" I smile. "Although I would have loved to have seen the state of you covered in mud, I bet you were mad."
"Mad, that's an understatement. I was absolutely fuming Brittany, you have no idea" she says.
"Actually I kinda do, that day someone stole your seat in the coffee shop was probably similar. I thought you were going to kill the guy" I say, slightly laughing at the memory and how angry Santana looked.
"Oh I was ready to kill him" she says.
"Anyway how about we get a drink and then get started?" I suggest.
"Ok sounds cool" Santana says. "I'll get the drinks so what would you like?" she asks.
"Hot chocolate please" I say and Santana goes over to the counter for the drinks. After about an hour we have completed most of the applications.
"Oh thank god that is over" I say in relief.
"I definitely think you'll be accepted to one of those universities, there is no way they could turn you down" Santana says.
"Thanks" I say smiling. "Do you really think I have what it takes to go to university?" I ask.
"Of course" she replies. "I mean from the current grades at school you have and the personal statement we came up with, there is no way you don't have a shot" she tells me.
"Yeah let's hope so" I say.
"So I was thinking if you didn't have to be anywhere now then you might want to have lunch with me" Santana suggests.
"Hmm…I don't know" I say. "I don't know if I'd cope with spending more time with you" I say with a smirk.
"Oh really, so a free lunch is too hard to accept" she says.
"If you're paying then maybe I could stay for lunch" I say.
"Good, so tell me what you want" Santana says while standing up.
"I was only joking, I'll pay my half" I insist.
"No, it's my treat so just tell me what you want and I'll go and order it" she replies.
"You really won't take no for an answer will you?" I ask.
"Nope so tell me what you would like to eat" she says so I tell her. Santana then goes and orders the food and comes back to sit down. "They'll bring it over when it's ready" she tells me.
"Cool" I nod. "Oh hey was everything ok with Quinn yesterday?" I ask.
"Not really" Santana sighs. "They might be cancelling the wedding" she tells me and my mouth almost falls open in shock.
"Oh my god, are you serious?" I ask and Santana nods. "What happened?" I say before quickly realising it might not be my business "You don't need to tell me, it's probably private."
"Put it this way, I think they're both on different pages at the moment" Santana says.
"That's such a shame, I hate it when you hear of relationships falling apart" I say.
"Yeah I know" Santana agrees. "Speaking of relationships, how is yours?"
"Uh…" I don't really know how to answer. It just seems a bit awkward talking to Santana about my relationship. "Fine, I guess" I answer.
"Good, I'm glad you're happy" Santana says and there is a slight awkward atmosphere until thankfully the food comes a few minutes later.
"The next time is on me, ok" I say breaking the silence.
"Ok sure" Santana smiles.
XXX
"It really is a beautiful view from here" I say smiling. Santana said that she'd walk me home but insisted we took the more scenic route. We were walking through the park after having lunch but we have now stopped to admire the view ahead of us.
"Yeah" Santana agrees while smiling back. After a moment I realise we may have been staring into one another's eyes so I go to turn away but Santana places her hand on my chin to turn my head back around.
"What are you doing?" I ask confused but also taken aback by the close proximity of our faces. Before I can even say anything else, Santana closes the gap between us and kisses me. For a split second I let her but then quickly realise this should not be happening.
"No Santana, just stop" I say and she pulls away from me. "You shouldn't have did that?"
"Ok maybe I shouldn't have but I've been dying to do that for ages" she says with a slight smile. "Tell me you didn't want to kiss me."
"That is not the point" I say. "You shouldn't just kiss me after rejecting me less than three months ago, it's not fair."
"Sorry" she says quietly.
"Why the hell would you play with my feelings like that?" I say angrily. "What the hell is wrong with you?" I almost shout.
"I'm sorry, it felt like the right thing to do" she states.
"What part of me being over you and having a boyfriend don't you understand?" I ask.
"You said you weren't over me, not properly so I assumed you were only with Jack because you couldn't have me" she says. "You can have me though, I made a mistake when I pulled away when you kissed me a few months ago."
"Why would you do this to me now?" I ask. "I'm finally with someone and then you realise you like me."
"That's what happens though, you always realise things when something big happens. It took me seeing you with someone else to realise I liked you all along and that was the wakeup call I needed" I say.
"Santana you don't want me" I say. "I think it's made you realise you miss being with someone not that you like me."
"I'm not just lonely Brittany, I genuinely like you. I'm not just saying it because I've never had a relationship since my ex-wife. I have had plenty of dates since and the reason none of them worked out was because they weren't you" she tells me.
"You barely know me Santana. You know about me and my life but we've barely hung out or anything so how do you know you actually like me?" I ask.
"How did you know you liked me?" she responds. I guess she has a point there.
"Santana you really shouldn't have did that, I'm so confused now" I say. "My head is even more messed up than it was before."
"You know you still like me and trust me I wouldn't mess you around like this if this didn't mean something" she says. "If it was a harmless crush because I was lonely then I wouldn't have said anything but I know we both don't just have a crush, I am really sure this is something more."
"You can't say this to me now Santana, you're not supposed to like me back" I say.
"Who says I'm not supposed to?" she asks.
"Me" I respond. "I say you're not supposed to like me back. You rejected me so you liking me should never have happened."
"Well it has so let's deal with the new situation we're in" she tells me. "I know you still like me Brittany so don't pretend that you don't because it'll only make you feel even worse" she says.
"Dammit, why do I still like you?" I say sighing.
"I know it's not ideal but you can't deny how much fun we have and how well we get on" she tells me.
"If I weren't with Jack, I would so be with you right now but this has got to be the worst timing ever" I say.
"Do you really see yourself with Jack in a year's time?" she asks. "I see myself with you" she shrugs.
"Jeez Santana, calm down. You have only had a crush on me a few weeks and you see yourself with me for a long time already" I say.
"Look I'm old and ugly enough to know what I want. I've had enough relationships and dates to realise when someone is worth fighting for so to speak and I know based on past experiences that this thing between us is different. It's not just a crush for either of us and we both know that" she tells me.
"I am such a bitch" I state. "The only reason I started dating Jack was because I never thought there was a hope in hell you'd want me so I moved on but the truth is I still liked you" I say honestly.
"Can we stop pretending this isn't worth it and just say what we truly want from now on" she says. "I know you're going to need time to sort things with Jack but just know I'm not going anywhere."
"Look I really need to go home now, we'll talk another time ok" I say and Santana nods. We both then start walking "Actually it might not be best for us to walk together right now, I want to clear my head" I say.
"Brittany avoiding me won't help" she says.
"I know and I'm not avoiding you, I just need time to process thing. I will definitely see you next week in the coffee shop ok" I say before leaving.
Santana's POV
Saturday 16th January 2016
I'm in the coffee shop as usual getting my coffee and doughnut. I've only just arrived so Brittany and I have only briefly chatted so I'm still not sure where we stand in terms of things. I know what I want but I'm unsure as to what Brittany wants right now.
"Coffee and a doughnut as per usual" Brittany says while setting the items in front of me.
"Thanks" I reply.
"So…how are things?" she asks hesitantly.
"Yeah, they're good" I reply. "I still like you" I say.
"Yeah I thought you would, I didn't think the feelings would vanish that quickly. I know mine haven't" she tells me.
"It's good to know you still like me" I say.
"Will you wait for me?" she asks suddenly. It seems like a random question.
"Um…I don't know. Don't you still have another five hours of your shift to go or something?" I ask. "I mean I wouldn't mind waiting but I do have quite a bit going on today" I say. I mean I have a lot of paperwork to catch up on before work on Monday. I wasn't planning on staying here too long because I want to get back home and get a lot of work done.
"No" she says laughing. "I meant will you wait on me being ready and make sure everything is fine with Jack. I didn't mean literally wait for me today" she is still laughing really loudly.
"Oh" I say embarrassed. "I thought you were asking me to wait until your shift finished so we could talk" I state.
"I think we are pretty clear on things so I don't know if we need to talk everything through again, I just need time to sort out things with Jack" she says.
"Ok so hold on a second" I say, a smile evident on my face. "Does this mean you're going to be with me, you've chosen to actually be with me?"
"Well yeah but let's not say I've chosen you because that makes things sound like I am comparing you both and you're two different people that both deserve respect. I know what I did was wrong and that wasn't nice to do that to Jack but what I'm saying is I shouldn't hurt him anymore" she tells me.
"That's ok, I completely understand so when you're ready I'll be ready" I say smiling.
Let me know what you think of the chapter. Are you glad Santana finally told Brittany how she feels and that they'll be together soon? I won't keep them apart too long, they'll finally be together next chap.
