hey guys, sorry it's been a while. i've been sick and trying to write when i'm ill is not productive in the least. but i've finally managed to get some done. yay me:)
so here is chapter 7. i know everything is going slow but it's for a reason. it's no fun when things happen so quickly. anyway let me know what you think. thanks friends:):)
It was just one of those nights. One of those annoying nights when you're exhausted way too early in the evening and instead of going to sleep at a reasonable hour you figure 'hey let me tire myself out real good and stay up a little later'. But then boom it's 3:17 in the morning and you are staring at you ceiling through the complete darkness.
You start staring so hard that you're pretty sure that you see it moving so to stop creeping yourself out you turn on your side. But it's inevitable you are clearly not going to sleep anytime soon so you might as well go and watch infomercials or your roommates not so secretly stashed box-set of The Golden Girls and drink some coffee. Yeah coffee because it's already too late, you've ruined your chances at a good night's sleep so you might as well go all out.
This is exactly the kind of night that Santana is having. After her early morning class she worked a double and then couldn't get a taxi so she had to walk back to the apartment. She should be spent, completely out of it hell she should be sleeping right now. If Quinn were awake right now she would probably tell Santana to stop thinking so much because 'cluttered thoughts and over thinking can lead to insomnia' or some bullshit. She's pretty sure Quinn read that from a magazine or even worse, from Rachel. Most likely the latter Santana thinks and makes a face at her own thought.
But the truth is for the first time in a while her mind is not cluttered with thoughts. Oddly enough there is literally one thing on her mind these days, for once.
Brittany.
The girl she met by chance, the girl who seemingly continued to show up out of nowhere and the girl that made her 20th birthday a very memorable one. It's been about two weeks since her birthday and the two have been talking rather it be text or a random phone call here and there. Santana always found herself smiling at a text from the blonde that would be so random yet so sweet all at the same time.
She had never been in a situation like this before. Where there were no set lines or boundaries or… rules. Brittany had gone out of her way on Santana's birthday by clearing the day out with Quinn. Granted it wasn't supposed to start so early what with Santana at work, ironically the hospital trip helped the day last longer for the two. But she kind of likes the idea of things being 'go with the flow' and see where it goes. It's been working so far.
After this thought she is brought right back to the fact that she is pretty awake. Too awake, it's getting irritating.
At around 1:20am she contemplated running to the bathroom and taking a shot of Nyquil but she desperately did not want to get out of bed. She figured if she waited it out she'd eventually fall asleep. She looks over to her clock in some vain hope that it would already be time to get up because lying here is getting old.
3:38am
She huffs and kicks the covers off of her.
"Coffee it is." She mumbles to herself. "Here I come Blanche." She scurries into the hall and opens the closet door kneeling down where Quinn 'hides' The Golden Girls DVD's.
Her eyes read through the episode listing to see which episode she is up to. She walks into the kitchen opening the refrigerator to grab the coffee. Her eyes dart to the empty spot her hand is grabbing at.
"Seriously?" She says to herself as she bends over into the fridge. Perhaps Quinn moved it, she thinks even though she knows that's not the answer to this problem.
There is no coffee left and as much as she wants to stomp around and slam the door shut she bites her cheek and closes the door firmly, but not loud. This is just great. She can't sleep and now there is no coffee. This night is just not meant to be hers. She twists her lips contemplating making some tea, but no, she doesn't want tea she wants coffee dammit.
Santana thinks about just going to bed again but the idea of that causes her to roll her eyes at herself.
"Fuck it." She shrugs her shoulders tosses the DVD box-set on the counter and heads to her room.
Shoving her feet into her sneakers she doesn't even bother tying her shoes because right now she is mad at everything and nothing deserves her attention, not even her shoelaces. She grabs a post it to jot down a quick note for Quinn in case the blonde wakes up and finds no Santana. The last time she left without putting a note on the table she walked in on Quinn on the phone with the cops. It was all rather silly.
With her coat in hand she makes her way out of the apartment only making sure she has her keys after she's already closed the door. Lucky for her they're in her coat pocket so she walks to the stairs putting on her outerwear ready for some serious cold.
The outside air nearly slaps her in the face. The confines of her room are suddenly calling for her to come back but she refuses. She zips her coat up higher than she normally does to ward off the chilly air from creeping down her shirt leaving enough space for her mouth to hold the cigarette she places between her lips in habit.
Looking left and then looking right Santana decides which way to go. Her mission? Coffee. To the left is a coffee stand. She can get her coffee and then come right back home and cuddle on the couch with Blanche, Rose, Dorothy and Sophia. But, to the right is a small hole in the wall diner that is relatively empty this time of… morning. Sometimes she likes to go there when she is having alone time moments.
Even though she doesn't necessarily need any more alone time than she is already getting tonight she opts for the diner. Maybe a bad cup of coffee and some people watching will do her some good. The strangest people were out at these hours and it always made her feel so much better about herself and or just simply entertained her for a while.
But as if this night couldn't get any worse, it does.
Santana getting her brisk walk on gets trapped on the sidewalk behind this old woman carrying two grocery bags. This tiny woman seems to be a little wobbly which tells Santana one of two things. One, these bags are way too heavy for granny or two this broad is wasted. Or maybe a little bit of both.
She tries to avoid a collision but as she zigs the woman zags and one of her bags fall out of her hands sending a few of her purchased goods to the floor. Her first instinct is to brush past the woman, step over the jar of sauce that had surprisingly not shattered into a million pieces and all but sprint to the diner. However she hesitates for a moment lets out a sigh and then bends down to pick up a bag of carrots that had fallen at her feet.
"Here let me help you." Santana offers finding herself picking up other things and placing them back into the bag.
"Oh thank you." The old woman says to her sighing at her clumsiness and shaking her head at herself.
"No problem." Santana responds easily. She rolls her eyes at herself bending down to grab that jar of sauce. Since when is she such a nice upstanding citizen?
After repackaging the woman's groceries she then suggests that she help the woman carry her things after when she asks how far she is going the woman says up the block. It is just past the diner, which isn't so bad. At least it's in the same direction and vicinity. She can do this.
Santana then grabs the woman's other bag hoping the weight lifted from her tiny most likely ailing body would allow her to move at a more rapid pace. Unfortunately it does not. They eventually get to the woman's apartment door and the woman once again thanks Santana up and down and left and right. She tries to give her money but Santana refuses and leaves the woman to her strange hour groceries.
This good deed makes her steps a little bouncier and unfortunately even more awake. But rather than getting annoyed at that fact she decides to just embrace her insomnia.
The diner is finally in sight. She walks across the street coming up to the stairs that lead to the doors. Her eyes scan the windows to see if this place is as she hoped, empty. From left to right it looks all clear, but then, wait, no she sees something. She stops just before the first stair and takes a few steps back.
There in the window sitting at a booth is Brittany. Santana smirks to herself. It would figure that she would run into the blonde at a strange time of day and it figures she would look like crap too. She shakes that thought out of her head and grabs her phone from her pocket scrolling down to Brittany's number.
She watches as the blonde huffs at the sound of her phone going off, clearly not enthused as most people get at their phone ringing. Santana watches Brittany's eyes glance at the screen quickly to only do a double take. She sees when Brittany reads that it is her on the other line, the smile that creeps on her lips. She can hear the click that tells her Brittany has answered, that and she sees her bringing the phone to her ear.
"So you know if you scrunch your forehead for too long you get lines." Santana says before the blonde can even say 'hello'. She sees Brittany's mouth open to say something but Santana only continues. "You should smile more, frowning leads to scrunching and scrunching leads to lines and then lines lead to Botox and who really wants ass fat in their face?" Santana blurts out and she can hear Brittany's soft girly giggles over the air waves of technology. "I only have one question."
"Wasn't that ass face thing a question?" Brittany challenges and Santana grins seeing her eyebrow quirk up in her response.
"Do you usually sit at diners alone at 4:00 in the morning?" Santana asks and she watches Brittany's smile turn into confusion, then she's looking in the diner and then finally she looks out the window.
"Hey." Brittany's voice sounds airy, the greeting just flowing out of her mouth and she smiles.
"Hey." Santana smiles back then motions that she is going to come in and shoves her phone back into her pocket.
She walks up those steps and through the door of the diner, the bells on the handle letting the rest of place know someone has arrived. Santana shakes her head at the woman behind the counter and points to Brittany who is waiting anxiously for her to come over. On her way to the booth she takes her jacket off and hangs it on the hook by the booth and she slides in.
Once settled into her seat she brings her hands to the table top and clasps them together taking in a deep breath the smell of cheap coffee and stale pastries filling her senses. She looks up to meet Brittany's blue eyes that seem to be glistening under the too bright lights of the diner. They smile at one another and a comfortable silence falls over them. The quiet in the booth is short lived when the buzzing of Brittany's phone shakes the table and their stare is broken causing them both to glare at the offending object. Brittany sighs and rolls her eyes lifting her phone up to see who is bothering her.
"Sorry." She apologizes and Santana shrugs it off.
The blonde takes her lower lip between her teeth and squints her eyes slightly. Santana watches as the other girl's thumb hovers over the keys which she seems to be debating over right now. Those blue eyes dart to Santana quickly before returning to the gadget in hand and she finally commits to a button. There is a longer buzzing sound and then Brittany smiles triumphantly as she places the phone back down onto the table.
"Everything alright?" Santana inquires hoping this question will just start up their conversation. Brittany looks away shyly for a moment before answering.
"Yeah, I was just trying to remember how to shut off my phone." She responds and Santana quirks an eyebrow. "I'm surprised I can even work this stupid thing. I don't even own a computer." Brittany tells her in all seriousness and Santana snorts leaning back comfortably into her seat.
"What?" The smaller girl asks as though that is the most outrageous thing she has ever heard.
"I don't know how to turn on a computer." Brittany tells her straight forwardly and Santana smirks finding it to be adorable if anything. "But," Brittany all but shouts and sips her coffee. "Enough about my technological disabilities, what are you doing out so late?"
"Or early." Santana counters and the blonde grins at her witty retort and they both chuckle for a brief moment. "I couldn't sleep so I was going to make some coffee and watch T.V. but we had no coffee left." She shrugs her shoulders and tries to get the girls attention from the counter to actually order that coffee she has been all but dreaming of.
"Ugh I wish that was my excuse." Brittany sighs twisting the mug of coffee between her hands glancing down at it.
"Well, what is your excuse?" The Latina asks in return curious as to what, other than insomnia brought Brittany out at a time like this. Brittany's lips twist her eyes glued to the steaming liquid in front of her.
"My parents," She begins but pauses possibly trying to figure out how to explain herself. "They have these gatherings and they tend to always go till all hours of the morning."
"Oh." Santana responds and nods then she smiles at the girl who finally brings her a cup of coffee.
"Sometimes Rachel comes to save me from complete boredom but then she gets so caught up… it's just a little too much for me sometimes." Brittany explains with a shrug of her shoulders and her fingers idly play with the spoon beside her coffee cup. Santana watches as the blonde girl across from her stares down at the spoon as it twirls between her fingers as if to distract her from the reasons as to why she is here.
"Well that sucks." Santana finally sighs out getting those blue eyes to dart back up to her. "Back home I used to drag Quinn with me to family things all the time." She tells Brittany whose lips begin to curl up into a small smile. "Granted it wasn't to keep me company but more so to keep me from killing my family." She grins bringing the cup to her lips and taking a small careful sip and Brittany chuckles. "But she was there to join in with me when I needed to vent about everything. She never left my side."
"Hmm, maybe I should invite her next time." Brittany muses as though the thought of someone keeping tabs at her at one of her parents 'parties' would be exciting. Santana quirks an eyebrow clearly not ecstatic about Quinn being the one Brittany would invite. Brittany winks at her knowing what she is thinking and this softens the mood once again. "If it were family I could deal but it's not. It's clients, executives, officials and people I'd rather not be around." She shrugs again not really wanting to get into the sorted details of her parents 'gatherings' as she refers to them as.
"That does sound boring. At least with family you can retell stories of the time your stupid cousin Jimmy forgot to wear a cup at soccer practice." Brittany giggles at Santana's ability to lighten the mood. "Still walks with a limp." Santana nods sipping her coffee some more.
Silence falls over them with the random laugh in reference to cousin Jimmy and his limp still lingering. Santana takes another long sip from her coffee realizing that it is almost done. She contemplates getting another cup but her eyes are brought back to the blonde sitting across from her.
"Hey, what do you say we get some coffee to go and you come over and watch some T.V. with me?" She offers. Brittany looks up from her coffee sending the Latina a questioning look. "Come on. You, me, coffee and the Golden Girls." Brittany smirks and sips the rest of her coffee. "What do you say?"
"You had me at Golden Girls." She replies causing Santana to chuckle. When they get outside Santana notices Brittany's limo parked there, it hadn't been before. The blonde makes her way to the door where the driver is waiting.
The drive is short and so is the silence. They continue to talk about how much they both enjoy the Golden Girls and that it is a secret obsession that they tell nobody. Santana explains how Quinn has all of the DVD's and she tries to hide them though she is certain she hides them from Santana afraid she will ruin her precious collection.
Finally inside the warmth of Santana and Quinn's apartment the smaller girl takes the blonde's coat hanging it up ever so carefully on the rack behind the door. She leads her the few steps it takes to get to the couch in front of the T.V. running back into the kitchen where she had left the box set on the counter.
They spend the next few hours dispensing their endless knowledge on the show, sipping their coffee and getting better acquainted with one another. Santana watches and takes notice of how comfortable Brittany seems to be around her as she kicks off her boots and pulls her feet up under her on the couch. She turns her body to face Santana as they talk heatedly about the greatness that is Ms. Betty White and then to which character they relate to the best.
"Wow its 6:00 in the morning." Brittany yawns glancing at the clock on the cable box. Santana looks over and is shocked at how early it is. The blonde girl untucks her feet from under her and turns to the coffee table between them and the television. "I should probably get going." She sighs and Santana can't help but feel as though the other girl wants anything but. She watches Brittany carefully place her now very empty coffee cup onto the table and stretch letting a little throaty sound escape her mouth.
"Let me walk you down." Santana stands up grabbing both of their cups and walking them to the garbage in the kitchen. Brittany stands as well walking to where her coat is and shakes her head.
"Don't be silly. It's nice and toasty up here." Brittany tells her pulling her coat on and buttoning it up. She turns from the rack to Santana who is now standing in front of her.
"It's really no problem." Santana insists going to grab her coat but Brittany's hand grabs her hand instead.
"I had a really nice time with you… this morning." They both giggle and Santana can't help but focus on the fact that Brittany is still very much holding on to her hand. "We should do it again." They nod at one another and Santana opens the door for her. As Brittany goes to walk out the door Santana's grasp on her hand holds tighter instead of releasing therefore pulling the blonde back to face her.
"How…" Santana stammers over her words over her breathing and her eyes dart to every curve and muscle on Brittany's face. She sees how the muscles of her lips twitch as they curl up into a smile. "How about tomorrow?" She asks kicking her foot into her calf standing there like a teenage boy trying to ask a girl out. "On a date." Brittany's eyes glimmer in the hallway light and her smile is infectious seeing as Santana is now smiling from ear to ear and she hasn't even heard the answer yet. Brittany clears her throat and drops her head for a moment and squeezes Santana's hand.
"I'd love to." She answers finally bringing her beautiful blue eyes up to look at Santana. "I'd love to go out on a date with you San." Santana isn't sure, but her heart feels like it has fluttered into her stomach.
"Awesome." Santana replies and she can feel her cheeks burning. "Wow that was dorky."
"It was cute." Brittany assures her and with one more squeeze of the other girls hand she leans in and kisses Santana on the cheek. "Call me tomorrow… or… today." She kids and both of them giggle softly.
Santana watches Brittany walk down the hallway to the stairs. She waves one last time as the blonde turns around to smile at her before disappearing into the stairwell. She closes the door ever so softly and smiles her way back towards the couch to shut the television off.
"What the hell are you doing up?" Comes a raspy voice from the hall. She looks up with her smile still very much in place and spots a not so attractive morning Quinn. Her hair in complete disarray and her clothes all bunchy. "And why are you so happy? Did you trip a small child?" Santana waves her off and brushes past her in the hall.
"I have a date." Santana tells her in sing song and Quinn pays no mind to her only watches her practically skip to her room. Santana turns to face her friend before going in to her room. "With Brittany." She enters her room and closes the door leaving Quinn staring at the closed door.
"Finally." She sighs turning back to her destination, the kitchen. "What took you guys so long?" She goes to the refrigerator in search of her early morning fix. "Seriously?" She all but yells seeing that there is no coffee left.
