Chapter 8
"So, where are you taking me?" Santana asked as she slid into the passenger side of Brittany's car. She was thrilled with how the day was going. She never would have guessed that her best friend would become acquainted with Brittany in their class or that she would meet said girl again in such an easy fashion.
"I haven't been to Universal Studios in forever, and I know someone who works there," Brittany explained as she started the engine. "So, I'm sure he won't mind getting us a pretty awesome deal."
"Sounds awesome, I haven't been there before," Santana responded causing Brittany to snap her head over to her.
"What! Never!" Brittany exclaimed. Santana shook her head and giggled. Brittany gasped dramatically. "It is only the best theme park ever," she told her. She pulled out of the park's lot and headed towards the main road.
"I guess we'll see," Santana laughed at her antics. "Are the rides cool? I've been to Sea World and Knott's Berry Farm."
"They are awesome," Brittany emphasized. "The Mummy ride is good, and Jurassic Park is too. And the House of Horrors is insane."
Santana nodded and put her purse on the floor next to her feet. "This should be an interesting day then, thanks for bringing me."
Brittany looked over and smiled. "You're welcome."
Twenty three minutes later they entered the park and walked towards the ticket booth where a feminine man was typing away on a keyboard.
"Hey Kurt!" Brittany greeted as she got closer to his booth. He looked up from the screen and shrieked. He quickly jumped off his stool and out the door to hug her. Santana watched amusedly.
"Brittany Pierce, what an honor to see you! And who's your friend?" he asked with a playful tone, causing Brittany and Santana to blush.
Brittany pulled away and motioned to Santana. "Santana Lopez, this is one of my good friends, Kurt Hummel. He is in the musical theater program with Rachel at USC. Kurt, this is Santana," she paused as she thought of how she should introduce her. Are we friends, or is she just a cop that I rode with and am now hanging with? A girl that I like? Wait like? Isn't that soon? Oh god, she's looking at me. Speak idiot, speak.
Sensing Brittany's inner turmoil, Santana smirked and held out her hand to Kurt. "Brittany and I met a few days ago, she is a friend of my best friend, Quinn, and she thought it would be fun to hang out, so we're here," she explained. Kurt glanced over to Brittany whose face was bright red and nodded.
"I see, I see. Well, a friend of Britt's is a friend of mine," he smiled. Santana noticed a particularly large woman making her way towards them, so she cleared her throat. Kurt looked behind him and dashed quickly back into his booth. The woman seemed satisfied with his actions as she turned around and walked back towards the guest services building.
"So Kurt, I was hoping that you would be able to do us a favor today," Brittany hinted as she batted her eyebrows. "You see, today is Santana's birthday. She's never been here before, and never does much for her birthday." Kurt widened his eyes and gasped.
"That's a true shame. Let me see what I can work out," he smirked at Santana as he typed on his keyboard again." As they waited for him to finish what he was doing, Santana poked Brittany's arm playfully.
"You don't have to do all this for me," she smiled shyly. "I mean, I wouldn't want him to get in trouble or anything over something as miniscule as my birthday." Brittany poked her back.
"Your birthday is not miniscule, it should be fun. And different," she shrugged. "Besides, Kurt is practically the king here. He won't get into trouble."
"It's true," Kurt interrupted as he pulled some things out of a drawer. "Alright ladies, compliments of Kurt Hummel, future Broadway star, two all-access passes to the rides, complimentary drinks on the house at any restaurant, kiosk and stand, and passes to any place on CityWalk!"
Brittany raised her eyebrows as she took the items from her friend. "Wow! That's insane!" Santana looked equally shocked and nodded.
"I wouldn't let ya'll enjoy us any other way. Now get out of here, go have fun!" Kurt smiled and sent them off.
They both thanked him and waved appreciatively before walking through the main gates.
"Wow, he was really nice," Santana smiled. "I can't believe he gave us all this for free," she said as she looked through the different cards and pamphlets.
"He is amazing," Brittany agreed. "So, what do you want to do first? The park doesn't close until nine tonight, and CityWalk doesn't close until 11, so we have plenty of time. Your pick, birthday girl."
Santana grinned and took a map out of their stack and opened it up. Looking thoroughly, she pointed at a spot and chose. "Let's go to this." Brittany smiled and looped her arm through Santana's.
"As you wish," she smiled as she led Santana towards the area on the map. Santana smiled warmly at Brittany, who was doing way too much to make her feel special. That thought caused a sly grin to grace her features, as she thought that simply being there with Brittany was already enough.
Brittany noticed the grin and chuckled. "What?"
"It's nothing," Santana told her. "I'm just really glad we're doing this. Thank you."
Brittany blushed and looked away before responding. "Me too."
"Are you sure this one is good?" Santana whispered as she and Brittany waited in line. They were about three minutes from entering the House of Horrors.
Brittany nodded. "It definitely gets a little scary, but that's the point," she replied without looking at Santana.
"Scary! Like how scary?" Santana nervously laughed. Brittany turned and noticed the expression on the other girl.
"Don't worry, nothing too bad," she explained. "Besides, they can't touch you, so remember it's just for fun," she said with a smirk.
Santana nodded and watched as the group ahead of her filed closer to the entrance. As they followed, sounds from inside the attraction were more accessible. She could hear some people laughing and having a good time. Ok, so maybe this won't be so bad, she thought to herself.
"You ready?" Brittany asked as they stepped through the entrance door. Santana nodded and they walked in, Santana trailing very closely to Brittany's side. Approaching a dark hallway barely fifteen steps in, a girl screamed loudly, causing Santana to quickly pull on Brittany's arm to leave through the entrance.
"Santana, it's ok!" Brittany giggled. "Come on, it isn't that bad I promise. Besides, look at the amount of people we'd have to go through to get out," she said pointing at the crowd behind them.
Santana bit her lip and turned towards the direction they were originally headed. "Ok, fine, but if I have nightmares, it's on you!" she spit playfully.
"You fight criminals, and yet you're afraid of a little haunted ride? That's cute," Brittany teased as she bumped her hand into Santana's. As they continued to walk forward, Santana cautiously peered around her, waiting for things to jump out at her. Brittany watched amusedly, loving how easily the girl was freaked out.
A scream from about ten people back caused Santana to tense up again, so Brittany grabbed her hand and whispered close to her ear. "I'm right here San."
Santana shivered from the feeling of Brittany so close to her. She felt like a total pansy needing Brittany to reassure her that she'll be ok in a stupid ride, but hey, if this is what it took to get Brittany that close, so be it. She decided to play it up a little bit.
"Britt, I'm freaking out," Santana trembled. Brittany turned to look at her and noticed the girl was shaking, so she thought of an idea.
"Ok, how 'bout you stay behind me, and maybe close your eyes. I'll guide us out of here, and then we can get ice cream and forget all about this ride." Santana nodded and took Brittany's other hand that was held out for her. Brittany turned and kept moving forward, smiling at how well this haunted house idea was working out.
Santana held on to Brittany's hands as she shuffled forward, until something jumped out at them, causing Santana to press her body into Brittany's back and hide her face. Brittany smiled widely at the action.
Five minutes later the tour was finally over and Brittany spotted the park's lights again. Still clutched tightly to her back was Santana. Letting her left hand come free from the girl's grasp, Brittany turned around and looked at the flustered girl.
"Hey, are you ok?" Brittany asked. Santana nodded and looked up at her.
"I'm never going into one of those again," she joked.
"Why, you did so well!" Brittany laughed and pulled her towards an ice cream stand. "C'mon, I owe you ice cream."
They stood in line, still holding each other's hand as if they have done it their entire lives. Neither one wanted to break contact, so they acted nonchalantly, even though they were both freaking out on the inside.
"What kind of ice cream are you going to get?" Santana asked. "I'm going to guess," she paused. "Chocolate chip cookie dough?"
"Wow, you're good!" Brittany smiled. "How'd you do that?"
Santana shrugged. "You just seem like you'd have great taste," she smiled. Brittany quirked her eyebrows making Santana blush. "In...in…ice cream," she stuttered. Wow idiot, stop talking.
"I bet you do too," Brittany winked. "I am going to guess…" Santana pulled them close to the window. "Strawberry…with m+m's?" Brittany asked as she looked at the various items in the stand.
"Stop it!" Santana laughed out. "That is insane. That's like my favorite type."
"Seriously?" Brittany giggled. Santana nodded and turned to face the man at the ice cream stand.
"Hi ladies, what can I get you?"
"Can we get two ice cream cones, one with chocolate cookie dough, and one with strawberry with m+m's, please?" Santana asked and pulled out her debit card quickly.
"Wait, no way, I owe you still remember?" Brittany said as she yanked the debit card from her hand and gave the man hers.
"I'm pretty sure you've already paid me back enough," Santana smirked. "But feel free to keep it up," she laughed. Brittany nodded.
"Yeah, I plan to! It's your birthday," she smiled and licked at some of her ice cream that was rolling down the side of her cone. "Let's go sit down over there." They walked over to a bench and sat down. "So, how long have you known Quinn and Puck?" Brittany asked.
"It feels like forever, but really it's only been about two years now," Santana answered as she took a huge bite from her cone.
"Wow, yeah, the way ya'll interacted, it seemed like that," Brittana told her.
"They are practically family to me," Santana admitted. "I love them so much." Brittany smiled behind her ice cream. "What?"
"You are a very sweet person," she complimented. She huffed as Santana shook her head in disagreement. "You are though."
"I disagree, but I appreciate that." Brittany stuck her tongue out. "Real mature," Santana laughed. She quickly swiped Brittany's cheek with some ice cream and scooted away on the bench.
"Mature, yeah, I see that," she laughed as she wiped her cheek. Santana smiled and moved closer. Brittany tensed up slightly as she watched Santana's hand reach closer to her face. She let out a breath when she felt the girl's fingertips lightly glide down her cheek, removing the ice cream they originally applied.
"All clean," Santana smiled as she wiped her hand on a napkin.
"So, what do you want to do next?" Brittany asked checking her phone. "It's close to eight already."
"That was fast," Santana said. "I feel like we just got here."
"Yeah I know. We should go ride the Jurassic Park ride," Brittany suggested causing Santana to quirk an eyebrow.
"Is that one scary too?" she asked. Brittany shook her head. "Ok, lead the way."
They tossed their trash in the receptacle and headed towards the ride. They quickly walked through the ropes until they reached the boat that was sitting next to the dock.
"Wait, the ride is on a boat…thing?" Santana asked.
"It's fun, I promise," Brittany assured her.
"You said that about the last place," Santana pouted playfully. "Fine, fine, let's get on."
Brittany clapped and stepped into the boat, sliding into the front row. When Santana looked at her strangely, she replied. "The better view of the ride."
"Wait," Santana paused as she sat down. The couple next to them pulled the bar across their laps and pulled on their hoods to their ponchos. The boat began pulling away from the dock. She looked over at Brittany who was trying to keep a laugh from spilling out by biting her lip. "Brittany Pierce, is this a water ride?"
Brittany let go of her lip and chuckled loudly as she avoided the Lopez death glare. Santana gasped and quickly pulled her phone out of her pocket. She tried to find a spot to hide the phone where it wouldn't get wet, but she wasn't having much luck.
"What do I do about my phone?" Santana asked. Brittany smiled and pulled a small plastic baggie from her purse and slipped both of their phones inside before zipping the purse. "Thanks!"
As the boat ascended up the rails, Santana held tightly to the bar on her lap. She wasn't sure what this ride would entail. When the boat reached the top and continued on a level path, she let out a sigh of relief.
"Don't be scared San, this ride is actually fun," Brittany teased. Santana poked her thigh as they entered through large doors, revealing dinosaurs in their habitat.
"Wow, this is really pretty," Santana whispered.
"Yeah, I know," Brittany agreed.
The boat traveled onwards for a few minutes and while she tried to listen to the recorded commentary, Santana couldn't help but pay attention to the way Brittany's face lit up while watching the scenes in front of them.
Uh-oh," Brittany breathed out, breaking Santana from her leering.
"What, uh-oh, no, what's going on?" she freaked out, looking around at the flashing lights around water. She jumped when a dinosaur jumped from the water. "You jerk," she spat playfully at Brittany.
They turned a corner where she quickly noticed a car descending before she saw a huge ramp. "Oh goodness, no, we can't be dropping this high!" She panicked lightly as they gradually climbed. "We are, we are, we are." She grabbed onto Brittany's thigh and held on as she waited for the large drop. When the boat reached the highest point of the ramp, she held a breath and looked over to Brittany who was watching with amused eyes. She clamped her hand harder on Brittany's leg and tightened her body to ready herself. She felt the boat give and head downwards, but sighed as it quickly ended with just a small splash of water.
"That wasn't so…" a wailing siren interrupted her as they traveled forward for a few moments. She watched as a large waterfall came into view. As the boat approached closer, she finally saw the huge T-Rex headed straight towards the boat. "Shit, shit, no," she muttered.
"Here we go," Brittany laughed. Two seconds later, the boat ripped down the ramp at a fast speed causing the whole boat to get soaked. Brittany could swear she heard a muffled scream come from the girl beside her, but she was too busy wiping water from her face.
"Oh my God, that was ridiculous," Santana cried out as she rung the water out of her shirt.
"It's my favorite ride," Brittany grinned as she wiped the water from her forehead.
"Let's do it again!" Santana suggested.
"Wait, really?" Brittany asked. "You were just freaking out two seconds ago."
"Us Latinas, we tend to overreact sometimes," she shrugged. "It was awesome though, and now that I know what to expect, I will enjoy it more."
Brittany nodded. "Ok whatever you say. Let's go look at the picture!"
"Haha, no way, they take a picture of us?" Santana asked as she followed through the gift shop. "Wow, oh my god, look at me!"
"Looks normal," Brittany teased as she looked at the blown up image on the screen. Santana had one hand covering her face as the other was reached in front of her to attempt to block water from hitting her. "Look at mine."
Santana looked over and began laughing hysterically at the expression on Brittany's face. Instead of looking scared or nervous, she instead looked unfazed, as if the huge drop and water was no big deal.
"We should try and take the goofiest pictures!" Santana suggested.
"That could be funny, we probably have time for three more rides." She walked up to the desk where the photos were being sold. "Hey, can you hold onto that one? We will be back in a few to pay for that and other ones," Brittany asked the short girl. The girl nodded and pulled the photo up onto her screen. "Ok, come on."
They got back on the ride quickly and whispered about how they were going to pose. When the drop was closer to approaching, Brittany explained where the camera was. Three trips later, the girls ran inside completely drenched. Brittany grabbed two towels from the tables and handed one to Santana.
"Don't we have to pay for these?" Santana asked.
"Don't worry about that," Brittany told her. They walked over to the girl from before and waited for the four photos to print. Once they were done, Brittany grabbed the envelope and walked towards the cashier who seemingly recognized her as well.
"Brittie, hey darling, it is so nice to see you!" The girl cheered as she leaned in to lightly hug her.
"Sugar, how are you?" Brittany asked.
"I'm doing excellent, been saving money up for a big trip. I'm finally going to the place I've always wanted to go," she paused. "Mexico!" Santana and Brittany giggled.
"Sounds fun," Brittany smiled. "Well Sugar, this is Santana."
"Nice to meet you," Santana greeted politely. Sugar nodded as she shook her hand.
"You as well, Santana…you know, you look very similar to an aunt of mine. Well, except you are much hotter and younger than her." Santana widened her eyes. "Sorry, Asperger's."
"Right, well," Brittany interrupted. "So, what do we owe you for the towels and photos?"
"You really think I'm going to charge you? Who do you think I am? Get out of here," she teased playfully.
Brittany smiled and hugged Sugar again. "Thanks! I'll see you sometime next month for the show!"
"Bye girls, it was so nice to meet you Santana…" she waved goodbye. Santana waved cautiously and followed Brittany.
"Ok, no more free stuff woman. Even I don't get that much swag when I flash my badge."
"Jealous?" Brittany teased as they walked towards the main entrance to the park.
"No, I just feel obligated to owe you now," Santana grinned. "So, what is next?"
"It's ten til nine," Brittany stated after checking her phone. "We could go out to one of the clubs, but we are all wet."
"Very true," Santana said. "How 'bout we head back towards my place, we can change out of these wet clothes, and from there, we can decide what to do," she suggested.
"Sure, that sounds good."
It was close to ten when the girls arrived at Santana's apartment. Santana pulled her key out from her purse and pushed open the door.
"Wow, your apartment is really nice!"
"Thanks, I love it. I definitely enjoy coming home and relaxing after a long day at work."
"I bet. There's so much space," she observed. "And your kitchen is so much nicer than the one Rachel and I have."
Santana nodded and showed her around the rest of the apartment. When they reached her bedroom, she pushed open the door and headed toward her dresser. "Sweatpants and hoodie sound good? I can toss your clothes in the dryer."
"That sounds good, thanks." Brittany took the clothes from Santana. They stood staring at each other for a few moments before Brittany finally spoke up. "Um, where's the bathroom?" Santana wanted to smack herself. Duh, she needs the bathroom to change. She probably thinks I wanted to watch her. Which I don't. Of course not…well, let's not go there, she berated herself.
"Uh, it's right down the hallway, on the right." she instructed. Brittany smiled and walked away. She closed the bedroom door and pulled out a pair of sweatpants with the LAPD stamped down her leg and an oversized hoodie from her dresser. She quickly got dressed and pulled her hair into a messy bun before heading to the kitchen to start some hot water.
A few minutes later Brittany emerged with a handful of her clothes. Santana took them and tossed them into the dryer with her clothes.
"So, coffee, hot chocolate, tea?"
"Ooh, hot chocolate please," Brittany smiled.
"Coming right up," Santana responded. "So, when's your birthday?"
"The third of December," Brittany told her as she leaned against the counter. "I'll be twenty-two."
"Did you do anything crazy for your twenty-first birthday?" Santana asked as she handed over a mug of hot chocolate.
Brittany blew lightly against the drink to cool it. "Not really. I mean, I got 'hella wasted' that night," she emphasized jokingly.
"Hella wasted?" Santana asked as she walked into the living room to sit on the couch. Brittany followed and sat cross-legged facing her.
"Yeah," she laughed. "I hugged the bottle of goose with me when I passed out on someone's boat."
"You were on a boat?" Santana asked and then giggled at the song reference.
"If it helps, it wasn't moving. It was parked in my friend's driveway. Took my friends forever to finally find me the next morning."
"That's ridiculous," Santana told her as she sipped her coffee.
"I know, it was so silly." She pointed at Santana. "What did you do?"
"I didn't really do much of anything. I was pretty lame."
"What about last year?"
"Well, last year on my birthday I spent the day at Beth's party, and then after that Puck and I went to a strip club." Brittany widened her eyes. "Yeah, not my finest moment," she laughed as she held her hands up in mock innocence. "Puck said because my twenty-first birthday happened without him, that I must go with him and quote, 'live it up.' It was ridiculous."
"Any hot girls?" Brittany asked. Santana shrugged.
"Not really anything special. I don't see the appeal of those places."
"Does that have to do with you being a cop?"
"I don't think that's it. I just don't find stripping down to next to nothing and dancing around 'sexy.' I guess I'm more old-fashioned." Brittany nodded and drank some more of her drink.
"What do you find sexy?" she asked. Santana pondered it for a second before placing the mug on the table and repositioning herself so she was cross-legged across from Brittany.
"Sexy? Hmm, well…" she thought for a few seconds before glancing back at Brittany. "…ok, intelligence is sexy to me. And a sense of humor, that's a huge turn-on. Athleticism is sexy, I like to stay in shape, and I prefer that in someone I'm interested in," she said as her eyes moved quickly over Brittany's body before snapping back to her face. Brittany didn't miss the quick move.
"That's it?" Brittany asked. Santana nodded.
"What about you?"
"Modesty is something I find appealing. I've been with guys that have been egomaniacs and take credit for everything, no matter how small." Santana nodded. "A good body is definitely sexy. I am a freak when it comes to my body. A person's eyes…" Brittany smiled as she set her empty mug on the table. "…the way you can tell so much about the person by the look and shade of them."
"Yep, eyes are definitely a turn-on," Santana muttered as she looked into Brittany's eyes. The shading was incredible. "Your eyes, are like…" she paused as she realized what she was saying aloud. "Never mind."
"No, go on…" Brittany persisted. "What were you saying?"
"Well, uh, I don't know. The way the blue shades, to an almost gray color. It's amazing."
Brittany blushed and touched Santana's arm. "I like your eyes too."
"Yeah?" Santana whispered. Brittany nodded and leaned a few inches closer.
She stopped when she was nearly nose-to-nose with Santana. "Looking closer into yours, I can see the different shades of brown."
Santana gulped at their proximity. She would barely have to push forward and she would feel Brittany's lips on her own. She looked away from Brittany's eyes and down to her lips. Brittany smirked and leaned forward very slowly. As her lips slightly grazed Santana's lower lip, she felt a vibration in her lap. Both girls groaned at the interruption.
Brittany pulled away and unlocked her screen showing a text from Rachel.
Hey, it's almost 11:30. Don't you have class early in the morning? See you when you get home.
Cockblock, Brittany thought as she read the message. She sent a quick reply letting Rachel know she'd be home in a little bit and turned the screen off.
"Sorry about that," Brittany apologized. "It was Rachel. She knows that I'm a real pain to wake up in the morning. And I have my early class with Quinn tomorrow."
"No apologies necessary," Santana assured her. "It is kind of late," she yawned.
"Yeah it is. Well, I should probably get going," Brittany said standing from the couch. Santana stood and took both mugs from the table. She placed them on the counter in the kitchen before heading to the dryer to see if Brittany's clothes were finished.
"It's fine," Brittany said when she noticed the timer still had five minutes. "I'm sure they're pretty dry."
Santana pulled open the dryer door and grabbed Brittany's clothes. "Still a little damp. You can wear what you got on, I don't mind," Santana insisted.
"Are you sure? You aren't going to go crazy over your glee club hoodie?" Brittany joked.
"I'll be fine," Santana laughed. Brittany nodded and grabbed her clothes and purse from the counter. Santana noticed the pictures from the ride. "Do you want these?" she asked.
Brittany shook her head. "I'll let you hold on to them. Maybe we can get copies made later?"
"Yeah, ok," Santana agreed. "Well, let me walk you to your car."
"You don't have to do that," Brittany smiled sweetly. "But I'm sure I can't talk you out of it."
"Not a chance," Santana laughed. She opened the door and waited for Brittany to step out before following her down the steps to the ground level. When they reached Brittany's car, Brittany pulled open the door and stood next to it.
"Thanks for taking me out for my birthday. I had an amazing time today."
"It was really fun, I enjoyed spending more time with you," she laughed. "Out of a cop car, that is."
"Would you like to go out again?" Santana blurted out. She could feel her face getting hot.
"Aren't we already going out Saturday?" Brittany asked. Santana thought about it and smiled.
"Oh yeah, the park," she acknowledged.
"I'd love to…anytime, I mean," Brittany told her. Santana flashed a wide grin.
"Ok, well good, that sounds good." Brittany chuckled at the girl's nervous behavior. "Are you fine driving home?"
"Yes, officer," she mocked. "So, I will you see you soon?" she asked. Santana nodded. "Great, I can't wait." She turned to face her car and Santana stepped back a few steps. Brittany turned again and stepped dangerously close to Santana. She licked her lips quickly and kissed her on the cheek before pulling her into a hug. "Goodnight, Santana."
Santana smiled into the hug and exhaled slowly. She had never felt this way before and she had to admit, she liked it. A lot. "Goodnight Brittany."
They pulled apart and Brittany finally sat in her car. She started the engine and waited for Santana to shut the door she was currently holding.
"Let me know you got home safely?" Santana asked. Brittany nodded and winked at her before Santana shut the door. Brittany pulled out of her spot and waved when she passed Santana.
"Damn," Santana whispered to herself as she ran her hand across her cheek where Brittany kissed her.
She finished up her laundry and cleaned the mugs before getting ready for bed. When she finished brushing her teeth, she climbed into bed and noticed her phone was lit up. She grabbed the phone from the bedside table and unlocked the screen. She smiled at the message.
I'm home, safe and sound. PS, you may have to fight to get these clothes off me ;) (maybe not)
She laughed at the innuendo and replied before turning the lamp off and falling into her pillows in a state of absolute bliss.
Thanks for letting me know. And, I'm up for the challenge. ;) Sweet dreams Brittany.
"Best birthday ever," she muttered before drifting to sleep.
Alright, going to work. Hope ya'll enjoy it. I've never been to the Universal Studios in Hollywood, only Orlando, so forgive me for lack of description :) REVIEWS SUPPLY ME WITH REASONS TO LIVE. HAHA NOT REALLY but seriously, go review. I want people to read this story and let me know what they like, didn't like, want to see..etc. so get to it fandom