On the way to the airport, Puck was half asleep in the passenger's sleep. Santana felt like she was about to throw up and her hands were shaking. It's not like she'd never picked Brittany up from the airport. She had a handful of times when Brittany would come back from visiting some relatives. Santana even talked her mom into taking her to pick her best friend a couple times before she got a car.
When she pulled into the small parking garage and found a spot, she shut the car off and laid her head on the steering wheel.
Puck picked up his head and rubbed his eyes. "You okay?"
Santana steeled herself and nodded. She was always okay, even when she wasn't. "Let's go."
They slowly walked inside and looked at the small lit board the told them when Brittany and her friend would arrive. Santana saw the time and looked at her phone for the time. "We have like ten minutes."
"Sweet," he put his hands in his pockets, "I'm gonna go get something to drink. Do you want something?"
Santana shook her head, "I'm just going to sit here and…explode."
Puck offered an amused smirk before walking off in search of some vending machines. As he returned with a soda in his hand, a woman over the loudspeaker announced Brittany's plane arrival.
Santana shot out of her seat and stared at the gate that her best friend was supposed to come out of. She felt Puck next to her and watched as people started coming out of the gate.
"Oh my god," Santana breathed. She felt Puck put his hand on her shoulder and gently squeeze.
But before he could add any words of comfort, Brittany stepped into the oversized hallway with one of her arms linked with a tall, girl with long, light brown hair and soft model-esque facial features. They were both laughing and chattering away in Brittany's father's native tongue.
Schuyler was the first to spot Santana and Puck. She seemed to recognize them and pointed. Brittany looked up and grinned then turned back to her friend, adding something in Dutch. Schuyler laughed and walked with Brittany up to her friends.
"Hey," Puck smiled, stepping up and pulled the blonde into the hug. She wrapped her arms around his neck and laughed.
Santana kicked at the carpet as she waited for them to finish. She was glad Puck went first because Santana's nerves were shot all to hell and she needed time to regroup.
"You must be Santana," Schuyler said with a faint accent and unexpectedly hugged Santana, "It's so nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too?" It came out as more of a question than anything. Santana had already decided not to like this girl so hugging her was not on the agenda.
When Schuyler let go, Brittany was standing next to Santana with a shy smile.
"Um, hi," Santana managed to get out.
The blonde bit her lip and tentatively let her hand reach out to Santana's. Santana met her halfway and their fingers easily intertwined. Both of their smiles got larger, but they didn't touch more than that, each one too scared to do something wrong.
Puck carried the girls' luggage to Santana's car, mostly to show off for Schuyler who he suddenly didn't seem to mind distracting for Santana. Santana reluctantly disengaged her fingers from Brittany's to open the door for her. Brittany kissed Santana's cheek before sitting down in the passenger's seat.
Santana let out a huge smile and closed the door. She saw Puck looking at her from across the car. He waggled his eyebrows and she laughed. So far so good.
The first few minutes of the drive to Columbus were quiet. No one really knew what to say. Brittany kept looking at Santana and Santana kept glancing over, but they never looked at each other at the same time.
Puck was trying to think of something to say to the new Dutch girl. He'd never really tried to impress anyone outside of Lima.
"So you're graduating?" he finally asked Schuyler.
She smiled and nodded, "I want to go to a university in the states. Brittany talks about it here so much, I wanted to see for myself."
"That's cool," Puck nodded with his signature smirk, "What do you want to study?"
They continued talking with silence still washed over the front seat. Santana was a little weirded out by the fact that Brittany hadn't moved much since they got in. Before she was always digging through the CDs or fixing her make-up in the mirror or changing clothes. She was always moving and now she was just sitting there.
Santana was about to bang her head on the steering wheel from all the quiet so she hit the power button on the stereo. That seemed to set Brittany in motion. The blonde reached under her seat and pulled out all the CDs Santana kept in her car.
After a few seconds of scanning, Brittany pulled out a CD and slid it into the player. Usually the playing of Madonna so early in the car ride would have at least elicited a groan, usually a string of profanities, from the head Cheerio, but Santana didn't say anything. She kept her eyes on the road and her mouth shut.
Brittany sighed. She wanted everything to be just like it was before she left. She still felt bad for not telling Santana she was leaving, but she never found the right time and now things were different than before. She wanted the adorable banter with her best friend. She wanted to have to pout a little so Santana would melt and she could get her way. She wanted to have to promise extra kisses so they could listen to Cher later.
The blonde looked out the window and watched the empty fields go by.
"I have to pee," Puck announced.
"Fantastic," Santana rolled her eyes. She wasn't that pissed he wanted to stop. Her car seemed to be really crowded at the moment with all of the not talking that was happening. She just wanted to get something to drink.
In the next small town they drove through Santana pulled into a gas station. Puck got out. Santana glanced at Brittany. "Do you want anything?"
Brittany smiled, at the first normal thing that had happened to them since she got back. She let out a nod.
Santana smiled back, "The usual?"
"Yeah," Brittany nodded.
Santana left her car on so Brittany would be comfortable before going inside. She completely ignored the girl in the back because well she didn't want the girl there and because she vaguely remembered Puck asking her is she wanted something.
Santana was watching Brittany and Schuyler from the soda coolers in the store. The blonde had gotten out of the car. Schuyler had gotten out as well and was watching Brittany do some dance moves. Then Schuyler tried them. Schuyler was definitely not a dancer, but it made Brittany laugh.
Santana smiled and ducked her head before picking up a bottle of water. Then she went to get Brittany a slushy.
"So what do you think of her friend?" Puck asked, getting a cup to get a slushy next to her.
Santana shook her head, "She's not a dancer."
"No I mean with me," he corrected her, "Do you think she'll go for the Puckasaurus?"
The brunette picked up her water and Brittany's slushy. "You're never going to get laid again if you keep calling yourself the Puckasaurus. You can figure it out when she comes back to Lima in a week. I will give you twenty bucks if you keep her away from me and B as long as possible." As she stepped up to the cashier, she saw Brittany trying to show Schuyler how to do the little dance she just made up while people in the parking lot looked at them like they were crazy. Santana smiled. The blonde never cared what other people thought. She just did what felt right or felt good. She said what she was thinking and she loved the world. Santana always wished she could be more like Brittany.
"If you have any more hot girls that you need me to keep away let me know," Puck smirked, "This is like getting paid to breathe."
He slid his and Schuyler's drink next to the two Santana had as the cashier rang it up. Somehow Santana knew it was going to happen so she just let it. After she paid they went outside and Santana grinned wickedly. She knew a way to show Schuyler who was top dog in these parts.
She set the drinks on the hood as Brittany started the song over. Santana started doing the dance that Brittany was doing earlier. She knew it wasn't as good as Brittany, but it was way better than Schuyler. When Brittany saw, she jumped up and easily stepped into the dance with Santana.
Puck just shook his head knowing what Santana was doing. He got into the car and leaned over Santana's seat to turn off the music, "Let's go so we can get back home on time."
Santana stopped her dance and picked up Brittany's drink handing the blonde her drink. She took it with a sweet smile and then sank into her seat.
The head Cheerio was downright giddy at the smile she just got. She trotted to the drivers seat, determined to get what's-her-name in the backseat dropped off and get Brittany back to Lima in time for her party.