Hey again with another update!
Thanks for your favs, follows & reviews so far and it's always nice to see them, both on this fic as well as my other older fic :)
Brittany's POV
2 days later, Monday
I was never one to wake up at the crack of dawn but I did today. I opened my eyes, and did not feel the need to close them and go back to sleep again. Weird, but okay. I sat up in my bed, took my phone that was on the bedside table, first checking the timing. 6.45AM. That was way too early, yet I could do nothing about it since I was pretty much wide awake already.
There were two messages waiting to be read and I opened the first, which was an update on my bank account since I had recently withdrawn some cash to get more supplies for my bar. I deleted it, and went to the next one. I smiled as I saw 'Bunhead Lopez' with a heart beside it as the contact name and opened it to reveal a sweet message that was sent at 1.17AM, few minutes after I slept last night.
Hey blondie, just thought I would say you make me really happy. It's normally gross for me to say this, but I guess it's because you have an effect on me. Ok crap that sounds worse. But well, you get it.
- YOUR (Wait, can I say I'm yours? I mean, I still don't know if I'm your girlfriend yet) hottest bitch in the city
As soon as I read the text, I could not hide the warm, happy feeling inside of me. It was a cherry on top of waking up so early this morning. I reread Santana's signing off text at the end and she was actually wondering if we were together-together. Like girlfriends. To me, it was crazy thinking that I would have a girlfriend. I mean, I had two ex-boyfriends before Mike and that was it. I read the end of her text one more time, before I pressed the 'dial' on my phone screen. Santana would have to go to the NYBC at 9AM so I hoped that she usually woke up this early to prepare as well.
I waited for three rings before my phone call was answered.
"Morning, Santana." I said with an enthusiastic tone.
It took about three seconds before I heard her voice speak up. "Oh, Britt, hey."
Santana's voice was extra raspy and slightly low pitched, but it all came out soft and gentle at the same time.
"Were you already up?" I asked.
"Nope, you woke me up actually." She replied as she let out a giggle, a crack in her voice as she did so.
"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry."
"No, it's okay Britt. Although I sound like I smoked a pack of cigars right now."
I smiled to myself as I held the phone closer to my ear. "Your voice in the morning is sexy."
I heard Santana laughing softly on the other end of the phone and I took a breath and exhaled as I continued, "Do you want to come over to my place for breakfast? I'll walk you to NYBC after that."
My heart was thumping so wildly at this request that was made on the spot. The hand that was holding my phone was shaking and I switched hands as I waited for Santana's reply. Why was she taking so long though? Then again, I shouldn't have rudely awakened her up this morning. Now she was probably contemplating whether to come over as well for breakfast. I was so messing this up.
"Hey, hey San." I spoke again into my phone.
I heard sounds of feet shuffling in the background but Santana did not respond.
"Are you there?" I said again.
"Oh, hey!" She finally replied. "I'm sorry, I was just finding my new pack of toothpaste so you know, I could wash up and head over to your place."
I heaved a sigh of relief as I heard her answer.
"Alright then, I'll see you here soon, bye!"
I ended the call and placed the phone back on my bedside table. This morning was getting so good.
I looked back at the ingredients I had set on my kitchen table. 2 eggs, spinach, black beans, cheese, tortilla wrap and a few other spices. I matched the ingredients I had to the 'Breakfast Quesadillas' recipe by the side.
Santana texted me after our call that she would take about half an hour before she would come here and I thought I would actually make some Mexican breakfast for her instead of buying something home to eat.
My finger underlined the first step on the recipe.
First, prepare the eggs. Scramble the eggs in a small bowl, and add dashes of salt and pepper if necessary.
Well, that should be an easy start.
20 minutes later
I looked back at the spread I had on my dining table. The quesadilla actually looked fantastic and I couldn't be any more prouder of myself for actually managing to cook something without burning the whole kitchen down. Just then, I heard the bedroom door open and Marissa strolled in, as she rubbed her eyes with her hands. "Brit, what's going o-"
"OH WOAH." She said out loud this time as she ran to the dining table, her eyes wide open now.
"Did you actually make this?" She asked.
"Yeah, it looks pretty decent huh." I replied, still feeling a sense of achievement bubbling within me.
"Well I'm pretty sure you aren't getting up at like-" She paused to take a look at the time on the clock. "7.05AM to prepare this for me."
I grinned sheepishly and winked at my best friend.
"Ohhhhhh-kay. I got it. I know what to do. I'm still tired, so I'm going back to sleep. Have a romantic breakfast, Martha Stewart." She said, as she ambled back to her room.
"I did save you a plate though, Ris!" I called out to her and she held up her fingers to show an 'okay' sign before she closed the door of her bedroom.
There were still a few more minutes before Santana would arrive and knowing her fear of the elevator here, I decided to go down to wait for her.
As soon as I got down, I greeted Tim excitedly.
"Special occasion today, Miss Pierce?" He answered with a smile on his face.
"Yeah, a very special one. And by the way I hope you have a good day!" I chirped happily. I have always been friendly to the apartment's security guard but today was probably the friendliest I have ever been.
Tim laughed heartily as she replied, "Well you have a great day too sunshine!"
I watched from the glass door as New Yorkers, mostly businessman and woman outside rushed along the streets, probably because they were going to be late for work. Then again, it was still quite early for them to actually rush but morning life was always like that in New York. Fast-paced. There were also many young adults, with earphones plugged in and Starbucks paper cup in their hands as they made their way to the nearby local city college.
Just then, I saw the petite olive-tanned skin figure with beautiful raven black hair falling loosely behind push open the glass door. And it was in that moment that the busy surroundings did not matter anymore because she fully captured my attention.
She was wearing a body-hugging black knee length dress with a blue leather jacket over, matched with a pair of heel boots. She had the same bag slung over her shoulder, which I assumed contained her ballet attire and shoes. She looked so amazing.
"Hey blondie, stop pervin at me." I stopped staring at Santana until she spoke up.
I blushed as she caught me leering and I laughed it off as I nudged her with my elbow and motioned for her to take my hand. She did so and I walked together with her to the elevator.
"Nope, there's no way you're bringing me in there." She said with her eyes conveying fear as she looked at the elevator in front of us.
"C'mon, you're with me. What could happen?" I teased her as I opened the elevator door and we both went in.
I pressed the '3' button and closed the elevator door. The elevator started to creak a little, before it accelerated upwards. Santana's grip on my hand became tighter and I saw as she looked around the surroundings suspiciously.
"You're silly." I told her, as I turned my head and leaned in to her cheek, giving her a light peck. I felt her become less tense beside me and soon, we arrived at my apartment floor.
I opened the elevator door and led her out.
"Oh, thank god. I felt like I was on a Six Flags rollercoaster ride." Santana spoke up and I laughed at how adorable she was being afraid of an old fashioned elevator. I made a mental note to myself that I would always wait for her downstairs and take the elevator with her if I asked her to come again.
"Alright." I murmured as I opened the door and beckoned for her to go in first. The smell of the cooked Quesadillas wafted through my apartment.
"Oh my god, that looks amazing." Santana exclaimed as she excitedly went towards the dining table and looked at the breakfast I had prepared.
"I know right." I proudly exclaimed as I followed her and took out the chair beside her so that she could sit down.
I quickly went to the opposite end of the dining table and took my place as well.
"I figured you'd love Mexican food so I looked up this recipe online and thank goodness I already had all the ingredients to make this."
Santana looked at her dish and seemed rather impressed as she mouthed 'wow.'
"I have to tell you though, I'm not much of a cook, and this was my first attempt so I hope it tastes as good as it looks." I continued.
"Britt." She looked back at me and her hand stretched out across the dining table to take mine. "I'm pretty sure it's gonna taste awesome."
I squeezed her hand before she broke contact and took the fork and knife, ready to dig in to the food. I held my breath as I watched her put the piece into her mouth and started chewing elegantly. A suspicious little half-smile curved her lips and I was getting more nervous.
"You should try your own creation, its perfecto." She spoke up after swallowing the food.
"YES!" I said loudly as I fist-pumped the air and I began to try my own serving.
I always felt the need to hurl after tasting my cooked food before, but this time, I had to agree with Santana. It was great.
"I don't like you feeding me this though because today is Monday, weight taking day." Santana said.
"I don't care, you're finishing that." I said as my leg kicked hers underneath the table.
8.30AM
After our breakfast together, Santana and I spent some time in my apartment talking and knowing more new things about each other, and we took photographs together on my phone as well. It was now half an hour till she had to go to the NYBC and she was in the bathroom changing into her ballet attire.
The bathroom door creaked open and she came out, in just her black leotard and pink tights, with her hair secured neatly in a bun.
"There's my bunhead." I commented.
She gave a dimpled smile upon my usual nickname of her before she opened her mouth to speak. "Hey do you have like, shorts and a jacket for me to wear over? I focused on dressing so nicely for you and forgot I need to wear something comfier over my ballet attire."
I got up from my couch and went into my room, motioning for her to follow me as well.
I rummaged through my closet for a while before I picked out a simple denim shorts and handed it over to her. I also saw the familiar NYBC hoodie in it and a smile flashed across my face as I took it in my hands.
"I think this could go along well too." I said as I revealed the hoodie in my hands to her.
"Aw, no. I gave that to you, so just keep it." Santana responded, touching my hands and gently pushed it back to me.
"Well, we can share. I mean girlfriends do that right?" I quickly took the hoodie and slung it across her shoulder.
Santana crinkled her eyes as her mouth hung open.
"What's wrong?" I asked, shooting her an amusing look.
"Wh-what did you say?" She asked softly, giving me a measured look.
"We can share." I answered quickly.
"No, after that."
"Girlfriends do that."
There was a sudden silence after my response and I looked at Santana as she nodded slowly to herself.
"Well." I closed the gap between us and held both of her hands. "We're both girls and in love, so I think it should be easy to share our clothing."
At that moment, Santana's lips curled up to reveal a huge smile as her hands got out of my grasp and she wrapped me close to her.
"So, we're dating now?" I heard her say while we're still in our embrace.
I dropped my head onto her shoulders and I held her tighter. "Yes, we are."
Santana's POV
"Alright, so if your ankle starts to hurt again, stop dancing and tell Ms Shelby okay?" Brittany said as she looked over at me with concern.
Brittany walked with me and we were now in front of the NYBC building.
"Okay, okay." I laughed as I patted her arms.
"I'm being serious, San."
"Gosh, Britt, I-"
"Listen to your girlfriend." Another voice popped out from behind me. I spun around to see Quinn.
I did like the sound of being Brittany's girlfriend, but when it was Quinn that said it, it was extremely weird. Seeing that she sort of figured it out, I quickly turned back to Brittany and gave her a kiss on her lips.
"I love you." I breathed softly into her as she leaned into my ear and said, "I love you too, bunhead."
After that, she waved to Quinn before heading into the opposite direction and I turned back to see Quinn again and she was actually smiling. Not that sarcastic smile she usually gave me, but a normal, genuine smile.
"I never thought you were into the girls, but that's still strangely cute." She said.
I tilted my head to the side as I deepened my glance on her, still oddly surprised that she was being nice. "Well thanks Fabray. I can't believe I'm gonna say this but I trust you to keep my relationship with Brittany as a secret."
"Only if you could keep my pregnancy secret as well."
I forgot for a moment that Quinn was pregnant. I looked down at her stomach and there wasn't any baby bump. Of course. I mean, she was still in the early stage of pregnancy but I couldn't imagine how she would look with a baby bump showing in the leotard. I knew this can't be kept as a secret for long either but I nodded my head as we both went in to the NYBC building together.
I went in to the dance studio to be greeted with hugs from Rachel and Cece.
"There you are!" Rachel said as she tackle-hugged me. "We didn't visit you last week because we thought you wouldn't want to move around much but we missed you so badly in here!"
"Yeah, our trio wuzzzn complete without you!" Cece exclaimed as she brought me in to a hug as well.
Honestly, I was so lucky to have two amazing best friends.
"And wow, Santana. You actually walked in together with Quinn." She spoke in a hushed voice this time as she looked over to Quinn at the other side of the studio with the remaining girls.
I shrugged my shoulders as I looked over at the side too, noticing how Quinn was actually alone, while her usual 'friends' were in a conversation together. "I figured that since it's our last year in the NYBC, we should actually try to get along as well."
All the conversations in the room came to a stop when Miss Shelby came into the dance studio.
"Well hello again Miss Lopez!" She exclaimed. I nodded my head to acknowledge her.
"We all know what day it is today, so go line up ladies!" She continued as all of us went to line up in a single file for the usual Monday weight-taking activity, which I still found rather useless.
I was second from the last in the queue, with Quinn behind me. After the rest in front were done and of course, passed the requirements, it was down to me. I was pretty sure Brittany's romantic breakfast for me would give me an instant fail but that didn't matter to me. I enjoyed it a lot and loved that she had put in so much effort for it.
I boldly stepped onto the weighing scale and after a few seconds, I looked down and it actually displayed '114lbs'.
I got down from it, a grin tugging at the corner of my mouth as I looked smugly at Miss Shelby.
"Fantastic, Miss Lopez. I'm guessing the recuperation at home has helped! Now, Miss Fabray!"
I made way as Quinn stepped onto the weighing scale. She would usually do so in confidence but this time, I watched as she constantly kept her head down at the scale, her fingers fidgeting.
I heard a 'shit' come out from her mouth as she got down the scale and I turned to Miss Shelby who was now tight-lipped.
"Well, this is something new." She said dully.
Quinn kept quiet and I peeked over and looked at the '119lbs' that was flashed on the weighing scale. And I knew what the reason was for the increase.
I felt her body gravitating towards me as the tension in the dance studio continued. I grabbed her hand that was so close to mine and squeezed it lightly to give her some assurance. I was just trying my luck, because I knew she would pull back, but instead, her hand held mine and never let go.
"I don't understand, Miss Fabray. You're my star, the one who never disappoints me. What's going on with this?" She lectured as she pointed to the weighing scale in frustration.
Quinn kept quiet as she lowered her head, her hand still holding mine. I had to do something.
"Look." I stepped out and was now right in front of Miss Shelby, who I believe the name Shel-Bitchy would be best to call her now. "We just had a recital two weeks ago, and nothing important is happening right now. So I don't think there's anything wrong if Quinn wantz to get her eatingz on." I said furiously.
Shel-Bitchy's eyes grew bigger with every word I said and she huffed in exasperation as she crossed her arms angrily.
"And why does it matter if we have to be all skin and bones?" This time, it wasn't about Quinn anymore. It was the feelings I was bottling up inside regarding the weight-taking issue.
"I mean, look, I may be under 115 pounds right now, but that doesn't change the fact that I still fell on stage and fucking sprained my ankle, so don't you try to emphasize that weight is a huge part of ballet, because it hell isn't!"
As I finished my rant, I could feel my whole face heating up and I my heartbeat pounding faster and faster. I clenched my fists to contain the rest of my infuriation.
Miss Shelby looked back at me with an intense gaze. She was about to open her mouth to speak and that was when I realised. I had just raised my voice and even let out a few curse words in front of my own dance instructor. She began to open her mouth to speak and I knew what was coming next.
"I'll see you outside." She said in her usual tone, which came as a surprise to me because I expected her to flare up as well.
With that, I walked outside, as I felt the stares of the other dancers in the studio following me with my every move.
