AN: I'm so sorry about the long wait! I had exams that I had to revise for etc. But they've finished now :D So I should be posting regularly again. This is slightly longer than usual if that makes up for anything… Big thanks for all of the Reviews. It means a lot. Also everyone that Favourited and stuff. Nothing much to say really. Hope you like it!
Brittany's POV
I woke up to feel something under me that definitely wasn't the mattress I had dozed off on the night before.
I tried to recall what could have happened between then and now but a stirring underneath me interrupted my sleep-clouded thoughts.
I slowly opened my eyes, lifting my head up at the same time to discover that it was her who was underneath me. I couldn't stop the small smile that played along my lips, too shy to become anything more.
Dark eyes opened to look directly into my own, their gaze piercing despite the hazy sleep that flushed her cheeks. Even now, with her clothes crumpled and hair splayed across my pillows with the wild richness of a forest's waterfall, she was the most beautiful creature that I had ever laid eyes on. My smile grew.
"Hey." I spoke softly, too entranced by the sight of her looking up at me to even consider moving.
"Hello Britt-Britt." Her eyes crinkled at the corners as she beamed up at me, moving appearing to be the furthest thing from her mind at the moment as well. Then her forehead crinkled in what appeared to be confusion. "Was I asleep?" It seemed like an absurd question to ask but I nodded anyway. She seemed to consider this for a moment before shaking whatever thought she had away and looking back at me.
"Did you sleep well?" She asked quietly, hand moving to lift the collar of my t-shirt back onto my shoulder from where it must have slipped during the night.
"Yes." I responded, my cheeks staining red at the feeling of her fingers brushing against the bare skin of my shoulder. "Did you?" I asked quietly, watching her eyes slowly drag from the movement of her hand on my shoulder and neck to my shy eyes.
I noticed a hint of confusion swirling within the depths of her eyes as her stare once again flicked towards the action that was causing countless electrical jolts to zap through my body.
"I- " she started before pausing, looking back to my shoulder where goose bumps had risen and then merely nodded her head, allowing her hand to drop to the pillow beside her head with a muted thump.
"Good." I smiled softly, biting the corner of my lip to prevent it from growing at the sight of her dazed expression as she looked up at me.
Her eyes followed the action, brow furrowing slightly.
I slowly released my lip as I watched her confusion seem to mount. She took in a deep breath, body pressing up into mine. This only seemed to make her more confused, her body freezing beneath me, muscles tensing. I watched as her eyes darted again towards my mouth.
I suddenly realised what was happening. She was looking at me in that way. All of the wasted efforts spent on 'Operation: Be Sexy' and it turns out all I needed to do was get her into bed with me!
She still looked confused though, like she wasn't sure what it was exactly that she wanted – that she was craving.
I can help her out there.
I looked down towards her luscious looking lips and decided that it was now or never. I braced myself and leaned in, anticipating the pure heaven that I was about to come into contact with and my lips landed onto the soft luxury that was… my pillow.
Okay… what the fudge?
I lifted my head and was overcome by an overwhelming sense of confusion upon realising that Santana had vanished!
I didn't have to look far to see that Santana had somehow managed to transport herself across the room. I would have chalked up what had just happened to a disappointingly vivid dream, but the blush coating her cheeks and the very familiar look of confusion clouding her features told me otherwise.
She realised that I was looking back at her and quickly composed herself.
"Guess what we are going to do today Britt-Britt!" she spoke in an almost convincingly cheerful voice; I noticed the slightly hysterical tremor though.
I slowly moved my head from side to side indicating that I didn't know; my face more than likely showing that I was still dazed by her fast disappearing act.
"To the park, of course!" she enthused, still overly cheerful and adding to the confusion I felt painted all over my face.
"I will leave you to get ready then." She spoke quickly before disappearing out of the door.
It was when I was left alone that I let the disappointment crash over me, my face dropping back into the mattress where it muffled my groan of frustration and embarrassment.
XXX
When I had walked into the kitchen it was to find everything as it normally was. Puck was cooking; Sam and Mike were chatting; and Santana was there, bright smile in place and offering me the seat next to her.
So now, as we all walked to the park, Santana's hand in mine, I couldn't help but to wonder if I had really imagined what had happened this morning. I mean, I'm not crazy. I knew that Santana had been in bed with me when I woke up. What I meant was: were the looks that we had shared, the current running through us as we floated in that bubble of early morning bliss – was it all imagined?
Was she holding my hand now because she loved the way it felt in her own? Or was she just making sure I was able to safely cross the road?
I really hoped it wasn't the second option.
The sky was clear and bright, the sun smiling down on us and making my inner turmoil seem almost inconsequential. I was glad because it allowed me to concentrate on other, more important things. Like enjoying the way Santana would squeeze my hand slightly every now and then, as if she was subconsciously checking that I was still there next to her. Or the way in which she would turn to me at random times and smile. She never said anything, I doubted that she even had anything on her mind; she simply smiled at me because she wanted to.
Puck was walking next to me, carrying a large picnic basket on his shoulder whilst Sam and Mike were throwing a tennis ball back and forth as they walked in front of us. It was really quite amazing how they seemingly flung at each other without looking and managed to catch it just as seamlessly.
"So, Britt-Britt. What do you wanna do when we get there? Do you wanna play catch with us?" Sam asked, walking backwards with a huge smile on his face as he talked to me. He caught the ball that Mike had flung at him mid-sentence without missing a beat.
I remembered all of the times we had played catch on our garden, I was sure that he wasn't this good then. I could've sworn that he had at least dropped the ball a couple of times. Maybe he just hadn't wanted to show off.
"Sure." I answered his questioned, suddenly determined to see if I could catch one of them out.
"Are you guys playing to?" I asked Puck and Santana, tugging on Santana's arm to get her attention.
"Sure Britt-Britt." She agreed easily. Puck bowed his head in acquiesce as he strolled alongside us, looking completely relaxed.
"Great!" Mike grinned before setting off into a run once the park came into sight, ducking under a hanging canopy and out of sight, shouting back to us that he was going to find a good spot to set up the picnic.
We made it to the canopy a couple minutes later and ducked under it and into the park. I couldn't help but grin at the peaceful sight that greeted us. There were all kinds of people taking advantage of the sunny day and long stretches of green grass. The grass separated by a few pathways that led to a large fountain which resided in the middle of the park making the whole scene look picturesque.
I took in a deep breath, filling my lungs with the fresh, homely smell of cut grass and trees in full bloom. This place was magical.
I felt Santana tugging my hand in her own, coaxing me to follow her as everyone made their way to where Mike was stood waving his arms in the air like he was flagging down a plane. She interlaced our fingers once I began walking again, sending a river of warmth all the way down to my toes.
By the time we reached the others Mike and Sam seemed to be in a mini wrestling match, attracting the attention of the families surrounding us. Santana simply ignored them and threw a blanket out for us to sit on as Puck set about placing the food down, equally uninterested by the curious looks from the other park goers.
Once the large blanket had settled I was tugged down by Santana who was already reclined backwards, resting on her hands, her face shielded by her large sunglasses. I sat down next to her, leaning my elbows on my crossed legs. I looked down to where our bare thighs were touching – a stark contrast of smooth caramel and creamy white – and wondered if she was experiencing the same butterflies that I was.
I looked over at her, dressed in a simple red vest top and dark denim shorts and looking as stunning as ever. I wondered what she thought of me; if she ever looked at me in my yellow t shirt and denim shorts and had to catch her breath afterwards like I had so many times with her already.
Probably not. I couldn't explain it but, every time I was near Santana I couldn't do anything but stare at her, I always wanted to touch her, hold her, kiss her. But she didn't seem to want the same thing. Especially if the way she reacted this morning was anything to go on. Maybe 'Operation: Be Sexy' was a complete waste of time. Maybe I was kidding myself that I could get her to see as anything other than a child.
But then… she looked at me in that way that she always seemed to do, her whole face lighting up as she catches my eyes. Her hand reached out to catch mine and quickly changed my train of thought. Nothing's impossible, after all. I just had to be patient.
XXX
"Oh come on Santana! At least try to catch it!" Sam complained whilst Santana stood rolling her eyes with the ball in her hands.
"I did catch it." She insisted, waving the ball around to demonstrate her point.
"No, you didn't. You got it, you didn't catch it." Mike emphasised, equally as annoyed as Sam.
To an outsider, the argument would have seemed completely strange. Well, to be honest, when you knew what they were arguing about it was completely strange as well. I decided to break it up, excited to have my turn.
"San, throw it!" I shouted, waving my arms in the air to catch her attention.
She looked over at me, a smile forming on her face as she appeared to completely forget about their argument.
"Okay!" she shouted back before throwing it to me. Santana really wasn't playing the game right at all, she didn't catch the ball properly and when she threw it to me all I had to do was hold my arms out in front of me and wait for the ball to land in my hands.
I heard groans coming from Sam and Mike as the ball fit snugly into my palms with little effort on my part. I decided to aim for over Sam's left shoulder as I threw the ball to him, hoping to catch him out. He caught it with ease, grinning widely at me.
"I remember that trick Britt. Nice try." Before turning to throw it to Puck.
The game went on until it was Santana's turn again.
"Okay. Try and catch it this time, right Santana?" Mike told her, getting ready to throw. Santana just stood looking at him with her arms crossed and a bored expression on her face.
Mike sighed before sticking his tongue out in concentration and throwing the ball as hard as he could over her head. She remained motionless for a couple of beats before making a catching motion with her hands in front of her. Mike and Sam again groaned in frustration upon seeing the ball in Santana's hands with little effort on her part.
Whilst they were annoyed I looked at Santana in wonderment. Sure, I had seen her do lots of strange unexplainable things in the time that I had known her. But none of them were as obvious as this blatant show of power.
I once again interrupted their bickering, shouting for Santana to throw the ball in my direction. I wanted to test something out. She complied with my wish straight away, allowing the ball to settle easily in the palms of my hands. I played with the ball in my hand for a moment as I contemplated what I was about to do. I would have to do it quick, so as to make her react on reflex.
"Hey San, catch!" I yelled, turning so that my back was facing her and throwing it as hard as I could into the water fountain that was a little way off from where we were stood.
I watched its progress intently and saw as it landed in the fountain with a splash. I was slightly disappointed that it didn't disappear and end up in Santana's hands. Maybe it was just a nifty trick that she'd learnt from a magician's book of something.
But when I turned back around it was to see Santana gingerly holding the soaking wet tennis ball between her thumb and forefinger. My eyes widened at the realisation that this wasn't a trick. That meant that everything else she had done was probably real as well. Had her actions been so unconsciously done that she didn't realise that she had been doing it all along. I couldn't help but wonder if she hadn't actually meant for me to see any of it at all but was just so comfortable that she had forgotten.
By the look on her face at this particular moment it was easy to see that she definitely didn't want me to realise the extent of her powers to this degree. Sure it may not have been the most complex 'power' out there to be able to catch a tennis ball with out being anywhere near it but it certainly wasn't in the realm of human ability. It lead me to ask the question I was sure she was dreading – even if it was just in my head.
The only thing stopping me from asking the question out loud was the look on her face that told me that she wasn't ready to divulge that piece of information just yet. So I settled for voicing my confusion inside the silent cavern that was my mind, hearing the remnants of the question echo long after it was thought.
XXX
"Come on, Britt-Britt." Santana spoke cheerfully as she stood above me.
I was currently lying on the picnic blanket, suddenly too tired to be bothered to move. I kept my eyes tightly shut despite wanting nothing more than to look up and gaze upon the angelic perfection that was Santana Lopez wearing the sun as a halo.
"No." I mumbled instead, tired out from all of the food we'd eaten and the tug-of-war that me, Sam and Mike had all had against Puck on his own. We lost. Pathetically.
I heard the heavenly trill that was Santana's laugh before feeling a warmer than warm hand enveloping my own that was resting on my stomach. I made myself relax, hoping that my dead weight was too heavy for Santana to tug up.
I contemplated for a nanosecond, the possibility of using our attached hands to tug her down into me, using my lips as a cushion for her own. That would mean that she would have no choice but to accept that our lips are perfect for each other and that our hands should never separate and that we should never move from our cuddled position for as long as we both shall live.
Of course none of that happened. Instead Santana used a strength that I had never experienced before and tugged me up without warning. The suddenness of the movement made all of my blood rush to my head in a dizziness that was only partially a result of getting up too fast. I fell into Santana, my chin resting on her shoulder and her arms around my waist were the only two things that were keeping me up.
I had never felt so warm and snug. Except for maybe this morning in bed…
The thought had heat rushing to my cheeks and I couldn't help but move my arms to wrap around her small frame, holding her closer to me. Partly so that she wouldn't move back and see my flushed face but mostly because it just felt so good to hold her. She was so warm and soft, like the best cuddly teddy bear that money could buy and I got her for free.
"If you are tired Brittany, then perhaps we should postpone going out dancing tonight." She said it in a teasing way, but I didn't react to her tone of voice. I barely even registered it. All I could think about were the two most important words I had ever heard uttered from Santana's amazing lips: 'we' and 'dancing'. As in, dancing together.
It was a good job that I was resting almost all of my weight on Santana at that moment because otherwise I might have fallen over with the sudden jelly legs I had received at the mere thought of Santana and I moving together so intimately with a pulsing beat surrounding us.
I couldn't help but sigh in awe of the imagery that was flickering through my brain like a colourful kaleidoscope. I wished that I could have said something equally as playful in return but of course the confidence from this morning seemed to have left me.
"Dancing?" I squeaked instead. At least I couldn't feel like a complete fool when she gave my waist a small squeeze for my efforts. I felt a heat rush through me again, starting at the place were her arms were resting on the slight flare of my hips.
"Yes." She spoke with that honey laced voice of hers caressing my ear. "I have only seen you in our little dance room at home. I wanted to see you in your natural environment." I didn't know what excited me more. The fact that she referred to the dance studio as 'ours' as she spoke in her rich voice so close to my ear, or the way she said 'natural environment' as if I was some wild animal that she had tamed. I hope that she sees me as a wild animal. That's sexy right?
I think the thing that had me breathing just a tad too deeply for a normal conversation between a girl and her captor was the way that our bodies were almost completely moulded together, only separated by two thin pieces of fabric. I could feel the rhythmic press of ribs against my own and our stomachs rolling into each other with every breath we took.
"Okay." I finally breathed out, my chin brushing against her delicate shoulder as I did so.
There was another pause until finally, we pulled apart. Santana held my hand firmly in her small grip and tugged me closer to her so that as we started walking her arm would brush against mine, sending pleasant shivers shooting into my stomach insistently.
As we were walking, our long shadows evidence of the length of time we'd spent here, I noticed just how far ahead the others were walking. It made it clear that Santana and I had been clung to each other in our intense embrace for quite some time.
However, only one thought passed through my mind as Santana's grip on my hand tightened.
I could have happily stayed in her arms forever.
XXX
We didn't speak the entire walk home, content to merely bask in the others presence. The boys had waited for us as we reached the entrance of the park and then took up their previous positions, seemingly without thought. Puck was walking alongside me and Sam and Mike in front, throwing the now dry ball back and forth to each other.
Once we had returned home again I was excited to go straight into my room and get ready for tonight, hoping to be able to impress Santana with more than just my dancing. I stopped at the living room though upon seeing a bulky figure sat on one of the sofas. I didn't know what to do. Everyone else had gone to the kitchen. I contemplated sneaking out again but he looked up.
His eyes seemed kind and his hair was a platinum blonde, leading me to believe that he was one of us. If none of that tipped me off then the almost submissive way that he bowed his head, reminding me of Puck in the process, would have.
But still, he was a stranger and seemed big enough to kill me will his toes alone so I couldn't allow myself to relax fully. The fact that he hadn't yet moved but was still just sat staring at me didn't help ease my anxiety either.
"San." I found myself mumbling, hoping that it was enough to bring her to me. She had been able to find me easily enough during all of those games of hide and seek after all. But I guess she had known to look for me then…
I didn't have to worry for long though because I suddenly smelt the overwhelming scent that was everything Santana, before seeing her in front of me with almost no clue how she had gotten there so fast. I just put it down to the same way she had vanished from my bed this morning.
I felt myself relax completely, knowing that she was there and that it was her hand wrapped comfortingly around my wrist as she faced the stranger, especially upon sensing the presence of the three boys behind.
The tense atmosphere changed into one of relief in less than a second. Santana's hand didn't loosen its grip on my wrist though, apparently not experiencing the same relief as everyone else.
"Dave." She said in what I had come to learn as her business voice. It was the same voice that she had used when talking to Rachel, and she used it often when she was having a private conversation with one of the boys. I was glad that she never used that voice with me, it was quite intimidating.
"Hey Santana." He said before nodding to the three behind me. His eyes kept flicking to me and it made me quite nervous.
Not for long though as a comforting arm was wrapped around my shoulders and I turned my head to see Sam next to me, guiding me out of the room. I felt a slight sense of loss once Santana's hand slipped from my wrist. I turned back to see her hand clench slightly before relaxing as if she was trying to grasp onto the tingles I was sure that she felt too every time we touched.
"Come on, Britt. Let's find you something to wear." He said, squeezing me to his side as we made our way to my room.
"Who was he?" I asked once I was sure we were out of hearing distance. I couldn't help but feel slightly sorry for him. He seemed okay but it looked like he was kind of dreading whatever it was that he was going to talk to Santana about.
"That's Dave. You don't have to worry Britt, he's one of us." He gave my arm a reassuring squeeze as we entered my room.
"He looked kinda scared about something." I voiced my earlier thoughts. I heard Sam sigh as he lied down on my bed, feet still touching the floor. I lied down next to him, my head cushioned by his outstretched arm.
"Yeah, I guess he had a job to do that he messed up or something." I felt his shoulder shrug, almost in nonchalance. It was weird, what with Sam being my brother and all, feeling like he was keeping something from me.
"Sam?" I said to get his attention as we both stared up at the ceiling.
"Hm?" he hummed in response.
"Is Santana a drug dealer?" it was just about the only thing that made sense. I mean, I thought she was an angel and everything, but I couldn't deny that she was pretty shady.
"No Britt." He chuckled, obviously amused. "Do you really think that I would allow you to be a part of something like that? I wouldn't be doing my job as a brother if I did. I swear that none of us are involved in anything illegal." I could tell that he was telling the truth and I was immensely relieved that by wanting to be with Santana I wasn't about to become a mob wife or something like that.
"Okay. But you have to admit that Santana is kinda like a mob boss." I said, much to his apparent amusement. I however, couldn't help but think of the Godfather movies that I had insisted that Sam and I watch when we were younger and then made Sam sleep in my room for the next three weeks, checking my bed for horse heads before I got into it.
I smiled, thinking of how Sam hadn't complained once about sleeping on the floor with a baseball bat in case Al Pacino came bursting through the door.
"Yeah, I guess she kinda is." He agreed before getting up, dragging me up with him. "Come on, Britt. We need to find you something to wear." We both entered my closet and he began looking around with his best critical gaze, tapping his index finger against his pursed lips.
"Okay then. What would you recommend?" I smiled, slipping into the character of a rich woman asking a fashion designer for help.
Sam jutted his hip out and rested his forearm on it as his eyes appraised me.
"Well darling, you have a wonderfully slim figure so you can handle risqué without being…" he pretended to look around for eavesdroppers before leaning in closer and whispering "slutty."
I laughed at his impression before pretending to blush in a flattered manner.
"Well thank you, sir. Is there a particular risqué outfit which you had in mind?" Wondering how far this would go before Sam would get into overprotective brother mode.
"As a matter of fact, I know the perfect thing." He told me before stooping down to retrieve an article of clothing and holding it up to my face.
"A turtle neck jumper? Really?" I raised my eyebrow at his antics. "I'll be boiling dancing in that."
"Fine." He sighed, dropping the piece of clothing along with his act. "But nothing risqué, okay? I couldn't handle it." He said seriously.
"I promise. But really, what do you think I should wear?" I guessed that Santana had meant that dancing with other people and having loud music coursing through me was my natural environment because I knew that going to a club to dance certainly wasn't. I had no clue how to dress.
"Hm. I suppose… something dressy yet conservative. And something easy to move about in so that you can dance, I guess." I noticed how he emphasised 'conservative' obviously wanting me to know that he was being serious before about the whole 'nothing risqué' thing.
"Okay. So you have no idea either then." I surmised by the uncertainness painting his words. He rolled his eyes, looking around before stopping, a devilish smile creeping onto his face.
"I don't, do I not?" he asked before grabbing one of the hangers and holding it out in front of him for me to see. We both looked at each other with matching smiles.
Perfect.
XXX
I walked out of my room once I had gotten completely ready. Sam had already gone to his room to get dressed as well. I decided to go to the living room, figuring that everyone would probably still be there seeing as that was the last place I had seen them.
And sure enough, as I got closer to the room I heard voices. It wasn't until I was just outside the open doorway that I realised that it was only two voices – and they weren't exactly talking.
I watched on as Santana and Dave stood less than a foot apart, facing each other and talking about something that I perhaps should not have been privy to but couldn't seem to force myself to stop listening.
Santana's back was facing me as she spoke.
"I gave you one simple task, Dave. I am finding it really difficult to comprehend how you failed to succeed in completing it." If the venom lacing her words wasn't enough to tell me that she was furious, then the rigidity of her shoulder and the trembling of her hands definitely was enough.
"I'm sorry. I didn't realise that it was so important that I should risk dying just to complete it when it might have been easier to do another time. If you had told me why it was important- "
"I do not have to explain myself to you! It was important because I said it was important. Maybe you have spent too much time with that rogue that you have forgotten how to respect those who created you. I really hope that you have a better excuse for why you have disappointed me than your lack of knowledge in things that do not concern you."
I think the scariest thing about it was how she didn't raise her voice, not once. She merely spoke in this serious tone which made her seem way angrier than yelling could have. No, actually the scariest thing was that I wasn't scared at all. I knew that she would never use that tone with me. And even though I could see that he was scared, somehow I felt that Dave was deserving of his punishment.
Dave did something really stupid then. He raised himself to his full height, over a foot taller than Santana, in defiance. Looking down at her in what almost seemed like arrogance. I felt my stomach knot.
"I just don't see why I should put myself in harms way for something that seems so," he paused for a moment, searching for the right word, "so trivial."
The next thing I knew he was pinned against the wall with Santana's hand to his throat, slouched down so that his face was mere inches from her own.
"Do I look like Mercy to you?" a slight shake of the head. "So then why do you seem to think that I will be merciful of your insolence? Why do you seem to think that you can speak to me as an equal? No, not even that. You spoke to me as though you were my superior. That task seemed trivial to you because you are an idiot. If you dare to think that you are above punishment then think again." I saw her fingers flex.
"Don- Don't kill me." He whimpered.
His eyes went blank.
"I will not kill you." She spoke softly now, staring into his vacant eyes. "I notice that your allegiance has changed, that means he is getting stronger. I also see what task you have been given. I do not question the fates, so I will release you from your service. Your punishment will come in due time." She released her grip on his neck and stepped back from him as he stayed rested on the wall, waiting for his senses to come back to him.
"You have been released from your service, Dave. Do not attempt to find me again. Seeking forgiveness will only end in death for you." She spoke in an almost detached manner.
He blinked a couple of times before scrambling up and out of the door without a backwards glance. I didn't know what to do, what to think. What I had seen seemed so surreal to me now, I could do nothing but stand there and try to let it sink in.
"Everyone else is in the kitchen Britt-Britt, if you would like to join them whilst I get changed."
My entire body tensed up at the sound of her voice addressing me. I looked at her to see that her back was still facing me. Before I could attempt to conjure up some kind of apology or excuse for my eavesdropping, she turned to face me.
I was shocked by her expression. I expected her to be angry or scandalised that I had been listening in to her private conversation. Or maybe upset that I had seen this side of her. But instead, the emotion embedded deep into her eyes was beseeching. She was pleading for something very specific and somehow, without her even speaking, I knew what it was.
She wasn't pleading with me to not judge her or run away – she probably knew that I already wouldn't do either of those things. She wasn't pleading that I forget what I saw here. No. It was the exact opposite actually. She was pleading that I never forget this encounter, that she had known that I had been witness to the whole thing and that I could not forget its importance.
The only problem was that I didn't know why the encounter was so important. I felt, for some strange reason, that I could not ask her either. Like the reason that she had to show me was because she couldn't talk about it.
So instead of questioning it, I simply nodded my head and went to the kitchen to find everybody sat waiting. They were all dressed smartly with black trousers and shirts on. It reminded me of something, but I couldn't think what. I felt as though I had seen them dressed this way before.
I sat down on my stool, making sure the dress of my skirt was smooth so that it wouldn't crease as I sat on it. The dress that Sam had picked out for me to wear was yellow, 1950s style, with a swishy skirt just above the knee that it would flare out as I danced. My mind was too stuck on what I had just witnessed to think about dancing though.
"Hey Britt, you okay?" Mike asked, placing a hand on my shoulder. I looked up at him from where I had been absentmindedly tracing patterns on the countertop to see his concerned gaze fixed on me.
"Yeah." I told him nodding my head and attempting a smile. I could tell he didn't believe me, whether it was because of the shaky smile or the way my voice rose slightly with my lie I didn't know. I was just grateful that he didn't question me further.
It wasn't long until Santana came into the kitchen wearing a dress similar to mine with the swishy skirt but hers was shorter and had a different style neckline. She looked beautiful, and it was enough to stop me from thinking about the whole Dave incident – even if for a moment. There was another difference that I noticed that seemed to be problematic. Her dress was black.
"I'm the only one not wearing black." I pointed out with a frown. They all looked themselves and then me as if this was the first time that they had noticed.
"Oh well." Sam said good naturedly as if it didn't matter.
Santana walked up to me then and traced the strap of my dress with a soft finger, raising goose bumps in its wake. "You deserve to stand out." She spoke softly for only me to hear. I almost melted in my seat from the sheer honesty in her eyes as she spoke.
"Thank you, Santana." I spoke equally as soft and twice as shy. I let her take my hand and help me down from my seat even though I could have easily gotten down on my own. Everyone else has already left the kitchen, leaving the two of us alone.
"You look beautiful." I told her, truthfully. The way her eyes shone and her cheeks tinted made me want to tell her hundreds of times more in as many ways as possible just to get the same reaction.
"Not as beautiful as you." She told me before leaning in and placing a soft kiss on my heated cheek.
Before I had time to react I was being pulled out of the kitchen and out of our home.
XXX
The queue was long by the time we had gotten to the club that Santana had assured me was the best for dancing. I didn't really care which was the best for dancing, I figured that any would be the best if Santana was there dancing next to me.
Thankfully, Santana seemed to know the doorman so we were allowed in straight away. As soon as we walked inside the sound of the music hit my eardrums so hard that it felt as though all of my other senses had somehow dulled. All I could concentrate on was the feel of the music pulsating through my body. It felt great and I couldn't stop the smile spreading along my face as I embraced the familiar feeling.
I felt my hand being squeezed and I looked over to find Santana smiling at me before leaning in close to my ear. Those tingles came back just as strong at the feeling of her breath on me.
"Do you want a drink?" she asked her voice low but still somehow clear against the music. I paused for a moment, wondering if she meant alcoholic or not. I had no desire to drink alcohol, I wasn't sure why but I guessed that it was the same reason that I only ate healthy food. I didn't want her to think that I was lame or – horror of horrors – even more childish than she already thought I was.
"Orange juice?" she clarified before my inner turmoil could progress much further. I felt my shoulders relax and smiled gratefully at her before nodding my head. Our faces were mere inches apart and I could feel her breath ghosting against my cheek. I wasn't sure what constituted as good breath – whether it had to be minty – but all I did know was that her breath smelt awesome.
I wonder how it tastes. I thought with a blush.
Before my thought was even finished she was gone. I didn't get the chance to feel too bad though because then Mike came up and asked me to dance and I really never could say no to a dance.
Within seconds we were immersed in a crowd of sweaty, grinding bodies and began our own little dance. That's the good thing about these types of clubs – no one judges you on how well you can dance or how good of a routine you have. You're simply allowed to close your eyes and dance to the rhythm that you feel at that particular moment.
Mike and I were attached by our clasped hands so that we wouldn't lose each other in the heaving crowd, the other hand free to move in the air as it pleased. It was so fun just trying to out dance the other and showing each other different moves. Mike kept tried to put me off by pulling funny faces making me laugh so much that I almost didn't here my name being called.
"Brittany!" I heard from right behind me. I turned to see Lana stood behind me and smiling widely.
"Hey!" I shouted back over the music, keeping a firm grip on Mike's hand in case he got carried away by the sea of people. That would probably be pretty impossible anyway considering that he's like a rock.
Lana, I noticed, was looking at our hands again with an almost exasperated eye roll. I'm sure I would have been offended if I hadn't seen the good natured smile on her face. Well, that and I'm pretty certain that Lana has never offended a single person in her entire life. She's just not that type of girl.
"Is it just you two here?" Code for: is this a date?
"No, there are others as well." I responded with my own eye roll. "How about you?" I found it very hard to believe that she was here on her own.
"Yeah, I'm with a couple of friends too." she said, before getting jostled by some dancers nearby. Her eyes suddenly sparked with what seemed to be an idea. "Hey, why don't you and you friends come and join us, we're in a booth over there." She told us, gesturing to somewhere over to the other side of the club.
I was about to respond when Mike cut me off.
"Actually, we're in the VIP area," he pointed to the upstairs area that I hadn't noticed until just then, "so why don't you and your friends join us?" he asked stepping closer to me to be able to talk to us better. Another action which Lana's eyes followed.
"Sure! That sounds cool. I'll get my friends and meet you up there, okay?" she said excitedly before spinning around and darting off.
"I didn't know we were in the VIP area." I said to Mike as he began guiding me through the crowd.
"Yeah, well Santana doesn't really like crowds and she's not much of a dancer so she thought it would be best to stay out of the way." He told me as we reached the stairs leading up to the balcony looking out over the rest of the club.
That explanation made me frown slightly. Had Santana never intended on dancing then? Well, I would certainly change that before the night was over. My main goal had been to dance with Santana and sex her up with my awesome moves after all.
When we reached our section of the VIP area, I realised that Santana wasn't even there. Puck and Sam were sat across from each other on either side of the knee high mahogany drinks table playing what appeared to be paper football with a beer mat. Apparently it was some kind of drinking game, if the way Sam would groan and take a shot every time he lost was any indication.
The set up was pretty much like our living room, except with three long sofas instead of four, they were set out in a 'U' shape around the table. I decided to sit down on the only free sofa on my own in the hopes that Santana would come and sit next to me. Mike sat next to Puck. I looked down at the table and noticed that a tall glass of orange juice was sat on it.
I smiled lightly to myself before picking it up and taking a sip.
"Hey again!" Lana smiled, coming up to us with two other girls in tow.
She came and sat down next to me, which I wasn't too bothered by because there was still space on my other side for Santana to sit. Her friends looked very similar, they were both very pretty and could be told apart by their hair – one was a brunette whilst the other was blonde. They sat together on the same sofa as Sam.
"This is Jessie and Monica." She told everyone who was wearing their best welcoming faces; even Puck was trying to look less antisocial. "Guys this is Brittany, from dance class and her 'friend' Mike." She didn't use the air quotes I think that everyone heard them. I rolled my eyes, again.
"It's nice to meet you. This is Puck, and my brother Sam." I said gesturing to each in turn. I was amused to see their reactions to Puck's simple nod in their directions.
"We've heard a lot about you Brittany." Monica said. I was thankful that she didn't see everyone's eyes snap to her at the possibly mean phrase. "Lana says that you're the best dancer in class." She finished with a smile.
"Oh. Well, I'm okay I guess." I felt my cheeks tinting at the compliment.
"Don't be modest Brittany, you're awesome. And Mike too." she gestured towards Mike who was already participating in the drinking game. Upon noticing this she lowered her voice. "You two looked great dancing together, by the way." She smirked, winking at me.
I looked over at her friends only to see them sporting knowing looks as well.
"I can't believe you told your friends! Seriously, how many times do I have to tell you that nothing's going on." I really couldn't see why she was so adamant that I was lying.
"Do you see that girls? Denial." She spoke to her friends who both nodded solemnly.
"You're all crazy." I said shaking my head.
"Whatever. Where's Santana? I would have thought that she'd be here." She wisely changed the subject before my head exploded in exasperation.
"I don't know. She should be here somewhere." My stomach fluttered with butterflies when I thought of her.
"Ooh! The mysterious Santana!" Jessie whispered before her and Monica started giggling.
"Seriously? God, two drinks and you're making me seem like some nutty kind of stalker." Lana reprimanded her still giggling friends. Her ears tinted pink.
"It's okay. I'd find it weird if you didn't mention her." I reassured. I didn't feel the need to further elaborate seeing as it was pretty obvious what I meant. Santana always left a lasting impression. Lana smiled at me gratefully for understanding.
"Thank you! They don't believe me when I said how insanely beautiful she is. It's just something that you can't help but notice!"
I felt a hand coming to rest on my shoulder and the tingles shooting down my spine made it pretty obvious who it was. And if it didn't, then the almost stunned looks on Monica and Jessie's faces were definitely enough.
"Hello Lana. What a wonderful surprise it is to see you here. And with friends I see." Santana spoke in that way that made it seem like she was welcoming someone to her eight storey manor and not the VIP area of a dance club. I don't know why, but even that made me melt inside.
"Yes. These are Monica and Jessie. My friends from school." She turned to give them a smug look. Santana sat down next to me, her body angled to face them. I felt goose bumps rising again as our bare legs brushed.
"It is a pleasure to meet you both. I am Santana." She extended a hand to both of them in turn, which they shook.
Sam turned towards them then, trying to get them to join his team seeing as he was losing so badly to Mike and Puck.
"Sorry that I was not here when you came. I had something that I had to do." She whispered in my ear, her hand resting on top of mine to get my attention. The way her voice sounded so delicious and the way her hand moved so tantalizingly over my own ignited a heat that spread all the way through me, fizzling my brain in the best way possible. All thoughts seemed to vanish from my head at that moment, all but one: Operation: Be Sexy and Get Santana's lips off of my ear and onto more desirable places. How to do this? Dancing.
"That's fine." I all but purred, turning my head so that our eyes were locked, only centimetres apart. Her eyes seemed to widen as she realised just how close we were. "But you'll have to make it up to me." I told her, my voice still coming out sultry in a way I never realised I could do.
"How?" her voice was a whisper, but I swear that had it been any louder it would have been a squeak. Her eyes looked at me in a way that said that she'd do anything to make it up to me.
"Dance with me." It wasn't a question. I mentally patted myself on the back for saying it in a way that left no room for discussion.
She nodded her head just the smallest bit.
She stood up, using our joined hands to pull me up to and began leading us down to the dance floor without another word.
"We're gonna go and dance." I told everyone over my shoulder, and saw Mike asking Lana if she wanted to dance as well.
All I could concentrate on was the feeling of Santana's warm hand in mine as she led me through the mass of gyrating bodies.
And then suddenly she turned to face me.
All I had was a moment to take in her utter perfection before her body was pressed against mine, her hands resting on my lower back, pulling me into her. I barely had time to gain my senses and place my hands on her shoulders before she rolled herself into me and I lost my grip on reality once more.
Once I had managed to regain my lost senses, it was to find my whole body tingling as me and Santana moved as one and it was to find breathless words being whispered into my ear.
"Is this right?" her cheek slid against mine as she spoke to me.
"Perfect." I breathed back as I felt her body move expertly against mine.
All I could think about was not caring if I ever kissed her as long as she could dance with me every night. I couldn't imagine a feeling that was better than this.
"It feels weird." She mumbled. It came out as a question, as if she couldn't name the feeling.
"It feels good." I told her. There was a small pause in the conversation before I felt her nod, moving more firmly against me so that I could feel every inch of her body bury into mine for one delicious moment.
"Yeah." She vocalised her agreement.
I hugged her to me more firmly, my palms flat against her back. We danced a moment longer before I felt her beginning to pull away; I wanted to hold her to me even more tightly but knew that I couldn't. I dropped my arms.
"We should go." She told me, grabbing my hand before leading me out to the front door. Once we got outside I was suddenly hit by the cold air, it felt like the equivalent of a cold shower, like I had been waken from a bad drink. I realised that the boys were already there waiting for us.
"Where are Lana and her friends?" Just then remembering about my friend.
"They left awhile ago." Mike shrugged, as we began walking home. Santana draped a coat over my shoulders. I didn't bother asking where it had come from, or since when did she own a black fur coat. It smelled like her and that was all that I was bothered about at that moment.
XXX
I was currently in bed and waiting for Santana to come in so that I could 'put the moves on her' as it were.
I heard her coming through the door and waited until she appeared above me.
"Hey Britt-Britt." She cooed in that dreamy voice that always seemed to make me feel instantly tired. I fought to keep my eyes open.
"'Tana, I'm cold." That's right; I was pulling out the big guns.
"Do you want me to get an extra blanket?" she asked, still using the magical hushed voice. I shook my head and took her slender wrist in my grasp.
"Can you stay and make me warm?" I asked tugging her towards me slightly.
She looked slightly worried about what to do but eventually answered with an: "Okay."
Step 1: Completed.
She crawled in next to me and I instantly lay against her, just like I was this morning.
Step 2: Completed.
Okay, so now all I had to do was rest my head on her comfy chest for a moment before kiss-attacking her.
Step 3: …
XXX
We were sat having breakfast at these tables outside of a fancy restaurant. Santana had thought that it might be a nice break for Puck from cooking.
To say that I was annoyed for falling asleep before kissing Santana last night would have been a huge understatement. I wasn't as annoyed as I might have been under normal circumstances though.
Last night I had the strangest dream that I could ever remember having. It was a montage of all of the strange things that I had witnessed Santana do interwoven with flashes of Black Panthers and White Wolves. It was as if someone had dove into my dream and was screaming at me to connect the dots between these weird things but I couldn't.
There was only one question that remained in my mind; one question that kept resurfacing.
Only one person could answer that question and she was sitting right next to me.
"Santana?" she turned to me with that amazing smile on her face that I knew was just for me.
That smile made me sure that, whatever the answer to this question was, it couldn't possibly change the way I felt about her.
"Santana, what are you?"
The look of fear and dread on her face instantly made me regret asking the question.
But before I could take it back and tell her that it didn't matter, something else happened.
I heard the voice of the very last person that I had ever expected to see here.
"Brittany?"