It's been 84 years...No but seriously, it's been way too long. Thank you all for your encouraging words and for being patient with me as I sort out my life a little lol. As a small gift, I made this chapter longer than all my other chapters. I would have had this done sooner, but I kind of forgot how to write this fic and I wanted this chapter to be good. Overall, I am pretty happy with it. I would stop writing when I felt I lost the story a bit and came back to it when I was more focused, but I think this is one of my favourite chapters so far.
Anyways, sorry if there are any mistakes. This chapter was 16 pages, so it is quite likely there are at least a few :)
"As you know, Nationals is only a few short weeks away. While you all did amazing at Regionals, it won't be enough for us to win in New York. We all really have to step up our performance if we hope to place."
Mr. Shue seemed to drone on forever as he stood in the front of the room, going on about the long road to Nationals. Rachel sat in the front, as she always did, with Santana seated next to her, barely listening to Mr. Shue's lesson. His lessons seemed to be more about helping him sort through his own life issues rather than actually helping the glee club succeed.
Rachel sat patiently, waiting for the lesson to be over. Her eyes kept darting between Mr. Shue and the clock, hoping there would be enough time to bring up the idea of the spring musical before everyone was dismissed for the weekend. It was a tough choice, but it was decided that Rent was the perfect choice out of the two musicals. There was some mild bickering involved, but after a few private performances if "Take Me or Leave Me," Santana was pretty much sold. Yes they would have to do some editing, but it was a much better choices than doing Grease. It also didn't help that she got to play Santana's girlfriend in the play.
"Alright, so in order to get the creative juices flowing, I want you to bring in mash-up ideas for next week. They can be any song you want, as long as you use the classic song 'Baby Got Back'-"
"Mr. Shue, if I may interrupt?"
"Rachel, I told you that you don't have to ask to go to the bathroom anymore, you can just go."
"It's not my bladder," Rachel's cheeks tinged red as Santana bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing.
"Do you think you can wait a few minutes, Rachel? I am kind of in the middle of an important lesson here."
"While I admire your attempt to try and create a fun lesson to get the creative juices flowing, though using poor methods and a poor song choice, I have something I wish to share with the glee club before we are dismissed for the weekend. I promise it will be quick. And as soon as I am done, you can get back to the importance of -'Baby Got Back.'"
Santana was sure she was going to bite through her lip. It was almost painful to hold in her laughter at this point. She looked to her right to see Rachel's faint smirk spread across her lips. Santana was slightly impressed at how she smacked down Mr. Shue in front of the entire room. The best part, he didn't even seem to notice.
"Uh sure, Rachel, just make it quick. We only have 15 minutes before the end of the meeting."
Santana watched as Rachel stood from her seat and made her way towards where Mr. Shue was originally standing. She may have shamelessly checked out her legs and her ass as she did, but could anyone really blame her? She was sure Rachel's skirts were getting shorter just to torture her.
"Thank you Mr. Shue. Now, as you know, our performance of 'West Side Story' for the fall musical was spectacular. Even though Lima isn't necessarily cultured, we were still the talk of the town for weeks after."
"What does this have to do with anything, if you don't mind me asking?" Quinn asked from the back row. Santana shot her a quick glare for interrupting before turning back to Rachel.
"Well, this year is slowly coming to an end. And I know Nationals is just around the corner for us, but it is also the opportune time for a spring musical."
"Girl, I love you. But don't you think it's a lot to take on right now? I mean finals are coming up and we have Nationals to prep for. How would we even fit in time for a spring musical?" Mercedes voiced from beside Kurt.
"I know it's a lot to ask for, but I just think it would be something fun for us to do. As well, it would look really great on college applications." The room looked a little skeptical, so Rachel continued. "As nice as it would be to win Nationals, it is not a guarantee. Most of us are leaving next year and this is our last shot. For some of us, glee is all we have. This musical is just an added bonus. Plus it is a super fun play."
"And what would this play be?" Kurt asked.
"My idea is that we would perform Rent for our spring musical."
There were only a few of the club members who seemed to be excited about the idea. Blaine, Kurt and Mercedes chatted to each other animatedly about wardrobe as well as which characters they desired to play, while Santana wore a beaming smile on her face at the suggestion. The rest of the members seemed either confused or indifferent to the suggestion.
"What the hell is Rent?"Puck asked from the back row.
"Well, Rent is a rock opera that tells the story of a group of bohemians struggling in the modern day East Village New York. It is centred around roommates Mark and Roger; Roger who is numb to life following a past tragedy, and Mark, a film maker, tries to make a film as the group deals with love, loss, AIDS and modern day life. It truly is quite powerful."
"Rachel, while I applaud your suggestion, it may be too racy for a high school production. We couldn't get 'Rocky Horror' approved, and I am assuming Coach Sue won't approve this choice either," Mr. Shue voiced.
"I understand there are going to be some troubles in trying to get this to the stage, but I still believe it's worth a shot. 'Rocky Horror' is an overtly sexualized show that is quite impossible to edit into a PG show that is still watchable. There will be some edits made to this production, but I think it is quite possible to keep the lessons and the stories and still have it be a school appropriate production."
"I'm not super into musicals and whatever, but 'West Side Story' was kind of cool. And it's got rock music, so it can't completely blow." Puck mumbled from the back row.
Santana looked back to find Puck. When their eyes met, they shared a smile. She knew he wasn't too into this idea, but she knew he was going to do it for both her and Rachel. Plus she knew he would make a killer Roger.
"Well I am up for more discussion about this next week. Unfortunately we are out of time, but I will keep it in mind Rachel." Mr. Shue smiled at the petit brunette and Rachel returned it. All she really wanted was for them to consider the idea of the play. She turned and walked back to her seat, packing up her things for the weekend.
"Now before you all leave, please make sure to pick up a copy of 'Baby Got Back.' I really can't wait to hear those mash-ups on Monday. Have a great weekend everyone," Mr. Shue yelled over his shoulder as he was leaving the choir room. A collective groan was heard from the entire glee club. If any of them were lucky, he would forget about the mash-up when Monday actually came.
Rachel watched as the rest of the club filtered slowly out of the room. She was purposefully taking her time with packing up so she could have a moment alone to speak with Santana. When she finally watched Brittany and Mike leave the room, she turned to meet Santana's stare.
"Is this an all day event or are we actually going to get out of here sometime today?" Santana asked with a faint smile on her lips.
"Yeah I just wanted to talk to you before we left."
"Okay, but if you wanted to have your way with me, the janitor usually comes in here at 4:30. That gives us about 10 minutes."
"Can you not be gross for 5 minutes please?"
"Sorry," Santana smiled. "What's going on in that pretty head of yours?"
"Well, as you know, we've been exchanging letters for awhile now and I wanted to give you another one," Rachel answered, pulling the letter out of her bag.
"Oh, thanks. I'll read it when I get home," Santana returned the smile, taking the envelope from Rachel.
"Actually, I was wondering if you'd open it now?"
It wasn't the normal request that Rachel had for her letters. Usually Santana was forced to wait until she at least made it to her car until she was able to tear open the envelope, allowing herself to repeatedly read the countless pages. This tended to work out well because the letters usually brought tears to Santana's eyes, and she didn't want to look like a complete sap in front of Rachel. However, she was pretty sure the petit girl already knew that Santana was a completely whipped, romantic when it came to her.
"Uh, yeah sure," Santana said as she began tearing open the envelope. "But you can't laugh or make fun of me if I start crying or some shit," she added.
"I promise," Rachel smiled.
Santana finally opened the envelope, surprised to only find one small piece of paper. She became slightly confused, so used to Rachel's mini novels. That was until she finally read what Rachel had written down.
Santana Marie Lopez,
Will you go out with me?
p.s. You should say yes. It would be kind of rude since I am standing right in front of you.
Santana laughed before looking up. Rachel stood in front of her, a nervous smile spread on her lips.
"Are you sure? We really don't have to do this if you're not ready yet, Rach."
"It took me a while to really think about it. I had to make sure this is what was going to be best for both of us. I had to make sure that I was completely over Finn, and whether it was smart to start something after ending such a serious relationship. I also had to make sure that I was serious about you before committing because I would never want to hurt you. But, at the end of the day, you make me really happy Santana. And I thought it was completely ludicrous to keep denying something that made me so happy, so I went for it. So now, Santana Marie Lopez, will you do me the honour of going out with me tonight?"
"Do you really expect me to say anything other than yes?" Santana smiled.
"Not really, no. I just thought I would ask you formally. You know, we are trying to woo each other," Rachel returned the smile. "So pick me up at 8 Santana Marie Lopez?"
"First of all, I have no idea how you found out my middle name-"
"-I have my ways," Rachel smirked.
"And second, I'll see you at 8 Rachel Barbra Berry."
"Puck, can you grow a vagina for 10 minutes and help me pick out an outfit?" Santana scolded the boy from her closet.
"Seriously? I only came over because you said there would be Xbox and beer. There is neither of those things right now."
"How else did you think I'd get you over here? Also, if you tell anyone that we religiously play Xbox, I might just castrate you."
"Why do you make me do this every time? You know I am not cut out for this crap. I really don't know why you don't call Brittany, Quinn or even Kurt for god's sake. And I know you're friends with him, so don't try and tell me you're not."
"Brittany is busy with Mike tonight, Quinn already started making fun of me on the phone and Kurt would make me look like some gay cartoon character. Really I was just out of options, so suck it up Puckerman and help me find something to wear on my date tonight."
Puck was standing in the corner of Santana's room, unable to really find a spot to sit down. He wasn't sure how it was possible, but every surface seemed to be covered in clothes and Santana still managed to keep pulling stuff out of her closet. He decided it was safe to just sit on her chair in front of her vanity. He really didn't want to be yelled at for touching any of her clothes and it seemed to be the only vacant spot in the room.
"We're talking about Rachel here dude. Isn't she still about animal sweaters and shit? I'm pretty sure she wouldn't care."
"Okay, first off, don't call me dude. And second, Rachel has definitely updated her wardrobe over the years. She has graduated from animal sweaters to looking like sex on a stick. I seriously can't compete with that."
"I'll have you know dude is a sign of respect. If I don't call you dude, that is when you should worry," Puck answered while lightly strumming Santana's guitar that she hadn't picked up in years. "You are seriously over reacting by the way. She already likes you. You really don't need to try this hard. Plus you're already hot."
"I think there was a compliment somewhere in there, so thanks. And I know I'm hot, but this is different. That's not even the point. I just want to look nice for her. I want to look like I deserve to be on her arm, you know?"
"I totally get it, but you need to chill out about this. You could wear a damn paper bag and she would still be happy to have you on her arm. No offence Lopez, but you're not the most likable person in Lima. The fact that she asked you out should be a sign that she doesn't care what you wear. She saw past your bullshit and still want to date you, so own up to that. Just be you dude."
Santana emerged from the closet to look at Puck, who was distracted with tuning her guitar. She didn't know how he managed to do it, but he still managed to be one of the smartest and kindest people she knew. He and Brittany seemed to be the same. They may not have been book smart, and Puck may have thought that school was for suckers, but they knew people. They may have their own methods of dealing with people but at the end of the day, she knew why she really called Puck to help her out.
She picked up one of the shirts that had fallen to the floor and threw it in Puck's direction, finally getting his attention.
"Since it seems like you've finally become a woman, are you going to put down that guitar and actually help me out now?" she said with a smirk.
"Haha, you're just so funny aren't you?" Puck replied sarcastically.
"It really is a burden to be this perfect all the time."
Puck ignored the girl as she retreated back to her closet. He continued to try and tune the guitar in his hands. He remembered teaching Santana how to play when they were 10 years old. They both went to the same lessons, and the Latina always had trouble remembering the finger placements for various chords. Puck would go to her house once a week to help her and then they would play video games afterwards. That was when they really started being friends.
"Do you play anymore?" he asked curiously.
Santana poked her head out of the closet to answer. "Not for years. I'm way too rusty now to play it anymore, so I just kind of gave up. Why else do I keep you around?"
"Well if you want, I can teach you again. Guitars are a total chick magnet dude. You can serenade our Jewish princess and then totally get into her pants."
"And in three seconds you go from sincere to gross. Guess you really are a guy."
"I have to keep up appearances babe," he smiled.
She tried to hold a scowl, but she eventually just started laughing at how ridiculous he could be. Puck was the brother she never had but always wanted. On those evenings when her parents were working or at some conference, Puck would be there to quell the loneliness. She'll never be able to thank him enough for it.
"What about this?" she asked, pulling out a somewhat modest red dress.
"Red is totally your colour."
She's there outside of Rachel's house at 7:30. She doesn't know why she showed up so early, but she couldn't take pacing around her house anymore. After kicking Puck out, she started frantically getting ready to avoid actually thinking about the date. Even though Santana had been with people, she really didn't do a lot of "dates." That became a noticeable factor to her now.
She sat in her car outside of Rachel's house, surely drawing the attention of curious neighbours, waiting for it to finally be 8. Her hands were sweating and they were shaking as she reached to change the radio station, trying to find a song to calm her nerves.
A small bouquet of flowers is thrown on the seat beside her because she was sure that was what you were supposed to bring on a date, or something. She was realizing how much easier this all was with Brittany and the guys she dated. They never really "went out," so to speak. But she is really trying for Rachel, and that is what is keeping her from going completely insane at this point.
The clock finally reads 8:00 and she slowly picks up the flowers before making her way out of the car. She slowly makes her way up the driveway, hoping that when she reaches the door it is Rachel that answers and not one of her fathers.
However, when she knocks, she isn't so lucky.
"Ah, Santana. It's nice to see you again."
"It's nice to see you too Mr. B," her voice shaky with nerves.
"Please, enough with that crap. Just call me Hiram. If you keep saying Mr. B, it really is just going to get confusing."
She blushes at her mistake but moves past it. She thought she wouldn't be this nervous to be back at the Berry house, considering she already did the 'meet the parents' thing once, but that doesn't stop the butterflies in her stomach. She watches as Hiram steps aside, ushering her into the house.
"And who are those for?" he asks, point to the flowers.
"Umm, they're for...um...Rachel. I thought it was proper or something," she replies, handing over the wilted bouquet.
"I'll go put these in water. You can wait in the living room for her. I am sure she will be down in a few minutes."
Santana nodded in acknowledgement, happy that the awkward conversation was finally over. She could go the rest of her life without having to endure a conversation like that again. There was a reason why she never did the whole 'date' thing before.
As she slowly made her way towards the living room, she realized she wasn't quite out of the awkward conversation loop yet. There sitting in the chair was the other Mr. Berry. He was sitting, casually reading the paper.
"Santana, come in," he voiced without even looking at the girl. She thought she was nervous before, but that was before she was introduced to the other Mr. Berry's psychic abilities.
She slowly made her way towards the adjacent loveseat and sat down. She watched as Rachel's dad continued to read his paper, her eyes glancing to the stairs behind him, praying Rachel would come down them soon and save her from herself. She didn't remember things being this intense at dinner.
"So Santana," Rachel's dad said, lowering his paper. "What are your intentions with my daughter?"
"W-what...I," her throat never felt so dry.
"Leroy, leave the poor girl alone," Hiram scolded as he walked into the room. "He really is kidding. Don't let the act fool you."
"I was just having a little fun. I think she was doing pretty well considering. When Finn was in the same position, he looked like he was going to pee himself he looked so nervous."
All three of them broke into a chuckle over the imagery of the overgrown man child, that is Finn Hudson, peeing himself over the parent interrogation.
"However," Leroy began, "I do have to give you the customary parental dating speech-"
"Oh here we go," Hiram sighed, rolling his eyes.
"You take care of our little girl and treat her right. She's our only little baby and I don't want someone to come around and break her. So if you do, break her heart that is, I will not be afraid to chase you down with a shotgun. Just because I like you better doesn't mean you get a free pass in that department."
"Please tell me you are not giving her the shotgun speech daddy?"
"Just doing my fatherly duties-"
"-and terrifying all future suitors," Hiram added.
Santana was never more thankful to see Rachel in her entire life. She watched as the petit girl made her way down the stairs, admiring her outfit as she did. She was wearing a simple black dress, more modest than her own but definitely less modest than anything she's ever seen her wear. She didn't even realize she had gotten off of the couch until she was standing in front of Rachel.
"How do I look?" she asked, brushing a piece of hair behind her ear.
"Wow...just...great."
"I think our daughter broke her."
"I think you're right," Hiram added.
"Let's get out of here before it's too late," Rachel stage whispered before pulling at Santana's hand.
Rachel pulled Santana away from the house and towards her family's Prius. Santana had offered to drive, but Rachel was determined to keep the date a surprise. Santana fought not to roll her eyes, but she was secretly excited to see what Rachel had planned for her.
"Rachel, please never leave me alone with your dads again," Santana scolded as she got into the car.
"It wasn't that bad. They really are just joking with you."
"Joking or not, don't ever do it again."
Rachel couldn't help but laugh at the Latina sitting next to her, a scowl on her face. If she would have known that all it took to stop the Latina dead in her tracks was a conversation with her dads, she would have used the tactic ages ago.
Santana tried to hold her scowl, but with Rachel smiling and laughing next to her, she couldn't help but smile a bit as well. She really is whipped and they haven't even officially started dating yet.
"It's not funny you know."
"It's a little funny," Rachel says between laughs. "Lima Height's badass is afraid of having a conversation with my fathers."
"I'm glad you are taking joy out of my pain."
"Please, it's not that painful. And besides, it is so worth it to see that cute scowl on your face."
"I'm not cute," Santana huffed.
"Your face says otherwise."
Santana wants to be mad at Rachel for calling her cute and for making fun of her, but she just ends up smiling wider than before. She may only allow it in the privacy of their homes or cars, but she really doesn't mind being called cute by Rachel Berry.
"Before we go, could you put this on?" Rachel asked, holding up a scarf she got from the back seat.
"You want me to wear a scarf? I don't really do scarves-"
"It's not a scarf, it's a blindfold."
"I didn't think you were one to get kinky. You might want to wait until we pull away from your house before you start anything, though."
"Ugh, remind me why I am going on a date with you?"
"To quote you earlier, because you think 'my face is cute,'" Santana mocked with a shit-eating grin.
"Despite the fact that you are being disgusting, I don't want to ruin the surprise date I have for you. So would you not be gross and just put it on for me?"
Santana wants to continue annoying the starlet, but she can tell Rachel really put a lot of thought into this night and she doesn't want to screw it up. So, instead, she silently reaches for the scarf and ties it around her head, making sure that she can't see anything other than black.
"Can you see?"
"No. That's the point of blindfolds, Rach."
Santana can hear movement in the seat next to her. She is positive that Rachel is pulling stupid faces and doing weird dance moves to make sure she is actually being serious about not being able to see. She kind of wishes she could right now, though.
"Alright, now we can get going," she hears Rachel put the car in gear before the cars starts rolling out of the driveway.
She knows they've been driving for awhile, which really makes her question where Rachel has planned to have their date. At this point, it feels more like she is going to get whacked than going to dinner and a movie.
She flinches when Rachel switches on the radio, the sudden noise scaring her. Rachel apologizes softly before turning the radio down. They try and have small talk, but Santana feels like an idiot talking with a blindfold on. It feels like she's talking to herself or a brick wall, which neither of those options is appealing to her. She just kind of hopes they don't drive by anyone they know so they can see her looking like an idiot.
She has to remind herself numerous times that she is doing this for Rachel. That helps a little.
They finally pull to a stop in what Santana assumes to be in a parking lot. Santana reaches up to finally untie the blindfold when Rachel's hand on her wrist stops her.
"Wait, not yet."
"Seriously? Rachel we're already here. Why can't I just take it off now?" Santana whines.
"Not yet. We're not officially there yet. Just trust me, okay?"
"You're lucky I like you so much," Santana mutters and she can actually hear Rachel beam next to her.
She hears the familiar sound of Rachel undoing her seatbelt before getting out of the car. Only a few short moments later, she hears the passenger door open and feels Rachel getting her own seatbelt, pulling her out of the passenger seat.
She can feel the pavement under her heels as they slowly make their way to the unknown location-the idea of being whacked still a fresh thought in the Latina's mind. They continue walking along before randomly stopping.
"Is this the pretty girl you were talking about Miss. Berry?" a man voice says from somewhere in front of them.
"Yes, this is the girl I was talking to you about."
"She's very pretty."
"I would look a lot better without this blindfold on."
"Oh and feisty too. I like this one. Make sure you hold onto her."
"I'll do my best," she can hear the smile in Rachel's voice and she maybe smile just a little bit too.
"Alright, here are the keys. You kids have fun and don't get into too much trouble. I'll swing by your house some time tomorrow to pick them up. You ladies enjoy your night."
"Thanks again, Tony. You're a life saver."
She hears the man grunt in response before hearing him walk away. When his steps completely fade away, she can hear Rachel jingling keys in her hand before hearing the click of a door being opened.
Before she has any time to question Rachel, she is being pulled through the door and into the unfamiliar building. She can tell it is dark because Rachel continues to apologize when she accidently trips every now and then, or when she accidently runs Santana into various objects.
"Okay stop here."
Santana stops and doesn't ignore the way Rachel's voice echoes around the room. She assumes they are in some sort of gym or auditorium, but she decides to humour Rachel and follow as she says.
She listens as Rachel's steps echo around the room, much like her voice did. She listens as the small steps fade away and until she hears the clear sound of lights being switched on.
"You can take the blindfold off now," Rachel calls from a distance.
Santana sighs in appreciation before taking off the blindfold. When her eyes finally adjust, she sees they are standing in a large auditorium. On the stage, Rachel is standing there in the centre, looking at Santana. Next to her, she can see a blanket spread out and a pile of pillows. On the blanket was a small meal spread out.
"Is it too much? Is it okay?" Rachel asks nervously from the stage.
"You are such a dork."
"It's too much isn't it?"
"No, I love it," Santana smiled.
Santana slowly walked down the aisle towards the stage, really taking in the large venue. It was a large theatre, at least for around these parts. This was probably one of the bigger theatres close to Lima, but there was a bigger one a few towns over. Santana still admired the size of the theatre and was surprised that Rachel managed to pull this all together.
She slowly walked up the stairs and towards Rachel. Her stomach fluttered when the cute smile on Rachel's lips was aimed at her. She could feel her cheeks burning and hoped that Rachel couldn't see her blushing.
"Have a seat Miss. Lopez," Rachel said softly, motioning to the small picnic.
"Is this Breadstix?" Santana asked as she sat down.
"I heard it was your favourite."
"And who told you that?"
"Other than the fact you once said you brought a wheelbarrow to fill it with their breadsticks," she chuckled. "I have my ways."
"And is this the same person who told you my middle name?"
"Brittany said I am not at liberty to say," Rachel smiled and Santana smirked back.
"Well what about you? I know Breadstix and it's not exactly vegan friendly. I don't want you restricted to eating salad for the rest of the night."
"Thankfully for us both I have given up veganism for vegetarianism. Though I am still limited, I am not as limited as before. Plus I got my food ordered from my favourite vegan restaurant."
The two shared a somewhat quiet meal with small talk here and there. Though most of the time they just silently ate their food. Before, Santana would have felt the need to fill any silence, deeming it awkward. But the silence between them was normal; it didn't demand to be filled.
When their meals were done, Santana helped Rachel clear up all of the containers and plastic cutlery to throw them away, though Rachel told her not to help. When everything was cleared away, they returned to the blanket and lay back against the pillows.
"Okay, so it's time for honesty."
"Yeah, sure. What do you want to ask?" Santana replied, slightly confused.
"How bad was this date?"
"You want honesty?"
"Well that is what I asked for in the beginning. I think I may be starting to rethink my request now though."
"Honestly, this is the best date I have been on. Granted one of the only dates I've ever been on, but still the best. I'm wondering how on earth I am going to top this one."
"Who says you're getting a second date?"
"Touché, Berry."
They lay there for numerous moments, taking in the silence of the large space. The only sounds that could be heard were the faint sound of each other's breath. It was then in the silence that Santana got brave and reached for Rachel's hand, intertwining their fingers. When Rachel didn't pull away, Santana counted it as a success.
"Do you want to know why I brought you here?" Rachel whispered.
"I guess I was kind of curious as to why you chose here to be our date spot. I am also curious to why you know that Tony guy," Santana smiled and Rachel chuckled softly.
"This is where I fell in love with the stage. When I was young, maybe around 3 or 4, my fathers took me to my first show. It was a performance of the nutcracker. Just watching the performers dance so flawlessly on stage, and hearing the applause from the crowd. It made me want to be a part of it."
"So how does Tony come into the equation?"
"I'm getting there if you'd let me," Rachel chuckled softly, lightly playing with Santana's fingers. "After I got serious about singing and dancing, eventually we started performing competitions and recitals here. I thought that hearing the applause from the audience was thrilling, but it's a whole other thing when everyone is cheering for you on stage."
"I know the feeling. The applause I get from Cheerios, or even from performing in glee club. There is nothing like it and nothing more addicting than it," Santana said, turning to face Rachel.
Rachel smiled before continuing. "Well I loved the stage so much, that I would find ways to sneak into here and practice. I would sing and listen to it echo around me, or I would practice routines until they were absolutely perfect. I practically lived here as a kid. I was in my own world here; a world where I wasn't scolded for being different or an outcast. It was an escape."
Santana tensed at that, knowing she was one of the people who tortured Rachel when she was younger and through most of high school. Rachel noticed and gave a small squeeze to Santana's hand, kissing the tanned girl's knuckles.
"I'm sorry I ever made fun or you for your talent. I was just a stupid kid trying to fit in because I never thought I would get out of here. I never thought I would get the chance to be me. I tore you down because you got to be yourself and you had all these dreams that I never thought I'd get. And I am sorry every day for it."
"I know Santana. I've forgiven you for most of it. I mean, I don't think I can ever forgive you for all of it, but I can definitely move past it. You've changed, and this is the version of you that I want to know. That's all that matters."
She can feel the familiar burn in the back of her throat, trying to hold back her tears. She does her best to not cry because first dates are supposed to be cute and happy and this got extremely serious quite quickly.
Rachel could see Santana trying to hold back tears, so she squeezed her hand before continuing her original story. "Whenever I would practice, Tony would secretly sit in the back row and listen. He has been the janitor of this place for years and was surprised to see anyone during his shift. One day, when I finished practicing, he came up to me and told me how much he admired my talent. He said he always loved the stage but never had the talent to get out of Lima. From then on, he would listen to me practice while he cleaned the theatre. He would offer me pointers and sing with me sometimes."
"I understand how you got so close now."
"Yeah, he was one of the best teachers I've ever had. He sometimes comes over for dinner at my house to catch up with my dads and see how glee club is going. He even comes to every glee performance. He really admires you as well. I kind of told him about you."
"Well, everyone admires me."
"Well, they surely don't admire you for your humbleness."
"We can't be perfect all the time. Sometimes I need to take a break from perfection."
"Thank you for being polite to us lesser people."
"It's my civic duty, no need to thank me."
The two broke out into laughter that seemed amplified in the theatre. It was a weird feeling to be the only people in the theatre, but feel completely surrounded. When their laughter died down, they just laid there in the silence. Reveling in the moments before they had to pack up and leave soon.
"It's probably late," Rachel mumbled tiredly.
"Probably. I kind of wish we didn't have to go, though."
"Me either. This night's been kind of perfect," Rachel said, meeting Santana's gaze.
"Yeah, it kind of has been," Santana smiled.
They held each other's gaze, searching each other's faces as if taking in all the unnoticed details. It was then that Santana decided to go for it because if she didn't do it then, she surely would have chickened out.
She turned on her side, pulling herself closer to Rachel. She placed a hand on the starlet's hip, her thumb brushing against her hip. Rachel turned on her side to bring herself closer to Santana, bring their lips only inches apart. Santana could feel Rachel's breath ghost across her lips with every exhale, the feeling sending shivers down her spine.
"To be honest I'm kind of nervous," Rachel whispered.
"I am too. This was a lot easier when I had some alcohol in me," Santana watched as Rachel's face turned into a look of confusion. "No, I'm not saying I need alcohol to kiss you it's just...you make me kind of nervous...and alcohol makes me less nervous...but you're not the reason I need alcohol because you're really hot...and beautiful, more beautiful than hot...or they're equal-"
"You're rambling," Rachel smirked.
"I-I ramble when I'm nervous," Santana whispered.
"I can tell," Rachel chuckled softly. "So why don't you just shut up already and kiss me?" She smiled, now even closer to Santana than before.
Santana didn't need any more of an invitation than that. She leaned forward, lightly brushing her lips against Rachel's. She pulled back, making sure Rachel was okay. She got her answer when Rachel fisted some of her dress, firmly reattaching their lips. It wasn't hungry or a fight for dominance, it was them slowly getting used to each other; only the feeling of lips sliding against one another.
A hum of appreciation came from Santana as Rachel moved to straddle the her stomach, deepening the kiss. Santana's hands ran up Rachel's bare thighs, her fingers playing with the dress hem. Rachel ran her tongue along Santana's bruised lips, waiting to be granted access. Santana happily obliged, moaning as Rachel rolled her tongue against her own.
Santana's hands slipped over Rachel's ass, slightly squeezing and earning a delicious moan from Rachel. She could feel heat pool between her legs, her hips bucking seeking out some type of friction. She could feel Rachel grinding down onto her abs, more delicious moans being emitted from the starlet that Santana managed to muffle with her lips, sucking on the girl's tongue.
Santana knew that if they kept going, they would venture into territory that Rachel wasn't ready for. So, with a lot of effort, she managed to pull away from Rachel. She tried not to laugh at the whine Rachel let out when their lips disconnected.
"As much as I would like this to continue, I don't want this to lead to something you're not ready for yet."
"You choose now to be righteous?" Rachel whined, hiding her face in Santana's neck.
"Trust me, you'll thank me for this later," she chuckled, kissing the top of Rachel's head.
Santana managed to coax Rachel off of her and helped the petit brunette clear off the stage. When everything was packed away, she held out her hand for Rachel. Rachel smiled and immediately intertwined their fingers once again.
"So does this mean I get a second date?" Santana asked.
"Don't push your luck, Lopez," Rachel smirked.
Was it okay? Yay first date down lol. And yes, Rent was the popular choice, so thank you all for helping me with that. I might need some ideas for Santana's date, so leave those if you have any. I might not have their second date in the next chapter, but I think it might be focused more on the musical. I'll try to not make it a filler chapter, but I will see what happens when I start writing it. As always, thank you for the follows/favourites/reviews because they all completely make my day, so please keep them coming.
Until next time (which hopefully won't be so far away).