Chapter 25
From what I remembered about Santana, I didn't think that she'd be the shy and quiet young woman that was seated next to me in the driver's seat of her car. I also didn't remember her to be so breathtakingly beautiful. Hmm.
I do remember all the emails being extremely long winded and the calls never having a moment of silence between each breaths. Santana had never seemed like the shy type. In fact, why we got along so well was because I had like her confident personality and her never say never attitude.
However, this Santana that was next to me right now was slightly jumpy to the point where I could almost compare her to my skittish cat back home with my parents. Oh, how I missed Lord Tubbington. Hope he forgives me for going away for so long.
So, I did what I did best when it came to the engulfing silence around me, I made sure to get Santana out of the mini shell she had created around me. It would've been an awkward month if she were to remain stone silent throughout the entire time I was at hers. What if she had changed her mind about letting me to stay? I was intent to not let that be the case.
We made small talk, mainly about her college and my travels in Europe, in the long drive it took for us to get from the airport to her apartment while I had snuck sneak peeks at Santana the entire journey. She had certainly matured nicely. Gone were the extra baby fats that were lingering around her petite frame. From what I remember, Santana back then was around the same height that Santana was now. Considering she was already 18, I doubt that she'd be growing any taller.
But that was ok, coz if I recall correctly, her frame fit nicely under my chin when she hugged me at the airport and it felt just fine. And, talking about hugging, her body pressed against mine certainly also felt more filled, if you know what I mean.
Before you know it, we reached her cosy apartment. It was barely noon, but since my last meal was about 6 hours ago, I was starving. That and the fact that I probably had a mini hangover to get out of. Well, since I hadn't slept yet since drinking on the plane, that would actually make me still drunk. Oh well. So, food was necessary.
Santana had also confessed that she had a late night out before coming to pick me up at the airport, so she was kinda starving as well. So she gave me a mini tour of her apartment and where I'd be sleeping, that was most important and apologized for the mess that I actually couldn't really see. I didn't peg her to be a neat freak, but I wasn't about to complain.
She took me to a diner just at the corner of her street and I ordered myself a large American breakfast set just to get me back into the American way of eating. Spending my uni days in NY had made me miss street food as well as cheap diner food when I was touring in Europe.
Santana and I fought for the bill, but as I reminded her, I was a working adult who was bunking with her while she was a student on a mere allowance. My logic was that she could definitely do her fair share of spending me meals when she could in the future. And I was certain that she'd be successful. She did have that spark in her.
My jet lag must've gotten to me coz when I was just about to finish my meal, I could barely keep my eyes open. Santana must've sensed it because she quickly downed her drink and stood up, offering me her hand to drag me out of the booth that we were seated in.
I grasped her hand in mine and followed her silently. Surprisingly in the short journey back to her apartment, her hand didn't leave mine at all. I found that I didn't mind it. In fact, I kinda liked it.