Edge Of The World – Anton Johansson Remix
Brittany's POV
With a heavy sigh she finishes the last stable. She's sweating so much. She's been doing this for the past three weeks, every single day but clearing out stables is exhausting!
Especially when Eli is always somewhere near her, waiting with a next task to do.
She loves it though… she loves that this work is so physical. It's like a free work out session all day long. Sometimes when she sees herself in a mirror she'll notice another muscle that's getting more toned. Her shoulder really aches today though. It already started last night but today it hurts with every lift she makes. But she's not going to show any weakness. She loves it way too much to take a break.
It's pretty much everything she expected when she came here. She gets up super early in the morning but she doesn't mind. She loves the morning. She'll listen to the birds and feel the first sunrays tickling her nose when she and Eli ride on the tractor or something to go fix a fence or a paddock.
The fact that she's a landscaper comes in handy, too. She's done lots of work in aunt Kathrin's huge vegetable garden. She also loves helping with the huge haystacks because she loves the smell of it.
The physical labor lets her know it's all for a good reason. Aunt Kathrin keeps repeating how thankful she is to have Brittany here and that it's just good to find the time to interact after they haven't been able to do so in years.
It's true… finally Brittany finds herself spending long evenings outside with her aunt and uncle and Eli and people who work here and have already grown close to her in the short amount of time.
They'll sit outside by a fire and talk about things, laugh and enjoy the company until late at night. This way she gets to know her family on a new level. She had no idea that uncle Timothy can play the guitar so well or that Eli knows about three hundred different jokes that are actually really funny.
Brittany often helps aunt Kathrin to cook for everyone. She has no idea how she does it all by herself. And the food is soo good.
She's not a bad cook herself but the things she learns from aunt Kathrin is nothing she'd read in a cookbook.
The most important thing she learned; just add some more butter.
The food is delicious, the scenery she gets to see every single day when riding the horses breathtaking. The work is hard but good. The atmosphere is lovely even though it can be stressful.
But it fulfills her. She almost doesn't miss home.
She doesn't really miss her apartment. She hardly misses her work because this is a lot more exciting and she can't say that she misses city life. The small townlet near the ranch has everything you need. Good reception for example.
Brittany will always accompany aunt Kathrin to get some things from a shop or to bring a letter to the post office or something.
It'll give her the opportunity to make quick phone calls.
Because she does miss the people from home. Most of them Santana. She misses her so incredibly much that her heart sometimes twitches painfully when she lies in bed and thinks of her before falling asleep.
While she appreciates the untouched nature and everything life has to offer out here, she'd give anything to have Santana with her. She'd love to show her everything. Introduce her to the family, take her on a horse ride, show her the most amazing overlook or sit by the fire with her and talk about everything she's been up to during the past couple weeks.
Whenever they talk on the phone, Santana will tell her about this and that and Kurt and Dom and work and her mom. She's also up to something new in her life but she's been very secretive about it. She keeps saying that she will show Brittany once she's back.
It makes Brittany want to pack her things and head home but aunt Kathrin just got new reservations from tourists for the next three weeks. One of her best employees Maggie sprained an ankle so they begged Brittany to stay a little longer until Maggie is back on her feet.
Brittany talked to Santana about it and Santana encouraged her to add a little extra time on the ranch. Brittany keeps asking her if she wants to come stay here for a weekend off but Santana is being very reluctant about it. She really wants to work on this thing at home and doesn't want to distract Brittany.
Brittany could definitely use a little distraction to give her sore arms a rest but she'll accept Santana's decision to stay home.
After all she came here because she needed a break from her business. It's a good thing. The only not so good thing is the fact that she never expected to miss Santana that much. She thought it was going to be hard but this hard?
Sometimes aunt Kathrin's yummy food tastes like nothing anymore when she watches some of the tourist couples sitting at the table, their hands playing with each other. Or when they sit by the fire and share Smores. It's the perfect couple vacation you can spend at the ranch. Brittany can't help but wish Santana would magically appear from behind a corner whenever she watches those couples or when she stares at the bonfire.
Tonight it's not going to be any different. Once she and Eli have finished their work day, changed into some fresh clothes and head towards the fire, all different kind of smells fill her nose.
The smoke of the fire of course but also that smell of a late summer night. It has always been her favorite smell when she was a child. The freshly cut grass, the sunburned dusty ground, the washed off sunscreen… It always made her feel safe. That hard to describe feeling.
When she sits down on a chair next to Maggie with her sprained ankle, Brittany tries to let the scent make her feel as good as always but it's hard tonight.
She just wants to have Santana by her side.
"Hard day?" Maggie wants to know when handing Brittany a can of soda. Her brown hair is up in a bun and the fire enlightens her freckles. She pulls a face when somebody brushes against her hurt leg.
She must be about twenty-three and has been very crestfallen ever since she can't work with the horses anymore. She's now helping out in aunt Kathrin's tiny shop in town where she sits at the checkout all day long.
They sell some vegetables and stuff like honey, self-made oil and chutney there. Brittany has already bought some things to bring home for grandma and Santana.
"It was alright. But my shoulder's been giving me a hard time. Maybe a pulled muscle or something…"
Maggie points at her ankle.
"I'll lend you my ointment. It's working miracles. I'll bring it to you tomorrow, ok?"
Brittany smiles thankfully at Maggie before taking a big sip of her beverage.
Then somebody hands uncle Timothy the guitar and as soon as he strums the first few chords, everyone joins the song. Brittany doesn't know the lyrics yet so she just listens and drifts off with her thoughts after a while anyway.
She wonders… what Santana might be doing right now. If she's already asleep or working at the small kitchen table till late at night…
It's another three weeks later when Brittany can't take it any longer. She's sitting at the kitchen counter with her aunt, removing the stems of some green beans.
"Kathrin?"
"Hmm?"
Brittany takes a deep breath.
"I'll probably head home next week. I've been enjoying this a lot… but I can't let my business wait for too long. And I'm starting to really miss home. I wanted to let you know a couple days in advance."
Aunt Kathrin gives her a warm smile.
"No worries, Brittany. We always said we take all the help we can get. When you jumped in for Maggie we were more than thankful. She's back on the saddle next week. Which is a good thing so you can give your aching shoulder a rest. I'm very happy you stayed with us for this long."
"Me, too! In fact I loved it so much that I could imagine doing this more often from now on. I'd love to come back for a couple weeks next year."
Aunt Kathrin's grin only grows bigger when she points outside to the tourist cabins.
"That would be wonderful. I'll make sure to reserve one of the cabins for you. I'm sorry you had to stay in the tiny chamber below the roof. Actually one couple left this morning so there's a cabin free if you'd like to spend the last couple nights there."
Brittany waves it off.
"That's ok. I kind of like it up here. So no new guests at the moment?"
Aunt Kathrin shakes her head.
"Not for another two weeks. You sure you don't want to invite your special lady over?"
Brittany chuckles when Kathrin wiggles her eyebrows.
"Oh… I keep asking her but she doesn't want to. Apparently she's very busy at home with looking for a new place to stay and there's this thing she's working on. She won't tell me what it is… I just hope everything will still be the same when I get home."
"Don't you worry about it, sweetheart. The way you keep talking about the two of you – I'm sure it's going to be just fine."
Brittany sighs.
"I really hope so, yeah."
She puts her trimmed beans into a big bowl before grabbing a handful new ones.
They work in silence after that but Brittany keeps thinking about why Santana won't tell her what she's up to. Maybe a new book to translate? Or she's writing one on her own?
Maybe she's building a new house? Or she's working at her mother's clinic?
Whatever it is… Brittany wishes she knew a little more. Just to know what is up in Santana's life these days.
A day later she finally gets to speak to her on the phone again. She's sitting in a small Café in town when the familiar voice sounds in her ear again.
"Don't say you miss me that much." Santana purrs from what sounds so far away.
Brittany huffs when she stirs her coffee.
"Are you kidding? It feels like I haven't seen you in a hundred years. I don't even remember what you look like."
Santana's laughter fills her ear and it's so good. She'd give anything to hear it right next to her instead through the phone.
"Then why don't you just come home?"
"I am coming home. About three more nights. What do you say?"
"Oh my God, are you serious? I thought it was going to take another two weeks at least."
Brittany shakes her head although the brown-haired woman can't see her.
"Nah… that's way too long. I'm going crazy without you… I don't even have a piece of clothes that smells like you. At least I gave you my shirt. Does it still smell like me?"
There's a rustling noise coming through the phone.
"Let me check, I've got it right next to me. Uh… nope. It smells like me, I think."
"Aw see? I want it now."
Brittany keeps staring at her coffee, picturing Santana lying in bed with the shirt on her face. She'd give anything to beam herself into their bedroom. Why can't she just leave tonight? Oh well… aunt Kathrin said something about a big barbecue and she needs Brittany's help one more time.
"Ok then come and get it. Right now."
Brittany exhales a frustrated breath of air.
"I'd love nothing more than that but I won't be able to leave. There's this-"
"Barbecue tonight. Yeah, I know."
Brittany stops stirring her coffee. Did she say those thoughts about the barbecue out loud? She could swear she was thinking them in her head.
"It's a shame you didn't invite me."
"Uh – I keep inviting you but you always say you're too busy."
"Yeah that was true at one point… not anymore though. I've always wanted to try those stuffed peppers your aunt Kathrin makes for barbecues. Why didn't you say anything about tonight?"
Brittany's head feels like she's calculating a difficult formula or something. How does Santana know about the stuffed peppers? She should seriously pay more attention to herself when she's talking on the phone. Did she tell Santana about them during their last phone call?
"I mean, I… I don't know. I didn't know you wanted to come. I wish I had called you earlier."
"Yeah me, too… well, thankfully Eli did."
Brittany's head shoots up. She's sitting by the window and quickly lets her eyes wander around the surrounding. This couldn't be… could it?
"What? Eli called you? When? What did he say? Where are you?"
"Whoa those are a whole lot of questions at once. I don't have time to answer them all. I'm standing in front of this tiny flower shop to get my girl some flowers. Do you know it? It's called Angie's Flower Power, I think. I thought that was a pretty funny name for a shop."
Brittany's heart is racing by now. There's no way in heaven that Santana is here. There's no way! She was just lying in their bed with Brittany's shirt! Or not? Why would she know about that flower shop? The one Brittany passed by when she came to the Café?
"If you're joking – I swear, Santana…"
"Ok, I'm next in line. Bye!"
Brittany drops the spoon which causes the by now cold coffee to spill everywhere. She basically throws a few bills into the waiter's face and rushes through the door to get outside as fast as she can. She turns to her left and wants to start running when she realizes that's not where she came from. So she turns to her right and the first thing she sees is the big sign above the flower shop across the street.
"Please be real" Brittany mumbles when she reads the sign again. Two seconds later a dark-haired woman steps outside.
It's her woman. Her love, her motivation for everything she's been doing these past couple weeks. All the hard work that caused one or the other pain in her back and limbs.
Her aching shoulder is instantly forgotten at the sight in front of her. Brittany starts moving towards her. Finally Santana looks up. Her face is like sunshine.
There's a travel bag hanging around her shoulders, her wallet in one hand and a bouquet of flowers in the other.
She laughs when she finally spots Brittany coming towards her.
"Oh my God" Brittany wants to yell but it comes out weakly when she reaches the person she's been thinking of every single minute of the day.
Santana opens her arms although she's carrying all those things to take Brittany in for a hug.
"I totally got you!" Santana says with a squeal when Brittany wraps her arms around her and picks her up.
Brittany can't explain the feeling inside of her when she finally gets to hold Santana so close again. After she had been wanting nothing else but exactly this for the past weeks. She knows she's going to be incapable to speak for the next couple minutes.
Her heart aches at the overwhelming feelings. Her mind is completely blank. Just her hands let her know that she's not imagining this. She's holding Santana in them. Her warm skin, her vibrating upper body as she's laughing.
Brittany is pretty sure that the flower bouquet is all over her head but she doesn't care. All she cares about is that Santana is here. She's actually here.
"I missed you" Santana's voice sounds close to her ear before a kiss gets pressed to her head.
Brittany doesn't care that they are standing in the middle of the road. There's hardly a car driving by anyway and even if… they'd have to wait.
When she finally puts Santana back down on her feet, she quickly wipes away the tear that's trying to roll down her face. Santana doesn't need to see that she just got so overwhelmed that she could cry out loud.
"What do you say?" Santana wants to know with a beaming face. She holds up the flowers to make Brittany take them.
Brittany just hopes that her voice will back her up now that she knows it's really happening and not an dream.
"Oh wow…" She exhales with a laugh. "That's what I say! Wow. Thank you." She says when taking the flowers. She doesn't even want to look at them. She wants to look into Santana's face and check out every single inch of it.
But she doesn't want to be creepy.
"I can't believe you're here." Brittany manages to say with a voice that is luckily not as hyperventilating as her insides. "I don't understand! How did you do this? I thought your car broke down in the fire. How did you get here?"
Santana shrugs with a proud grin.
"It was an odyssey but I had some help. Dom drove me a distance of the way then I found an opportunity to carpool and for the last bit your lovely cousin Eli came to pick me up." Santana explains.
Brittany stares at her wordlessly. She shakes her head at the woman in front of her. Why is she even holding these flowers? She should be holding Santana again and kiss her. Kiss her deeply and let her hands wander all over her body that looks so fine. Has she been working out, too? Got a haircut? New earrings?
Just when she leans in to finally kiss those lips, somebody comes from around the corner of the flower shop.
"Did I just hear my name?" It's Eli with a giant grin across his face. He puts his arm around Santana winningly. He looks so freaking proud that Brittany wants to slap and kiss him at the same time.
"I can't believe you!" Brittany exclaims when he makes an apologetic face.
"It was the hardest thing not to say anything. I couldn't take your sad puppy face anymore! But I promised Santana to keep my mouth shut." Eli explains when he puts his other arm around Brittany.
Sandwiched between Brittany and Santana he guides them through the streets to where he parked his car.
Brittany would much more prefer to be the one holding Santana but she's going to give that one to Eli. He deserves it.
She can take it another couple minutes. She's waited for so long to be close to Santana again, she can wait a little longer.
Santana's warm hand in her own behind Eli's back will have to do.
There's one or two more chapters left. Thank you for sticking around!
