You're watching Brittany with amusement as she paces nervously back and forth across the living room floor.
"What if we get there and she slaps me in the face for being an asshole?"
"She's not going to slap you in the face and you're not an asshole. Baby, that was in the past. It's been months since we've been together. It's going to be fine."
"But…"
"It's going to be fine."
She breathes out a sigh and lets her shoulders slump.
"What are you really worried about? You don't usually care what people think."
"I just…,"she averts her eyes from you, "What if she doesn't think I'm good enough for you? I mean, I know I'm not good enough but she's your best friend, Santana."
"Whoa, hey, you are good enough. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me and on the off chance that Quinn is blind and deaf and doesn't like you, it won't matter. She'll have to get over it."
You walk over to her and slide your arms around her neck, pressing kisses to her face.
"Because I love you. That's the only thing that matters here. So relax. We'll go out and have dinner and drinks, and then come home for dessert", you say while wiggling your eyebrows.
A tiny smile quirks on the corner of her mouth and she releases a giggle.
"Okay. I can do this. What time are we meeting them?"
"7, we should probably get going so that we have time to park and get a table before it gets too crowded. Are you ready?"
She takes a deep breath and smiles at you, "Yeah, let's go"
—-
You walk into the restaurant with your arm linked with hers and look around to see if Quinn and Rachel are already here. You don't see them and you're a little relieved, this will give you the chance to get seated and for Brittany to relax a little before they arrive. The waitress leads you to a booth and you go ahead and order drinks while you're waiting. You see Quinn and Rachel come in the front door and reach over and squeeze Brittany's thigh. You can already see Rachel talking a mile a minute and you roll your eyes.
"Hey guys," you say when they approach the table and take a seat. "This is Brittany."
Quinn eyes her up with a blank face before smiling and extending her hand.
"Hi Brittany, I'm Quinn and this is Rachel. I've heard a lot about you."
You can feel how tense she is beside you and you squeeze her thigh and smile at her in reassurance.
"Nice to meet you, Quinn. "
"It's so nice to meet you Brittany. I'm sure Santana has told you all about me. I'm Rachel Berry, yes that Rachel Berry. I'm sure you've heard of my critically acclaimed performance as Fanny Brice in the University's production of Funny Girl."
"Berry, the university newspaper is hardly "critically acclaimed"," you say with an eyeroll.
You feel a kick to your shin and you catch Quinn glaring at you.
"The entire University was impressed, babe. Definitely worth being proud," Quinn states softly to Rachel.
"I think I did hear about that, some girls in my advanced physics class were talking about seeing the show recently. They seemed impressed," Brittany says conversationally.
Rachel looks more than pleased and Quinn has let the glare fall off her face. Your order your food and make small talk. You're glad that everything is calm and Quinn hasn't said anything rude, you did threaten her within an inch of her life to give Brittany a chance but Quinn is tricky sometimes.
"So Brittany, Santana says that you're majoring in Astrophysics? That's pretty impressive."
You turn and see Brittany a soft blush spread across her cheeks, "Um, yeah. I've always loved science since I was a kid and once I realized I could combine that with space, I was sold."
"So you study the stars and I'm going to be a star!" Rachel giggles out.
"That… was a really lame pun, Berry."
"Santana, leave her alone. Why don't you tell us how the two of you met?" Quinn asks with a decidedly evil smirk.
Shit.
You feel Brittany tense beside you and attempt to reply, "Uh, we met in class."
You narrow your eyes, "You know how we met Quinn. Stop being a bitch."
"I'm just saying," she shrugs nonchalantly.
"You're just trying to start shit. We talked about this, Quinn."
Rachel is watching on between the two of you, loving the drama no doubt and Brittany is looking more and more flustered. She surprises you by speaking directly to Quinn.
"Look, I know that Santana and I started off rocky and I was pretty shitty to her and I know that you're trying to make sure that she won't get hurt but I'm in love with her. It took me a while to accept it but I did and I would never ever hurt her. She's everything to me," she finishes and you don't think you've ever been prouder. You see the sincerity and confidence of the statement burning in her eyes. Quinn looks a bit taken aback at the fact that Brittany spoke up but concedes pretty quickly with a raise of her hands.
"Quinn, honey, she's right. Santana has had nothing but kind words to say about Brittany since they started dating," Rachel states softly to Quinn.
You can't hide your shock at Rachel coming to the defense of your relationship but you send her a genuine smile in thanks.
"I know. You're right. I'm sorry Brittany, that was unfair, Santana can't stop talking about how perfect you are. I can't keep holding a grudge." Quinn concedes.
"Um, no it's fine. I get it, I kind of deserve it but I meant what I said." Brittany answers kindly.
You're still irritated with Quinn but you know that you probably started it by being short with Rachel. The rest of dinner goes off without issue and Quinn and Brittany are cordial to each other. Any tension has been replaced by Rachel attempting to keep the conversation going solely by herself. As much shit as you give Rachel for being… well… Rachel, you appreciate her help tonight.
You are all heading outside after splitting the bill and having a last round of drinks. Even though dinner was decidedly less tense after the initial exchange, your goodbye with Quinn is strained. You thank Rachel quietly and she gives you a surprise hug, patting her awkwardly on the back you finally part and move to leave. Brittany thanks both of them quietly and you really hope that this didn't make her feel like shit.
"I'm sorry, honey. I don't know why she always has to stir up drama. She and Rachel are a perfect match for just that reason" you grumble.
"No, it's okay. I was expecting something to be said."
She smiles and grabs your hand, leading you to the car.
"What was that you said about dessert earlier?" she says nonchalantly.
You press her into the side of the car, "All I'm saying is that there's a can of whipped cream in the fridge. I'm just trying to think of the best use for it…"
She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, "I'm sure we can figure out something."