Every morning, Brittany woke up at exactly 7:54. Not one minute before or one minute after. She'd then quickly jump in the shower and get dressed for work. By 8:36 or 8:37, she was usually out the door.
Every morning, Brittany started her day by going to the same Starbucks and ordering the same grande green tea. She had never liked coffee, but her daily cup of tea always woke her up as she walked the next block to get to the studio.
Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, the blonde taught different levels of children's dance lessons from 9:30 to 3:00. On Tuesdays and Thursdays she worked with older teenagers and even some adults. Everyday after 3 o'clock, she and her co-owner of the studio, Mike, would catch up on the administrative tasks that needed to be taken care of to keep their business running. It had been almost three years since they opened the studio. Since then, they had to hire a few more more teachers to keep up with the growing class sizes.
Although business was booming, Brittany couldn't help but feel like her life was slowly turning into one big monotonous routine. Opening a studio with Mike was her plan B and she tried to stay positive, but at times it couldn't help but feel like life had dealt her the wrong cards.
...
This particular Friday morning, the line at Starbucks was longer than usual. It had to be the Friday rush, but despite the restless customers around her, Brittany was calm. It was probably because Fridays were her favorite day of the week...and not for the same reasons it was for everyone else.
Without fail, her friends begged her to go out each Friday night, and every time she turned them down. Friday nights were for her; they were for Studio C, different genres of music, and endless choreography. There was no place for time in Studio C on Friday nights. No time, no rush, no pressure; just dancing.
Brittany used these nights to push herself and to make sure that she still had the indescribable "it" factor which set her apart from the rest. It was what made her want to pursue dancing to begin with. No matter how hopeless she felt at times, she couldn't let go of her Friday nights. Giving up her weekend tradition would feel like giving up on her plan A, and she just wasn't ready for that yet.
Some Fridays Mike joined her, but Brittany could tell that he was just checking up on her. He was her best friend and the only dancer she had ever met that could keep up with her. She appreciated his company, but she hated that he worried. She didn't want to be that friend who was experiencing a quarter life crisis or something.
...
While waiting in line, Brittany flipped through her daily copy of the Chicago Tribune. The headline read, "City Sniper Strikes Again," and she quickly got lost in the front page story surrounding the city's latest crime spree. That is, until a sudden jolt of someone bumping into her from behind brought her back to reality. Brittany turned around to see a girl dressed in jeans, a white button up, and a black blazer.
"Oh shit, I'm so sorry," the smaller brunette said as she looked up from her phone and placed her aviators on top of her head. "I totally wasn't paying attention."
Before accepting her apology, Brittany took a second to study the girl in front of her. It was obvious she was flustered, but after she took of her sunglasses, it became clear she had just woken up too. Despite her groggy state, her beauty was undeniable.
"It's okay, no worries," Brittany said with a warm eyes as she reached out and softly placed her hand on the woman's arm just to assure her that it really was okay.
"I can't function without a coffee in the morning," the brunette blurted out, seemingly taken off guard by the stranger's kind gesture, which only made Brittany grin. Her smile appeared to have an infectious effect on the stranger as she suddenly seemed to be more awake than she was a couple of seconds ago.
"I completely understand," Brittany replied. "Except I'm more of a tea drinker myself."
"Really? I tried to like that stuff but I just couldn't. Coffee runs through my veins."
The brunette's quirky comment sent Brittany chuckling. The sound of her laughter made the stranger want more of the tall blonde standing in front of her.
"I'm Santana," she said, extending her hand.
"Brittany. Nice to meet you," the blonde replied in a coy voice.
"You too," Santana smirked.
The two stood in a comfortable silence for a few seconds before Brittany looked down at the paper in her hand.
"Have you heard about this? Looks like we've got another crazy on the loose," she said, directing Santana's attention to the headline of the Tribune.
The brunette formed a tight lipped smile and nodded before quickly changing the subject.
"So, are you a daily Starbucks drinker?" she asked, trying to make conversation.
Just as Brittany was about to reply, the cashier called for the next person in line to step forward.
"Looks like I'm next. But yep, I'm here every morning. Maybe I'll see you later!" the blonde said before turning to approach the cashier, leaving Santana smiling in line.
By the time Santana ordered and picked up her coffee, Brittany was gone. She couldn't linger in her disappointment for too long since her phone would not stop ringing. Work was calling.
"Yeah, yeah, Puckerman. I'm on my way to the station now," Santana said before hanging up and heading out.
...
Normally, Santana just grabbed a cup of coffee at work. It was terrible, but free, and it saved her some precious time in the morning. But after her run in with Brittany, it seemed as though she had a reason to visit that Starbucks again.
For the next week, Santana woke up a bit earlier in order to make time for her trip to the coffee shop but she still hadn't seen Brittany again. This was the last time, she promised herself. If the blonde didn't show up today, no more early coffee runs.
Since it was a Friday, the morning rush was busier than usual. Santana arrived a bit later than usual and took her place in line, putting in her ear buds to cancel out the craziness around her.
Halfway through the first song on her playlist, Santana felt someone tap on her shoulder. She turned around to see the gorgeous blonde she was waiting for.
"You again," Brittany said with a smirk, clearly admiring Santana in her usual dress of black pants, a button up, and a blazer.
"Hi," Santana said, trying not to sound too excited.
"Hi, yourself. I was wondering if I'd ever run into you again here."
"I've been wondering the same. You know, I've been here everyday this week."
"Oh yeah?" Brittany said with a smile. "Well, we must've just missed each other."
"We must have," Santana returned the smile.
The two waited in line and Santana noticed how close they were standing next to each other. She thought Brittany noticed too, but neither girl made a move to change their proximity.
"Hey, listen, do you maybe wanna get lunch sometime?" Brittany asked, she cleared her throat and continued. "I wouldn't normally ask, but I just want to eliminate this whole meeting by chance thing. And it'd be nice to spend more than a couple of minutes a week with you."
Santana could feel her cheeks blushing and desperately tried to contain her smile. She looked down and and hesitated before answering.
"I'd love to Brittany...I just, I can't."
"Are you sure?" she replied playfully. "Kinda seems like you want to," the blonde almost whispered as she stepped a bit closer.
"I do, it's just...it's complicated."
"It's just lunch, Santana," Brittany smiled.
"I know. I just can't," Santana said, evidently conflicted.
"Okay," said replied with a soft and understanding smile. "Maybe next time."
"Maybe next time," Santana agreed before as she was called by the cashier.
...
The girls' morning meetings became a daily occurrence after the two figured out what time they both liked to arrive at the coffee shop. The more they saw of each other, the more Santana could not get the blonde off her mind.
One particular morning a couple days after their second meeting, Brittany seemed to be in a better mood than usual.
"Wanna go for a walk with me later today?" she asked.
"A walk?"
"Mhmm. Last time you didn't wanna get lunch. I thought I'd switch it up."
Santana shook her head and laughed. She was just too adorable.
"I don't know if I'll be able to with work and everything,"
"Today? Or ever?" Brittany pressed on.
"I don't know," Santana replied with a shrug.
"It's complicated?"
The brunette smiled hearing her exact words from last time said back to her. "Yes. It's complicated."
The two paused for a couple of seconds, looking adoringly at one another.
"Are you with someone?" Brittany finally asked.
"No, no. It's not that type of complicated."
The blonde nodded with half a smile, seemingly pleased with that answer.
"Okay. Well maybe next time," Brittany said, deciding not to push it any further today.
"Next time," Santana agreed with a nod.
...
The two got their drinks, Santana her coffee and Brittany her tea, and made their way out of Starbucks. They made easy small talk as they walked down the block. Santana was clearly lingering as long as possible to avoid going to work, but there was just something about Brittany's voice that made her wish she could listen all day.
As Brittany was explaining her job at the studio, Santana's phone began buzzing incessantly.
"I'm sorry, Britt, I gotta take this really quick," Santana said as she looked down to see Noah Puckerman was calling.
"No problem," the blonde replied.
"What's up, Puck?" Santana asked, stepping away from Brittany for a short second.
"Lopez, you need to get here now. There's been another. The City Sniper's back."
"What's the address?" Santana asked as she looked up at Brittany, trying to mask her serious tone of voice with a smile. "Okay. I'll be there in a minute."
Santana hung up the phone and quickly typed the address into her phone.
"I'm sorry, Brittany. I've gotta run."
"Is everything okay?" the blonde asked, a bit worried.
"Yeah, sort of. It's just work stuff."
"I gotcha. What do you do, anyway?" Brittany asked, realizing that they hadn't gotten to that point in their discussions yet.
"Uhh," Santana hesitated, realizing the same. "I work at the police station on LaSalle Street."
"Ohh, okay," Brittany's curiosity was growing by the minute. "Are you a cop?"
"Not exactly. I gotta go though. I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Sure, see you in the morning," Brittany said with half a smile.
As the blonde watched mysterious brunette jump in a cab, she checked her watch in anticipation for the next time they'd meet. She was going to get Santana to agree to go out with her if it was the last thing she'd do.
