For the first time of her life, Brittany wakes up alone on Christmas Eve. Normally she's waking up to the sound of Christmas music playing in the kitchen, listening to her mother sing along to every word. The house would already smell like homemade sugar cookies - thanks to the Bath and Body Works candle - and Brittany would walk downstairs to the sight of her mother cooking an extravagant breakfast consisting of chocolate chip pancakes in the shape of Christmas trees along with bacon, eggs and hash browns. For a moment Brittany is so engrossed in the memory of past Christmas Eve's she actually forgets she's waking up in a cold, lonely apartment in New York City, over a thousand miles away from her family. She decides to get out of bed before the loneliness forces her to stay in bed all day. Brittany stretches her arms and lets out a nice yawn as she makes her way over to her bedroom window. As much as she hates to admit it, the way the snow perfectly coats the old Manhattan apartment buildings and streets is truly magical. Even her old, rusted fire escape looks beautiful with a fresh layer of snow.
Ah, yes - the fire escape. Brittany is still confused about happened last night or if last night even happened at all. The whole thing was so bizarre, from how quiet the streets of Manhattan were to how mysterious and breathtaking the girl on the fire escape next door was. She remembers the look the girl had given her, and how her eyes never left Brittany's except when Sam came out to get her. She also remembers how sad the girl had looked and how Sam seemed completely oblivious to the fact. Were they dating? It certainly seemed that way last night by the way he wrapped his arms around her and by the lack of clothing between the two of them. Although Brittany did not know much about Sam, she feels like she would have known if he had a girlfriend even though they've only had a few short conversations with each other.
Brittany thinks about how she would tell strangers on the street if she was dating a girl like that. Being in Manhattan there are beautiful people everywhere, and with Brittany being bisexual it makes for a very large variety to choose from, one of the many great things about this city. But that girl was different and Brittany does not think she can find that type of beauty anywhere else in the city, let alone this entire world. Shaking her head because now she feels crazy for thinking these things after the five minute interaction (if you can even call it that) with the stranger next door, Brittany walks into her living room and tells Alexa to turn on her Christmas playlist.
Bells will be ringing the glad, glad news
Oh, what a Christmas to have the blues
My baby's gone, I have no friends
To wish me greetings once again
"ALEXA! NEXT!" Brittany can't help but yell at the little robot after she ironically played one of the saddest Christmas songs ever written.
I'll be home for Christmas
You can plan on me -
"ALEXA! STOP!" Brittany groans at the irony and is more confident now more than ever that Alexa is listening to her conversations. Why else would she play two sad Christmas songs in a row, almost taunting Brittany for being alone on Christmas?!
She decides she needs to go out, walk around in the snow and grab a Venti Peppermint Hot Chocolate from Starbucks. That will definitely get her in the Christmas spirit! Screw you, Alexa. Brittany walks into her room and opens up her small yet manageable closet. She knows exactly what she needs - her favorite oversized Christmas sweater with Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer front and center. She pairs it with her comfiest of leggings and makes sure to pick out her warmest, red and green fuzzy socks and pulls them up high enough so they are visible even with her snow boots. Taking her long, blonde hair out of the messy bun from the night before, Brittany runs a brush over it quickly so she doesn't look crazy and completes her outfit with her favorite mad bomber hat. After a little bit of mascara Brittany is out the door and on her way to Starbucks.
As soon as Brittany steps outside she immediately rolls her eyes at the dramatics of the media making the snow storm seem worse than what it is. There's about eight inches on the ground if Brittany had to guess which is nothing compared to the feet of snow they get at home. Surprisingly, St. Cloud will only be getting snow flurries today, which selfishly makes her feel better that she won't be at home to help make snowmen with her cousins after breakfast.
Brittany enters the Starbucks that's only a block away from her apartment and greets the baristas behind the counter. They all know her by name, along with her signature order, thanks to all the times Brittany has been in here over the past year.
"Hey Britt! Merry Christmas Eve, I love your sweater!" An overly enthusiastic young girl waves Brittany over and has the biggest smile on her face, despite having to work Christmas Eve.
"Thanks Sugar. Merry Christmas to you too." Her tone doesn't quite match Sugar's excitement and the young girl picks up on this immediately. She knows Brittany is away from her family since they talk every day when she comes into the coffee shop. Just yesterday Brittany had to hold back tears when telling Sugar she wasn't spending the holidays with her mom and sister for the first time in her life.
Sugar works up Brittany's hot chocolate quickly and places the drink at the end of the bar where she motions Brittany over so they can talk a little more privately. "So, what are your plans today? Big ol' mean Bob got ya workin' a triple today?"
"Shockingly, no. I begged Bob to work today but he insisted on closing, telling me to enjoy the holidays I have left with my family." Sugar quirks an eyebrow at how morbid that sounds but ignores the odd statement and moves on to keep the conversation light.
"Well, you know you can always hop on the LIRR and come to Long Island with me. My parents would love ya" Sugar's voice is sincere and this is not the first time she's offered Brittany to come home with her. But something about spending Christmas with a family that's not her own makes her even more depressed so she politely shakes her head no.
"I appreciate the offer, Sugar. I'm just going to spend the night at home with a Bath and Body Works candle lit with some Chinese food and Christmas movies. I'll be alright!" Her voice is more hopeful at the end, most likely from repeatedly telling herself that over and over again that maybe she's finally starting to believe it. Before she grabs her drink Brittany leans across the counter and brings Sugar in for a hug. "Merry Christmas Sugar!" Brittany grabs her drink and waves goodbye as she heads out the door into the cold once again, this time feeling much warmer thanks to the hot chocolate.
As she's about to enter her apartment building her ringtone begins going off, startling her for a second as she takes her first delicious sip of peppermint hot chocolate.
You've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me
When the road looks rough ahead
And you're miles and miles
From your nice warm bed
You just remember what your old pal said
Boy, you've got a friend in me
Yeah, you've got a friend in me
"Hi mom!" Brittany puts on her best fake excitement voice even though her ringtone just about shattered her again. She's going through a rollercoaster of emotions today and isn't sure how much more she can take!
"Sweetie, Merry Christmas! We miss you so much here." The sadness in her mom's voice is easily picked up despite the loud background noise. Brittany sighs as she looks at the time and reads 11:30 am, the family most likely just finishing up breakfast noise. She can hear the sound of her little cousins fighting in the background and her Aunt Maddie yelling at them from afar.
"I miss you too mom. Sounds pretty crazy over there." Brittany stands off to the side so she isn't blocking her apartment building and looks out into streets and watches a group of young kids begin a snowball fight with one another.
"Oh sweetie, you know how it is when your cousins are here. They all miss you so much." Susan lets out a sigh and continues, "I just wish you could be here with us."
Brittany decides to cut the conversation short because she knows if she doesn't it will end with both her and her mother in tears. "Yeah mom, me too." She lets out a deep sigh and watches her breath in front of her. "Mom, can I call you later? I'm uh - " She takes another look at the group of kids throwing snowballs at each other, filled with laughter. "Getting ready for a snowball fight."
"A...what?"
"I'll call you later, bye mom I love you!" Before her mom can reply Brittany hits the end button. Her hands are getting far too cold outside and she just knows her nose is as red as Rudolph's on her sweater. Once Brittany gets inside the tears already begin forming, she can't help it today, and hearing her mother's voice makes it so much harder so this time she doesn't fight it as she occasionally wipes away a tear with her sleeve.
Once Brittany is in the elevator she just lets the tears flow. She knew there would be a moment today where she cracked, she just didn't think it would be happening so early on in the day. What was she supposed to do for the rest of the day? Brittany wipes each eye with the end of her sleeve and knows that her nose is not only red from the cold but now from crying. She tries to pull herself together by taking a sip of her hot chocolate, hoping to clear the lump in the back of her throat. Unfortunately it's not enough time before the elevator doors open back up again on the first floor.
Brittany cannot believe her eyes, or her luck, as in come Sam and his mysterious girlfriend. They definitely look like they just came from the gym in the apartment, Sam in basketball shorts and a tight t-shirt along with a pair of the cleanest, white Air Jordan's Brittany has ever seen. Right behind him is the mysterious girl from last night, in nothing but a sports bra and lululemon leggings that compliment her body perfectly. Brittany tries hard not to immediately gravitate to the girl's abs that are glistening with sweat or her cleavage in a sports bra that's doing wonders for the girl's breasts. Her eyes dart back to the elevator doors that are now closing as the mysterious girl joins Sam in the back of the elevator.
Brittany quickly wipes her eyes one more time to make sure she does not have any evidence that she was just crying in the elevator, alone, like a loser in front of this clearly perfect couple. She knows she has to say something and say something quick because she feels both set of eyes staring at the back of her head since she is the one blocking the numbers to select for the floors.
"Um, what floor?" Brittany mentally gives herself a high-five as she managed not to stutter or have a crack in her voice despite her nerves getting the best of her.
"Five please" Sam is the one to respond, his voice deep and filled with confidence Brittany knows he's just oozing with.
Brittany taps the button and thinks about how ridiculous she looks in this elevator right now in her Christmas sweater, fuzzy socks and winter hat. Next to her are these perfectly sculpted humans who clearly care very much about their looks, judging by the way she can see Sam checking himself out in his reflection in the elevator doors.
What seems like the longest elevator ride in history finally comes to an end as they reach floor five. Brittany practically runs out of there until she hears a voice call out behind her, making her stop dead in her tracks.
"Hey, wait! You're Bethany right?" Sam is walking towards her and when she turns around he's wearing a charming smile, clearly proud of himself for remembering his neighbor's name. His dirty blonde hair is perfectly messy after what seemed like a good workout judging by how sweaty they both are.
"It's Brittany."
"Oh, that's right, Brittany my apologies. My name is Sam, and this is my girlfriend Santana." Unlike the night before the girl fails to meet Brittany's eyes once, no matter how hard Brittany tries. She's standing close to Sam and almost seems possessive of him. Does she really think Brittany is interested in him when she looks like that?!
Despite the lack of eye contact Brittany smiles and waves, waiting for Sam to continue. There was obviously a reason he stopped her in the hallway like this.
"I just - well, we, wanted to just make sure you were okay. Kinda seemed like you were crying back there."
Is this really happening right now? "I'm fine. I just got off the phone with my mom, it's our first time spending the holidays apart." Brittany isn't sure why she's even telling these two strangers her problems but Sam seems like he genuinely cares for some reason. Santana on the other hand couldn't seem more uninterested. Her eyes are glued to her phone now and she seems more impatient with each passing second.
"Oh man. We know what that's like, right S?" The girl just nods in response. "Our families won't be coming to New York until New Year's Eve so we're all alone for Christmas this year too." Brittany makes a mental note that Sam clearly doesn't know what the word 'alone' means as he continues talking. "We're actually checking out my buddy's bar tonight, it's called Miracle on 9th Street." Sam's eyes find Brittany's Christmas sweater and looks back up at her, giving her a warm smile. "It's Christmas themed, I think you'll like it. And our friends would love you, especially our friend Puck." He lets out a small chuckle to lighten the mood.
Santana just rolls her eyes to this and Brittany can't help but notice. Does she not think I'm good enough for this 'Puck' guy? What is her problem anyway, and why is Sam being so nice to me? There are a million things going through Brittany's mind right now but her main concern is why this Santana girl seems to be bothered by her so much, a totally different vibe she was giving off from last night.
"Oh, um I'm not sure. I do have a date with my couch and some Chinese food later." Brittany mentally kicks herself for saying something so lame in front of the coolest people she's met so far.
"It's Christmas Eve! You can't spend it alone." The volume of his voice takes Brittany for surprise as well as how hard he's trying to get her to come out with total strangers on Christmas Eve. "Look, I know you don't know us and this seems weird. But you seem nice, and my girl here needs herself some more girl friends." Sam's charming smile turns into a smirk as he looks down at his girlfriend, who gives him a scowl in response before separating herself from the conversation and storming away towards what Brittany is guessing their apartment. The sound of Sam's voice brings Brittany back after watching Santana walk away, clearly enjoying the view.
"Don't mind her. It takes awhile for her to adjust to new people...especially girls." Sam sighs as he takes out his cell phone from his basketball shorts. "Look, take down my number and see how you're feeling later. We're leaving around six and meeting a bunch of friends there. I promise we're not serial killers or something."
Brittany can't help but laugh at that comment but she wonders why he's not running after his girlfriend, but instead getting another girl's phone number. The only reason Brittany gives in, selfishly, is so she can get to know this Santana girl more. "Okay, fine." She takes Sam's phone and enters her digits, naming herself "Britt" in his cell phone. "Even if you guys are serial killers, hanging out with you guys has to be better than eating Chinese food alone."
Sam takes his phone back and gives her another warm, genuine smile. "Text me when you're ready to go. Dress code is pretty casual so if you want to bring Rudolph, be my guest. Either way Puck will find something sexy about it regardless." This is the last thing he says before turning around and heading the direction Santana just stormed off into.
Brittany tilts her head and scrunches her nose after the comment Sam had made, "Who is Puck and why is he attracted to reindeer?" Luckily Sam is far away enough to hear her comment, and she turns around to walk the opposite direction of the couple. She walks inside her apartment and thinks to herself how Christmas Eve just got a whole lot more interesting.
A/N: Hey everyone! Thank you all that have favorited, followed and reviewed so far. This story is an idea I've had for some time now but it is my first story so I always appreciate feedback (be nice lol). I know it's starting off slow but it will definitely begin to pick up.
Just a heads up, slow burns are my favorite and Brittana is always endgame. Please comment your thoughts so far!