Santana thanked the cashier and took her large skinny latte and ham salad sandwich, headed for the nearest empty table. It had been a stressful morning at work, and her lunch break couldn't have come quick enough. Thank god it's Friday, was all she could think! As she sat down and brought the hot beverage to her lips, she let out a peaceful sigh, before tucking into her sandwich and pulling out her phone to browse Social Media. She had two unread messages. One from Calvin who'd started blowing her phone up as usual, which she just rolled her eyes and ignored, and one from Brittany.

Can't wait to see you for your birthday, 1 month today!Xx

She frowned confused. Brittany had said she couldn't make it back to Lima. Had her schedule changed? She quickly typed back.

What!? You're coming? But how? Xx

No quicker had she sent the message, was her phone buzzing with Brittany's reply.

Nope…you are ;)

Santana frowned again. Now she really was confused. She didn't have time to respond because her phone was suddenly buzzing in her hand.

"Surpriiiiiiiiiise!" Brit yelled down the phone.

"Brit, what are you talking about?" Santana asked, totally puzzled.

"Well since I can't come to you this year for your birthday, and you can't pull Mila out of school, I did some plotting with your mom. We both think you deserve a 'mommy break'. So…. on the 27th April you're flying to New York, and you're staying until the 1st May, so you'll be here on your birthday. Your parents are going to watch Meels for you, but you'll be home the Friday night ready to spend the weekend with her. I know you won't want to be away from her for too long, but you've never had a proper break before. A trip just for yourself. We thought it would be nice to just have some you time, a BritBrit Santana holiday. Okay…maybe not a holiday since I'll sometimes have to work but…we'll have the best time still. Oh, and the flights are booked and paid for, call it one of your birthday presents. That is…if you want to come of course" Brittany rambled, unsure why she was so nervous.

"Brit of course I want to come!" Santana laughed "I'll miss my little Moo, but I miss you every day I'm not with you as well. It'll be so much fun. Just like the old days, we can go a little wild"

"I can't wait!" Brittany giggled excitedly

"Me neither! Thank you Brit, that's so thoughtful of you. I would say I can't believe you've managed to plan this with my mom behind my back but…it's you. You never fail to surprise me with amazing gestures like this" the Latina laughed warmly "no really you've made my day!"

"Aw I'm so glad San! It'll be a birthday to remember" Brittany smiled "anyway, I should go. I only called you quick on my lunch break because I just booked the flights. I've been planning this since we spoke last week but wanted to wait until everything was confirmed to tell you. I'll speak to you later though?"

"Okay babe, I'll FaceTime you later then, when I've picked Mila up from my mom's. Thank you soooo much again, and I can't wait to see you!" Santana replied, before saying her goodbyes and hanging up the phone with a smile. It was good to have something to look forward to. She took another sip of her coffee as a voice startled her from behind.

"Santana?"

Santana jumped and turned to look at the person calling her. She froze, and for a second she was unsure that words would come out.

"Dani…hi...what are you doing here?" she stuttered nervously, after what seemed like a long silence. In reality it had only been seconds.

"I work here" Dani replied with a knowing grin.

"Oh…yeah…sorry" Santana stuttered again. Something about this girl just made her so nervous. Come to think of it, Dani had mentioned working here on the night they'd met. Santana cursed herself for not remembering such a detail. Now she was faced with this awkward situation. She was about to make her excuses to leave when Dani spoke up again.

"Mind if I sit?"

Santana froze once again. She wanted to tell the girl no. Or to tell her that actually, she was just about to leave, and get up and gracefully walk out the door. But something about the girl was magnetic, and Santana couldn't help but stay rooted to the spot. She was just so intrigued by her.

"No" Santana croaked, before clearing her throat "No go ahead"

"Thanks" Dani smiled, sliding into the booth into the seat opposite her "I'm due a break, and the staff room is so small and stuffy. I'd much prefer to sit here and chat to you"

Santana's heart fluttered. Was she flirting with her? She couldn't even muster a response, she was starting to panic and sweat, even her under-boob felt sweaty. She had no idea why she was acting like this. She never even got this way with men before.

"It's fine" Santana told herself "she's not going to bring up a drunken kiss that probably meant nothing to her. She's a lesbian, she'll kiss girls all the time"

"So…what happened to you last week then? One minute we were having fun and the next you were just gone?"

Oh god, she's really going there.

"Yeah sorry I…I just felt really sick. I had to get out of there" Santana replied

"My kiss was that bad huh?" Dani smirked, causing Santana's eyes to go wide.

Dani reached out her hand to touch Santana's, causing Santana to look at her.

"Look, Santana, don't worry! I'm just messing with you. I know you're not into girls, Quinn told me" Dani assured, causing Santana to let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

"Thanks" Santana let out a weak but appreciative smile "truth be told, I'm just gonna stay off dating for a while, period. I haven't really had the best luck…" she trailed off.

"You wanna talk about it?" Dani asked. Santana was completely caught off guard. If someone she barely knew usually tried to delve into her life like this, she'd tell them to piss off and mind their own business, but with Dani it somehow felt different. She felt herself wanting to open up to her, she just didn't know why. Her confession came tumbling out of her mouth like word vomit.

"My daughter really wants a father figure in her life. She's five now, and for the whole time she's been born, she's never had that. Her real dad never wanted to know, and…I guess I've just never found anybody that I want to settle down with. There was this one guy, we had an on/off thing for a couple of years, and I met up with him last week to try make a real go of things but…just couldn't do it. I feel so bad for my little girl but, it's hard to force something that just isn't there you know? My dating history is tragic and I'm beginning to doubt I'll ever find someone. Maybe I'm better off being single?"

"Oh…" Dani began, not expecting Santana's confession. Santana looked down in panic, worrying she'd overwhelmed Dani. What was she thinking pouring her heart out like that to a complete stranger? She didn't have to worry for long, because Dani spoke up, offering her advice.

"I mean…I don't know, have you ever thought maybe you're just going for the wrong kind of guys?"

"Yeah maybe that's what my friends all seem to think too" Santana sighed "but I'm 23 now, and I've never once felt that click with anyone. I'm attracted to guys, no doubt but, I've never been in love before. I don't understand what that feels like, and I don't know what it's going to take for me to get there. I had a good childhood, and great parents who are happily married to look up to so, I don't get why I find it so hard to fall in love with somebody. The situation with my baby daddy was pretty bad, so I guess that could have scarred me but, even before that. I just never felt that click for guys the way other girls did in high school. Most of my friends were going out on dates or, hanging out by the mall to spy on 'cute boys'. I was never into all that, I preferred just…I don't know, hanging out with my best friend?" Santana admitted. She really couldn't believe she was being so vulnerable with Dani like this.

"You're still young Santana, there's still time" Dani smiled reassuringly "I think you need to stop focusing on love so much and just, do what makes you happy. Go with your heart, and when you least expect it, love will come. Right now, you're focused on finding the perfect daddy for your daughter but, that's never going to work. You need to live life for you and just be happy, and then you'll attract good things back to you. I'm sure that deep down, that's all your daughter really wants from you. Just to see her mommy happy".

Santana smiled; Dani's words were of great comfort. She sounded full of positivity and wisdom, and Santana liked that about her. It reminded her of one of the many qualities she loved in Brittany.

"Just have fun. Be you, follow your heart, go on lots of fun dates. Don't put too much thought into things as long as you're happy, and life will pan out the way it's supposed to" Dani continued.

"Thank you" Santana smiled "I guess you're right. I just worry so much about Mila and her happiness, I think I sometimes forget to think about my own"

"You're a mom, that's natural. But hey sometimes, you've got to put yourself first. As long as your little girl is happy and loved, that's all she needs, trust me" said Dani "Mila is such a cute name by the way"

"A cute name for the cutest little girl" Santana enthused, she always loved to gush about her pride and joy "I have her, and she makes me happy. Maybe I don't need any more love in my life"

"That's a good way to look at it" Dani nodded "Don't ever let anything hold you back from having fun and living your life though"

"No, no, I won't. I've always had fun, it's just…the serious part I struggle with"

Dani smiled at Santana, before pausing in thought for a moment, thinking carefully about her choice of words.

"You know it's funny. Your high school experience sounds a lot like mine." Dani began "I never really felt that connection with guys either. I could appreciate a good-looking man but, that was as far as it got for me. My biggest connection was with my best friend. I wanted to be around her all the time. Then the one time she got a boyfriend, I remember being super jealous"

Santana shifted in her seat nervously, this all sounded very familiar to her. Where was Dani going with this?

"In our Senior Year, we got drunk one night and we kissed. And that's when I realised my feelings for her. All this time I had thought we had some sisterly, platonic connection but, turns out I was wrong. She felt the same and, we ended up hooking up and being together in secret for three years. She couldn't handle the pressure of being found out, so she ended things, and she moved on and got a boyfriend. But point being, she was the first person I fell in love with, and she was the person who made me realise I'm actually a lesbian"

"Well me and my best friend weren't like that" Santana frowned, crossing her arms defensively "I love her, and I loved spending time with her more than anyone else in school but…we were just friends. We still are just friends"

"No, no, that's not what I'm saying" Dani shook her head "I'm not trying to compare situations or talk about your relationship with your best friend. I'm talking about the fact I never understood why I didn't connect to guys like everyone else seemed too, until I kissed my best friend. Being gay just wasn't as clear cut for me. There were no tell-tale signs. Maybe I could pick some now in hindsight, but nothing that would have stood out to me at the time. I know a lot of people they just know they're gay from childhood, but sometimes, you're not fully awakened to your sexuality until someone lays it out for you"

Santana looked down and fumbled with her hands, unsure why this conversation was making her so uncomfortable.

"And God Santana, I'm not trying to insinuate anything about you and your sexuality, I barely even know you. It's just…I see a lot of me in you, and I wanted to give you my insight. I'm not implying you're a lesbian or bisexual, or that you even like girls at all. But sexuality, it's on a spectrum. You've had trouble connecting with guys so…just out of curiosity, have you ever tried dating a girl before?"

Santana shook her head, meeting Dani's eyes briefly, before staring back down at her hands.

"It's not for me to tell you how to live your life, but all I'm saying is, maybe that's something you should be open too. You don't have to label yourself as anything, and it won't change anything about you from the inside it's just…exploring different things. If you never try, you might never know. And…I'll be honest Santana, when we kissed the other night, I did feel a chemistry there. Just be honest with me here, did you feel something too?"

The question knocked Santana back, and she paused in silence, her stomach riddled with butterflies. Were all lesbians so forward? She couldn't deny, she found it attractive. Meanwhile, her own confidence had been shot. She merely nodded her response to Dani's question, causing a slight, but smug grin to play on Dani's lips.

"Well there you go then. Look Santana, tell me to do one if you think I'm overstepping the mark here, but I think you just need to go with the flow and have some fun in your life. We had a connection that night. I enjoyed it, you enjoyed it. And I think" Dani flirted, causing Santana to gulp "you need a 100 percent sapphic goddess" By now Santana's eyes were locked with Dani's, and she couldn't look away from her intense stare.

"Why don't you let me take you out on a date? Just food and some drinks. No pressure on anything whatsoever, just see where the night takes us. It will be a fun night, and I can assure you I'm a great date" Dani winked.

"Dani I…" Santana fumbled "I'd love too it's just. I don't know. It scares me. I've never dated a girl before"

Dani nodded her head in understanding.

"But still I…I can't deny, there's an attraction there" Santana continued nervously. She couldn't even believe what she was saying. She tried to disregard her worry. Like Dani said, it didn't mean she was a lesbian, it was just being open minded and having fun. Even Quinn had been with girls before, and she wasn't a lesbian. And it wasn't like Santana was homophobic, but she just never saw herself as a lesbian or with a girl before. Dani smiled at Santana's last sentence, she tentatively reached forward to grab Santana's hand.

"This doesn't have to be anything you don't want it to be. We can take it as slow or as fast as you like. It's just a date babe" Santana's heart fluttered at the pet name "Just some good food, good wine, good chat. No expectations. The balls in your court." Dani shrugged.

"Okay" Santana let out a nervous laugh "Okay…okay let's do it"

"Perfect!" Dani winked "how does tomorrow evening sound? I know a great little quiet place on the outskirts. The last thing you want on your first date with a girl is to bump into someone you know" she laughed.

Santana panicked at the proximity of the date, but she was glad of Dani's suggestion to go somewhere quiet and out of town. If she did bump into anyone, she could just say she was with a friend but, she didn't want to risk a thousand questions. The only person who'd suspect it was anything more than a friendly thing, would be Quinn.

Shit Quinn

"Tomorrow is great" Santana smiled nervously "can you do me a favour though and not mention any of this to Quinn? I just don't want her to jump the gun, and I want to keep it to myself. This is all so…new to me"

"Of course! I didn't plan on telling anyone. This is just for us" Dani assured "Here pass me your cell, I'll type my number in for you"

Santana handed over her phone and stared at the girl as she typed in her number. She was breathtakingly beautiful, with her highlighted blonde hair that accentuated her caramel skin. Her deep brown eyes that lit up whenever she flashed her dimpled grin. Dani passed the phone back, breaking Santana from her perving.

"I better get back" she smiled "but it's been great speaking to you, and I can't wait for tomorrow"

With that, Dani stood up to leave, lightly grazing Santana's shoulder.

"Remember Santana, it's just a date" she added, before walking off and leaving Santana speechless.