About twenty minutes later Santana arrived the dance studio. As she pulled up to the building she could see Brittany standing out front, leaned against the wall, waiting for her. She smiled at the sight of Brittany and had instantly forgotten about her run in with Dani. She parked her car in the lot next to the studio and headed to where Brittany was standing. As she approached her, she could see that Brittany was tapping at the screen of her phone with a frustrated look on her face.
"Everything ok," Santana asked with her head tilted slightly.
Brittany looked up, confused, "Huh, oh hey Santana," she said, her expression changing to a smile as she pulled Santana in for a quick hug.
Santana was caught off guard by the friendly embrace and froze, unable to think quickly enough to hug her back.
"Congrats on a successful music meeting today!" Brittany smiled as she pulled away from the hug.
"Thanks!" Santana said happily. "I'm pretty stoked." Stoked. She said stoked. She laughed to herself. She would have to remember to tell Finn, after all, he said it'd catch on. She remembered the look on Brittany's face from a few moments before. "What was wrong with you before? Did something happen?"
"Ugh, yes. I ran out of moves in Candy Crush. I only had two more jellies to clear and i ran out of moves. I have been on the same level for about 3 weeks now and i am frustrated that i can't beat it." She said with a faux frown. She motioned to her right indicting to Santana that was the way they needed to walk. Santana followed her lead.
Santana laughed, "Oh man, sounds terrible."
Brittany replied, "So terrible. I doubt I will about to sleep later."
Santana couldn't tell if she was serious or being playful. Considering she didn't even crack a smile, Santana settled on the fact that she was serious. "Well, maybe I can take a look at it and help you… if you'd like. I'm a Candy Crush Pro. There isn't a level I've come across that I can't beat." She boasted.
"My hero," Brittany smiled playfully batting her eyelashes.
Santana giggled and winked singing "I can be your hero baby!" to the tune of the Enrique Iglesias song.
Brittany's eyes lit up. "I love that you just did that. That was adorable."
Santana blushed, "I'm glad you think so."
"Ok, here we are." Brittany said pointing to a sign with an ice cream cone lit up in neon pink and blue.
"An ice cream stand? I thought you said you wanted to get a drink?" Santana questioned, clearly confused.
"I did, I thought we could drink some milkshakes. You like milkshakes, right?"
Santana smiled sweetly at Brittany.
"You aren't lactose intolerant or anything are you? Do you want to drink something else? They have soda too."
Santana shook her head, "No, I'm not. And yes, I love milkshakes. This is perfect, Brittany. Thank you. " She said with a pleased smiled. "This makes sense," she said to herself. When she thought Brittany was inviting her out for an alcoholic beverage in the middle of the day, between teaching dance, she was slightly confused. She thought it was a little out of character for Brittany, or at least what she thought she knew about Brittany but she realized she didn't really know much about the blonde. Going out for a milkshake, with Brittany, to celebrate her being able to record her album the way she wanted to record it was exactly what she needed in this moment.
Brittany smiled in response. She opened the door, which dinged it opened and held it open for Santana saying, "Me Lady," in a faux British accent.
Santana chuckled softly, "Oh, how chivalrous of you. Thank you."
Santana looked over the menu boards on the wall behind the counter trying to decide what to order.
Just then an asian girl appeared, walking through a doorway behind the counter. "Brittany? Hey, how's it going?"
"Hey Tina!" Brittany smiled and waved.
She looked at Santana who still had her sunglasses on and said, "Hi, I'm Tina, I don't think we met."
Santana flipped her sunglasses up to the top of her head and before she could say anything
"Oh my god, Santana Lopez! I'm a huge fan of yours!"
"Tina, chill out," Brittany said in a hushed tone, trying to calm Tina down. She used her hands to motion "calm down" and Tina nodded.
"Brit, it's totally fine. It's nice to meet you Tina." She said with a smiling extending her had for a handshake.
Tina eagerly shook Santana's hand. "Oh my god, I can't believe I just shook your hand." She looked back at Brittany, "I'm sorry. I'm just, surprised. I mean, Mike told me that you guys went out together the other night and that you kinda hung out with Santana Lopez but I thought he was kidding. And I tried texting you about it-"
"But I didn't respond. Right, I'm so sorry. You know how terrible I am at texting." Brittany had an apologetic expression on her face.
Tina smiled, "It's ok, girl. No big deal. You've got bigger things going on." She said that last part through her teeth eyeing Santana who was back to looking over the menu, seemingly not paying attention to what the other girls were talking about.
"Anyway," Brittany started, "I'll have my usual. But make it a small. I have a class to teach in an hour and I don't want to feel icky." Brittany's usual was peanut butter banana milkshake with a squirt of chocolate syrup and a scoop of mini chocolate chips.
Tina nodded and looked at Santana, "And for you? Have you decided?"
Santana looked overwhelmed at all the options in front of her. "I will just take a small chocolate milkshake." She said with a smile and added, "Thank you."
Tina went to work scooping out the ice cream and making their shakes. When she was finished she handed each girl their shake. Santana took out her wallet with the intention of paying for both hers and Brittany's but Brittany placed her hand on top of Santana's making Santana's heart flutter.
"I asked you out for a drink. I pay." She smiled flirtatiously. And Santana melted.
Brittany tried to hand Tina some cash but Tina refused to accept it. "It's on the house, Pierce," she said with a huge grin. Then she looked at Santana. "Would you mind if I took a picture of the three of us? I would add it to the collection here" She said motioning to the far wall of the ice cream stand that was covered with framed pictures of celebrities who had visited the shop.
"Tina…" Brittany huffed.
"I would love that,' Santana said as she gently placed her hand on Brittany's forearm assuring her that she didn't mind.
"Awesome!" Tina said enthusiastically as she made her way around the counter to where the girls were standing. She took out her phone and handed it to Brittany. "You have the longest arms, you take it." She moved to the left of Santana, squeezing the brunette between herself and Brittany.
"Ok, smile ladies," Brittany said grinning as she snapped a few photos.
"Ok, let me just make sure no one blinked or anything." Tina said grabbing the phone out of Brittany's hand.
"Tina!" Brittany said trying to let her know gently that she was being a little too much.
"Right, I'm sorry. Thank you so much Santana! It was so nice meeting you."
Santana smiled, taking a break from sipping her milkshake. "It was nice meeting you too. Thanks for the shake," she said holding the cup up.
Brittany held the door open for Santana again and flashed a look at Tina with stern eyes.
Tina mouthed, "Call me later."
Brittany rolled her eyes in response. Looking back at Santana now she smiled, "You wanna walk to the park? It's just down the street," she said motioning in the direction of the park.
"You lead the way," Santana sipped her drink again.
When they got to the park they found a bench in the shade and sat down. Santana turned and leaned her back against the arm of the bench, folding her legs in front of her and facing Brittany who did the same.
They both began to speak at the same time.
"You go first," Brittany smiled.
"No, please you," Santana insisted.
Brittany gave in. "I was just gonna apologize for Tina. She gets very star-struck."
"Can you blame her?" Santana teased.
"True. You are pretty hot."
Santana smiled. "Totally," she said jokingly.
Brittany sipped her drink. "So tell me about your meeting."
Santana loved how interested Brittany was in talking about Santana's music. Brittany looked genuinely happy at all the good news Santana had been sharing with her.
"That is so amazing, Santana! Two albums and two tours in one year? And all your own stuff? That's incredible. I'm so happy for you." Brittany was smiling bigger than Santana had ever seen her smile before. Her cobalt eyes were sparkling in the sunlight and her hair was down and blowing slightly in the gentle breeze.
"I have a confession," Brittany said, still smiling.
"Ok," Santana sat up a bit straighter, she was slightly nervous but anxious to hear what Brittany was about to tell her.
Brittany took a deep breath before blurting out, "I had no idea who you were the first time I met you."
Santana laughed. "I know."
"And I still had no idea when I saw you the second time with your friend Flynn at Runyon. And what's worse? I didn't know the whole time we were hanging out at Moonstruck. I didn't know until we were outside and the paparazzi were harassing you and snapping so many pictures of us. And even then it still look me a minute. I was thinking 'What are they going on about? why are they taking my picture? Are they from the future?' Ya know like when I am famous. And then I finally heard one of them say something about your ex girlfriend…"
"Dani," Santana said.
"Right, and your full name. And I immediately put it together. Santana LOPEZ. 'You're such an idiot' I said to myself. I couldn't believe I had been with you three times and didn't recognize you."
"Hey, first of all, you are not an idiot. Never say that, even in a joking manner." Santana said placing her and on Brittany's knee sending a jolt through Brittany's entire body. Brittany was wearing cutoff jean shorts so her knee was exposed. "And second, I think it is adorable that you didn't know who I was… it was very refreshing." She hesitated before continuing, "And did you really wonder if they were from the future?" Santana couldn't help but laugh.
Santana moved her hand from Brittany's knee and Brittany straightened her posture, "Yes," she said matter-of-factly. "Like, are they from the future and do they know that I already won So You Think You Can Dance and maybe they want to get some exclusive 'Before they were Stars' candids. Stranger things have happened.
"No, that would probably be the strangest thing to happen." Santana laughed tucking some stray hairs behind her ear.
Brittany shrugged, "I don't think so."
Santana smiled, "Maybe they were from the future. Who knows."
Brittany and Santana caught each other's eyes and fell into a stare that made them both nervous.
Brittany checked her watch. She still had about a half an hour before class would start.
"You gotta go?" Santana asked disappointedly.
"No, I've still got some time."
"Good," Santana smiled.
"So what else happened today?" Brittany asked, making conversation.
"Well, let's see. I found out that Kurt and Sebastian had sex in his office with morning, like 2 minutes before I walked in."
Brittany made a grossed out face.
"Um, I ran into Dani at the label this morning," she said trying to slip quickly before continuing onto the next event, "And I met one of your friends at spin class today."
Brittany smiled, "Sugar. OK, we'll get back to that later, but what did you say before that?"
"Kurt and Sebastian?"
"No…" She looked at Santana with intrigued eyes. "About running into your ex."
"Oh, that." Santana thought maybe she shouldn't have said anything. But Brittany asked, and she didn't want to lie to Brittany. They were just starting out and she didn't want to taint their new friendship, or whatever it was, with a lie. "She was at the label this morning, waiting for a meeting with the president. Apparently she is unhappy with her label and may join mine."
Brittany inched closer toward Santana, "How did that go?"
"Her meeting?"
Brittany shook her head, "No. I mean, how did you feel when you saw her."
Santana sighed heavily. "I felt so many different things. But mostly hurt, and rage."
Brittany smiled sympathetically and nodded.
"I don't want to get into anything heavy right now, cos I'm having a really great time with you and I want to focus on being here… right now… with you. But I will say this, I hated the fact that I found out she got back together with the girl she was dating before me."
Brittany's eyes widened. "Oh my god! I totally get that! So annoying. It's like 'Did you ever even wanna be with me? Or was a just a spot holder till you figured your shit out and could be with the person you really wanted?'"
"Yes! Exactly. It's not like I am jealous. Cause I'm not. She can have Dani honestly, I don't care. It's just… It makes me feel like we didn't even matter."
"I totally hear you Santana Lopez. Believe me."
They smiled at each other and then Brittany added, "One day I want you to tell me all about how that girl broke you heart. So that I can make sure to never ever repeat her mistakes." She smiled sweetly, looking directly into Santana's eyes.
The butterflies invaded Santana's stomach again, fluttering around like crazy, almost making her dizzy. She smiled back at Brittany and muttered, "I don't think you are capable of ever doing even a fraction of the damage Dani did to me, to anyone, ever." She put her hand back on Brittany's bare knee.
Brittany put her hand on Santana's face and stroked her cheek with her thumb. She let out a gentle sigh, "What are you doing to me Santana Lopez?"
"Hopefully the same thing you are doing to me." She gently rubbed her fingers over Brittany's knee.
Brittany moved her body so she was facing out to the park and Santana was facing her left side. "Come here," Brittany said as stretched her arm out pulling Santana close to her and into an embrace at her side. She began rubbing Santana's back with her hand that was wrapped around the brunette's body.
Santana nuzzled her head between Brittany's neck and shoulder. She let out a content sigh. "This feels amazing," she whispered, her breath tickling Brittany's neck.
Brittany smiled in response.
They sat way for the next fifteen minutes before Brittany had to get back to class. She walked Santana to her car and opened the door for her. "This is a sick car," she commented.
Santana smiled. "Thanks, I like it." She climbed into the driver's seat and put the key ignition. "Thanks for this."
Brittany squatted down, placing her hands on the open window of the door and rested her head on the.. "Where are you headed now?" she asked with a smile.
"Home, to do nothing."
"That sounds lovely. I wish that's what I was gonna do now. And you have dinner plans tonight?"
"Yep, with Sugar." She added with a smirk.
"That's who your plans are with!?" she asked surprised.
"Yep." She said started her car. "You better get to class. Don't want to leave your class waiting!" She said as she put the car into reverse.
Brittany backed up, "I can't believe you are having dinner with my friend!" She said playfully. "I see how you are, ok. I'm gonna make plans with one of your friends then." She smiled.
"Be my guest," she waved and blew Brittany a kiss as she backed her car up and pulled out of the parking lot.
"Not cool, Santana!" Brittany yelled with a smile on her face. She wasn't really bothered that Santana had plans with Sugar. She just wished Santana had plans with instead.
As Brittany walked back into the dance studio Mike approached. "Hey was that, Santana?"
Brittany nodded.
"Are you guys, like a thing now?"
"No, we're just friends."
He looked at her, not convinced.
"Mike, I met her like less than 2 weeks ago. We are just friends."
"If you say so." Mike teased. "I know how quickly lesbians move. When does the u-haul arrive."
"Shut up," she said as she walking passed him nudging his shoulder.
Brittany headed to the back room to change back into her dancing clothes. She grabbed a pair of leg warmers and headed into the main studio to stretch. She pulled the leg warmers on and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She was still beaming from ear to ear. Her face turned red when she realized she still smiling so much and was embarrassed that Mike had seen her so giddy.
She moved the to ballet bar and began to stretch her back muscles.
Mike walked in confused as to why Brittany appeared to be warming up. "Didn't you get my text?."
"No. What?"
"Your 1:45 cancelled today."
"The whole class?" She asked, confused.
"Your one-on-one."
"I teach a beginners hip hop class at 1:45. I don't have any solo session until Friday."
"Remember last week we switched the schedule up a bit since we were starting a new season. We wanted to incorporate more one-on-one sessions."
"Oh, yeah I remember now. I'm sorry, things have been a little scattered up there lately," she pointed to her temple, "ya know, since Lord Tubbington passed and all."
Mike gave her a look of empathy. "I've been there Britt. It gets better, I promise."
"Thanks Mike."
"No problem," he smiled. "So you're actually finished for the day."
"That's amazing, I'm so tired."
"That's the great thing at starting your day so early. it feels good going home for the day at 2 in the afternoon, doesn't it?" She smiled. Sure, it felt great to be finished. But it never felt good waking up at 5:30am so that she could be ready for the 6:30am class. She wished she would've know that her session was cancelled. She could've spent more time with Santana. Maybe she still could. She took out her phone to text Santana and noticed there was already a message waiting for her in the thread.
Just heard "I wanna dance with somebody" on the radio and it made me think of you :) - Santana
That makes me smile - Brittany
I really had a good time earlier - Santana
Me too. Are you still free this afternoon? - Brittany.
I am… - Santana
Wanna be busy? With me? - Brittany
Wanky. ;) - Santana
Wait a minute… aren't you supposed to be dancing? - Santana
I had a cancellation. - Brittany
There was a brief pause between the texts. Finally Santana responded.
Come over. We can go swimming. - Santana
Address? - Brittany
Brittany entered the address into her GPS in her phone, grabbed her stuff and headed out.
"Mike, I'm gonna head out. Lock up when you leave this afternoon." Brittany said as she exited.
Santana tried on every swim suit she owned before settling on her red string bikini. "My ass looks ridiculously good in this one. Just in case Brittany is looking," she thought to herself. She grabbed a pair of dark blue cut-off jean shorts and a loose-fitting gray tank top and put them on over her swim suit. A moment later her gate buzzed. She ran over to check the monitor and could see brittany looking back at her… looking confused and talking to herself. Santana buzzed the gate and it opened up allowing Brittany entrance. She pulled into the u-shaped driveway and parked her car, stepping out admiring Santana's house. Santana ran downstairs and sprinted to the door, excited to greet Brittany.
"Nice, place you've got here." Brittany said checking things out.
"Thanks," Santana said proudly. "Do you want to come in?"
Brittany nodded, "Of course!"
Santana held the door for Brittany and looked her up and down as she walked passed her. Brittany was wear the same light-colored cut-off shorts as before. But she was wearing a white v-neck t-shirt now and Santana could see a yellow string tied around her neck in the back. Santana smiled at the thought of seeing Brittany in her swim suit.
"Wow, this place is incredible."
Santana blushed. "I'm glad you like it." She asked, "Would you like a tour?
"Yes, please."
Santana led Brittany around the house showing her each individual room. She took her to the office first, since it was right off of the entryway to the left then they walked through the formal dining room and then the formal living room. From there Santana took her to the massive kitchen and then to the family room. There was an empty room off to the right that looked like work was getting done to it and Brittany asked, "What's that room going to be?"
"I'm having a small recording studio built in there."
"That's impressive."
"I know, right!?" Santana widened her eyes jokingly.
With bright eyes Brittany said,"You're like the coolest person I have ever met." She suddenly had an exciting thought and asked, "Do you know Oprah?"
Santana laughed but quickly realized Brittany was serious. "No, unfortunately I haven't had the pleasure of meeting her yet."
"Yet? See, that's still so cool though cause in your world there is a possibility of meeting Oprah." She said with an impressed smiled.
Santana laughed gently and led Brittany to a small staircase at the end of a small hallway.
Brittany had noticed earlier there was a larger staircase in the entryway. "You have two sets of stairs? Is there like different wings?"
"No, silly. They both lead to the same place."
"Then why have two?" Brittany questioned. "That seems silly to me."
"I suppose it is a bit redundant." Santana agreed as she walked up with steps with Brittany following closely behind.
Brittany couldn't help where her eyes naturally went. Santana was in front of her walking up steps. Her ass was in Brittany's eye line. She couldn't help but stare even if she didn't want to. But, she did want to.
"Enjoying the view?" Santana asked flirtatiously as she realized where Brittany's gaze was.
"It's incredible." Brittany blushed.
When they reached the top of the stairs Santana led Brittany down the hallway. She showed Brittany the spare bedrooms to which Brittany responded, "How many guest rooms does one house need?" with a smile. Santana was starting to feel a bit embarrassed like maybe her house was too big for her. As they approached the master Santana decided not to show her and started down the stairs.
"Wait, where is your room?" Brittany was curious.
"Oh, um, I wasn't sure you wanted to see it. I didn't wanna bore you."
"Are you crazy! Of course I want to see your bedroom. A person's bedroom says a lot about them. Lord Tubbington told me that."
Santana smiled and made her way back toward Brittany, who was looking down at the ground.
"You miss him, huh?"
"He was my best friend." She said softly.
"Aw, I'm sorry Brit." Before she could stop herself she found herself wrapping her arms around Brittany's neck and pulling her into a warm and comforting embrace. She was a few inches shorter than Brittany so she had to stand on her toes to be able to reach her neck. She felt Brittany's body relax in her arms and soon she felt Brittany's arms around her waist hugging her softly. The hug was the most natural thing Santana felt in a long time, maybe in her entire life. It was as though her arms were made to be wrapped around this woman, a woman she had only known for about two weeks. The thought of that alone scared Santana and excited her at the same time. Santana turned her head slightly and almost died at how heavenly Brittany's hair smelled. They both lingered a bit and the hug lasted longer than Santana had intended. As she pulled away from the hug Brittany's arms slid up along Santana's gently and their eyes met. Brittany's eyes traveled back and forth between Santana's eyes and mouth and that made Santana weak in the knees. Her breath caught in the back of her throat.
"So, can I see your bedroom?" Brittany asked with a suggestive smile.
Santana laughed slightly, "Wanky."
"I love when you say that. It's so adorable and sexy at the same time." Santana moved out of Brittany's grasp, to both of their dismay, and opened the double doors to her master suite.
"This is your bedroom!? I'm pretty sure this is bigger than my entire apartment." Brittany said jokingly.
"It is pretty massive," Santana smiled proudly. They stepped inside of the room and Brittany's smile kept growing. The room, just like every other room in the house was painted some shade of grey and was accented in black and white but this room also had red accents. There was a sitting area to the left and a door to the master bath was to the right. Santana's closet was right next to the bathroom, and it too was very large. Save for the bedrooms, there was hardwood throughout. The bedrooms all had soft light gray carpeting but Santana's room had a very plush charcoal gray carpet.
"Yeah but it still manages to be cozy." Brittany said as she knelt down to the floor and ran her hand over the carpet.
"What are you doing?" Santana laughed.
"I'm sorry, I just had to touch it. It looked so soft." She said then added, "And it is even softer than it looks. Do you mind if I lie down?"
Santana assumed Brittany meant on her bed so she hesitated and first and then said, "Um, sure, you feeling okay?" but instead of getting up off of the floor and moving to the bed Brittany flop down, stomach first, onto the floor.
That made Santana smile. "Oh, you meant on the floor." She chuckled.
"Of course I meant on the floor," she said, her voice muffled as she was face down in the carpet. She continued, "I want to take a razor blade to the carpet and make a Snuggie out of it for when I am sitting around watching TV." She rolled over onto her back and they exchanged smiles.
"Oh, I love all of this artwork." She said moving to her feet and pointing to a scenic waiting Santana had on her wall.
"Thank you, a friend of mine in Italy painted that."
"He? She? Is very talented." Brittany smiled.
Santana nodded. Suddenly, Santana heard her doorbell. She knew it had to be one of her friends because it wasn't the gate that buzzed and the only people that could gain access to the gate were people who had the code. She was annoyed at the idea of her time with Brittany being intruded upon. "Excuse me," She said with a smile.
Brittany nodded. Santana made her way downstairs and Brittany followed but Santana went to answer the door and Brittany motioned to Santana that she'd be waiting in the TV room.
Santana opened her door to see Kurt standing there, arms crossed with a stern look on his face. before she could say anything to him he brushed passed her and made his way into he house saying, "You stood me up. Again!" in a very frustrated tone.
She had totally forgotten she was supposed to get together with Kurt right after her meeting with Sebastian. Instead, she went to have milkshakes with Brittany. She felt bad, but was trying to play it cool. She closed the door and turned to him rolling her eyes, "Look Ladykins, I'm sorry I totally forgot but-" she said trying to keep her voice down.
He interrupted her "Santana, there is no excuse! It happens too often and I am sick of it. I have a life. I don't need to sit around wasting my time waiting for you. I have other things that need my attention other than you, I have other clients-"
"You do not." Santana said with a laugh crossing her arms.
"Yes, I do."
"Wait, that guy from the orange juice commercials? Please Kurt, he is hardly a client."
"See this is what I mean, Santana. You think everyone's world revolves around you."
"No, but I think some people's should. And yours definitely should." She smiled, "Look Judy Garland, I'm sorry I stood you up. It was unintentional I promise. But something came up." She linked her arm in his and walked him to the TV room.
"Oh," he said with a shocked expression on his face. "Something came up," he lowered his voice so that only Santana could hear. Through his teeth he added, "I forgive you this time. But only because she is adorable."
Looking to Brittany, Santana said, "Brittany, I'm not sure if you remember, from the other night, but this is my friend and manager, Kurt."
"One of her best friends," he smiled, extending his hand to Brittany.
She met his handshake with a smile, "Of course I remember, Kurt. How are you?"
"Good, good. How about yourself?"
"I'm really good. It's been a great day so far" she said, with her eyes on Santana.
"Has it?" He said as his eyes went back and forth between his friend and the girl who was clearly into her. He smiled at the adorableness of their glances at one another. "It must be going around because I heard through the grape vine that Santana had a really great meeting earlier."
Santana looked at Kurt with a devilish grin, "Oh, you heard through the grapevine did you? Or did you hear directly from the source? the source being Sebastian Smythe, your morning tryst."
Kurt blushed instantly, "He told you!" he said with outrage in his voice.
"The room smelled of sex and your cologne, Lady H." She teased.
"Well, I guess the cat is out of the bag." He said with a hint of embarrassment in his tone.
Brittany could tell Santana wanted to keep teasing Kurt but she wanted to cut him a break, he just looked really embarrassed. "Hey, so, we were just about to go swimming. Do you wanna join us? We are still celebrating Santana's big day."
He looked at Santana and could tell she wanted to be alone with Brittany. "Oh, I'd love to but I don't want to impose."
"Your one of Santana's friends. How could you be imposing?" She added with a sly smile, "Santana is having dinner with one of my friends tonight, so I think it's only fair that I get to pick the brain of one of her besties for a little bit. That's fair, don't you think Santana."
How could Santana argue with that. "She has a point." She smiled at Brittany then looked back at Kurt. "Your swim trunks are in the pool house."
Kurt made his way outside and Santana called out after him, "Want a margarita?"
"Do you even have to ask?" He exited into the back yard.
"You can head out, I'm gonna make us some drinks."
"Don't keep me waiting too long." Brittany winked and disappeared out the sliding glass doors.
A few minutes later Santana made her way outside carrying a tray with two large pitchers. One was filled with raspberry margarita and the other one was classic margarita both frozen. Kurt was in the pool leaning his back against one of the walls and Brittany was across the pool from him seated on the edge with just her legs dangling in the pool. She had taken her t-shirt off but still had her shorts on. Her back was to Santana and she noticed a few small freckles on the girls back and shoulders as she approached them.
"Dang, that's a lot of drank, Santana," Kurt teased.
"I'm expecting more company now, I figured why not make it a full-on pool party." She informed Kurt. "Would you like raspberry or regular?" She asked Brittany. She walked over to her outdoor tiki bar and set the tray down on the counter. She pulled a few glasses down from the shelf their were hanging from about the counter.
"Raspberry, please." She smiled.
"Porcelain?"
"Hmm, tough choice." he thought for a moment.
Santana rolled her eyes jokingly, "Kurt, come on it's not that serious."
"Ok fine, Classic. And I'll have raspberry next."
"Coming right up."
She poured the drinks and walked them over to Brittany and Kurt. She then walked back to the bar to get herself a drink.
"Christ, it's hot out here." Kurt said fanning himself as he climbed out of the pool and sat on the edge.
"Yeah, this heat is pretty sick right now." Santana agreed taking a seat next to Brittany.
"Hey," Brittany said in a cute whisper and shooting a soft smile Santana's way.
"Hi," Santana whispered back flashing Brittany a sweet smile."
Kurt was rambling on about the heat wave and how the news had said earlier that the severe heat was going to last another 4 or 5 days. Neither Brittany or Santana were really paying attention to what he was saying though and after a minute or two he noticed.
"Hello! Earth to the lesbians!" he shouted attempting to get their attention. It worked.
"Hmm? Were you saying something?" Santana asked.
"Ugh, never mind," Kurt huffed taking a sip of his drink.
Brittany hesitated then spoke, "I'm not a lesbian actually Kurt. I'm bisexual. I like both." She smiled taking a sip of her drink.
Santana gulped her margarita. She had never dated a bisexual and had sworn to herself that she never would. She thought bisexuals were greedy and worried that she would have to compete with men for a girls affection if she were to date a bisexual. She wasn't into that idea.
"Ohh, a bisexual." Kurt smiled devilishly. "That's interesting."
"What why is that interesting?" Brittany questioned. "It's no more interesting than being gay or straight."
"Absolutely, I just mean it's interesting that you are bisexual cause Santana doesn't have a high opinion of bisexuality or bisexuals." Kurt explained.
Brittany looked at Santana who was clearly uncomfortable. "Well, I hope to change that." She smiled.
Santana smiled back and rose to her feet. "Fuck, it is way too hot out here. My face is melting off." She unbuttoned her shorts and pulled them down stepping out of them the removed her tank top. She walked over to the lounge chairs to the side of the pool took one final gulp of her margarita, finishing it off, and placed her empty cup on the table. Brittany's eyes followed her every move. Santana was clad in only her red bikini and tan aviator sunglasses. She looked unbelievably sexy. Brittany's mind was racing with racy thoughts about Santana, her skin and Brittany's hands all over it. When she felt a splash of water hit her face. She snapped out of her gaze and looked over at Kurt who was shaking his head playfully.
"Girl, you've got it baaaad." He teased.
Brittany smiled nervously. She knew he was right. She needed to slow down. She pulled her legs out of the water, kicked off her shorts and slid into the pool going all the way under the water.
When she came back to the surface, she smoothed her hair back and rubbed the water out of her eyes. She oped her eyes to find Kurt fully submerged in the pool Santana stepping into the water and making her way over.
"I'm so glad I have a pool." She said with a laugh.
"Me too." Brittany agreed.
"Hey guys, the water is nice, come on in!" He waved to Finn and Mercedes as they stepped out the back door.
"Heyyyy!" Mercedes waved to the group in the pool.
Finn just smiled and said "Anyone need another drink?" as he walked over to the tiki bar.
"I do!" Santana exclaimed pointing to her glass on the small table. "Thanks Finny" she smiled.
"I'm good thanks," Brittany smiled.
"Oh, hey Brittany. I didn't see you there. How are you?" He said as he grabbed Santana's cup.
"I'm good."
He smiled and poured three drinks. One for himself, one for Santana and one for Mercedes.
"Thanks," Mercedes said as Finn handed her a drink. She looked at Santana, "Puck and Quinn are on their way. The stopped at the market to pick up some food to grill."
"Awesome, I'm starving!" Santana grumbled.
Finn climbed into the pool with his and Santana's drinks in his hand. He handed one to Santana and then sipped his. "Ah, that's exactly what I needed." He leaned his back against one of the pool walls and then said "How's the writing coming along."
"Pretty great actually. I've got five songs that are ready to record." Santana smiled.
"Awesome. Play one for me later?"
"Absolutely."
"I'd love to hear one of your songs, too… If that's ok." Brittany said shyly.
"Of course that's ok. That's more than ok." She nudged her shoulder against Brittany's playfully. She took s sip of her margarita. "Oh, by the way, Britt, Sugar is on her way." She smiled.
"She is?" she asked excitedly.
"Yeah, I figured we would probably be hanging out here for awhile and I didn't want to blow her off, so I asked her if we could reschedule our dinner but I also invited her to come here."
"That was really sweet of you. Thank you." Brittany smiled. They were speaking in hushed voices, attempting to keep their conversation between just the two of them. Mercedes, Kurt and Finn were having a separate conversation among themselves.
"Plus, I really think she will fit in great with this group of crazies." She said looking around at her friends lovingly.
"You have some really great, friends. I like them a lot."
"Yeah, they're not too bad." She rolled her eyes with a smile.
Just then Quinn and Puck walked into the yard through the side gate.
"I hate those fuckers. Seriously." Puck complained.
Quinn was laughing.
"Who? What happened?" Finn asked.
"Those low lives that have nothing better to do than camp out in front of Santana's house and wait for her to walk her dog or take out her trash so they can get an 'exclusive' picture. It's pathetic. And I'm tired of them asking me if I have any comment about… whatever. I just wanna tell them all to piss off."
"Well, you just did," Quinn laughed as she stripped down to just her swim suit and jumped into the pool.
Puck started the grill up. "I hope y'all are hungry. I got mad food." He took somethings out of a bag and placed them on the table. "Burgers first?"
"That sounds fantastic, thanks Puckerman." Santana smiled. "And thanks for hating the paparazzi for me."
"No worries, lil sis, I got you. Always." He took his shirt off and used it to wipe his brown. He threw some burgers on the grill and poured himself a drink. Mercedes made her way over to him and struck up a conversation.
Quinn swam over to where Brittany and Santana were in the pool and said hello. "Nice to see you again, Brittany."
"Likewise." She smiled.
"Oh, Mercedes, can you check my phone. A friend of Brittany's is coming over and she will need to be buzzed in."
Mercedes nodded and went back to her conversation with Puck, who was now laughing, so it seemed Mercedes was putting him in better spirits.
"So what else have you guys been up to today?" Quinn asked looking at Santana and Brittany.
"Not much really," Santana looked at Brittany who shook her head, agreeing with Santana."
"Yeah, except we met up for ice cream earlier, after Santana's meeting." Brittany added.
"Yeah, Brittany's friend Tina owns that cute little ice cream spot over on Sienna Blvd."
"Oh, ok I know the one you mean." Quinn added, "Is that who posted that picture of the two of you on twitter earlier."
"I'm gonna KILL TINA" Brittany thought to herself.
"Oh, I guess. I haven't seen it."
"She's cute. An asian girl?" Finn added, joining on the conversation.
"Yeah, I saw it, earlier too." Kurt said swimming over.
Mercedes pulled it up on her phone and walked over to Santana showing her the picture.
"It's a really good picture. You two look adorable." Quinn stated.
Brittany blushed. It was a really cute picture.
"Yeah, you totally look like you are dating." Finn smiled.
That caused Brittany to blush even further.
"Well, we're just friends." Santana stated. "But this is a great picture," she winked at Brittany who nodded in agreement.
Mercedes spoke, "Yeah, everyone on twitter was commenting… wondering if this was the same girl in the pictures from outside of Moonstruck. And now there is even more speculation to who she is and if she's your new girlfriend."
Santana smiled. She kinda liked the idea of Brittany and girlfriend being in the same sentence.
Quinn added, "Yeah, and those crazy fans who still want you and Dani to get back together are going nuts on tumblr too. Saying some pretty nasty stuff."
That bothered Santana, "Like what?"
Mercedes jumped in, "Like immature stupid things. Like bad-mouthing Brittany."
That infuriated Santana and Brittany noticed. Santana folded her arms. "Fuck them, they all think they know what happened between me and Dani. They have only heard her side. Which is all lies. One day, I'm gonna gonna set the record straight so that this madness will stop. People need to know that she is the toxic one. Not me."
"Most people know that already, Santana," Kurt assured her.
"Yeah, especially the important ones," Puck yelled from the tiki area.
Just then Santana's phone buzzed. "Someone named Sugar just texted saying she is here," Mercedes stated.
"Would you mind buzzing her in? Since you haven't gotten in the pool yet? I don't wanna go through the house dripping water everywhere."
"I gotcha, girl." Mercedes disappeared into the house.
A few moments passed and Kurt, Finn and Quinn moved on to a different topic.
"You ok?" Brittany asked Santana quietly while everyone else was focused elsewhere.
"I just don't like the idea of people that don't know me… or you… bashing you because they want me and Dani together. All because they have a warped sense of our relationship."
"It doesn't bother me. Like you said, they don't know me. They don't know you. Let them talk. Who cares? If I don't care, you shouldn't care." She smiled and reached for Santana's hand under the water. Their eyes met for a moment and the butterflies, that had inhabited Santana's stomach once she met Brittany, became active once more causing Santana's heart to race. Santana moved her mouth to speak but was interrupted by the sound of Sugar's excitement.
"Holy moly! I can't believe I am in Santana Lopez's house and I was just greeted at the door by Mercedes Jones! Have I died and gone to musical heaven?" She asked with joy in her voice.
"Hey Sugar!" Brittany called out as she turned to face her.
"Britt-Britt!" Sugar knelt down and hugged Brittany.
Santana smiled and waved.
Sugar reached down and pulled Santana into an awkward hug, "Hey you!" She said beaming form ear to ear.
Santana laughed. "Let me introduce you to everyone." She went around the pool pointing to each of her friends, "Puck, Finn, Quinn, Kurt, and you've already met Mercedes…" she smiled, "everyone this is Sugar, Brittany's best friend."
They all waved and said "hello" or "nice to meet you" things to that effect.
Sugar waved back, "Hello beautiful people!" she said dropping her bag onto a chair and taking her cover up off. She then proceeded to do a running cannon ball into the pool, splashing everyone nearby. "My bad." She smiled apologetically.
"Burgers are done!" Puck shouted.
The sun had finally set and everyone was mostly gone except for Finn, Sugar and Brittany. They were all seated around a square patio table. Finn, Sugar, Brittany, Santana; they were seated in that order around the square. Santana had just made another pitcher of the raspberry margarita. They eat had a glass but were sipping on them slowly.
"So tell me about yourself, Sugar," Santana suggested.
"Well, I'm 25. I'm an only child. My dad is not in the mafia." She stated that last part so matter-of-factly. Santana and Finn shot each other a look. "I'm a dancer, like Brittany. But I just work at her studio. I don't have my own like she does."
"I didn't realize that was your studio, Brit." Santana sounded impressed.
"Well, it's mine and Mike's" Brittany corrected.
"Still, that's amazing."
Brittany smiled.
"Sorry, go on," Santana said wanting Sugar to continue.
"We met in junior high and have been best friends and inseparable ever since," she smiled looking at Brittany. "How long have you and Finn been friends?" she asked Santana.
"Since kindergarten." Santana looked at Finn adoringly, "He's basically my big brother."
"So you two never dated?"
"Finn and I? No. Never." She had a disgusted look on her face.
"Gross and weird." Finn agreed clinking his glass with Santana's.
"Amen." She smiled clinking his glass and then sipping her drink.
"Have you always know you were a lesbian?"
"Sugar!" Brittany scolded.
"No, it's ok Britt, I don't mind." Santana assured her with a smile. "Um, I think yes, deep down I always knew. But I didn't accept it or come out until my junior year of high school. I dated a bunch of guys but there was always this girl I liked and would mess around with behind my boyfriends' backs."
Finn smiled at the memory. "What was her name again?"
"Angelica," they both said at the same time.
"She was hot," Finn remembered. "What ever happened to her?"
"No idea, when she moved away senior year, we lost touch." She stated.
"So were your parents cool with it?" Sugar questioned.
"Yeah absolutely. They were great. But my abuela has basically disowned me. Which is sad because we used to be really close. And now we barely speak."
Brittany reached for Santana's had and began running her thumb over the back of Santana's hand sympathetically causing Santana to smile.
"What about you?" She looked at Finn.
"Whats my story?"
Sugar nodded.
"Uh, well let's see. I'm LA born and raised like Santana. My dad died when I was young. I went to school for a few years to be a mechanic and I was working at a auto shop until Santana moved back out here and asked me to work for her. So now I basically do whatever she needs me to do, whenever she needs me to do it."
"He's my driver, my handyman, my pool boy, my carpenter, my mechanic and buddy." Santana smiled. She added, "I just don't trust a lot of people. So I'd rather have the people I do trust me the ones that work for me. They are loyal and honest. And they love me and the feelings are all mutual. So it works."
Brittany liked that about Santana.
"And Quinn is your lawyer, right?" Brittany asked.
"Yeah, she went to Yale's Law School. So she's more than qualified."
"That's amazing that you have all of your friends working for you." Sugar smiled. "I am just so impressed by how normal you are. You aren't like the media has been portraying you lately, at all."
"Thanks? I think."
"It's definitely a compliment." Sugar smiled and looked at her watch. "Oh crap, I better get going. I forgot to set my DVR and I can't miss tonight's Housewives of New Jersey."
"I love that show!" Santana exclaimed.
"We should watch together sometime!" Sugar said beaming.
"I'd like that." Santana smiled.
"I better get going too," Finn said standing. "Early morning at the gym before I come here to work on your studio room. "I'll walk you out, Sugar.
Brittany wasn't sure if she should go too. She looked at Santana to try to get a read on the situation but she couldn't tell what Santana was thinking. She opened her mouth to speak but Santana spoke first, "Are you gonna stay for a bit?"
Brittany smiled, "Yeah, sure, if you want me to."
Santana replied, "I do."
Brittany felt the excitement rise up through her body. She couldn't believe how amazing this day had been and how much time she got to spend with Santana today. And now, she was about to get more alone time with her.
Sugar stood up from her chair and hugged Brittany and then hugged Santana thanking Santana for having her over.
Finn hugged Santana saying, "I'll see you tomorrow" and then awkwardly waved to Brittany who smiled and pulled him in for a short hug.
"It was great seeing you again," she said softly.
"Same here. hopefully I'll see you soon?" his voice trailed off in a questioning tone.
"Absolutely." Brittany smiled.
Finn led Sugar out through the side gate.
Santana flopped back down in her seat. Brittany smiled and sat back down.
"I thought they'd never leave." Santana said with a smile. She didn't mean that as badly as it sounded. "I mean, of course I enjoyed having them here but I-"
"You were just ready for some Brittany and Santana time?" Brittany finished her sentence.
"Exactly." Santana smiled.
"You wanna go inside?"
"Sure," Brittany agreed.
They made their way into the TV room. It was almost 8:30.
"I kinda want to take a shower. I feel really gross."
"Me too!" Brittany agreed. "Could I use one of the spare room showers?"
"Don't be silly, you can use mine," she said with a sweet smile. "I just… I don't know how much longer I am gonna last and I want to be able to talk to you while I'm taking a shower."
"Wait, you wanna shower together?" Brittany was confused.
Santana laughed, "No, of course not, Brittany. I just meant, you can come in the bathroom while I'm in there and we can talk and then I'll come in once you are in the shower and talk to you."
"That makes way more sense," Brittany laughed uncomfortably. "I'm not sure I'm ready to be naked with you yet. I mean, eventually I will be. But honestly, I've never showered with anyone other than Lord Tubbington. But that was because when I would let him shower alone, he would used up all the hot water."
"You crack me up, Brit." Santana said laughing as they made their way upstairs.
Santana stepped into her closet, undressed and put on her black satin robe. She came out and handed Brittany a red one, "Here put this one." She walked into the bathroom and started the shower. Brittany watched intently as Santana moved. The robe clung to her body in all the right ways. The way it draped over her backside was driving Brittany crazy. The door to the bathroom was slightly open and Brittany could see Santana's reflection in the mirror on the wall. Santana was talking to her as she disrobed but Brittany couldn't hear her. She was too focused on watching the robe slide down Santana's body and hit the floor. Brittany couldn't seem much from the angle she was standing but she had a side view the slight curve of Santana's bare chest and she was suddenly so turned on.
"Britt, are you still here?" Santana called out.
Brittany finally came out of her trance. "Yeah, sorry I was just reading a text." She lied.
"You can come in now."
The bathroom mirror was now fogged up and as Brittany approached the bathroom she could see that the shower stall was fogged from the steam as well. She was disappointed and relieved at the same time.
"So what do you think?" Santana asked
"About what?" Brittany had no idea what Santana was referring to as she wasn't paying attention to what Santana had been saying before
"I was saying you could stay the night tonight if you wanted. I'm not sure how much free time I will have in the next few months, honestly, with recording and all. So I'd like to really take advantage of tonight."
"Um," Brittany thought about it for a moment. Was she asking as friends? Where would she sleep? In a guest room? In this room? On the floor? In Santana's bed? "Where would I sleep?"
"In here with me. In my bed." Santana said she she began washing her hair.
Brittany's heart was almost pounding out of her chest.
"Hold on. Don't answer yet. I'm gonna rinse my hair."
Brittany wasn't sure what she should do. She absolutely wanted to spend the night. But she wasn't sure if she wanted to stay as friends or as a more-than-friend.
"Ok, so do you wanna."
"Sure," Brittany said nervously.
"Yay!" Santana smiled. "I'm gonna do my best not to try any funny business tonight. So you have to wear some like really big baggy sweat pants and an ugly shirt or something. I'll give you something of Finn's to wear." She laughed.
"Ok, just friends." Brittany was relieved and disappointed, again. But she knew it was for the best that they take things slow.
"I had fun today." Santana admitted.
Brittany could see that Santana was now washing her body. She was envisioning Santana's bare skin dripping wet under the rain of the shower, covered in suds. She imagined doing things to Santana's body, in the shower, and making her moan with euphoria, "Like the do in the Herbal Essences commercials," she thought to herself. She felt almost dirty and that she was invading Santana's privacy slightly but she couldn't help it. She could make out Santana's silhouette moving scrubbing itself and she couldn't stop her mind from wondering to an indecent place. Just them the shower turned off and Santana opened the door slightly reaching her hand, "Brit, can you hand me a towel?"
Brittany grabbed the towel Santana was pointing to and handed it to her, looking away the entire time.
"You are adorable," Santana smiled as she stepped out of the shower with the towel wrapped around her body. She walked out of the bathroom so that Brittany could have some privacy as she undressed and stepped into the shower.
A few minutes later Brittany came out of the bathroom clad in clothes that were about 5 sizes too big for her. "How do I look?" Brittany asked sheepishly.
Santana couldn't help but laugh. "Terrible, and it's perfect." She patted the bed next to her inviting Brittany to join her. "I'm in the mood for some Hugh Grant, what do you think?"
"Sounds perfect."
"Ok so your choices are, Love Actually, Notting Hill or Nine Months."
"Good grief! That is like the hardest decision ever! Those are 3 of my all-time favorite movies. Did Sugar tell you?"
"No." Santana honestly had no idea those were Brittany's favorite movies. "I didn't know. Just lucky I guess."
"Did Lord Tubbington appear to you in a dream last night and tell you?"
"No, I promise, I really didn't know. It's just a were and lucky coincidence." Santana smiled sweetly.
"You have the prettiest smile," Brittany said staring at her lips.
Santana bit her lower lip, staring into Brittany's eyes that now met hers. Santana thought about pulling Brittany in for a kiss but thought better of it. "No funny business tonight." She put a large king sized pillow on the bed between them.
Brittany laughed, "I feel like I am in high school.'
"Well, my hormones are raging, tonight, like a teenage boy that just went through puberty so I need a barrier to make sure I behave myself." She smiled flirtatiously.
Brittany thought about the movie choices again. "I'm gonna go with Notting Hill, tonight. Cos if you think about it, it kinda reminds me of us."
Santana hadn't thought about it like that. But the thought made her smile "Yep, that's definitely my new absolute favorite movie now." She selected it on her AppleTV and they snuggled down to watch.
About 20 minutes in Brittany scooted her body up against the pillow barrier separating her from Santana. She looked over at the brunette and said softly, "Santana? Are you awake?"
"Mhmm," Santana answered.
"I really like you." She whispered.
Santana turned from laying on her back to laying on her side and faced Brittany.
Brittany continued, "I know you still aren't over your ex and I know you need time. But I just wanted you to know that I really really like you. I won't pressure you or anything… Take all the time you need. I just thought you should know that I will wait for you because I think you are worth it." She smiled sweetly
Santana reached for her hand and held it in hers. "I really like you too. A lot. And you're right, I'm not ready to be with you yet. Not because I am still in love with Dani or anything like that just because I want you to have my full attention and I want to be able to give you all of myself, including my heart, which is tainted and broken right now. I don't want to give you anything less than all of me. Cos that's what you deserve." She paused and then continued, "Just so you know, I am not in love with her anymore. I realized today that I fell out of love with her the moment your eyes met mine that first night at the bar." Without hesitation and without thinking she pushed the pillow between them away and pulled Brittany against her body running her hands up Brittany's back. She pressed her lips softly against Brittany's which sent what felt like a wave of electricity through Brittany's body. She took Brittany's top lip between hers and gently sucked on it causing Brittany to sigh with pleasure.
Santana began to pull away but Brittany wasn't ready for the kiss to end. She returned the kiss the way Santana had just kissed her. She wrapped her arms around Santana's neck while Santana moved her hands from Brittany's back to her waist. She sucked Santana's bottom lip between her lips. Their lips parted naturally and the kiss ended with neither of them knowing who actually stopped it.
Brittany smiled softly rolling onto her back. Santana curled up on Brittany's side, laying her arm across Brittany's stomach and placed her head on the blonde's chest. Brittany wrapped her right around around Santana and held one of the brunette's other hands in her left hand. They laid in each other's arms for a few moments, silently, staring into one another's eyes before Santana finally spoke, breaking the comfortable silence. "The next time I kiss you like that it will mean I am ready." Brittany didn't respond verbally, instead, she brought their clasped hands up to her mouth and gently kissed the back on Santana's hand and they drifted off to sleep.
Author's Notes:
I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Things are really starting to come together nicely, I think. I still have a lot more that I plan on writing so I really hope you are all enjoying it. As always, please feel free to comment/leave feedback. I enjoy hearing from each and every one of you. I'm not sure when the next update will be. Maybe Tuesday or Wednesday? Hopefully I have you enough in this chapter to hold you off until then :) Enjoy
-J
**I have not gone through this chapter correcting typos/mistakes. I wanted to get it published as quickly as possible. Hopefully there aren't too many!