Charlie laughs and stuffs some of the tickets in his pocket. He hadn't exactly expected this date to go poorly, but he couldn't have imagined it would go that well. He grabs the last skee ball from his turn and hands it to Santana, "Okay, it's your turn. Here's an extra one if you need a bit of help—"
"Nope, pretty sure I got this," Santana insists taking the ball from his hand. This game didn't seem all that hard and he seemed pretty pleased with his score and he had gotten a decent amount of tickets too. "So, if I beat your score what does that mean?"
Charlie scoffed, Santana was a rookie there was no way that she was going to beat his score. "What it means is that you'll get me a giant stuffed teddy. That's what it means. Don't think I'm going to let you trick me into a party boat, do you have any idea what it will cost?"
Santana rolled her eyes, "No, and I don't see why not? You offered it before."
"Yes, because I knew that I was going to win," Charlie retorts flashing her a grin.
Santana rolls her eyes. She should have expected that. "You're a cheater." She scoffs. "If I win I will get you a giant stuffed teddy and you have to take me on a tour of Yale in the fall."
"Fine." Charlie crosses his arms over his chest and arches his brow. "Haven't you been on a tour?"
Santana nods, "I went with my parents but you've been there for three years you have to know where all the best places to study are and party."
"The two most important things." Charlie agrees. "But don't think I am naive. You're stalling. And if I win then—"
"You'll owe me one of those giant ass teddy bears." Santana scoffs and sticks her hand out for the token. "Now quit distracting me and let me get started."
Charlie hands over the tokens, "Should I grind up on you to distract you if I think you're too good?"
"Go ahead." Santana smirked purposefully. "I'm not as easily distracted as you are."
Charlie scowls and puts the quarter into the game, slamming the button down to start it. "Let's see what you've got. You talk a big game—" He stops when Santana starts with rolling her first ball up the ramp and into the ten-million-point hole. "Whatever. That's beginners' luck—" His jaw drops when she lands the ball in the exact same spot. "You're cheating."
"It's not cheating if you're talented." She retorts, getting another in the same hole again. She smirks at Charlie who immediately sticks out his tongue. "Oh. Should have made you put that to good use later." She laughs when he immediately wiggles his tongue and pulls her into a close hug. "Stop distracting me!"
"Never!" He laughs when by the fifth ball she's already matched his entire score. "Good thing I didn't promise a yacht party for you and your friends."
Santana rolls her eyes, she had been thinking rather hard about it lately, "It's fine, I don't think I want to party with my so-called friends. Brittany's been more of a friend to me then they have been. I mean Brittany probably would have helped me clean the boat."
"I wouldn't trust Brittany to clean my boat, have you seen her room?" Charlie asks seriously. "It looks like a unicorn puked up rainbows."
Santana laughed as she tossed the ball, it was an accurate description. "It's odd you talk to her and she doesn't seem like she's going to MIT, I expected someone more—"
"Nerdy?" Charlie asks before shrugging. "Brittany is—special," he says finally watching as Santana sinks the ball in the ten million hole and watches as the tickets start to print out. "I want the big blue bear," Charlie informs her pointing to it and changing the subject.
Santana turns to look at it, "Really? I thought you'd want the remote-control boat or something." Santana nods towards the RC section.
"I own a boat, several of them in fact," Charlie reminds her. "I can't go fishing in an RC boat. I can barely go fishing on my own boat, without you—" he bites his lip when Santana turns to give him a look, raising an eyebrow. "Distracting me," he finishes.
Santana laughs, "Well that's your own fault isn't it?"
"Stop being so distracting," Charlie disagrees. "I'd be able to fish if you just—stopped distracting me."
Santana rolled her eyes at his comeback before stealing his tickets and kissing his scruffy cheek. "Fine I'll get you the giant blue bear. I should have figured you were a child, I mean you did take me to the arcade."
Charlie scoffed but he can hear the teasing in her tone, "Please you had just as much fun as I did," he smiles before following her to get his prize.
Santana rolled her eyes, she didn't mind that she had fun, though she suspected that this would be better with alcohol involved. She had seen the fancy drinks that they were serving. "I'll take the big blue bear," Santana informs the guy working the counter.
"My hero," Charlie grins and sticks out his tongue laughing when she swats him in the stomach as he leans against the counter. The guy at the counter hands him the giant teddy bear and he grins and turn to Santana. "Want to grab some dessert? We can share one, and by that, I mean I'll eat most of it while you wonder where I put it all."
"I have never once see you go to the gym, how the hell do you have abs like that? I've seen you eat." Santana grumbles.
Charlie laughs and wraps an arm around her waist, his other hand carrying the massive teddy bear. "I promise you I do work out, and I walk practically everywhere," he reminds her.
Santana nodded and leaned against him, it had been a long time since she had been on a date that was this relaxed, she bites her lip before pulling away from him a bit, this didn't mean anything. She couldn't let it mean anything. "So, what are we going to get for dessert?"
Charlie studied her for a moment. "You can pick. I can eat practically anything."
Santana shakes her head as she laughs, there wasn't anything truer. "Wait, didn't Brittany say she wanted something?"
"If she wants to get a giant teddy bear, Mike can attempt to win one for her," Charlie grumbled.
Santana rolled her eyes she didn't quite know what his deal with Mike was or Brittany but she decided to let it go, this was just a summer fling one that would come to an end soon. "You still owe me a tour of Yale you know."
"We can sail up there if you want," Charlie offers. "You know spend a weekend up there—don't worry I have an apartment up there, actually I need to find a new roommate." He scratches his cheek as he sits down. "I mean I know your parents don't really like me—"
"I'll handle my parents," Santana promises. That actually did sound like fun, and maybe she could find out a bit more about her mysterious boyfriend. She wasn't unobservant, he had chosen cash to pay for everything and true they had gone to an arcade but he also hadn't bought any alcohol for himself, so she couldn't get a peek at his driver's license. "I am sorry that they tried to get you fired," Santana adds after a moment. ''Though it's your store so—"
Charlie shrugs, "Your father wasn't going to believe me anyway, best to let him think what he wants. He seems—" Charlie searched for the right word so he didn't offend her. "Difficult."
Santana scoffs at his choice of words, "He's conservative, in some ways. You know? My entire family is. He wants me to marry someone important, but the people who I have dated who come from 'good' families were always trying to impress him and it wasn't about me anymore. They cared more about staying on his good side. He wants me to find someone like one of Brittany's brother's, thank god they're both dating someone."
Charlie raised a brow but didn't say anything, "You don't want to date a Fabray?"
"No, I mean, Brittany seems okay and the entire family seems nice but my dad wants to do business with Mr. Fabray, it would sort of feel like he's—I dunno selling me to him to get what he wants in a way. I should be able to date who I want."
"You should," Charlie agrees. He shrugs, "I don't mind being the boyfriend to get back at your parents. Not much I can do there—especially since your parents don't even like me."
Santana laughs, "My parents don't even know you. Which is funny cause given what you do, they'll probably try and marry me off to you."
"Trust me I sort of get it. My parents are super important, the people I've dated and brought home—my mom didn't approve. But she's more passive aggressive about it, and I find out later of course that they're not into me they're just more into my family name. Funny thing is my dad has always bitched about how he made his fortune and it's his fortune, and we'll be lucky to get a penny from him when he dies. He didn't want to spoil us." Charlie shrugs. "So what people expect dad dies and I get some of his estate—isn't even going to happen you know?"
Santana nods and laughs, "He really said that?"
"He gets annoyed when my mom spoils us, something about how all he promised to do was clothe us and feed us until and pay for school, then we're on our own." Charlie shrugs. "My dad is insane grouchy old man."
"So—you're describing yourself in forty years?" Santana bites her lip trying desperately not to laugh as Charlie's face goes red at the statement.
"You take that back!" Charlie sniffs, "I'm not insane."
"Well, at least you agree with the grouchy old man thing," Santana smiles, "Don't worry it looks good on you. Though, I'm going to be honest you're probably not one of the guys who looks good without hair."
"My dad still has a full head of hair—"
"It doesn't matter if your dad does, I heard it depends on whether your mother's dad had a full set of hair."
Charlie paused for a moment and thought back before smiling. "He did. So, don't you worry, I'm never going bald."
Santana rolled her eyes and patted his hand, it was good to know that in forty years he'd probably still be same person just grouchier and more insane than he already was. She eyes the gigantic brownie with a huge helping of ice cream that they put in front of the two of them and raises a brow. And he would most likely be a bit on the round side as well if he continued to eat like that. She scowled at him and swats his hand away. "I thought you said we were going to share, that looks really good."
Charlie watched as Santana took a huge bite of the dessert and grinned watching her, before digging in himself. Tonight, hadn't been horrible, in fact it was the first time he had fun on a date with a woman in a long time.
