Santana glanced at all the groceries that Brittany had made her pick up and raised a brow, "You plan on making a feast this weekend?" She asks, she hadn't thought that Brittany of all people was competent in the kitchen of all places. She didn't seem like she had the attention span for it.

Brittany laughed, "No. I'm making Charlie make me a bunch of food before he goes home for the weekend. I miss having a home cooked meal and I can't go ask my mom for food."

"Why can't you ask your mom for food? She seemed like she would do it for you," Santana presses.

"She would but my dad would call me and lecture me about my life choices, and no one wants that. So, it's best to get Charlie to do it before he leaves," Brittany responded with a shrug.

"You really can't make a hot dog yourself? Or order a pizza?" Santana rolls her eyes, that's all it seemed like Charlie ate.

Brittany shook her head. "I've been banned from the kitchen since I was eleven."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Santana chuckles to herself.

"It was hardly my fault and I didn't mean to make Lucas sick," Brittany grumbles. "I was just trying to make rainbow cookies. Plus, I was eleven so I thought that if you mixed in Kool-Aid into the batter—"

Santana winced at the thought, making a mental note to never try anything that Brittany made. "That sounds like something you would do, I don't see how this means that Charlie is some sort of savant in the kitchen."

"I can't believe that he's never made you food before, he's a great cook. Like he used to be super chubby because he ate a lot of food while in the kitchen. I think I have a picture somewhere."

"Wait—he used to be chubby?" Santana asked her eyes widening.

"He also had a terrible haircut. Which made it worse, he lost most of the weight one summer while working at North Sails," Brittany shrugs. "All I know is that he's an excellent cook when he feels like doing it, and since I'm his favorite person in the world he's going to make me food."

Santana blinked and looked at Brittany, "You're his favorite person in the world?"

Brittany flashes her a smile, "Of course, I'm everyone's favorite person in the world." Brittany grins, "You love me so much that I'll help you. I'll get Charlie to make a meal for you too."

Santana shook her head, "I'd rather not die of food poisoning."

"Have a bit of faith Santana, he's filled with all sorts of mysteries."

"He already told me goes to Yale," Santana points out as she parks the car. "I mean I'm sure he has plenty of secrets, I still don't know his last name, I don't know who his parents are."

"Have you asked him?" Brittany asks.

"I shouldn't have to ask him what his last name is, we have sex. I let him put his dick inside me," Santana grumbles.

"Gross. I'm surprised you haven't figured it out yourself, it's not like Charlie hides it all that well, just root through his pants and get his wallet and then, look at his credit cards, or his driver's license. Or just ask. You could always do that. But that's boring, you should pretend to be a spy."

Santana chews the inside of her cheek. She had thought a lot about this for a while and if Charlie didn't want her to know it felt like a weird violation of his privacy. Not that it should matter. But she knew just as well as anyone what it felt like to wear the weight of a family name. "It's whatever, we both promised each other that this would stop when it stopped being fun. It is what it is you know?"

Brittany nods, "Makes sense, now come and join us for dinner. It'll be an awesome double date! And it'll be some of the best food that you eat. Plus, if you ever get sick of dorm food you have your own personal chef on campus, you should probably teach him how to make all your favorite foods now."

Santana rolled her eyes, "Like my abuela would let me into the world without teaching me how to be a good wife, for my future husband. Men don't belong in the kitchen according to her." She made a face at that and pulled into the parking lot. "Come on I'll help you get all this to your boat and then I'll maybe see Charlie real quick. My parents have been on my case lately about my life choices."

Brittany laughed and opening the back seat so she could grab a bag of groceries. "Thanks for the lift, I totes promise that whenever I get my licence I'll totally be your personal chauffeur."

Santana forces a smile on her lips, "You don't have to Britt, trust me it's okay."

Brittany catches sight of a well-dressed figure and snorts despite herself. "So, it is possible for you to look like a human being and not a yeti."

"Funny." Charlie drawls and Santana whip toward the sound of his voice. "Lucas said he didn't want me to embarrass him in front of his girlfriend. I look like a douche, don't I?"

Her eyes widen and she feels like she's just a couple of steps behind. Charlie was well dressed in some tailored shirt and dress slacks. His long unruly hair had been cut short and he was clean-shaven. In a word, he looked almost civilized. "No." She clears her throat, "No you don't look like a douche."

"I think you're drooling." Brittany notes, smirking as she nudges Santana discretely.

Santana absentmindedly wipes at her mouth only to realize that she hadn't been drooling. She shoots Brittany a look and then clears her throat. "So, you decided to clean up because Lucas asked?"

"My mother may have been involved in this. Something about how she didn't raise me in a barn, which is true. Though not for a lack of trying on my part. You know once she told me I could do what I wanted for picture day, so I grew out my beard and my hair all summer. I needed to get a retake because she refused to put my picture up on the wall. So yes, I got cleaned up to avoid the headache. Apparently, you should dress up if you're going to the theater or whatever." Charlie waved his hand away and noted the bags of groceries in Brittany's arms. "You're not cooking in my houseboat."

"Of course, I'm not. You're going to cook for me." Brittany beams. She's thought this through.

Charlie arches his brow. "You can't make me."

"Can too." Brittany crosses her arms over her chest with a smirk. She's got way too much dirt on him not to be able to bend him to her whim. "I've already told Santana about how you used to be chubby and I will find pics to show her—"

"Fine." Charlie grunted. "But we're doing it in my kitchen, yours sucks."

"It's your houseboat," Brittany reminded him shoving the groceries into his arms and looking at Santana, "You sure you don't want to join us for dinner?"

Santana nodded despite herself, it would certainly beat going home. "Sure, Brittany promises me that you can cook. I'll be the judge of that," Santana informs him pushing the other bag of groceries into his outstretched arm. Now all she needed to do was get rid of Brittany for a bit and maybe they could go a quick few rounds.

~?~

Charlie finished plating the food and glanced at Santana and Brittany who had been talking for the most part. He studied the plates for a moment before making sure that there wasn't a speck out of place before he carries the two plates to Brittany and Santana. "A lemon parmesan risotto with a roasted chicken. Enjoy." Charlie said taking a seat in his small dining area.

"I knew I kept you around for a reason." Brittany picks up her fork and digs in.

Santana watches Brittany for a moment it certainly looked good, and it smelt okay, but she wasn't quite sure if it would actually be good. She takes a small bite noting that he's staring at her openly and chews it, taking her time to taste it. "That's actually—not bad," she admits pleasantly surprised taking another taste.

"Not bad?" Charlie scoffs. He pokes at his risotto to check the texture because he knows his seasoning is on point. "Please, this is fantastic."

"No one ever accused Charlie of being modest." Brittany teases.

Santana takes another bite, she wasn't a personal fan of risotto, she found the whole thing a bit too rich for her own tastes, "It's nothing personal, I'm just not a huge fan of risotto, but Brittany's right if I feel lazy I'll definitely show up at Yale and get you to make me something to eat."

Charlie raised a brow. "I live off campus remember? How do you think that's going to work? If you're too lazy to make yourself some food then getting into a car and driving thirty minutes to bother me?"

"You seem to think that I'm only going to come for the food," Santana shoots back.

Charlie's brow twitched and he smiled for a moment, shaking his head. "Great, you're going to use me for stress relief so glad that I could help. I'd make a comment about there being balls for that, but you'd make an inappropriate comment and Brittany's still here."

"Gross, I'm eating here," Brittany snaps kicking Charlie's shin under the table. "At least wait until after I leave."

Santana flashed Charlie a grin, before going back to playing with her food for a moment, she inhales sharply and looks at him. "So, if you're heading to New York do you need a ride?"

Charlie shook his head, "I've got a ride, Sam's taking me into the city. I'll get a ride back," Charlie shrugged studying Santana for a moment noting the look of disappointment that flashed across her face. "Please don't tell me you want to meet Lucas."

Santana frowns, "I don't."

Charlie raised a brow, "Good, he's a terrible person."

"He's lying, Lucas is super nice. You'd like him," Brittany corrects absentmindedly.

"He's an ass."

"The reason you got a haircut wasn't because of Lucas," Brittany reminded him.

"Yes well, my mother made me cut my hair doesn't make me sound like an adult," Charlie grunts, turning to Santana.

"I mean I was just hoping that we could spend time together this weekend," Santana lies. "I'm going to miss you."

Charlie snorted, "No you won't," he says calling her out on it. She just didn't want to deal with her parents it had very little to do with him. Charlie tapped his fingers on the table.

"Fine, you caught me." Santana said swallowing. He looked nice, and with the mention of his mother she wanted to prove her abuela wrong. "I was hoping to meet your parents. It's only fair you've met mine," She watched with a sinking pit in her stomach when Charlie exchanges a look with Brittany.

"Santana there's something Charlie needs to tell you—"

"I'm Batman." Charlie interrupts Brittany, causing them both to turn to him.

"Really?" Brittany says flatly, speaking first. "At least do it right, you know with the gravelly voice."

"I'm Batman." Charlie tries again and Brittany flashes him a thumb up. He looks at Santana earnestly. "Now you know—"

"I see," Santana responds tersely, maybe her abuela was right.

Charlie made a face, she was mad at him and normally he wouldn't care but he did, and he looked at Brittany again who gave him a pointed look. "My parents are coming to visit—the entire family is coming down at the end of the summer Santana, you can meet them then alright? I mean I don't know why you want to meet them. They're a dreadful group of people—ow! Brittany."

Santana glanced over at Brittany confused at the interaction before Brittany shrugs, "He's just worried that they'll embarrass him. I mean like they need to go out of their way to do that when he does such a great job of that himself. Like the time he—"

"Keep talking and I won't make you enough food to last the weekend," Charlie threatens easily.

Santana watches as Brittany looks absolutely horrified at that idea and shakes her head. She still wondered about the two of them but Brittany had never given her a reason to doubt her. And she truly did seem to love Mike more than anything, enough to take a deferment for a year to wait for him. "You're both—really, really weird." She states finally shaking her head when they look at her. Despite what her parents thought, and despite the fact she found him to be an asshole at times, she did sort of like him.