Rachel Berry stepped up to the counter in the Lima Bean, not really paying attention to the barista as she placed her order. "Hi, can I have large regular coffee and a blueberry muffin?" she asked, looking in her wallet to retrieve the correct amount.
"Would you settle for the extremely sexy barista instead?" Rachel rolled her eyes and sighed.
"I'm sorry, but I already have a..." Rachel trailed off as she looked up. "Girlfriend." she said, chuckling even though she was confused. Santana Lopez, Rachel's girlfriend, smiled widely. What are you doing back there?" Rachel asked.
"Wow. A year and a half together and you don't recognize my voice. That hurts, Rae." Santana said, feigning a hurt expression. Rachel rolled her eyes and Santana laughed, leaning against the counter. Rachel didn't worry about getting her in trouble, because the cafe had just opened for the day and the only other customer in there was an old man in the corner.
"I apologize, my dear. Seriously though, what are you doing back there?" Rachel asked. Santana raised an eyebrow and looked down at her apron.
"Uh... do you think that we should get your eyes checked by a doctor sweetie? I think you may have trouble seeing." she said.
"Santana."
"I'm sorry. I work here now." Santana said.
"Since when do you work here? And why didn't I know about this?"
"I started working here the day after school got out a month ago. It was like the day you left on vacation with your dads. You just got back two days ago and I wasn't working, which is why we were able to spend time together." Rachel nodded.
"But why?" Rachel asked. Santana shrugged.
"I had to get a summer job. I need the money, Rae." she said. Rachel rolled her eyes.
"Oh please. Don't give me that. Your father practically owns Lima." she said. Santana nodded and Rachel's eyes widened. "Oh... did Daddy cut Sanny off again?" she asked, smirking.
"Shut up. I was spending money on you!" Santana said.
"How?"
"Well, I was buying clothes so that I could look hot for you." Santana said. Rachel closed her eyes and shook her head. "But apparently keeping your girlfriend's attention isn't a good reason for spending five thousand dollars in one afternoon." the Latina continued.
"You spent five thousand dollars in one shopping trip?" Rachel exclaimed.
"Maybe..."
"Santana, are you serious? That's insane." Rachel said.
"I know that... now." Santana said. Rachel sighed and shook her head. "Yea... and now you're going to dump me aren't ya, you gold digger?" Santana teased. Rachel rolled her eyes.
"You're never going to let that go, are you?" she asked. Santana smiled and shook her head.
"Never."
FLASHBACK
"Rae, we've gone on like six dates right?" Santana asked as they walked hand in hand through the Lima Park during a small concert.
"Tonight makes seven." Rachel said, smiling up. Santana nodded.
"Will you be my girlfriend?" Santana asked. Rachel stopped walking and looked up at her date.
"Seriously?" she asked. Santana nodded. "I'd... I love to, San." she said, smiling as Santana kissed her. "Oh my god. My girlfriend is the richest girl in Lima." Rachel said. Santana raised an eyebrow and smirked as Rachel's eyes went wide and she blushed. "That's not what I meant. That came out wrong, I swear San." Rachel said. Santana laughed.
"Its okay. You're my little gold digger." she said, smiling.
"You aren't mad?" Rachel asked. Santana shook her head.
"Rae, I know that's not what you care about. You've never once insisted that I pay for everything and you hate when I try to buy you something, even if its a bottle of water. Every time one of us goes to pay, it turns into an argument, because the other won't let up. If you were only interested in my family's money, you would have tried to talk me into buy that charm bracelet in the mall that you didn't think I saw you looking at." Santana said.
END FLASHBACK
Rachel smiled and fingered the bracelet that she wore every day. Santana had surprised her with it on their one month anniversary. "Whatever, Cradle Robber." Rachel threw back.
"Cradle Robber? You're only six months younger than I am." Santana said, laughing.
"Yes, but you're so much more experienced than me." Rachel said. Santana smiled.
"Maybe, but you're getting up there in experience too, little girl." she said. Rachel laughed.
"Its all good. I love being with a cougar." she teased. Santana's jaw dropped.
"I am not a cougar, little diva." she said. The bell on the door clanged and Santana looked up to see a customer entering the cafe. "I have to get to work. What did you order again? Large regular coffee and a muffin, right?" Santana asked.
"Actually can you change the large regular coffee to a large green tea? And the blueberry muffin." Rachel answered, pulling out her wallet as Santana punched some buttons on the register.
"Uh... two fifty." Rachel looked up with a raised eyebrow. "What?" Santana asked.
"San, that's a five dollar order." Rachel said. Santana shrugged.
"I'll cover you."
"San-"
"You can pay me back by splitting the giant muffin with me." Santana said, pulling out her own wallet and placing two dollars and fifty cents in the register before holding out her hand for the rest. "Deal?" she asked. Rachel sighed and nodded, handing her girlfriend the money. Santana threw on a wide smile. "Please wait at the counter for your order. Thank you and have a nice day!" she said with obviously fake enthusiasm. "They pay me to be happy." she said at her girlfriend's expression. Laughing, Rachel went to wait for her drink and Santana turned to the next customer. "How can I help you?"
Santana would never admit it, but she actually did enjoy working at the Lima Bean. Her friends in the Glee Club occassionaly come by and visit her. She loved getting visits from her two best friends Brittany Pierce and Quinn Fabray, along with Mercedes Jones, Artie Abrams, Sam Evans, Noah 'Puck' Puckerman, Tina Cohen-Chang, Mike Chang, Matt Rutherford, Kurt Hummel, and his boyfriend Blaine Anderson. Hell, she even loved getting visits from her teachers Mr. Schuester and Ms. Pillsbury, Puck's girlfriend Lauren Zizes and Rachel's ex-boyfriend Finn Hudson. They'd sort of became friends after Santana apologized for stealing Rachel from him.
FLASHBACK
Finn was hosting a Christmas party for the Glee Club at his house during their sophomore year. Everyone was there and they were all pretty wasted (except for Quinn, who was pregnant) since Puck had brought some of his... special eggnog. Rachel had suggested that they play spin the bottle, so they were all sitting in a circle. It was Rachel's turn and she spun the bottle, excitedly waiting to see who it landed on. However, her smile quickly turned to a frown when it landed on Santana.
"What the fuck?" Santana yelled.
"Do I have to?" Rachel asked. Puck laughed.
"Do it or strip, Berry." he said.
"Watch it, Puckerman." Finn slurred. Santana smirked and crawled across the circle to Rachel.
"Come along Berry." she said, leaning in. Sighing, Rachel leaned in and kissed her. After three seconds, she tried to pull away, but Santana grabbed the back of her neck and kept her close as her hand ran up Rachel's thigh. Rachel was surprised to discover how much she didn't want the kiss to end and she sighed into the kiss, pulling Santana down with her as she laid down. Santana braced herself on her forearms so that her weight wasn't on Rachel. Suddenly, she was pulled off a Rachel. Growling, she started to lunge for the perpetrator - Finn - but she was stopped by Rachel surging forward and kissing her again, this time being the one to lay on her. This time they were interrupted by Puck's laughter.
"Would you two like to play Seven Minutes In Heaven instead?" he teased. Santana looked into Rachel's eyes and saw nothing but lust and want. Rachel slightly nodded and they stood up.
"See ya in seven minutes." Santana said as Rachel led her to a closet. The moment the door was closed, Santana was pushed up against the wall.
"You're so much better at this than Finn is." Rachel whispered. Santana smirked.
"No fucking duh, Berry." she said.
"I don't want Finn. I want you." Rachel said. Santana smiled.
"I want you too. Ever since Sectionals when you sang Don't Rain On My Parade. That was so fucking hot." she said. Rachel smiled. "Be with me, Rachel. We'd be so hot together. Way hotter than you and Finnocence. We'd be fucking perfect together." Santana said.
"But... we're drunk. How do I know you won't regret this tomorrow?" Rachel asked. Santana smiled.
"I ain't drunk enough for that. Not with you. And just being this close to you and kissing you sobers me up." she said. Rachel hesitated and Santana thought it was cute that even though she was wasted, she was still able to contemplate things.
"We'll go on a date and see where that leads." Rachel said. Santana nodded.
"I can do that. But will you at least break up with Frankenteen?" she asked. Rachel nodded. "Good. Now, we're wasting valuable time. We've been in here for appproximately one minute and we only get seven." Santana said, kissing her. Six minutes later, they exited the closet to see that everyone was starting to go home. "I'll walk ya home, Rach." Santana offered. The diva nodded.
"Let me take care of something first." she said, walking over to Finn. "Finn, I'm sorry, but I'm breaking up with you."
"What?" Finn yelled. Rachel nodded.
"I'm going to go on a date with Santana and I don't want anything to get in the way of what it could possibly lead to. I hope this doesn't effect our professional relationship, because our voices do go well together in duets." Rachel said. Santana smiled softly. Leave it to Rachel to bring up singing during a break up. Rachel turned around, walked over and grabbed Santana's hand, leading her out of the house.
END FLASHBACK
The minute her break started, Santana was sitting across from Rachel. "I'm starving." she said. Rachel looked up from her book and frowned sympathetically.
"Here." she said, pushing the half of the blueberry muffin she'd promised Santana toward her. "Its pretty good." she said. Santana smiled her thanks and took a sip from the bottle of water she'd swiped from the cafe. The perk of working at the Lima Bean was that they got free drinks. Replacing the cap, Santana took a bite of the muffin.
"Do you want some more?" she asked. Rachel smiled and shook her head.
"How long is your break?"
"Fifteen minutes, but I get an hour for lunch. Do you want to go somewhere?" she asked. Rachel nodded.
"It'll have to be somewhere quick if you only have an hour. You can't choose Breadstix, you know how slow they are." Rachel said. Santana nodded.
"We'll just go to that place down the street that you love so much." she said, continuing to eat the muffin. Rachel smiled and nodded.
"Sounds wonderful."
"Are you just going to stay here all day?" Santana asked. Rachel shrugged. "Whatever. As long as you keep buying drinks, I don't think the manager will care."
"Santana, refills are free. Remember? That's your excuse for coming over here every five minutes?" Rachel asked. Santana smiled. "Ew... close your mouth. We're close, but I don't want to see your food." Santana shrugged and swallowed. "Anyway, from my seat, the view is amazing." Rachel continued. Santana stopped her eating and stared at Rachel, realizing what she meant. Laughing, she returned to the muffin.
"Lopez!" Santana turned around to see her boss. "Break is over." The Latina nodded, took a sip of water, and stood up.
"I have to go. I'm not done with that, though. That was really good." she said, kissing Rachel quickly before going back to work. Santana actually really liked having Rachel spend the day in the Lima Bean while she was working. Every time she had a rude customer, all she had to do was look at Rachel and she'd keep from killing the customer. She was standing behind the counter, wiping it off, when the bell on the door clang. Looking up, she saw who the latest customer was. Sighing, she sent Rachel an exasperated looking, knowing that the next customer would be a challenge just by looking at him as he walked up. A middle-aged man clad in what looked like a suit that cost three thousand dollars approached her looking very stressed, uptight, and in a hurry. Taking a deep breath, she finished wiping the counter. As she set the rag aside, he sighed impatiently. Santana raised an eyebrow and opened her mouth, but caught sight of Rachel behind him. She was silently telling Santana to calm down. Wiping her hands on her apron, Santana pasted on a fake smile and stepped up to the register. "What can I get for you sir?" she asked. He sighed.
"Some actual service would be nice." he said. Santana bit her and kept the smile in place.
"How can I help you sir?" she said through clenched teeth and the fake smile.
"I guess I can't expect polite service." he sighed. Santana's smile fell and anger clouded her face.
"All right, listen up-"
"Excuse me, but I was wondering if you were almost done placing your order? I'd like a refill." a familiar voice said. Santana looked up and relief flooded her face as she saw her girlfriend.
"Well, I'd like to place my order, but the barista over here is incredibly unprofessional." the customer said. Rachel glared at the man, but kept her cool.
"I'd really just like a refill." she said. Santana nodded and took the diva's cup.
"Wait, but you haven't taken my order yet." he said. Santana glanced at the man.
"Yes, but she's been a polite customer all day and she wasn't rude when she first placed her order." she said, looking back at Rachel. "You had a green tea, right?" Rachel nodded. "Coming right up."
"Wait. Can you please just take my order? I'm in a hurry." he said. Santana looked at Rachel, who gave her a small smile.
"Just hold on a second. I'll get your refill." Santana said, turning to the man. "What can I get you?" she asked.
"Large black coffee. To go."
"Yes sir." He set the correct amount on the counter and walked off. "Never piss off the people handling your food and drink." Santana said. Rachel laughed. "Thanks for doing that." Santana said, grabbing the cup and walking to the guy who makes the drinks. "Hey, fill this with green tea. Oh and, make sure you take your time with the large regular coffee." she said.
"Bad customer?" he asked, taking the cup.
"Complete douche bag." she said, laughing. He nodded and handed her the cup back. "Thanks." she said, walking back to Rachel. "Your tea, my dear." she said, smiling.
"Thanks. And you're welcome by the way. I didn't think you wanted to get fired."
"Yea, not really." Rachel laughed.
"I'll let you get back to work." she said.
"My lunch break is in about fifteen minutes." Santana said, smiling as Rachel nodded and walked back to her table and she turned to her next customer in line. "Hi, how can I help you?" she said, smiling when she was the customer.
"Hey Santana."
"Hey Greg." she said, leaning against the counter. "So you're a little later today than normal."
"Aw, did you miss me?" he teased. Santana rolled her eyes playfully.
"You know it. Your biceps get me through my boring shifts." she said, laughing. They heard a throat being cleared from behind and Santana looked over. "Yes?" she asked.
"I'd like a refill, please." Rachel said.
"I just filled your cup up." Santana said.
"I'd like a refill, please." Rachel repeated. Santana glanced at Greg before leaning closer to Rachel.
"Rae, you've been drinking nothing but green tea for about four and a half hours. Don't you think you've had enough?" she asked softly. Santana raised an eyebrow.
"As my barista, it is none of your concern how much tea I drink and apparently this is nothing more than a customer/employee relationship because if it were something more you wouldn't be shamelessly flirting with other customers. Now, I'd appreciate if you'd just fill my cup up and I'll be on my way and you can continue with your previous engagements." Santana raised an eyebrow and took the cup that was in her face.
"Hold up. I literally just filled this up thirty seconds ago. How the hell is it empty?" Santana asked. Looking at Rachel, she spotted a plant near Rachel's table. "Did you pour your drink in the plant?" she asked. Rachel shrugged. "Whatever." she said, filling up the cup and replacing the lid. "There you go. Can I get you anything else, ma'am?" she asked, narrowing her eyes slightly. Rachel raised an eyebrow and shook her head as she walked away.
"I get the feeling that that was more than a customer/employee relationship." Greg said. Santana looked over.
"You're a genius." Santana muttered, rolling her eyes. Shaking her head, she looked up. "I'm sorry. That was my girlfriend, Rachel."
"You never told me you had a girlfriend. You told me you're a lesbian when I told you that I'm gay, but you never told me you were in a relationship." Greg said.
"She's been on vacation and... I don't know. That seemed kind of personal." Santana said. Greg raised an eyebrow.
"More personal than telling me about your sexuality?" he said. Santana shrugged.
"I guess she thought I was flirting with you. She's not exactly aware of your sexuality and I guess sometimes she still fears that I'm going to revert back to my old ways and sleep with anyone with a pulse, even though I've been nothing but loyal for a year and a half." Santana said. Greg nodded and Santana sighed.
"Lopez, finish up that customer and then you can go to lunch." her boss said from across the cafe. Santana nodded and turned back to Greg.
"Anyway, you want your usual, right?" Santana asked. He nodded, pulling out his wallet. "I know you know the price, but I just like telling people how much money they owe me. Three fifty." she said, accepting the money and placing it in the register. She pulled out a cup, marked on it, and handed it over to the drink maker. "You know where to wait. I'll see you tomorrow." she said, taking off her apron and walking to the other side of the counter. She found Rachel waiting for her and they walked out of the cafe and to the restaraunt in silence. It wasn't until they had their food and were eating that Rachel spoke.
"How could you flirt with him in front of me?" she asked. Santana looked over.
"Who? Greg?" Santana asked. Rachel nodded and Santana laughed. "I can't believe you thought I was flirting with him."
"I'm glad you find this funny, Santana." Rachel said, glaring.
"I'm sorry, Rae." Santana said, stopping her laughter. "I'm sorry. Rae, baby... Greg's gay." she whispered. Rachel raised an eyebrow. "And he knows that I'm a lesbian too. That's how we bonded."
"But you know his order." Rachel said.
"Because he comes in at least once a day and he always orders the same thing." Santana explains. Rachel nodded. "Baby, if I were going to flirt with other people, don't you think I would have done a long time ago. We've been together for a year and a half. I think its pretty evident that I'm completely committed to this relationship." she said.
"I'm sorry. I just got jealous. I... I care about you so much and I don't like the thought of not being with you. And I especially don't like the thought of you being with someone else." Rachel said.
"Baby, that'll never happen. I haven't been into anyone else since the Christmas party at Finn's house sophomore year. I don't want anyone else because I have you." Santana said. Rachel smiled and kissed Santana softly. "Are we good?" Santana asked.
"Yea, we're good." Rachel whispered. Santana smiled.
"Good. Now, can we eat. I only have about half an hour left." she said. Rachel smiled. "Good. You're spending the night at my house tonight, because I want some more of that." she said, kissing the girl again.
"I'll text my dads when we get back to the cafe. Are my pajamas and toothbrush still there?" Rachel asked. Santana nodded and took a bite of her food.
"All your stuff is still there." she said. Rachel smiled and ate. They finished and went back to the Lima Bean. As they walked in, Santana saw that Greg was still in the cafe and led Rachel over there. "Rachel, this is my friend Greg. Greg, this is my girlfriend Rachel Berry." Santana said. Rachel smiled softly.
"I'm sorry for earlier." she said.
"Its all good. I completely understand." he said. Rachel smiled. "Look, I have to go. I have to take my little brother to the dentist. See you tomorrow, Lopez." he said, walking out.
"I have to get back to work. I'll see you when my shift is over." Santana said, walking back to the counter. Now, her good mood wasn't forced and by the time it was closing time, she was still smiling.
"Lopez, are all the customers out?" her boss said as she took of her apron. She nodded.
"She's with me." Santana said, gesturing to Rachel, who was leaning against the counter. Her boss nodded and went to the back room. "So, what's it like to spend all day in a coffee shop when you don't have to?" Santana asked. Rachel laughed.
"You got to spend the day with your amazing girlfriend. Even if I was across the cafe for most of the day." she said. Santana smiled and rested her forearms on the counter and leaned forward a bit.
"Yea... so our talk at lunch made me do some thinking... and I realized something." Santana said. Rachel raised an eyebrow.
"What's that?"
"I don't care about you, Rachel." Santana said. Rachel tried to pull away, but Santana kept her close. "Let me finish. I don't care about you. I love you, Rachel." Santana whispered. Rachel's eyes widened and Santana smiled a bit. Her tiny girlfriend's eyes filled with questions and Santana nodded. "I... am... in... love... with... you... Rachel... Barbara... Berry." she repeated slowly. Rachel smiled.
"You do?" Santana nodded. "I love you too." Rachel whispered. Santana grinned and kissed her as they both leaned over the counter. "San?" Rachel breathed as they pulled apart.
"Yea?" she whispered as she rested her forehead on the diva's.
"Are your parents home?" Rachel asked. Santana shook her head.
"They're at a party out of town. Won't be back until tomorrow." she said. Rachel nodded.
"And you love me, right?" she asked. Santana nodded. "Then for the love of God, make love to me when we get back to your place." she whispered. Santana smiled, though she looked confused.
"We've had sex before, Rachel." she said.
"Yea, but we've never made love. I want you to make love to me." Rachel said. Santana grinned, hopped over the counter, and pushed Rachel up against the counter, kissing her.
"Abso-fucking-lutely." Santana whispered. Rachel laughed and pushed Santana back slightly. "I'm out of here! See you tomorrow!" she yelled, pushing Rachel out of the cafe and going back to her house. "God I love you." she whispered, kissing Rachel as they laid on her bed after they had sex.
"I love you too." Rachel said.
"That was seriously the hottest sex we've ever had. I hope they stay that hot." Santana whispered. Rachel smiled.
"So do I." she said, kissing Santana.
"I love you." they whispered in unison as they pulled apart.