Santana flung herself into every activity she could with an unrivaled passion. On top of her regular life guarding schedule, she took on extra projects. Any boat outing that needed a lifeguard to accompany them; she volunteered to go out. Any class or training session; she was there to offer her services. She became an expert at keeping herself busy, both at work and at play.
For play she had taken to flirting with her co-worker, Tom, who she found was eager to return her flirtations. Santana rewarded his awkward charm on occasion with a few heavy make out sessions behind the boat shed when they had spare time. She basked in the envious glares the male staff shot at Tom when they walked into the dining hall together.
At lunch they joined Jen, Samantha, Brittany, and Dan at their usual table and Jen gave her a knowing smirk, tilting her head in Tom's direction. Santana grinned in acknowledgement and gave her a small nod. Her eyes darted to Brittany and felt a twinge of annoyance when she saw the blonde was giggling at something Dan had said.
"Tom, isn't this a bit of a conflict of interest?" Dan turned to his friend, working hard to keep a straight face. "You know, Santana looks pretty good up in that chair – what's gonna happen when a kid starts drowning and you're caught staring at her instead of the water?"
"I have plenty of other opportunities to, uh, stare at Santana, dude" Tom replied with a chuckle. Santana scoffed and smacked him lightly on the back of his head. She felt everyone's smiling eyes on her and blushed. She stole a look at Brittany and noticed the blonde was extremely interested in the mac and cheese on her plate. Samantha caught the look and frowned slightly.
"I dunno about you guys, but I could use some more mac and cheese. Dan, be a doll and go get us some more?" she asked, shifting the focus from Santana as people agreed, patting their stomachs in anticipation of round two.
Dinner rolled around and Jen and Samantha relayed some bad news to the gang. They had to stay in camp on their upcoming day off to help out with special programming. They'd get a day off that week; it just wouldn't be their regular one with everyone else. Brittany pouted and Tom offered to lend them his car when they got their day off. Santana frowned – their group was down to her, Brittany, Dan, and Tom. She thought back to her last day off and found she was nervous for tomorrow.
"That sucks, I've got the perfect plan for our day off" Dan said.
"Well clearly it'll be that much worse without us" Samantha responded, sticking her tongue out at Dan.
"Clearly"
Dan insisted on driving. He said he had planned the perfect day, and only he knew where to go, therefore he should drive. Santana sighed and called shotgun. Dan opened his mouth to say he'd like Brittany to sit shotgun, then thought better of it, having already deprived the Latina of driving. Tom got into the backseat behind Dan and Brittany sat behind Santana. Once again, the darker girl felt the uncomfortable press of knees into the back of her seat. She rolled her eyes but stayed quiet, trying not to think about the long, barely clothed legs attached to the girl in back of her.
The guys did most of the talking on the drive, taking no notice of the girls' silence. Brittany chimed in occasionally but Santana watched the road carefully, remembering how much she hated being in the passenger's seat. She got antsy as the drive stretched over an hour, especially since it was in the opposite direction of town. She was just about to ask where they were going when Dan pulled over into a little clearing that held picnic benches and a small shed that contained outhouses and a water fountain.
"You guys brought bathing suits, right?" Dan asked as he cut the engine.
"Yeah, but where's the water?" Santana questioned as she stepped out of the car.
"Oh, there's water. Don't you worry."
The group stretched their legs and picked their bags up out of the trunk. Brittany went to use the bathroom and Santana looked around, noticing a trail that cut back into the woods. It looked dark, with only a few bright spots illuminated where the sun got through the trees.
"'Kay guys, it's a small hike, but I think it's worth it" Dan said when Brittany returned. He started walking towards the path and Santana followed close behind, ignoring Tom's attempt to hold her hand. Her curiosity was piqued and her lack of control over their situation only put her on edge. The path wound through the woods and Dan kept a brisk pace. Santana could feel the sweat beading on her skin as her breath came faster. The group moved in silence, the only sounds a mixture of crunching leaves beneath their feet and panting from their tired lungs.
Dan stopped abruptly and Santana almost ran into him. She stepped to the side and lost any remaining breath she had. They were in a grassy clearing with a large cliff about 20 feet in front of them. A large waterfall reflecting the sun brilliantly was across the gap from them; Santana wondered how she hadn't heard it earlier. The roar of rushing water now filled her ears. She moved out to the ledge and looked down. It was a large but manageable drop down into calm bluish green water, the only ripples caused by the waterfall pouring into it.
"Wow" she murmured under her breath.
"Watch out!" Tom shouted as he grabbed her arms, jerking her forward as if he was about to push her off the cliff. She shrieked and he laughed as he swung her around, planting her back safely on the ground.
"Fuck you, Tom!" Santana shouted through a big grin, her heart racing.
Dan and Brittany laughed and sat down on a large blanket they had spread out.
"So, what do you think?"
"It's gorgeous, Dan. How'd you even find this place?" Brittany asked as she pulled her t-shirt off, revealing her blue bikini top underneath. She started rubbing sunscreen on her arms and Santana forced herself to turn her attention to Dan.
"My dad took me hiking out here all the time when I was younger. Before I even knew about camp. Just lucked out that it's relatively close by" Dan replied, his eyes lazily roaming Brittany's torso. Santana chose to look back out at the waterfall, finding watching Dan almost as difficult as watching Brittany.
The boys broke out food they had packed and the group settled down, absorbing the rays of sun accompanied by a nice breeze. Tiring quickly of watching Brittany and Dan flirt with each other, Santana rested her head on Tom's stomach and closed her eyes. He ran a hand through her hair and she pursed her lips. She wished she could like him. Truly like him. These past few days she had really tried, but a nagging feeling in the back of her mind wouldn't leave her alone.
Why is it that every time you show him any affection, you look over to see if she's watching? The pesky voice whispered in her inner ear. Santana knew why, and it only frustrated her more. Brittany was too busy hanging all over Dan to even notice Santana all over Tom, and it irked the darker girl for reasons she didn't want to think about. She stood up, shaking her train of thought.
"I'm gonna jump in," she turned back to Dan, pointedly ignoring the blonde cuddling him. "It's fine to jump in, right?" she asked, already sliding out of her shorts.
"Yeah, just jump out as far as you can – clear the rocks" Dan said.
Santana nodded and turned to face the water after kicking her shorts to the side. She smirked as she felt the group watch her shed her shirt and adjust her bikini. She took a few long strides towards the ledge and jumped off, curling her legs into her chest and wrapping her arms around them. The water was refreshingly cold as she crashed into it, opening her eyes momentarily underwater as it enveloped her. She broke the surface and pushed her hair out of her face, letting out a small whoop as she looked up to the cliff.
"Come down, it feels great!" she called up to Tom who was peering over the ledge. He disappeared but soon came barreling over the edge with a loud yell. Santana moved out of his range and laughed as he caused a huge splash. Dan and Brittany followed soon after. They explored around the waterfall and Brittany did handstands in the shallower section, drawing hoots from Tom and Dan. Santana rolled her eyes.
Dan waded over to Brittany and whispered something in her ear. She smiled and began climbing onto his back until she was resting on his shoulders with her legs over his chest. He turned to face Santana and Tom.
"Chicken fight!" He shouted.
Santana hesitated as she moved towards Tom. She glanced at Brittany, who this time was watching her closely. Santana's brow furrowed and she strengthened her resolve, continuing towards Tom until he was helping her up onto his shoulders. The boys walked towards each other and Brittany and Santana braced themselves as they neared. The girls grabbed each other's hands awkwardly and tried to push the other one off their boy's shoulders.
Not one to lose any form of competition, Santana almost growled as she wobbled on Tom's shoulders, trying to maintain her balance. He took a few steps back to help her adjust, and then advanced at Dan again. This time Santana got a good grip on Brittany's arms and pushed back. Brittany shifted her body so that she was pulling Santana as the darker girl pushed. The change in momentum sent both girls tumbling off the boys' shoulders.
Brittany got her bearings back first and continued to wrestle with Santana in the shallow end of the small lake. With a grunt of exertion Santana fought back, trying to get the upper hand. She managed to get on top of Brittany and pinned her arms down on the sand, panting hard as she looked into clear blue eyes. Brittany had her bottom lip between her teeth as she fought to get free, her eyes never leaving Santana's. The darker girl wanted to lean down, brush that stray strand of blonde hair away and – she felt her body shift slightly, whether accidentally or on purpose, she didn't want to know.
"Damn girls, we can leave if you'd like"
Santana looked over her shoulder at the guys, keeping her grip on the blonde's wrists.
"Well Tom you're welcome to leave but I think I'll stay" Dan quipped, not taking his eyes off the girls in bikinis wrestling in the water in front of them. Santana shot a quick look at Brittany as she felt the blood drain from her face and flush to her cheeks at the same time. She loosened her grip on Brittany's arms and stood up, turning to quickly walk up the hill that lead back to their picnic spot.
Brittany sat up and watched her go before standing to go after her.
"What?" Dan asked with raised palms as he watched the girls go.
Santana walked blindly up the path towards the car. Fuck these days off, she thought angrily. She chided herself for getting totally lost in those eyes, forgetting where she was and who she was with. Before crashing through the forest she had stopped at the top of the grassy patch and thrown on her t-shirt over her wet suit. Now she shivered as the cold and wet cloth clung to her body.
"Santana!"
She stopped in her tracks, wishing she could keep walking. Santana listened as the blonde walked up behind her. She felt the girl stop; felt her eyes bore into the back of her head. The darker girl tapped her foot, waiting for whatever the blonde had to say.
"What do you want?" Brittany asked softly. The loaded question hung in the air between them. Santana felt everything bubble up inside her. She spun around to face the blonde who had put her shorts back on. Santana balled her fists, digging her nails into her palms. She opened her mouth to say something but she couldn't find the words.
"I want –"
Santana stared at the girl in front of her. Brittany cocked her head to the side, blue eyes trained on dark brown ones. It was that look she couldn't stand – inspecting, quizzical, yet knowing all at the same time. Santana was angry and scared and tired and filled with a desire and suddenly she was grabbing her, barraging Brittany's lips with hers in a flurry of rough and hasty kisses. Brittany had her hands around her waist instantly and countered Santana's insistent kisses with gentle ones. Santana brought a hand up to Brittany's cheek, cupping it firmly as she pressed her tongue into the blonde's mouth. She put everything she had into the kiss and her chest tightened, calling for more air and a twig snapped behind Brittany and –
She jerked back from the kiss and looked over Brittany's shoulder searching for Dan or Tom but they weren't there. Brittany ran a finger over her slightly reddened lips and Santana looked back to her, startled, as if she had forgotten she was there; that she had just been kissing her like the world was ending tomorrow.
"Fuck" Santana muttered under her breath, gnawing at her bottom lip. She brushed past Brittany back to the clearing where Dan and Tom were drying off with their towels. They looked up at her.
"Where'd you go?" Dan asked.
"I'm not feeling so great. Can we go?"
Tom studied her with concern as Dan answered. "Yeah we're packing up – we can be out of here in 10"
The car ride back had been tense. The guys could feel the change between the girls; unsure of what had happened, only knowing it made them feel nervous. Dan kept glancing back at Brittany through the rearview but she paid no attention to him. Her head rested lamely against the seat, her eyes watching the scenery fly by. Santana still watched the road like a hawk, pointing slightly at oncoming cars and tight turns as if Dan wasn't paying attention to the obvious hazards.
Now Santana sat in her room, having declined Tom's offer to come over later despite her desire to scratch a certain itch she was developing. She undressed and got into the shower where she sang softly to herself as she lathered her hair. Her own voice soothed her, playing with the tunes and changing notes here and there, causing the rest of her body to relax under the water; her mind to zone out.
She stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel, wrapping it around herself. She continued humming as she went back into her room to grab clothes. Santana did a double take and let out a few expletives when she saw Brittany sitting on her bed. Her grip on her towel tightened as she became painfully aware of the fact that she was naked underneath.
"You have a great voice," Brittany commented, lifting her eyes slowly up Santana's body from her toes to her eyes. Santana furrowed her brow.
"I think you should leave" she said in an even tone.
Brittany stood up and took a step towards Santana so that she was standing within inches of the girl. Santana turned her head downwards, unable to look at the blonde. She concentrated on holding her towel up.
"I will. But I don't think you really want me to. I like you Santana…maybe even enough to wait for you to figure stuff out. Because I don't think you like Tom. Or Dan, for that matter." Brittany's voice was soft and Santana scowled, feeling those goddamn crystal blue eyes trained on her, probing her. Brittany sighed and leaned in to place a chaste kiss on Santana's flushed cheek before walking out the door and closing it firmly behind her.
Santana felt the strange swell of frustrated tears and flopped down onto her bed. She stayed there for a while before slowly getting up and getting dressed, eager to fall asleep so she could wake up to the distractions of another workday.