On graduation day, Santana decides she's going to ask Brittany to marry her. They had made it through the last year of high-school, finally truly together, with Santana staying up late either in Brittany's room or on the phone with her every night, helping her with her homework and studying with her until their eyes drooped, and vocabulary terms melted into kisses - addition and subtraction into sleep-slurred "I love you"'s.
She decides beyond certainty that she needs to marry this girl as soon as possible. Because something about the way Brittany's eyes light up when she accepts her diploma, bouncing up to the podium and nearly giggling - turning around clumsily to mouth "Love you" to her….
well, it makes her fall in love all over again - and twice as hard.
And when she sees that Brittany had snuck into the audience moments after to sit next to Santana's own parents, crying along with them as their baby gets her own well deserved escape from this school?
She cries too.
She takes her diploma and tries to walk calmly, but she just can't hold it in anymore - she smiles and cries and hops off the stage to drag Brittany by the hand back to their seats. It takes every once of willpower in her body to not kiss every inch of her exposed skin, to tackle her to the ground with joy.
So Santana goes to a jewelry store the next day - 2 hours outside of Lima because she doesn't want anyone she knows to see her there and share her special secret - Brittany has to be the one to share it with her first.
She recklessly carries the ring she spends a third of her savings account on in her pocket every day of the summer.
Well, every day she's with Brittany. But she just can't find a time that's perfect….that's completely right and deserving of her girl.
And then one day - two weeks into July, Brittany and her are giddily walking hand in hand in the local park, celebrating their official decision to both go to New York City colleges. Brittany's hair is being tossed around by hot wind in her hair, and Santana catches herself staring - just, watching her smile, watching her breathe…
It's the most magical moment of her life right then, realizing that she could possibly spend the rest of it watching Brittany just be.
"Marry me." She blurts out, her heart stops and so does her feet. Brittany is lurched backwards by the abrupt stop and falls into Santana with a giggle,
"what?" she asks absently, as if she hadn't heard - but her dopey grin and shining eyes tells a different story.
"I said, I think you should marry me."
Brittany pulls away slightly to look Santana dead in the eye, shock and hope filling her to the core,
"Baby," she whispers reverently, "are you serious?"
Santana reaches into her pocket and drops to her knee.
Brittany screams yes,
Then she sobs it - flinging herself down onto the ground to maul her girlfriend -her fiance, with a breathtaking kiss.
She twirls and skips in Santana's arms, she sings and giggles "YES!" the entire way back home.