We stood there for a moment, neither of us daring to move; both savoring the feeling of being so completely engrossed in the other. I felt her hands tighten around mine and she pulled me closer to her, sliding her arms around my back and burying her face into my shoulder. I wrapped my arms around her in the same fashion, and rested my chin on the top of her head. I could feel her sobbing into my chest, and I moved a hand up and placed it on the back of her head.

"Santana, please don't cry. It's okay. I'm not going anywhere. We're going to figure this out, I promise. I promise."

She looked up at me, and I was surprised by what I saw. I didn't see sadness and I didn't see pain. Through her falling tears, she had a smile on her face, and she let out a muffled giggle.

"I know, Britt. I'm just so grateful for that. I don't know what this is about," she laughed at herself and pointed to the wet streaks running down her face. I couldn't help but laugh a little too, and reached up and wiped the tear streak off her cheeks with the back of my hand.

We turned and started walking again, but more slowly and lazily than before. Without realizing it, we had held onto each other's hand, and I began to feel Santana running her thumb along the lines of my hand as we strolled. We weren't talking—we didn't need to. After a while we arrived at the pier, and walked about two-thirds of the way down, to the same spot we always sat. The rails on the sides were about two feet from the sides of the actual pier, so we took off our shoes, slipped through the rails, and sat on the edge, feet dangling. The lowest crossbar on the pier railing was the perfect height to lean back on your neck. We took our usual position, and sat in silence for a while before Santana cautiously reached over to take my hand together. I caught her gaze and smiled, letting her know it was okay.

We sat like that, staring out at the jet skis, boats, and fishermen, just taking in our surroundings. After a while, I began laughing to myself. Santana turned her head and looked at me, very confused.

"What's so funny, crazy?"

"I just realized that we're going to be SO BUSTED if Coach Sylvester catches us skipping school."

"And that's funny because…"

"Well… her getting angry won't be funny. But what's funny is picturing the look on her face when I tell her I don't care if she gives me an extra 10,000 laps like last time; this is totally worth it."

Santana's eyes lit up and she genuinely smiled for the first time since our fight. I shifted my position on the pier, pulled her arm over my shoulder and leaned my head on her shoulder. I closed my eyes and smiled to myself, taking in everything about the moment. It felt so perfect: smelling the subtle floral scent of her shampoo, feeling her arm wrapped around me, and her heart beating so fast. I reached across her lap and took her other hand in mine, tracing all over the palm before I slid my fingers between hers. I never wanted to move.

After a while, Santana spoke again.

"Can I ask you some more questions, Brittany?"

"Of course, San."

"Well, it's about everything you said this morning. I know a lot of what you were saying was just to get me to talk to you again, but I can't help but replay some of those words you said over and over again."

"Like what?"

"Things like, imagining me breathing on your neck, and wanting to smell me and touch me…" she paused, "… and…you said that your heart broke when I erupted the other morning…and, I just don't really know how to take all that. I don't know what that means."

I could tell she was trembling. It took a lot for her to ask me that, and I realized that. To comfort her, I squeezed her hand a little tighter and looked up at her, while not moving far enough away to allow her arm to move from its place around my shoulders.

"Santana, when you told me that you had feelings for me, I could see the fear and pain in your eyes as you told me. I didn't really take the time to let anything process, but I let my intuition take control. My instinct was to be with you, to hold you, to comfort you. It's what I felt like you needed, and what felt right to me. I didn't take the time to let everything sink in and process it until I got home the next day."

"You're still not really answering my question," she looked slightly irritated.

"I know, I know. I'm getting there," I took a deep breath, "What I said to you this morning had no agenda behind it other than to tell the truth. I didn't let my inhibitions get the best of me, and I wasn't just trying to get you to be my friend again. I just told you exactly how I've been feeling, without thinking about what it means, or what comes next. So, yes, I got chills whenever I thought of you being so close that I could feel your breath. When I closed my eyes, I imagined your arm around me like it was at BreadStix. And yes… it felt like a thousand knives had been shoved into my heart to see you hurt the way you were the other morning."

I shifted my position again, taking her other hand in mine, and looking into her eyes, much the same way I had on the beach earlier. She was still so nervous, and she had an incredibly innocent look on her face as she anticipated the next thing I was going to say.

"Santana, I can't tell you how to take all of that, because I haven't really sorted out all these feelings for myself. I don't know what they mean. This is all so new to me. But the one thing that I'm certain about is that I can't not be around you. I can't not have you in my life. I'll suck it up and take it if you say that you need your space, but I won't go quietly. This," I said as I held up our clenched hands, "…this just feels too right to me."

She immediately pulled me into a tight embrace, and I felt the blood surge through my body as my heart rate sped up again. I felt hers beating quickly too, but soon noticed that it felt like our hearts were beating together. Interrupting the moment, we suddenly were drenched by a huge wave from the wake of a large boat going much faster than it should. We both instinctively jumped up, but realizing we were on the outside of the rail, both clutched to it and each other to keep from falling in. We were both clinging to the same post of the pier railing, arms clinging to it and each other indiscriminately.

"Well, fuck you too, lake!" Santana yelled out over our laughter.

I looked at her and smiled. We were both clinging to the same post of the pier railing, arms clinging to it and each other indiscriminately. "Don't yell at the lake, baby, it didn't mean to!"

She got a mischievous look on her face and pulled me in for a hug without letting go of the railing, whispering into my ear.

"God, I love it when you call me baby," the husky words reverberated in my ear.

I felt the chill rise in me. Her voice sounded so sexy. I closed my eyes and hugged her back. As I pulled away, her hand slid down from my shoulder blade to the small of my back as she leaned back and smiled at me.

"Wanna go get lunch?"

Hell yes I wanted to get lunch with you.

"Well… I guess…" I said with a wink.

"Oh, well don't get too excited there, Brittany! Race ya!"

And we were off, half tripping as we slid under the railing, up the boat ramp, and back to the main road that lead directly to her car. At some point, miraculously, I passed her and slammed into her car still at full speed. I turned around and threw my arms up in victory, dancing a little dance and shouting, "Hahah! I beat you! I beat you!"

"Yeah, well," she said with a shy smile, "I still had a pretty good view the rest of the way back," and she climbed into the driver's side of the car.

I blushed and put my head down.

I can't believe she just said that!

I took a deep breath before getting into the car, she was laughing as I climbed in.

"Britt, before we leave, I just have to tell you how happy you've made me today. And I know you're still working things out in your life, and I am, too. And it's really important. But, I want to be here for you, and I want you to feel like you can talk to me about anything. Even if it's something you think I might not want to hear."

I nodded and smiled. "You pick lunch."

"Okay. I don't feel like BreadStix today, though. My mom ordered from there last night. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, silly, I said you pick!" She smiled again and put the car in reverse, pulling back from the lake and onto the highway.

We drove for a little bit, just talking about regular stuff in Cheerios and the glee club, and before I knew it, we were turning towards my favorite Mexican restaurant. It wasn't a big chain like all the others, and had very few tables inside, but the chips and salsa were the best things I had ever tasted, and it was really inexpensive.

"Yo Burrito! Yaaaaayyyy!

"Oh you are soooo easy to entertain, aren't you?" Santana laughed at me.

"Yup! That, and I'm a cheap date!"

I paused, realizing what I had just said. Santana did the same and the air in the car quickly because filled with uncertainty. We both stole sideways glances, until finally I blurted out, "Well, maybe."

Santana didn't react outwardly, but I could tell she wanted to smile at my Freudian slip. Seemingly completely naturally, she reached over and placed her right hand on my left thigh, and my breath caught. Immediately, she realized what she had done and pulled her hand away. I could tell she was mentally hitting herself over the head as she quietly mumbled, "S… sorry, damnit."

"Hey…" I said softly as I reached for that same hand. "It's ok. I…" I pulled her hand towards me and brought it back down to my lap, placing it where my skin was still burning from her touch. "I… kind of liked it."

Her car stopped at the last red light and our eyes locked for what was probably the thousandth time that day. Yet, something was different. This look felt different. I felt something new.