A/N: This chapter is a little shorter than the others, but I'll have Chapter 10 up in a few hours. Thank you for all the nice comments and reviews; if you're enjoying this story, please recommend it on your tumblrs, twitters, etc! Thanks.

We arrived at Yo Burrito and ate our lunch together feeling renewed and happy. We gossiped and laughed through the entire meal. It felt like nothing and happened and everything had changed all at the same time. I stole sideways glances of her flowing, curly hair and sparkling brown eyes every chance I got. I could feel my own heart smile at the sound of her laugh. Every time our hands grazed reaching in for the chips, I felt a tingle down my spine.

God, I love that feeling.

We took our time eating, and by the time we were ready to leave, school was almost out. We decided to go wait in the parking lot, hoping we could trick Coach Sylvester into thinking we had been there the whole time. But, once we got there, we got lost in conversation again, and completely missed seeing her storm over to her car and reach in the window to grab me.

"Where the hell have you two been? And don't give me some sob story about your hideous balloons for breasts exploded and are leaking poison into your bloodstream. I have had blood flowing in mine for years. Nationals is only a few months away and I can't have my head cheerleader and her shockingly dull sidekick traipsing around Lima contracting who knows what kinds of venereal diseases. Both of you, out! OUT NOW."

"Coach, it's not Brittany's fault, it's mine. I dragged her off campus. I needed her help… ummm… scouting out the squad from Dalton Academy. They're all guys, so we weren't sure what kind of routine they'd have."

Santana was quick.

You could still practically see the steam coming from Coach's ears, yet simultaneously you could see the intrigue in her eyes. She stewed for a minute with her face contorting into various stages of rage when she finally said, "Go get changed. After Cheerios practice, you'll report to my office, share what you've learned, and then I'll determine how severe your punishment will be, ranging from extra laps and fewer meals, to feeding me grapes laced with LSD and protein powder for the rest of your life."

I couldn't help but laugh on the inside as she turned around in huff, knocking over a couple of AV nerds rolling a cart of video equipment who were in her path.

"Santana, that was great for now, but what are we going to tell her later?"

"Babe, you seem to be forgetting one baby-faced, soprano gay who's dating Mr. Dalton Academy. One quick phone call and we'll have all the intel we need," she said with a wink.

She turned and started strutting into the school, and I giggled as I ran up behind her, linking arms as we headed to the locker room to get ready for Cheerios practice. We were the first ones in there, because the bell had just rung, and the other girls hadn't had a chance to go to their lockers yet. We went to our respective lockers and started to get ready, and I noticed Santana hadn't stopped smiling.

"I like seeing you this happy, San."

She blushed and walked over and wrapped me in her arms. "Thank you for making me this happy," she whispered in my ear. The sudden rush of her breath on my neck sent a shock wave through my entire body, and my breath caught in the back of my throat. She pulled back a little and looked at me with the most sincere eyes I have ever seen, still smiling.

She turned and started stretching, since we were both basically ready and the other girls hadn't made it in here yet. I sat on the bench and started tying my shoes, humming to myself softly when Santana spoke again.

"So, Brittany… I was thinking…umm… could we maybe…" she paused and I looked up from my shoe to see her fidgeting with both of her hands.

She's totally nervous. And it's totally cute.

"What is it, Santana?"

"Would, would you want to go to BreadStix again with me on Friday for open mic night? Kind of… to do you better than last time?"

She is still so nervous; I have to make her laugh.

"Whoa there, San. I don't think I'm quite ready for you to do me yet," I said with a sly smirk.

She faltered for only a second, and then took two steps towards me on the bench, leaning over and placing a hand on each thigh. She brought her lips so close to my ear that they brushed my earlobe. She was on top of me, and I was frozen with fear and excitement and a rush of adrenaline all rolled into one. After what felt like an eternity that I never wanted to end, she finally whispered, in the most seductive voice I have ever heard her use.

"Glad to hear you ended that sentence with a yet."

As she pulled away she looked so deep into my eyes I thought I would fall into the brown puddles. She let her lips graze the skin right below my ear and I unconsciously closed my eyes, letting the feeling wash over me. I must have completely sunk into my own head, because when I opened my eyes again, Santana was four feet away from me again, casually stretching and chatting with the other Cheerios that were walking into the locker room. I felt flush and excited and confused all at the same time.

Cheerios practice went by like a blur, and before I knew it, Santana was hurrying me out of Coach Sylvester's office. I'm not really sure how she had gotten so much information from Blaine over a three minute phone call, but she had succeeded in heading her off and making her entirely forget about us skipping.

"How did you convince Blaine to tell you all that, Santana?"

"It really wasn't that hard. I told him that Coach Sylvester would basically destroyed our will to live, meaning we wouldn't be able to perform during Regionals, so the New Directions' dancing would be appalling, we'd lose, and Kurt would be devastated." She smiled, "It's all about hitting him where it hurts… so to speak."

We chuckled together and walked out to the parking lot, and settled into her car. On the way to my house, I could tell that she was nervous and shaky. I reached over and took her hand, placing them in my lap. She glanced over a little surprised.

"You can drive with one hand, right?" I asked cheerily.

"Totally." She flashed a huge smile once again.

"So, about that date to BreadStix?" She looked at me and winked, and I could feel my cheeks flushing red.

"Oh, I'm so there," I said with a smirk on my face.

She pulled into my driveway and offered to pick me up for school in the morning. I happily accepted and hugged her tight before heading inside. I couldn't help but think of the previous Friday when I had ritualistically turned around in the doorway and she had already been gone.

Is she going to leave this time too?

I decided that we had a good day, and secretly prayed that she knew how much I clung to those last few fleeting seconds of the vision of her, and stopped and turned. She was still there, looking me up and down with a goofy grin on her face. She lifted both eyebrows twice in a row, and I got the hint.

I should have known she would stay and check me out.

But I didn't mind. I smiled one last time for the evening and entered the air conditioned house obviously pleased with myself and my day. My dad was just coming down the stairs.

"Dinner's at seven sweetheart; hope you're hungry!"

"Sure Dad, sounds great!"

I walked past him and up to my room, scaring Lord Tubbington off the big pillow, plopping down on my back on the bed and releasing a sigh that I must have held all day. It felt so good to have things right with Santana.

So good.