It has been a rough couple of days. More like weeks or maybe even the past month. Actually, yes, month is more like it. In fact, it feels like the past two or maybe more like three months have been somewhat difficult. Perhaps 'difficult' isn't really the right word to use. Maybe just different. But, different can be difficult too.
Santana felt guilty about meeting up with Trish that one night at a bar, especially since Brittany had made it clear on numerous occasions about how she felt. After discussing her guilt and equal regret for her actions with Quinn, the best friends figured it would be in Santana's best interest to admit this to Brittany. It didn't so much spark a fight between the couple, but it also wasn't a comfortable 'sharing' conversation either.
"It was just for school purposes, I swear." Santana explains, her eyes wide, trying to gauge her girlfriend's reaction.
But, all Brittany gives her is a nod. She sucks her lips and averts her eyes until they land somewhere on her own lap. Letting a long breath out through her nose, she nods some more and then lifts her gaze up to meet Santana's. They are sitting across from one another, Santana on the coffee table right in front of Brittany who sits on the couch.
"Okay." It's the only response, besides the nodding, that Brittany gives her before getting up from the couch and into the kitchen and begins to empty the dishwasher.
It was barely a few days after that when Santana finally started seeing all of the things her best friend warned her about and the things her girlfriend worried about. She wasn't sure if these things were brightened because they have been brought to her attention. But, she started noticing the little things. Well, the little things from an untrained eye. But, to someone in Brittany's position, they were very big things.
There were touches that lingered for far too long and lips too close to her ear for unnecessary whispers. She did her best to seem unfazed by it all, not wanting to give any kind of reaction to Trish's obvious advances. For someone like Santana, she is all too familiar of the moves one uses to step past the realms of acquaintance because she did it for most of her high school life. It was painfully obvious to Santana that, yes, Brittany had been right all along. Quinn too for that matter. And there's nothing that Santana Lopez hates more than hearing 'I told you so'.
But, she knew that Quinn had told her so and that Brittany had told her so and that they were going to say that because she sees it. It was before she had stopped communication with Trish, safe for some weird moments to and from class and some time in between class. She had received a picture text from Trish. Had it been Quinn, she'd have told her that the bathing suit in the pic was perfect for her and that she has really been doing well with those zumba classes that Brittany has been dragging her to.
However, as the case may be, the picture message did not contain a photo of Quinn in bathing suit but of Trish and a very scantily clad Trish at that. It wasn't really until she read the text beneath it that she finally put two and two together and that Quinn and Brittany had been right all along.
Trish: like wut u see? ;)
Surely, this girl had to be joking. But, when Santana didn't respond immediately, the subject was changed to school work again. It would have been long forgotten had it not been brought up during their next group session. Awkwardly, Santana avoided eye contact as Trish sent her picture after picture during their study session, unbeknownst to their fellow study mates. Of course, Trish had to make it seem all innocent by telling Santana she just wanted her opinion for which suit is best to score guys attention this summer at the beach.
She would have truly believed that had she not drunkenly texted Santana that she wonders if she is attracted to girls. She admitted she had kissed girls in high school but never had a full on intimate relationship with one before. It was probably more in that moment than the picture message moment that Santana fully grasped where she had led herself through this whole 'Trish debacle'.
Ignoring Trish's advances could only last for so long and then eventually, Santana had no choice but to cut ties and quit going to group. Unfortunately for her, it felt like too little too late with Brittany.
In a café far from where Santana and Brittany's drama lies are Quinn, Rachel and Kurt. It has become apparent over the past few weeks or month, that their friends are in some sort of relationship limbo. Kurt informs his girls that Brittany has been uncomfortable with the fact that Santana had initially withheld the truth from her about going to meet Trish at the bar that one night. He explains how she told him she can accept it having to do with school, but it's the fact that Santana felt she had to keep it from her that has her worried. 'I feel like she's hiding something from me. Like, she's only telling me half of the truth', she'd admitted to him just a week ago.
Quinn divulges her talks with Santana, without exposing too much of her side. She doesn't want her friend to hear about it all and feel she can't trust anyone after all. But, truth is, even Quinn is wondering how much of the truth she is even getting from Santana considering the things she hears from Kurt about Brittany and even what she hears from Brittany herself.
"Brittany thought it'd be a swell idea to go through Santana's text messages with Trish," Quinn starts as she untwists the top to her water and takes a quick sip. "Again."
"Behind her back?" Rachel asks in mild shock, only because she's kind of surprised something like this hasn't happened already.
"Oh no," Quinn shakes her head. "Santana was sitting right there while she read them." She quirks an eyebrow showing her disapproval. "Actually, Santana told her to read them."
"Bad?" Rachel inquires with concern and she scrunches her nose awaiting the inevitable answer, because judging her girlfriend's face she already knows.
"Very." Kurt interjects and nods. "Santana has sincerely dug herself deep here. Those texts were nothing short of inappropriate." He half rolls his eyes and leans an elbow on the table taking his straw between his fingers.
"So, she has been cheating?" Rachel adjusts in her chair beside Quinn who rubs her eyes with her fingers and purses her lips.
"She says 'no', according to what she's said to me and that's what Brittany said she said." Quinn lets out in a tired sigh. "But, I mean, she did not make her case look good with those texts." Kurt shakes his head in utter agreement.
Their discussion is momentarily interrupted when the food arrives. They each thank the server when their meal is placed in front of them and they wait until the woman is out of ear shot before they dive right back into things.
"I know that none of here really want to know the details or sorts of their sexual activities," Kurt begins once they start eating in silence and his words garner some curious stares from the girls. "But, Britt said they haven't really been…" He wobbles his head from side to side and wide eyes his food, avoiding the words used to say what he is insinuating. Rachel looks at her food uncomfortably and Quinn shifts in her seat as she fixes her plate to the perfect angle.
"I mean, they are also super busy and with almost opposite schedules." Quinn adds as she shoves a fry in her mouth and shrugs her shoulders. "So, that has to be taken into account as well." She explains after adding another fry.
"Well, isn't it kind of weird that Santana is always going to these study groups anyway?" Rachel chimes in as she cuts into her vegan meatball sandwich. "Especially when this girl allegedly runs the group and her girlfriend is not too keen on the 'relationship' that 'doesn't exist'." She shakes her head at the holes in Santana's story and defense. To her, it just doesn't make much sense for someone to go to all the trouble of maintaining a connection to someone who has been causing unnecessary drama in her life.
"I agree." Kurt says after he swallows a bite of his salad. "All I keep thinking about is back in freshman year when Santana was practically in Brittany's shoes." He adds, reminding all three of them about the guy from Brittany's class that tried to put the moves on her. It was not a great moment in their relationship, but they moved past it because Brittany was honest. Well, a lot more honest with Santana than Santana is apparently being with Brittany right now.
"Yeah," Quinn nods in understanding, because she can see it from both sides. "But, I mean, Brittany even said it herself that she is not that girl that demands things of Santana. Truth is, she's never really been. It makes sense for her to in this situation, but also, she's very different from all of us." Quinn defends and gets agreeing nods all around.
"I guess." Rachel shrugs her shoulders and continues to cut her sandwich into bite size pieces.
The three spend the rest of their lunch commenting here and there about their friends while trying to continue a 'regular' lunch date.
"Hey." Santana greets when she walks through the door of their apartment. Brittany looks over her shoulder from her spot on the couch and half smiles.
"Hi." She replies softly before returning her attention back to the magazine she has in her hand.
Santana kicks her work shoes off and slowly takes her jacket off. She watches Brittany flip through the magazine with the television on as background noise she supposes. It feels like she's been walking on eggshells in her own home. Whenever she leaves the house, she can't help but feel like Brittany is wondering where she's going, even if she tells her.
Brittany stares blankly at the pages of her magazine, not even paying attention to the noise coming from the television. She hadn't been watching and in fact, she hadn't even been reading when Santana came home. She just knew she was going to be home any minute and she didn't want it to be obvious that she was sitting around thinking. She feels like every time, these days, that she is sitting anywhere in silence that Santana will know what she's thinking. Santana always knows what she's thinking either way, but at least with half distractions in front of her, maybe it wouldn't be too obvious.
Brittany doesn't want to think so much. Not about these things anyway. She hates that whenever Santana leaves their apartment, for whatever reason, her mind goes to bad places. There are thoughts of Santana sneaking behind her back to go and meet Trish flood her brain and is followed by this tug in her gut that makes her sick.
Just as Santana is about to make her way towards the couch, her cell phone beeps, alerting her of a new text message. She clenches her jaw and breathes through her nose as she narrows her eyes at the offending electronic on the table against the wall. It's a text message from Trish and the fourth one today at that. She decided about a week and a half ago that being in study group was not something she needed in her life any longer. The other girls in group still hooked her up with notes here and there, but the stress of having Trish in her life when it was clearly a burden on her life with Brittany was simply not worth it.
It was another text asking her if she was going to be joining them this evening for group. It was also another text that Santana was going to leave unanswered. She figured that it might be a little easier ignoring and avoiding Trish than it would be to explain the problems the girl was causing in her life. Even if there was a part of her that felt as though it was all a misunderstanding, she just couldn't take that chance, not with the fate of her relationship with Brittany being in some strange, hanging, balance type situation.
Turning her phone to silent, she leaves it on the table, hopefully avoiding anymore unwanted interruptions from the girl who is the current issue in her relationship. As she heads over towards the couch, her fingers play with the ring that still sits perfectly on the ring finger of her left hand. It's what reminds her of what is important. It grounds her when she feels like things are getting too far away from her grasp and what helps her ease the ache in her chest when she feels that things are getting too much.
"How was your day off?" Santana asks as she slips onto the couch from the arm rest and to the spot beside Brittany.
She leaves a little space between their bodies, not wanting to completely invade her girlfriend's personal space. For a moment, she inwardly smacks herself, because that has never been something for her to worry about. Brittany's personal space was always her personal space and vice versa. But, as of late, it seems they have somewhat acquired lines that separate them from one another.
"It was okay." Brittany replies in a quiet voice, not taking her eyes off of the magazine in her lap. Santana is about to give in and give up on skating around on this thin ice they are sitting in the middle of, just a second away from going to their bedroom to curl up into a ball all alone and sad. But, then she feels Brittany's hand on her thigh and her heart swells. "You?" She asks, finally turning her head from the article she hasn't been reading and sends Santana a gentle smile.
"Same." She answers and smiles at the gesture. She feels comforted when Brittany's fingers squeeze her leg and she shuffles her body a little closer until she can easily lean her head on her girlfriend's shoulder. "I missed you." She admits in a small voice and closes her eyes when Brittany's head leans onto her own.
"You're silly." Brittany giggles and turns her head to her lips press to Santana's head. "I missed you too." She whispers into her hair and kisses her again in the same spot.
They spend the rest of the night just like that. Silently sitting on the couch, sharing bits and pieces of their day that are kind of boring but it's a comforting kind of boring. They don't watch the television that's on and Brittany sets the magazine aside to show that she is paying more attention to Santana. They say 'I love you' and they kiss some before they finally give in to sleep.
It isn't much, but it is definitely better than past days have been. It only reminds Santana that she hasn't been paying much attention to their relationship and kind of taking it for granted. Its tonight that reminds her of what is the most important part of her life and who is involved in that. It's also tonight that she decides she needs to address the elephant in the room.
When she walks in, she looks around until she spots Trish sitting at the bar by herself. Her bag is hanging off the back of her chair and a half finished pint of beer sits in her hand. Just as Santana reaches her, Trish looks over her shoulder and smiles. Santana tries to smile back, but she finds it a difficult task, considering what she has come here to do. In her mind, she can see another version of herself in this very spot, shaking her head at everything.
"Thought you were standing me up." She admits sheepishly and looks down, shifting her bag to the side so Santana can squeeze in to the chair beside her.
"No, I just," Santana sighs and takes her seat at the bar next to Trish. "I had a few things to take care of first." She half smiles at her and then glances over her shoulder to the door she'd just came in through.
Actually, what made her late was that she wasn't even sure she should have initiated this meeting. There's this weight in her gut that makes her want to throw up and cry. But, more than that, she kind of wants to punch herself in the face. Brittany knew. Quinn warned her. Yet, she still managed to get herself in quite the predicament. She's usually an awesome judge of character. Santana can tell a douche bag from a decent human being. But here, she has been led astray, so much for letting down her guard and giving people the benefit of the doubt.
"You sounded kind of serious on the phone." Trish breaks the momentary silence and waves her hand towards the bartender to come over. "Beer?" She asks as the guy is heading in their direction.
"Oh, no I'm good." Santana lets out a shaky breath and sets her hands palm down to the bar top.
"Okay." Trish drawls out and eyes the other girl curiously. "So..." She tilts her head and half smirks at the way Santana shifts awkwardly in her chair. "Does this 'meet up' have something to do with you avoiding me?" She asks and the way Santana's eyes dart up to meet hers, tells her that it does in fact have everything to do with that.
"Yeah, kind of." She admits in a low voice and clears her throat as she watches her hand settle down onto the bar top.
"Alright." Trish leans her chin in her hand and rests her elbow onto the bar top and half smiles. "Then, tell me what's up." She offers easily enough and goes to place her hand on top of Santana's, but she is surprised at the way Santana pulls it back and sits up right in her chair.
"The touching," Santana starts a little loudly and shakes her head from side to side while looking down at where her index finger is picking at the table. "And the flirting, the text flirting, it's gotta stop." She says firmly and sets her palm down to the counter of the bar again when she is sure it's safely away from Trish's grasp. Finally, she lifts her eyes up to meet Trish's.
"I'm sorry," Trish says sarcastically and with a smirk on her lips. "But, if you actually read our text messages, you're flirting right back sweetie." She gives a head tilt like she's made a huge game winning point and Santana can only feel her gut drop more.
"Well, I wasn't writing them with the intention of flirting." Santana quickly defends. "Regardless, it's gotta stop. It not only makes me uncomfortable," She shifts in her seat and uses her finger to poke the counter like she's posting the points out there. "But it's completely inappropriate. I'm practically married." Santana exclaims and runs her fingers through her hair quickly.
"But," Trish eyes her up and down subtly. "You're not though." She leans her forearm comfortably onto the bar top and rests her cheek to her palm. "You're not even really engaged." Santana slits her eyes at Trish and clenches her jaw as the girl smirks with her gaze going freely up and down her body. "I think it's kind of funny, in a cute way of course, that you two actually think that this whole high school sweetheart thing is going to turn into a long term deal." Trish chuckles, obviously by herself, while Santana crosses her arms over her chest.
"If I were you I would have stopped talking, like, two minutes ago." She hisses.
"You can't tell me you haven't thought about it." Trish's tone seems surprised that this idea could have danced its way around Santana. But, according to the head tilt she receives in response tells her otherwise. "I mean, you're still in your first serious relationship. How do you know there's not something, someone better out there? Maybe your girlfriend isn't even what you want?" Her voice is a bit softer but not any less predatory and Santana's stomach turns at the way this conversation is going. She shakes her head, letting her eyes fall down to her lap and she watches the way her legs cross at the knee.
"You don't know anything about what I want." Santana says in a low voice while slightly clenching her jaw and flicks her eyes in Trish's direction. "This was a bad idea." She mumbles to herself and sets her hand on the bar top, prepared to hop off the stool and get out of this place before it turns into a worse situation. But, when she feels a warm, foreign hand cover her own, it hits her that she passed 'worse' as soon as she stepped inside the bar.
"What?" Trish asks and leans closer to Santana. "I think you knew exactly what you were doing when you asked me to meet you here." She licks her lips and Santana watches the way her eyes flicker down to her own lips.
"Stop it." Santana jerks her head back and yanks her hand out from under Trish's and places it on her own lap. "I don't know what you think is going on here, but I'm not interested. I'm with Brittany." She clicks her tongue and rolls her eyes, letting them stare at the ceiling for a moment. "And if I'm lucky, she'll actually forgive me for being so naive and stupid." She shakes her head at herself, replaying all of the warnings and worried pleads from her girlfriend and best friend. "Look," She hops off of the bar stool and grabs her things. "I came here to ask you to respect my relationship and that nothing is going to ever happen." She shrugs the strap of her bag onto her shoulder and holds onto it with both hands and stares on as Trish moves from her own chair to stand in from of her. "So, now that I have… I guess I'll see you around." Before she can turn around to head out the way she came in, Trish's hands are on her shoulders and her lips on her own.
Her hands let go of the bags strap and she pushes them onto Trish's chest to get the girl's lips off of hers. When they are finally off of her own she shakes her head because she is pretty sure this is a nightmare. Trish smirks and shrugs her shoulders as she places her hands into the back pockets of her jeans.
"Quinn was right, you're one crazy, calculated bitch." Santana spits out as she wipes her mouth with the back of her hand.
Normally, she'd find some choice words for her, but right now all Santana wants to do is go home and figure out how to confront Brittany about everything that has just transpired. What she isn't expecting is to find Brittany standing outside of the bar at the glass door with the saddest face Santana has ever seen. Just as she goes to make her way to the door and explain things, Brittany is gone and the flash of blonde that follows only tells her that Quinn had seen it all as well.
At a random, hole in the wall bar, Brittany distraughtly nurses a beer while Quinn does her best at the role of comforting. She rubs her friends back as she sobs and gulps alcohol, not sure if she should stop the latter to stray from the former. But, she reasons due to previous moments, she'll just let her be and simply be there for her.
"I just don't know who to be mad at more." Brittany cries out as she cradles the bottle of beer in front of her on the bar. Quinn grimaces and tries to soothe her friend by rubbing her back in longer, softer circles. "I mean, is Santana blind? That girl might as well lay naked in front of her. I'm not crazy right?" She looks at Quinn who's pouting her lower lip and shakes her head.
"No," Quinn says. "You're not crazy."
"That… she… my girlfriend…" She sobs, but tries to muffle it by sipping her beer. Even though Quinn didn't get the full sentence, she is sure if was going in the direction of 'that bitch'. "I just…" Brittany tries again and only continues after a gulp and another chug of beer. "I knew that girl was bad news." Her shoulders shake and Quinn knows that she is trying her hardest to control her crying because they are in a public place.
Quinn wants so badly to say, 'yes Brittany, you were right for wanting Santana to distance herself from that girl'. But, she doesn't. This time it's not because she doesn't want to pick sides or get stuck in the middle, it's because sometimes being there is more important.
"And Santana!" Brittany pretty much announces and slams her fist. Quinn glances around, but only a few of the bars patrons even take notice. "She said, 'B, there's nothing to worry about'." She chuckles, but it's a sarcastic, slightly intoxicated one. "And then they're kissing."
When Brittany leans forward, rests her head to the bar top and starts to silently cry again, Quinn kisses her head and cheek. She doesn't see the point in trying to process the facts and sift through them with the drunken emotional wreck that is Brittany.
Maybe when the crying has somewhat subsided and the drunken haze has turned into a semi upsetting hangover, Quinn will remind Brittany that Trish is the one who kissed Santana. And that as soon as it happened, it was over. To remind her that she'd run off just when Santana saw her at the door and how she was already gone when Santana was coming for her. But, now isn't the time because Brittany isn't in the right state of mind or heart for that matter.
"Santana cheated." Brittany's words slur together and she tilts her head to the side to look at Quinn. "Q, she cheated on me."
"Oh, BB." Quinn sighs, letting her head lower down to reach Brittany eye level. "I think it's time to get you to bed." At this, Brittany frowns.
"Please, don't take me home." She mumbles as she lets Quinn ease her from the bar stool. "I mean, not my home." She clarifies, throwing her arms around her friend's neck. "I don't want to see her or talk to her ever again." Brittany sputters, pointing her finger to make sure she's being direct.
"Well, not forever hun," Quinn chimes in. "Just not tonight, right?" Brittany takes a few moments and when they start to head in the direction of Quinn's apartment she nods.
"You're right. Just for tonight." She agrees with a huff, almost sound more upset at the fact that she knows she can't simply stop communication with Santana right now as well as forever.
It's very late by the time Brittany eventually comes back home. It's been about two days since everything happened and Santana is standing in the middle of the living room when she walks in.
"Never mind, she's here." Santana tells whoever is on the other line before she tosses her phone to the couch. It bounces off of a cushion and clanks down to the hardwood floor, but neither flinches at the sound.
Santana takes a few steps towards Brittany who closes the door to their apartment slowly. Standing only a few feet away from one another, the silence is palpable. Santana chews on the inside of her cheek and plays with a piece of loose sting on her sweat pants.
"Where have you been?" She settles on. Her tone isn't accusatory or angry, but it's not sweet or overly concerned either.
Brittany averts her eyes, watching as her hand places her keys down. Her eyebrows rise slightly as she tugs on her jacket to take it off. She can see out of the corner of her eye that Santana has finally settled on crossing her arms over her stomach. A tell-tale sign that she's nervous but worried.
"I called you, like, a zillion times." She tries a different approach, playing the 'I've tried reaching out card'. Brittany smirks and shakes her head. She's not amused, but not surprised that Santana would try and make her feel guilty for not answering her calls, when they so obviously needed to talk. "Quinn told me you stayed with them." She offers the spec of information she's been privy to the last couple of days.
Brittany hadn't thought past here, the part where she's already calmly rested her keys on the table and coolly took her jacket off. Now she's standing three feet away from the door, five feet away from Santana and a million miles away from a coherent thought.
"Are you gonna say anything?" Santana asks with a small amount of desperation and cocks a hip to the side. This little body movement tells Brittany that Santana is growing impatient, but is willing to stand here all night even if she's the only one talking.
It becomes clear to her that now is not the moment to do this. She just can't have this conversation right now, not yet. Seeing Santana after not seeing her for two whole days is like she's just gotten her first gulp of air after finally reaching the surface. But, on the same note, seeing Santana after not seeing her after what happened leaves a sour taste on her tongue and is making her tummy grumble with sadness.
"I…" Brittany starts. She tries to look at Santana, but wills her focus on the wall. "I can't." She shakes her head and moves to walk by Santana.
"Britt." She steps in her way, desperate to find those blue eyes. "Please." She begs. But, Brittany only lowers her head, shakes it once more and walks around her.
"I'm sleeping in the guest room." Brittany says as she vanishes down the hall and leaves Santana all alone in the living room for the third night in a row.
When Santana hears the guest room door close she cringes. This isn't a regular fight. It's not going to be solved by some pouting or sexy striptease. Tomorrow morning she's going to wake up on the couch, again. For a moment, Santana thinks about going into the guest room and trying to coax Brittany into talking to her. Maybe if she apologizes profusely for all of this, this mess, then Brittany will be more than willing to communicate.
As she walks to the couch and lets her body fall to it, she sighs. No, that whole being sweet and soft wasn't going to work. So, she thinks that maybe she'll just rush in there and demand Brittany to talk to her. Or at least just listen to her. Give Santana the chance to explain and defend herself. But, then in that moment of thinking of the words she'd use in her defense, she realizes that she's wrong. She is so totally, one hundred percent the guilty party.
True, Trish is the one who flirted but Santana did nothing to stop it. And yes, Santana pushed Trish away just as she brushed their lips together. But, did it even have to get to that point? All she can see is where she is now. Broken hearted and alone and more mad at herself than the fates of this awful world because this is all her fault. She's hurt the most important person in her entire life and it is all her fault. She is supposed to protect Brittany, not cause her pain.
Santana swings her legs up and onto the couch, letting the top half of her body slide down so she's lying flat on her back. Her arm comes up to cover her eyes and she sighs as she closes them. This is not how she expected her week to go.
"I think that what Santana did is one hundred percent wrong and Brittany is absolutely right in punishing her." Rachel tells the group, getting a perplexed, semi understanding stare from her girlfriend.
"Okay, yeah." Quinn interjects before Rachel can continue. "I mean, don't talk to me for two days and don't come home. But, isn't there a limit of complete silence?" She explains from Santana's point of view.
"Of course you would side with Santana." Rachel huffs and Quinn rolls her eyes. Meanwhile, Kurt watches them and listens carefully as he puts the finishing touches on his final project for FIT.
"Actually Rachel, I'm not siding with anyone." She tells her straight forwardly. "I just happen to think that, while what Santana did or didn't do as the case may be, wasn't exactly girlfriend of the year material, she deserves a chance to try and redeem herself."
"The only way that'll happen is if Britt forgets any of this happened, which is obviously highly unlikely." Kurt adds as he sips on his latte, a momentary break from his school work.
"I don't know how she's doing it." Quinn mumbles as she reaches for her own coffee drink.
"Me neither." Rachel says. "If I were Brittany…"
"I was talking about Santana." Quinn cuts her off. They have a short lived stare down, which Quinn wins and Kurt lets out a long sigh before continuing his work.
"Did she tell you about the picture messages?" He asks, lifting his gaze from his computer for a second. Quinn nods and Rachel shakes her head. "'The girl'," As Trish has been dubbed by the trio. "Sent Santana these half naked pics via text message." He shakes his head in disbelief that any of this has gotten this far. "I was having this discussion with Blaine, and we both came to the agreement that even texting is cheating."
"Really?" Rachel questions curiously.
"Totally." Quinn chimes in before sipping her hot beverage and nodding. "I mean, did you even see half of the shit that 'the girl' sent S? It's truly ridiculous it has taken this to happen for her to see it." She also shakes her head because she definitely gave her best friend the benefit of the doubt which was clearly foolish.
"Oh, shh." Kurt says as he closes his laptop and sits straight up in his chair. "Hey Cookie." He greets Brittany who has just walked through the door of the café.
"Hey guys." She forces a smile on her face as well as the wave she offers before sitting down beside her best guy and gal pal.
"You hungry?" Quinn asks, looking around for their waitress.
"No, I'm fine." Brittany assures her, reaching to grab Quinn's arm before she raises it to get the attention of the woman by the counter.
"How are things?" Kurt asks her in a soft but concerned tone and places his hand on her arm. She smiles gratefully over at him and lowers her chin to her chest.
"Honestly," She takes in a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "I have no idea." She chuckles, but it's sadder than it is anything else and her friends offer her some supportive looks of 'I know what you mean and it's okay'.
Before anyone else can get the chance to change the topic of conversation, their attention is stolen by a loud entrance by a group of girls. The four of them look up from their little group and glance over at the door to find another foursome. Just as the girls move to get seated, Quinn's eyes widen and her jaw drops slightly. Kurt flinches and Rachel flickers her eyes in Brittany's direction. Brittany, well, she simply stares back at the girl that had single handedly put a dent in her otherwise perfect life. There's definitely something to be said about a girl going after someone in a relationship.
As if sensing the shift in the air, Trish turns her head and smirks to herself when her eyes land on Brittany and the rest of her gang of misfits. She quickly averts her eyes and goes to join her friends, but her attention is once again stolen by the blonde when she finds her standing in front of her. They stare at one another for a few long seconds and Trish waits for a tongue lashing from Brittany, but it never comes.
"What, are you gonna hit me?" Trish challenges, giggling to her little minion friends making Brittany furrow her brow and clench her fists at her sides. She's pretty certain that Brittany has a few choice words for her, but when they don't come she just snickers more.
"Come on Britt, let's go." Kurt says and tugs at Brittany's sleeve, but she just yanks it back.
"I'm not going to hit you." Brittany admits quietly but with the little bit of venom she's got stored away since her Cheerio days and even receives wide eyes from Kurt. Trish smirks and mumbles something to her friends about Brittany being weak.
"Britt isn't gonna hit you, but I am." Quinn announces as she steps up, pushes Trish by the shoulders and slugs her right in the nose.
"Oh my nose!" Trish's hands fly up to her injured face.
"Bitch." Quinn spits out and then within seconds or minutes, the Lima clique is out.
A few days after the incident at the café, the couple is still living sort of like roommates. They haven't really discussed much of what has happened or what has become of them. Santana doesn't want to broach the topic for fear of pushing Brittany even further away. Brittany doesn't start a much needed conversation because she fears it will only hurt her more.
After Santana heard about Quinn punching Trish in the face, which according to her old study group friends fucked her nose up, she figured things would be kind of okay. That Quinn's ass kicking would have somehow redeemed the short comings of one Santana Lopez. But, this did not seem to be how things would go.
"Can you stop that?" Brittany calls out from the kitchen.
"Stop what?" Santana asks, momentarily stunned that Brittany said more than two words to her. She looks over her shoulder seeing that her girlfriend is keeping her blue eyes focused on her cereal.
"Clicking your pen." She sighs out. "It's annoying." Santana looks at the pen in her hand, thumb on the button ready to click away.
"Oh," She breathes out. "Sorry."
"Yeah, what else is new?" Brittany mumbles before spooning some breakfast into her mouth. Santana closes her eyes so she can freely roll them in secret.
It's been hard to deal with this angry version of Brittany. Everything she does is now annoying. Everything she says gets ignored and her presence is rarely acknowledged. Her bed has become the couch and Brittany has been staying in the guest room most nights. Sometimes, she stays at Quinn's.
"My end of the year show is Thursday." Brittany says softly as if she's just remembered. Truth is, she's been wondering if she even wanted to remind Santana about something so important going on in her academic life and possibly her future. She pushes her chair back, puts her bowl in the sink and turns back to push her chair in. "It's at seven-thirty." Her shoulders shrug and her eyes lift to look over at Santana who is looking back at her from the couch. "I could leave a ticket for you at the door." She offers with extreme uncertainty. When she's able to, Santana snaps out of surprise, half smiles and nods.
"I'd like that." She tells Brittany, who nods back but soon enough her eyes are looking elsewhere and she's down the hallway.
Santana breathes out a heavy sigh when she hears the guest room door shut. She runs her fingers through her hair and lifts her pen to her lips. Of course she knew the show was Thursday. She'd put it in her calendar the day Brittany found out. Regardless of whether or not there is a ticket set aside for her, she is going to that show.
Behind the shut door of the guest room, Brittany lets out a long sigh. Her hands come up to cover her face, smooth her hair and tighten her ponytail. Fighting or not fighting, Brittany still wants Santana to be at her show. This is what everything she's done these past four years has been leading up to. She'd already put a ticket aside for Santana. Even with everything going on, she's still an important part of her life. She's just not sure what that part is anymore.