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I hope I gave sufficient answers for all your questions. If not, I'd be delighted to clear it out for anyone. Just drop me a message here or through my tumblr :)
- Santana's POV –
It's been almost a week since the Initiations ended and Brittany is... well, nowhere to be found.
I'm borderline confused and curious with what the hell is going on. Her office is still intact and I don't see any sign of it being vacated soon based on my various covert visits there to find anything that might suggest where she's gone to. I could ask Mami or Quinn but come on, that would be too desperate and obvious. And no, my snooping isn't desperate and obvious either. Ugh. What is wrong with me?
I haven't told anyone about George and I breaking up. It's not that I don't want them to know, it's more of me trying to be a little private with my thoughts by evading their future questions. And if I'm going to be honest, I feel emotionally lighter since that night. As if a big thorn had been taken off my back. What else? Oh, our friends had a successful weekend with us. We all hung out but not with Brittany and I at the same time though, something that was probably for the best seeing that tensions were high. I was especially thankful that no one pushed for any details or forced us to talk about it. Only goes to show how great they are as friends.
Anyway, Lopez Hayward is back to its normal self again. All the Initiation winners are still riding on a high after their respective victories. Ironically enough, my loss in the Initiations only made me more notorious at it seems. If they weren't able to look at me before, now they literally scram and part like the Red Ocean for me whenever I'm within a 10-feet radius. Gosh. I can only imagine how a win affects Brittany's place here in the firm. And finally, Kitty's claimed her rightful throne as the Queen of the Underworld on her floor.
It's Thursday morning and I'm currently in my office, finishing up a few details on the Foundation case for the scheduled two-day deposition tomorrow and on Saturday, out of all days, in Chicago. I sigh and wonder to myself if I'll be going alone there since Brittany's still MIA. I mean, it's her hometown but I don't even have a single idea where she is. Thankfully, Quinn's available if ever I'll need a hand.
"S?" I hear a nasally voice call out for me from the doorway and I look up to see Quinn entering my office. "Your mother wants to see us in her office."
"Any idea for what?"
"Nope. Kitty just relayed the message." She answers and takes a seat on the left lounge chair in front of my table.
"Alright. Give me a minute. I just need to send an email." I say and she nods, checking on her phone for the meantime.
It doesn't take more than a few seconds but she speaks up again without looking up from her gadget. "By the way, I saw George at Peet's a while ago. We talked for a bit then she went on her way. She said something about a 6-hour long surgery but I find that part hard to believe. I mean, she still looks fantastic." The blonde rambles nonchalantly, making me know that she's just fishing for an answer. Well, she did promise me she won't interfere with my personal life. At least not so much by her standards.
"That's nice." I reply with the same bored tone with my eyes still on the monitor in front of me. Suddenly, I feel eyes staring at me and I glance at Quinn to see her looking back at me curiously, as if she's motioning for me to go on. It takes us almost half a minute of just dumbly staring at each other before I sigh and give up on keeping the news to myself.
"George and I broke up last week."
"Oh." Quinn tries her hardest not to react and maintain a poker face. However, it takes her less than a second to break out into a half smile that looks serial killer kind of creepy.
"You look dumb, Q." I say with a chuckle as I start to organize my things after clicking send. "Let it all out now."
"Nothing. I'm actually sad that I won't see her around anymore. She was great." She grins widely this time and relaxes against her seat.
"Why, yes. You look really sad with that extra wide grin you're sporting, Q."
"Of course I'm sad. Like underneath all this." She motions to herself with a chuckle. "It's just that you were all over Dawson's Creek not more than two months ago."
"Seriously? 'Dawson's Creek'?" I raise an eyebrow at her then motion for us to stand up.
"It was Rachel's idea. Pretty neat, huh?" She remarks, amused with herself. I just shake my head in disbelief and open the door for her as we make our way out of my office. "So, why'd you girls break up, S?"
"I don't think I need to divulge on that, do I?"
"No. Will you be okay though?" She utters in a soft tone.
"Yeah. I'll be fine."
"Wait, does it mean that I can be nosy with your personal life again now?" She teases with a smirk.
"Don't push it, Lucy." I playfully roll my eyes and place an arm on her shoulder while she lets out a small laugh. I sigh and feel a surge of contentment just as we reach Mami's office and settle ourselves in the seats in front of her.
"I called the both of you to check up on a few of your cases." Mother utters nonchalantly with her attention on the papers in front of her. Meanwhile, Kitty is organizing a few documents on the long table by the right side. "Where are we on the Gilbert case?"
"Well, we've already scheduled the deposition next week. Our claims are solid and Brittany's already finished with the numbers we're dealing with. Just a little more research and we're ready to go." Quinn answers and my thoughts immediately wander again upon hearing Brittany's name.
"I see. How about the Foundation, Santana? Kitty told me that you have a deposition scheduled for tomorrow and on Saturday?"
"I'm all set for it. I'll be flying to Illinois later after work and get settled there." I trail off and Mother nods. My curiosity is on a high again when she doesn't react other than that. So, I test the waters and try to act bored. "S-So, where's Brittany?"
Mother looks up at me and seemingly contemplates on telling me the answer before speaking. "She's in London."
"W-What?!" I exclaim a little too loud, making Quinn and Kitty jump in surprise with my tone. Holy shit. Why is she back in London again?! Is she leaving?! Oh no.
Mother blinks repeatedly, trying to hide a chuckle prior to facing us completely. "I had her fix a few legal matters on my behalf for the London division of Pierce Industries. She knows the company better than I do anyway. She'll be back next week." She utters softly and I sigh deeply in relief.
"S-So, she's not leaving?" I voice out curiously.
"She is, actually." Mother sighs and I feel my heart skip a beat at the notion. "We agreed that as soon as you two finish up on the Foundation case, she'll distribute her clients to you and Quinn and hand in her resignation."
"W-What? N-No, she can't quit! We'll be one associate short if she leaves and-" I try to reason my heart out, even sharing a look with Quinn.
"Mija, I tried convincing her but she was adamant on it. It's her choice." Mother sighs just as I find myself with hundreds, if not, thousands of thoughts running through my mind at the sudden turn of events. "Anyway, Brittany will be meeting you in Chicago for the two-day deposition. You two play nice, Santana." She adds with a small smile on her face.
"W-Wait. I thought Quinn's coming with me there?"
"What?! No, I can't. I have a pre-trial set on Friday with the sexist Crayola Buddies, S." Quinn chimes in with a curious look at me.
Oh shit. With tensions high and her desire to leave this place, I'm not sure it's going to be a good idea. Hell, I'm probably the last person she wants to see right now. "Well, maybe Kitty could come with me?" I gesture to a clueless Kitty on my left.
"Nope. She's coming with me to my pre-trial. There's no way I'll be left alone with those assholes. Besides, it's yours and Brittany's case." Quinn protests with a hard glare at me. "Right, Kitty?"
"Well, I've got three lesbian bosses so sure, I could use the testosterone in the pre-trial for a change." Kitty mutters with a bored tone without looking up from the table. We all glance at her questioningly for a second but seeing that she doesn't care, we let it go.
"I'm afraid they are right, Mija." Mother interjects with a shrug. "And unless you have anymore to say, it's settled then. Brittany will be flying from London to Chicago. She'll just see you in Illinois technically, tomorrow morning with the time difference and all. Is there anything you wish to bring up?"
I sigh deeply and just shake my head to get it done and over. "I'll be back on Monday, Mother. We'll call you as soon as we have any notable progress on the case."
"Alright then. You can leave for Chicago now, if you want. Oh, send my love to the Pierces for me while you're at it." She adds with a smile. I nod and excuse myself to get a head start in gathering everything I'll need for my weekend trip.
Oh my God. I'll be left alone with Brittany for the entire weekend. That would be fine any other day, like three years ago, but I'm pretty sure she's not entirely excited about seeing me or even spending time with me after everything that's happened.
Ugh.
You know what, I gotta do something. Just anything to show that I'm making an effort to reach out to her and maybe apologize for my actions. But how do I do that when she's in another continent? Maybe I could have someone I know there send flowers and chocolates to her with a note that I miss her and can't wait to see her in Chicago. Shit. So pathetic. Something better. I need something better.
Ooh. I got it.
I hurriedly enter my office and start grabbing the essentials for the deposition. Brittany has the same copy of all the files anyway and knowing her, there's an extra copy lying around somewhere. After making sure I'm all set, I fish out my phone and dial a familiar number as I make my way towards the elevators. She picks it up after the third ring.
"I may or may not be discussing business with Robert Redford right now. So, this better be a matter of life and death, Selena." Grams' unmistakable voice echoes in my ears just as the elevators reach our floor.
"Oh, it's better, Grams." I pause dramatically and smirk after pressing my parking floor. "I need a small favor."
- Brittany's POV –
I can't believe I'm about to say this but I missed England.
I used to curse this place every single day during my first year and a half of living in the country. My break up was still fresh then and Pierce Industries here was still suffering. But now, it's actually refreshing to just kick back in the office after settling legal matters for the past three days within the company sector, with the employees who I've come to regard as my family during my stay here.
To be honest, I can't thank Maribel enough for the much needed time and space away from the tension brought about by the mock trial back at the firm. The past three days barely felt like work since I had no trouble sorting out the legal stuff with Mrs. Jones.
I'm due to go back to the US in a few hours for the scheduled two-day deposition in Chicago with the Foundation case. I'm feeling a bit nervous and relieved about that. Nervous since I'll be seeing Santana again for the first time since our little spat and relieved because well, I'll be seeing Santana again. As much as I deny it, I do miss her even if we fought big time. I contemplated calling her several times but decided against it since I don't really know what to say. Oh well. I could probably come up with something on the way to Chicago.
It's lunchtime now and I'm in Pierce Industries' headquarters in London where Mrs. Jones plus a few more others in the office threw a little get together for me before I leave later. Hence, the abundance of cakes, champagne, and tons of food around in the office floor with everyone mingling and just having fun. I'm actually enjoying my time laughing and socializing with them, catching up and eating tons of cake when something, or rather, someone catches my attention.
"Santana?" I say with a scrunched up face upon seeing the familiar brunette who had just exited the elevator from across the floor. She looks lost from what I gather and generally a little confused. She does look good in that black dress though. She always looks good in anything anyway so- Ahem. Yeah.
"H-Hey." She mouths and waves awkwardly while making her way towards me.
"What are you doing here?" I ask her when she's finally an arms' length away.
She seemingly blanks on the answer with the way she's blinking repeatedly and saying "uhmm" for at least thrice now. "W-Well, it's a-a long s-story."
I squint my eyes at her and sigh deeply since that's probably all I'm going to get just by looking at her. Thankfully, Mrs. Jones, in all her cute plumpness and stereotypical grandma demeanor, comes over to us with a huge smile on her face.
"Oh my word! Santana!" She exclaims happily and motions for a hug which Santana eagerly returns, holding the latter on both sides of her arms after letting her go. "How are you, darling?"
"I'm wonderful. And you? You look like you've never aged a day!"
"Ah, always the charming one." Mrs. Jones utters with a blush and takes a step back. "We weren't expecting you. I mean, Brittany here has been talking incessantly about you for the past few-"
"Mrs. Jones!" My eyes widen as I motion for her to cut it out while I feel the red creeping into my cheeks.
"Oh, pish posh!" The older woman waves a hand in amusement.
"Really now?" Santana, who's now standing beside me, remarks with a smirk.
"I wasn't, o-okay? I-I…" I stop implicating myself even more and just take a hefty sip of champagne while subtly trying to avoid Santana's stare on me.
"Ah… I'm so happy to see the both of you again." Mrs. Jones utters, while looking back and forth at us with a big grin. "It's so nice that you two are back together."
My eyes instantly widen as Santana and I share a look before shaking our heads. "O-Oh. We're actually not back together." Santana awkwardly utters while I nod frantically.
"Oh." Mrs. Jones forehead creases but ultimately seems to have dropped it. "Well then. I will leave the both of you to your devices. Santana, please help yourself with the cake and champagne. It's just a little going-away shindig for Brittany. Enjoy yourselves!" She adds with a cute grin and goes on to mingle with the other employees, leaving me and Santana in an uncomfortable silence.
"So…" I break the silence and casually glance at her direction with a raised eyebrow.
"Cake?" She replies immediately with a hint of uneasiness before grabbing herself a slice behind her.
I shake my head lightly as I wait for her to finish. What is she doing here? Did she know that I'll be quitting from the firm? Or maybe she just wanted to see me and talk things over? Nah. Only a girl could dream.
"I can't believe this place looks the same." She voices out with her eyes wandering all over the place.
"Yeah. And so is my flat here, actually."
"You kept your place?" She retorts with surprise.
"Yes. For when I visit. Why?" I playfully raise an eyebrow at her as I take a bite of my own slice of cake.
She dismisses me by shaking her head and takes a slice of her cake instead. "Oh my god. This is so good!"
"It is." I nod in agreement then give her a curious look. "You know, this is probably the first time I've ever seen you eat cake."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I'm pretty sure you were allergic to sweets back then with how much you seemed to reject every single sweet anyone offered you. Even ice cream. You constantly rejected ice cream, San." I chuckle lightly and she just playfully rolls her eyes at me.
We eat in silence for a few minutes. In between bites of our cake, I hear her moaning in a tone that's not really safe for work while literally eating her way through it.
"So…" I trail off with a slight grin and she looks up from devouring another helping of a different flavored cake this time. "I assume you didn't come to London just to eat cake?"
"I don't know. Seeing you and eating this magical pastry is already worth the 8-hour flight." She answers with a smirk. I feel a little blush creeping up on my cheeks, something I try to hide by shoving a big piece of cake in my mouth. "But I actually came here to- uhmm…" She pauses and bites her lip, trying to remember what she came here for in the first place. "To check up on the t-thing with Mrs. Jones. Y-Yeah!" She exclaims a little too loud, making me squint my eyes at her in confusion.
"What 'thing'?"
"Y-You know, the t-thing you're handling with her?" She raises both eyebrows and I just look at her dumfounded. "U-Uh… I'm just h-here to see if it's a-all done."
"It is done. I already told Maribel last night."
"O-Oh. Well, the time d-difference is a little tricky. I mean, it's probably tomorrow in Asia already." She tries to counter without looking at me, making me chuckle at how obvious she's being.
"Whatever you say." I mention casually with a slight grin. "So, what now?"
"W-What?"
"Since you know I'm done with work here. What do you do now?"
"O-Oh. Well, there's that Foundation deposition we have to get to. So, yeah. We'll do that."
"Wait…" I trail off and put down the small plate, facing her this time with a knowing smirk and amused expression. "Santana, did you come all the way here just to fetch me?"
"W-What?!" She cries out, acting surprised at my words. "W-What are- Why w-would I-" She breathes deeply then shakes her head in disbelief. "You're not correct, Britt!" She emphasizes the last part and I laugh out loud this time.
Santana blushes big time, practically becoming a tomato with how red her cheeks are. I pretend not to be affected by it by keeping quiet and drinking my champagne instead. It was only after a moment that the silence is broken once again.
"Are you still mad at me?" Santana utters with an insecure tone after a while.
I stop myself midway from looking at her as I try to catch up with the sudden shifting mood of our conversation. It's not everyday you hear Santana sound vulnerable. "Not as much." I mutter just enough for her to hear.
"But you're leaving the firm, right?"
I glance at the brunette and see her looking genuinely guilty and sad at the prospect of such statement. "Yes. I told Maribel that I'll just close the Foundation case this week with what is hopefully a successful deposition and I'll transfer all my clients to you both then I'm done."
"Yeah, Mami said that b-but-" She trails off but backtracks for a second. "Where are you going then?"
"I don't know. Maybe I'll just take a break first or have a long vacation travelling wherever. I'll figure it out later."
"Are you leaving because of me, Britt?"
I stare back at her and hesitate on answering the question. I'm not entirely sure myself what's the reason for my impending resignation and I honestly thought that when I see Santana, I'll be able to figure it out. I can't even bring myself to be mad at her anymore.
I don't get the chance to answer though because Santana is whisked away by a few employees to join them in a picture. Looking at her right now with those subtle worried glances at me from across the room, I realize that maybe it's not such a good idea to quit. It was a decision I made on a whim but somehow I meant it. Santana and I being at the same place, working closely like that, and with all that drama combined isn't such a good idea. Maybe I really just need the distance to clear my head and possibly start moving on for real this time.
- Santana's POV -
Shortly after lunch, the time has come for us to leave London.
Lopez Hayward's private jet took off not more than half an hour ago and I am now again on a long ass trip to wherever. Thankfully, Grams' let me borrow her private jet without too much questions. I literally only said 'I'm going to follow Brittany to London and fetch her', and ta-da! I don't even know why I did that but the long flight was so worth it just to see Brittany's surprised face upon seeing me. Oh man, traveling to another continent in such a short time is like freaking legit time travel. It's tiring, yes but gosh, I feel like a rock star jet setting like this.
Right now though, Brittany and I are seated apart while minding our own business. I'm busy replying with work emails on my laptop by the couch and she's quietly reading a book by the lounge chair beside the window. In a way, it excites me that she and I will be spending the whole weekend alone together in Chicago. I know that it's for work purposes but still, we're alone. Maybe we could use this time to iron out our differences and finally make up. Maybe more seeing that there's no more reason to hold back.
I know she's still a little hesitant to talk to me, probably even a bit of a bitch at that. It's something I'm not used to when it comes to her but it definitely amuses the hell out of me. I've just finished going through my emails and find myself with nothing to do now. And so, I walk towards Brittany's place and settle on the seat across from her. She doesn't bat an eye even if I know I've already got her attention in some way.
"Stop staring at me." She utters in a nonchalant tone with her eyes still on the book in her hand.
"I'm not staring at you." I tease back and train my eyes on her. In a few seconds though, she looks up and meets my gaze. "Now I am." I add with a smirk.
She rolls her eyes at me and pretends to go back in reading her book. "I don't know about you but when someone has a book in her hand, it basically translates to 'don't talk to me'."
"Then why are you talking to me?"
"You were the one who-" She tries to counter while I just sit back and smirk widely. She sighs and finally puts down the book. "Fine. What do you want?"
"I just want to talk." I smile smugly.
"Talk about what?"
"I don't know, just anything."
"I don't feel like talking, San." She bites her lip and avoids my gaze. "I'm still a little mad at you."
"I know. I'm sorry. I really am." I say genuinely with a frown. "What can I do to make it up to you?"
"Nothing. Let's just do our job and we don't have to deal with this."
"Britt, I'm baring my soul here." I interject with a look at her. She looks back at me and breathes deeply, something I welcome with a small smile.
"I'm furious at what you did to me back in the Courtroom. You didn't need to bare your feelings publicly like that, San. I know it was my fault for starting it and I'm sorry about that." She pauses with a deep sigh. "It's just that- If your goal was to make me feel good with the win by holding back, then you failed."
I bite my lip and stall for a few seconds to find the right words to say. She's right. I really was a big jackass. "I'm really sorry, Britt. I don't know what to say. I-I just- I'm sorry. You're right."
"You could have talked to me but you didn't, San. You kept on avoiding and ignoring me even if I tried so hard to reach out to you. It's just so tiring already, you know. I'm past the point of working out things. I just want to be done with it."
"No, B-Britt. I was just being stupid. I'm going to more vocal now, okay? I promise." I try to reason out. "I don't want you to quit because of what happened. So, please, just tell me what I can do to make it up to you."
"I don't know, San…"
"Please. I'll do anything. I'll even be your slave for the weekend." I interject quickly and she seems to have lighten up. "See? I like it when you're not sad. Plus, I don't think you'd be able to resist me either." I add with the last part as a tease. This time, she elicits a small smile.
"What makes you think I can't?"
"What makes you think you can?" I counter almost instantly with a smirk.
She raises an eyebrow and shakes her head in amusement. "Santana, look..."
"I know, I know. There's nothing I could do to change your mind for leaving-" I hold up a hand, scrambling to find the right words. "But how about this, I have a proposal for you."
"I believe we've already covered that part before our engagement ended." She jests with a smirk.
"Very funny." I feign a pleased face and she chuckles, motioning for me to continue. "We're going to be alone for two days in Chicago without The Omen intern and Satan's godchild in the form of our co-associate as our antagonists for the weekend, so, hear me out first, okay?"
"How about you say it first so I can hear it?" She teases with a look.
"Britt, please..." I say with a bored tone, something she just laughs at but seemingly follows. "Okay. So, what if, I try to change your mind this weekend about leaving? I mean, you're probably sure already but you said that you still don't have plans after your planned resignation, right?"
"Yes, but-"
"Then that's all I need. I'll do anything and everything it is that you want this weekend and in return, I just want you to reconsider leaving. No promises at all. If you still want to leave after our weekend in Chicago then I'd respect that. Just reconsider it."
Brittany gazes at me intently. I know she's thinking about it and going over every pros and cons like she always does. "Okay." She finally utters after a moment.
I grin widely, sitting up straight out of excitement. "Really? 'Okay'?"
"I believe that's what I just said."
"So, we're okay now too?" I say excitedly with a grin.
"Not quite and easily at that. Just because I agreed to your reconsider thing doesn't mean I'm not mad at you anymore or will even talk to you."
"Wha- Are you serious, Britt?"
"Am I laughing?" She counters with an eyebrow raise.
I chuckle this time, very entertained. "Since when did you get sassy?"
"Well, I don't know if you know her but my grandmother is Bonnie Pierce. Being sassy is in my genes." She remarks, clearly pleased with herself.
I shake my head lightly in amusement then lean forward to give my full attention to her. "How about I make you dinner tonight?"
She chuckles and gives me a look. "Dinner? Do you really think I can be pleased with dinner?"
"Yeah. I really do. Especially with a scrumptious dessert to go with it." I raise an eyebrow with a knowing grin at her. She stares at me for a few seconds as if to contemplate my offer before speaking again.
"I don't think George would appreciate you making me dinner."
Aha! I smile softly at her and relax against my seat. "Nah, she won't mind." I say before locking eyes with her. "We broke up."
"Oh." Brittany replies after a few seconds. "I'm sorry." She adds and funnily enough, her lips start to curve much to her holding back on it.
"Why are you smiling?" I laugh while staring curiously at her, raising an eyebrow in amusement.
"W-What?! I-I'm not smiling." She tries to counter but her smile clearly says otherwise. She even purses her lips for a few seconds before breaking into a smile again.
"You're practically grinning, Britt." I laugh lightly now and mirror her grin.
"N-No! I'm just flexing my facial muscles!" She replies and this time, holds a hand over her mouth in an attempt to cover up her smile. I just shake my head in enjoyment and change the topic.
"So, have we somehow cleared the air now? Even just for the meantime? Maybe hold off on the extra serious talk until after we're finished with business? I'm really sorry. It won't happen again, I swear. Believe me, I mean it." I ramble on with a hopeful glint in my eyes.
She seems to contemplate on it while awkwardly trying to hide her smile. "Look, San. I'm sorry too. And I still can't believe you flew all the way from New York just to fetch me, that was very sweet..." She pauses, the blush apparent on her face. "So, yes. Cleared air it is. For the meantime, that is." She retorts and I swear I almost throw my hands in the air out of excitement. I sigh contentedly and relax against my seat before turning my attention back on her.
"That's more than good enough for me." I grin widely. "Well, it's a 9-hour flight, Pierce. I'm sure we're both sick of reviewing the Foundation case for the nth time and besides, we'll just kick their asses anyway. So, how about a movie instead? Snakes on a plane?" I offer jokingly and she shakes her head in disbelief before finally relenting.
- Brittany's POV -
They broke up. Santana and George broke up. George is out of the picture and Santana is single.
Okay. Deep breaths for me. Let me do it again: Ohmygodohmygod! They broke up! They finally broke up! Santana's single now and I'm single too! Oh my god!
I mean, sure. I feel bad for George in a way because she's really just the sweetest. I tried hating on her like one of those bad ex-girlfriends but how can you hate Mother Teresa incarnate herself, right? But that's done. Santana's here with me this weekend, alone, unattached, and I'm sure pretty much available judging by how much she pleaded on making me reconsider my quitting prospects.
We arrived not more than three hours ago in my parents' house here in Kenilworth. Oh gosh, I missed this place! At first, Santana insisted on staying at a nearby hotel but I managed to talk her out of such a crazy idea. There's tons of rooms in the house, my parents are somewhere in the West Coast, and most of the house staff are gone for the weekend anyway with a few others leaving tomorrow. Thinking about it now though, maybe there's a little agenda under there but I swear that there's nothing! Yet.
Also, we were supposed to be doing the deposition right now but Terri had to reschedule it for tomorrow because of some emergency and as it turns out, there's also some kind of storm brewing in the East Coast which made her unable to fly. It's even started to snow out here. So, anyway, it's going to be a whole day deposition tomorrow instead of the scheduled two-day thing.
"You know, I think they're hiding something else. Our arguments are solid but I feel as if we missed something." I mumble to myself.
I'm seated in the dining area with tons of papers and documents scattered all over the place. We've been reviewing a few cases and preparing together for any sort of surprise they might pull off for almost two hours now but I still feel like I'm missing something.
"Yeah, just looking at Terri's plastic-surgery laden face, you'd know there something under that shit. We just need to figure it out soon so we can get them to settle tomorrow." Santana chimes in from somewhere around me.
"How about I just go through the numbers again then you- uhmm…" I blank out just I look up to meet Santana's quizzical stare at me while carrying what looks like roast beef and gravy towards me. A really delicious looking roast beef. "Where did that come from?"
She chuckles and settles down the food on the table, putting away the documents while she's at it. "The oven, silly. I've been preparing dinner like I promised you all while you've been obsessing over Terri and her secrets."
"Y-You were?"
Santana smiles at me in this cute manner with her head slightly tilted to the side. "I know you're hungry. So, why don't you get us some plates and bring the mashed potatoes over here too? I'll put your mild obsession aside for the meantime." She adds in amusement while I absentmindedly oblige to her request.
After a few moments, we've finally set up the table and ready to dig in when out of all the times, the lights go out.
A freaking blackout.
"Ooh!" I shout a little too loud and accidentally grab Santana's hand out of fear. Or want. I'm not sure. It's dark!
The sound of Santana chuckling cuts through the silence. "I think somebody had a little too much coffee."
"Yeah, right. Says the person who's immune to the effects of coffee."
"Maybe it's just your excuse for touching my hand in the darkness. How romantic and creepy, Britt."
"I can't think! Where's my phone? We need lights in here!" I exclaim in desperation. Further igniting my panic, Santana stands up and disappears somewhere with only a little light from her own phone guiding her way. "San, where are you going? Don't leave me here!"
"I'll be right back, Britt."
"No! Don't say that! That's what they say before they die in the movies!" I cry out anxiously.
A minute or two passes by and my eyes have seemingly adjusted to the darkness now. Santana comes back to the table with the faint light of her flashlight showing off her silhouette. For a brief moment, I thought that she was going to scare me but instead, she gathers the nearby candlesticks in the middle of the long table and places it in front of us. Moreover, she pulls out a plastic long tube lighter and lights them one by one until the whole room is illuminated.
Now this is… well, romantic.
"Better?" Santana utters with a tight-lipped smile as she settles in her seat again.
"I-I… Uh…" I find myself just staring at the stunning girl in front of me, the yellow light complimenting her features and beautiful skin. God, it's just so unreal. 'Beautiful' doesn't even give her beauty justice at all.
"Britt?" She snaps her fingers in front of me and I'm instantly torn up from my thoughts. I see her looking quizzically at me while motioning to the food in front of us. "Let's eat before the food gets cold. Don't worry about the lights, it's probably going to come back soon."
"Okay." I trail off, letting her place food on my plate while she does hers after. "And what if it doesn't then?"
"Then you have the choice of sharing the guest bedroom with me or sleeping alone in your former room with monsters under your bed." She replies with a quick wink.
I playfully roll my eyes and take a bite of the roast beef. "Oh wow, this is amazing! I'm so hungry!"
"Funny. It doesn't look that way." She sarcastically utters. "I'm glad you like it."
"I've always liked your cooking."
"Just my cooking?" She smirks widely while I playfully raise an eyebrow.
"Are you flirting with me, Santana?"
"Do you want me to?" She raises an eyebrow and leans a bit forward.
"I don't know, San. It depends if you can keep the monsters under my bed like you said."
"I never said anything about keeping them out of your bedroom."
My forehead creases just as I give her a scrutinizing look. "Then what do I do about them?"
"I don't know. You'll just have to share the guest bedroom with me, I guess." She remarks, biting her lip while she's at it.
"Okay." I say almost instantly with a slight smirk as I tear my eyes away from her and the visible shock on her face.
"Y-You- R-Really?"
"Yeah." I stare back at her and lean forward, close enough that my face is only a few inches from her. "In fact, we'll be exchanging bedrooms. You sleep in mine with the monsters under the bed then I'll stay in yours with the comfy bed and nice view. I'm sure the monsters will be happy to share the room with you." I wink at her and go back to my food while I sense her gaze still lingering on me in disbelief.
"How did we get here? I thought you were still mad at me, Britt?" She laughs heartily.
"Well, the roast beef helped." I smile softly at her, making her relax a bit. "Though I must say that I could never, ever pass up the chance of making you blush by using my vicious words."
"They're hardly vicious. You're as vicious as a newborn puppy, Pierce." Santana chuckles and I roll my eyes at her instead.
"You know what, I like this." I trail off with a nod.
"What? Me making you the center of my universe tonight or the part where I'm awkwardly trying to 'seduce' you into sharing my bed?"
"I was actually talking about the roast beef." I grin widely and she only gives me a look. "Nah, actually, I was talking about spending time joking around with the temporary cleared air between us. Who knew you could be funny? It's nice."
"Smartass." She mutters. "Hey, want to go out tomorrow after the deposition? Not like a date, okay? Just maybe a celebratory dinner regardless if we get to finish the Foundation case this week or not. With the storm and all, I don't think we'd be able to fly back tomorrow night anyway. So, what if we just grab some drinks or we could go get that deep dish pizza that you want downtown?" She rambles on, looking shyly at me.
I pretend to think about it just for the hell of it but my smile ultimately gives it away. "Okay, I have one condition though."
"Hmm… Now I'm having second thoughts about this but sure, what is it?"
"I get to make breakfast tomorrow." I say and she seemingly freezes for a second before speaking.
"As long as the fire alarm and smoke detectors here are working and I won't die from poison then okay." She jests and I playfully jab her in the arm.
"Hey, I've moved up in the culinary world from absolute garbage to Masterchef levels! You'll see tomorrow."
"I'll still keep the fire extinguisher at bay. Sorry. I meant, fire extinguishers."
"Maybe I should kick you out of my house right now."
"I'll seriously put out the candles and leave you to die here in the darkness if you do that." She retorts and we both laugh contently. We eat in silence once again, just enjoying the food and the light flow of our conversation. We're almost finished with dinner and the bottle of wine when Santana speaks again.
"So, there's no way we'd get to share a bedroom. Or just the bed?" She teases again with a devilish grin.
"I can't believe you're still trying to seduce me after everything that went down!"
"Well, you were so keen on doing it to me. This is semi-payback." She raises both eyebrows suggestively.
"Well, Miss Lopez." I grin widely. "I think you'll have to take me out on a date first before I get into any bed that isn't mine."
Santana chuckles and I'm pretty sure my heart is beating fast with the way she's giving me off that perfect smile. "Well, how about we do it in yours?"
"San, you know my rules." I reason out while giving her a playful look.
"I do." She nods with her bottom lip sticking out, the conversation slowly turning serious. "But aren't we past that stage already?" She adds with a little hesitation in her tone.
"We are but we failed." I bite my lip and suddenly notice myself leaning closer towards her. Oh my god, those lips of hers are just… argh.
"Doesn't mean that we can't start over again, right?"
I sigh deeply before looking back at her, my eyes falling on her lips as I do so. "I-I don't know..."
She turns her whole body towards me, noticing my stare on her. She smirks and slowly leans forward to close the gap between us, building the anticipation as she does so. "I still have the remainder of the weekend to make you reconsider, don't I?"
"Y-Yeah." I whisper just as our lips finally graze when the lights go back on and illuminate the whole room again, almost blinding us. It was just an almost kiss but I felt a jolt, an electrical surge, if you must. It's as if my toes are prickling from the encounter and I'm pretty sure my legs are jelly right now.
It may have not been much but I certainly felt her soft lips on mine even with the lightest of touch. We pull away from each other hesitantly, with her biting her lip and me just smiling shyly at her. Dammit. If it weren't so awkward, I would have already leaned forward and kiss her to my heart's content.
"So, uhmm..." I trail off, trying not to seem too fazed, just as I raise my wine glass and look back at her. "You said something about a scrumptious dessert?"
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