This is the longest chapter I've ever written. Leave me a message and let me know what you think. Enjoy.
Chapter 10
Santana's POV
The sun that blares through the crack in the curtains is what wakes me up. I have no idea what time it is. I haven't even opened my eyes yet. I'll I know is that it is morning. Another day.
Sunday.
The day after Saturday. The day after yesterday. The day I had lunch with Quinn and Brittany. Which reminds me of what is suppose to happen today.
I open my eyes and roll over on my side to look at the clock. It's not as early as I thought it was. 9:37. There is one thing that I am really looking forward to today. I'm excited just thinking about seeing Brittany again.
Yesterday was scary. I'll admit it. I was scared to tell Brittany that I broke up with Puck but- I wasn't scared but I broke up with him. Does that make sense? I was scared because admitting that I broke up with him meant that I was opening myself up to her and to being with her.
With a yawn, I stretch my arms over my head and stretch my legs to the bottom of the bed, my toes touching the footboard. Time to get up and get going. I need to figure out what's happening today, then let Brittany know. I hope my mom and dad don't have plans for the family to go somewhere. They're leaving tonight, so I doubt it.
After a stop at the bathroom I head down the stairs and into the kitchen. My mom is standing at the stove making breakfast. I go up behind her and wrap my arms around her from behind.
"Morning sweetie." My mom chimes.
"Morning. That smells good. Whatcha cookin'?" I ask and scoot to her right side so that I can see.
"Pancakes and sausage. Wanna help?"
"Sure." I take over the griddle with the pancakes on it. "Ma?"
"Yes, dear."
"What are we doing today?" I ask. It's the most important thing I need to know all day. Her answer will shape the rest of my day. It will determine whether or not I get to see Brittany today.
"Well, right now we are making breakfast." She giggles. "And after breakfast your father and I are going for a bicycle ride. Then we will come back for lunch. After lunch I plan on doing some clean and laundry before supper and after supper we will pack up and leave for Ohio."
"That's it?" I ask.
"You can do whatever you want today, dear, but I hope you are here for meals."
"Okay." An exciting pulse runs through my body.
"Do you have plans with Quinn?" My mom asks.
Oh. What do I tell her? Do I lie? Do I tell her the truth?
"No. Not really. I was gonna ask a friend of mine to come over." I tell her and hope she doesn't ask too many questions.
"Oh. That's good. I'm glad you have some friends here. Are you guys gonna hang out with Quinn then?" My mom asks
"No." I mumble. My mom is starting to make me feel bad about ditching Quinn for the day, but Quinn knows what going on and I'm sure she understands.
"Oh." My mom says and puts more sausage in the frying pan.
"I think Quinn is having a day to herself today." At least I hope she is.
"Okay." My mom comments but doesn't say anything more.
I flip the pancakes over and concentrate on making breakfast not the thoughts that are swirling around in my head.
A few minutes later Quinn rolls into the kitchen. "Smells great ladies, but I'm a little shocked that Santana is up so early."
"Hey, I get up early. My early shift at the diner starts at five am. I can get up early if I have to." I spit back harshly. I take great offense to Quinn's comment. I can get up early just because in the past I liked to sleep in as many of the days as I possible doesn't mean I can't get up. But, now- I am being an adult.
"Whoa! Who woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?" Quinn giggles. The blonde grabs a plate and starts piling the already cooked bacon onto it. "Yummy. Yummy. Yummy." She mumbles under her breath. Oh, Quinn and her bacon.
"I will have you know that I did not wake up on the wrong side of the bed. I feel very alive and in a great mood today." I inform Quinn with my head held high. I actually feel excellent today. I haven't felt this good in a long time.
Quinn takes her plate and goes over to the table and sits down. "Okay, whatever you say, S. When those pancakes are done you wanna bring some over?"
I roll my eyes. "Yes, dear."
Just then my father walks in. "Good morning, ladies." He goes right up to my mom and gives her a kiss.
"Morning, dad."
"Good morning, Santana." He comes up to me and kisses me on the top of the head. I smile and giggle like a little girl.
My dad goes over and sits down at the head of the table and opens up the newspaper that was already sitting there at his place. My mom must have put it there, cuz I didn't.
"So, what do you girls have planned today?" He asks as he reads the front page.
I don't know if he is talking to me or if I should even answer. I don't know what to say anyway. I'm not sure what I am doing today… yet.
Quinn says something first, though. "I plan on relaxing today. Maybe tanning on the beach, reading a little bit, I don't know. Nothing too fancy, though."
Part of me is glad at the words that come from Quinn's mouth. I'm glad that she seems to have a plan for the day. A plan that doesn't include me. She has to know. She has to know that I won't want her to spend the day with me. She knows about Brittany and she knows that she shouldn't intrude.
"Hmm. Sounds like a good day to me." My dad comments and then takes a sip of coffee from his coffee cup that my mom just brought over to him.
It's quiet for a while and I work on the pancakes and my mom works on the rest of breakfast, sausage, eggs, biscuits, etc. I bring some pancakes over to my dad and Quinn when they are ready. They thank me and I go back to the stove.
Feet coming up the wooden stairs from the basement catch my attention. It's one of two people. The basement is where Robbie sleeps when he is here, that's his 'room'. But, Puck is also staying down there, too.
I am uneasy that Puck is still here, but I don't have the heart to kick him out. He hasn't really given me any reason to. I know it's not my house but I have the say whether or not I want him here. Puck hasn't given me a reason to kick him out, so that's why he is still here. The man has been on his best behavior- to my surprise. Actually, I haven't heard much out of him. I couldn't just throw him out for no reason.
It looks like he will be staying here the whole time that Quinn is here and he will leave with her. Puck decided not to get a flight back and just wait it out and drive back with Quinn. He said that he would even drive all the way back to Ohio if Quinn wanted. So, I guess it's not all bad.
I haven't spoken to him though, not really. I hear things through Quinn, but I haven't said more than a few words to him and he hasn't said much to me either. We have just exchanged pleasantries and greetings. The usual polite words between two people. There have been many awkward glances and curt nods but not much has been said.
My mom keeps asking what happened. Every time she sees me hesitate in his presence she always brings it up. I keep telling her it's nothing and that we broke up. She just gives me this look like she doesn't believe me and then shakes her head and goes back to what she was doing.
The good part is- if there is a good part- that Puck and Robbie have been hanging out the last couple of days. I haven't seen much of either one of them. It's good that Puck has someone here for him and someone he can bro around with.
And Robbie seems to love it too. He loves hanging out with Puck. I think Robbie thinks of Puck as a little brother. I don't blame him. Puck was around our house a lot when we were in high school. When Puck came over and Robbie was home Puck spent more time with my brother than he did with me.
The door to the basement swings open in the kitchen and there appears I rather haggard looking Puck. I can't tell if it's his usual morning drowsiness or if there's something else adding to his tired look.
I watch as he looks around at the people that occupy the kitchen. His eyes meet mine last and he smiles as best as he can and nods. I nod at him back. That seems to do it. He moves from the doorway and shuts the basement door behind him. He goes to the kitchen island and reaches out. Puck grabs a biscuit and a couple pieces of bacon. He doesn't bother with a plate or a napkin or anything. Puck takes his food and walks away, out the back patio door, off into the day.
I sigh. I'll be glad when he and Quinn leave on Tuesday morning.
"Where is he going?" My dad asks.
No one gives him an answer. No one knows the answer.
I fix up a plate of food and sit down at the table between my dad and Quinn. I start into my meal and finish my eggs when Quinn slides her plate forward away from herself towards the center of the table.
I glance over at her out of the corner of my eye. She smirks, I know she is gonna say something to me about something. Probably something to rile me up. She's good at that.
"So-" Quinn folds her hands together and rest them on the table, between the edge and her plate. "-are you excited about today?" She asks.
I swallow the lump that has suddenly from in my throat. "I-I don't know. I don't know if I'm more excited or nervous." I admit.
"Gotcha." Quinn nods her head once. "Just so you know, I will make myself scares."
"What? No, I need you here." I don't know why I am saying this all of a sudden. I few minutes ago I was think about how Quinn wouldn't be hanging around with me all day. How I would have some time only with Brittany. Now I feel like I need Quinn to be around.
To my surprise Quinn laughs. I look over to her fully. She pats her hand on my back as she laughs. "No- no you don't." She says as she controls her laughter. "But, I will stick around until she gets here. I won't be far after that. Around the house or on the beach- if you need me."
I nod. I think I can handle that. That sounds like a good plan. "Thanks."
"What's going on?" I look to my dad when I hear his voice. He has put the paper down and I looking curiously between Quinn and I. "Who's getting here?"
"Brittany." Quinn say simply before I can even think of what to say.
I look from Quinn to my dad. He sits there with a blank face. I can see the wheels turning in his brain. He's trying to thinking if he recognizes the name. He's trying to think if he knows a Brittany. But, as the seconds pass, I can tell that he has no idea.
"Santana, has a new friend." Quinn announces at the same time that she nudges me in the side with her elbow.
"Oww." I groan and rub at my ribs.
"Oh really?" My dad asks with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, right S?" Quinn says happily and nudges my in the side again, catching my hand this time.
"Stop that." I whine at Quinn and rub at my side some more with my hand. "And yes, dad. I have a new friend. She is coming over today and we are gonna hangout and talk and do girl stuff." I tell the man. It's not quite what is actually gonna happen. I don't really know what is actually gonna happen. I know what I want to happen, but I don't know how things are going to work out.
"What about Quinn?" My dad asks. It seems like a weird question to me. But, maybe it's not.
"Oh, don't worry about me. I'm just gonna lounge on the beach with a good book." Quinn chimes in. I couldn't be more thankful for the woman sitting next to me. She knows just what to say and when to say it. Good or bad.
"Oh, well then- uh- you girls have a good day." My dad says and picks up his paper again and starts reading.
I look over to Quinn and she is grinning like a maniac. And she just might be sometimes. It's like she had this all planned out when she woke up this morning. All the questions, all the prodding at me, and all the statements to my parents. It's almost like she planned to antagonize me about waking up on the wrong side of the bed and about Brittany. It's like she knew what she was gonna do with her day long before anybody asked. It's like she plotted the whole morning out.
"You gonna call up your friend and tell her to come over." Quinn says through that wicked grin.
I can't do much else but roll my eyes. "Yes." I end up saying though.
Quinn chuckles and rises from her seat with her empty breakfast plate.
With that settled I hurry up and finish my breakfast so that I can call Brittany up and tell her to come over.
I told Brittany to come over after lunch.
It's after lunch now.
Quinn, and my mom, and I are cleaning up after our meal. Quinn is washing the dishes and I am drying them. My mom is wiping down all the counters and the table and putting all the dishes away. I'm surprised at how well we all work together. Everybody sets to their respective tasks and it runs smoothly.
The doorbell rings. I freeze. I look around the kitchen.
"I'll get it." I say loudly. Too loudly. I throw my towel down on the counter, next to the sink, and spin on my heels, walking quickly out of the kitchen.
"Where's the fire?" I hear Quinn's voice yell from behind me.
No fire, just a firefighter. I smile as I realize that I am nearly running through the house to get to the front door. I can't help it, I am excited.
I slow down as I approach the front door and take a couple of deep breaths to calm myself.
My hand wraps around the doorknob and twists. I pull the front door open in one big yank.
"Hey." I mumble as I take in Brittany's appearance.
She is wearing tan cargo shorts that go down to her knees, a pair of black Converse shoes, and a blue, skin tight, scoop neck, t-shirt. She is absolutely rocking her outfit. Casual and comfy. Perfect for a summer day.
"Hi." She says with a big grin. "It's good to see you again."
"You too." I mumble stupidly. "Come in." I take a step back and gesture for Brittany to come inside the house with an extended hand.
"Thanks." She says and steps foot inside my house. I close the door behind her. Now what?
We are standing in the front entrance way just looking at each other. She smiles and I smile in return. Brittany has the best smile I think I've ever seen. It seems so effortless and she makes it look so easy. It's also a very charming smile most of the time. It either gets me one way or another.
"Santana?" My mother's voice brings me back to the present.
"Let's go to the kitchen." I suggest and lead Brittany through the living room into the kitchen. "You remember Quinn."
"Hey, Quinn." Brittany says and waves across the room to the blonde at the sink.
"And this is my mom." I point to my mom unnecessarily. She's the only other person in the kitchen there was no need to point to her. I guess I am more nervous than I thought.
Brittany takes a few steps until she reaches my mom. "It's very nice to meet you Mrs. Lopez. You have a beautiful home." Brittany extends a hand to my mom.
"Why, thank you, dear." Mom says shaking Brittany's hand.
"Santana, where did you find this lovely girl with such lovely manners."
God, this is awkward.
"No, really I love this house. The setup with it on the bay and the beach and the yard and the landscaping. It's perfect. I would love to live in a house like this." Brittany says with eagerness.
"Oh, well, I love it too. It's a great place to come and relax." My mom comments.
"Yes, it's all very lovely." I say sarcastically. "I think we are gonna go out back for a while." It's my attempt to get this awkward conversation, with my awkward mom, over with.
I can hear Quinn trying to hold back her laughter- but failing- over in the corner of the room by the sink. Some nerve that girl has.
"Oh, Santana, I just met Brittany though. I want to get to know her a little." My mom tries to convince me. This really isn't a good time, in my opinion. She can 'get to know' Brittany at some other point. I have other plans for Brittany that don't involve my mom.
"How about this? Me and Brittany are gonna hangout for a while and then later before she leaves you two can get to know each other. If you can just wait you will get your chance to grill Brittany about whatever you want. Okay?"
My mom furrows her brow. "Don't talk to your mother like that Santana." She scolds.
I shrink a little where I stand. "Sorry."
"I will indulge you, though. Go on and have your fun. But, when you get back it's my turn to have a little fun."
"Fine." I huff. "Let's go." I grab Brittany by the elbow and practically drag her out of the house.
"Bye, Mrs. Lopez. See ya later." Brittany yells out to my mother.
"Bye, girls." My mom calls back.
As soon as I get onto the back patio I let go of Brittany's elbow and huff out a long sigh. How frustrating.
"I'm sorry about her. She's so embarrassing sometimes."
"Don't be Santana. She's your mother. That's her job. To embarrass you." Brittany grins.
I smile back. I feel a little better just in Brittany's presence. The way Brittany smiles at me makes me feel like everything is just dandy.
I lick my lips. "I thought we could go for a walk on the beach and just talk to start."
"That sounds good." Brittany agrees.
We walk across the lawn side by side. I let Brittany go down the steps to the sand first. I am a step behind her when she stops and looks over her shoulder to me. She smirks and points down to her shoes.
"I'm gonna take these off." Brittany says quietly and then plops down on the step. The step which happens to have my feet on it. She starts untying her shoes with her butt resting on my toes.
"Britt." I whine. "My feet.
"What?" She turns around to look at me. I point down to my feet. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't see your feet there. My bad."
She's gotta be kidding me. She's gotta know that she's sitting on my feet. She's gotta feel them there.
Brittany starts giggling and then lifts her butt up and slides over and sits down next to where my feet stand.
I shake my head at her and then step down another step so that I am standing on the same step that Brittany is sitting. Without saying anything, I bend over and reach down to slip off my sandals. I get the left sandal off successfully, but the second one gets stuck on my big toe as a pull it off. I can feel myself falling before I actually am. I reach out for anything to grab onto- there's nothing around to grab but Brittany. My right hand reaches for her shoulder.
"Whoa." I hear her say as she turns to me. I stabilize myself with a hold of her shoulder. Ironically, my sandals falls from my foot and falls to the bottom step. I roll my eyes. Why couldn't that have happened before I nearly took a header?
"Sorry." I mumble in apology. How embarrassing. Again.
To my surprise, Brittany just grins up at me. I release my hold from her shoulder and she stands up. She takes a step down so that she is a step below me and faces me. "Don't worry about it." She extends her elbow to me. "Shall we?"
I nod bashfully. I don't know how she can do that. How she can make my face heat up and make me feel like a schoolchild with my first crush?
I slip my arm through hers. Brittany gives a tug and I step down the last two steps and into the warm sand.
We start walking north down the beach. It's a nice day. A little cooler than it has been recently, but still warm enough for shorts. And less humid. Which is great news for my hair. There is a light breeze that is coming off the water and the sun is shining. I couldn't have asked for a better day.
I feel a little odd, though, walking down the beach arm in arm with Brittany. I've never done anything like that before. Not even with Puck. He wasn't about holding hands- or linking arms- or anything like that. He wasn't really a big fan of that stuff. But- this feels good- with Brittany.
"How was your morning?" Brittany asks breaking ours comfortable silence.
"It was good."
"Good." Brittany says in reply.
I had forgotten my nerves about our upcoming conversation with the whole sandal mishap, but they have returned with a vengeance now. I'm not so sure how to start this conversation. I'm not exactly sure what I even want to talk about. I have a few things that I need to tell Brittany, but do I just start talking and bring them up or do I start with something easier- small talk- and ease into the bigger, more serious topics.
"What do you want to talk about?" Brittany asks after we have walked a little farther.
Well, damn. Getting right down to it.
"I-I don't know." I stutter out. Real smooth Santana.
Brittany pats my arm that is linked with hers with her opposite hand. It's simple. A simple gesture to trying to calm my nerves. And it works a little. I use the advice she gave me when I was first starting at the diner. I take a few slow breaths in and out and slow my heart rate and mind down.
A few seconds pass as I calm down. "Let's start with your boyfriend and why you broke up with him."
I nod. I can do this. I duck my head to my chin and lick my lips. I need to be very honest right now. Both with Brittany and myself. "Because of you. And because it wasn't working with him anymore." I shrug lightly and peek a look over at Brittany to see her reaction.
I can't see any visible reaction on her face or in her body language. It's like a just said something unimportant, like that the sky is blue or the grass is green. She doesn't look fazed at all.
"How long we you guys together?" Her question surprises me. I didn't think that's what she was gonna ask. I didn't really know what she was gonna ask, but not that. She really wants to know the answer to that?
"We were together on and off since we were sixteen."
"Wow. That's quite a long time."
"It was but- but- I don't know." Sure, that's a lot time in my short life so far, but that's not the only thing in my life. Puck and I were together for a long time but at some point, for me, it turned into something that I wasn't satisfied with anymore. "Can we not talk about him anymore, it's bad enough that he's here."
The tug on my arm indicates that Brittany has stopped walking. She lets go of my arm and I cringe. I shouldn't have said that. I look over to see her face.
"W-what?" She says shakily.
I nod. "Yeah. He- uh- showed up unexpectedly with Quinn. He wanted to convince me to take him back."
"Oh. So-?"
"But, I sat him down and told him that I don't want to be with him anymore. I told him that it wasn't working for me anymore." I pause and look around. "I told him there was someone else."
Brittany head snaps to me. Her eyes go wide. "Oh."
I smile and can't help the little giggles that creeps out of me. "Yeah."
Brittany comes back to life. She straightens up and cock her head to the side. "So, tell me about this someone else. Do I know them? And what made you dump your boyfriend for them?" She says with that devilish smirk.
I dig my toe in the sand nervously. Be honest. Tell her the truth.
"Well- I don't know if you know them but you might." I shrug and stare up into Brittany's eyes. "They are a total badass. Head to toe. All strong and muscular. They drive a bad, big truck. Which I think is sexy. They are sweet and caring and the most honest person I think I've ever met. They stand by their morals even when they might not want to. They are adventurous and love the outdoors. And they make me laugh at the littlest of things. I always have a great time when I am with them." I bite my lip hoping that I didn't say too much.
Brittany stares down at me. It's a little scary. Like she can see right thrpugh me- like she can see into my sole. The corners of her lips lift into a gentle smile. "Wow, I have to meet this person. You make them sound amazing."
I blush and duck my head. "They are." I whisper.
"Come on." Brittany grabs my hand and starts running. I stumble after her until I can get my feet underneath me.
"Brittany." I yell as we run. She looks over her shoulder and smiles. The little tug on my hand only encourages me to keep running. I'll run anywhere, if it's with her.
We run, and run, and run down the sandy beach.
I stop and let go of Brittany's hand when I see a small group of people. More specifically, when I see Robbie and Puck. I see Brittany slow to stop a few feet in front of me and then turn around.
"What's wrong?" Her brow furrows and she looks me up and down.
I shake my head. I'm breathing hard from running and trying to catch my breath before I speak again.
I swallow hard. "Let's just turn around and go back." I suggest. I have no intention of having Robbie -or Puck for that matter- seeing me and Brittany.
Brittany looks all around us. "Why?" I can hear the confusion in her voice.
"Santana." Damn. Too late. I see Robbie wave at me from about fifty feet away. We're stuck.
Brittany spins around to see the man whose voice called my name.
"Santana." Robbie yells again and starts running over towards us.
"Just act normal." I whisper to Brittany.
She looks back to me with the same confusion still in her eyes.
Robbie appears at my side. "Hey, Santana." He says as he eyes Brittany. I can tell that he is checking her out. He grins evilly. "Who's this?"
"Oh, just is just my friend, Brittany. Brittany this is my brother, Robbie." I introduce the two and gauge their reactions. Robbie keeps looking at Brittany like she's a piece of meat. Brittany just looks like she got the wind knocked out of her. Her eyes are dull and there is a little bit of a frown on her lips.
Robbie nods as he inspects Brittany from head to toe. "Hey, man, get over here." He yells over to Puck.
Oh god. This is gonna be bad.
I stand next to Brittany nervously as Puck jogs over. He doesn't seem too happy to be seeing me again. He actually seems rather annoyed that Robbie interrupted him from his conversation with a couple of guys by their boat.
I can't help but think that this is it. This is the end of- everything.
"This is Santana's friend, Brittany." Robbie tells Puck with a mischievous little smirk. I know what he is trying to do. He's trying to help a bro out. It's disgusting. Especially right in front of me. Especially that he's trying to use Brittany to do so. My idiot brother is trying to hook up the guy I recently broke up with, with the girl I am, hopefully, going to get in some sort of relationship with. He's trying to get Puck a rebound chick. But, Brittany's no chick.
I thought maybe there would be a handshake or something. But, Brittany just stands there with a forced smile on her face. Puck doesn't seem interested in anything at all.
Robbie starts asking Brittany all sorts of questions. Are you from around here? What do you do? How did you and my lil sis meet?
Brittany politely answers all of my brother's questions.
My fuse is starting to get shorter, and shorter the longer we have to stand here, as my brother interrogates Brittany. I'm about to put an end to it.
"Maybe you and my bro here can hang out sometime." Robbie suggests as he nudges Puck in the side with his elbow. "What do ya say?"
I roll my eyes at my brother antics. I pray that Brittany stops this. I hope that she says something to decline any and all offers.
It's Puck, though, who speaks up first. "I'm going back to Ohio on Tuesday morning. I think I will have to decline on that offer. No offense to you Brittany. You seem like a lovely girl, but I'm just not up for something like that right now." Puck glances at me when he finishes speaking. I can see the sorrow in his eyes. I can see how heartbroken he is. He's not ready to be with anyone that isn't me right now. Back in high school the couple of times we broke up he jumped at any opportunity to get with other girls. But now, I can see the mature, adult version of that boy and he doesn't want anything like that anymore.
I am relieved that he declined Robbie's suggestion but it makes me sad to see him like this.
Brittany has been oddly quiet during all of this. And I don't blame her. Actually, I blame me. I should have warned her about Puck being here. I should have known better than to let my brother try and hook the two of them up. I should have stopped him before he had a chance.
"Well, guys, I think we are gonna head back to the house now. We'll let you go back to working on that boat or whatever it is that you were doing over there." I point to the boat with the two guys standing next to it.
"Oh, we were just talking. And drinking." Robbie grins. "See you ladies later."
He and Puck walk off in the direction of the boat. I spin around, facing the way we came, and start walking back to the house.
"What was that all about?" Brittany asks from my right side. "Is that guy with your brother one of your neighbors?"
I shake my head and look down at the sand in front of me as I walk. "No. That was- that was Puck."
Brittany stops. "What?" I just keep walking back towards the house. "Santana, wait up." She calls from behind me but I don't stop. Brittany catches up to me, appearing at my side and trying to get a look at my face. I keep it ducked low, just high enough so I can see where I'm going. "Santana, stop." Brittany grabs onto my wrist and comes to halt. I can't weasel out of her grip, so I stop too. "What's going on?" She asks quietly. "Hey, will you look at me?"
I can't resist her and slowly lift my head to meet her eyes. I expected her to be angry or maybe sad but she just looks confused. "What's going on?" She asks again. "Why are you running away from me?"
"I don't know." I whisper.
"Okay." She loosens her grip on my wrist and slides her palm over my wrist into my hand. She grips my hand tightly. "You wanna tell me about what Puck is doing here?"
"Not really."
"Santana." Brittany huffs. I can tell that she is frustrated, at the least. "I don't understand."
"I don't either. Can we keep walking?" I ask.
She nods and we both turn to start walking again, holding hands as we go. I swallow the nervous lump in my throat before I tell Brittany all about how after he showed up with Quinn he didn't leave. He didn't go back home. How he decided to stay the whole time Quinn was staying and then he would go back with her. I told Brittany how Puck and my brother Robbie are buddies and how they've been spending the last few days doing god knows what.
"I guess I never thought that he could be here, still here. I was a little surprised to learn that was him." Brittany tells me.
"That's my fault. I should have told you that he was still in town. I should have warned you. I'm sorry."
"It's okay. Nothing bad happened. He actually seemed kind of distant and out of it. I don't know- he seemed a little sad. I don't know the guy but he wasn't interested in me at all."
"I know. I'm a little glad about that. Not the sad part but the part about you." I shrug.
"Yeah, I knew what your brother was getting at, I mean, I'm not an idiot."
I laugh. "No, he's the idiot."
"Santana, that's mean." Brittany says through her laugh. Our laughter seems to break any tension.
We walk the rest of the way back to the house is silence. I steal a few glances at Brittany and she steals a few back. On one of them she smiles wide and starts swinging our hands back and forth between our bodies.
About fifty feet before our property I spot a lump on the beach. As we get closer I recognize that lump as Quinn laying on a blanket on the sand. She's on her belly and reading a book.
Brittany and I walk up to her and Quinn closes her book and looks up to us. A smiles spreads across her face as her eyes catch on mine and Brittany's connected hands. "How was your walk?" She asks with a smirk.
"We ran into Puck." I grumble.
"Oh, how'd that go?" Quinn asks knowingly.
"Fine." I shrug off the question. I don't really want to talk about him anymore than I have to. "I hope you put a whole tub of sunscreen on that pasty back of yours."
"We can't all be tan like you, Miss Latina." She shoots back.
Brittany snickers at my side. I turn to her. I've had enough of Quinn's sass. "Let's go." I tug on Brittany's hand and direct her to the steps that lead up from the beach to the grass. We grabs our footwear on the way to the house.
"Do you want something to drink?" I ask when we get to the back patio.
"Sure."
"Do you like lemonade?" I ask Brittany.
She smiles big. "I love it."
Her smile makes me smile. I can't help it. She just has that effect on me. When she is happy or excited it makes me happy or excited. "Okay. You sit down, I'll go get some and be back in a jiffy."
"Okay."
I go in the house, get the pitcher of lemonade out of the refrigerator, get two glasses, and head back out to Brittany. When I get back to the little table and chair setup Brittany is putting her socks and shoes back on. I pour two tall glass of cold lemonade. I sit down across from Brittany at the table and start sipping my glass. When she finishes with her shoes she takes her glass and lifts it to her lips, taking a long drink.
"Ah, refreshing." She says with a wink and a lick of her lips. I giggles at her. "So, what do you want to talk about now?"
I think about her question for a few seconds but all I can come up with is a lame shrug.
"Okay. Well, I'll tell you what I want to happen."
I tilt my head to the side and quirk an eyebrow.
"With you and me, silly." I nod and Brittany continues. "I want to keep spending time with you and hanging out. I want to go for walks on the beach and do silly things. I want to go get ice cream on hot days. I want to watch the sunset with you. I want to do whatever I can with you. I might have mention once that I had a crush on you. Well, it's still there. I still have a major crush on you. I want to spend as much time with you as possible this summer. And if you are okay with it, I want to take you on dates. Like real dates, where I hold doors for you and pay for dinner and be all chivalrous. Would you be interested in any of that?"
Would I be interested in any of that. Fuck, yeah. That all sounds very- very awesome, lovely, romantic. Shit.
I nod. "I would like that. I want to do things with you to. Spend time together. Get to know each other better. And- and the dates too. I- I would like that." God, I'm a stuttery, nervous wreck again.
"I have to tell you something Brittany." She scoots forward in her chair, closer to me, eager to hear what I have to say. "Yesterday- at the diner- when I got upset and went to the bathroom-"
"Yeah." She says when I stop. "It's okay, Santana. You can tell me."
"I got so upset when you suggested that Quinn and I go to the tip of Door County and go to the islands or the state parks-"
Brittany interrupts me. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."
"No, listen, I was upset because I didn't want to go there with Quinn. I was upset because I wanted to go there with you. I wanted to go camping at the state park with you, not Quinn. I got upset that you mentioned I go with Quinn. I thought that it would be you and me going- ever since you brought it up on our little camping experiment. I wanted it to be you." I confess.
I wait and watch nervously for Brittany's reaction. Seconds pass and I think I can see the wheels turning in her head. She is thinking over the things I've said. Is that good or bad though? Nearly a minute must pass.
"Well, I didn't mean to upset you. But-" Brittany starts out with a straight face but the more words that come out of her mouth the more she smiles. "-we should definitely do that. Camping. If you really want."
I look out over the water. "I want." I whisper. Brittany chuckles.
The day is getting later, the sun is lower in the sky. It reflects off the water causing me to squint. I look back to Brittany and she is looking at me intensely. "What?" I ask nervously. Why is she looking at me like that? Did I say or do something?
She shakes her head. "Nothing."
I'm not sure that I believe her but I'm not confident enough to call her out on it in case I'm wrong. I clear my throat and lick my lips. "So, what's next?" I ask.
I want, no, I need to know what happens next. Do we just start hanging out all the time? Are there rules to when and where we can hang out. Or what we can and can't do? Where do we go from here?
Brittany shrugs. "Dinner." And grins smugly.
I narrow my eyes at her. "Don't be a smart ass."
"No. I'm serious." Brittany points to behind me. I spin around to see what she is point at. There, at the patio doorway stands my mom with a plate of hamburgers and hot dogs in one hand, pointing at them with the other. "I think your mom wants to know if I'm staying for dinner."
"Mom, what are you doing?" I ask in a huff. I'm mostly annoyed at her presence. I sincerely hope she wasn't standing there long. And I hope that she didn't hear any of my conversation with Brittany.
"I was about to make dinner. Is your friend staying?" My mom asks.
I turn back to Brittany for an answer. I don't know if she is staying for dinner or not. I don't know if she has plans for the rest of the day. I don't know if she even wants to stay for dinner with my family.
Brittany shrugs. "I don't want to intrude on family dinner."
"You wouldn't be intruding. Quinn and Puck are more of intruders then you are." That's not exactly true. Puck, maybe. But Quinn is never an intruder on this family.
Brittany smiles. I turn back to my mom and nod.
"I'll set another place at the table." Mom says and then spins on her heels to go back inside.
I turn back to Brittany again. "I hope this isn't awkward for you."
"It should be fine." Brittany comments.
I say what I'm thinking- and what Brittany's probably thinking too. "I hope Puck and Robbie don't show up for dinner.
I see a small nod from Brittany. I know she would never say it out loud- cuz she's to nice and polite- but I can tell she was anxious around Puck, even before she knew who he was. I'm sure she doesn't want to have to spend any more time with him than she has to.
Once dinner's ready we all huddle into the kitchen. And by all I mean me, Quinn, Brittany, my mom, and my dad. The boys haven't come back and I'm praying that they don't return until after we are finished eating.
The conversation is light and the meal is good. Everyone is polite and friendly with Brittany and I'm glad.
Quinn says she is gonna help my mom with the dishes when we all finish our meals. "I'll let you have the night off Santana." She teases. "You and Brittany can run off now."
"Actually, I think I'm gonna be going." Brittany says.
A pout immediately forms on my lips. Today has been good. There were some shaky spots but overall I think things went well. It makes me hopeful for the future but I am sad that Brittany has decided to leave so soon.
"Oh." I mumble.
She smiles from next to me and then I feel something on my leg. Her hand is patting my thigh. "I should get home and get ready for tomorrow. For work. Make sure all my work clothes are washed, make lunch, and then get to bed. Gotta be up early." She tells me and the whole table.
"Right." I say stupidly.
She pushes her chair out and stands up. "The meal was great. Thank you very much for letting me join you."
"Oh, please, dear, we loved having you here." My mom tells Brittany. "It's was very nice to meet you and I hope we get the chance to meet again in the future."
Brittany smiles at me mom. "It was nice meeting you too, and you Quinn. I hope we see each other again too." Then she winks at me.
I duck my head to hide my blush. I don't know what that wink means but it makes my whole body warm.
"Yeah. See ya later Brittany." Quinn says and gets up to start the dishes.
"Bye. Mr. Lopez." Brittany gives everybody at the table a little wave. My dad gives a little nod, my mom waves back to Brittany.
Brittany looks to me and tilts her head to the side. I squint my eyes at her. She nods behind her. "Oh." I mumble. I slide my chair out from underneath me and stand up all in a hurry. "I'll walk you out." I say for the table to hear. I think that's what Brittany wanted. I don't know why I didn't think of it myself. But, now that I am thinking about it I can't wait to have a few seconds alone with Brittany to say a more personal goodbye.
Brittany spins around and I follow her out the kitchen thru the living room and over to the front door. She turns to me once we reach the door. A crooked smile on her lips and I certain glint in her eyes. She licks her lips and I think she's about to say something. Her hand reaches out and takes a hold of my elbow. She pulls me in closer to her. Her other hand comes up and cups my cheek. My knees shake and tremble. Is she about to…
Kiss me.
Yep. Brittany closes the gap between us and presses her lips to mine. At first I don't know what to do. Brittany waits. I finally react and kiss her back. Brittany changes the kiss and it draws a little gasp out of me. Well, as much of a gasp as possible with our mouths smashed together.
Brittany pulls back and I open my eyes. She is smiling at me with the widest smile I think I've ever seen. Her smiles are always good but this one is better than good. It's great, fantastic, bright, shining, brilliant. It's happy and excited and delighted all in one.
"I've been wanting to do that all day." She admits.
"Yeah?" I ask.
"Yep." She leans in again and pecks my lips. "I should go home though."
"Okay." I say sadly. Now I don't want Brittany to go even more than before.
"Okay." She mimics. I expect her to let go of me at any second but she doesn't. I see her search my face and then look behind me into the house and then look back and lock eyes with me. Brittany nods, never breaking eye contact with me. She squeezes my elbow and smiles. I can't see her actually smile, but I can tell that she is by the way her cheeks lift and the corners of her eyes crinkle. Her thumb rubs gently over my cheek and I lean into the touch.
I giggle nervously. I haven't ever had this much attention from someone before. Honestly, it's making me a little nervous. Brittany's just staring into my eyes. I'm a little afraid of what she might find there. I can't handle much more so I blink and look away. "You should get going." I say weakly.
"Yeah." She lets go of my face and I miss her hand and fingers immediately. Brittany squeezes my elbow again, takes a step back, and let's go completely. She pulls the door open and steps outside. I step closer to her and follow her to the door. I grab onto the doorjamb for support. My legs seems all sorts of weak and wobbly all of a sudden.
"I had a good time today. I liked walking on the beach. Expect for when we saw your brother, that was a little awkward, but hey, the rest of the afternoon was great. I like your family, by the way. They seem like a fun, good bunch of people. And it was good to see Quinn again. She's a no nonsense kind of person, isn't she? Gosh, I'm rambling. I should go." Brittany looks away from me, down at her feet.
I can't help but giggle at her rambling. She's really cute when she does that. "I'm glad you had a good time. I had a good time too. And I think we figured some things out. So, that's good."
"It is." Brittany nods and looks back up at me again. "I'm gonna go now." She says and starts to turn around to leave. "Wait." She stops herself and turns back to me. "One my kiss." She whispers.
I lean out the front door and she meets me for a kiss, except when I think she is going to kiss me on the lips she kisses me on the nose. I wiggle my nose and giggle. "Britt." I half-whine.
"Okay. Okay." She presses one more kiss to my lips. "Hmm." She hums. "I think I've lingered enough." She pulls away from me and my body sways after her, nearly falling out the front door.
"Santana."
"Sound like your in trouble." Brittany teases. "Better go see what your mom wants."
I nod dumbly.
"Bye Santana." Brittany walks backwards across the front patio. "I'll see ya later." She smiles and turns before she falls over.
"Bye Brittany." I manage to say. She waves over her shoulder at me. I stand there and watch as Brittany gets into her truck and starts it up. Soon, she is backing out of the driveway while I wave.
Today hasn't been prefect but it has been very good. A lot happened and a lot got resolved and I feel good about that. I feel better than at the start of the day with the way things are going with me and Brittany. I just need to get Quinn and Puck out of my hair now so I can spend time with Brittany without any interruptions. Tonight after my parents and brother leave I can breath a sigh of relief but Quinn and Puck don't leave til Tuesday morning.
I shut the front door and skip through the house, back to the kitchen. Quinn is at the sink washing the dishes and my mother is standing next to her helping dry.
I come up from behind them and wrap an arm over each of their shoulders.
"Oh my, Santana." My mom jumps in surprise. "Where have you been? What have you been doing?"
"I was saying goodbye to Brittany."
"For nearly five minutes?"
I look down into the sink. "It wasn't that long." I try her. It wasn't that long was it? Did we actually stand at the front door that long? It couldn't be.
"It was too." Quinn chimes in.
I turn to scowl at her. She just smiles that shit-eating, I told you so, grin. "Whatever." I brush it off. "I'll be up in my room."
"You aren't going to help us finish, dear."
"No, mom. Quinn said I could have the night off." I tell her and release my hold on them. "Let me know when you are about to leave so I can come say goodbye."
"Of course, dear."
With that I leave the kitchen and ascended the stairs to my bedroom. I've got a lot on my mind and want to start sorting it through, in privacy.