Chapter 11
Brittany's POV
It's been a long day. A work day that started at seven am, as usual. A work day that included a lot of heavy labor. And a work day that involved numerous rain showers. I'm glad it's finally over.
But, I have one place I need to stop at before I do go home for the day and sleep.
I try to stifle a yawn as I drive down the highway in my truck. It's already after seven and I have to hurry to get there before they close for the night. I'm starving and would be sadly disappointed if I couldn't get something to eat.
Other thoughts are on my mind as well. Brown eyed, long dark haired, and tan skin thoughts.
It's been a whirlwind with Santana so far, but I keep coming back. I can't stay away from her no matter what. She has this all controlling power over me. My mind and my body need to be around her, need to be close to her.
With the confirmation that she has broken up with her boyfriend and the information that she wants to see what can happen with us, it makes me feel good. It makes me feel like I haven't been just, well, crazy when I thought there might be something between us. It's just the feeling I had since I started spending time with her. I hardly know the woman in a sense, but I feel like there is a real possibility that we could have something- something special even.
Santana is my friend, but at the same time, she is so much more than that. I have these feelings for her that I know are more than just friend feelings. They're romantic feelings. They make me want to pull out all the stops. They make me want to spoil Santana and woo her off her feet. They make me want to give her everything that she wants. They make me want to be as charming as possible. I want to be the best, most awesome version of myself for her.
And I have every intention of doing that.
I don't even know if Santana is working tonight but I sure hope she is.
I pull into the parking lot of the restaurant and park my truck up by the building. There are only a couple of other vehicles here.
I walk in and spot Santana right away. She is sitting behind the counter looking down at something. When she hears the jingle of the bells above the door she looks up from her lap. The smile that blooms on her face is all that I need at the end of my very long day.
I make my way over to my regular spot and take a seat. Santana meets me there. "Hey, how was your day?" I ask first.
"Okay. I'm looking forward to it being over." She sets her hands on her hips. "I certainly didn't expect to see you here."
"I can go." I thumb over my shoulder.
She frowns. "I didn't mean-" I start laughing. "Britt." She whines.
"Can I get some grub before you guys close up the kitchen."
"Sure." Santana takes out her little notepad.
"Burger and fries. I'm starved. I haven't had anything to eat in-" I look up and find the clock. I see the time and calculate the hours. "-seven and a half hours."
"Brittany, you have to eat more often than that." Santana scolds. "Especially if you are working outside all day."
"Okay, mom." I grin.
"Stop it. I'm serious." Santana says.
"I am too. I'm starved, so how 'bout you get that order in so I can eat."
Santana narrows her brow at me and stands there for a few seconds before spinning on her heels and walking off towards the kitchen.
I see Santana come out of the kitchen but she doesn't come back over to me. I think she is avoiding me because of what I said to her. She goes to the only other table with customers at it and hands them there check and then takes their dirty dishes from the table. She brings them back into the kitchen without so much as acknowledging me.
Janet is washing tables and chairs on the other side of the restaurant, but other than that it is pretty quiet. All I can do is sit and wait until either my food or Santana comes back.
It's a long time before Santana comes back from the kitchen, but when she does she brings with her my meal. I really need some meat right now after the long day that I had. And the French fries are just a bonus.
"Thank god." I mumble as Santana puts the plate down on the counter in front of me.
"You're welcome." Santana says with a smirk.
"Thank you, too, Santana." I pick up my cheeseburger and take a big bite out of it. "So, did Puck and Quinn leave?" I ask as I chew my food. I know it's not polite or proper, but I don't care. I'm so hungry and I want to talk to Santana. I'm just multitasking, that's all.
"Yeah. They left yesterday morning, so I have the house all to myself again."
"Party." I say loudly.
"Yeah, no." Santana shakes her head at me. "What did you do today at work?" She asks and I smile. I'm glad that she wasn't really mad at me about before. I was just joking anyway.
I set the half of my burger that I didn't eat yet on the plate and swallow what's in my mouth before speaking this time. "Lots of stuff. We started a new job today. It's a big job and my boss wants it done before the weekend cuz the homeowner's are having a party at their house or something. So, Eric and I worked a long day. Twelve hours. First, we had to dig out a row of shrubs in the front of the house that had been in the ground for probably thirty years. That took a couple hours, then we had to mark out the new space of the bed and put the edging in. Another hour or so. After that we unloaded compost from the trailer and spread it out over the bed. Then it was lunchtime. Eric left and went to bring the shrubbery that we dug out to the yard waste site and have lunch. I had lunch too and then started working the compost into the existing soil. Eric came back and help me finish that part. In the back yard there is also a row of Arborvitaes that the homeowner wanted trimmed to look nice for the party. So, we worked on that. The pruning and shaping took another couple of hours. Then we went through the existing planting beds in the back yard and weeded and did any deadheading. Before we knew it it was approaching seven o'clock. We packed up for the day only to return tomorrow. The plants are going in tomorrow along with the mulch. We should have everything wrapped up by about midday ."
"Wow. Makes me feel like I didn't do anything today but sit around here and wait on some customers."
"That's still work. It's just a different kind of work." I tell her. Just because Santana doesn't to physical work doesn't mean she doesn't work. It's just different.
"But still-"
"Hey, let's not talk about work anymore." I reach out and squeeze her hand that is leaning on the counter. Santana nods. I return to my food hoping that Santana will bring up another topic. She doesn't.
"I'm gonna start cleaning so I can get out of here on time." She says.
"That's fine. I'll just eat my yummy fries. You do your thing." I tell her with a happy smile.
Santana grins and starts wiping down ketchup and mustard bottles at the other end of the counter from me.
"Hey, Brittany. How ya doin'?" Janet asks me.
"I'm good. Long day. But, I'm good." I nod. It's a pretty simple answer and pretty much the truth.
"You work them long hours. I don't know how you do it." The older woman comments.
"Some days are harder than other. Some seem to just fly by and then others take forever. It just depends on what I'm doing." I explain with a one shoulder shrug.
"So, you decided to come and see Santana after a long day. I think I would just go home and flop down on the couch for the rest of the day."
"She's worth it." I tell Janet. She cocks her head to the side and studies me. "What?" I hate when people look at me like they are trying to figure me out.
She smiles and shakes her head. "Nothing. You're a strange one, Miss Brittany Pierce." I narrow my eyes at her as she continues to work.
Janet is bent over and is cleaning behind the counter, moving stuff around, doing I don't know what under the counter. She grumbles and huffs. "What are you doing?"
Janet peaks up at me. "Cleaning." She puts her hands in her apron pockets and takes out the contents. Her pad for taking orders. A pen. A book of matches. A couple of rubber bands. And a tiny scrap of paper. "Stuff keeps falling out when I bend over."
I nod. Janet resumes her tasks and I finish my food. As I eat the rest of my meal a thought comes to me. I sneaky, clever thought.
"Can I use your pen?" I ask.
Janet looks up from her work again with furrowed brow. "Yeah." She says wearily. "Why?"
"It's none of your business, nosy. It's a secret." I giggle.
"Okay, fine don't tell me." She feigns disappointment.
Janet picks up the pen and hands it over to me. "Thank you." I grin and take the pen. Janet nods and returns to her work. I fumble with the pen in my right hand while I get a napkin from the napkin holders with the other. With my bottom lip between my teeth, and a quite look around the restaurant, I write down a little message on the napkin. It's not the easiest. It's hard to write on a napkin and keep it smooth and from wrinkling. But, I manage it write out the couple of lines alright.
I fold the napkin into a little square and then set the pen on the counter in front of me. "I'm done with the pen, Janet. Thanks."
"Sure thing." She says "I'm gonna start closing up for the night. Where's that girl with your bill?" Janet looks around the restaurant, but Santana isn't anywhere. "Santana." Janet yells.
"What?" The girl comes busting out of the door to the kitchen. "What's wrong?" She asks and looks around.
"Nothing. Just get Brittany her check so we can close this place down for the night." Janet tells her.
Santana reaches into her apron pocket and gets out her pad as she walks over towards me. "How was you food?"
"You know you don't have to ask me that question." I tease. "I'm not like a usual customer."
"Yeah, I know." She taps her finger against the countertop. "It's just a habit I guess. Here's your check. I can take care of it when you are ready. I think Janet wants to get out of here as soon as possible."
"I think you're right." I grin up at her and dig around in my shorts pocket for some money.
Santana takes my money and the check and slip them into her apron pocket. Then she grabs up my dirty dishes. "I'll be right back."
"Santana." I call out after her. I still have something for her. "Come back here a second."
She turns back with a quirked eyebrow. "Hmm?"
I wiggle my hand at her. The folded up napkin in between two fingers. "What's this?" Santana asks intrigued.
"Just take it-" She reaches to grab it with her free hand, but I pull back my hand. "-but don't open it until you get into the kitchen." I hold the napkin out to her again.
She doesn't take it though. "Why? What is it?" She eyes me warily.
"Just do it. Trust me." I tell her. I try to convince her with my eyes that it's nothing bad and that she can trust me.
She nods. "Okay." And takes the napkin from between my fingers.
I sit and wait- somewhat impatiently- for Santana to return from the kitchen. The door swings open and Santana comes out but she won't make eye contact with me. She moseys over to the cash register and takes care of my check. With my spare change in hand, Santana comes back over to me, staring at the floor as she walks.
She holds her hand out with the change from my bill in it when she gets to me. It looks like three dollars and some change. She doesn't look up from the floor though.
"Keep it." My words make her look up. I smile for her. "Keep it."
"But- Brittany- I can't. It's weird. Now that- now that-" Santana babbles.
"Now that what, Santana?"
"Nevermind." She huffs and stuffs the change in her pocket.
"Did you get my little note?" I ask curiously. I desperately want to know what she thinks.
She ducks her head again. "Yes."
"And?" I ask with a smug grin. She can't even look at me. With her hair tied back I can see the embarrassed tint on her cheeks. She's so damn adorable.
"And- that was very charming." She mumbles.
"So, do you have an answer for me?" I ask.
Santana starts wiping down the counter without a glance up. She moves down the length of the counter, away from me. Something shifts in her movements and posture as she goes. She becomes more confident and lifts her head. She looks over at me and grins devilishly.
"You aren't gonna tell me?" I ask. I can feel like way this could possibly go. I tease her and she teases me back. I like it.
Santana shrugs and continues her end of the day closing routine. I don't get a peep out of her the entire time. I sit and wait and watch Santana work. I'm content with just doing that. I'll sit here until I get an answer. They will have to kick me out if I don't get one by the time the restaurant closes.
The cash register is closed out and everything is put away for the night. Santana dimmed the lights and nodded towards the door. I think it was her attempt to get me to leave, but I stayed put.
It's five minutes after eight when Santana comes out of the kitchen with her bag on her shoulder. "You're still here."
"Yeah, I never got an answer."
Santana giggles. I get up off my stool and walk over to where she is standing by the side door. She doesn't say anything to me but pushes the door open and steps outside. Santana walks to the back of the parking lot towards her car and I follow. I'm gonna get my answer come hell or high water.
When we reach the car Santana leans up against the driver's door with her butt. I come to a stop in front of her.
Janet comes out of the restaurant and comes over to her car which is parked two spots away from Santana. I watch her unlock the car and then turn around towards us. "Goodnight you two love birds." She snaps back to her car and quickly gets in.
Santana ducks her head at the comment. "Bye." I mumble as Janet's car door shuts.
I gently reach out and with one finger lift Santana's chin, so she'll look at me. I vaguely hear Janet's car start and then her drive off into the night. Well, it's not dark yet, but it's still nighttime in my book.
The back of my fingers graze along the soft skin of Santana's cheek. I can feel her press her cheek against my fingers. I turn my hand around to cup her cheek and she sighs.
"Do I get an answer now?" I ask lightly.
Santana smiles. "Maybe."
I step closer to her now that we are alone in the empty parking lot. Close enough that our bodies are almost touching. Close enough that I can feel the warmth radiating off of her body.
"Please." I ask in a low whisper. I search her eyes for a moment before leaning forward and placing a kiss at the corner of her mouth and then pulling back quickly.
Santana looks at me for a moment before grabbing a hold of my shirt and pulling me into her body. Her lips collide with mine in a hard kiss. I grunt out with the little bit of pain that comes with the impact. Our lips come together so fast and roughly that I think I might have bruised lips tomorrow. I wrap my arms around her to the small of her back and eliminate any space between us. I press into Santana's body and she presses into the side of her car. I change the kiss from the bruiser that it started as and kiss her softer, sweeter. She hums with the new change and it makes me smirk into the kiss.
We kiss softly for what seems like a long time. Santana's hands fist in my shirt at my sides. Getting the sense that Santana is very much enjoying this and feeling bold I swipe my tongue along her bottom lip. Santana gasps and it gives me the opportunity to slip my tongue into her mouth.
God, I thought kissing Santana's lips was like the greatest thing on the planet, but this is even greater. The taste and feel of her tongue on my mine makes me knees a little weak and I feel a little less aware of everything, a little light-headed.
A little grunt from Santana confirms that she likes this new development. If she likes it then I definitely love it. I roll my tongue around inside her mouth trying to reach every space. She battles her tongue with mine every few seconds. I lick the roof of her mouth and feel the shiver that runs through her body. She clamps down on my tongue with her lips and sucks. It's seriously arousing.
I'm having a hard time to not just start ripping off our clothes in the middle of the parking lot. I start rocking my hips into hers and know that if I don't stop soon I won't be able to. With that thought lingering at the back of my mind I extract my tongue from her mouth and press my lips around her top lip before shifting to her bottom one.
Santana tilts her head back slowly. She giggles with her eyes still closed. It's totally cute. She licks her lips and sighs. Santana rests her head on my collarbone and breathes against my chest. Her breath is rapid and comes in little puffs against my shirt.
I pull her forward a little so that her back comes off of the side of her car, but her butt still rests against it. I run my hands up and down her back as we both catch our breath after that little make out session.
I look up at the sky. There a pink tint to it as the sun is setting. It's beautiful. Every time I see a pink sky I think of that saying, pink sky at night sailor's delight. I smile softly as my hands gently caress Santana's back.
"Yes." Santana mumbles against my collarbone.
I look away from the sky back down so I can see Santana's face. I furrow my brow and tilt my head to the side. I don't know what she is talking about. Yes, what?
Santana lifts her face from my collarbone and smiles up at me happily. "Yes. Yes. Yes." She giggles that heavenly giggle. "I would love to hangout with you this weekend but-" She licks her lips. "-I work Saturday afternoon."
I smile. She finally answered my napkin question. I had almost forgotten with all the kissing.
I purse my lips in thought. There's always Sunday if Santana can't do anything on Saturday. Or even Saturday morning. As long as I get to spend some time with her this weekend it doesn't matter when or how much.
Before I can say anything Santana speaks up again. "What do you have planned?" She asks with an intrigued look.
I shrug. I didn't really have anything planned. I hadn't really thought it out that far. I just came up with the idea to ask her to 'hangout' this weekend on the napkin when I was sitting at the counter. It's not like I've been thinking about this for days or something. But, maybe I should have been. I need to step up my game.
"I don't have a set plan but maybe we could go for a drive and see where that leads us." I say on a whim.
"I would like that." Santana says with a nod. "It's something low key."
"Okay." I say and squeeze her. She giggles again. I love that giggle. "We should probably go home before we cause a disturbance or someone calls the police for indecent exposure. I unwrap my arms from her back and bring them to her arms and rub up and down the length a couple times.
Santana twists her hands around and catches my hand on one of my downward strokes. She clasps our hands together preventing me from moving around to much. It's not nerves but I am a little fidgety. She pulls our hands out to our sides and then up. I wiggle my fingers in between hers and she brings our clasped hands up so that they are on both sides of her head in the air. We are perfect mirrors of each other.
She looks to her right and then to her left with our hands tangled together and suspended in mid-air. Santana smiles when she returns her gaze to me. I can't hold out any longer. I squeeze her hands in mine, a tiny warning, and then lean in the kiss her again. I make sure it's just a few quick pecks this time. I want more but I know I can't have it. Not right now, at least.
"I- can't- we- need- to-" I say in between kisses.
"Okay." Santana seems to understand. She lets our hands fell to our sides. Still held together.
"I don't know if I'll see you before the weekend." I mumble sadly. I would love to see Santana everyday but I also know that's not realistic.
"Yeah." She agrees. "Call me though?"
I smile. "Of course." I've only talked to Santana three times on the phone but I can see that number increasing exponentially if I can't see her everyday. Her face lights up at the promise of a phone conversation sometime in the near future. "I should go, it's getting late." The sun is setting and it will be dark soon.
Santana nods at my words. I squeeze her hands to indicate I want them back. She releases her hold on my hands and I bring them up to cup her face. I lean in and press a kiss to her lips. I hold my lips there for several seconds memorizing the feel of Santana soft lips on mine.
Santana's hands wrap around my wrist and we hold there for several seconds. I change the kiss and she sighs. A goodbye kiss. A goodnight kiss.
I release her lips and rest my forehead against hers. It's like my whole world is spinning. No, she makes my whole world spin. I take in a deep breath and then wiggle my nose against her. She giggles and I open my eyes to see that hers are already open and looking back at me.
"Goodnight." I whisper.
Her thumbs rub over the insides of my wrist and it pulls a sigh from me. "Goodnight, Britt." She says just as quietly.
I slowly bring my hands away from her face and let go of her. I take a step back and Santana reaches for the door handle of her car. She pulls the door open and smiles at me as she climbs in. I smile and watch as she situates herself in her car. She starts the engine and buckles up. She puts the car in gear and waves at me before she starts moving. I wave as she takes off and drives out of the parking lot.
I shove my hands in my pockets and walk over to my truck.
I picked Santana up from work after her shift at two. We are in the truck on the way to the park that I played at when I was a kid.
"Where are we going?" Santana asks from the passenger's seat.
I glance over at her from the corner of my eye keeping my eyes on the road as best as I can. "That's for me to know and for you to find out." I tease.
She huffs and crosses her arms over her chest. "You're no fun."
"I'm plenty fun. Where we're going is fun." I tell her and refocus on the road in front of me. Santana huffs but doesn't say anything more.
I pull up to the park a few minutes later.
"You took me to a kids park."
"Yes." I turn and smile big.
Santana narrows her eyes at me and then gets out of the truck. I get up and reach for the basket in the back of my truck. With it in hand, I go around to the back of the truck where Santana is standing.
"Is that a picnic basket?" She asks.
"I thought it would be fun to have a picnic."
"Okay. I don't have to sit on the ground though, do I?" Santana asks with a tilt on the head.
"Well, I brought a blanket but- if you don't want to sit on the blanket there is a picnic table over there." I point across the park to where the picnic table stands. "Come on." I start walking and wave over my shoulder for Santana to follow.
I set out the food on two pieces of paper towel. A turkey sandwich and an apple for Santana and a turkey sandwich and a banana for me. And a bottle of water for each of us. We eat and talk about our days so far. I point out a group of kids playing on the monkey bars and Santana laughs when one falls to the ground. Our late lunch goes by quickly.
"I'm gonna bring this back to the truck." I raise the picnic basket up off the table. "Wanna meet me by the swings?"
"Uh- okay." Santana stutters.
I'm not sure if she wants to go on the swings or not. She doesn't seem to thrilled by the idea. It's not a kid activity. Anybody can go on the swings. I think it's the perfect why to end our little late lunch date. Once I get to the truck, I stash the picnic basket in the truck bed, and then run over to the swings where Santana stands unsure what to do.
"Pick a swing." I tell her. She looks over her choices. There isn't anybody else on the swings so all of them are free. Santana steps forward and take the swing in the middle of the giant swing set. I pick the swing to her left and start swinging gently, hardly getting off the ground.
"I loved swinging when I was a kid. Me and the neighbor use to come here. We walked. It was like a mile walk but we didn't care. Sometimes we took our bikes. Anyway, I loved swinging. We had these contests." I look at the empty swing to my left imagining myself as a kid swinging away.
"You know those rubber rain boots. The ones that come in dark blue, or red, or yellow. I had a pair of blue ones. I used to wear them all the time. Even if it wasn't raining." I turn back to the swing that Santana is sitting on. She has a half smile on her face and she looks like she is listening intently to my story.
"I use to get on the swing, swing as high as I could and then kick the boots off when I thought I was a the right spot in the pendulum of the swing. I told my friend that he had to get a pair so we could face off. He convinced his parents and one days comes running over to my house in red rain boots and says that we have to go to the park. We walked here and got on the swings right away. We had competitions to see who's boots went farther. The winner got to pick what thing in the park we would do next."
I shrug at Santana at the end of my story.
"I could totally see you doing that." She tells me. "And wearing rain boots on sunny days." She giggles. I shrug again. "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure." I watch as she bites her bottom lip. Is she nervous about asking me a question? "You can ask me anything." I assure her.
"You said your friend was a boy?" I nod. "Your neighbor?" I nod again. Where is this line of questioning going? "You lived near here when you were a kid?" Another nod from me. "Did you have any other neighbor friends? Any girl friends?"
"Um- not really. There were a couple of girls that lived in the neighborhood but they weren't like me. They didn't play outside in the dirt. They didn't ride around town on their bikes with a boy. They were girly girls, I guess."
Santana hums quietly. "I see."
"Me and Derek. That was my friends name. We had a lot of fun. He was a few years younger than me but somehow it worked. There was another boy that hungout with us some of the time but I don't think I would call him my friend. It was mostly me and Derek most of the time."
"You haven't ever mentioned a friend named Derek."
I nod. She's right. I haven't, but for good reason. He's not around here anymore. "He's a Marine. It's a long story." I kick my toe in the dirt.
"I have time." Santana says quietly.
I take a deep breath. I look down at me toe. I can't look at Santana when I tell this story. "He joined the Marines after he graduated high school and we sort of lost touch. I've seen him once since then, at a wedding. I'm really proud of him. He joined to serve his country but also because-" I don't know if I should be telling Santana this. Everyone from around here knows what happened and a part of me wishes that Santana did so I wouldn't have to tell her. It makes me a little sad to think about and I don't want to be sad. I want to have a good time with Santana today. I don't want it to be all gloomy on account of me.
"It's okay, Brittany." She rests her palm on forearm. I chance a glance in her direction. She nods with a tight-lipped smile. I give her a nod back.
"He joined because he wanted to honor his family, too." I gulp down the lump in my throat so that I can continue. "His uncle died fighting in Afghanistan."
Santana squeezes my arm. "I'm sorry, Britt."
"It's okay. I didn't really know him, I only met him once. But- in a small town everyone know everyone, ya know?"
"I do." Santana squeezes my arm again then gives it a little pat. "Your friend sounds like a really great guy."
"He is."
"I like learning about you. I kinda wish I could have met the kid version of you. I bet you were a super cute kid." She says and smiles.
I smile over at her. "I was a grubby little dirt ball most of the time. What type of kid were you?"
"Hmm." Santana hums. She rotates side to side in her swing.
"Don't tell me you were one of those kids that stayed inside all day and played with Barbie's and played house."
"I'm afraid I was." She shrugs. "We probably wouldn't have been friends if we would have known each other as kids."
She's probably right. I didn't really play house or dress up. I played outside in the dirt and mud. I rode my bike and spent hours at the park. We were complete opposites as kids.
"Maybe." I shrug. "I've had enough reminiscing. What do you say we blow this popsicle stand?"
Santana quirks an eyebrow at me and then shrugs. I get off my swing and hold out my hand to help her up. She takes it and I pull her to her feet. I turn and take a step towards the truck. Disappointment runs through me when she lets go of my hand as we walk. I stuff my hands in my pockets and side glance at her. She has her head down but I can see her furrowed brow. We walk side by side back to the truck.
I pull into the U shaped driveway and park my truck. I look around to survey the area quickly. I don't see anyone or anything. The walk up to the front door isn't a long one but I make a little detour on the way. I stop at the perennial bed near the road and take a quick look at it. The landscaper in me can't resist.
I see that the box elder bugs are long gone. I also see a few weeds. There are tree seedlings from the maple tree above head. I have half a thought to just bend over and pull them out. But, that's not the reason way I'm here. I shake my head and go to the front door. I ring the doorbell and wait for an answer. I look at the bed that's against the front of the house, next to the door. Again a few weeds.
The door swings open and I am greeted by a Santana with a toothbrush in her mouth and toothpaste on her lips. I try my best not to laugh but even a hand to my mouth doesn't help and a little laugh comes out.
"Ora hyiene is imporan." She says with a mouthful of toothpaste. A little even dribbles out of the corner of her mouth and runs down her chin.
I laugh harder.
Santana reaches up and swipes away the dribble with her thumb. She pulls her toothbrush out of her mouth and uses it to point into the house and then turns around. I follow her in the house.
"I'll be ba." She says through toothpaste and runs up the stairs.
I wander into the living room and start looking around the room. There are family photos littering the whole room. On just about every surface. The end table, the coffee table, on the mantle over the fireplace, on the walls. They range from pictures of her parents when they were young, on their wedding day, to pictures that must have been taken recently or within the past year. There are pictures of the whole family. Santana, her brother, and her parents. There's even one of the family with Quinn in it.
I smile at all the pictures of Santana when she was a little girl. She was even cuter then. I kind of wish I had known her when she was little.
The family picture that hangs on the wall over the fire place catches my eye. It can't be more than a few years old. Santana looks almost as she looks now. In the picture her hair in a little longer but that's about it. It's of the whole family. Her dad stands in the back and her brother stands next to him. Santana and her mom sit on chairs in front of them. It's a very nice family portrait.
"Hey." A little whisper gets my attention. A second later arms get my attention even more as Santana wraps her arms around my waist from behind. "I'm ready to go now." She whispers in my ear. Her close proximity and the little puff of air that she blew into my ear cause a shiver to run through me.
I spin around quickly, in her hold, and press my lips to hers. "Mmm minty." I giggle.
Santana shrugs. "Don't want bad breath."
"I think I would still kiss you if you hade bad breath." I wink.
"Eww, gross, Brittany." Santana whines.
"Ready to go then?"
"Yup." She nods.
"Good. Let's go."
We get out to the truck, and I get the door for Santana, and hold out my hand to help her step up into the truck. She takes it with a nod and a smile.
After Santana gets into the truck I shut the door and runs over to my side and get in. I start the truck and the radio blares. I quickly turn it down.
"What are you listening to today?" Santana asks.
I twist my upper body to look at her. "The radio. The local top 40 station."
"So, you don't just listen to Meatloaf?" She ask and laughs at her own joke.
"No. I listen to a lot of different music. Top 40. Alternative. Classic Rock. Pretty much everything- except for country."
"Why's that?" She tilts her head to the side in puzzlement.
"Because the high school I went to was- well, mostly hicks, farm kids. It was mostly country music that was played around school. In everybody's car. I'm not really a fan. No offense or anything. It's just not something I can roll with too easily. I like music with a beat. Not that country doesn't have a beat. But- I don't know-" I shrug. I don't know what I am trying to explain. "Plus, I haven't listened to Meatloaf in a long time. Someone stole my cd."
Santana narrows her eyes. "I didn't steal it, you let me borrow it."
"Fine." I grin. Santana huffs and crosses her arms over her chest. "Don't pout."
"I'm not pouting." She argues.
"Then what would you call that." I point up and down her upper body.
Santana uncrosses her arms and fake smiles at me.
I laugh and turn back in my seat so I can back out of the driveway.
I don't have an exact plan for the day set in stone but I have a few ideas. First, we are gonna driving around a little.
I start up with driving along the bay. I think it's really cool cuz a lot of the time you can look out the window and see the water. We drive for about fifteen minutes before I pull the truck off the road into a little parking lot.
"Where are we?"
I shut the truck off and open my door. "Ice cream." I point over to the little building. "Come on." I hop out of the truck and go up to the little window where you place your order.
Santana comes up behind me and stops next to me. I glance over at her and then up at the menu board. "I'll have Strawberry Swirl, please." I tell the girl that's inside the little roadside ice cream shop. She nods and goes to get my ice cream. The girl comes back a few seconds later with a cone with a big scoop of ice cream on top.
"What about you?" The girl asks Santana with a small smile.
"Um-"
"Get whatever you want?" I tell her.
"Can I have Blue Moon?" Santana asks timidly.
"Oh, good choice." I comment. "That's a rare one. Did you know that's a Midwest thing? Mostly Wisconsin and Michigan though." I don't really know how I know that, I just do.
"I know. That's why I got it. It's very hard to find in Ohio. But, there is one place in Chicago that I found it at." I nod along with Santana so that she knows that I am listening. "When I was a kid I got Blue Moon every time when went out for ice cream when we were here."
"Cool." I say as the ice cream girl hands Santana her ice cream cone.
"That'll be six-seventy." The girl says.
"Oh, I can pay for mine." Santana speaks up.
"No, I got it." I smile at her. She nods and looks down at the ground. I dig around in my pocket for some money. I set a little wad of cash down on the counter. "That the ten." I tell the ice cream girl. She takes the ten dollar bill from the pile with the other money. I grab the pile of mostly one and stick it back in my pocket. I didn't realize how hard it would be to pay with an ice cream cone in one hand. I should have asked Santana to hold my ice cream cone for me.
The ice cream girl hands my mine change with a smile. "Have a good day." She says probably because she has to because it's a part of her job.
"Thanks." I say and turn to Santana. She smiles and start walking away from the ice cream stand. I walk right passed the truck, but I she Santana stopping to get in. "No, this way."
Santana scurries over and slides up next to me. I sort of lead the way down the path. There are some trees- I wouldn't call them woods- and then it clears out. It's a little ways to my destination but I know that it will be well worth it. I stop when we get to the edge of the cliff and look out over The Bay of Green Bay.
"Wow." Santana says in awe next to me. "This is some view."
"Yep. It's great, isn't it."
"Yeah." Santana breathes.
I lick at my ice cream for a few moments but after a while look over at Santana, who is standing there looking out over the water with big, wide eyes. She licks her ice cream absentmindedly. For a second she looks like the little kid I saw in the photos at her house.
"You wanna sit down?" I ask gently so I don't startle her. She turns her head to me and nods. I led us over to one of three benches that look out over the water and take a seat on one end. Santana sits down next to me.
We eat the rest of our ice cream in relative silence as we watch the water. There's not much going on on the water but every now and then a boat zooms by. It's nice. And it's a comfortable silence. I enjoy just sitting here and relaxing. It's even better that I can do it with someone I really care about at my side.
I finish my ice cream and check and see how Santana is doing on hers. She is about halfway down the cone. I wait until she is finished to start our next conversation.
As soon as Santana finishes her cone I tap her on the shoulder. She turns to me and I ask my next question. "Do you wanna go to the tip of the peninsula sometime in the next couple of weeks?"
"Yeah!" Santana perks up a little.
"Well, I suggest we go on a Friday. It's not quite the weekend so less people will be there but there will still be plenty of people cuz it's a Friday. Does that make sense?"
"Yeah. I get it. It won't be super crowded like a Saturday or Sunday but will still be crowded cuz it's close to the weekend and it's the middle of summer."
"Yeah."
"But I work on most Fridays." Santana reminds me.
I frown. "Take a day off."
"I can't just have Friday's off like you. I have to actually schedule a day off or get someone to switch shifts with me. It's not that easy. I can't just walk in and inform them I taking a day off."
"I know. I mean- can't you like get a Friday off in the next couple of weeks though."
"I don't know." Santana sighs.
"Well, I'll march in there and take a day off for you." I say puffing up my chest.
Santana giggles at me. "I'll see what I can do."
We get back to Santana house and I pull in the driveway for the second time today. I don't really have a plan after this. I want to spend more time with her, but apart from driving around, and getting ice cream, and sitting on the top of the cliff over the water I don't have anything else planned. Once I shut the truck off I look over to Santana. She is unbuckling herself and she reaches for the door handle, pulls it and hops out of the truck. She looks back to me with a tilt of the head.
"What?" I ask self-consciously.
"Do you want to come inside for a little while?" She asks then smiles at me cutely. I can see the slight blush on her cheeks.
"Sure." I give her a big smile and get out of the truck, following her to the house. "Ya know, I spotted some weeds in your beds."
"And?" Santana asks as she unlocks the front door.
"I was wondering if you were going to do anything about them. Cuz if you let them go it will be more of a problem later. Like, next year, those tree seedlings could be one foot tall baby trees. And the others, like the dandelions could seed out and produce more dandelions."
"And you want me to do something about it?" She rotates her head and gives me this sort of baffled look.
"Well, either you or your dad or somebody. Or we could do it. My company I mean. Someone from your family would have to let my boss know."
"Oh, that means you won't just do it, like, for free?" She turns around once she has the door open.
"Well-"
"Don't I get, like, some sort of discount because I'm-" Santana stops mid-sentence. I watch her carefully as she chews on her bottom lip. "Nevermind. I'll talk to my dad about it." She tells me and enters the house.
I follow Santana into the kitchen. She opens the fridge and sticks her head inside. "Are you hungry?" She asks into the fridge.
Even though it's almost dinner time I'm not really hungry. We just had ice cream, so that kind of filled me up for now. I might be hungry later, but not right now. "No, not really."
"Good, cuz I didn't want to make anything." Santana chuckles and pulls her head from the fridge. "Soda?" I nod. "Mountain Dew or Pepsi?"
She looks at me for my answer. "Dew me." I wiggle my eyebrow at her.
"Britt." She scolds and sticks her hand in the fridge to pull out a can and hands it to me before getting one for herself. The whole time avoiding eye contact with me. "Follow me." Santana says to her shoes.
I follow her into the living room. When she plops down on the couch I plop down next to her. She reaches for the remote from off the coffee table and turns the tv on. She flips through the channels aimlessly. I don't know if she is looking for something specific or if she is just looking for something that not too awful for us to watch. "Any suggestions? Do you want to watch a movie?"
"Can I see your room?" I know it's not the suggestion she was looking for.
Santana stops flipping channels and turns her head to look at me. I smile and nod enthusiastically. She opens her mouth to say something, but nothing comes out, and eventually she ends up closing it. Santana goes back to flipping through the channels. A few minutes pass before she says anything else. And when she does it's disappointing.
"No." She says the single word without breaking from her channel flipping. I think she's been through all the channels that she has twice already and then some.
"Why not?" I would love to see here room. I would love to see how it is decorated and how it's shows her as a person.
"Cuz it's a pigsty."
"I don't care." I shrug.
She turns back to look at me and I smile at her. "I don't care." I tell her again. "I want to see your room. Even if it is a little messy. That just shows another part of you and who you are. I would love to see it. If you'll let me, that is. I won't barge in there if you really don't want me in there. I understand. That's your personal space that no one should mess with."
"I-" She fumbles.
"Forget I mentioned it. Maybe another time. After you have time to clean." I amend. I'll live if I don't get to see her room. It's a bummer, but sitting next to the girl here is better than seeing her room. "We can watch a movie. You pick."
Santana gets up from the couch and goes over to the bookshelf in the corner of the room that has a bunch of dvd's on it. She picks one out and puts it in the dvd player before coming back over and sitting next to me.
The movie starts and I few minutes in I realize that I am not okay with the amount of space between Santana and I. I remedy that by throwing my arm behind her and scooting close enough that I can wrap it around her shoulders. I feel her tense up but I squeeze her opposite arm with my hand and she relaxes. Santana turns her head to look at me. She looks a little unsure but a give her a reassuring smile. I feel her relax into my side and I hold her against my body.
The movie plays on. I'm not really paying attention to it though. I am watching the screen as the colors and shapes change, but I couldn't tell you what's actually happening. And I'm okay with that. Instead, I am more in tune to Santana. I rub my right thumb up and down the side of her arm in a continuous circle. Every now and then she will laugh or gasp about something that is happening in the movie. And I turn to see her face. She is absolutely beautiful when she laughs. With huge smile and her nose crinkles, her eyes nearly disappear with her scrunched face.
Santana laughs once again and then sighs. But what surprises me is when she shifts a little and sets her head on my shoulder. I turn to see her and she looks up at me from under her eyelashes. She has a timid smile on her face and I think she is asking 'is this okay'. I nod because it is more than okay and kiss her forehead. She scrunches up her face again but then turns back to the tv.
A few minutes later she wraps her right arm around my waist and snuggles further into my body, turning a little in the process, so that her head is no longer on my shoulder but rests at my collarbone. I wrap both my arms around her and hold her there.
Despite it being hot and sticky outside it's pleasant in the house. Which is good because I would be too warm if we were cuddled up like this in the weather outside. I feel great from head to toe. Comfortable and completely relaxed. With Santana in my arms and not a care in the world I focus on the movie again.
"Britt?" I vaguely hear my name being called. "Britt." There it is again. "Britt, you fell asleep." It's but a whisper.
I look around the room slowly. It's dark. The tv isn't on anymore. "What happened?" I ask. I feel all sorts of out of it. I can't figure anything out right now. My brain isn't working. I look down at the girl that is nearly sitting in my lap.
"You fell asleep." She rubs her hand up and down my arm. "The movie is over."
"Oh." I say dumbly. "What time is it?"
Santana turns her head to look at the clock that is across the room. "A little after nine."
"How long ago did the movie end?" Unless that was like a three hour movie and it just ended, something isn't adding up.
Santana ducks her head and buries her face in my chest. I take a deep breath in. That sure woke me up. I bring a hand up and rest it on the back of her head. "I didn't want to wake you." She mumbles into my chest. Santana looks up at me shyly. "You're kinda cute when you're asleep." She says and bites her bottom lip between her teeth.
I can feel the heat that rises to my cheeks. "I don't get as much sleep as I need in the spring and summer." I shrug. "I should probably go home and go to bed."
"Yeah." Santana says solemnly.
"Hey." I say to get her attention. "I will see you again soon." She tilts her head to the side. "I promise." I hold out my pinky for her to see. "Pinky promise."
Santana shifts and pulls her hand up and twist her pink in mine. "Pink promise." She giggles. "Hmm."
"What?" I ask curiously still holding on to her pinky. I drop our hands to the couch cushion.
"I think the last time I made I pinky promise was with Quinn when I was like ten."
"Bringing back the pinky promise." I joke. "Solid."
Santana nods her head. I pat her on the back as a signal for her to get up. She does and so do I. I take couple of steps to go to the front door but Santana stops me. She grabs my hand from behind and I turn to face her. "What?"
"Do I get a goodbye kiss?" She asks timidly. She's so cute.
I smile and step into her body. "Of course. I was waiting until we got to the front door but-" I stop talking and kiss her. The hand that isn't holding Santana reaches up to the back of her neck into her hair pulling her further into the kiss.
She gasps a little into the kiss. I don't think she was expecting it so suddenly. I tilt my head to the side and deepen the kiss. We exchange slow kisses for a few moments.
"I should go." I mumble against her lips.
"I wish you didn't have to." Santana mumbles back.
Wow. I stop kissing her lips and rest my forehead against hers. I open my eyes to see that hers are still closed. "Santana." I whisper and rub my thumb over the tiny hairs at the back of her neck. She hums. "I wish I didn't have to either. I like being around you. I'm sorry I fell asleep before."
"Don't be. You were tired." She tilts her chin forward and pecks my lips.
"Hmm." I was tired. And I still am tired. And I should sleep. "I should go." I whisper.
She nods against my forehead. "Right." I lean back and just look at her. She smiles shyly and I smile back. "Okay." I let go of her neck and turn. I start for the front door once again. Santana tagging along behind me by the hand.
I pull the front door open and I rush of humid summer air hits me in the face. Once I step outside, I turn to Santana and bring our connected hands up to my face. I kiss the back of her hand softly. "I'll see you soon." I tell her.
Santana nods ever so slightly. I give her one last kiss on the lips before turning around. "Bye, Britt." She says from behind me. I turn to see her smiling and waving at me.
"Bye, Santana." I blow her a kiss and she giggles. I turn back around, so I don't trip over my feet, and walk over to my truck and get in. I start the thing up and look out the front window to see Santana standing in the doorway. I wave to her before I put the truck in reverse and back out of the driveway.
I don't know when I will see Santana again, but I do know that it won't be long because I can't go very long without seeing her. She fills up so many of my thoughts now that I don't know what I thought about before I met her. It's strange that someone can come into your life and turn it upside-down without you even knowing that it happened.