Eventually, I drove back to the house. I parked, walked in, put my coat on a rack, and threw my keys on the kitchen counter in a bit of a fury. My mom was sitting at the table with a bowl of cereal and jumped just slightly.

I sighed. "Sorry. Where's dad and Ellie?"

"They're getting ready for church."

"Okay. I better go then," I said, stepping in the direction of the stairs.

My mom stopped me with a question. "Did you have a fun night at Colby's?"

I stopped in my tracks and walked back to the table. I sat down caddy corner from her at the table and looked her straight in the eye. "I wasn't at Colby's and we both know that. Why can't we just talk about this?"

She pushed her bowl in front of her, leaving a few pieces in untouched. "You were at... her house?" We'd danced around this topic for so many weeks that I barely noticed when she said that with a different connotation than usual. The apprehensiveness in her voice that she usually used was replaced by a more confident, albeit not her usually verbose articulation, tone that had a hint toleration.

"She has a name, Ma. It's Brittany. And yes, I was at her apartment."

"I never liked when you did that with Puck and I don't like that you do that with her."

"Really!?" I questioned. "Because you never talked to me once about me staying with Puck. Does it just make you more uncomfortable that she's a woman? Is that it?"

"Santana…" She warned.

"Well, it shouldn't. And just in case you were wondering, we didn't even sleep in the same room last night. I slept on her couch. And we haven't slept together either." I was telling the truth, we didn't sleep in the same room, at least not last night.

She looked surprised. "Really?"

"Really. And Ma, I know it's really hard for you to come to terms with all of this. I want you to be able to talk to me about this. To ask me your questions. This is all new.. to both of us. It would really mean the world to me if you would back me up and be behind me on this."

My mom looks at me for a long time before speaking. "Santana, I love you, your father loves you. Ellie and you are our world. We've worked so hard to create a life for you two where you wouldn't have to go through the struggles that both dad and I went through. And it was working out, we had this great family, it was almost picture perfect, wouldn't you say?"

"Well, I don't know about that..." I mutter.

"Nonetheless, when you came out to us, we realized that it's not going to be perfect anymore. You're going to have to go through hardships. They're not going to be the same as me or dad's, they might be even tougher. It's just that we didn't want you to have to go through something like that, that's why we've done everything that we have done.

But we know that you are strong. You're the strongest young adult in Ohio. And we're strong. The Lopez's have a name in this community and we're going to be scrutinized, all these close-minded people in the community. When everyone finds out that we have a daughter who is lesbian, it would change how 'The Lopez's" would be perceived. We'd have to come out too, if that makes sense. And it's hard and different from everything we've ever known and it just seems so hard. But, your Papi and I are ready for it. We can do it.

If Brittany makes you happy and if you're happy, we're happy. Whoever thinks that you liking girls could ruin our family isn't worth our time; their opinion doesn't matter to us. The only opinion that matters to me right now is your opinion of me and I really hope that it's changed. I know I have."

While my mom continued to talk, all I could do was soak in every word that she had to say. Tears filled my eyes. My mom got it. It's still not going to be all roses and daisies from here but we're finally on the same page. My mom finally "got" it. She understood now. A huge feeling of relief washed over me. I hear rustling from behind me and I looked over my shoulder and saw my dad standing there. All he did was nod his head. He heard it all. And he was smiling. I let a small tear fall from my eye out of sheer happiness.

My mom wiped the tear from my cheek with her thumb. "Alright, sweetie, you need to get cleaned up for church."

"Okay, Ma." I smiled and kissed her on the cheek and smiled to my dad as I walked past.

Later on that night after I finished my homework, I did the only thing that I knew to do; I went for a swim. Yeah, I had practice the next day and this was one of my only days off in a long time but I needed it. I needed something to ground me while I thought about everything. I had calmed down substantially from this morning with Brittany and I was able to better process everything that transpired between us. My head felt clearer from my talk with my mom but my heart felt heavier with every moment that passed by without talking to Brittany about our fight.

Lap after lap after lap, I kept replaying the events in my head. This wasn't the small little arguments and disputes that we had gotten into before that involved trivial things like Lord Tubbington's daring escapades or why breakfast is eaten at night and in the morning; this was a real argument with feelings and so many emotions. I knew I was harsh on her this morning and Brittany wasn't the only one who was at fault here. This whole fight, her whole outburst, it was because of my actions. Brittany has literally done so much for me, more than I'll ever be able to thank her for, and all I've done was yell at her for trying to show me how much she likes me. That makes me the idiot. I'm the one who should be apologizing. She was drunk but it's not like I've ever scorned anyone, including myself, for drinking. It happens and it's not a big deal. Brittany had a right to want to be with me no matter what my feelings were. I should be flattered, right? I haven't given her nearly enough of my time, certainly not what she deserved.

I flipped over and started a backstroke set. My thoughts shifted with the change in my body position. Brittany knew that I didn't want to have sex with her, at least not now. She knew that I'd thrown in around casually in the past and I wanted this to be special for us. No matter how drunk that she was, she still should have respected me. It was selfish to think about this but I cared about her so much and all I wanted was it to mean more to me. I wanted it to be more than an emotionless action like it had been for so long. I wanted it to be romantic, special, and a memory that I would cherish forever.

Still in a daze from all the thought-processing, I went home and showered. I didn't know what to think anymore, what I should do to make things right. I was torn. I turned on my laptop and started proofing a rough draft of a report. My eyes ran over the words but failed to actually read what they said. I couldn't focus. I was constantly fiddling with my phone; contemplating texting or calling her and wondering if she was doing the same.

Ellie burst into my room with a carton of ice cream and two spoons. She plopped on my bed and pushed my laptop aside while wedging the ice cream carton between us. She handed me a spoon and started to dig in.

"What happened?" She asked with a spoonful of ice cream in her mouth.

"What?" I feigned cluelessness while dipping my spoon into the carton and taking a bite.

"Don't act like I don't know," she said. "I texted her."

"Wait, Brittany?"

"I knew it." She smirked.

"Shit." I scowled. I used to be the sneaky one, I guess she learns from the best.

"Really Santana? I noticed it like the first minute that I saw you. What happened?"

"You know what, El? I've thought so much about it, I really don't know what happened anymore."

"Try," she insisted.

I recounted the events from last night and this morning the best that I could.

"And you're mad at her?" She asked rhetorically. "If I was her, I'd be a little mad at you as well. You kind of jumped the gun."

I frowned. "I know. I was thinking about it this whole day. I'm such an asshole. She didn't deserve any of it and I don't deserve her."

"Okay, let's stop turning into the a My Chemical Romance song. You don't have to go that far. It's understandable and I can see both sides of this. Did you say anything to her yet?"

"No. I don't know what to do." I gnawed on the metal spoon, frustrated.

She shrugged. "You'll figure it out. You always do."

Much to Ellie's encouraging words, I didn't figure it out. For three days, I didn't talk to her, she didn't talk to me. Although it was only three days, it felt like forever. I had never cared so deeply and so much about someone in my whole life. Even during the busy times, we talked at least once a day. I had never missed and yearned for someone so much being apart from someone. I couldn't count the number of times that I pulled out my phone to call her but I chickened out every time, not knowing what I could say to possibly make anything better.

Everyone at school noticed my change in disposition and they tried to inquire about it, I dismissed all of their concerns. I told them that I was fine and that nothing was wrong. I told them it was nerves for state coming up. This whole week wasn't supposed to be like this. It was supposed to be about relaxation. Tomorrow night, Thursday night, we'd drive to Canton because warm ups for prelims were at a ripe 9 AM on Friday morning. We were tapering at practice this week and Coach Roz's taper is always the best. I was supposed to be feeling super great and energized for the next few days. And I would be if I didn't have such a heavy heart weighing on me. I had just showered from practice and I was about to find something for dinner when Ellie approached me.

"Hey." She pointed to my sweatpants and tank top. "Put on some clothes, we're going out for dinner."

"Why?" I'm not a superstitious person but when it came to large swim meets, I had a three day long pre-meet diet planned mapped out to the single calorie.

"Santana, I promise that it will be healthy and it won't interfere with your weird diet ritual. I promise that you'll be able to eat something there."

"Where are we going?"

"Somewhere that has really good food." I opened my mouth and she read my mind. "Not Breadstix, you've been there like times this week already."

"Ellie, I have homework that I gots to do."

"Yeah, homework that's due next week. I know you're caught up. Just come on, I'm driving."

I reluctantly trudged upstairs and changed into jeans, boots, and a jacket. I let my damp hair down to dry into its natural wave. We left and Ellie drove, mostly in silence. I messed around on my phone, still typing out messages to Brittany that I never ended up sending. I soon realized that we were driving out of town.

"What the hell Ellie?"

"We're going to that little place a little bit out of town. The place you went to before winter formal last year."

I remembered that place, it was a small, quaint place and the food was really good. It was pricey but they had a bunch of options and their service was impeccable.

"What's the occasion?"

"Just wanted to treat my sister before her big meet!"

I was skeptical. Ellie was more the type to stay home and make dinner for me rather than taking me out. I wasn't complaining though, I was hungry and she was right, I'd definitely find something that lived up to my diet plan. When we arrived, there were only a few people there. The inside of the place is more like a house than a restaurant and it's so cozy. The host led is to our table and Ellie, surprisingly, pulled out my chair for me. I sat down and looked down at the table in front of me. Lying on the table in front of me was a white violet and a sealed note with 'Santana' written on it, I easily recognized the handwriting. I picked it up and opened it.

Santana—

Apologies are never easy, especially when someone like me screws up with someone as amazing as you. You are the best thing that has happened to me in a very long time. I never would have hurt you on purpose. If I knew that my actions that night would have caused this, I would have never gone to the party, never would have had a sip of alcohol.

These past few days, not being able to talk to you, to see you, they've been horrible. I feel like I'm a zombie running through the motions of my life. The only thing I think about is you. I think about you, Santana, and how sorry I am.

Did you know that white violets can mean, "let's take a chance on happiness?" So what do you say? Forgive me? Take another chance on happiness? Perhaps both?

Yours,

Brittany

The whole time I read it, I thought 'I don't deserve her. She's the most perfect girlfriend. Better than anyone I could ever even dream of.' I smiled nonetheless and when I looked up, I saw her standing across from me at the table. She looked gorgeous, wearing an adorable little beret and a light blue sweater that flowed off one shoulder just slightly. She had deep sincerity in her eyes, keeping them locked on mine with the hint of a smile on her mouth. I walked the few feet towards her. I leaned up and wrapped my arms around her neck and pulled her in for a hug. I buried my face into her shoulder, holding back tears, and held her there for a few moments. We both pulled away but held each other in our arms. I smiled and stared into her eyes for a few seconds.

"Britt. This—You're too sweet. This is the best apology I have ever received. Of course I will take a chance on happiness with you. But, I, uh… I'm the one who should be sorry and I really am so, so sorry."

She cocked her head at me. "No, I'm the one who screwed up. You had a right to be mad at me."

Before I responded to her, I looked behind me. Ellie was standing there with a little smirk on her face, fiddling with her keys. "Hold on," I told Brittany, giving her a little squeeze, and motioned Ellie over here. Ellie walked over.

"Did you set this up?" I asked her, trying to hide a smile.

"It was all Brittany's idea, I just drove you." She shrugged. "But, it looks like you two have a few things to talk about so I better take off. Santana, be home by 10:30, you have a big day tomorrow."

"Okay, mom." I chuckled lightly.

"Thank you, Ellie." Brittany gave her a hug. "I'll make sure she's home by then."

Ellie exited the restaurant and Brittany and I sat back down for dinner.

After getting drinks and a few moments of browsing the menu, the waiter came to take our order.

"So what were you saying?" She asks, stirring a pack of sugar into her tea.

"I—realized that I shouldn't have been so brash with you. I literally have thought about nothing else but us. And I feel so bad. I've drank until I felt like I was on the moon and all my friends do it and I'm fine with it but when you do, I shame you. You're not even underage. It's your right to have some fun and loosen up."

"It's not a one-way street, Santana. I got a little too loose. I tried to have sex with you even when you told me no," she said bodly.

I licked my lips. "Yeah. It's not like you were going to. I stopped you."

"But that doesn't make it right," she volleyed.

"Yeah, but…" I trailed off with a shrug. I figured that if we were fighting over who was the bigger asshole, we were getting further than we were an hour ago, not speaking to each other.

"I admit, I do want to have sex with you," she said brazenly. "Honestly, who wouldn't? You are just so beautiful. But I don't want to until you're ready and if you don't think you are, we don't have to. I've been pushed into sex before, especially with Lindsay. In the back of my mind, I always thought that that was the breaking point of our whole relationship. It was too early and things went downhill so quickly after that. Now, I know you're not her, you're not anything like her, but I don't want that to happen to us. I like you so much, Santana. And the thought of not being with you makes me sick. I want it to be the perfect moment for both of us and until that moment comes, I'm fine with where we are."

I watch her speak with undivided attention. Everything in the surroundings was irrelevant. The things she saying, I literally could not ask for anything better from her, the perfect words flowing from her mouth. I stalled, not knowing what to say.

"Santana?" She asked.

"I really am the luckiest girl in the world. Thank you, Britt. You are the most amazing person I have ever met and I really cannot believe that I have someone as great as you."

"And if things get too hot for you, just say so and we can stop." She winked.

"You're always too hot, Britt." I winked back.

She blushed and looked down at her drink. I took her hand over the table and squeezed it.

"I'm really sorry that I haven't exactly made the best of time with you. It's…"

"Swimming," she answers.

"Yeah but that's no excuse. I just… I feel like there's so much pressure on me. I'm swimming literally all the time and when I'm not, I'm doing homework trying to stay on top."

"It's just hard to find a balance, huh?"

I nodded. "Because all I want to do is be with you." I sighed but not in an aggravated way. "I'd give it up, Britt. I'd give up the swimming, the academics, everything, I'd give it all up for you."

She smiled but shook her head. "I would never want you to. Ever. I know what you have to do, you know, to stay this good. I know that if I'm going to be in this for the long haul, you're going to be going all over the country, maybe even the world, to swim, practice up to 4 hours a day, and then staying up all hours to do homework. I get it and I understand. I just, I want you to…I don't know."

"Talk to you?" I suggested.

She nodded. "Yeah. Like talk to me. You know? Tell me that things are getting a little pressed. Just let me know, don't leave me hanging, wondering if I did something wrong, wondering if you still cared. Please.."

"Of course Britt. I will always care, always. I am so sorry," I repeat my apology, almost about to cry again because I realized how much I hurt her.

"Don't cry," she says, staring at me with her clear blue eyes. She runs a finger against my hand. "It's going to be okay. We're going to be okay."

Neither of us saying anything for a few moments, we just stare into each other's eyes, trying to soak it all in, making up for lost time.

The waiter interrupts our gaze and brings us our food. We started eating and talk through bites of food.

"So, the morning that I left your house, I drove around for awhile before going home. My mom was there and she knew I stayed with you that night."

Brittany paused right in the middle of chewing. "Did you tell her what happened?" She joked.

"Oh, definitely," I chuckled. "But we finally got over our bump. She's finally starting to come around and she's really trying to understand and talk to me. They both are. Just the other day, my dad asked how we were."

She laughed quietly, "And what did you tell him…?"

"I said we were doing great. I didn't go through extensive detail; I didn't want to scare him, kind of just playing it by ear."

"I'm so glad! I've been wondering how it was going. I'm glad your weeks of persistence paid off."

"Thanks to you, Britt."

She grinned. "Speaking of parents, I told my family about you. Well, Matt already knew for awhile but my parents didn't."

I arched my eyebrows. "Did you tell them how we met?"

"In a way. I told them we met at the school that I did student teaching at. Umm, they're basically under the impression that you may or may not be a teacher as well."

I laughed. "Oh great."

"But don't worry, I'll tell them the real story, soon. They said that they want to meet you. Maybe sometime in the next few months?"

"I would love to meet the Pierce family."

Brittany smiled.

I spoke again, "I assume that eventually you'll be able to meet mine too. I'm sure they'll love you. You've kind of got a charm that's hard not to love."

She looked away, flattered.

"Can I watch you swim at state? The finals are Saturday afternoon?"

It never really crossed my mind that Brittany would be able to come watch me swim. I always assumed that she would be busy that day with her crazy schedule. Mentioning it though, made me really happy.

"Yes! I would love for you to be there! It's in Canton, kind of far away but finals don't start until 4."

"It's not that big of a deal, I can swing by and see my parents beforehand but I'll definitely be there in time. I'll see if someone from back home wants to tag along or something."

"That sounds great! I'll make sure to keep you informed or the times and everything. It should only last a few hours and if I make finals in everything, I'll swim four times."

"Well, you will be making finals in everything and so will your relays… I wouldn't miss it for the world."

We finished up dinner and paid. We bundled up and walked outside into the parking lot, my arm comfortably placed around her waist.

"Where's that red bug of yours?" I asked scanning the parking lot.

"Around back. If you saw my car, it would have totally given it away!"

"You're so clever."

I had a little over an hour and a half before I had to be home. On the drive back to Lima, Brittany asked, "Do you want to come over or go home?"

"Do you want me to come over or go home?"

"Come over, of course. Lord Tubbington was asking about you. But I understand if you need to get home to rest."

"Rest is for chumps, we're only driving to Canton tomorrow evening, nothing more. I would love to come over. I miss him. And I kind of miss that other person who lives with the cat, maybe just a little."

This would be the last time that I'd get to spend any more time with Brittany before state. After we walked into her apartment and said 'Hi' to Lord Tubbington, we went to the living room and laid on the couch. We didn't turn on the TV or anything, we just talked.

Brittany wanted me to tell her everything about state and how it works. She was genuinely interested and wanted to hear all about it. After I explained everything to her, including how many lengths of the pool I had to swim for each event, I snuggled into her arms and let her hold me. We were just close and it felt so good to be with her again. I nuzzled her neck and gently kissed it while she told me all about the plans she had for her beginning dance class.

After a lot of sweet lady kisses, we decided to head back. It was earlier than Ellie's curfew but I still had some packing to do. I didn't have a car so Brittany drove me home. We pulled onto my street and my heart dropped a little bit, my mom was right behind us.

"Oh, crap. That's my mom. Maybe we should drive around the block again."

"Santana," she said turning into the driveway. "She already saw my brake lights and now it's too late. Don't worry about it."

I was worrying. Brittany pulled her car in and slowed it to a stop while my mom opened one of the garage doors and pulled up past us. My mom got out of her car and started walking toward us. She waved when she saw that I was in the passenger side. Brittany turned off her car.

"Are you sure about this?" I needed her to reassure me again.

"You told me that your mom has finally started come around. It's not like we can get out of it now. She already saw us. I mean, I could just reverse and leave now. I'm sure that be a good impression to leave on your mom."

I laughed, luckily, she always knew what to say. We both got out of the car at the same time. My mom was standing towards the front with her hospital mug and a binder in her hand, probably a patient's chart.

"Hola, mija. It's a little late for you to still be out, especially since you're leaving tomorrow." I don't know why my mom was saying that. She's caught me coming in at midnight on a school night before.

"It's like 9:45, Mom. I'm going to go to sleep right away, but I'm glad you're home."

"Very well. Are you going to introduce me?" She nodded towards Brittany.

"Oh, yeah. Mom, this is Brittany Pierce. Brittany, this is my mom."

Brittany extended her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Lopez."

My mom shook her hand. "The pleasure's all mine. And please, call me Isabella."

Brittany smiled. "I've heard a lot about you, it's nice to finally meet you."

Brittany was being her usual personable and charming self.

"I've heard a lot about you too, Brittany. Now, what is it that you do? Are you in school?"

My mom knew the answer; I don't know why she was asking this; maybe just testing Brittany.

"Well, I graduated in December from LU with a bachelor in education and a minor in English. Right now, I'm just working full time at the dance studio that I teach at and applying for teaching positions for next year."

"Oh, that's splendid. Santana used to love dancing before she started swimming! But I'm sure she's told you that. Where is the job hunt taking you?"

"There's a few schools around Canton, Columbus, Cincinnati, and Hamilton that I've put my resume in for. I'm still searching too."

"That's good. I'm sure you'll find one that fits you great."

Brittany smiled. This was turning out a lot better than I thought, even though we were standing around outside.

"Do you want to come in, Brittany?" My mom asked.

Brittany briefly stalled and looked at me. It happened so quickly that I didn't think that my mom saw.

"Yeah, I'd love too. It's kind of chilly out here."

My mom turned around and started walking back into the garage and towards the door. Brittany and I exchanged wide smiles I put my arm around her waist for a brief moment and led her inside. My mom sat her stuff down on the counter and took off her coat. Brittany and I both took off our coats as well and we all three sat down at the table.

"Ma, Brittany is coming to see me on Saturday afternoon."

"Really? That's great. It's kind of a long drive, isn't it?"

"Well, my parents live in Canton. I was going to stop by to see them for awhile beforehand. Maybe see a friend or two."

"Oh, so that works out well!"

We heard footsteps coming down the stairs. It was Ellie. This was turning into a nice little family affair. When she saw all of us, she was a little surprised.

"Oh! Hello everyone."

She walked over to my mom. She said, "Hola, mami," gave her a kiss on the cheek, and sat down in the other empty chair.

She grinned looking at the three of us at the table before saying, "Oh wait, am I interrupting?"

"No, of course not, Ellie," I told her. Brittany and my mom nodded in agreement.

My mom spoke towards Brittany. "Well, when you come in on Saturday, we'll save you a seat next to us."

"Ah, thank you. That's sounds great!"

We talked a little longer, including Ellie in the conversation. Then Brittany politely said she needed to go, she had to be at the studio early to finish up some billing for the clients there.

"It was very nice meeting you, Brittany. I look forward to seeing you in a few days," my mom said with a hint of a smile.

"You too, Isabella! Bye, Ellie. I hope you guys have a wonderful night."

Ellie got up and gave her a hug. "Bye, Britt!"

My mom looked a pinch skeptical at their embrace. I eyed her carefully.

"I'll walk you out," I told Brittany.

She put on her coat and we headed back out to the garage. We lingered around her car for a few seconds. Finally, I just cupped her cheek and kissed her. I felt her hands on my waist, pulling me in for more. I couldn't help but smile into her kiss. She was so sweet, so perfect in meeting my mom. My mom liked her too, I could tell.

After we finished kissing, I told her, "She really likes you, I can tell. And I'm pretty sure she doesn't recognize you from when she met you at conferences. You're so perfect."

"Hardly," she blushed.

I opened her door and she sat down. I leaned back down and pecked her on the cheek.

"So, I'll see you soon?"

"Yes. Good luck these next few days. I'll be rooting for you and keep me informed."

"Obviously. Goodnight, Brittany."

"Goodnight, Santana." She smiled and slowly backed out of my driveway.

I walked back inside and my mom had already gone upstairs, she was probably exhausted. I was finishing packing some things for the meet and my practice bag; practice would be really nice tomorrow, the day before state. We were extremely tapered to it was just basically getting our feet wet.

My mom walked in, "I like Brittany, Santana. I'm still adjusting to the thought of her being your girlfriend but it certainly helps that she's so nice."

"I'm glad you like her. I think she's pretty nice myself."

"Does she know Ellie really well?"

I shrugged. "Uh, a little bit. They talk all the time."

"And Ellie likes her?"

"She adores her. And Brittany really likes Ellie too."

My mom smiled. "Thank you for letting me meet her. Goodnight, Santana." She kissed me forehead like she used to do when I was little.

"Goodnight, mom. Te quiero."

"Te quiero, mija."

Thank you for reading! Please review if you'd like!