Santana stood there, hands on the microphone, and the soft, gentle music of the piano began to reach my ears.
She's beautiful, I thought, as she opened her mouth to sing.
Something always brings me back to you
It never takes too long
The sadness in her eyes shocked me as I listened to the words which clearly meant everything to her.
No matter what I say or do
I still feel you here 'till the moment I'm gone
You hold me without touch
You keep me without chains
I felt tears pricking my eyes as I realised how true the lyrics were. Her voice almost seeped through my skin and hit my soul.
I never wanted anything so much
Than to drown in your love
And not feel your reign
As the piano music sped up, she took the microphone off the stand and walked towards me, one hand raised, the light hitting her face and highlighting her emotions.
Set me free
Leave me be
I dont wanna fall another moment into your gravity
Here I am
And I stand
So tall, just the way I'm supposed to be
But you're on to me
And all over me
Everything was falling into place - yes, Santana had been hurt that I'd betrayed her trust, but it was more than that; she had wanted an excuse to stay away from me because I made her vulnerable.
Oh, you loved me 'cos I'm fragile
But I thought that I was strong
But you touch me for a little while
All my fragile strength is gone
As the chorus began again, she walked forwards, looking directly at me. I forgot that I was standing in an auditorium; I forgot there were people sitting in the rows behind me. All I saw was Santana, and all she saw was me.
Set me free
Leave me be
I dont wanna fall another moment into your gravity
Here I am
And I stand
So tall, just the way I'm supposed to be
But you're on to me
And all over me
The music reached a climax and Santana ran forward, sitting down on the edge of the stage, her beautiful dark eyes never leaving my face.
I live here on my knees as I
Try to make you see that you're
Everything I think I need
Here on the ground
But you're neither friend nor foe
Though I can't seem to let you go
The one thing that I still know
Is that you're keeping me
Down
As she hit the gobsmacking, jawdropping note, it felt like the entire world froze. Nothing else mattered in that moment. Santana was everything.
You're on to me
On to me and all over
The music once again slowed down as the song began to come to a close. Santana put the microphone back on the stand and stood, head slightly down.
Something always brings me back to you
It never takes too long
The piano and violin faded into nothing, and Santana looked at me.
Everyone clapped - not raucously, just softly. We all appreciated the beautfy of the moment.
I went to stand up, to walk onto the stage and embrace her, but she suddenly spoke into the microphone, and resumed my seat.
'That was...,' she began softly. 'I tried to explain how I felt in that song, Brittany.'
'You did,' I said loudly, so she could hear me. 'I get it, Santana.'
'But I still feel like I should explain,' she said. 'Brittany, I... You have always been everything to me. You're my best friend, the only person I really trust. You're my soulmate. I can't be without you and it's killing me. I love you, Brittany, and that's the biggest problem of all. I let you in where I wouldn't let anyone else in, and now you're going to destroy me.'
I stayed silent, listening closely, eyes brimming with tears.
'I know you'd never intentionally hurt me,' she said, tears also filling her eyes. 'But that's not it, I... I'm a slave to you. And I have to be strong. I can't afford to be weak, anymore, Brittany. And you're my weakness. You're the best and worst thing about me. You're the one thing that could kill me, and... I can't risk that anymore. I can't afford to be vulnerable.'
'Santana,' I tried to cut in, 'Santana, you must know I would never, ever -'
'I know, Britts,' she said. 'But it's not you. It's me.'
I bit my lip, trying to hold back the flood of tears which had signalled it's arrival.
'What am I supposed to do?'
'I need time,' she practically begged. 'I need to become strong enough to handle this. At the moment, I'm too fragile, like the song says. Please. Give me time to work this out.'
'I'll wait for you,' I said. And I meant it. 'I'll wait for you, no matter how long I have to wait. I'll be there. And if it never happens, I'll still be waiting. Just so you know that nothing will ever change the way I feel about you.'
She shook her head, tears falling down her tanned cheeks. 'No,' she said, 'Me either, Brittany. That's the problem.'
I stood up, ready to go. She didn't stop me - she just stood by the microphone and every racked sob that rang through the room cut me like a knife.
I turned and walked out, without looking back, the words of the song reverberating around my brain.
Something always brings me back to you,
It never takes too long.
Author's Note: Next chapter's going to be hard-hitting, so prepare yourselves! Hope you liked this one - it made me sad just writing it, but I felt like that side of Santana's personality always makes an appearance; she tends to panic when she gets vulnerable. Please review/favourite, and thank you if you've already reviewed, it means so much.