Chapter 2 - Columbian Blend. Extra strong
(Still - 7 years earlier) October 2005
Brittany POV
I had been working at Java Joe's since my sophomore year as an undergrad, so I had been the observer to every kind of character that walked the lawns of Boston U. There were stoners and preps and jocks and nerds, just like an overgrown high school, only the majority of the students could drink, which made people watching that much more enjoyable. Still, after all my time working there, and the countless repeat customers, I could only manage to forge her face with her order. Columbian Blend, one sugar, no milk, extra strong. She didn't come around every day, but even when she didn't stop by I would notice her side-stepping people and marching her way to a secluded table to bury her nose in either her computer or half a dozen books while nibbling some sort of healthy snack. She became the highlight of my day, a constant in the erratic flow of students who were pushy and sometimes downright rude.
Nearing the end of October I had finally gotten into the rhythm of classes, and lab work, and rotations, and Joe's, that I was less zombie-like and more Brittany-like. I was constantly kept busy, but it made me hum with productiveness. It was the Tuesday before Halloween when she came bustling through the glass double doors, her hair was soaked and she was weighed down by the sack of books she always toted everywhere. For some odd reason my heart sped up and I couldn't take my eyes off of her as she huffed her way across the cafeteria and slammed her books down with a clang that echoed throughout the nearly empty space; everyone else, it seemed, was either already partying or locked in their rooms for midterms. I watched anxiously as she tossed her belongings onto the table without care, which, from my past observations, was totally unlike her. My stomach twisted into a tight knot and it literally felt like my heart dropped a few inches lower in my chest. I didn't really know her, but it made me feel awful that she was in such a poor mood. I surveyed her actions a bit longer before a proud smile crept across my face. Columbian Blend, one sugar, no milk, extra strong, I recited to myself as I hurriedly prepared a travel cup with regular coffee and the tiny bit of sweetness. I was about to leave my post when another little thought gem twinkled before me. Mom always made me cookies when I felt down I remembered, peeking into the baked goods cabinet. No cookies. I sighed softly before choosing what I thought was the next best thing.
With goodies in hand, I approached the seething girl as if she were a wounded lioness; I didn't want to end up her next kill. I cleared my throat softly and waited until her fiery brown eyes found my own. Her gaze was startlingly intense, but after a few moments it softened and I was once again able to breathe. With a thick, nervous swallow and the slight tilt of my head, I held out my presents.
"I promise I didn't mess up this time. And I made it extra strong…threw in a shot of espresso. I know it's not your exact order, but you look like you could use a pick-me-up," I explained, smiling, as her perfectly manicured hand wrapped around the hot cup with little hesitation. "And I know you're big on fruit and salads and stuff, but it wouldn't kill ya to have something sweet once in a while. It's no chocolate chip cookie, but I hear the pumpkin spice ones are the best." I set the aromatic muffin down carefully in front of her and wiped both of my hands on my apron. "On the house." My voice came out a bit lower with my last words and a blush blossomed across my face. "Let me know if I can get you anything else, okay?" I gave her a lopsided smile and turned to walk away; it was my ever-present curiosity that made me turn back. "I'm Brittany, by the way. I don't think we've ever officially met." I offered my hand to her delicately and waited nervously for either the dimples or the scowl to grace her face.
Santana POV
Today was the worst day of my entire life. Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration but still, it was pretty rough. I felt as if everything was falling spectacularly to pieces right in front of me and there was nothing I could do about it. I woke up late this morning and missed my first two classes because my asshole roommate decided that 2am would be the perfect opportunity to start her insanity workout. If I were to someday go to jail for murder, it would be because of that girl. I loathed her presence in my life more than anything; her name alone was enough to make me cringe. Sugar Motta. What kind of name was that? Was she a high class prostitute or perhaps named after a jar of applesauce? I'll never know.
Now, I admit that sometimes I could be unreasonable, but I didn't think this was one of those cases. My best friend from undergrad used to tell me I was a ticking time bomb and that I had a short temper when it came to others voicing their opinions. I preferred to think of my "short temper" as a swift and assertive reaction to bullshit, but that's just me. I guess that's another reason why being a lawyer was the right path for me.
I left my apartment without taking a shower or even bothering to change out of my sweats. More importantly, I left coffee-less. As I made my way down the stairs I heard a bunch of girls giggling as I passed by. One more thing to add to this fabulous day, I thought to myself. I didn't even have the energy to snap at them. I walked outside and sighed deeply, running my free hand through my disheveled hair. Of course it was raining and of course I didn't bring an umbrella. At this point I felt completely defeated and I hadn't even made it out of my complex yet. I contemplated for a moment about going back up to the apartment and locking myself away in my room, but I knew, with Sugar there, I wouldn't concentrate at all on my studies. I headed out the door and swiftly walked through the downpour, making my way into the cafeteria. All I wanted to do was sit in my corner and hide away from the world, well, most of the world.
People wouldn't bother me if had my nose in my books, this I knew for sure. I sat down in my usual spot by the window in the corner. I had a crystal clear view of everything in the cafeteria, but there was only one thing,or person actually, that I was interested in having in my line of view; Brittany. The enchanting blonde only worked 3 days a week, but those days made my entire week bearable. Today, of all days, I needed to experience her bright smile and bubbly personality. I sound like a complete creep, I thought to myself; I never intended for it to be this way. The first time I sat down here I had planned on apologizing to her, again, for my poor behavior, but then days turned into weeks, then into months, and finally I gave up. It wasn't very often that someone made me nervous, but somehow Brittany did just that. It was intriguing.
I slammed my books down on the table and took out my laptop; I glanced over towards Brittany and saw her smiling and making polite conversation with a customer. I felt better knowing that we were in the same room but at the same time I was overwhelmed with jealousy. I didn't even know what she and the mystery man were talking about, but I wanted to. I wanted to know everything about her and I couldn't tell you why.
I turned my attention back to my notes and started reviewing for an upcoming exam. There were so many different types of felonies to memorize, not to mention the corresponding penalties; it all made my head spin, in the best way possible. The types of felonies ranged from things as simple as Theft, all the way up to Extortion and Child Pornography; I closed my eyes and tried to recite the paragraph I had just read. I was halfway through when I heard someone clearing their throat in front of me. My eyes shot open, ready to stare down the person that obviously wasn't privy to my wrath. To my surprise, there stood Brittany, breathtaking as ever, holding a coffee cup and a muffin in her hands. She handed them over to me and smiled sweetly. My mind was in such a fog that I didn't even pay attention to what she was saying. I could see from looking into her eyes that she was being genuine though. My heart sank a little as she began to walk away, I opened my mouth to call out her name but she beat me to it. She turned back around and introduced herself, casually reaching out to shake my hand.
I looked back and forth between her eyes and hand a few times before reaching out and shaking it. Her face lit up and my smile was so wide that I thought it might separate itself from my face. She seemed to enjoy my reaction because the next thing I knew she had pulled out the chair in front of me and sat down. This gave me the confidence boost I needed to finally, after over a month, regain my ability to form sentences around her.
"I'm Santana," I said, still smiling up at her. "You really didn't have to do this, you know. I don't want you to still feel bad about the coffee thing; I shouldn't have been so rude to you. I'm really sorry Brittany. I was actually going to apologize to you, again. I know you work 3 days a week, but every time I wanted to go up there you seemed preoccupied with something, so I guess I kind of chickened out." I stopped talking abruptly and my mouth hung open. Did I really just say all of that out loud? Oh. My. God.
Great, just great Santana. You had one shot and you just totally blew it. You opened that big mouth and suddenly you transformed from a mute into a blubbering idiot. Great way to start a conversation.
"Fuck" I muttered under my breath.
Brittany POV
Dimples. Dimples accompanied by sparkling eyes were the responses to my introduction. I felt like a helium filled balloon that was anchored to the earth by the simple connection of her hand in mine. Her wide, glorious smile made me beam from the inside out and I felt like light itself would come bursting out of me. After watching her breeze through my life unnamed, I finally felt like I had something concrete to hold onto. I pulled out the nearest chair and sat down facing her, completely proud of myself for actually being the one to begin introductions. I'm not the most socially adept person, but something about this girl, about Santana, made me branch out from my comfort zone.
I listened as she had her own mini brain landslide and couldn't help the small smirk that played across my lips. Her voice was like warm whiskey and it made me think of lazy summer nights listening to jazz while lying out by the lake. It was soothing and beautiful and it put me at ease. I could tell, however, that she was not used to rambling; she cut off her words and looked at me with wide, beseeching eyes. Before I could even say anything, her slightly agape mouth curved over a single swear word.
Cussing usually set my teeth on edge, but this time her mumbled curse made my stomach flutter unexpectedly. My small smirk stretched into a lazy grin and I shook my head slightly.
"Stop apologizing. Maybe we should both stop apologizing, actually." I took a moment to think over what I was saying and nodded slightly. "I'm just glad I actually got a chance to say hi. This is my last shift at Joe's and I was kinda worried I wouldn't see you again." A tingling heat was crawling over my skin, but I ignored it and continued on. "Besides, you're much better company than those coffeepots…totally cliquey." I winked at her and broke off a piece of the muffin that I had brought before popping it in my mouth, "Mmmm. They're right, these are the best." She let out a small laugh and took a piece of the pumpkin bread herself.
We sat there for hours, nibbling away and chatting about everything and nothing. She was a first year law student and I was a first year med student, so we totally understood how the stress of school limited ones' ability to build solid relationships, whether platonic or romantic. It was well past midnight when we realized the odd sound around us was the eerie silence from a completely empty dining hall. We both let out nervous laughter before shrugging it off and preparing to leave for the night. With my confidence now brimming over, I suggested we book a study room to share, just in case we ever needed a quiet place to escape to. She accepted my offer with another swoon-worthy smile and we exchanged numbers. We bid each other goodnight and as I walked away, I couldn't help but send her my infamous "first Brittany text" text: Did you know that dolphins are just gay sharks? The laughter that filled the room made my heart leap. This was definitely something special.
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Authors Note - For those that asked, there will be about 6-7 chapters leading up to present day. It's important to us both that we do it this way, it will be important later on in our story.
SharkGeek - We try to keep the POV's pretty long. We both know how frustrating it can be to constantly skip back and forth when it's not necessary. Thanks for reading and for the input :)
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