A/N: A shorter chapter, but it's more like a transition. The next one should be much longer and I'm pretty sure you'll all like it. Anyway, I'm sorry if there are any mistakes! I hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Glee.
"This better be good because I turned down a blissful, relaxing Saturday afternoon of doing absolutely nothing just to help you. Now, explain the dilemma." Santana ordered in a grumpy tone as she got into Finn's truck.
"Hi, Santana. My day has been just fine, thanks for asking. What about yours?" he remarked sarcastically. When she shot him one of her famous death glares, he immediately paled a bit. Taking a gulp, he said, "I need your help picking out the ring."
"You finally made enough cash?" she questioned with a small smile.
A cocky smirk made its way onto his face. "Yep. I think that I set some sort of record, too. It only took me three and a half weeks!"
"That is definitely not a record."
"You're just jealous!" he joked teasingly.
After giving him an exaggerated you've got to be kidding me look, she asked, "Why do you need my help?"
He chuckled softly. "Because… you're a girl, aren't you?"
"Obviously." she retorted with a roll of her eyes. "But why do you need my help? Why not Kurt's or your mom's?"
"Because they aren't my best friend." he stated in an overly-sweet voice.
She scoffed and stared at him. "You are an extremely bad liar. Fuss up. Now."
'Damn, she's good.' Finn thought to himself in amazement. After shifting in his seat and clearing his throat, he looked over at her. "You're the only one who knows."
"Seriously?" she asked in bewilderment.
His only reply was a sheepish nod.
"Wow, uhm, that's…Okay, I'll help you. If you don't mind me asking, how come you only told me?"
As he started the car, he paused briefly and analyzed her simple question. On accident, he voiced his thoughts. "I honestly don't know, but maybe it's because I trust you so much."
A smile played at Santana's lips. "You really trust me?"
Snapping his gaze back to her, he flashed a dopey smile. "Of course. Trust is what friendships are built on."
"I'm pretty sure that's relationships, Finniot." she remarked sarcastically with a small laugh.
"Is there really a difference?" he inquired with a raised eyebrow.
For a few seconds, she stared at him in confusion. 'Is he seriously comparing a relationship to a friendship? Our friendship..?' She couldn't help but feel a little flutter in the pit of her stomach. Choosing to ignore that feeling, she shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't know."
Finn pursed his lips in thought. However, before he could think about the topic too much, Santana commented rather loudly, "So, how about that ring?"
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he nodded and smiled. "Right. Let's go."
"What about that one?" Finn wondered as he pointed to a ring within one of the many glass cases decorating the store. Following his plan of doing everything right, he had decided to search for the perfect ring at a Zales located a little out of town. Well, maybe more than a little, but the drive was most definitely worth it. It was for Quinn after all.
Santana peered at the sparkly ring and immediately wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Too flashy."
Finn frowned. "You've said that about every single ring I've pointed out."
"That's not true. I also called one of your choices pathetic." she reminded him with a playful smirk.
His face seemed to become even more crestfallen. "What if I choose the wrong ring to give her?"
Unable to resist, she scoffed. "First of all, she will love whatever ring you choose. Secondly, you don't even have to worry about choosing the wrong one because I am here to help."
A small chuckle escaped his lips, but he was still feeling doubtful. "Can you explain to me why my choices are so horrible?"
"Finn, you're going for all of the super extravagant rings. I think you're forgetting that this ring is for Quinn. She loves you for you, not for buying her expensive, flashy things. So, the real "perfect ring" isn't one of these over-exaggerated and extremely over priced crappy pieces of metal and rock; it's something simple yet extraordinary in its own way. Try looking for something that meets those guidelines." Santana was a little out of breath by the time she finished her mini-speech. It hurt her to tell him those things, but she had to. It was what he needed his friend to tell him.
Almost at once, a grin appeared on his face. "Thanks, Santana. I'm going to go look over there," he paused to point toward the opposite side of the room with his hand. "Holler at me if you see something?"
"Holler?" she echoed in amusement. "Don't ever say that again. But, yes, I'll let you know." After flashing a quick smile, she turned around and wandered among the rows of elegant jewelry.
Finn made his way toward another counter. While he stared intently at each and every ring, trying hard to discover some sort of sign that said it was the right one, a worker walked up to him.
"Hello, sir. Can I help you with something?" A woman asked politely.
Finn glanced up and smiled at the middle-aged woman. "I'm actually looking for a promise ring to give to my girlfriend, but I can't find the right one."
The woman, whom Finn noticed had a nameplate with Ashley on it, smiled widely at him. "What type of ring are you looking for?"
"Something simple yet extraordinary." He repeated Santana's words with a lopsided grin on his face.
For a few seconds, Ashley looked at Finn thoughtfully. She then motioned him toward a case a little off to the side. "I think that you'll find what you're looking for in here. Let me know if you need anymore help."
Nodding his thanks, Finn moved his attention to the rings sitting in the glass case. Immediately, his eyes landed on one in particular.
Glancing around the room, he noticed Santana a little ways away from him.
"San!" he called quietly.
At the sound of his voice, she turned to face him with a raised eyebrow. When he waved her toward him a little eagerly, she fought a smile and made her way over to him.
"What's up?"
"Look!" There was clearly immense excitement in his voice as he hastily pointed to an object in the case. Curious, Santana leaned down to stare at the cause for his obvious happiness. A smile slowly appeared on her face. She looked at him and stated appraisingly, "Well done, Hudson."
The signature grin was back on his face as he gazed at the ring in triumph. "This is definitely the one." he whispered himself.
Santana heard the comment and forced a cheerful smile. The ring was exactly what she had told Finn to look for. She was happy for him. Unfortunately, one of the unwanted comments that she had tried to avoid for the past few weeks drifted across her mind. 'It's the right ring, but he's giving it to the wrong girl.'
Needless to say, despite seeing him happy and receiving a celebratory hug, the rest of her day was definitely going to be crappy. It really sucked to like someone that you couldn't have; whenever you thought about them, a horrible pain would begin in your chest. Heartache was a feeling that Santana quickly grew to despise.
When Ashley reappeared, Finn quickly waved her over. He chatted animatedly with her for a few minutes about Quinn and what he hoped would happen between them before purchasing the ring.
"She's a lucky girl." Ashley remarked with a genuine smile as she handed him the ring box and his change. "I hope that everything works out for the best."
"Me too. Thank you for everything." he replied with a smile of his own. After a brief farewell, he turned around and walked over to Santana.
"So, what do we do now?" Santana wondered.
Holding the door open for her, Finn said, "Well, if it's alright with you, I was hoping to come up with some ideas as to how I'm going to give her the ring. Will you help me?"
"Yeah, sure." she responded quickly. When he looked at her strangely, she added firmly, "As long as you buy me food. I need to get my eats on."
He chuckled before nudging her playfully. "You got yourself a deal."
Like I said, transition! x] I should be able to get the next chapter up within the next two days. Yay for the weekends! Please leave a review or suggestion; They are greatly appreciated! Oh, one more thing. I'm not sure how many more chapters I'll have for this story. But I can promise that there will be a sequel. In fact, I've already got the storyline sorted out for it. Anyway, thank you so much for reading!