Imagining Tigers
Chapter 13:
A.N.: Mundial starts today, I'm so excited! Also, thanks for your reviews and follows! Enjoy.
We agreed with Brittany to meet at the dance studio and go pick up little Alice from her ballet class together to surprise her and then do whatever the kid wanted. I thought starting dance classes when she was only three years old was too much but the blonde said that that was when she started too. Plus, it wasn't that tiring. And I didn't think Brittany would pressure her daughter, especially because she had her heart problem too. But clearly the little blonde loved dancing.
It was Friday afternoon and I was on my way to the dance studio. I kept repeating inside my head to remember to tell Brittany about Liz. I didn't want to forget again like last time. But this time she would be alone, no confusing sister and sleeping daughter to distract me. I thought I would be able to eventually put my mind in rest about this Liz chick. I didn't really want to know but I had met two of her exes. The one still wanted her and the other wanted to take her daughter from her.
I arrived at the dance studio earlier than the time we agreed to meet but I made my way to Brittany's room anyway. I knocked on the door but there was no answer. Then I heard the music playing from inside so I decided to just get in. I opened the door and stepped inside before closing it. The sight I was met with was not one I was expecting and definitely not one I liked. Brittany and Liz were dancing to Low from Flo Rida ft. T-Pain. It looked like Brittany was showing Liz the choreography because she was describing the moves she was doing and Liz was following. The blonde seemed to be either pissed off with Liz or just unhappy with her. More than usual. This definitely wasn't how I planned on telling Brittany but now it was too late anyway. I couldn't just leave. I moved to sit on the couch on my right, my movement catching Brittany's eye. She didn't stop what she was doing but she winked at me to let me know that she saw me. I knew I shouldn't blush at her wink. I knew she did it because the music was too loud to speak and she was dancing so she couldn't wave at me. I knew this. But I still blushed.
Also I knew that I shouldn't like so much watching Brittany dancing. But tell that to my brain. She was just so hot while dancing, splitting and turning. She was dancing like that and being bossy at the same time. Actually I was embarrassed to admit that I was kind of turned on. I crossed my legs and shifted uncomfortably on the couch. I wanted a distraction so I threw a glance at Liz, who was oblivious of my presence, and automatically I got out my Brittany-daze. Only then I realized what Quinn was talking about. Liz was so obvious with her leering at Brittany. I knew I wasn't one to talk but I shrugged to myself. I wasn't Brittany's ex so I was totally allowed. That was what I was telling to myself anyway.
I wondered if and what Liz told Brittany. But I went with nothing because she didn't know that Brittany and I knew each other. The music stopped, breaking me out of my thoughts. I saw Brittany standing near the stereo and drinking from a bottle of water. She was breathing really hard and sweat was running down her neck and disappearing under the off-the-shoulder top that she was wearing.
"You got it?" Brittany asked once she finished the whole bottle. Liz probably had been watching Brittany the whole time too, like me. She looked like she tuned in reality again and shook her head, as if to clear it.
"Yeah." She said between her panting and Brittany nodded at her. She sat down and started stretching her long legs. Liz followed doing the same. "Did you come up with this?" She asked.
"With Mike." Brittany said, not looking at her and Liz scoffed.
"Of course." She said and I could imagine her rolling her eyes. She had her back to me so I couldn't see her. Brittany looked up and arched an eyebrow. She ignored her though and stood up. She turned away from both Liz and I, who still didn't notice me, and took off her top, leaving herself in a sports bra and me with a dry mouth. This woman is trying to kill me, I thought. I could see a black tattoo on her lower back but the distance was too long for me to make out what it was. But I could make out what the tattoo on her left ribcage was, actually it occupied all her left side. At first I thought it was a snake but then I realized it was a black dragon. It was actually really beautiful, like a masterpiece. The contrast of the black tattoo and her pale skin made the dragon even more imposing.
"Hey, you never told me what those are." Liz said and gestured towards Brittany's tattoos. I noticed that Brittany had crouched down and was rummaging through a duffel bag that was on the wooden floor. The blonde turned to look at her over her shoulder and frowned.
"They are what you see." She said coldly and turned back around. She stood up with a tank top and threw it over her head and tugged it down, effectively hiding her tattoos.
"Yeah, but don't they mean something?" Liz insisted and I tried really hard to ignore the jealousy that settled into me. It was irrational but just thinking about others being so close to the blonde that they could see her tattoos had me frowning. And I knew about her old job, I honestly didn't have a problem with it. But it didn't mean I liked the idea of her being physically close to other people. Brittany turned around and huffed angrily. But before she could say anything I stood up and interrupted her.
"Hey, Britt." I said and she turned quickly at me, like she forgot I was there. Her face softened and came closer.
"Hi." She said and I smiled at her.
"Santana?" Liz wondered and I inwardly cursed.
"You two know each other?" Brittany asked and frowned looking between Liz and I. Liz came and stood next to me.
"Of course we do." She said before I could say anything. I turned to look at her and frowned. She was acting like we knew each other but we only met once. She was smirking and I felt a knot tightening in my stomach. I didn't know what she was up to. "We're going on a date, aren't we?" She asked and I choked on nothing with wide eyes. I turned to Brittany and saw her narrowing her eyes, looking between the both of us. "Wait, you know each other?" Liz asked, only then realizing what was going on.
"Y-yeah. We're friends." I said shakily. Brittany glared at me and I frowned at her. Why was she glaring at me? She put that label on us.
"You didn't say anything." Liz told me and started looking uncomfortable. I shrugged and she looked around nervously. "Well, I gotta go. I have a class." She said quickly and vanished before Brittany and I could say anything.
"What the fuck?" Brittany asked once the door closed and I turned to her and bit my lip. This wasn't good. "You're going on a date with her?" She asked and gestured towards the door. She was looking at me with a look of disbelief and my eyes widened.
"God no!" I exclaimed. "She's lying." I defended myself but she didn't seem to believe me.
"Oh really?" She snapped and I frowned.
"Why do you believe her and not me?" I wondered and she huffed. "And why would I want to date your ex, Brittany?" I asked frowning and she became even angrier if that was possible.
"So, you know she's my ex and you're still going on a date with her?" She asked me angrily. I understood what Sugar was talking about. You definitely didn't want Brittany directing her anger towards you. But I didn't do anything wrong.
"What's your problem anyway?" I frowned at her and she narrowed her eyes at me.
"My problem is that she's my fucking ex!" She said exasperated, like I couldn't understand what she wanted to say. And maybe I couldn't. "I don't like her."
"If I'm going on a date with her then I should like her, not you. Don't you think?" I asked her challengingly. I knew I was pressing her buttons. I just hoped the reaction I would get from her would be one that I could handle.
"No, I don't think." She said irritated. "And I thought you weren't going on a date with her?" She wondered sarcastically.
"I'm not going on a date with her! She asked me to but I said no!" I exclaimed raising my arms. I really didn't like fighting with Brittany. At all.
"Why would she say that then?" She asked me and arched her eyebrows.
"How should I know? She's your ex." I frowned. "She probably wanted to get a reaction from you and she obviously got one." I said and gestured towards her.
"What's that supposed to mean?" She frowned back. I looked at her pointedly and she rolled her eyes at me. "I'm not fucking jealous of her if that's what you mean." She told me and continued. "It wasn't a serious relationship for fuck's sake." She said exasperated and I sighed. I didn't want to hear about their relationship.
"Look, I would never date your ex. Serious or not. That would be weird." I said and shrugged. "We're friends, right?" I asked and she narrowed her eyes at me but I continued anyway. "Then that would be illegal in my book." I shrugged again and she arched an eyebrow. The anger was still evident in her expression.
"So, that's why you said no. Cause we are 'friends'. And you wouldn't date my ex." She stated angrily, air quoting the friends. I shrugged again, not looking at her.
"Yeah. What other reason do I have?" I asked and pretended that she wasn't the real reason. She huffed and frowned as she stepped closer to me. I frowned in confusion at her still angry behavior. Obviously she really didn't like the idea of Liz and I dating. But what was really bothering her? Liz dating someone who wasn't her or me doing that?
She grabbed my hips and pulled me closer to her. My eyes widen in surprise at her actions. Her touch, the proximity of our faces and our mixed breaths caused my heart to start beating faster inside my chest. I looked at her pink lips, only inches away from mine, and wondered what it'd feel like to finally kiss her with that stud below her bottom lip. I glanced up at her beautiful blue eyes and saw that they were a shade darker. She looked like she was fighting an internal battle but she finally made her move.
"Is this good enough reason for you?" She whispered at me and before I could say anything she leaned in and closed the gap between our lips. I closed my eyes and breathed sharply through my nose. My heart skipped several beats and I felt like I was flying. Her touch was so soft and delicate that I started feeling dizzy. It felt weird kissing her with that piercing but not bad weird. It was just different. She put her left hand on the back of my neck, bringing me closer to deepen the kiss and I put my hands on her waist. I caught her bottom lip between mine and sucked on it hard, piercing and all, causing her to groan and to slide her right hand to my lower back and bring me flush against her. I felt her tongue on my upper lip asking for entrance and I granted it immediately. When our tongues made contact I actually moaned at the sensation but I was too wrapped up in this feeling, of Brittany's tongue in my mouth and her whole body against mine, to be embarrassed. The kiss was getting really heated but I managed to find the power to grab her upper arms and push Brittany away from me. Her cheeks were a bright red and she was breathing hard. I probably looked the same. She looked at me questioningly and I took a deep breath before taking a step back from her, so her scent and warmth wouldn't prevent me from thinking clearly.
"Brittany." I sighed. I didn't know why she kissed me. But I had my suspicions.
"I just kissed you." She said quietly. She looked like she just realized what happened a minute ago. "Fuck." She whispered to herself and ran a hand through her hair."This can't happen." She gestured between us. "We're friends." She nodded to herself and turned away from me to go grab her things.
"I don't understand you sometimes." I told her ignoring my hurt feelings at her insisting that we should be friends. She grabbed her bag and turned to me.
"Of course you don't." She said but before I could ask what she meant she continued. "I have to go." She told me and walked towards the door. I frowned.
"Why do you always do that?" I asked her.
"What?" She asked, not looking directly at me.
"Leaving whenever you feel like you're out of control." I told her.
"This isn't about control." She whispered.
"Then what is it about?" I asked.
"I can't do this right now." She said pleadingly, ignoring my question. "You'll see Alice another time." She added quickly before opening the door and leaving me alone. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair.
I left the dance studio and decided to walk home. I really needed the fresh air. As fresh as it could get in New York. I wanted someone to explain to me what the hell just happened. Why did I have to push her? I frowned to myself. But, if I hadn't pushed her I didn't think she'd kiss me. But why did she kiss me and then tell me that this can't happen? Again? I groaned. There was something between us and today Brittany just showed me that I wasn't the only one who could feel it and that my feelings weren't one-sided. She practically confirmed my suspicions that she didn't like the idea of Liz and I dating because of me not because of Liz. The only thing it took was just this sign from her to make me realize that I was falling for the blonde and I was falling hard.
A.N.: Hey, what do you think about this chapter?