I was eight-years-old when I developed an interest in figuring out how the world worked.
My third grade class had taken a field trip to the local planetarium, which was where I first realized the universe was much bigger than I could have ever imagined. From that day forward, I was hell-bent on expanding my world and decided to place a greater focus on the things I couldn't see as opposed to those I could.
As the years passed, I continued to snatch up any little bit of information that dealt with the topics of space and time and eventually found myself gravitating towards the more elusive of the two: time. You see, anyone with a telescope or computer can observe the beauty of space, but the closest thing many of us come to grasping the concept time is the ticking hands of a clock.
Back then, I would have never thought my research could one day lead to me defying the scientists who had concluded time travel was not possible. Unfortunately, no one outside of the trusted few I have confided in will ever know of my discovery.
Sure, knowing what the future holds can be a very wonderful and useful thing, but at what price?
That was the one question I had failed to consider before making my trip, and I most certainly paid for it in the end.
Monday
The day started out as it normally did, with me walking into my office to find a hot cup of tea sitting on my desk. After placing my things on the floor beside my work space, I slid into my chair and slowly lifted the mug to my lips, giving the steaming liquid a gentle blow before carefully taking a sip. Just like every other morning, the warm drink had already been sweetened to perfection thanks to Allie, also known as the best veterinary technician in the history of ever.
Taking another quick drink, I placed the cup back down on the desktop in front of me and turned my focus to the morning's schedule. That is, until I suddenly noticed someone poking their head into the office.
"Good morning, Dr. Pierce," Allie called out as she stepped into the room.
Looking up from my computer screen, I greeted, "Morning, Al. Thanks for the tea."
"Not a problem. Anyways, I haven't had time to change it in the computer yet, but the Broussard's just called to reschedule their eight-thirty appointment for CeeCee so it looks like we don't really have anything going on until nine o'clock."
"Oh, alright. Thanks for the heads-up. How's Fitzgerald doing?"
"He's good. Still isn't really using his leg yet, but that's to be expected."
"Yeah, it's going to take some time for that false joint to form, but I'm sure he'll be back up and running in no time. Do you happen to know if he's been taken out yet?"
The girl shook her head, "Nope, I was actually just about to go do that."
"Don't worry. I got it," I offered as I closed out the schedule and prepared myself to leave.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, it's cool. I think bit of fresh air would do us both some good, especially while I have a bit of free time," I joked, taking one more swig of tea before I pushed myself out of my chair.
Heading over to the cages located near our surgery area, I spotted the small Terrier mix I had performed a femoral head ostectomy on the week before. As soon as he spotted me, the little dog began wagging his tail and trying to maneuver his way into a standing position.
"Hey, hey! Take it easy, Little Guy. I promise we'll go outside. Just give me one second," I chuckled out as I walked over to grab a leash. Opening his cage, I placed the device around his neck and lifted him up out of the compartment so I could take him out into the yard.
Setting the pup gently on the ground, I allowed him to walk as he pleased while following close behind. We continued meandering around the lawn like that for a few minutes when I suddenly noticed someone watching us from the fence line and looked up. Glancing over to the figure, I immediately recognized who it was and shouted, "Hey, Stranger. What are you doing here?"
"Just getting this pup's next round of shots," Santana's beautifully sweet voice informed as she nodded down at the black lab that was curiously looking at Fitzgerald, causing my browline to jump up in shock.
"Woah, has it really been a month already?" I asked as I started making my way over towards her.
Giving a slight shrug, Santana replied, "Yep, it kind of took me by surprise, too."
"I can only imagine with all the work you've been putting into that case you told me about. Speaking of which, how's that coming along?"
The woman's deep brown eyes instantly lit up with excitement as she answered, "I actually just finished the last bit of paperwork this morning."
Letting out a quick laugh, I added, "And so you naturally decided to bring your pup to the vet as soon as you were done."
"Naturally," she teased back with a playful eye-roll before clarifying, "but no, actually, Mom and Josh gave me the week off as a way to congratulate me on my first big win, so I decided to make the most of it and get a few things done before I go back to work on Monday, the first of which being the completion of this kid's puppy shots."
"Well, aren't you a productive little duck? I bet you're feeling a whole lot better now that you're done."
"Most definitely. I'm especially excited about not having to pull another all-nighter. I seriously feel like I could sleep for a year right now."
"I wouldn't doubt it. So, I'm guessing Del's appointment is scheduled for the lab tech to take care of?" I asked, assuming that would be the case since second and third puppy shots were almost always reserved for the technician in lab to take care of.
"Yeah, I think that's what the woman said on the phone when I called earlier."
"Well, I tell you what. Let me go put this little guy up, and I'll be right in to get those vaccines taken care of," I offered as I bent down to gently scoop up the terrier standing at my feet.
"Are you sure? I don't want to interrupt your work."
Understanding the brunette's concern, I reassured, "Don't even worry about it. I don't have anything going on for another forty-five minutes or so, so you're good. Just let the receptionist know that you talked to me outside so she can change the appointment over to my column, and I'll be right in." Sending the lawyer a small wink, I turned to leave, throwing a quick 'see you inside' over my shoulder before she even had the chance to question my offer a second time.
Once I had made it back to the surgery area, I found Allie placing a fresh layer of bedding into Fitzgerald's cage. Noticing my presence, she announced, "Just finished cleaning his cage and getting him all set up for the morning. All I have left to do is getting him some fresh food and water, but other than that, he's good to go."
See, what did I tell you? Perfect tech is perfect.
"Thanks, Al. I'm actually about to take one of the lab appointments and will need a holder, so would you mind coming to find me when you're done?" I asked as I carefully placed the pup back in his cage.
"Sure thing, Dr. P. Be there in a sec!" she answered before leaving to retrieve Fitz's breakfast.
After finding out Santana's location, I briskly walked over to Room Three and made my way inside. Giving her a quick grin, I glanced at the computer and began entering the vaccines we would be administering into the computer. "Okay, so it looks like this will be his last round of puppy shots, meaning you'll be good until next year."
"Awesome! I bet Delgado's happy to hear that. Right, D?" she inquired as she looked down to the dog, who was happily wagging his tail beside her.
Releasing a small chuckle, I informed the woman that I was going to go grab the vaccines and would be right back. As soon as I stepped out of the room, I spotted Allie standing in front of a computer screen with Delgado's account pulled up as she drew out the vaccines we needed into their individual syringes.
"Seriously, why are you so good at your job?"
The girl glanced over with a smirk and gave me a shrug before turning her attention back to pulling up the vaccine in her hand, "I didn't know I was. I just work. Anyways, you ready?"
"Yep, let's go," I replied as I lead her back into the room. While Allie got the dog on the table, I informed, "Alright, San-Uh, I mean, Ms. Lopez. We just have a few shots here, and then you two will be good to go."
Giving me an amused grin at my attempt to remain professional in the workplace, the woman nodded her head and whispered a few brief words of encouragement to the pup while patting him on the head.
Allowing my tech time to get him in the proper hold, I quickly administered the shots and gave him a couple treats for his cooperation. Once he was back on the ground, I told his owner, "Welp, I guess we're done for today, unless you were needing something else."
"Nope, I don't believe so," Santana returned with a shake of her head.
"Perfect. Then, you can just go to the front, and our receptionist will get you all check out."
"Alright, I guess I'll talk to you soon, then?" Santana quietly asked with a shy but hopeful smile.
"Definitely."
"Awesome. Talk to you then!" Santana said with a wave before leaving the room.
As soon as the woman was gone, I heard Allie speak up, "Well, I can definitely see now why you took that appointment when the lab technician clearly wasn't the least bit busy. She's hot!"
"Shut up, Kid," I replied as I started walking back to my office, purposefully using the nickname I knew she hated.
"Bitch, please. I'm twenty-two. You're only, like, what? Eight years older than me?"
That got my attention, "I'm not thirty, you little turd!"
"Meh, close enough," she retorted with a shrug.
"Don't you have a canine annual to go start prepping for?" I inquired as I took a seat back down at my desk, trying to not let her words have a visible effect on me.
"Already done," she instantly responded with a challenging look.
As soon as those words were out of her mouth, I couldn't help but ask myself, 'Why in the heck is that girl always have to be so on top of things? Seriously!' Thinking quick on my feet, I shot back with the first thing that popped into my mind, "Alright, Smartass. Then, how about you go text your boyfriend or something and get out of my hair?"
"Okay, but only if you tell your little lady friend I said hello when you text her in a minute, which I know you'll be doing as soon as I leave the room," she countered with a knowing smirk as she made her way out of the office, but not before mentioning, "Oh, and I got you a fresh cup of tea. It was pretty hot when I made it, so it should still be warm."
Shifting my gaze to my desktop, I noticed a new mug filled with steaming tea and took it into my hand. "Seriously, why can't she just let me stay agitated at her for one second? Little punk," I grumbled into the mug as I took a cautious sip and immediately let out a relaxing sigh. "Dang, this is good," I muttered begrudgingly as I set the cup back down and retrieved my phone so I could send Santana a text.
Gosh, I'm so predictable.
Tuesday
Santana didn't end up texting me back until much later on that evening, which she immediately apologized for. Apparently, the remainder of her coffee high wore off as soon as she got home, which resulted in the woman crashing on her living room couch until about ten o'clock that night. Unfortunately, I couldn't stay up for much longer since I needed to get to work early, but I promised to text her as soon as I got up the following morning. Of course, she just had to beat me to the punch by being the first to send a 'good morning' text.
If there isn't one thing I've learned since meeting her, it's that she always has to one-up me, but that's only because she's realized how incredibly competitive I am.
We continued to text throughout the workday, which helped passed the time until it was time to pack up my things and go home. While on the way, I decided to swing by the local pet store to pick up a new seatbelt harness for Layla. Walking through the isles, I eventually found the leash and harness section and made my way over to find what I was looking for. Just as I began mulling through all the different options, I heard my text notification go off and pulled out the device.
From Santana: Okay, please don't tell me that you're still all huffy and puffy about that whole 'good morning' text thing? I mean, if you wanted to be the first one to say it, then maybe you should have woken up earlier. Just saying. Lol.
Reading over her message, I couldn't help but poke fun at her choice of words.
To Santana: 'Huffy and puffy,' San? Really?
From Santana: Oh, please, Ms. 'For A Donkey's Year.'
To Santana: Oh my gosh, I've only used that phrase once! Let it go.
From Santana: Actually, it was twice, and I still have no idea what it means.
To Santana: Well, I guess it's a good thing you have access to the internet, then, cause I'm not telling.
From Santana: Rude.
Taking a second to type out a response, I hit send and put the device back in my purse to await her reply. Just as it was back in place, however, I heard someone else's phone notification go off and looked up to find a familiar brunette who had just turned onto the isle with her cart. Realizing she hadn't noticed me yet, I continued to watch as she glanced down at the screen, and I couldn't help but laugh at the confused grin that appeared on her face as she read my text.
"What's so funny?" I called out to her, causing her body to give a slight jolt in surprise.
Seeing that it was only me, she inquired, "Did you seriously just call me a cootie queen?"
"Yeah, it was either that or a lint licker, so," I trailed off while desperately trying to fight back an amused grin.
That comment only caused her to furrow her brow even more, however, as a not-so-discrete smile began pulling at the corners of her mouth, "Do you even know what that means?"
Feeling my own grin fade a little, I answered, "No, but I heard it on a commercial once and really wanted to reference it. Why? What does it mean?"
Biting back a laugh, she replied, "Nope, I'm going to let you figure this one out on your own. I mean, you do have access to the internet, right?"
Gosh, I hate when she uses my words against me, though I kind of have to admit that I walked into that one.
"Whatever," I quietly murmured while trying to change the subject so she wouldn't have a chance to tease me again. "Anyways, I see that you have officially decided to keep Del," I commented after noticing that her basket was full to the brim with various types of bedding, toys, and treats.
"Yep, I sure did," the brunette commented with a light chuckle, knowing exactly what I was trying to do. Thankfully, she decided to play along as she added, "I wasn't ever able to find his owners, so it looks like we're in it for the long haul."
"You happy about that?"
Nodding her head, she replied, "Yeah, he's a great little dog, very well-mannered and laid-back. He has a few minor things we need to work on, but overall, not too bad. So, what are you here for?"
"Oh, I'm just getting Layla a new seat belt harness for her to wear during car rides and such," I informed as I shifted my gaze back to the wall of petwear.
"They sell those?"
"Yeah, though they weren't really regulated for a good while, so I had to make sure I did my homework so I could buy the best of the best." Finding the particular brand and size I was looking for, I looked back over to the woman and said, "You can actually have her old one if you want. It should fit Delgado perfectly."
"No way! I couldn't let you do that," Santana declined with a firm shake of her head.
I instantly felt my happy expression drop, "What? Why not?"
"What if you were to get another dog and needed it again?"
I wanted to tell her that there was no way that was going to happen any time soon, especially since we technically were already going to have two dogs to look after eventually, but instead, I settled for, "Then, I'll just buy a new one. Seriously, it's no big deal. It's out in my car, so all I have to do is go get it and give it to you."
Giving me a stern look, she negotiated, "Do you promise to let me know if you end up needing it back?"
"Yes, San, I promise," I swore as I reached over to lace her pinky finger in mine.
She continued to stare at me for another long moment before finally letting out a huff of defeat and said, "Fine, let me just get all this stuff checked out and then we can go grab it."
"Yay!" I cheered before starting to lead her to the front of the store.
"Oh, and Britt?" I heard her call out from behind me. Turning around, I saw her standing behind her buggy with a grateful grin as she told me, "Thanks."
Mirroring her smile, I simply responded, "Any time."
Wednesday
Pulling up to my childhood home the following afternoon, I got out of my car and grabbed the change of clothes out of the back seat before heading towards the front door. Once I had managed to shuffle all of my belongings into one arm, I fished my keys from my purse and unlocked the door. Twisting the knob, I pushed the door open only to drop everything in my possession as a giant white fur ball, better known as my parent's Great Pyrenees, jumped up to greet me.
"Okay, okay! Down, Koda!" I chided between loud bouts of laughter. I swear Dakota has got to be one of the silliest dogs I have ever come across. He has absolutely oblivious to the fact that he is not a little Japanese Spitz and tries to spend most of his days as a spoiled lapdog. Like, he will seriously take his one hundred and twenty pound body and crawl into your lap if you let him.
Trust me, I know from experience.
Lots and LOTS of experience.
Eventually getting all four paws back on the ground, I picked up my things and stepped inside the spacious home so I could make my way over to the bathroom to change. As soon as I walked back out in my running attire, the fluffy dog looked at me with an expecting look as his large bushy tail began sweeping across the floor in rapid succession.
"Yeah, you know what's going on, Kiddo. Now, let's go get your leash, so we can go on your evening walk," I informed as I walked over to the dining room table to grab the item in question and clipped it onto his collar. Cracking open the door, the barreling ball of fur took off out of the house, but not before I somehow found the strength to keep my footing on the doorstep as I shakily jammed my key into the deadbolt to lock it back in place.
Dakota managed to pull me along for about two blocks before finally settling down and allowing me to walk at a normal pace while staying a few steps ahead of me. Realizing that the initial excitement had passed, I let my body relax and enjoy the rest of the walk as he continued to lead us towards the local park.
As one has probably noticed by now, this wasn't exactly our first rodeo. Whenever we take these walks, we always go the same route I used to always take back when I was living with my parents and went on evening runs to stay in shape.
Trekking up the sidewalk, we made our way through the entrance of the park and weaved around families hanging out just inside the gates. Once things had cleared out a bit, we started a brisk pace down the cemented path that careened around the three large ponds spread throughout the mostly open field.
We had just set a good pace for ourselves when I heard someone suddenly call out my name from somewhere behind me. Turning to find out who it was, I spotted Santana and Delgado making their way towards us.
Dang, she looked so good in that skin-tight tank top and tiny runny shorts.
Snapping myself out of my thoughts, I decided to tease the approaching woman by saying, "You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were stalking me."
Santana let out a loud laugh in response to my comment before replying, "I'm not, I swear. This is all either sheer coincidence or the universe is seriously trying to tell us something. By the way, I thought you said you had a Golden Retriever."
Following her line of sight, I realized she was talking about the dog standing by my side and replied, "Oh, I did. This is my parents' dog, Dakoda. I'm just taking care of him while they're out of town for the week. Tell San hi, Koda Bear!" Right on cue, the dog let out an excited bark, which caused another round of giggles to burst out from the brunette.
"Wow! Now, that's a greeting!"
"Yeah, he definitely knows how to make an impression," I joked as I looked down at Dakota, who was ecstatic over our new company.
"Hm, sounds a lot like someone else I know," Santana quipped. Shifting my gaze back towards her, I found her dark eyes already trained on me and realized the meaning behind her statement.
"Oh, come on, San. You know I'm still sensitive about that whole blind date debacle," I complained, which only fueled her laughter.
"Hey, I never said it was a bad impression," she tried to defend with a sly grin.
"Sure, sure. Anyways, since we're both here, would you like to accompany us on our walk?"
"Yeah, we'd love to. Right, Del?" she asked the black lab at her feet, who simply wagged his tail in response.
"Great, then we'd better move on before it gets dark and this tough guy here turns into a big, old scaredy-cat," I said, nodding my head towards Dakota to hint at who I was referring to.
"Well, we wouldn't want that, now would we?"
"Definitely not," I stated before we each turned to continue down the pathway while carrying on our conversation.
During our stroll, I learned that the brunette actually lived around the corner from my parents, which was why she ended up walking to the park, too. I also learned that her day off had consisted mostly of naps, crappy daytime television, and a call from her mother, who had announced that Santana was being considered for a partner position at the firm.
I watched as her deep brown eyes lit up at that announcement. It was obvious that she wanted to make partner, and apparently, she wasn't too far from achieving that goal. According to her mother, the main thing she had to do was to keep up the good work and continue churning out courtroom victories. It also appeared that she would have another chance to prove herself soon with the second announcement that she would be in charge of their next big case upon her return to work, which seemed to make her even more excited.
By the time we returned to our starting point, the sun had set and street lamps had turned on. Realizing how dark it had gotten, I looked Santana and asked, "Would it be okay if I walked you home? It's just late, and I'd feel better if I made sure you got back okay. Plus, it's kind of on the way to my parents' house, so-"
"Britt, it's okay. I'd love nothing more than for you to walk me home," Santana's voice cut in before I continue rambling on like a nervous idiot. Then, she quickly added, "but only if you let me drive you to their house after. Like you said, it's gotten late, and I'd rather be safe than sorry. So, what do you say?"
"I'd say you have yourself a deal."
Thursday
It was finally my day off, which meant it was my only day to be productive so I wouldn't have to get out on the weekend. By noon, I had already paid the bills and taken Layla for a three mile run, leaving grocery shopping as the last thing on my to-do list.
Rarely did I ever arrive with a list of items to buy. When you're only buying for yourself and a dog, coming up with a grocery list on the spot becomes relatively easy. Since the produce section was located right in the front, I decided to make that my first stop. I quickly made my fruit rounds, gathering all of the usuals: strawberries, grapes, bananas, etc.
Once I had collected everything I wanted, I pushed my buggy towards the vegetable section and parked the cart right in front of the carrots. Thankfully, the three pound bags of baby carrots were in stock this time. Last time, Layla and I had to settle with a two pound bag, which was not nearly enough considering how that is both my secret veggie obsession and her main source of treats.
I was just about to load the large bag into the basket when I suddenly felt my phone vibrating in my pocket. Pulling it out, I read the name out on the screen and let out a huff. I was just about to ignore the call but abruptly decided to answer it instead, "Hello?"
"You've been avoiding my calls," the woman on the other end of the line muttered in an eerily even tone.
Feeling a chill run down my spine, I attempted to act none the wiser by responding, "I don't know what you're talking about."
I instantly knew that she was aware I was lying because I could hear her let out an irritated groan. She apparently opted to drop the matter, however, because the next thing I knew, she was asking, "So, how did the blind date go?"
"Well, actually-"
"Britt?" a voice called out from behind me.
'Oh no. Please don't let this be happening right now. Not while I'm on the phone with Quinn,' my mind begged as soon as it recognized who the voice belonged to.
"Brittany? Hey, are you still there?"
'Okay, this has to end right now,' I silently decided, turning my attention back to the other blonde.
"Hey, Q, you've kind of caught me at a bad time. I'm going to have to let you go."
"You know, we really need to stop meeting like thi-Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't see that you were on the phone," Santana apologized as she halted her progression towards me.
"Wait, is that Santana I just heard?"
Ignoring the woman on the other end of the line, I slid my hand over the receiver and informed the brunette, "Don't worry. It's just Quinn."
"Oh, tell her I said hi."
"Do I really have to?" Watching the lawyer playfully roll her eyes at my response, I reluctantly told Quinn, "San says hello."
"Oh my God! I knew it! I swear I could recognize that voice anywhere!"
She continued rambling on about how she was right all along and knew that we would click, but I almost instantly stopped listening and decided to focus more on the woman standing in front of me, instead. Lightly shaking my head, I gave her a look that told her that she had triggered one of Quinn's rants.
"Brittany, are you even listening to me?"
"Nope, can't say that I am," I answered honestly, keeping my eyes trained on the brunette's.
"Fine, I'll let you get back to visiting with your lover girl, but we're not through talking about this. Oh, and can you please tell that skank that she needs to start answering my calls, too?"
"Hey, don't call her that!" I shouted without thinking.
Santana instantly gave me a questioning look, but I just shook my head in response, not really wanting to repeat the blonde despite knowing that she had been using the name as a weird term of endearment that only good friends could get away with using. I figured Santana and Quinn were a lot closer than I had previously imagined, but that was beside the point.
"Oh my gosh, you are already so incredibly whipped. Just wait until I tell the rest of the Glee group about thi-"
Not really caring to hear the rest of her statement, I decided to cut her off by saying, "Okay, yeah sure whatever. Gotta go, Q. Bye!" Hanging up the phone, I went ahead and silenced the device before slipping it back into my pocket.
"Did you seriously just hang up on her?" Santana questioned in disbelief before letting out a loud round of laughter.
"Well, she called you a name that I didn't exactly appreciate, so she kind of got what was coming to her."
Hearing my honest answer, Santana gave me an endearing look and replied, "Aw, don't worry. We always do that. Let me guess, she called me a bitch?"
"No," I answered simply, not really wanting to say the word out loud.
"Hoe?"
"No."
"Skank?"
Unable to bring myself to give her a verbal confirmation, I replied with a slight nod of my head.
"Yeah, I figured it'd be one of those three. Basic Bitch couldn't find a good insult even if it came up and slapped her in the face." Suddenly, we both heard a faint buzzing noise coming from her purse. Taking out her phone, she looked at the screen before looking back up towards me with a mischievous grin on her face and answered the call, "Sup, Asshat?"
The woman instantly winced as she tore the phone away from her ear, and even I could hear Quinn's voice shouting out from the other end of the line. After a few seconds of listening to Quinn's yelling, Santana appeared to have enough as she growled into the phone, "Okay, that's quite enough talking, Windbag. I honestly don't understand why you insist on interrupting Britt and I when you are supposed to be letting us get to know one another. If anything, you should be wanting to leave us alone right now."
Quinn must have responded to the brunette's comment because Santana suddenly added, "Yeah, I understand that you're excited for us, but can't you go do that somewhere else? I'm sure the Three Stooges would absolutely love to hear about your lame ass attempt at playing matchmaker."
There was another moment of silent before Santana spoke up once more, "Yeah, yeah, yeah. We'll talk again soon. Okay, bye." As soon as Santana had ended the call, she gave Brittany an apologetic look, "I don't really think our date was lame. I was just saying that to piss her off. Plus, I had already developed a bit of a crush on you after meeting you at the clinic, so she wasn't really-" She suddenly stopped talking as her eyes widened in realization of what she had just admitted. I continued to watch as a faint blush crept up her neck and across her cheeks as she continued to sputter at her slip up. "Um, I-I mean-Uh-"
Suppressing the huge grin that was threatening to break out across my face, I decided to cut the poor girl a break and changed the subject, "So, who are the Three Stooges you were referring to?"
Rushing to reestablish her composure, she answered, "Her two friends and boyfriend, A.K.A. Puckleberry Finn."
"Oh my gosh, I swear I love you even more now that I've heard that," I announced between bouts of laughter. That is until I realized what I had said and suddenly brought all my laughing to an abrupt stop, "Uh, I mean-Crap, that's not what I-"
"It's okay, Britt. Don't sweat it. I know what you meant," Santana interrupted, giving me a playful wink. "Plus, now we're even as far as embarrassing ourselves goes."
"Yep, definitely even," I agreed before letting a comfortable silence pass between us. Suddenly feeling a surge of confidence, I decided to finally attempt to ask the question that had been on the tip of my tongue for days. "Hey, San, do you, uh-Do you maybe want to go out to dinner tomorrow night? You know, with me?"
The brunette's face quickly lit up at my offer, "I would really, really like that, actually."
"Great! I'll pick you up at seven."
Friday
Harrison's Steakhouse is a quaint little bungalow I stumbled upon once while wandering the outskirts of Lima back in high school. It wasn't a very well-known establishment since it was hidden away from most of the hustle and bustle of Lima, but the food served was some of the best the city had to offer. Over time, I really got to know the restaurant's owners, Tom and Edna Harrison, who eventually became two of my favorite clients at Lima Vet Center.
Thankfully for San and I, my connections with the couple managed to work out in our favor since I was able to reserve my favorite table for our semi-impromptu date. Edna's only stipulation was that she got to personally seat us so she could have a chance meet the girl I had yet to tell her about, which I quickly agreed to.
Walking through the front doors the next evening with Santana at my side, I simply informed the host about our reservation and waited for him to return from the back of the restaurant with Edna in tow.
"Hello, Brittany. It's a pleasure to see you, as always," she greeted before looking at San. "And who might this beautiful young lady be?"
"This is Santana, my date for the evening."
"Well, it is certainly a pleasure to meet you," the older woman replied as she held out her hand for Santana to shake. Once they released their hold, the older woman turned so she could lead us to our table as she continued to tell the brunette, "I tell you what, this girl right here is a fantastic veterinarian. I can still remember the time she-"
"Edna," I called out in a warning tone as I followed closely behind them, knowing exactly was she was trying to do.
"Oh, be quiet, Hun. I'm trying to tell Santana a story," the woman threw over her shoulder before turning her attention back to Santana. "Anyways, about three years ago, we brought in a stray dog who had been hit by a car. I hate to say this, but I didn't think there was any way the poor thing was going to make it. It was a pretty grim situation, but we decided to do whatever we could to save her. Brittany worked on her for two straight hours, but she did it. She saved her life, and now, I can't possibly imagine life without our quirky little Annie Girl."
"I really didn't do all that mu-" I tried to deny, but the restaurant owner instantly spun around to cut me off.
"Brittany, did you or did you not save my dog's life?"
"Well, yeah, but-"
"Then, stop acting like you aren't as incredibly talented as you are," the woman chided before turning her attention back to Santana. "Everything tonight is on the house, by the way, so feel free to get whatever you'd like. Please also be sure to keep this one in line," she requested while motioning in my direction. "Brittany likes to play down her accomplishments, but don't believe her for a minute. She's just being modest."
And with that, she placed the menus on our table and simply walked off.
You know, as much as I loved that woman, she really knew how to grind my gears.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Santana questioned after sensing my shift in mood.
"I didn't bring you here to get a free meal," I grumbled as I nervously allowed my eyes to meet her gaze, afraid that she might have gotten the wrong impression. "I'm not a cheap date, I swear."
Santana released a chuckle, "I know you aren't, Britt. It's okay. She seemed pretty intent on not taking no for an answer, though, so you might as well let her do what she wants."
I gave the woman a curt nod, though I still wasn't pleased with the whole situation. Regardless, there wasn't much I could do now, so I just opted to drop it and get on with the date. Sliding into the booth, I motioned to the space across from me with a small smile that told her I was letting my distaste for Edna's offer go.
Once we were both seated, we each quietly began reading the menus. I was just about to attempt a bit of small talk when Santana announced, "Hey, Britt, I have a question."
"Uh, yeah, San?" I asked as I looked up to meet her gaze.
"I've been wondering. How are you always so cool and collected at the clinic but a shy, adorable klutz whenever we go out to dinner?"
"Because I'm in my element when I'm at work. It's where I'm most confident," I quietly answered without missing a beat.
Her face took on a thoughtful expression at my admittance as she inquired, "And not when you're on a date?"
"Well, no, actually," I supplied with a shrug as I placed the menu back down on the table. "To be honest, our blind date was kind of my first date since high school," I admitted while nervously fiddling with my hands underneath the booth.
"Bullshit," she instantly replied with a disbelieving look, not believing my claim for a second.
"No, I'm being serious," I tried to convince as I stared down at the open menu in front of me. "Anyways with that being said, I think it's pretty safe to say that I was, and still am, a little out of practice."
"Okay, hold on. I'm still trying to process your last statement. How in the world have you not had a date since high school? You're fucking gorgeous and incredibly smart, not to mention kind and funny."
All I could do was give her a small shrug because I didn't exactly know the best way to tiptoe around the subject without spilling all the details I wasn't ready to explain to her.
Thankfully, she decided to leave it at that, giving me a sure shrug as she replied, "Well, whatever. It's their loss. They'll be sorry they missed out on a catch like you."
"Yeah? You really think so?" I lightly joked with a false tone of naivety, causing the girl to shoot me a confident smirk.
"Oh, I know so."
Author's Note:
Hello, everyone! Sorry it's been a little while, but I finally managed to finish this chapter!
I'm pretty sure this turned out to be the longest chapter I've ever written, but hopefully it wasn't too much of a drag.
Anyways, I just wanted to thank all of you for taking the time to read this, and I hope to see you all again soon!