"You all packed and ready to go?"
"Yeah, I just have to figure out how to shut the suitcase." Brittany's voice rings through the phone. "You think I could, like, sit on it or something?"
"You could try," I say with a chuckle.
I'm lying on my bed and looking at the ceiling with a smile as I hear shuffling noises on the other line.
"I can't get it," She says after a moment. "Do you think you can help when you get here? I don't think I'm heavy enough."
"Uh, what is that supposed to mean?" I feign offense.
"No, no." She starts laughing. "I meant you could help by sitting on it with me or something…I think both our weights would squish it enough?"
"I know, Britt. I was just joking." I chuckle.
"Santana! Let's go! You don't wanna miss your flight!" Tina yells.
I let out a sigh. "Alright, Britt, I gotta go. Tina's rushing me out the door, but I'll see you in a few minutes, okay?"
"Alrighties, I'll see you soon. Maybe I can get this suitcase to cooperate before you get here."
"Good luck," I say with a small laugh.
After I hang up the phone, I grab my suitcase and roll it out to the living room, where Tina is already standing at the door, keys in hand.
"Bout time." She's tapping her foot in impatience. "If you miss your flight, there's no guarantee you'll find another one."
"You worry too much." I roll my eyes and walk through the now-open door that she's holding.
/
"Hurry, Santana," Tina says as I get out of the car.
"Okay," I drawl out with a roll of my eyes.
I rush up the stairs to Brittany's apartment, hoping to get a few minutes alone before our flight. I know we have the whole trip to ourselves, but I want to spend as much time alone with her as possible.
I knock on the door a couple of times, and she answers a moment later with a smile.
"Hey! Did you get the suitcase figured out?" I ask as I walk in.
"No," She says with a pout. "It still won't close."
"Still want some help?" She nods. "Let me try, then. Where is it?"
Brittany leads us to her bedroom down the hall, where the suitcase sits on the ground, overstuffed and open.
"Uh, Britt…I think that's why it won't close. There's way too much stuff in it." I walk towards the luggage.
"Yeah, but you can never be too prepared. It'll close; I just gotta figure out how to do it."
"Are you sure the zipper won't bust or something?" I raise an eyebrow.
She shakes her head. "No, I'm sure. I've always packed like this."
"Alright then…"
I get down on my knees in front of the suitcase and rest my left hand on the top while my right hand grabs the zipper. I push down as hard as I can with my left hand and pull the zipper simultaneously.
Slowly, the zipper starts to move. I have to adjust my left hand to position it as close to the zipper as I can so the suitcase will close properly, but I manage to get it zipped up after a few moments.
"Ta-da!" I say as I stand back up and gesture to the suitcase.
"How did you do that? I swear I tried like ten times, and it wouldn't budge," Brittany asks, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"I guess I'm just stronger." I shrug my shoulders. "It helps that I have enhanced strength, though," I add nonchalantly.
Her eyes widen in realization. "Oh, yeah…I totally forgot about that!" I laugh at seeing her expression. "See, this is why you're so awesome."
"Just one of the many things, right?" I smirk.
"Of course," She says softer as she moves to wrap her arms around my waist.
I follow suit and position my arms to encircle her neck as she leans in for a deep kiss. I scratch my nails at the base of her hairline, eliciting a slight moan from her mouth. Her tongue traces my bottom lip, asking for entrance that I gladly accept.
After a few moments, we break away with a need for air and rest our foreheads against each other's.
"I really can't wait for this trip," Brittany says quietly.
"I'm glad. I bet you're looking forward to seeing Rachel again, huh?" I smile.
She nods against my forehead. "Yes…among other things."
"Like what?" I smirk.
"Spending time with you. I feel like we don't get to do that as much as I'd like…even though we talk like every day." She laughs.
"We're on the same page then," I say softly as I lean in for another kiss.
Just as our lips are about to make contact, my phone starts ringing.
I close my eyes and let out a groan, already knowing who the caller is. I pull out my phone and decline the call before reaching down to pick up Brittany's suitcase for her.
"We better go before Tina comes up here to get us."
She nods her head and holds out her arms, anticipating me giving the suitcase to her.
"Uh-uh, I'm carrying it." I shake my head and walk past her.
"Santana, I can get my own suitcase." She chuckles as she trails behind me.
"Yea, but it's heavy," I say to her as she stops in the foyer to slip on her shoes and grab her keys. She pauses to look up at me with an eyebrow raised. "Enhanced strength, remember?"
She shakes her head with a smile. "Fine." She opens the door, motioning for me to walk through first.
/
Contrary to Tina's belief, we made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare before our flight took off.
Going through TSA and security was a breeze, and before I knew it, we were already boarding our flight.
Once the pilot's voice rang out over the speakers, I pulled a pack of gum out of my carry-on and offered Brittany a piece. However, when I looked over at her, I noticed her eyes were shut tight, and her brows were furrowed in worry.
I look down and see her hands gripping the armrest so hard her knuckles are turning white, so I gently wriggle my hand into hers and grasp it tightly.
"Hey," I say softly. "You okay?"
She opens her eyes and turns to look at me with a forced smile, but I can still see the fear in her eyes. "Yeah, I'm good."
"Are you sure? You look scared to death."
"No, I'm fine." She shakes her head. "Just a little anxious, is all."
"Why do you feel anxious? Do you have a fear of flying?" I suddenly start to feel bad about booking the flight. If I'd have known she didn't like flying, I would've driven us there instead.
"I-" She starts and pauses. "I've never been on a plane before, so I really don't know what to expect. And part of me has this feeling of doom that's like looming over, telling me we're in a metal death trap that just has to have only one thing go wrong, and then we're all gonna-"
"Britt," I interrupt softly. "You're rambling…I promise you everything's going to be okay."
She looks at me, still unsure.
"Look at me, I've been on plenty of flights, and I'm still here. And statistics show that riding in a car is more dangerous than being on a plane." I start stroking the back of her hand with my thumb. "We're gonna be okay."
She nods her head and takes a deep breath, trying to calm down. "Okay," She says quietly. "I'm still a little nervous, though."
"Here's what's going to happen," I start with a smile. "The plane will start moving down the runway, getting enough speed to lift off. When we lift off, it's almost going to feel like going up the tracks on a roller coaster, but just a little different. But with the altitude changing that quickly, the pressure in your ears is going to change, making it feel like they constantly need to pop. That's where the gum comes in handy." I hold out the pack to her.
"Gum? What does that have to do with pressure in my ears?" She looks down at the pack in confusion before taking a piece.
"I have no clue," I say with a chuckle. "But it works to stop them from feeling like they need to pop constantly."
She nods and sticks the piece in her mouth.
"And then, once we get to the right altitude, it's just going to be easy coasting until it's time to descend. During that time, you're going to hold my hand, and we're gonna watch a movie…you can pick, obviously." I add with a teasing smile.
She squeezes my hand a little tighter and smiles. "Can we watch Frozen?"
"Sure, Britt." I laugh. "Whatever you want."
"Thanks…Disney movies calm me down, make me forget about the world for a little while."
"I get what you mean."
She takes another calming breath. "What happens during the descent?"
"Oh, we just slowly lower to the ground…it's not like a drastic drop or anything." I shake my head slightly. "You will feel a little bump when we land on the runway, but it's barely noticeable."
"Okay," She nods her head with more confidence. "Everything's fine." She tells herself.
"Everything's fine," I repeat. "And if, at any moment, you feel like things aren't fine and get panicked again, remember that I'm right here, okay? I'm not going anywhere."
She stares into my eyes for a moment, and I can tell there's something she wants to say.
"You're the best," She says before leaning in to kiss my lips softly, but I can tell that she wants to say something more…maybe something different.
"Duh," I shrug my shoulders with a laugh as I feel the plane begin to move.
/
After we landed, we made our way to the baggage claim to get our luggage. Brittany was fascinated with the belt that carried all the suitcases in from the trap door where they came in from the plane. It was really adorable to see her so excited about something that seemed so…normal.
She'd never seen one before, whereas I'd seen plenty, so it was refreshing to see how new things in people's life can elicit different reactions.
"How did you know how to navigate the airport so well?" Brittany asks as we unpack our clothes and put them in the dressers provided in the hotel room.
"I traveled a lot as a kid." I shrug as I refold a few shirts to fit in the compartment. "My dad was in the military, so we went all over the place."
"Like, moving?" She asks as she takes the newly folded shirts from my hands and stuffs them in the drawer.
"No, just visiting. He was somewhat important, I guess, so he was gone a lot. Sometimes he took us with him, and sometimes he didn't."
"That must've been hard…I'm sorry." She leans back against the dresser with her hands in her pockets.
"All water under the bridge now." I close the now-empty suitcase and turn to face her. "Doesn't really matter anymore." I shrug. "But enough of my past," I wave my hands dismissively. "This week is all about you, and I can't wait to get started."
"I'd like to think it's about us, not just me," She says as she reaches her arms out toward me, opening and closing her fists to tell me she wants my hands in hers.
I smile as I step forward and take her hands in mine. I start swinging them back and forth between us, causing us both to chuckle.
"Well, we're here now…what do you wanna do first?" I ask.
"Hmmm." She looks up at the ceiling, contemplating. "I wanna get a bagel," She says with a definite nod.
"A bagel?" I ask with a smile and raise an eyebrow.
"A bagel," She repeats. "Rachel says they taste different here…something about the water."
I nod my head slowly. "A bagel it is, then." I stand on my tiptoes to place a chaste kiss on her mouth before leading us out of the room.
/
Twenty minutes later, we're sitting inside a small cafe, fresh bagels in hand.
"I don't really taste a difference," Brittany says as she knits her brows in confusion.
"Me neither," I laugh, looking at the girl in front of me.
"I didn't even get any cream cheese or anything on it so that I could taste the difference." She pouts.
"Do you want me to get you some? I'm sure they have little tubs behind the counter." I position myself, ready to stand up and walk to the counter.
"No, it's okay…thank you, though." She says with a smile. "It'll probably cost extra, too…I never realized New York was this expensive."
"And crowded." I nod. "This place was only half a mile from our hotel, and it took us almost 20 minutes to get here."
"Just wait til we have to take the subway…Rachel says she rode them only once and hasn't been back on them since." She says with wide eyes as she picks at her bagel.
"Ugh…looking forward to it." I roll my eyes. "You've never been here before?" I ask after a moment.
"Nope. After graduation, I moved to California to get my degree, then got offered a job at the Lima Times."
"Wait…you already have your college degree?" I ask. I always thought Brittany and I were around the same age.
"Well, yeah." She laughs. "How else do you think I became a journalist? They wouldn't just hire anyone off the streets."
"No, I knew that…I guess I just never put two and two together."
"Silly." She chuckles.
"You're around my age, though, right? I could've sworn you told me you were 22."
"I am," She nods her head. "I fast-tracked through most of it. I got to California and absolutely hated it, so I wanted out of there as quickly as possible."
"So you finished before everyone else in your class?"
"Yup, by two semesters. I took the maximum number of classes I could take every semester except during the summer."
"I gotcha. So…where exactly are you from? I honestly feel dumb for not knowing this by now," I add with a chuckle.
"Dayton," She states plainly. "That's part of the reason I took the job at the Lima Times…I'd be closer to home."
"New York isn't that far either, only a two-hour plane ride, and Rachel's here. Why didn't you just move here instead? I'm almost certain you could've gotten picked up at the New York Times." I smile.
She shrugs her shoulders. "I never felt a pull to here," She says, and I give her a somewhat confused look. "Like…you know how you just feel a pull towards something, or someone, and you just feel like you know that's where you belong? You know it's right for you?"
"I think so?" I question more than say.
"Lima and New York were like that for me. I mean, would moving here with my best friend be awesome? Yeah, but it didn't feel right for me. Lima did, though…I felt deep down that it was where I was supposed to be at that time."
"That makes sense," I nod. "I guess Rachel felt that pull here, then?"
"Oh, yeah." She nods aggressively. "She's always wanted to come to New York, for as long as I can remember."
"That's cool. To be honest, I don't think I've ever felt that pull towards somewhere…I just kinda go with the flow." I shrug my shoulders.
"That's okay, too. Sometimes it's for the better." She gives me a soft smile. "And personally, I'm glad you're in Lima…whether you were pulled there or not."
"Oh, yeah," I smirk. "And why's that?"
"Because I never would've met you if neither of us weren't there." She lays her free hand in mine and squeezes it.
I give her a soft smile before bringing her hand to my mouth and kissing it.
We continued to eat our bagels in comfortable silence, giving each other smitten glances when we thought the other wasn't looking.
/
"Are you excited to see Funny Girl?" I ask as we walk down the street, swinging our attached hands back and forth between us.
"Yes and no," She says. "Yes, I'm excited to see Rachel again and watch her perform…but no, not about seeing the play once again."
"How many times have you seen it?" I ask with a chuckle.
"Rachel has the disc on DVD, so she made me watch it at least a hundred times." She rolls her eyes. "Which I know sounds like I'm being overdramatic…and I probably am," She laughs. "But trust me…it was a lot."
"Yeah, there's no way I could do that with any movie." I laugh.
"Not even with The Proposal?" She teases.
"Not even with The Proposal." I shake my head.
"Okay, but what about Aladdin?" I look at her, confused. "For me…if I wanted to watch it all the time, would you do it?"
I let out a sigh, already knowing my answer. "Probably," I relent. "But only because it's for you…anyone else can suck it." I point my finger at her, causing her to laugh.
It's silent for a few moments as we walk until Brittany suddenly gasps out of nowhere.
"What, Britt?" I ask, kind of panicked.
"Look! Speaking of anyone else." She stops walking and points straight ahead.
"Britt, I don't see what you're talking about."
"Straight ahead…plaid jacket."
I crane my neck to look around, but I don't see anything for a few moments. When I see the slender figure standing outside a restaurant, talking to none other than the bow-tied freak, I deflate with a sigh.
"Let's go say hi!" Brittany says before pulling me along the sidewalk behind her.
"Britt, do we have to? I totally forgot he was coming, too. And as much as I love Kurt, I really wanted this to be our trip together."
"It still is, Silly. We're just saying hello to a friend."
As we get closer, Kurt looks up from his conversation and sees us walking towards him.
"Ladies! Fancy seeing you here!" He says as he holds out his arms, inviting Brittany into a hug.
"We're happy to see you made it in okay, Kurt," Brittany says as she gives him a final squeeze before pulling away. "Are you excited for tomorrow?"
"Yes!" He practically squeals, and my eyes widen at hearing the whistling noise. "This show is the talk of the century! I can't wait to see it and see Rachel Berry in all her glorious talent in person!" He claps his hands together.
"Yay! I'm not sure where you're seated, but maybe we'll be close to one another." Brittany says with a smile.
God, I hope not.
"Well, why don't we all go to dinner afterward? It'll be nice to talk, just us, and spend time together. Plus, we can talk about the show!"
"We-" I start to say, but Brittany interrupts me.
"We'd love to." She glances at me before replying to Kurt.
"Oh, this is spectacular!" He jumps up and down. "Blaine, did you-" Kurt turns to say something to him but finds he's not there when he looks to his side. "Huh…where did he go?"
"Probably getting in a quickie while we're out here distracting you." I deadpan.
Have I made it clear that I really don't like Blaine, and I really don't like him and Kurt together?
"Santana!" Brittany scolds.
"What?" I shrug my shoulders. "You know it's true." I look at Kurt, and he looks at his feet in shame. "Speaking of, why is he here anyway? I thought he just got the ticket for you."
"No…apparently, it's an apology gift, but he got it from a potential work opportunity. He has an interview or something to go to tomorrow night during the show, so he gave the ticket to me."
"Mm," I mutter.
"Anywho, it was lovely to see you ladies, but I need to go find my other half." I roll my eyes. "See you guys tomorrow."
And with that, he walked back inside the restaurant. As soon as he's out of sight, Brittany turns to me with her arms folded and eyes narrowed.
"What?" I ask.
"You were being kinda rude," She states.
"Yeah…that's my normal tone." I shrug, honestly still a little peeved about the conversation we just had. I see her sigh and instantly feel a little bad about what I said. "Sorry," I say quietly.
"Sorry for what?" She asks, urging me to continue.
"For taking that tone with you." She's still looking at me expectantly. "And for being rude to Kurt." I look down.
"There…why weren't you happy to see him? I thought he was one of your best friends." She uncrosses her arms and steps closer to me.
"He is. I just didn't necessarily want to see him." I shrug.
"Why?"
I pause for a moment. "Because this trip is for you and me, okay? I just thought of it as our kind of romantic getaway, the first one we're taking together, and I just feel like his presence would ruin it."
"Oh honey," She starts as she steps closer.
"No, you don't get it, Britt…now he'll never leave us alone. He knows we're here, and now we have plans with him, so he's going to want to make more. And I love him, but I really wanted to spend as much time as possible with you…only you." I look into her eyes. "And it doesn't help that he brought his toy soldier with him." I glance into the restaurant with my jaw clenched.
"Santana, I promise we'll still have alone time. It's just one dinner. We have the whole rest of this trip to spend together." She reaches for my hands.
"But he's going to want to keep making more plans…turn it into some group trip."
"You know we can say no, right?" She asks with a chuckle. "Just because he wants to do something with us doesn't mean we have to. We have an option, you know."
"I guess you're right," I say with a sigh. "I'm just not used to telling them no…sometimes I forget that not everything they suggest or want to do is gonna happen. My friends are kinda my weak spot…"
"I know." She nods. "That's not a bad thing, though. But trust me, if anything gets in the way of some alone time with you, I'll be the one to say no so you won't have to look like the bad guy."
She laughs, causing me to smile. "Okay," I relent.
"Good…now as much as I'd love to stand here and talk to you, I'm kinda starting to feel vulnerable just standing on the street like this. Wanna go back to the hotel room?" She wiggles her eyebrows up and down.
"How could I decline when you asked so, so romantically?" I tease and shake my head.
She doesn't say anything, but pulls us back in the direction we came from to head back to our hotel.
/
"Do you want any popcorn? I know it's like your favorite movie snack." I ask as we enter the theater.
"Depends…will you share it with me?"
I contemplate for a moment before answering. "Why not?"
"Yay!" She bounces in her spot for a second and grabs my hand to go to the concession stand.
Fifteen minutes later, we're in our seats with our popcorn, waiting on the show to start.
"How long is this anyways?" I ask as I shove a handful of popcorn into my mouth.
"Um, around two and a half hours, I think?" Brittany says as she looks to the stage. "I think the Playbill should say."
I open the folded piece of paper in my lap and look through it for the run time.
"Yup…2 hours and 50 minutes. This'll be great," I huff.
"Oh, come on, it won't be that bad. You'll get to hold my hand for almost three hours." She tries to egg me on with a smile.
"I can do that any time I want," I roll my eyes with a smile.
"Yeah, but it's more romantic in a theater." She shrugs.
"I guess. If I fall asleep, don't let me snore, okay?" I look at her with a pointed expression.
"Okay," She laughs. It's quiet for a moment before she continues. "You know, it means a lot that you'd do this for me."
"Do what?" I ask for clarification.
"All this. I mean, the trip to New York is one thing, but I have a feeling you've been silently dreading this exact moment since you booked it."
I let out a deep breath at being analyzed so well.
"I know this is probably the last thing you'd want to be doing right now, but you know how much it means to me, so you're suffering through it…that means more than you can imagine."
"There really was no contemplation. I'd do anything for you." I say as I grab her hand, enlacing our fingers.
She leans forward and kisses me gently before looking at me with a soft smile. A few moments later, the lights dim and the curtain flies open as a shorter brunette, whom I assume to be Rachel, steps on stage.
/
"What'd you think?" Brittany turns to look at me as the lights get brighter throughout the theater.
"You know, it actually wasn't too bad. Your friend can really sing."
"Don't I know it…I grew up hearing that voice for at least 4 hours per day." She laughs. "Wanna go meet her?"
"M-meet Rachel?" I ask, suddenly becoming nervous.
"Yeah! I have backstage passes…she's been dying to meet you." She smirks.
I gulp thickly, feeling suddenly self-conscious about myself in every way possible.
"Don't worry, she'll love you." Brittany kisses my cheek and stands up, holding her hand out to me. I hesitantly take it and let her lead the way.
We walk towards the stage but veer off to the left just as we get to the edge of it. There, a bodyguard is standing outside a door. As we approach, Brittany pulls out two VIP passes and shows it to him. He analyzes them for a second before nodding us through and opening the door.
Backstage is a lot busier than I imagined. People are running around like crazy, some carrying costumes while others are wearing costumes.
"It's right through here," Brittany says as we turn down a quiet hallway.
We come to a stop outside the last door on the left, one with a gold star on the outside with the name Rachel Berry on a nameplate below it.
Brittany knocks on the door twice while I take a breath to calm my ever-growing nerves.
A few moments later, the same brunette from the stage answered the door, and a wide grin came across her face.
"Brittany!" She squeals as she jumps into Brittany's arms, hugging her tightly. "I'm so glad you were able to make it!"
"Me too, Rach." She says before pulling away. "It actually wouldn't have been possible without this one right here." She points to me. "Rach, this is my girlfriend, Santana."
"Nice to meet you!" She sticks out her hand for a handshake. "I've heard so much about you!"
"Likewise." I smile as I shake her hand. I hate to admit it, but her energetic attitude is kind of contagious.
"Come in, come in!" She takes a step back and waves us into the room. "Make yourselves comfortable."
Brittany sits on the couch in the room and I follow suit, sitting beside her.
"So, tell me everything. How did you guys meet?" She takes a seat in her chair and pats her thighs, giving us her full attention.
"Through a mutual friend," Brittany says, looking at me, and I nod. "She came to work one day with her friend, Mike, and I was there doing a report on one of his inventions. The rest is history." She shrugs with a smile.
"Awww, and how long have you guys been together?"
"Well, officially, about a week…but, I don't know, I kinda feel like we've always been together." Brittany says.
"You guys are adorable." She claps her hands. "Do you guys have any more plans while you're in town?"
"None specifically," I start. "This was the only thing we really had set in concrete…we're just winging it the rest of the time."
"Well, do you have plans tonight? You're more than welcome to come to the after-party if you'd like." She says.
"Thanks, but we have plans with a friend. We were actually going to invite you to come with us." Brittany lets out a small laugh.
"Ugh, I'd love to, but I have to go to the party for publicity." She frowns. "But what are you guys doing for breakfast tomorrow? Maybe we can get together then?" She perks up.
I look at Brittany before replying. "We don't have any plans," I say.
"Yay! Breakfast, then?" She asks, hopeful.
"Breakfast," Brittany says with a nod.
Rachel claps and squeals as she moves forward to wrap Brittany in a hug again. "I'm so excited! I know this great place just down the road. I'll text you the location."
"Sounds good," Brittany says with a smile.
We continue with small talk for a while before Rachel turns to look at the clock on her desk and lets out a groan. "Ugh, as much as I'd love to stay and catch up with you both, I need to head to the after-party soon. I'll see you at breakfast, though?"
"We'll be there," She says.
"Great!" Rachel says as she stands up, and Brittany and I do the same.
Just as we were walking out, I remembered something. "Hey, uh, could I invite a friend to breakfast tomorrow? He's a really big fan." I turn to look at Rachel.
"Yeah, of course! The more, the merrier!" She waves her hand dismissvely with a smile. "I'll see you guys tomorrow." She moves forward to wrap Brittany in a tight hug before pulling away and doing the same to me.
It catches me a little off guard, but I wrap my arms gently around her back and pat a couple of times to be friendly.
"See ya," Brittany says with a small wave after we part, leading us back down the hallway. "You wanna call Kurt? See if he's still up for dinner?" She asks as we exit the theater.
"Yeah, good idea," I say as I pull my phone out of my back pocket.
/
"So what are you guys' plans for tomorrow? Blaine says his interview got extended to another portion, so I have the day to myself." Kurt says before sipping soup out of his spoon.
"Nothing yet. We do have breakfast in the morning with a friend if you wanted to come." I shrug.
"What friend?" His eyebrows furrow in confusion.
"Oh, just Rachel," Brittany says, not taking her eyes off her own bowl of ramen.
"R-Rachel? As in Berry? Rachel Berry?"
"Yep."
"Oh my God, I can't believe I have the opportunity to meet Rachel Berry!" He exclaims.
"Okay, okay, you need to calm down. If you're gonna act a fool in front of her, consider yourself uninvited." I raise my hand.
"No, no…I'll behave."
"Rachel's just a regular person, Kurt. Just like any of us." Brittany smiles.
"Yeah…a normal person with the talent of a God." He says dramatically.
"You're acting like she has a superpower or something," She says with a laugh.
"She pretty much does, Britt. The only thing that'd be cooler is if she actually had superpowers."
Brittany looks at me with a smirk and I playfully roll my eyes. "Alright, we'll text you the time and location of the place as soon as Rachel sends it to Britt."
He squeals a little and wriggles in his seat, clearly excited. "Can I bring Blaine?"
"No."
"Yes."
Brittany and I say at the same time and look at each other.
"Britt, I'm sorry, but he's not invited. This is supposed to be an enjoyable get-together, and it won't be if he's there…at least not for me." I cross my arms and lean back in my seat, done arguing about it.
Brittany opens her mouth to say something in reply, but Kurt interrupts her. "It's fine, Britt. Santana has a point…and, to be fair, she has every reason to feel that way about him, I don't blame her." He lets out a sigh.
"Okay, if you're sure." She nods. "Speaking of…where is he? Did he not want to join us for dinner?" She scrunches her eyebrows and looks around the restaurant, like he might appear somewhere.
"No, he's still at his interview." He shakes his head. "It seems a little fishy to me. It's almost 11…I've never heard of a job interview going that late."
"What job is it for?" She asks.
"I'm not sure." He shrugs. "He said he couldn't give me any details."
I roll my eyes, not understanding how Kurt still falls for all his tricks.
"Part of me wants to go to the restaurant and see if he's still there or lying." I hear Kurt say.
"Let's do it," I pipe up, honestly excited at the potential chance to catch Blaine in the act.
"Why do you want to do that, Kurt?" Brittany asks.
He leans back in his seat. "I've never caught him before…he's only come to me about it when he said the guilt became too much." He looks down at his plate. "I think if maybe I catch him, I might get whatever I need to leave him for good."
"Wait, I thought you didn't want to leave him." I say.
"I do…I just don't think I can." He shakes his head. "And I can't tell you why, either…" He trails off.
"I say we do it," I shrug. "What's the harm?"
"Well, Kurt could find something he doesn't want to see," Brittany looks at me.
"No…I kinda hope I catch him." He nods with more confidence than before, a determined look on his face. "Maybe I'll get to dramatically throw a glass of water in his face…that's on my bucket list." He adds the last part with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Of course it is," I chuckle. "So, are we doing this, or what?"
"Let's do it," He says after a moment.
He waves the waitress over to get our check and pays for the meal, his insistence. Brittany looks unsure and nervous about the whole thing, so I put my hand on her knee and give it a squeeze.
She turns to look at me and I give her a soft smile.
"We're not going to do anything…just peek inside the window and see if we spot him."
She nods her head. "I'm just worried about Kurt," She whispers. "I don't want to, like, bum him out or anything if we see what we think we're gonna see."
"Kurt's a big boy…he can take care of himself," I reassure. "Plus, it was his idea."
"True," She relents with a sigh as we exit the booth.
/
"Okay, it's just up here on the left," Kurt says as he crouches down dramatically and starts slowly tiptoeing towards the first window of the restaurant.
"What the hell are you doing?" I ask, looking at him as if he has two heads.
"I'm being discreet. We don't want to be spotted."
"Oh, for fuck's sake, get up." I reach down and pull him up by the back of his collar. "Look, there's a lot of people on the sidewalk, so all we have to do is get close enough to get a view of the inside and slowly walk past. Simple." I shrug.
"What if we don't see him the first time?" He challenges.
"Then we turn around and walk past it again," I say like it's obvious.
He raises one shoulder in a half-shrug. "That works."
I start walking slowly, holding Brittany's hand, and get as close to the window as possible without it being obvious that I'm trying to look in. Kurt trails closely behind me, craning his neck to view every visible corner of the restaurant.
"Way to be discreet, Kurt." I roll my eyes as Brittany giggles.
I assume he doesn't hear me since he stays quiet. We continue walking for a few seconds before I hear a loud gasp.
"What? Did you find him?" I turn around to look at Kurt to see that he's stopped dead in his tracks and is staring into the restaurant.
"Yeah," He says quietly. "And he doesn't seem to be at a job interview."
"What's he doing, then? Where is he?" I ask as I approach him and look in the direction he's staring.
"Right there," He points. "Red table."
I search the restaurant filled with white and red tables and look for the reflective glow of hair gel. I look for a few seconds before finally spotting him.
My gaze moves from the side of his overly gelled head to his dinner companion. At the sight of the man sitting across from him, my body tenses up and I feel a ball of nerves settle low in my stomach.
It can't be him, right? There's no way he could be here. How does he even know that we're here?
"We have to go," I say quietly, almost inaudible.
"What? Why?" Kurt turns to look at me with his brows furrowed, but I'm still holding my focus on the man sitting with Blaine.
Suddenly, Sebastian turns his gaze off Blaine and looks over at me, winking when he sees that I'm already looking at him.
"We have to go," I say shakily. "Now."
I grab Kurt's hand with the one not already holding Brittany's and rush down the sidewalk, pulling them both behind me.
Hey, guys! We're getting into the homestretch now with the story!
I'm not sure exactly how many chapter there will be left, but it'll be a few.
Hopefully you like what's happening in the story so far, and remember, reviews are always appreciated!
Thank you so much for reading! :)