Tuesday and Wednesday passed rather quickly; Brittany supposed it was all the stolen kisses and covert touches from Santana that was making the time fly. In any case, before she knew it, 5 o'clock on Thursday had rolled around, and it was time for her to leave and go get ready for their date.
Leaning against Santana's door frame again, she posed her question one more time.
"Are you sure you don't want to tell me what we're doing?"
Santana looked up at her and smirked—the same response Brittany had gotten every other time she'd asked this question.
"I'm sure," she said happily.
Brittany pouted. She wanted to know so badly.
"Can I at least get a hint?"
Santana's smirk grew into a full-fledged smile at these words.
"If I give you a hint, can you make it the remaining two hours until I pick you up?"
Brittany nodded enthusiastically. Santana took a deep breath and looked at her exasperatedly. "It's something I've done before, and something I've never done before."
Brittany pouted again. "That's not a hint, you're just teasing me!"
The brunette laughed at her pouting and shrugged. "My mistake. Now, I'll see you at 7."
Brittany huffed from the door but inevitably smiled at her before turning around and leaving. She couldn't even be pretend-mad at Santana.
At five minutes to 7, Brittany was checking her reflection in her bedroom mirror. She was feeling particularly pleased with herself tonight; her light blue dress hugged her ribs and waist but flowed out around her hips and swirled around her knees. The sheer sleeves of the dress stopped just above her elbows, and her hair was falling in loose curls around her face. Her mother would say she looked like a lady.
At exactly 7 o'clock, she heard a light knock at her door, sending her heartbeat in overdrive again. When she opened the door, the sight of Santana almost made her loose her breath. She was in a black dress—a tight black dress that hugged her body in the most perfect way imaginable—and white high-heeled pumps. Her hair was falling in those thick, dark curls, and the look on her face made Brittany think Santana was proud to be taking her out. She looked absolutely amazing.
"Hello, again," Santana said huskily. "You look wonderful."
Reminding herself that the kiss is supposed to come at the end of the date, Brittany just smiled and grabbed her bag.
As they emerged onto the street, Brittany finally found her voice and looked over at the amazing woman with her tonight.
"You look wonderful too, you know." Well, that was an understatement.
Santana smiled back and opened the door for Brittany. The blonde automatically looked around for Santana's car, but nothing was on the street except for a horse and carriage. Brittany looked at it questioningly...a horse and carriage? Somehow, she had not expected that from Santana.
Just as she was about to look over at the brunette, the driver pulled away, revealing Santana's black Audi behind it.
"You didn't really think that's what I had planned, did you?" Santana asked playfully, beginning to walk towards the car.
"Did you plan for that carriage to be sitting there?" Brittany asked incredulously.
Santana laughed before she responded.
"I didn't, but the look on your face was priceless. I'm glad it was there."
Brittany laughed along with her, feeling a little sheepish. After getting into Santana's car, she buckled her seatbelt and looked over at the beautiful woman across from her.
"So, where to now?"
Santana turned the key in the ignition, and the engine came to life with a soft purr. It really was such a nice car.
"Are you hungry?"
"Absolutely."
They made their way through the streets of New York. It truly was a beautiful night for a date; the weather was finally starting to warm up, indicating that spring was coming. After a very short drive, Santana pulled up to a restaurant Brittany had never heard of before. There didn't seem to be many people going in or coming out, but there was a valet, and after getting out, Santana casually handed her key to the man at the entrance.
As they walked through the restaurant, led by a maître d' in a starched white shirt, Santana looked over at Brittany and whispered quietly.
"I've never eaten inside before. I've never had anyone to eat with. I hope you like it."
Brittany felt her heart swell at Santana's words. She was pretty sure she'd like anything the woman wanted to share with her.
"Thank you for bringing me here, for taking me out tonight."
"It's my pleasure, ma'am," Santana said with a fake southern accent. Again, adorable.
Once they were seated, Brittany began perusing the menu that had been given to her. Everything looked amazing.
"What should I get?" she asked from over the top of it. Santana looked up from her own menu and smiled.
"They have this really good lemon rosemary chicken. It isn't unlike what you made for me, if you wanted something like that."
Brittany snapped her menu shut. "Sold." Santana chuckled.
A few minutes later, they placed their orders. As the waiter was walking away, Santana fixed Brittany with her famous smirk once again.
"So..." she said, as if leading into a new topic.
"So..." Brittany replied, indicating she should continue.
The brunette just smiled wider.
"About this 'repayment' you're supposed to be offering later..."
Brittany smiled...she'd known this was coming.
"Yes?" she replied lightheartedly.
"I was wondering what form it would come in," she said as she traced a finger around the base of her wine glass.
Brittany reached over and placed her hand over Santana's. It felt so good not to have to hide.
"I'm going to take you out, of course. You deserve to be taken out, too." Santana stroked her thumb once across Brittany's hand.
"You want to take me out?"
Brittany gazed at her with clear blue eyes.
"Santana, there's a lot of things I want to do with you. But yes, that's one of them."
The brunette just smiled and gave a small nod, accepting Brittany's answer.
They talked about other things until their food came—Brittany's trip back home, what Santana's plans were for the weekend. It felt so normal to talk to Santana about just anything.
When dinner arrived, though, the chatting became less frequent. The lemon rosemary chicken was the best Brittany had ever had. When she'd eaten it all, she placed her fork down and looked over at Santana, who was also finishing her food.
"Santana, that was so good."
"I'm glad you enjoyed it."
When the check came, Brittany reached for the little leather folder, about to offer to pay for her half.
"Don't even think about it," Santana said before snatching it up. "This is a date, remember?"
"Fine, fine," Brittany conceded with a smile.
A few minutes later, they were back in Santana's car, heading in a new direction.
"So was that the thing you've never done before?" Brittany asked, wondering what their next destination was.
"Not technically. I've had their food before, so it counts as the thing I have done. What we're doing now is completely new to me."
Brittany wasn't entirely sure, but it seemed as if Santana was gripping the steering wheel a little harder.
After several more minutes of quiet driving, Santana pulled over and parked on the curb of a very busy street.
"Do you mind walking with me?"
Brittany looked at her, surprised. As if she would ever mind taking a walk with Santana.
Once out on the street, Brittany simply followed Santana's lead. She still had no idea where they were going, but she didn't care. When Santana stepped closer and intertwined their fingers, she wouldn't have cared if there was no destination at all; she could walk hand-in-hand with Santana through the streets of New York, and it'd be the perfect date.
After a few minutes of walking, the woman directed them into a small coffee shop.
"This isn't our final stop," she said with a smile before she ordered two coffees to-go for them.
Intrigued, Brittany waited for their coffees and wondered where on earth Santana could be taking them. When they left, Santana continued walking in the same direction, away from her car. The coffee cup in Brittany's hand felt warm against her palm. While the afternoons were starting to feel pleasant, after the sun went down, the evenings were still a bit chilly.
After a few more minutes of walking, Santana stopped in front of a very familiar building—one Brittany hardly ever went into.
"We're here," she announced, staring up at it. After a few seconds, she tore her eyes away to glance at Brittany, who continued to look at the building.
"Rockefeller Center?"
Santana nodded. "The GE Building, to be more specific."
Brittany's confusion was mounting.
"Don't they, like, produce TV shows or something here?"
Santana nodded again and began to cross the street, taking Brittany's hand for a second time.
"That's not all this building is good for," Santana said cryptically.
Once inside, Santana pulled out two pieces of paper that looked suspiciously like tickets and handed them to a gentleman behind a tall counter. She then led the way to the elevators. As the metal doors were closing, she hit the button for the very top floor. Now Brittany was definitely intrigued.
"You know, I think it might work out better tonight. It'll be less crowded."
Still confused, Brittany nevertheless smiled at her. "What will be?"
Santana just smirked back. "You'll see."
A minute or two later, the elevator dinged, signaling they'd reached their stop. When the doors reopened, Brittany realized they were in the middle of a hallway. There were more people here, but she still had no idea what was going on. Santana just gave her another smile and tugged on her hand.
"Come on," she said quietly.
Leading the way down the hall, Santana reached a door and put her hand on the handle. She seemed to be gripping it like she'd been gripping the steering wheel.
"Are you ready?" she asked, the glint back in her eyes.
"Of course," the blonde replied, not knowing what she was ready for. With that, Santana took a deep breath, pushed the door open, and led Brittany through it.
Brittany gasped. They were staring at New York City, alive and spread out beneath them in a beautiful labyrinth of color and light. She could see everything: the Empire State Building, the bay, every single building and skyscraper. It was all beautiful. She walked right up to the edge of the glass and looked out, taking in the wondrous sight of the city she loved. She stared out for a few seconds before she became aware of Santana's grip on her hand, which was now a little more firm.
"Santana?" Brittany asked, looking from their intertwined fingers to Santana's face. The breeze from being so high up was lightly swirling Santana's curls around her face. God, she was so perfect it really almost hurt.
The brunette ripped her eyes off the city and looked at Brittany. The blonde could definitely see the fear she knew Santana was feeling, but she could also see the same appreciation for such a spectacular view.
"I thought you might like this," Santana said quietly. "And I'd never done it before, obviously...but I thought...maybe with you, it wouldn't be so bad."
Love swelled inside Brittany. Santana had wanted to do this with her—for her. Without even thinking, she took Santana's coffee cup and placed both coffees on the ground next to them. Then, she straightened up and placed her hands on Santana's cheeks.
"I know I'm supposed to wait until you take me home, but I'd really like to kiss you now."
A small smile tugged the corners of Santana's lips, and she nodded.
In that moment, Brittany and Santana shared their first kiss from 70 floors up, feeling absolutely on top of the world.
After about 30 minutes of enjoying their amazing view, Brittany started to feel a bit more chilly. The coffee had definitely been a good idea; it kept her hands warm and warmed her up from the inside too. When the last of it was gone, she took Santana's hands in hers and tried to put as much gratitude into her words as possible.
"This has been the most wonderful date ever, Santana. Thank you for taking me here. I know it probably wasn't easy."
Santana squeezed Brittany's hands back. "I'm happy to be here with you."
Another car ride later, the two women were standing at Brittany's front door. The evening had gone by so fast; Brittany couldn't believe their date was already over. She really wanted to invite Santana inside—just for another cup of coffee maybe. Or to hang out on the couch for a bit. Or fall asleep together. No big deal.
However, she knew Santana wanted to end the date properly, so they shared one last kiss before Brittany went inside alone.
It had been, hands down, the best date ever.