Author's Note: Sorry, it had to happen for the sake of the plot.
After a great dinner full of chitchat and catching up, it's time for Santana to talk. She knows it. And Quinn, who has been observing her the whole fucking night, knows it too. She hasn't stopped sending Santana both curious and furious looks from the other side of the table, not letting the brunette eat her food in peace. Actually she hasn't almost eaten anything, her esophagus and stomach feel tight with anxiety.
"So you want the good or the bad news first?" She suddenly asks out of the blue and everybody looks at her curiously.
"The good news. I hate bad news." Sugar says fidgeting in her seat. The guilt of already knowing the bad news is written all over her face, but nobody is paying her any mind, to which Santana is thankful.
"Jacob and I are getting a divorce." She stammers as she clears her throat.
"How are that good news?"
"Why?"
"You what?"
Everyone starts throwing questions at Santana, speaking at the same time. Everyone except Quinn.
Quinn has tilted her head softly to the side and is looking at Santana like she is just putting two and two together.
"We are getting divorced because I'm gay." She adds. That shuts everybody up. Sugar is looking at Santana with her mouth slightly open and Tina is looking her up and down as if she has seen a ghost. Quinn simply snorts.
"Well, it was about time." Says Noah Puckerman shrugging his shoulders. Santana frowns and looks at him curiously, to what he shrugs again. "Babe, we've known you like pussy since high school." He states running his hand through the stupid Mohawk that still lays atop of his head.
"How? I haven't even as much as glanced at any girl in front of you guys." Santana mutters crossing her arms over her own chest.
"Yeah, that's what you think." Tina says with a snicker. "Dear, you have checked out every short skirt that has crossed your way. You still do it nowadays." She adds. "You just seemed to be so happy with Jacob that we all kind of let it slide, I even had forgotten about it until now."
Santana just stares at her blankly for a few seconds.
"It's not my fault that women's legs are delicious." She finally says with a huff.
"What are the bad news then?" Quinn stammers, and when Santana looks at her she notices the blonde is seething. Her eyes are stone cold, her arms are crossed over her chest, and her nostrils are slightly flared. Now is everyone's time to look confusedly at Quinn instead of Santana.
Santana locks her dark eyes with hazel ones for a moment. She even opens her mouth to speak a few times, but no sound is coming out her throat.
Well, there goes nothing.
"I might have cancer." She mutters, and instantly the energy shifts. Sugar gets a whiplash from turning her head so fast - she was never a good actress -, Tina and Puck are rendered speechless this time, and Quinn...Santana notices tears starting to pool in her eyes.
"I beg your pardon?" Quinn asks, trying to keep her voice from breaking.
"I might have cancer." Santana repeats unemotionally.
At that, Quinn gets up abruptly and storms off the restaurant without a word. Santana moves to get up, to go after her, but Puck stops her.
"Don't." He says getting up himself. "I'll go. Call me later." He says and with that, he leaves.
Santana is left with Sugar, who keeps trying to fake not knowing the news, and Tina, who is playing with her handkerchief nervously.
"What kind of cancer?" Tina asks quietly.
"Breast." Santana mumbles. "They need to run more tests on me next week before we know more, but I have had a bump on my breast for a couple months and it's not looking good."
"A couple months? And you didn't tell us anything?" Tina asks with a tint of hurt in her voice.
"I...I didn't want to worry you. We've had a bad enough year already..." Santana mutters looking down to the floor.
"Bad enough?" Tina asks incredulously. "Santana, it has been a walk on the park compared to this. Cancer is no joke." She adds. Then she sighs and gets up to wrap her arms tightly around her friend. "We got you, babe. We'll be with you all the way through, you know that."
Sugar keeps fidgeting on her seat.
"Drop the act, Motta. You already knew." Santana mutters in-between Tina's arms, and she hears Sugar sigh heavily.
"Finally, you know how much I hate keeping secrets." She says like nothing has happened. They all know she is just as worried, though.
"I'll keep you posted, okay?" Santana says when Tina finally releases her, as she waves to the waitress for the check. "Dinner's on me, as always. But I really need to get home, it has been a long day." She states.
Soon she is walking out of the diner breathing deeply. It's pretty cold already, but she doesn't care, she actually likes this weather, and the chilly air will help clear her mind. The walk home is a long one, but she actually needs the physical extenuation, she knows she won't get a minute of sleep otherwise; too many things on her mind.
When she finally reaches her apartment building, she frowns as she sees Jacob's car parked outside. Of course he still has a key, but Santana thought they had mutually agreed he didn't live there any longer, even if they hadn't talked about it.
Right as she is waiting for the elevator, and the doors to it open, out walks Jacob with a big box between his hands.
"Santana." He says looking at her as if he had seen a ghost. "Sorry, I just came for a few things. I thought you weren't coming till later." He adds clearing his throat.
Santana can only look at him blankly for a few seconds. He really is a handsome man, tall, fit, with salt and pepper hair, and a neatly trimmed beard. And he is one of those really good guys. She really hopes he finds happiness, because he deserves it.
"I'll call you soon, okay?" She asks and he nods. Then she gets up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek, and he, in a desperate act to feel her close one last time, turns his head right in the exact moment to make their lips collide.
Santana lets it happen because she needs the comfort only he can give her right now. She even deepens the kiss with a soft sigh and wraps her arms around his neck. He has meant home for the past seven years, and Santana really needs that feeling right now.
Once they want to notice what's going on, Jacob's box has been abruptly abandoned in the elevator and both Santana and Jacob are in their apartment, in their bed, and he is buried deep inside her.
Santana is enjoying it as much as she is regretting it, but as she reaches an earth-shattering orgasm, she clears her mind from every intrusive thought.
It only lasts a couple of minutes, though.
Once she is done enjoying the delicious tingle of a great fuck, reality hits her like a ton of bricks.
"You need to leave." She says as she gets up hurriedly and walks to the bathroom completely naked. She jumps in the shower, hoping he won't be there when she gets out.
And he isn't.
Even the bed is made, so for a moment she thinks she just imagined the whole ordeal, but the way her muscles are still buzzing deliciously tells another story.
She moves to the kitchen to make some tea with a deep disappointed sigh, grabbing her phone on her way.
When she finally checks it, she sees two text messages and 3 missed calls.
One is from the doctor's office.
'This is Emma Pillsbury. I tried calling, but you wouldn't answer. I just wanted to inform you that your appointment has been changed from Friday to Monday at noon. I'm sorry for any inconvenience.'
Santana sighs. She's not ready to see Brittany again so soon, but on the other hand, it's best to get all the tests over with. She then opens the other text message. It's from Quinn.
'I can't lose you, too...'