Santana arrived at the John Glenn Columbus International Airport on Thursday morning to pick up Quinn from her flight to Ohio. Quinn had originally expected to drive a rental during her stay in Lima, but after voicing her plan to Santana, the brunette insisted that the woman save money and just borrow her car whenever she needed to run an errand or attend Beth's party. It took some convincing, but Quinn eventually caved after considering how tight her budget was from putting herself through both college and law school without the help of her parents, who had effectively cut off her off financially after getting pregnant in high school. Thankfully, they at least had the decency to give Quinn a heads-up beforehand so she knew to save up and apply for as many scholarships she could before graduation.
Santana was no stranger to shitty parenting thanks to her father, but it still pissed her off beyond belief that the Fabrays held Quinn's pregnancy over her head after almost a decade. They were just kids back then. They all made mistakes that they regretted, and it was not like the Fabrays were saints, themselves.
Releasing a huff, Santana decided to let go of the past for the time being and turned her attention back to the task at hand as she pulled into the airport's Cell Phone Waiting Lot. Once she had successfully found a place to park, she glanced down at her phone and found no texts from the blonde. It was honestly to be expected. Santana had intentionally left ahead of time to ensure that Quinn wouldn't have to wait on her. Thankfully, she didn't have to sit in her car for long before she saw a notification come through that let her know she had received a text from the other woman.
From Quinn: Just touched down. Text you once I am off the plane and headed your way.
To Quinn: Sounds good. I'll be here waiting. No rush.
Returning her phone back to its designated spot on the center console, she picked up the iced latte she had purchased at a local coffee shop and took a long pull from the cup. Santana was especially grateful for the boost of caffeine, knowing she was going to need it to help carry her through the day after having to wake up early to be at the airport on time. She easily forgave Quinn for taking a redeye flight, however, as soon as she saw her best friend standing outside the terminal, typing something out on her phone. Suddenly, the brunette's phone lit up with another notification.
From Quinn: Here.
A smile pulled at the corner of Santana's lips as she reached forward to retrieve the device once more.
To Quinn: I see you. Be there in a sec.
Santana then set her phone back down before reversing out of the parking spot and moving toward the terminal's curbside pickup area. Once she was in place, she popped the trunk and moved to the back of the vehicle to help the blonde load her things. The brunette did not manage to get far, however, before Quinn pulled her into a tight hug.
"Hey, S."
Quickly recovering, Santana moved to wrap her arms around the other woman as she greeted, "Hey, Q."
It had been months since the pair had seen one another outside of video calls, and they both had even less time than usual to keep up with one another's lives due to Santana starting work with her mother and Quinn attending law school. Needless to say, Santana was excited for them to finally have a chance to catch up during the blonde's trip to Lima.
Not wanting to hold up the other airport visitors any further, Santana pulled away from the other woman and reached down to grab her luggage, insisting, "Go ahead and get seated. I got your stuff." After loading the bags, she shut the trunk hood and slid back down in the driver's seat to leave.
Pulling out of the terminal, Santana began making her way away from the airport and back toward Lima. It was a bit of a drive, but she did not mind if it meant she finally got to see her best friend.
"Thanks again for coming to get me. Do you plan to go into the office once we're back in town?"
"No, Mom insisted I take the rest of the week off so we can hang out. I got you a coffee, by the way," Santana informed as she nodded her head down to the cup located next to hers in the center console's holders. "It's an iced brown sugar oatmilk shaken espresso."
"Aw, you remembered my coffee order. Who knew Auntie Snixx could be so sweet?" Quinn teased as she picked up the drink and took a sip. Taking a moment to savor the taste, she replied, "Thank you. I had to get up so damn early to be at the New Haven airport, so this is desperately needed."
"You're welcome. Did you at least get some sleep on the flight?"
"Not really. There was a baby sitting somewhere behind me that cried intermittently throughout the trip, but I was able to eventually block it out and get some rest with the help of some noise-cancelling earbuds."
"Well, you are more than welcome to shower and take a nap once we get back to my place."
"That honestly sounds amazing right now."
"We also still have at an hour-and-a-half drive back to Lima if you wanted to get some additional shuteye. You won't bother me."
"I appreciate it, but I'll be fine. I'd rather talk about everything that's been going on in your life."
"Well, I hate to break it to you, Q, but there's not really a whole lot going on with me."
"Really? Because last I checked, I just wrote a contract between Lopez Marketing Services and Pierce Automotive with several very specific clauses at your behest that were in regard to you personally paying for everything out of your own pocket and the garage having no financial liability for any services provided by Lopez Marketing. Those kinds of conditions don't just come out of nowhere."
"It's not that big of a deal. The shop needed some assistance, and I was there to help."
"Hm," Quinn hummed out in a tone that let Santana know her friend did not buy her explanation but that she was willing to let it go for the time being. To change the subject, Quinn informed, "My parents tried to contact me a couple weeks ago."
"Oh?" Santana asked in surprise. Last Santana had heard, it had been months since the blonde's parents had reached out to her.
"Yeah, they told me that they've done a lot of reflecting on their lives over the past year and suddenly found themselves," the law student scoffed, using her index and middle finders to frame the words in quotation marks. "They claimed to want to make amends for being terrible parents, but I'm not holding my breath. Thankfully, it was all said over text, so I didn't have to answer them. I'm not ready to rehash everything with them yet."
"And you don't ever have to if you don't want to. If they're truly there for you and not to make themselves feel absolved of their bullshit decisions, then they'll understand and give you space. If not, then you at least know where they stand."
Releasing a prolonged sigh, Quinn agreed, "True. What about you? I'm assuming you haven't heard anything from your dad."
"No, he knows better than to even try. I have nothing left to say to him anyway," Santana replied with a grimace. She did not really care to think of that man after everything that he had put her through in the past. "I suppose we've both had to have our fair share of therapy thanks to parental trauma, huh?"
"We have. Thankfully, there's at least one good parent in the bunch."
Knowing that she is referring to Maribel, Santana gave her head a nod, "Agreed. She's there for you, too, you know. Anytime you need her. Day or night."
"So I've heard," Quinn confirms with a playful tone. The two women were well aware that Maribel had never let the blonde forget that fact, especially during the early days of Quinn's pregnancy when she had gotten kicked out of her home and was forced to crash at the Lopez household until her parents eventually came around. Now years removed, Santana was particularly happy that her father had been away for work during that time. The life experiences she had gained since that time taught her that the man she once looked up to the most was nothing but a conniving dirtbag, and there here was no telling what he would have said about Quinn if he had been around back then.
Putting those thoughts behind her, Santana shifted the conversation toward Quinn's life in New Haven. Quinn told her about her classes and the excitement she felt about entering her final year of law school. They continued to discuss the past few months during the drive, and once they reached their destination, the pair unpacked the car and made their way into Santana's home. It was the first time Quinn had been in town since Santana purchased the house, so the brunette started by giving her friend the grand tour. The pair then carried Quinn's luggage upstairs to the guest bedroom she would be staying in.
Releasing a drawn-out breath, Quinn moved to place her main bag on top of the bed and informed Santana, "I'm going to go take a quick shower if that's okay with you. I feel gross after the plane ride."
"Yeah, for sure. Let me grab you some towels," Santana offered as she moved toward the hall closet.
Quinn walked out of the bathroom thirty minutes later with a towel slung around her shoulders as she worked to dry her short hair with the cloth. Taking this has her opportunity to also freshen up, Santana helped Quinn get settled in the living room with her streaming services before heading to take her turn in the restroom.
Not long after Santana had started the shower, however, Quinn heard a sudden knock at the front door. Unsure what to do, she pushed herself off the woman's sectional and made her way to the source of the sound. Peering through the peephole, she found someone she had not expected as a barely-there smirk pulled at the corner of her lips. Curious, she thought to herself as she reached down to unlock and open the door.
"Good morning, Brittany," Quinn greeted as soon as the woman was revealed. She had to quickly work to suppress a laugh as she watched the other woman's expression quickly transform into one of shock. Panicking, Brittany briefly fumbled the paper sack in her hand, thankfully regaining control of the bag before it was dropped.
"Quinn? Oh, h-hi! I, um- This is Santana's house, right?"
"Yeah, she's just in the shower," she stated, watching Brittany's gaze not-so-subtly take note of her wet hair before the mechanic eyes flashed with a brief expression that Quinn could not read. "You can come in and wait for her if you want. San shouldn't be much longer."
"O-oh, no. It's okay. I didn't mean to intrude on your day. I should have probably called to make sure it was okay before just heading over here, but I wanted it to be a surprise. Mrs. Lopez didn't make it seem like it'd be a big deal for me to just drop by when she gave me the address at the office, but now I guess maybe it is," Brittany explained, visibly nervous as she trailed off at the end of her rant. Glancing up from where her gaze had been trained on the floor, Brittany held out bag toward the woman, "I just-I was going to drop this off for Santana if you can just make sure she gets it. She gave me half her lunch a while back, and I just wanted to try to pay her back."
"You sure you don't want to just wait and give it to her yourself?"
"N-no, it's fine. We can talk later," Brittany assured as she handed over the sack and took a step back. "Anyway, I'll get out of your hair. Bye, Quinn."
"Later, Brittany," Quinn replied. She watched as Brittany gave a small wave before the woman about-faced and took off toward the truck sitting in the driveway, clearly embarrassed about something that was not fully apparent to the law student. With just a little more thought, however, Quinn felt she might have at least a tiny inkling what may have just transpired. Interesting. Deciding to tuck those thoughts away for the time being, Quinn watched Brittany pull out of the driveway and quietly shut the door before returning to her spot on the couch.
Santana came walking out of the bathroom a little while later, and as soon as she stepped into the kitchen, she noticed the bag that was not there before. Shifting her gaze over to the blonde seated in her living room, she pointed to the unfamiliar object and asked, "What's this?"
Looking away from the television, Quinn answered over her shoulder, "Brittany Pierce dropped that off for you. She said it was some sort of surprise to pay you back for sharing your lunch a while back."
"What? When was she here?" Santana nearly shouted out of shock as she glanced out the large window that looked out toward her driveway.
"About ten minutes ago. I asked her if she wanted to wait and give it to you personally, but she seemed to be in a bit of a rush."
"Oh," Santana quietly breathed out in a dejected tone, her shoulders noticeably dropping as she looked back at the bag laying on her countertop. "I'll have shoot her a text to thank her, then." Opening the sack, she found a takeout container from the same bistro she had gotten the Italian sub from almost a month prior. Her assumptions of the box's contents were soon proven to be true as she found the exact same order as before, even down to her chip selection. Slipping her phone out of her sweatpants pocket, she unlocked the device and sent the mechanic a text.
To Brittany: Hey, thanks for the food! I have been dreaming about these subs since that day at the office.
From Brittany: ur welcome, i just wanted to do a little somthin to brighten ur day. hope its okay that ur mom gave me ur address and that i showed up unannounced
To Brittany: Yeah, no worries. You are always welcome over here.
From Brittany: ok good, just needed to check. srry I didnt get anythin for quinn. i had no idea she was in town or i wouldve grabbed somethin for her 2
To Brittany: It's okay. Like I told you last time, this is too much food for me to not share. She can just split it with me.
From Brittany: good, glad there is enough for her 2 then. Anyway, gotta get back to work but i hope u have a good day. see you tmrw nite at karaoke
To Brittany: You, too! See you then, Britt-Britt!
After placing her phone back into her pocket, she reached up into her cabinet to grab two plates and split the meal between the dishes. She then walked over to the couch and held the food out towards the other woman.
"Oh, what's this?" Quinn inquired as she took the plate into her hands.
"The best damn sandwich you'll ever have."
"Aw, Brittany was trying to surprise you with lunch? How cute."
Santana instantly rolled her eyes as she plopped down beside Quinn, "Don't get ahead of yourself, Q. Remember, this was meant to pay me back for giving her some of my lunch a while back."
"Yeah? How long ago was that?"
"I don't know. Like, a month maybe?"
"My point exactly. If it were truly just a simple repayment, she would have had plenty of chances to do it sooner," Quinn challenged, adding, "If you ask me-"
"I didn't."
"-I'd be willing to bet that she just wanted an excuse to see you."
"Sure, Q. Whatever helps you sleep at night. Anyway, you should stop overthinking my friendship with Brittany and start digging into this sandwich. They are life changing."
"Yeah, yeah," Quinn teased as she picked up the sandwich and took a bite. Her eyes instantly widened as she processed the taste. "Oh, shit!"
Santana could not help but laugh, "I tried to warn you."
The following night, the two women made their way to the group's favorite bar. After walking into the establishment together, Quinn instantly clocked a familiar set of blue eyes following them from across the room as the pair made their way over to the table where everyone else was already seated. Quinn felt a knowing smirk pull at the corner of her lips as she glanced over at her best friend, who seemed none-the-wiser.
"Hey, guys!" Santana called out as she pulled two additional chairs up to the table. "Everyone remembers Quinn, right?"
Rachel gave an exaggerated eyeroll at her comment, assuring, "Santana, of course we remember Quinn. We all attended school together, for heaven's sake." Peering over to the other woman, she greeted, "Hello, by the way. I'm glad you could join us tonight."
"Hi, Rachel. I'm glad I could be here, too."
Giving Quinn a nod in acknowledgement, the shorter brunette suddenly moved to stand up as she addressed Santana once more. "I believe our agreement was for me grab the first round for you the next time you came to karaoke night," Rachel grinned as she smoothed out her skirt. "What are you in the mood for?"
Releasing a breathy laugh at the memory of their last encounter at the Spotlight Dinner, Santana answered, "I'll have a tequila soda. Thanks, Rach."
"You're welcome," Rachel returned as she shifted her gaze back to the blonde. "I'd like to also grab a beverage for you, Quinn, if you're drinking."
"Oh, are you sure?"
"Of course! Think of it as a welcome home gift."
"Okay. In that case, I'll take a vodka cranberry."
"Perfect. One tequila soda and one vodka cranberry coming right up," Rachel cheerfully announced as she turned to make her way over to the bar.
"Hi, Quinn," David chimed in as he leaned forward with a bright smile. "It's good to see you."
"You, too. It's forever since I've had the chance to see anyone from school outside of Santana. How have you been?"
"Can't complain. Kurt and I just moved into a new apartment last month, and things at the shop have picked up quite a bit thanks to Santana."
"You mean thanks to my mother's marketing connections."
"Which is only happening because of your hard work and funding," Kurt immediately challenged.
"Here you go, Ladies," Rachel purposefully cut in as she arrived back with their drinks. She knew better than anyone that Santana had a tendency of shirking complements, and it was usually better to just let her be than to try to force her to accept any praise she attempted to deny. In fact, Santana actually preferred it.
"Thanks again, Rach," Santana replied as she watched her friend place the corresponding cocktails in front of her and Quinn before setting down another round for herself.
"My pleasure," the other brunette assured with a broad grin, thankful that she had successfully shifted focus off the previous conversation.
"You know, I'll never quite get over the complete one-eighty your relationship with one another has taken," Kurt teased Santana and Rachel as he took a sip from his gin martini. "You two might be the most unlikely pair from high school to become friends, let alone close friends. Not that I'm complaining, of course."
"Yeah, well it's kind of hard to shake someone you trauma bonded with in college. We're basically stuck with each other now," Santana quickly replied with an air of nonchalance.
The way she said it was clearly meant to be taken as a joke. In fact, nothing about her tone or body language would indicate that there was anything more to the statement, but for briefest moment, Santana unintentionally got a faraway look in her eyes. Quickly realizing her slip, Santana schooled her features once more while hoping that no one caught the microexpression. No matter how hard she tried to ignore it, though, she could not help but to notice the look Rachel and Quinn shared after hearing their friend's response. The pair knew more than anyone else the events that solidified Santana's friendship with Rachel back in their NYU days.
After everyone had seemingly had moved on, Rachel attempted to subtly glance over to Santana and check in with her, which was instantly answered with the slightest of nods. With her mask firmly back in place, Santana stood up and instructed, "Come on, Berry. I believe I owe you a song."
The bubble that had developed around the three women seemingly burst within a moment as Rachel excitedly jumped up from her chair before Santana could change her mind. Slipping her arm around the crook of Santana's elbow, she rushed toward the other side of the room with the other woman in tow so they could add themselves to the queue. A few minutes later, the announcer called out their names as the pair walked out onto the stage with microphones in hand. Everyone watched as "So Emotional" by Whitney Houston appeared on all the televisions in the bar as an upbeat rhythm has begun playing.
Karaoke nights with her friends had recently grown to be a special treat for Santana. Once upon a time, she had entertained the idea of moving to New York to pursue a singing career, but she was ultimately forced to put those dreams aside when her father's plans for her future started to overshadow her own. Now, these were one of the very few opportunities Santana had to forget about the past that haunted her and lose herself in the music she once loved.
It was not the first time the pair had selected the song, so their voices easily weaved together as they belted out the lyrics. By the end of the song, the crowd was whooping and hollering as their applause rang throughout the building. The two women returned to the table to the sounds of loud cheering from the group, and Santana could not help but notice Brittany's shell-shocked expression. Before she could address it, however, Mike spoke up.
"Damn, you two killed it!"
"Thank you, Michael," Rachel responded as she looked over to the woman beside her. "We make quite the duet partners, don't we, Santana?"
"Yeah, we sounded pretty good this time."
"Are you kidding me, San? That was amazing," Quinn affirmed as she slung her arm around her shoulders as the brunette slipped back into her seat, knowing full well Santana would not deny her complement.
"Okay, fine. It was great," Santana begrudgingly drawled out in defeat, which soon turned into a fit giggles as Quinn's hand slipped down to prod at her side where she knew her best friend was ticklish. Swatting away her friend's hand, she warned, "Hey, cut that out!"
"Fine, fine," Quinn relented with a smirk as she raised her hands in surrender.
"Yeah, that's what I thought."
Santana was content to remain seated as she watched other members of the group continued to take turns singing. Shortly after she had sung with Rachel, Tina convinced Brittany and Kurt to sing Single Ladies with her, which then turned into Mike pulling Tina back up to the stage to sing L-O-V-E.
Once her turn was over, Brittany made her way around the table and plopped herself down into the vacated chair next to Santana. Leaning in close, she greeted, "Hello."
"Hey, Britt-Britt. You've been awfully quiet tonight."
"Yeah, I, um- I've just been enjoying everyone's company. We have quite the group tonight."
"Definitely, but in a good way," Santana assured just as Quinn returned with a new set of drinks for her and the brunette. "Thanks, Q," Santana said as Quinn handed over her cup.
"You're welcome," Quinn stated as she leaned forward into Santana's personal space so she could talk to Brittany. "How are you tonight, Brittany?"
"I'm doing well. It's always a ton of fun to come out to karaoke nights."
"Yeah, I agree. Life back in New Haven is pretty boring, so I'm glad to be back in Lima to live a little before having to return home," Quinn added as she brought up her right arm to rest on the table, clearly getting comfortable in Santana's close proximity.
"Your singing voice is amazing, by the way," Brittany informed as she shifted her focus to Santana. "I've never heard you sing before. Your voice is just- Wow."
"Oh, uh- Thanks. I-It's, uh- It's nothing really."
"Santana, it's not nothing. You are literally professional-level good. I know you were popular and all, but I still can't believe that you were never in choir or anything."
"I mean, I was back in middle school. Originally, it was my dream to be a famous singer, but uh," her face morphs into a strained expression as she briefly glanced over to Quinn. "My father- He said being a musical performer is a waste of time and not a reliable source of income. He was always focused on me following in his footsteps to become a doctor, and I was constantly seeking his approval back then so I kind of gave up on my dreams of singing pretty early on."
"I'm sorry, Santana. I know it doesn't help, but your father was extremely wrong. You could have made it big. Hell, you probably still could if you wanted to."
"I appreciate the sentiment, Britt, but I think that ship has long since sailed. Now, I just get to moonlight as a patron at a karaoke bar."
"Well, you should at least be paid in free drinks or something."
"Wouldn't that be the dream?"
"I mean, I could try to convince the bar owners if you want," Brittany teased with a little shrug of her shoulder. "It's the least I could do after everything you've done for me."
"You know what, sure. I don't think they'll go for it, but who am I to deny your opportunity to try to gain me free alcoholic beverages?" Santana joked back, leading to the trio sharing a laugh.
It was not long after that Santana finished her second drink. She was just about to offer to go grab Brittany and Quinn another round when she felt her best friend shift back to place an arm along the backside of her chair, bracing herself as she leaned in super close to speak louder than necessary into Santana's ear, "Hey, San. I need to run to the restroom. Mind coming with me?"
Suddenly, there was a sound of something hitting the underside of the table as everyone's drinks were jostled slightly. Everyone looked over to find Brittany wincing as she reached down to rub her knee.
"Oh, shit! Are you okay, Britt?" Santana quickly asked from beside her, a look of concern painting her features as she reached forward to help the blonde to massage away the pain.
"Yeah, I'm good. I just, um- I think I saw a rat or something?"
"A what?" Tina shouted as she pushed away from the table out of fear.
"No, no! It's- My eyes were just playing a trick on me. No need to worry. Everything is fine."
"Oh, thank God!" Tina sighed in relief as she scooted her chair back toward the group.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Santana asked out of concern.
"Y-yeah. I'm fine."
"Okay, as long as you're certain," Santana conceded. Once she was sure things had settled for the time being, Santana turned her attention back to Quinn, who wore a poorly hidden grin. The blonde then threw her head back in the direction of the restrooms, nonverbally telling the brunette to follow her lead. Pushing herself up from her chair, Santana kept pace with her friend as they made their way toward the bathrooms and watched as Quinn spun around to face her as soon as the door had shut behind them.
"Okay, she definitely has a crush on you."
Furrowing her brow in confusion, Santana asked, "Who?"
"What do you mean who? Brittany, you useless lesbian!"
"Not this again," Santana groaned with a roll of her eyes. "For the last time, it's not like that."
"Santana, she did not take her eyes off of you the entire time you sang with Rachel. She was literally slack-jawed. Plus, she's been watching us like a hawk the entire night, especially when I would lean in to talk to you. You're welcome for finding a way to get a read on her, by the way."
Brushing off her comment, Santana suggested, "Have you ever considered that maybe she was just staring daggers at you because you were probably shitty to her at some point during high school? Maybe you should just apologize for being such a bitch and see if that alleviates the issue."
"Oh, I assure you that this isn't due to some lingering anger. For one, I never did anything to her back then. For two, you would have killed me if I had even tried. For three, she was perfectly fine when I opened your front door yesterday. Well, outside of her thinking that you and I showered together."
"What? Ew," Santana cut in as her faced took on a look of disgust.
"Hey, I'm not the one who thought it. That was all Brittany." Realizing they were getting off track, Quinn shook her head and refocused, "Anyway, that's beside the point. She has feelings for you, and I can prove it."
"Oh, no you don't. Leave it," Santana instructed as she stepped in front of the other woman's path before she could even think to move. "I finally have the chance to befriend Brittany, and I'm not going to let you ruin that with some wild, made-up fantasy you dreamed up about us."
"No, I'm telling you, S. This is not a fantasy, and it is not a figment of my imagination. It is abundantly clear to everyone except yourself that she has more than friendly feelings for you, and your personal insecurities and self-doubt are never going to change that."
Santana snapped her gaze up to the woman, staring into her hazel eyes for a long moment as she considered her words. Letting her focus drop back down to the floor, Santana sighed out, "It's never going to happen, Quinn. You, Berry, and everyone else just need to just let it go like I had to a long time ago." With that, Santana turned to walk out of the bathroom without another word, heading straight to the bar to order another round. Making a beeline to the first available bartender she saw, the brunette flagged them down and requested, "Can I get a double shot of whiskey with Coke?"
"Sure thing. What's the name on the tab?"
"Santana Lopez."
"Alright. I'll get that right out to you."
"Thanks," Santana replied as she folded her arms together on top of the bar. Just as she started to allow her thoughts to drift back to the discussion she had with Quinn in the bathroom, she noticed a burly man stumble his way up to the bar to order another drink, who she instantly recognized to be one of the football players she graduated with. Remembering how much of an asshole he was, she did her best to turn away and hopefully keep him from noticing her since she really did not have the patience to deal with his nonsense. Unfortunately, he was close enough to overhear as the bartender called out, "Double whiskey and Coke for Santana," and placed the cocktail in front of her.
Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as the ex-football player turned to squint his eyes in her direction, as if trying to see her better through his drunkenness before seemingly recognizing her.
"Oh, shit! I almost didn't recognize you, Lezpez."
Rolling her eyes at his unimaginative attempt at name-calling, she turned to face him as she spat out, "Oh, how very original, Nicholas. Did you find that insult in the clearance section next to that outfit?"
The comment appeared to hit its mark as the man squared his shoulders, "At least these clothes weren't paid for by those stupid ass yeast infection commercials."
"Oh, don't act like you don't know all about Yeast-I-Stat. I'm sure you've eaten enough yeasty muffins at this point to become your very own sourdough starter, you tasteless, sad, dilapidated sack of flour."
Santana watched on as steam practically poured out of the man's ears. Taking a few heavy steps toward her, he sneered, "You know, it's no wonder why no one ever wanted to actually fucking date you. You are too damn insufferably unremarkable to actually keep anyone around for more than just a good lay. Hell, you had to convince your dad to fund your little summer surgery before senior year to even have a chance at holding anyone's attention." He then briefly dropped his gaze down to her chest to make his comment clear.
The man's insult instantly touched a nerve. It was as if all the air had been sucked from the room as the brunette continued to stare up him as through wide eyes, looking as if she had been slapped. That is until a figure suddenly stepped between them, facing towards the man in a protective stance.
"Leave her alone, Nick," Brittany warned in a scathing tone.
"Mind your own fucking business, Tweedle Dumb."
That snapped Santana back to the present as she instantly saw red. She started trying to step around the woman in front of her in order to reach the man as she shouted, "Don't you fucking dare call her du-"
Brittany put out an arm to halt Santana's forward progress, knowing violence rarely led to positive outcomes. Instead, she chose to let her words speak for themselves as she growled out in a low tone, "Did you ever think that maybe there's a reason why no garage within a fifty-mile radius wants to hire you? We all talk and know that you are an immature, spiteful asshole who would only prove to be a thorn in our sides if we ever actually gave you a chance. Now, get lost before I decide to call up Dalton Auto and let them know that you enjoy spending your off-time harassing women."
"Like they'll give a shit."
"Oh, I can assure you they will for a mechanic that just started less than a month ago," Brittany threatened, which caused his angry expression to morph into one of shock. "That caught your attention, didn't it? Like I said, all the shops talk. Also, here's a newsflash for you. Dalton is corporate, not some good-ol'-boy shop that let's this kind of behavior slide. They have a brand to uphold, and you are a massive liability that doesn't know when to be quiet. Now, walk away." Noticing the man chance an angry glare at the woman standing behind her, the blonde shifted her stance to block his view, firmly instructing, "Don't look at her. Look at me. Walk. Away."
"Ugh, whatever," he grunted out as he stormed off past them, shoulder checking Brittany as he muttered under his breath, "Fucking bitches."
Knowing that the threat had passed, Santana sucked in a deep, shaky breath as she grabbed the drink she had ordered and threw it back without a second thought. Slamming the empty cup of ice back down on the counter top, she spun around and started making a beeline toward the front door.
"Hey! Hey, Santana, wait," Brittany called out from somewhere behind the brunette, but she was already storming out of the establishment as she wrapped her arms around herself, both as a way to self-soothe and to block out the chill in the night air. As she brought her steps to a halt, she heard the other woman also stop just a few feet behind her.
"You don't have to stay out here with me, Britt. I just need to cool off for a bit. You should go back to enjoying the night with the others."
"No way. I'm not going to leave you out here to get kidnapped. Or would it be adultnapped? Whatever. You know what I mean," Brittany asserted, adding, "Plus, he said something to you that was obviously really hurtful, and I want to make sure you're okay."
"Yeah, Britt. I'll be fine. He's a fucking nobody, and I-I've heard worse," Santana replied, wrapping her arms tighter around herself as a gust of wind blew in her direction and brought a chill down her spine.
Having noticed the woman's discomfort, Brittany moved to take her jacket off, offering, "Here, San. Take this."
"No, Britt," Santana insisted as she turned around to stop Brittany's movements. "I don't want you to get cold. It's my own fault for not bringing a jacket from home after Quinn warned me that it was supposed to get cold tonight."
Taking a moment to think over their options, Brittany opened the article of clothing as an invitation to the other woman. Another gust of wind suddenly went blowing past them, causing Santana to cave almost instantly as she stepped forward and allowed the other woman to pull the sides of the jacket around her as tightly as she could.
Moving to get more comfortable, she slipped her arms around Brittany's waist and rested her head on top of the woman's shoulder. Feeling the woman's intense warmth radiating from her, she hummed out, "Holy shit, you're hot."
"Yeah, I get that a lot."
"I meant literally, Britt."
"That, too," the blonde teased as she started swaying their bodies from side to side, clearly attempting to lighten the mood.
"Britt, what are you doing?"
"I'm dancing with you, Silly," Brittany said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Why?"
"Because it's fun."
With that, the pair allowed a comfortable silence to develop between them as they continue to move together in the middle of the bar's parking lot. Occasionally, they would let out rounds of shared chuckles as the alcohol started to set in and Santana's movements became increasingly sluggish.
"Thanks for backing me up back there," Santana spoke up after a while. "Not going to lie, you were kind of like my lady knight in shining armor."
"Aw, it was nothing. Nick is just never really good news, and you looked super uncomfy when he was talking to you so I knew I had to step in and do something," Brittany explained. She then gave a brief pause, as if thinking over her words, before asking, "Quinn won't be mad if she sees us out here like this, right?"
Furrowing her brow, Santana leaned back to look at her, "Of course not. Why would she?"
"I mean, you two are together," she assumed before noticing Santana's confused expression. "Right?"
"No, not at all."
"What?"
"Quinn and I are just friends."
"You are?"
"Yeah, Britt. Hell, I've been single for as long as I can remember." Realizing she had basically just admitted to not being in a relationship in years, Santana quickly began to amend her comment, but Brittany beat her to the punch.
"Do you maybe want to get out of here?"
Santana instantly felt her eyebrows shoot up toward her hairline as she shouted, "Huh?!" She knew that she just informed the blonde that she was single, but damn.
"I asked if you wanted to get out of here. There's a late-night food truck across town that serves the best tacos."
"Wait, you want to leave our friends at a bar to get street tacos?"
"Yeah, sure," Brittany replied with a shrug. "Why not?"
"I-" Santana had to pause from the whiplash of this conversation. Once her brain had caught up with her, she answered, "O-okay."
Brittany's eyes instantly filled with excitement. "Really?" she tentatively asked as a toothy grin pulled at her lips.
"Yeah, let me just- I need to make sure Quinn is cool with it first. I'll also need to leave her my keys, so we'll have to take your truck if that's okay."
"Yeah. For sure."
"Okay. Cool," the brunette said as she continued to stand there for another moment, staring up at the woman before her. "I-I'm, uh, going to go over there," she announced as she fully slipped out of Brittany's hold and pointed over toward the front door of the bar.
"Okay, I'll follow you. I need to close my tab anyway."
Remembering she also had an open tab, Santana amended, "Oh. Yes. Me, too. Let's do that first."
Once their tabs had been successfully closed out, Santana made her way over to Quinn, leaning in toward the woman so she could hear her over Rachel and Kurt's duet of Defying Gravity. "Hey, Britt and I are going to go grab some tacos, so I'll see you back at home in a bit."
Quinn quickly leaned away with a skeptical look on her face as she asked, "Is that supposed to be a euphemism for sex? Because you are being weirdly calm right now if it is."
"What? No, you wanky ass!" Santana chided with a light slap to her friend's arm as she turned to make sure no one, namely Brittany, overheard. Turning back to Quinn, Santana sternly whispered, "Brittz is literally taking me to get street tacos."
"Oh! In that case, I hope you two have fun. Don't stay out too late, and if the taco talk becomes a little more metaphorical, then be safe."
"You know what? On second thought, maybe I should just bring my keys with me and have you take a Lyft home."
"I'm not drunk, and I just finished my last drink. If I'm not sober by the time we leave, I swear I'll ask Rachel to give me a ride to your house."
"Hey, it's also fine if you just want to hitch a ride to her place. No obligation to spend your evening alone at my house," Santana teased with a smirk, giving a wag of her brow.
"Santana, it's time to give it up," Quinn sighed out with an exasperated eyeroll. "We are both straight and not interested, so it's never going to happen."
"Alright, fine. It was worth a try," Santana ceded with a laugh as she pushed herself away from the table and turned to walk over to Brittany so they could leave, giving a little wave over her shoulder as she called out to her friends, "Have a good night, everyone. Tell Kurt and Rachel we said bye."
"Will do. Good night, Santana."
Thank you once again for taking the time to read Wild Hope. This chapter really took on a direction of its own while writing it, and I realized pretty early on that it was most likely going to be a long one. I also can't help but laugh while doing research for these chapters because I am looking up random information about things I never pictured myself learning about, like flight times between New Haven and Columbus and airports I have never visited. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this update because I had a lot of fun writing it. Please feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think!
P.S.: For anyone interested in taking a little sneak peek into my writing process, I originally wanted to have a scene of Quinn getting Santana to sing Take My Breath Away with her as an additional way of Quinn trying to get a better read on Brittany, but it didn't end up fitting into the flow of this chapter, especially as it continued to become longer and longer. That being said, feel free to add that little tidbit into your headcannon for this fic if you'd like.
Until next time!