The past couple of weeks had been quite busy for us. In between working and gradually moving all of things into my apartment, well, our apartment, we barely had time to do anything else.
Brittany and I have officially been living together for five days now, and whilst I shouldn't have expected anything different, it became natural for us to fall into new routines. Routines that felt so fucking good, routines that I had only dreamed about. Wake up next to the most beautiful girl in the world, have endless morning kisses and cuddles, get ready for work and then come home to more Brittany- I was in utter bliss and I couldn't believe it had taken me so long to realize just how good it would feel to be able to do this with her, everyday.
Living with Brittany, it finally felt like everything was worth it. All of the heartache, all of the pain, it all lead up to this lifetime of happiness with Brittany.
I was stuck in this bubble of contentment and I never wanted it to pop. Even when I felt sad, like whenever I got off of the phone with my Mami and I was reminded about all of the treatment she is having to endure for her illness, Brittany was there to make everything feel better.
It was now Friday and Brittany had convinced me to take the entire weekend off. Well, she didn't really have to do much convincing, she had just briefly suggested that we should have a weekend to ourselves to celebrate living together and after a few sweet lady kisses, I couldn't say no to her. However, when she had mentioned it, I thought that would mean we could actually spend longer than ten minutes cuddling in bed in the morning, but after those ten minutes were up earlier, she was still rolling out of bed and moving to get ready.
When I had pouted at her and tried to lure her back into bed, she just smirked and told me that she was going to pick up some breakfast for us. That was thirty minutes ago and Brittany still hadn't come back yet and I was still laying alone in bed, sulking about the empty space next to me that was now cold. It was strange, how you can sleep alone for your entire life and then within a couple of months get so accustomed to sleeping beside somebody. Not having Brittany beside me in bed felt somewhat alien now and our bed just felt empty without her and far too big.
I finally heard the front door of the apartment open and close, signaling her return, and my body didn't seem so cold anymore. With a beaming grin and a new-found energy, I rolled out of bed and pulled on my robe. "San?" She called out, "Are you still in bed?" Brittany asked and I could hear the amusement in her voice.
"Coming, babe!" I shouted back happily and hurried out of the bedroom. "What took you so lo- holy shit!"
I gasped in surprise, stilling in my movements and my eyes widening as I looked between Brittany's smug smirk and my freaking parents. A rush of emotions hit me and it was like a complete full circle moment, seeing my mom and dad here in New York with Brittany, in our apartment.
"W-What are you doing here?" I stuttered through my shock, inching closer to them and wrapping them in a warm hug.
"Brittany invited us for the weekend," My mom told me and I smiled as I pulled away, turning to face Brittany.
She had a shy smile on her face, biting down on her lip and I instantly pulled her into me. "Love you," I whispered into her ear, my voice thick with emotion.
Brittany grinned, kissing my cheek softly. "Love you too," She giggled cutely, "I thought that it would be nice to spend some more time with them now that your Mami has finished with her chemo, I know that you've been worried and wanting to see them."
I softened, practically melting in a puddle. Whatever I did in my past life to deserve a love like this, I was eternally grateful, because I just felt so fucking lucky. "Thank you for this, you always know what I need," I sighed happily, keeping my arms wrapped around her.
"We couldn't say no when she called us up to suggest it," My dad grinned in agreement. He nodded knowingly to Brittany and then sent me a growing smirk, "You've got yourself a real keeper there, mija."
"I know," I blushed, feeling the heat on my cheeks rise as I did a quick side glance to Brittany to see her equally as flustered.
"She couldn't get away from me even if she tried," Brittany joked and I smirked at her with raised eyebrows.
"Good job I' would never want to," I kissed her cheek softly before reluctantly pulling out of our embrace to pay some attention to my parents. "Did you guys fly over here? I-Is that safe... you know, for Mami?" I asked with suddenly wide eyes, looking frantically between my mom and dad.
"Mija," My mom laughed, "I'm fine, stop worrying so much!"
"Sorry," I apologized sheepishly, then added softly, "but you're doing okay, right?"
She smiled warmly, nodding her head. I could see that she looked a little bit thinner and she had a silk scarf wrapped around what little hair she had left, but she didn't look as tired as last time I had seen her. Maybe it was because she was actually up and not confined into her house, but I appreciated that she didn't look as unwell as she did those couple of months ago. "I'm doing okay, I just need to take it a bit easy but what better way to pass time than to come visit our daughter and future daughter in law!"
That fuzzy, hot, feeling was back in the pit of my stomach and I didn't think that I would ever hear something like that coming from my mom. But, hearing it so warmly and so honestly, her being so accepting, it just made it feel even more special. Judging from the bashful smile on Brittany's face, she also felt the same way from hearing my mom's comment.
"Good, I'm glad. When do you find out your results?" I asked curiously, eyebrows raised.
"Couple of weeks," My mom shrugged. "Now, let's eat this yummy breakfast Brittany picked up and you can show us all of your favourite places here!" She brushed off the heavy mood that had settled from the conversation, and I nodded hesitantly.
"Okay," I smiled, and motioned with my head for them to follow us to the dining table.
"This is a lovely place," My dad complimented, his eyes wondering around as they settled down at the table. "It's very homey," he added with a smile.
I grinned as I collected us some cutlery, before joining them back at the table. "Thanks," I shrugged casually, "feels even better now that Britt is living here with me." Brittany chuckled when I sent her a wink, taking out the stacks of pancakes and berries and separating them for us all.
My dad looked between us, "how's that going? Living together?"
I bit down on my lip to try and stop my smile from widening. "Amazing," Brittany breathed out before I can chance to respond, her cheeks bunching. "It's only officially been five days but San just feels like my home, you know?"
My heart swelled and I looked at her softly. "You're so cute," I mumbled quietly.
"It really brings you closer, doesn't it?" He agreed with Brittany.
"Yeah, it does," Brittany nodded in agreement. "Although, I think if San and I actually get any closer then we're going to end up becoming the same person," she laughed and I giggled, rolling my eyes.
My mom chuckled, looking fondly between us as she picked at her pancakes. "A love like that is special," she told us, "I'm glad that you two found each other. I can see that you look after each other."
I nodded, "I'd be lost without her."
"San," Brittany giggled, and I could see the embarrassment on her face as her cheeks reddened.
"What? I'm just telling them the truth," I smirked and Brittany just rolled her eyes playfully before leaning over to kiss my cheek softly. "Also, we both know for a fact that I would still just be at the club seven days a week if it wasn't for you."
"Santanita, working seven days a week is not healthy," My dad sent me a pointed stare and it suddenly felt like I was back in high school, so I sent him a nervous tight-lipped smile.
"I know, Papi," I sighed and then shrugged my shoulders, "being at the club doesn't feel like work, and sometimes I just went to pass my free time or hang with Quinn whilst she was working at the bar. It worked out though because if I never went in on weekends then I would have never met Britt."
"Yeah, San like totally stalked me for months before we actually spoke," Brittany added in casually and my eyes widened as I turned to her.
"I didn't stalk you, I was just watching you dance," I defended myself and then pouted at her. "Also, I remember you saying that you were also watching me, so if that's the case then you must be a stalker too," I crossed my arms across my chest and stared at her challengingly, pretending to be mad but I couldn't really be mad at Brittany, especially when she just looked so damn cute.
Brittany smirked at me, a tiny giggle falling from her lips. "You would look a lot more angry if you didn't have whipped cream on your upper lip," I blushed and dropped my gaze to my empty plate, which made her laugh louder. She brought her thumb to my lip, softly swiping at it and then tilted my head up. "Baby, you know that I wanted you from the moment I laid eyes on you," Brittany smiled softly.
I cracked a grin at her, my fake over-exaggerated pout fading away. I couldn't stop myself from leaning forward to kiss her softly and I was suddenly getting so lost in Brittany again that I almost forgot about my parents being sat directly opposite us. Well, that was until I pulled back to see them both watching us.
That was the first time I had actually properly kissed Brittany in front of them and I half expected them to look uncomfortable, but instead they were looking at us like we had just gotten freaking married in front of them. The feelings of warmth from kissing Brittany were intensified by feelings of warmth from the acceptance of me kissing Brittany, and I wanted to store this memory in a little box in the back of my mind forever.
"So, are you going to take us to your club? I want to see everything that you've built!" My papi smiled and I was thankful that he chose not to comment on my flustered state.
"Yeah, we can go. Mami, is that okay with you?" I double checked, not wanting to overwhelm her with doing too much especially after she had been travelling all morning. She just nodded and I grinned, "okay, well, there's classes on for the rest of the morning but we can swing by. I'll just go and change into some clothes," I told them, beginning to collect all of the dirty dishes and boxes from breakfast.
"I'll clear this away, babe," Brittany told me. "You just go put some clothes on," she giggled and ushered me away from the table playfully.
An hour later, Brittany and I were walking hand in hand into the club with my mom and dad beside us. It was something I thought would never happen, showing them everything I had built myself, and I felt a bit nervous that they wouldn't approve. It's not everyday that you showed off your club and pole dancers off to your parents. I mean, we didn't just do pole dancing but I was afraid that is all they would focus on when we got inside.
Brittany must have sensed my nerves, as usual, because she stepped closer and bent down to whisper quietly into my ear. "Don't worry, they'll love it. You should be proud of everything," she cooed, giving my hand a firm squeeze of encouragement.
I gave her a thankful smile and with those small words of encouragement, I was pushing open the door and walking inside. I was a bit hesitant to look for their reaction, but when I did, I wasn't disappointed. They had proud smiles as they stared around and we walked further inside, the dancers coming into view as Rachel lead the class.
"Wow," my mom breathed out, her eyebrows raised in the way that only happens when she's impressed.
"What do you think?" I asked shyly, even though it was written all over their faces, it was still nice to actually hear confirmation.
"It's amazing here, I can see why it's the best in New York. You've really put a lot of work into this place," my dad commented, my mom nodded in agreement and I smiled bashfully. "Is that Rachel Berry?" He asked through a slight laugh and I rolled my eyes.
"Yes," I muttered. My parents were well aware of the glee club, but they didn't know much closer we got since I came out in senior year. To their knowledge, I was ready to leave them all behind not bring them with me to New York and then employ them. "She sings here mostly but helps out with classes. She's taken over for me this weekend though since I'm home."
"It's nice that you still have a bit of home here," my mom said softly.
"Yeah, Rachel, Quinn and Kurt all really pulled through for me senior year so when I opened the club it only seemed right to give back to them somehow," I told them, shuffling a bit awkwardly on my feet at the mention of senior year.
I watched as my mom sucked in her lips and nodded, her gaze dropping slightly. I knew that she still felt really guilty despite how much we have reconnected, and I guess that was only natural.
Luckily, the awkward moment passed quickly when I noticed Quinn approaching us at the booth we had settled into. "Hi," she smirked knowingly at me and I raised my eyebrows.
I looked between her and Brittany and chuckled. "You knew about this, didn't you?" I asked her.
Quinn laughed, nodding her head. "Course I did," she shrugged and then turned cautiously to my parents. "Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Lopez, how are you?" She asked politely and I almost sniggered at her change in tone.
"Oh, Quinn, you've know us since you were fourteen, enough with the formalities!" My mom laughed, "we're doing okay. Thank you for looking after our Santanita for us, we really appreciate everything you have done for her."
"Of course, she's not that bad anymore," Quinn shrugged with a giggle.
"So no more fighting between you two?" My dad raised his eyebrows, "I find that hard to believe."
"Oh no, we still fight," Quinn told him, her cheeks flushing red. "Just not physically anymore."
"You two were always troublemakers back in high school!" My mom chastised us playfully, and then nudged Brittany, "have they told you the stories of them causing chaos?"
Brittany grinned widely, "I've heard all about them. They are still the same with each other now!"
I rolled my eyes, "We're good now, we don't cause any trouble!"
Everybody laughed at my defensive tone, and I just slumped back in my seat because it was pointless to even try and come up with anything. They all knew how Quinn and I worked, so it was pretty pointless.
"All thanks to you," Quinn laughed, looking at Brittany and I blushed. "How long are you in town for?"
"Just until Sunday, we know how busy you all are!" My mom told Quinn, "I heard San has you working your butts off here."
"It's like our second home, we all love it here so we don't mind," Quinn shrugged and then motioned to the class, "I better get back out and help Rach before I end up on the couch tonight. It was nice to see you both!"
"Bye, darling!" My mom and dad waved at Quinn as she made her way back to Rachel and the class. "She hasn't changed at all," she commented as she turned back to Brittany and I.
"Just less rebellious. Rachel's really calmed her down," I laughed in agreement.
"It seems like you both have had your wild sides tamed," she teased.
It felt good, being able to be so open with them and to make jokes like this without having to worry about saying something wrong. Even before everything happened when I came out, I still struggled to feel accepted by them and our relationship was already strained. But now, it was like they accepted all of me regardless and I just felt so comfortable to be completely and entirely myself. It was like the relationship that we had during my childhood was slowly beginning to return and that brought me so much closure and comfort. Every time I spoke to them, or I saw how they were around Brittany, it was like another part of me healed and I could finally let go of all of the hurt and the pain that was once associated with them.
The rest of the day went better than I could imagine. Brittany and I took my parents to our favourite places in the city, finished with a dinner at BreadstiX before we dropped them at their hotel. I reaffirmed Brittany's statement that they could just stay at our apartment and didn't have to spend money on a hotel, but they insisted that they didn't want to intrude.
I had felt bad in the moment, but that quickly faded away as soon as Brittany and I settled down onto the couch after a hot bath and changing into our pyjamas. Brittany was laid on her back, her head propped up on the arm of the couch and I was settled comfortably between her legs, my head resting on her chest.
I could hear the fast beating of her heart thumping beneath my ear, filling my mind with a sense of peace and I knew that no matter how busy our days were, if they were all to end like this, then it would be perfect. Laying here with Brittany after a long day, her hand soothingly trailing up and down my back, and her lips pressing the occasional kiss to my forehead, everything felt perfect. Brittany was perfect, life was perfect, we were perfect, and I couldn't think of a better way than to spend the rest of my life like this with her.
"I was telling the truth earlier, you know that right?" I whispered, lifting my head slightly to look up at her.
"What do you mean?" Brittany asked softly, her hand lifting from my back to gently run through my hair. She had her head tilted curiously, that small smile tugging at her lips as she stared back at me.
"That I would be lost without you and I'm never letting you go," I smiled affectionately. Brittany's cheeks flushed and she bit on her lip shyly, but I shuffled and turned onto my stomach. "I'm serious, baby. It's been almost a year since we got together and I already couldn't imagine you not being in my life. What you've done for me since the beginning up until today, it really means a lot. I love you so much."
Brittany grinned widely and I could see the blues in her eyes growing warmer the more she stared back at me. "I would do anything for you, San, to see you happy. I know that you've struggled for years with everything that went on with your parents and I know that you've been missing them since we went to Lima and you guys talked things through. I just wanted to ease your worries about your mom," Brittany explained nonchalantly.
I giggled, "and you did, a lot! You always do, nobody knows me like you do."
She leaned down to meet my lips, kissing me softly and I hummed happily as my eyes fluttered shut. "I'm just an expert in everything Santana Lopez," Brittany shrugged casually and I rolled my eyes playfully through my giggles.
I looked up at her dreamily, every part of my body feeling like it was floating on clouds. "You're so special. I love how you always just want me to be myself, I've never had that and I never want to let it go," I told her softly, my hand lifting to trace over her flushed cheeks.
"That's because I love you and everything about you. Even those parts of yourself you wish you could change- actually, especially those parts. I wish that I could show you how amazing you are," Brittany pulls me slightly and twists our bodies, moving us to lay on our sides facing each other.
"I've always struggled with believing people when they told me the good things about me," I admitted, feeling my heart speed up because of our sudden additional closeness. "But you show me everyday and it makes me feel so good, you make me feel so good," I told her, "I hope I make you feel this good, too."
"San," Brittany giggled, "of course you do. Before we met, I always struggled with making connections with people and kind of maintaining any kind of relationship with anybody. Nobody has ever really understood me or wanted to keep me around, but with you, you've never made me doubt that. You're the first person ever where I would fight to the end of the Earth to keep our relationship," I was listening to her intently, my fingers gently playing with the loose hairs at the back of her neck as she spoke. I'm not sure where this conversation was coming from, I'm guessing it's been a build up of emotions from us moving in together and her bringing my parents to New York, but I appreciated times like this with us being open with each other.
"I don't think I like the thought of people in your past not being kind to you," I whispered truthfully, subconsciously shuffling closer into her. "You're like the most awesomest girl ever," I added playfully and Brittany cracked a smile.
"I guess we just make each other even more awesome, then," Brittany teased, nuzzling her nose against mine.
Her breath hit against my lips, making me shudder. It was insane how my body reacted to her and it only grew stronger, like everyday I would fall a little bit more in love with her and I didn't understand how I hadn't already exploded with all of the love flowing through my body.
My hand slipped through from the back of her neck, cupping her cheek smoothly as I titled my head to kiss her and it was like we both instantly melted into each other. Brittany's arm tightened around my waist to pull me flush against her and I felt myself get completely lost in the feeling of her lips moving against mine. She kissed me so softly, her lips moving slow and her tongue teasing across my lip to deepen the kiss. I moaned softly, feeling it burn my throat as her tongue explored the warmth of my mouth and it felt like a fire was being lit between us.
Brittany swallowed my moan before slowing the kiss back down until we were just simply exchanging soft but intimate kisses and I giggled against her lips. "God, we're so in love," I sighed happily.
"Wouldn't have it any other way, baby," Brittany agreed, "You want to go make sweet sweet love in our bed?"
"I would love to," I grinned and watched as Brittany rolled off of the couch, wiggling her fingers at me.
I reached my hand out to her and she pulled me with her, both of us giggling.
Only one more chapter left!