The next several weeks passed mostly without issue.
Tina was able to complete her edits in record time, allowing for the billboards to be posted across the city just as the holiday season was getting underway. That paired with their carwash cross-promotion and the raffle held by the shop provided Pierce Automotive with the added exposure they needed to draw in customers both old and new. Thanks to all of these efforts, the final stretch leading up to Christmas presented a notable uptick in customer sales, making the shop busier than it had been in recent months.
The only hitch in their plans came when Brittany unexpectedly had to postpone the Pierce Automotive Holiday Party Extravaganza due to personal matters, resulting in the party turning into more of a joint celebration of both the holiday season and the impending new year. It all seemed to work out in the end for Santana, however, since she was already scheduled to be at the shop on New Years Eve to help select the winners of their holiday raffle.
On the morning of the party, Santana met Kurt at the garage to set up for the impending giveaway that would be broadcasted across all of the Pierce Automotive social media accounts. The pair quickly made their way through the employee side door and got situated around the breakroom table to prepare for the imminent drawing. Approximately half-an-hour later, they watched Brittany walk in with a large sandwich tray and vegetable platter in hand.
Greeting them with a chipper good morning, the blonde quickly dispensed the food into the fridge and moved to pull up a chair. "How are things going so far?" she asked while looking between the two, who were still busy cutting out the raffle entries.
"Pretty good, all things considered," Kurt replied without looking up from his task. "It looks like we are going to finish up just in time."
"Good to hear," the shop owner commented before shifting her gaze over to the woman sitting beside her to ask, "San, would you like me to take over so you can start getting everything set up?"
Pausing her motions, Santana glanced over to the clock on the wall and noted, "Oh, it's later than I thought. If you don't mind, that would be a lot of help."
"Yeah, hand it over," Brittany responded as she gave a little wave toward herself. "We'll bring everything over to the lobby once we are done."
"Perfect. Thanks, Britt," Santana said as she carefully transferred the pair of scissors to the mechanic and pushed up from her seat so she could leave the room. Spotting Allie opening up the shop for business, the brunette gave her a little wave and got to work navigating through the multistreaming platform they would use to simultaneously broadcast the raffle to each of the shop's social media pages. Santana then ensured that the cellphone's microphone was muted before starting the live feed to allow their viewers to begin filing in. Walking back into the breakroom, Santana notified, "Alright, everything is set up and ready to go."
"Sounds good. We just finished up here, too," Kurt noted as he swirled a hand through the little strips of paper to help mix up their entries.
"Perfect. I'll meet you two in there, then," the marketing associate responded as she turned to head back to the lobby.
Santana made sure to wait until the pair were settled before turning on the mic, and once she had indicated that they were rolling, Brittany cheerily smiled at the camera and greeted, "Good morning, everyone! I hope everyone has had a very happy holiday season." Santana watched on as their viewers shared comments containing their own well wishes as the woman continued, "As many of you may be aware, we have been holding a raffle over the past few weeks, and we would like to first thank everyone who participated. There was a total of one-hundred-and-twelve tickets sold, and all of those proceeds will be going towards improving the shop so we can continue providing you with the best automotive service possible." Giving a single clap of her hands, Brittany stated, "So without further ado, let's draw the first winner, who will receive one of the car detailing kits. Drumroll please, Kurt."
The man started to repeatedly tap the armrests of his chair as she gave the bowl one last swirl before plucking a slip of paper from deep within the container. Carefully unfolding it, she glanced down and announced the name that was neatly printed across the ticket. The three continued on that way until they had successfully drawn all seven winners, a couple of which Brittany recognized as loyal customers who had very generously purchased a significant number of raffle tickets to help support the garage.
Once they were done, the shop owner thanked all of the participants one last time before Santana ended the livestream. As soon as she confirmed that the feed was successfully closed out, Santana looked up and congratulated, "Nice work, you two. Not bad for the shop's first raffle drawing."
"Yeah, this entire process has honestly gone way better than I would have ever expected," Brittany said as she handed off the bowl to her office manager so he could properly dispose of the entries before returning to his typical work obligations. Glancing back over toward the brunette, she asked, "So, what are your plans for the day?"
"Well, our office is closed, so I was thinking about maybe just hanging out around here until the party if that's okay."
Brittany instantly beamed at the woman's response as she reassured, "San, I've already told you that you can hang out at the shop whenever you want. We love having you here."
"Some exponentially more than others," they heard Allie offhandedly commented from across the room. Almost forgetting that they were not alone, the pair looked over to find the young receptionist lounging in an office chair behind the front desk with a textbook in hand. Tearing her eyes away from her study material, the student glanced over at her boss a cheeky grin and challenged, "Or am I wrong, Britt?"
Feeling her cheeks flush, Brittany ignored the woman's question as she shot back, "I'd be careful, Al, or I might make you stick around for extra lessons before the party today."
"Oh, no, Brittany. Please don't make me do something I actively love and enjoy. I beg you," Allie teasingly droned as she returned to studying, earning her an exaggerated eyeroll from the blonde mechanic.
"Ugh, you're lucky you are such a promising mechanic, you little dweeb," Brittany playfully huffed out as she stood to begin her work for the day.
"Yeah, I know," Allie smirked without drawing her attention away from the book. As soon as the blonde's back was turned, however, she glanced back up to send Santana a sly wink to make sure she knew her comments were all in good fun.
Sharing a knowing grin with the receptionist behind the counter, Santana moved to follow Brittany as she made her way over into the garage, where the other mechanics and automotive technicians were already starting their day. The brunette waited until they were out of earshot before stating, "You know, I would have never guessed that Allie was such a jokester."
"Yeah, she is pretty quiet when first meeting people, but she will definitely be the first to mess with you the moment she feels comfortable enough to do so," Brittany chuckled out as she began checking over some of the work of her techs. "She's kind of like a punky little sister who knows she can get away with practically anything. I love her and will do anything I can to help her succeed, but damn does she love pushing my buttons."
"You can tell that she also cares a lot about you and the shop, though," Santana noted, having already seen the tremendous amount of effort Allie put into her work at the garage, both on and off the clock.
Giving a fond grin at the acknowledgement, Brittany confirmed, "Yeah, she does, which is why I give her a bit more leeway than I would any other mechanic. Like I said, she has little sister energy. I'm pretty sure everyone here has a soft spot for her."
The pair continued to mill about with Santana shadowing Brittany as the mechanic conducted her business. By that point, the marketing associate had become a common fixture at the garage, leaving no one surprised by her presence in the shop, and she was sure to wave at each of the workers as she kept in step with the other woman.
While helping Brittany take stock of all their available parts, the brunette remembered a question that she had been meaning to ask the woman. Carefully broaching the subject, Santana made sure no one was nearby and quietly inquired, "By the way, how are things with your grandpa?"
Brittany did her best to maintain an even expression since they were still within sight of her employees, but Santana could hear the strained tone of concern in her voice as she answered, "As far as we know, he is going to be okay. It was a pretty bad fall, but my parents were thankfully home and able to get him to the hospital. He has a big bruise on his hip and thigh, but we were lucky that nothing was broken."
"Good, I am so glad he's alright," Santana responded as she thought back to the text that she had received just days before the original date of the shop's holiday party, which was when the blonde had first notified her that Grandpa Pierce had fallen outside while shoveling snow. She had offered to take off from work early that day to pick the Pierces up some food so they wouldn't have to be hungry while waiting on his x-ray results, but Brittany had been adamant about her finishing out her workday. Since they were now discussing the matter, she gently reminded the woman, "My offer still stands, by the way. If there is anything I can do to help make things a little easier, please let me know. I can grab dinner for your family or maybe hire a yard or cleaning service to take care of the house. Whatever you need."
Brittany allowed her façade to drop slightly as she looked over to the brunette with soft, sparkling eyes and let her know, "You have already done plenty, Santana. In so, so many ways. I'm just grateful that you and Kurt were able to make sure we still met all our marketing obligations and that this place kept running while I was away."
"Of course, Britt-Britt. I'm glad I could help," Santana reassured as she subtly bumped into the woman's side to silently let her know she was there for her before returning to helping her take inventory.
Santana ended up sticking around the shop for the remainder of the morning, and around lunchtime, she remembered that she had a few errands left to run before all of the businesses closed for the holiday. By the time the brunette returned a few hours later, it was already starting to get dark and the street lights were just turning on.
As she pulled into the parking lot of Pierce Automotive, Santana spotted Brittany and Allie looking under the open hood of the blonde's truck, which had been pulled into the second bay so they could take advantage of the garage's overhead lighting. Once parked in the nearest available space, the marketing associate grabbed several bags of food from the backseat and took a detour through the open garage door as a thinly veiled excuse to notify the shop owner of her return. She could not help but smile as she noticed Brittany continuing to give her lesson, completely unaware of the brunette's presence.
With a bottle of beer in hand, Brittany pointed at a specific part with the butt of her flashlight and asked, "Alright, Kid. Do you remember what kind of fuel injectors this intake manifold has?"
Snapping her eyes over at her boss, Allie griped, "For the last time, I am not a kid."
"Well, you act like more of a child than my kid sister, so the name still applies," Brittany teased before redirecting her student back to the matter at hand. "Now, what kind of injectors does this engine have?"
"They are direct injectors," Allie reluctantly replied, clearly not pleased with her assigned nickname.
"Correct. So, where are they injecting the fuel?"
"Into the combustion chambers."
"And why is that important?"
"They are required to apply enough force to overcome the pressures that are created when the pistons compress the gases contained within each chamber," the automotive student immediately answered in a confident tone.
"Do we have to worry about this with port injectors?"
"No, because they inject the fuel into the intake port, which would either be at atmospheric pressure or a vacuum depending on if they are timed to inject before or after the intake valve opens."
"Nice work, Kid," Brittany commended as she gave Allie a pat on the shoulder and tipped her beer back to take a drink. Catching sight of Santana from out of the corner of her eye, she quickly pulled the bottle from her lips and shot the woman a broad grin as she greeted, "Hey, San! Welcome back."
"God, you are so whipped," Allie cheekily remarked under her breath as she waved to the marketing associate, earning her a light elbow to the ribs.
"Shut up, jerk," the blonde playfully warned before turning her attention back to Santana. "Were you able to complete all of your errands?"
Unable to hold back a smile at the two women's antics, the brunette replied, "As many as I could before everyone closed for the day. Now, it's time to hopefully sail smoothly into the new year."
"Yeah, hopefully," Brittany chuckled out in response. "Well, you are more than welcome to join us in here if you'd like."
"Maybe in a bit. I need still need to drop off all this food I grabbed for tonight," Santana noted as she lifted up the bags that were held tightly in her hands. Watching a set of blue eyes narrow in her direction, she assured the woman, "Relax, Britt. I just did Kurt a favor by picking these up while I was out. I didn't pay for anything, I swear."
Allowing the tension in her shoulders to release, Brittany breathed out, "Good, you have already spent too much money on us."
"Eh, we'll see. Just please don't be too mad about your Christmas gift, okay?" Santana playfully requested as she spun around to head inside the lobby.
"Wait, what is that supposed to mean?" Brittany inquired as she watched the woman walking away. When her question was met with silence, she called out to the retreating marketing associate in a louder tone, "San? Santana, please tell me you have not spent any more money on this damn shop!"
"Oo, looks like Brittany has herself a sugar mama," Allie teased, causing the blonde to snap her gaze over in her direction.
Hearing the college student let out an audible oof, Santana glanced her over her shoulder to find Brittany with an arm slung loosely around Allie's neck as she rubbed a closed fist into the crown of her head and asserted, "It's not like that, you loser!"
"Alright, alright, Brittany! Mercy!" Allie cried out in a fit of giggles as she lightly tapped the forearm holding her in place, clearly having gotten the rise out of her boss that she had been aiming for. "I promise I'll stop messing with you about your obvious crush on her. Just please let me go."
"Damn, you really are worse than my sister, you little twerp," Brittany groan as she reluctantly released the other woman from her grasp.
Working to smooth her hair back down, Allie shot back, "Oh, come on. It's not like it's a secret."
"Hush, you!"
"See? You can't even deny it," Allie continued to push with a loud cackle, earning one last exasperated groan from the blonde before the lobby door shut behind Santana, who was failing to hide heated cheeks as she fought back her own bouts of laughter.
Two hours later, and the party was in full swing. Arriving with a box of fresh pastries that she had picked up from a local bakery, Maribel managed to catch sight of the shop's owner just as she was shutting the last of the large bay doors and called out, "Hi, Brittany. Do you think you could hold one of the doors open for me so I can bring in these desserts?"
Realizing that Santana's mother had made it to the garage, Brittany immediately dropped what she was doing and padded over to the woman's car, insisting, "Here, I can bring everything in for you."
"You don't have to worry about that, Brittany. I can carry them inside."
"It's really no problem at all, Mrs. Lopez. I'm the host for tonight. Let me take care of this while you go relax and enjoy the festivities," the mechanic insisted as she held out her hands, offering to take the large box from the woman.
"Well, if you're sure," Maribel hedged as she carefully transferred the baked goods to the other woman. "By the way, have you seen my daughter? She hasn't been answering her texts."
Suddenly looking a little guilty, Brittany tentatively admitted, "Oh, that might be partially my fault. She's been watching me give automotive lessons to one of our employees."
"Wait, my Santana has been learning about cars? Like, willingly?" Maribel questioned in complete surprise.
Taken aback by the question, Brittany was quick to reassure, "I, well- Yeah, I would never her force her to do anything she didn't want to."
Realizing Brittany had become self-conscious due to her line of questioning, Maribel clarified, "Oh, I know you wouldn't, Honey. I was just surprised, is all."
"Okay, good. I really don't want you have the wrong idea about me," Brittany sighed out in relief. "But yes, I've shown her a few things here and there, and she seems to have picked up quite a bit over the past few months."
"Well, I'll be," Maribel hummed out to herself, knowing full well that her daughter would have never been caught dead in her grandfather's garage back when he would offer to show her how to perform even the most basic aspects of car maintenance. Santana had never been one to get her hands dirty, let alone risk staining her expensive clothes. Looking back up to the blonde, Maribel could not help but smile at her daughter making room in her life for the woman standing before her. Suddenly feeling a cold gust of wind blow past them, she realized that they should probably head inside and insisted, "Anyway, let's get you out of the cold. It's freezing out here."
"Yes, ma'am," Brittany answered as she allowed the woman to lead her into the building.
Once inside, it did not take long for Maribel to locate her daughter, who was chatting with a young woman she did not recognize and a man she believed was one of her classmates from high school. She then watched as the younger brunette abruptly threw her head back in laughter as she lightly shoved the tall, burly man beside her, who barely moved as he chuckled along with the woman.
It was a rare sight to Santana look so carefree and at home, yet here she was. And inside of an auto shop, of all places. Smiling to herself, Maribel reveled in the sight of her daughter finally starting to open up again after all the various hardships she had faced in her life up to that point.
After relinquishing the pastries to the desert table, Brittany walked over to the brunette and placed a gentle hand on the small of Santana's back to get her attention. Maribel continued to watch on as Brittany leaned toward the woman, looking as if she was about to tell her something. Suddenly, she was cut off by the marketing associate lightly tapping the back of her hand against the woman's abdomen as she seemingly began to fill her in on the topic they had just been laughing about. The entire time Santana spoke, Brittany attentively listened to the woman with a small, contented smile pulling at the corner of her lips while occasionally glancing at the other two individuals whenever the brunette appeared to reference them.
As they kept talking, the two women kept getting closer, and Maribel could not help but notice how involuntary the movement seemed. It was almost as if there was a gravitational pull drawing the two women toward one another. Not long after, Maribel assumed Santana finished telling the mechanic her story as the blonde sputtered in a fit of giggles. Her daughter then grinned up brightly at the woman as they both slotted themselves into one another's sides, fitting perfectly together like a set of puzzle pieces.
Maribel noticed that Brittany seemed to come back to herself after another beat as she glanced over in the direction of where she had last seen Mrs. Lopez. Catching the woman watching them from across the room, a deep blush bloomed across her cheeks as she shyly bit her bottom lip and took a step back to allow a little more space between her and Santana. Looking back to the brunette, Brittany appeared to inform Santana of her mother's presence as deep brown eyes followed the finger pointed over in her direction.
Spotting her daughter waving her over to join them, Maribel immediately began her trek across the room, all the while smiling to herself about the brief but wholesome moment she had just witnessed between the two women.
The party eventually began to thin out over time as attendees left to either turn in for the night or attend other New Years parties. Not being much of a night owl herself, Maribel eventually decided to head out, as well. After bidding the group farewell, she stepped forward and pulled the shop owner into a warm hug as she told her one last time, "Happy New Year, Brittany."
"Happy New Year, Mrs. Lopez," Brittany responded as she returned the gesture. "Hope you have a good rest of the night."
"Oh, I definitely will once I am in my PJs and bundled up on my couch with a glass of wine in my hand," Maribel laughed. Glancing over to her daughter, she requested, "Santana, I'm not going to make you go outside, but can you please walk me to the front door?"
"Yeah, of course," the brunette reassured as she stood from her seat.
As soon as they arrived, Maribel made sure the blonde was still carrying on with the discussion she was previously having with some of her mechanics. She then made a show of slipping on her outercoat as she whispered to Santana, "Hey, is something is going on between you and Brittany? Like, officially?"
"Huh? What would make you think that?" Santana inquired, clearly not having expected the question.
"Well for one thing, she apparently has a Santana look that could almost rival the one you have for her. Plus, you two have been stealing glances at one another the entire night," Maribel noted. As if on cue, the blonde glanced over in their direction and flashed them a bright grin when she caught their gaze. Maribel watched on as her daughter returned the smile and gave a small wave, which was eagerly returned by the other woman. Noticing her daughter's signature heart-eyes make yet another appearance, Maribel confirmed, "Yep, there is definitely something happening between you two."
Tearing her gaze away from the blonde, Santana figured her mother's claim was not worth denying and instead answered, "Look, Mom. Yes, we are kind of maybe moving toward something, but we are taking things slow for now so please don't make a big deal out of it."
"I won't, Santanita. I am just happy to see you happy," Maribel swore with a contented grin. "Also, I know you don't need me to say this, but I definitely approve. I think she would be really, really good for you."
Shifting her focus back toward Brittany, Santana watched the shop owner continue on with her prior conversation as she admitted, "Yeah, she is kind of the best. I just hope things actually work out this time."
The older woman felt her chest constrict at the distant look in her daughter's eyes, knowing that she was once again reflecting on her past. Taking a step forward, she pulled Santana into a tight, tender hug and told her, "You deserve every happiness in the world, Sweetheart, and I love you more than anything."
Reciprocating her mother's hold, Santana returned, "I love you, too, Mom."
Pulling away, she gently patted a gloved finger along the underside of her daughter's teary eyes. She then braced her hands on either side of Santana's face, making sure she was listening to her as she stated, "Now, go enjoy the rest of your night, and so help me, Santana, don't you dare drink and drive."
"You know I won't, Ma," Santana assured as she blinked away the rest of her tears and begrudgingly allowed the woman to pull her head down slightly to press a quick kiss to her forehead.
"Okay, Honey. I'll see you tomorrow evening for dinner at your abuela's."
"See you then," Santana returned as she held open the door and made sure her mother made it safely out of the parking lot before returning to the group.
As the night continued to progress, Brittany leaned over to where Santana was seated beside her and asked, "Hey, would you mind coming up to my office for a minute? I'd like to give you your Christmas gift while waiting for midnight."
"Sure, we can go, Britt-Britt," Santana told her as she pushed herself out of her chair.
Once they were up in Brittany's office, the blonde moved to kneel down under the tree to grab a wrapped box. It wasn't until she heard some shuffling coming from behind her that she turned to find Santana in the process of sitting down on the floor, as well.
"Oh, I was going to let you sit on the couch."
"We can, but I also don't mind sitting on the floor beside the tree. It kind of reminds me of being a little kid on Christmas morning," Santana reasoned with a contented smile, using her arms to brace herself as she leaned back and glanced around the dimly room that was still decorated for the holiday season. Suddenly, the marketing associate cut her gaze back over to focus on Brittany, her smile only growing brighter as the pair continued to gaze at one another.
Brittany could not help but get lost a bit in the moment. There had been many times over the past several of months that Santana had made her feel like a girl again. Every fleeting moment spent with the woman sitting beside her reminded Brittany of the same nervous jitters she felt back in high school when she could not resist falling for the head cheerleader who always stepped in to protect her when she needed it the most. Back in those days, Santana felt so far outside of her league that Brittany could never even begin to imagine them being friends, let alone anything potentially more.
Santana must have eventually caught on to her faraway thoughts as she inquired, "What is it, Britt?"
"Nothing. Just thinking," Brittany quietly replied as the corners of her lips pulled into a soft smile. She took another brief moment to watch the woman before finally holding out a wrapped package toward her as she stated, "Here is your gift, by the way."
Sitting back upright, Santana reached out to gingerly take the medium-sized box from the woman before moving to open it. Once unsealed, the brunette found a neatly folded navy mechanic's jacket with her name embroidered in red on a sewn in white patch. Just under it, she also found a matching set of coveralls, which was also adorned with the same name patch.
"I finally found a jacket that was more your size," Brittany began. Watching the woman snap a questioning gaze over in her direction, she threw her hands up in mock defense and noted, "This is by no means intended to replace the other jacket I gave to you. We just had this one that no one is using, and I figured you might like to maybe have one to keep here in case you'd like to attend more impromptu lessons in the garage with me. Same thing with those coveralls. I figured we could hang them both up on the coatrack behind my office door for safe keeping until you potentially need something to protect your clothes in the future.
"Thanks, Britt. I love them," Santana commented as she slipped on her new mechanic's jacket over the sweater she was wearing, which instantly assisted in shielding her from the draft within the room. Zipping it up, she was happy to find it to be a perfect fit.
The blonde sported a wide grin, as well, before suddenly turning a bit apprehensive as she commented, "I hope your mother won't be upset that I didn't get any for her."
"Oh, you have nothing to worry about," Santana chuckled with an unconcerned wave of her hand. "I assure you that she has absolutely no interest in learning about cars. Hell, I didn't even want to learn about cars until a couple of months ago."
"And you do now?"
"Well, I am certainly much more open to the idea as long as the lessons are provided by a very beautiful, very intelligent blonde mechanic," Santana amended with a soft grin.
"Hm, I don't know. That's a bit specific, but I think we can maybe find someone around here that fits your description," Brittany shyly teased as she attempted to distract the woman away from her flushed cheeks, which came as a result of her comment. Pointing at the gift, she added, "There are also a couple more gifts in there, by the way. They are folded inside the coveralls if you just want to remove them."
Realizing there was more to her present, Santana dug further into the clothing to reveal two framed photos. The brunette then released the coveralls from her grasp so she could gingerly pick up the top frame as the blonde tentatively explained, "Tina was able to finish editing the pictures we took after all the other photos were sent off to the billboard company, and they honestly turned out pretty good. I can get her to send you some copies, if you would like."
"Britt," the marketing associate hummed out as she took in the first photo, which was of them huddled close together in front of the shop with arms slung around one another's frame as they both grinned brightly at the camera. Shifting that photo over to one hand, she then picked up the second photograph, which instantly made her suck in a little gasp in surprise.
The picture was of the two women sitting on the couch located just behind them, but it was turned around so that the southern part of town was visible from outside the office's large window. Brittany's arm was lax across the back of the couch as the brunette pressed closely into her side. The two women were looking at one another, both clearly sharing in a light-hearted moment. Santana had fondly reminisced on that moment in the days following the billboard photoshoot. Just as Tina was telling them to smile for the camera, Brittany cracked an unexpected joke that resulted in them both sputtering with laughter. Tina must have captured the brief moment just as the women were calming down, both grinning at one another with mirth clearly dancing in their eyes.
"I love it, B. Thank you so much," Santana said as she placed the frames back down and slid the box out of her lap so she could pull the woman into a tight hug.
Returning the gesture, the mechanic noted, "You're welcome, San."
Since the shop owner was through with her turn, Santana moved to grab the envelope containing her gift, figuring that there was no use in prolonging it anymore. As she tentatively handed over the sealed card, the brunette reiterated, "Just keep in mind that I did not pay for the whole thing, okay? Like I said earlier, I am just trying to help, so please don't be mad."
Narrowing her eyes skeptically at the comment, Brittany carefully tore open the envelope and pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper, which she soon realized was an invoice for a new car lift. The mechanic immediately looked up at the woman and chided, "Santana, you can't keep spending all of your money on my shop like this."
"In my defense, the Pierce Automotive's business account paid for the vast majority of it. I know Bay Three has been out of commission for a few months now due to the current lift being too broken to repair, and thanks to the holiday raffle, the shop only had a little bit more money left in order to buy it."
"How much?" the blonde questioned bluntly, knowing the marketing associate was most likely trying to minimize her contribution.
"Britt, please don't be upset," Santana plead with a furrowed brow.
The mechanic's shoulders quickly slumped forward as she caught sight of the worry in the woman's eyes and clarified, "I'm not upset, San. I just-" She gave a little pause as she briefly chewed the inside of her cheek in thought before stating, "I don't want you or anyone else to ever think that I am using you for your money or that I only keep you around for some sort of gain."
Softening her gaze, Santana reaffirmed, "I know, Britt-Britt. I just want to help make you happy."
"You already do, Santana. I really, really appreciate your gift and everything you have done for us, but I also need you to know that you just simply being here with me is the best gift of all. Sometimes, I think about the girl I was high school and how I wish I could tell her that she would one day be able to speak casually with you like this and just simply enjoy being in your company." Motioning toward the framed pictures that were still resting on the ground beside the brunette, she admitted, "That's why I asked Tina to take these photos. I never want to forget you walking back into my life and helping to fill this space inside myself that I did not even fully realize was missing."
Glancing down at the photos, Santana reached over to gently thread their fingers together as she assured, "I never want to forget that either."
Suddenly, the two women were broken out of the moment as they heard the muffled yells of the other party members loudly counting down, "10. 9. 8. 7-"
The brunette quickly realized that time must have gotten away from them and that they were quickly approaching midnight. Looking over to the mechanic, Santana stared into bright blue eyes that abruptly widened as she picked up on the unspoken question in the woman's gaze. Scooting a little closer toward Brittany, the marketing associate hesitantly reached up her free hand to cup the woman's cheek in her hand and tried her best to suppress the nerves rising up through her form as she slowly started to lean in.
"-6. 5. 4-"
Brittany sucked in a surprised gasp as she quickly caught on to what was happening. Knowing there was little time to spare, she forced away all thoughts of doubt and simply allowed her eyes to slide shut as her body instinctively leaned forward to meet Santana halfway.
"-3. 2. 1. Happy New Year!" all the other attendees yelled out from below, but their cheers went unnoticed by the two women as their lips molded perfectly together in a gentle first kiss. In that moment, all they could see were the fireworks bursting brightly behind their closed eyes.
Hi there! Thank you all so much for taking the time to read Chapter 8 of Wild Hope. This one turned out to be a bit more of a challenge than I initially expected, but it thankfully came together in the end, especially the actual end of the chapter. That being said, please feel free to comment and let me know what you thought about it.
P.S.: For anyone who has read Saw You First, I really, really loved the Allie character I created while writing that fic, who worked as Brittany's veterinary technician and really developed a personality of her own as I wrote that fic. Since deciding to continue writing Wild Hope, I have felt the need to somehow tie her into this universe. One of my favorite things has been trying to figure out how their playfully teasing friendship from the SYF would be portrayed in this universe, and I am so happy to finally start navigating that with Wild Hope. So yeah, in case anyone was wondering: This is the same Allie in a slightly different font.