"The costume during 'Don't Rain on My Parade' is my favorite!" Rachel gushes. "I know it looks really heavy and uncomfortable, but it's so the opposite. I could honestly go to sleep in that thing."
Rachel and Quinn are excitedly recapping her performance from this evening, Quinn asking questions, and Rachel happily answering. The hostess said it'd be a thirty-minute wait to accommodate the group, and they have no problem passing time. Santana, however, is sitting beside Quinn on the bench, leaning her head back against the brick wall behind them. She could almost fall asleep if it weren't for the occasional squeals coming from either of her friends.
One particularly shrill sound—she can't tell if it's from Rachel or Quinn—causes her closed eyes to pop open, staring at the two girls in annoyance. She pulls out her phone to see there are still fifteen minutes left until their table is ready. She can't put up with them for that long.
"I'm going to the bathroom," she says, standing up from her position. She turns around, and it doesn't look like Quinn or Rachel even heard her. She rolls her eyes and walks away, pausing to ask the hostess where the restrooms are.
She doesn't need to use the bathroom—she just needs a quiet space for a minute. After sitting through a three-hour show and then immediately going to a dinner with the cast is more social stimulation than she's used to.
Santana digs in her small purse for her makeup pouch, intent on fixing up her makeup while she has the chance. She applies a light layer of blush to her cheeks, replacing the tint from where it faded throughout the night. She's in the middle of applying another coat of lipgloss when the door opens behind her.
She glances at the restroom's entrance in the mirror, watching as a flustered blonde walks in, running her hands through her hair. Much like Santana, she walks straight to the sink instead of a stall, looking at her reflection.
She hasn't noticed Santana yet.
Santana looks at the girl's reflection and sees a familiar face. She smiles and places her makeup bag back in her purse. "Needed a breather?" she asks, slowly turning to look at the blonde.
Brittany snaps her head up at the sudden voice, and her eyes lock on Santana's. Her shoulders deflate slightly, and she turns around, leaning on the sink. She nervously pushes a strand of hair behind her ear and chuckles. "You could say that."
Santana nods and grabs a paper towel, folding it over and pressing her lips down to remove any excess lip gloss.
"Did you know the cast of Funny Girl is out there?" Brittany asks, pointing toward the door.
"Unfortunately," Santana sighs, tossing the towel in the trash can.
"Kurt's in total shock." Brittany shakes her head. "We walked in, and he saw the girl who plays Fanny and completely flipped. I think he managed to get her autograph...what was her name again?" She looks up to the ceiling. "Rebecca?"
"Rachel," Santana answers, amused.
Brittany nods and snaps her fingers. "That's it." She clears her throat and looks down at her feet, scuffing her shoes against the worn tile. "It's just…not my scene."
"You were at the show, though?" Santana asks, hoping she's not overstepping. Something about the girl just seems open…comforting.
It's an ambitious thought, given this is the third time she's seen the girl.
"Kurt's thing," Brittany says, waving toward the door. "He participates in my interests, so it's only fair that I do the same. Plus, this has been his favorite show since he was little, so he'd been looking forward to this for a while."
Santana nods, her heart sinking at the thought of Kurt and Brittany sacrificing for the other. Of course she'd support him in his interests and hobbies. It'd be a somewhat toxic relationship if everything was geared toward one side's interests.
"You said 'unfortunately,'" Brittany recalls. "You were at the show too?"
Santana nods her head and clears her throat. "Unfortunately," she repeats, chuckling. "I was just supporting a friend."
"Quinn?" Brittany asks.
"Sorta," Santana responds, fiddling with her fingers. Admitting to be friends with Rachel is a feat of its own, but it's twice as hard now, especially with her current newfound fame—at least for the evening. "I came for Rachel."
Brittany stands up straighter and her eyes widen slightly. "Fanny Brice?"
Santana purses her lips, tilting her head to the side. "Maybe Yentl," she says with a smirk. "This is her favorite show, too. God, you should've heard her when she got the part." Santana shakes her head, smiling at how chaotic that night was. "There were many impromptu songs sung that night—much to my dismay."
Brittany laughs, crossing her arms over her chest. "What? You don't like spontaneity?" she teases. "I love surprises."
"Well, I like performances and stuff…just not the kind that breaks out in the middle of Target."
Brittany looks at her, disbelief written on her face, clearly thinking Santana's exaggerating.
"Just ask Rachel. She'll tell you."
Brittany smiles and steps forward, but just as she opens her mouth to speak, the door opens abruptly, followed by Quinn and Rachel peeking through the doorway.
"Santana! The table's ready!" Rachel says, excited.
"And why didn't you tell us you were going to the restroom?" Quinn asks, regarding her suspiciously.
"I did, but—" Santana starts but gets cut off.
"Oh, Brittany, hey!" Quinn says, turning her attention to the blonde. "We ran into Kurt in the lobby. What a small world!"
"Well, we are here together," she says, laughing awkwardly.
"Regardless," Quinn waves off, "he and Rachel hit it off, so you've joined our party! He's already at the table—he told us to come get you when we went looking for Santana."
"How convenient you're both in the same place!" Rachel cheers.
Santana takes a deep breath and refrains from popping off at both of them. She turns to look at Brittany, who has a deer-in-the-headlights look on her face. Clearly, she wasn't anticipating having dinner with a big group. She doesn't have time to say anything to the blonde before Quinn and Rachel grab their wrists and practically pull them from the bathroom.
/
"And then I started singing 'One Moment in Time' in the candy aisle," Rachel explains as she twirls the pasta around her fork. "Honestly, you haven't lived until you burst into song in the middle of a grocery store."
"See, but I wanted to do anything but live when she did that," Quinn jokes as Santana nods along in agreement.
Brittany's frozen in her place, with her fork halfway up to her mouth, as she hears Rachel tell the story. Her mouth's slightly parted in surprise—she really didn't think Santana was being serious. Everyone at the table starts laughing, allowing a smile to break through her shock.
Rachel's producer split the group into three tables. Because there was such a large party, it was more convenient for the restaurant and him—he wanted his food in whatever way would be quickest—to be seated separately. And since Rachel brought friends, he put all five of them at one table.
"My ex and I did something similar to that once," Kurt says, cooly. "Granted, we were in our high school courtyard, but it was still invigorating."
"Thank you!" Rachel exclaims, gesturing to him. "I've been trying to tell these two that, but neither wants to believe me!"
"Yeah, and we still don't," Santana laughs. "I mean, if it works for you, then so be it, but give me a warning next time so I can vacate the area," she says, emphasizing the last three words.
Brittany's brows are furrowed as she shakes her head in disbelief. "I don't think I'd ever have the courage to do that."
"Oh, come on, Britt," Kurt nudges her shoulder, "it's not that bad. You dance in front of people all the time. What's the difference?"
"Dancing is a lot different than singing, Kurt. I can't carry a tune in a bucket," she laughs.
"You're not that bad, Britt." Kurt smiles.
"You dance?" Rachel asks before taking a sip of her water.
Brittany nods and swallows the bite of food she just took. "Yeah, I've been in classes since I was little."
"But she wants to do it professionally," Kurt says, sounding proud.
"That's really cool, Brittany." Rachel smiles. "Is that what you're doing here in New York?"
"For the most part." She nods. "I'm just kinda exploring all my options right now."
"Smart," Quinn chimes in, pointing her fork toward Brittany. "I wish more people did that. There are so many people that move to this city with one dream and one goal, not realizing that life can take you in so many unexpected directions." She points to Santana next. "That's what happened to this one."
Santana blushes and shakes her head, embarrassed at the new attention on herself. "It wasn't really like that."
"Yes, it was—you just don't want to admit it," Quinn teases, slapping her shoulder.
"What do you mean?" Kurt asks. The question was evident on Brittany's face as well, but she didn't vocalize it.
"Santana moved here to be a writer. She dedicated like all of her time to that, until one day she just got fed up with it. She started exploring her options and found her real dream," Quinn explains.
Santana shoots her a glare. "You wanna let me explain my life story?" she asks sarcastically.
Quinn shrugs and looks back to the people around the table.
"So…what is your dream?" Brittany asks hesitantly, looking directly at Santana.
Santana looks at her plate, contemplating how exactly to answer the question. She's been mocked about it before, and she really doesn't want to hear the back talk again. Besides, she doesn't even think it's that ambitious. Rachel's dream is way more ambitious than hers. In a sense, her current job is filling those dreams, albeit only halfway. But she looks up to Brittany and Kurt and sees nothing but curiosity in their eyes. She doesn't think either of them would judge her.
"I wanna make music," she says quietly with a shrug. She takes a sip of her water, hoping she won't have to answer any new questions. It's quiet for a moment, which puts Santana on edge. She puts her glass down and avoids eye contact with everyone at the table.
"No way!" Kurt exclaims, slapping his hand on the table, effectively startling Santana.
Santana looks up at him with her brows furrowed.
"I'm studying music at NYU!" he reveals.
"Really?" Santana asks.
She's never met anyone here, other than Rachel, who wants to pursue a career in music—which is odd, given how big the city is. Surprisingly, most people in New York are working in business, law, or real estate—like Quinn. She hasn't seen many people interested in the arts. When she made the decision to move to New York after graduation—much to her parents' dismay—she thought it'd be filled with other aspiring musicians, actors, and writers. She quickly learned that that was not the case…at all.
"Yeah! I'd love to be a singer someday—theater preferably—but I'll take whatever I can get," Kurt replies with a chuckle. "Is that what you want to do, too?"
Santana shrugs. "Kind of? I mean, singing is cool and all, but I like the whole production side of things better."
"I admire that," Kurt says with an impressed grin. "And who knows? Maybe one day, if either of us makes it big, we can help the other out," he suggests, hope evident in his tone.
"Deal," Santana agrees, eliciting a small fist pump from Kurt.
"Do you sing?" Brittany asks Santana, resting her fork on her empty plate.
Santana opens her mouth to answer when Quinn and Rachel interrupt her.
"Hell yeah!" Quinn says at the same time as Rachel says "Absolutely."
"She lacks my years of intense vocal training," Rachel says with a wave to herself, "but she has a good voice for someone so inexperienced."
Santana looks over at Rachel with her eyes narrowed. "Thanks, Berry. And I thought we'd get through the night without you giving a backhanded compliment," she says, sarcasm lacing her tone.
Rachel puts up her hands in defense and Quinn chuckles. "We were all in glee club together in high school," Quinn says.
"We won nationals our senior year as well," Rachel boasts, causing Santana to roll her eyes.
"Do you ever miss an opportunity to bring that up?" Santana asks.
Rachel mouths an exaggerated "no."
"I was in glee club, too!" Kurt says. "We never had enough people to compete, but it was still fun nonetheless."
"Aww, that's so sweet!" Rachel exclaims as she taps Kurt's shoulder, only sounding a little condescending.
Kurt's smile falters the slightest bit, but he nods in agreement. Santana looks over to Brittany with a smirk, only to see the other girl already looking back, trying to hold in a laugh.
"Rachel!" The group is startled as a booming voice echoes throughout the restaurant.
Santana looks around, trying to find the source of the sound, when she spots a plump man near the entrance waving his hand.
"We need you for pictures for the press!"
"Oh!" Rachel says, surprised, as she stands quickly. "Coming, Sydney!" she shouts back at the man. "Be right back, guys."
The group watches as Rachel scurries away, hugging her producer when she finally reaches him. They step out through the small door, their bodies out of vision once it closes.
Kurt reaches into his pockets and grabs his cell phone, smiling widely. "I have to text Blaine! He'll freak."
"Maybe worse than you," Brittany laughs.
Santana looks between the two with her brows furrowed.
"Who's Blaine?" Quinn speaks up, asking the silent question Santana wasn't daring to ask.
"My boyfriend." Kurt waves dismissively, only pausing his texting for a moment to answer Quinn's question.
"My apologies," Quinn sputters, bringing her hand to her forehead. "I assumed you two were together."
Brittany and Kurt look back and forth between each other and Quinn for a moment before bursting into laughter.
"Oh, God, no. We're roommates, but that's the extent of it," Brittany clarifies.
"Yeah, no. We're both gay," Kurt says, still chuckling, pointing back and forth between himself and Brittany.
"Oh," Quinn says a little awkwardly, like she doesn't quite know what to say. "That's cool…I have a friend back home who's gay." She waves dismissively.
Santana furrows her brows and looks at Quinn—she's blatantly lying. She gives Quinn a puzzling look. She doesn't think Quinn knows any gay people.
"Yeah, we're everywhere," Kurt jokes.
Even though she tries hard to ignore it, Santana feels a flurry of something at the base of her stomach, and her heart rate spikes as she watches Brittany's side profile. This entire night, she was under the presumption that Brittany and Kurt were together—but they're not. And for the first time in what feels like forever, Santana feels like she might have a shot. Not just at dating, but spending time with someone who seems really great. The thought almost makes her giddy with excitement.
Quinn clears her throat, bringing Santana's thoughts back to reality. "Anyway," she laughs, changing the subject.
/
After dessert, they all head outside before departing to go home. Rachel, Quinn, and Kurt are all laughing about something a few feet ahead, leaving Santana and Brittany walking a few steps behind.
"You know, I actually had fun tonight," Brittany says, breaking the silence as the cold wind hits them as they exit the building.
"Me too," Santana agrees. "Which is huge, considering I sat next to Berry the whole time."
Brittany laughs and wraps her arms around herself. "She's nice. You two seem like good friends."
Santana pauses for a moment, thinking of the best wording she can use to describe her and Rachel's relationship. "That's one way to put it." The words come off as a joke, not leaving any room for Brittany to second guess their meaning—even though Santana does.
"I can't believe I've never been here before," Brittany reveals, looking up at the restaurant's sign as they pass by.
"It's out of my price range," Santana laughs. "I only agreed to come under the condition that my meal was paid for."
"Well, I'm glad you did," Brittany says, slightly bumping Santana's shoulder as they walk. The subway station is in sight now, leaving only a few minutes left until they're forced to say goodbye. "I have a feeling it would have been boring if you weren't here."
"How so?" Santana asks, blushing at the compliment.
Brittany shrugs. "It just would." She pauses for a moment before continuing. "I think certain people just…click. You know?"
Santana nods but doesn't verbally respond. She looks up and finds Brittany staring intently at her, slowing their steps as they reach the staircase leading to the subway.
"You ready to go?" Kurt asks Brittany as they near the staircase, smiling brightly.
"Yeah," Brittany responds, pointing toward the stairs, and telling him he can go on. "So…see you next time?" she asks, turning to Santana.
"Definitely." Santana nods with a smile. The thought of spending more time with the blonde brings an involuntary grin to her face. "I might stop in for a coffee on the way to work next week—if you're there, of course."
"Seven to one all week except Friday," Brittany says. "But," she pauses, pulling a small piece of paper out of her coat pocket, "in case that doesn't work out…here's my number."
Santana gently takes the piece of paper from Brittany's hands and unfolds it, seeing a pattern of numbers written in neat handwriting. She nods her head, biting her tongue to keep from smiling so wide. "Noted," she says, holding up the paper before sliding it into her purse.
"Britt!" Kurt's voice echoes from down the stairs.
Brittany turns to look at him, seeing him wave her over hurriedly, and sighs. "I'll see you later, Santana," she says, placing her hand on Santana's shoulder for a moment before walking toward the staircase. Just before stepping down, she sends Santana a wink over her shoulder, eliciting a wide grin from the brunette.
Santana watches her walk away until she's entirely out of sight. She doesn't realize she's smiling so brightly until her cheeks start cramping. She takes a deep breath to collect herself before turning to Rachel and Quinn, who have a cab door open and waiting for Santana.
Quinn has her back to Santana, but Rachel's looking at Santana with a smirk. She gives Quinn a final hug before the blonde climbs into the cab and sends Santana a wave as she shuts the door and walks to the limo parked a few yards away.