Life Changer
A/N: Hi everyone! Just a few quick notes before we start, just in case some were wondering… As far as the feel of this story goes, I intend for this story to be mostly light with cute fluffy moments, some drama, maybe a teeny tiny bit of angst, but I don't think it will get too angsty. Also, concerning the pacing, things will move fast emotionally, but it will take a few chapters before things move forward physically.
Also, I would like to thank Stalpankaka for her wonderful and much appreciated help with this chapter. If you haven't read her stories, please take a look!
Disclaimer: I don't own 'Glee' or any copyrighted material or products that are mentioned in this story.
This is rated M for language and adult situations.
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Chapter 1
3:15 PM. "Okay, almost time to board." Santana Lopez thought as she looked at her watch.
She had received a call this morning from her manager saying that she was needed the next day for a final audition for a new mini-series, and if it hadn't been for a show that she absolutely wanted to be in, she wouldn't have bothered with the last minute mad-dash to get to New York from Los Angeles.
She could almost kill Kurt, her friend and business partner for her current predicament, but she swallowed those feelings because she knew her frustration was directed at the wrong person. Their conversation from a few hours ago was still replaying in her head as she rushed through LAX to make it to her plane in time…
- (Three hours ago)-
"You booked me in Coach?" Santana huffed into her Bluetooth as she rushed around her house packing her bags. "Why the hell would you put me back there? I mean seriously, did I do something to piss you off and you're punishing me, or is Blaine not putting out for you, so you've decided to take your frustration out on me?!"
Maybe she was being a little snobby about her seating arrangements, but in her mind, the airlines treated passengers in First and Business Class a whole lot better than Coach, where she felt like it was nothing more than a cattle call where they tried to fit as many people as they could into a metal tube. It wasn't like she couldn't afford a First Class seat, even with the last minute reservation, and at the very least, if she was going to endure a five and a half hour flight, she wanted to be comfortable and offered a decent meal.
"Okay, there are several things wrong with what you just said." Kurt snapped back. "First, my relationship with Blaine is perfectly fine. We've only been together a few months and neither of us is in any rush to 'put out,' as you so crassly put it. I know this might be hard for you to understand, but there's something to be said about taking your time to really get to know a person before you get physically intimate. And secondly, I know this situation isn't ideal, but it's the best that I could do so you'd be in New York in time for your 8AM reading. The only seats available this last minute were in Coach, and I checked with at least eight different airlines going into all three New York area airports."
Kurt truly understood Santana's irritation with the situation, because if it was him, he would prefer to be in Business or First Class as well, but this was completely out if his hands, and he didn't feel as if he deserved to be snapped at.
Santana sighed; she knew Kurt was right. She figured that she should do something that she didn't do very often, and reserved for only a select few…apologize.
"Look Kurt, I'm sorry. I know this isn't your fault, and thank you for taking care of this for me. I really didn't have time to check out the flight options this morning. I'm just frustrated that they didn't give me more time to get there. Hell, they didn't even give me a reason as to why they needed me there so quickly. I mean, what were they thinking calling me at eleven o'clock in the morning and expecting me to be in New York tonight?"
"I know, it sucks, but you're just going to have to deal at the moment if you want to get on that show." Kurt responded. He knew Santana Lopez didn't jump through hoops for anyone, well if she could help it anyways, but Kurt also knew how much she wanted to land the lead in this show, so he just gave her the best advice he had.
"Damn it! This is going to be the flight from hell." Santana spat. She would deal later, but while she was still in her own home, she was going to grouch about it.
"Hey, you don't know that." Kurt offered. He always tried to find the positive in any situation.
"That remains to be seen. God help me if someone realizes that I'm in Coach. I won't get a moments peace back there. I mean don't get me wrong, I love my fans, but I'm really not in the mood to potentially entertain a plane full of people for five and a half hours."
There was a time, when Santana was first starting out, that her publicist told her that publicly reveling that she was a lesbian could be bad for her career, but she never found that to be the case. She had fans from all walks of life that absolutely freaked out when they met her so she had no doubt if they knew she was on the plane, she was going to spend a lot of time entertaining them.
"If it helps, I paid, well technically you paid for it, but you have priority boarding, so you'll be one of the first people to board after Business and First Class, and I booked you a window seat, so it won't be as easy for people to approach you, if they even recognize you at all." Kurt offered.
Santana sighed again in resignation, "Okay. Thanks again."
"Hey, before you go," Kurt started, "I want to run a few things past you. I booked you an Executive Suite at the Marriott in Times Square and I made your return ticket for next Friday, because I was thinking I would fly out there on Monday, once you're done with your audition and meetings, and we could schedule a few meetings of our own to discuss opening a store in New York. We might as well get the ball rolling on this, especially since you're already going to be out there."
Santana thought about it for a few seconds, and she thought he had a valid point. "Okay, that sounds good. I'm bringing my laptop anyways, so if you have any new paperwork or files that I don't already have, just email them to me so I can go over them."
"You should have everything that I have concerning the line, but I was thinking about doing some real estate shopping online over the next few days, so I'll email you possible locations to go over, and then when I get there, we can go check them out together. Blaine said he might like to tag along, so he might join us as well."
"Sounds like a plan." She responded and then looked at the clock. "Shit! Listen Kurt, I have to run. I have to finish packing and then I have to run Max over to Quinn's. Sometimes I think I have to pack more stuff for him when I leave, than I do for myself."
Kurt just chuckled, "If you didn't spoil that dog rotten, he wouldn't have so much stuff to pack."
Santana bristled at that comment. "Okay, let's get this straight, Max is my baby, so yes, he is spoiled, but I spent a lot of time training him to be well-behaved, and he's such a sweet boy that he's nowhere near rotten."
Kurt just let out a stifled laugh. When it came to her dog, Santana was not only a big softy; she was also defensive and hated it when people called him 'spoiled rotten.'
"Okay, okay, chill Santana. You know I love your sweet little guy."
"You better!" She teased. "Well, I need run. I'll call you sometime tomorrow or the next day, okay?"
"Sure. Have a safe flight, and I'll talk to you soon."
- (Present time)-
"Ladies and Gentleman, at this time, Delta Airlines Flight 2362 with service from Los Angeles to New York's JFK Airport would like to announce boarding for those passengers with priority boarding and families with small children that require extra time to board to approach the boarding area at this time."
Santana, who had just arrived at the gate, was happy that she didn't have to sit in the waiting area at all, and got into the short line to board the aircraft. She had her sunglasses on top of her head, and she decided to leave them there so she wouldn't draw any attention to herself by having them on indoors. She figured she could get away with putting them on when she sat down and then just rest her head against the side of the plane, that way everyone would think that she was just resting instead of trying to hide who she was. She thought if she could just get through the boarding process without being recognized, everything would be okay. At the very least, the flight attendants might know who she was, but they were supposed to be professional enough to keep her identity quiet.
Boarding was quick and surprisingly painless, as she was the second passenger in Coach to enter the plane and she had decided to pack everything in her checked bag, so the only carry-on bags she had to worry about was her purse and laptop case. After arriving at her seat in the back row, she pulled her sunglasses down over her eyes, and then to kill time, she put her ear buds in and plugged them into her phone so she could listen to some music as the rest of the passengers boarded the plane.
As the boarding process continued, Santana started to think that the two seats next to her and the row across the aisle from her would be left open, because she had been on enough planes to know that they boarded Coach from the back, and moved forward, and they were nearly done boarding and no one was sitting in them. The prospect of having the whole row to herself appealed to her because it meant that she would be able to stretch out and not worry about the other person in the seat next to her invading her personal space.
When one of the flight attendants started to make an announcement saying that the cabin door had been closed, and that all portable electronics had to be turned off, she thought her wish for a row to herself was going to be granted, until she felt someone sit down right next to her in the middle seat.
Santana sat up from where she was returning her phone and sunglasses to her purse that was under the seat in front of her, and looked over to see a beautiful, blue-eyed, blonde-haired woman, with sun-kissed fair skin sitting next to her, fussing with something that was in her purse. Santana took a few seconds to take in her beauty, because she was sure that even though she socialized with many A-list celebrities, she had never seen anyone so beautiful. She could easily tell the girl was a natural beauty. She was just in casual clothing and she had some make-up on, but it was very light, and Santana still thought she was more beautiful than any woman she had ever seen walk the red carpet.
Santana lost herself in her thoughts about the attractive woman, and she probably would have been caught staring if one of the flight attendants had not approached their row and interrupted her train of thought.
"Miss?" The middle-aged flight attendant said to the other woman to get her attention. When she stopped rummaging through her bag and gave the attendant her attention, she continued. "I'm going to need you to put your bag under the seat, we're about to push back."
"Oh, okay." She said with a smile.
With that, the flight attendant left to do her other duties that needed to be accomplished prior to departure.
The woman took another few seconds to route through her bag, and then she sighed, "Shoot! I must've forgotten them."
"What?" Santana asked with an amused smile. She hadn't meant to say anything, but considering the amount of time the woman had spent searching her bag, Santana just put it down to her curiosity getting the better of her.
"My ear buds. I was going to listen to some music on my phone with them." The blue-eyed beauty pouted as she answered. "Looks like it is going to be a long flight without them."
Santana thought that the other woman looked absolutely adorable with the slight pout on her face. "Sorry, that sucks."
Santana felt for the woman, because she knew that feeling. It sucked not having the freedom of having your own ear buds, because the ones that you buy on the plane aren't compatible with any other equipment so you're forced to watch the inflight entertainment if you want something to do for the duration of your flight. For some crazy reason, Santana felt the need to help this woman, and the next thing she knew, she was speaking again without thinking.
"I have another pair with me; you can have them if you want." Santana said, and she surprised herself. She had never done that before, just offer to give something to some random person that she had known for less than five minutes. Sure, she donated to several charities and causes, but this offer just seemed out of nowhere to her.
Santana wasn't the only one that was surprised by the offer. "Oh!" The woman chirped with her eyebrows raised. "That's nice of you, but I can't let you do that."
"No, it's no problem, I have two pair with me," Santana stated, and then with a smile, she added in a jovial tone, "but you don't have to use them if you don't want to. I'm not going to force you to take them."
Her new companion just chuckled and then returned the smile that Santana was giving her. "As long as you don't mind; I don't want to be a bother."
"No, you're totally fine." Santana said and then bent over to get her new ear buds out of her bag. "Here you go." She said handing them over after she wiped them off with a tissue. "I've only worn them a couple of times, so they're practically brand new, and I promise I don't have ear cooties." She joked, and internally berated herself for her choice of words
"Ear cooties? What the hell Santana, this girl is going think you're insane!"
But, to add to her growing list of things that had surprised Santana today, the girl just giggled and responded with a comment that was as equally adorable to her pout from earlier. "That's good, but even if you did, I got my cootie shot in kindergarten, so I think I'm safe."
Santana just retuned the giggle. "My god this woman is adorable!" She thought.
By now, if she was anybody else, Santana would have introduced herself, and tried to get the woman's name, but fame had made her cautious. She was actually surprised that she hadn't been recognized by now, and for that, she was thankful.
It was Santana's experience that once a woman knew who she was, all they saw was the celebrity and not the person behind the social status. During her 'player' days, this was not a problem, because she was more than likely using the other person as well; but now that she was actually looking to put all that behind her and find someone to have a meaningful long-lasting relationship with, her celebrity status made it hard to get close to people, except other celebrities, and even that could be a pain, because most of them were WAY too self-absorbed. That's not to say that Santana didn't have her fair share of self-absorption, but when she was in a real relationship with someone she cared for, she liked to do special things for them and give them everything they could ever ask for to make them happy. She was a closet romantic to say the least, but lately, every woman she had tried to have a legitimate relationship with wasn't interested in returning the romance. They were more than happy to receive it, but not return it. It was a little disheartening, but Santana was a big girl, so she didn't dwell on it.
A comfortable silence settled between the two women as the plane taxied and they listened to the flight attendants go through their safety demonstration. It didn't take too long for Santana to decide that she wanted to keep talking to the pretty woman next to her, but for some reason, she was finding it hard to come up with a conversation starter without feeling ridiculous. Thankfully, a few minutes later it was taken care of for her. When they stated to roll down the runway for takeoff, the woman unexpectedly grabbed Santana's arm that was on the armrest.
Santana looked down at her arm, and then over at her new companion, noticing that she was gripping the other armrest as well, and she looked nervous.
"Nervous flyer?" Santana asked with a sweet smile.
The woman turned to look at her. "No, I don't mind flying, but takeoffs and landings make me nervous." She answered and then she noticed that she had grabbed Santana's arm. "I'm sorry!" She apologized and tried to remove her hand, but Santana was too fast for her, and grabbed her hand, linking their fingers together.
"No it's okay. I used to be the same way the first couple of times I flew. Thankfully, I had someone to hold my hand to make it better. Just let me know when you're feeling better." She smiled as well to let the nervous woman know she was being sincere.
The woman gave her a weak smile and thanked her. She was grateful that she had found someone nice to sit next to.
"You know, it gets a lot better the more you fly." Santana said quietly as she leaned into her companion and rubbed her thumb over her hand to help calm her.
"Yeah?"
"Yep. After about my third or fourth time on a plane, I realized that it wasn't so bad."
"Okay. We'll let's hope you're right."
"Trust me, it will be." Santana said and leaned back into her own seat.
After a few more minutes, the grip on Santana's hand loosened, and then after a couple of more minutes and the announcement that told them that they could use their approved electronics, the other woman spoke.
"I think I'm okay now." She said as she let go of Santana's hand.
Already missing the contact, Santana decided to at least keep the conversation going.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm usually good after a few minutes. Thanks for your help. That was really nice of you."
Santana smiled, "You're welcome."
The other woman just retuned a shy smile and blushed, which Santana found cute. "So what has you going to New York?" She asked once her blush died down.
"Work, I have a bunch of business meetings to go to." Santana answered vaguely. She wasn't about to reveal herself quite yet. "What about you?" She asked to take this part of the conversation away from herself.
"Work as well. Actually it might not be work. I have an audition, so we'll see if I get a part before I'll actually call it work. It might just turn out to be a three day trip to New York."
That answer really piqued Santana's curiosity. She wondered what type of audition. "What are you auditioning for?"
"For a new show on Broadway called 'Dance True.' I'm a dancer and my friend heard about it and told me it would be a really good idea to audition, so I sent in a video of me dancing, and they asked me to audition in person."
"Really? What's the part?"
"I don't really know what I'll be auditioning for. I guess since it's a show about dancing, it could be for any female part."
"What's the storyline?"
"It's about a girl named Leigh, who loves to dance, and her parents think it's a waste of time and want her to quit, but her best friend Sara knows how much she loves to dance, so she convinces her to join a dance club with her and now Leigh has to balance keeping her parents happy and making sure that she's being true to herself."
"Huh, sounds a little like the movie 'Whip It,' only with dancing instead of roller derby."
"Maybe, I didn't see that one. Was it good?"
"I don't know, I didn't see the movie either, but I heard about it."
"Oh." The blue-eyed beauty said with a small smile. "Anyways, I'm kinda hoping that I do well enough to get a part in this show. Anything will do."
"So even if you get a small background part, you're going to move to New York?"
"Yeah. I moved to L.A. for a small part about a year ago and ever since then I've only had a few other dancing jobs, so to help make ends meet I work part time in a children's dance school and full time in a pet store called Furry Tails. I love working with animals and children, but dancing is my passion, so I'm hoping that if I get a part, this will be the beginning of something new and it will open a lot of doors for me."
"That's very optimistic."
"I try to be. There's no sense in being negative all the time."
Santana really liked her attitude, even if it wasn't one that she herself followed. "So you said that you had a few jobs in L.A., would it be for anything that I would know?"
"Probably not, but when Madonna did a concert in LA a few months ago, I was asked to fill in for one of her background dancers because the regular person got food poisoning."
"Really? That's cool. I was supposed to go to that show, but the day of the concert my friend found out that her asshole boyfriend was cheating on her, so I decided to skip it and spend some time with her."
"Aww, that's really sweet of you! I bet she appreciated that, and I hope she knows how lucky she is to have a friend like you."
This comment completely caught Santana of guard. "Why do you say that?"
"Because you missed a Madonna concert for her, Silly! I'm pretty sure that's against the rules." The woman said with a serious look on her face.
Santana was not expecting that answer. She just stared at her at a loss for words, until her serious look faded and she started laughing. "I'm just kidding."
Santana let out a breath and started laughing as well.
"No, I'm just kidding. Madonna is awesome, but you did what a good friend should do, and drop everything when your friend needs you most. That makes a true friend, and nowadays those are hard to find. I mean, you just seem so nice, and if I were her, I would be happy to have a friend like you."
"I'm really not that nice." Santana said a little embarrassed by the other woman's admission.
"I've known you for less than an hour, and within that time you've offered to let me use your ear buds, and you tried to calm me by holding my hand when I was nervous. You didn't have to do any of that, but you did, so I think that makes you pretty nice, if not one of the nicest people I've ever met."
Santana couldn't argue with that assessment, those were nice things to do, but it wasn't like she did stuff like that very often, or like ever. "But, I-" She started to say, but she was cut off.
"No! No, 'buts!' I may not be right about a lot of things, but I know I'm right about this one."
Santana just looked at the woman beside her, and the look on her face told her that she firmly believed what she was saying, so who was she to make her think otherwise. Also, Santana liked the fact that someone she just met liked her for something other than being an A-list celebrity.
"Okay, Blondie, you win this one." Santana said with an amused smile. "But don't think you're going to win them all. I'm pretty competitive."
"Well, so am I and I will win this competition every time."
The two women just laughed. Santana couldn't believe how much she was enjoying this woman's company, and she silently thanked the producers in New York and Kurt for doing what they did, because she would not have met this beautiful and intriguing woman had it not been for them. The irony of the situation was palpable and it didn't escape her.
"Oh and my name isn't Blondie, its Brittany." She said with a sweet smile when she calmed down from her giggle fit.
"Crap! Just when things were going well." Santana thought. Of course, they were going to come to the introduction phase at some point, but she was hoping to enjoy herself a little longer.
Then, just as Santana was going to introduce herself, she was prevented from doing so because one of the flight attendants announced that they were going to begin their beverage and meal service where Coach Passengers would be offered, "complimentary refreshments, and premium snacks for purchase."
Santana quickly previewed the menu that was in the pocket in the seatback in front of her and then the grumbling started. "How can they call this a meal service? Look at this," she leaned over to show Brittany what the options were. "A pack with assorted cheeses and crackers, or an assortment of mixed nuts with pita chips and hummus. This isn't dinner, it's a snack!"
"What do expect, we're in the cheap seats." Brittany said with a shrug of her shoulders.
"Ugh, don't remind me." Santana said with a slight huff. On the one hand, she wished she were in First Class, because she knew for a fact that they were getting a decent three course meal, but on the other hand, if she was up there, she wouldn't be here with Brittany, so she guessed it was a small price to pay to meet her.
"If I had had more time in the airport than I did, I would've bought something better." Santana complained.
"Hey, I tell you what," Brittany said sweetly, "how about we go halfsies on one of those snack packs, and then we share my sandwich and candy bar."
"What?" Santana said with her eyebrows raised. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"I bought a Turkey sandwich before we boarded and it's pretty big, definitely enough for both of us. We could make our own three-course meal and pretend that we're rich and in First Class if we get one of those snack packs, maybe the cheese and cracker one, and use it as an appetizer, and then we can have my candy bar for desert."
Santana stared at Brittany for a few seconds and wondered where this adorable and generous creature came from, and what she was doing hanging out with her. Also, the smile that Brittany was giving her must have been infectious, because it was causing her to return it and she was sure she looked ridiculous.
"Are you sure? I don't want to take your food from you?" Santana offered, giving Brittany a chance to back out.
"Yes, Silly! Come on, it's the least I can do for you, considering how nice you've been to me."
"Okay, if you're sure. Thanks. That's very nice of you as well." Santana said with a wink.
Brittany blushed slightly from the wink. "I guess we're just a couple of nice girls then. Lucky us, we found each other."
Now it was Santana's turn to blush. Okay, maybe she didn't blush, since her skin tone usually hid it, but she definitely felt the heat rush to her face.
The two women fell into another comfortable silence waiting for the flight attendants to come by, and then when it was their turn, they ordered their drinks and Santana ordered a cheese snack pack, giving the flight attendant her credit card to pay for it.
Brittany placed her drink on Santana's tray table so she could bend over and get their sandwich out of her purse, as well as money for the snack pack.
"Here you go." Brittany said as she tried to hand Santana the money.
Santana just looked at the money as if it would burn her to touch it. "What's that for?"
"I thought we were going halfsies on the snack pack?" Brittany said with a confused look on her face. "Did the plan change and I missed it?"
"No!" Santana said a little quicker than needed. She was sure that this was one meal that she would always remember, and definitely one she wanted to share with Brittany. After she took a moment to compose herself, she explained.
"I mean, yes we're still sharing, but there is no need for you to pay for this. You bought the sandwich and candy bar, remember?"
"Oh!" Brittany said with a chuckle. "I forgot."
Santana just chuckled back. She could see that there was something different with the way Brittany operated, but it was a good kind of different. She was sure she had not laughed or smiled this much in a long time, and she liked it. Usually she was easily irked, but somehow Brittany didn't annoy her, she just made her smile.
The pair divided their food, and ate. By the time they got to the "third course," both girls were satisfied.
"You want desert now or later?" Brittany asked.
Santana stayed silent for a couple of seconds trying to figure out what Brittany's thoughts on the matter were. "Umm…" She stalled. "Can we wait? I'm kinda full." She answered honestly.
"Sure. Actually, I'm glad you wanted to wait, I'm full too."
"Cool." Santana said with a little nod. "Oh and by the way, that was the most unique and fun 'three-course meal' I've ever had. Thanks for that."
"Technically, until we eat desert, it was only a two course meal, but yeah it was a lot of fun."
Santana smiled again, for what felt like the millionth time, and when Brittany returned the smile, she felt an invisible blush heat up her face again. She broke eye content and ran her fingers through her hair, nervously. She was starting to feel smitten over Brittany, which was a little scary for her, because she wasn't sure if Brittany was single or if she would even be receptive to a same sex relationship.
So far, other than the incessant smiling that was going on between them, which didn't really prove anything, Santana had no idea what Brittany's personal preferences were when it came to a partner. She knew better than to make a snap judgment and label her before she knew for sure, but regardless of the answer, she still wanted to get to know Brittany, even if it was only on a friendly, platonic level.
While she mulled these thoughts over in her head, Santana could feel Brittany's eyes watching her as she played with her hair.
"Hey, you know what?" Brittany said suddenly, and it made Santana jump slightly and pull her hand out of her hair, placing it back by her side.
"What?" Santana asked with a curious chuckle.
"I just realized you look a little like Santana Lopez, the actress."
"FUCK!" Santana screamed in her head. She was not expecting that, but then again, she was surprised it took this long to get to this point.
"Has anyone ever told you that?" Brittany asked.
"Umm…no." Santana answered honestly. No one had ever told her that she 'looked' like herself. They just assumed it was her, and usually when people recognized her, the conversation went like, "OH MY GOD, YOU'RE SANTANA LOPEZ! CAN I HAVE YOUR AUTOGRRAPH?!"
For the most part, Santana smiled and fulfilled the request. It was part of the job, and she did love her fans, because without them, she wouldn't be where she was today, but there were times when she wanted a little privacy and time to herself, without an interruption from a very loud and excited fan. Plus, this time around, she was afraid that once Brittany found out who she was, she would react the same way, and she was just not prepared for that right now.
"Really? No one's ever told you that?"
"No."
"Huh? Well you do, but between you and me, I think you're prettier." Brittany said as she playfully bumped her shoulder into Santana's.
Again, another response from Brittany that Santana was not expecting and it threw her for a few seconds. "Really?"
"Yeah, now don't get me wrong, Santana is all kinds of pretty, beautiful even, and that dress that she wore to the Grammy's this year was incredible, but seeing you here right now, I think you're prettier."
Santana thought about that. She had never been called 'prettier' than herself before either, so she was more than curious as to what gave Brittany that opinion.
"What makes you think that?"
"Okay, look at yourself right now. What are you wearing?"
Santana looked down at herself, "Um, jeans and a t-shirt." She specifically chose a casual outfit for this flight so she would blend in better. Usually when she flew in First Class, she dressed a lot nicer, but she figured that if she wore a pencil skirt and blouse in Coach she would stand out.
"Exactly! You are wearing just a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. You don't need a ton of make-up and a fancy dress to look beautiful, you just are, which in my book puts you miles ahead of Santana Lopez."
Santana opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. Not only was that the exact same thought that she had about Brittany when she first saw her, it literally was the most sincere, and flattering thing anyone had ever said to her. She was pretty sure that she had just surpassed smitten and jumped head first into full on 'I really, REALLY, like this girl' stage. Also, another thing that Santana was certain of was that her blush this time was not invisible, it was too intense.
"T-That's really sweet." Santana said with slight stutter. She was having a hard time keeping her emotions in check.
"Well, it's true." Brittany tried to assure her.
"Stop it!" Santana said with a playful tone and then turned her head a little so Brittany couldn't see her face.
"I mean it. One day, Santana Lopez is going to pass you on the street and say, 'Damn, that girl is beautiful!' And then, if she has a girlfriend, she's going breakup with her on the spot, just so she could ask you out on a date."
"Oh my god!" Santana said with a laugh. "I highly doubt that is going to happen."
"Anything's possible." Brittany said with an amused smile.
"I guess so." Santana chuckled. "So what about you? And I'm not just saying this to be nice and compliment you because you complimented me, but maybe one day she'll see you and ask you out on a date, because you're beautiful as well."
Brittany laughed. "I did say anything is possible, but I don't think that's going to happen."
"Now why would you say that?" Santana asked, confused. She knew for a fact that 'Santana Lopez' found this woman attractive and she had already acknowledged that she thought she was more beautiful than any woman she had ever seen.
Referring to herself in the third person in her thoughts was new for Santana, and while she thought it was a little weird, she figured she had just taken flirting to a completely new level.
"I've never met her, but we've been in Starbucks at the same time before, and I don't know if she noticed me, but if she did, she didn't come up to me and ask me out, so that theory is shot for me."
Santana blinked a few times. This new piece of information was a shock to her system. She must not have noticed Brittany at all that day, because she most definitely would have remembered seeing her.
"When was that?" She asked Brittany.
"Umm, probably a few months ago. My friend and I were in there having an afternoon snack, and I saw her across the room. She had a bunch of paperwork in front of her. I think she was about to go into a meeting."
Santana remembered that day, she was swamped with proposals for her and Kurt's fashion line, and Brittany was right, she was getting ready for a meeting, because she and Kurt had an investors meeting not too long after that. She had just stopped by the Starbucks to go over some last minute things while she waited for Kurt to join her. She would not have noticed anyone that day because she literally was too involved with her work.
"Oh, don't put yourself down." Santana attempted to reassure her. "It sounds to me like she was just busy, and she wouldn't have noticed anything that wasn't on the paperwork in front of her."
"Maybe." Brittany said with a shrug.
"So are you a fan of Santana?" Santana asked. Again, there was that weirdness about referring to herself in the third person, but this was something that she really wanted to know. She wanted to see what kind of fan Brittany was, and she really hoped that she wasn't a crazy one.
"Yeah. I mean, who isn't? Everything she does is a hit, but what I really love is her music. She has such a beautiful voice that I could just listen to her sing for hours."
Santana felt a pull at one of her heartstrings with that comment.
"So if you're a fan, why didn't you ask for her autograph when you saw her?"
"I didn't want to bother her, she looked like she had a ton of stuff going on, but even if she wasn't busy with paperwork, I probably wouldn't have approached her." Brittany answered.
"Why?"
"Just because she's a celebrity and she's probably used to people approaching her, it doesn't mean that she wants people coming up to her allthe time, so I would have just passed up the opportunity to meet her so she could enjoy her coffee in peace."
"Perfect. Seriously, she's perfect!" Santana thought. Now she just hoped that Brittany was single and gay or bi, because she was unlike anyone she had ever met, and she really wanted to pursue the possibility of having a romantic relationship with her.
"I'm sure she appreciated you giving her a chance to get her work done without bombarding her personal time."
"I guess. So what about you? Are you a fan of hers?" Brittany asked and Santana didn't know how to answer, because, yeah, she liked the stuff that she did, but it felt like she was just 'tooting her own horn' to call herself a 'fan' of herself, so she decided to go with something that didn't give too much information, and somehow take the conversation away from 'Santana Lopez.'
"Sure."
"Cool."
"Soooo…" Santana drew out trying to think of something to change the subject. "I have an idea."
"And what might that be?" Brittany said in a playful tone and raised her eyebrows in interest.
"I think it's time that we break open that candy bar and then watch a movie together."
"Ooo, I like that idea. But the inflight movie is almost over, do you think they're going play another one?"
"I don't know, but I have my iPad with me and I have a few movies to choose from."
"Sounds good. How do you wanna do this?"
"We could share a set of ear buds. I mean, I could turn it up so we can both hear it, but we might disturb the other passengers. I think some of them are trying to sleep" Santana answered with a white lie.
She really didn't care what the other passengers around her were doing; she just didn't want to draw any attention to their row. She was enjoying having only Brittany's attention, and the fact that if they shared they would have to sit a little closer to each other, was not lost on her either.
"Okay." Brittany agreed with a smile.
Santana bent down to get her iPad out of her bag, but she remembered that she had already given Brittany her good pair of ear buds.
"Hey, do you mind getting the ear buds I gave you earlier. I work out with my other pair and I really don't think you want to use those ones."
"Sure." Brittany reached into her pocket to retrieve them.
After Santana set up her tablet so they could both watch the movie, she went to her video app and let Brittany scroll through and pick what they watched.
"Damn, no Santana Lopez movies!" Brittany laughed. "We talked about her so much tonight that it almost feels wrong not to watch one of her movies."
Santana just returned a nervous chuckle. "Sorry."
"No, it's fine, I was just kidding anyways. How about this one?"
"The 'Notebook'?" Santana raised her eyebrows in surprise. Not only did Brittany pick one of her favorite movies, not that she would admit that to anyone, but a love story on top of that. It was almost too much for her to handle.
"Yeah, I love this movie. I know you might think this is silly, but it's one of my favorites, and the first time I watched it, I cried my eyes out and I wished to someday have a love like Ally and Noah's." Brittany explained.
Santana felt her heart drop into her stomach, because she had felt the same way when she first watched the movie, but Brittany's answer made her nervous because her statement could be taken one of two ways. The first one, which was the most appealing to her, was where Brittany just wanted to meet someone, it didn't matter if it was a male or female, and have an epic love affair, or the second, scarier option, was that she wanted it to be with a man.
"O-Oh" Santana said nervously. "Have you found it yet?"
Brittany blushed. "No, not yet. I hope I do some day. I just want to meet someone who I don't have to explain things to, they just get me, and whether it's ten years down the road or thirty, we still have that same spark that we had for each other when we first got together."
Santana wanted to say that she wanted that too, and that maybe that someone could be her, but she couldn't find the words. She was sure that even if she did find the right words, her voice would have so much nervousness to it that it wouldn't allow her to get through it without looking like a crazy person.
When Santana didn't say anything in response, Brittany apologized. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to go off like that. I mean, I barely know you, and here I am pouring my heart out to you. Sometimes, I have the bad habit of over sharing. I hope you're not uncomfortable or freaked out by me now."
"What? Freaked out? Is she serious right now?" Santana thought. "No, I'm not freaked out." She found her voice. "And don't be sorry, I liked your honesty, and what you said. I think everyone is looking for that too. I know I am."
Brittany gave a shy smile. "You mean to tell me that someone as nice and as beautiful as you hasn't found someone to be the love of your life?"
"Maybe." Santana thought in reference to Brittany. Had she had any indication that Brittany was into women, she would have found the nerve to actually say that out loud, but the possible rejection was just too much, and then to have to sit next to Brittany for a few more hours after that rejection was unbearable, so she kept that little bit of information to herself.
"I've dated a lot the past few years, but it just seems that they were either out to get something from me, or they just took me for granted, so I think I've given up hope." Santana confessed.
"That's awful!" Brittany said with a frown. "How could anyone be so mean to someone so nice?"
"Maybe they didn't find me as nice as you do." Santana said with a chuckle to lighten the mood. She wasn't even sure how the conversation turned so serious, and what's more, why she was even talking about it with someone that she had only known for a couple of hours.
Brittany giggled lightly. "Maybe we should date. We might have better luck."
Santana was sure that her eyes bugged out a little with that comment. "Did I just hear her right? Please tell me I heard her right!"
When Santana registered the look on the Brittany's face, she too looked shocked, like she didn't mean to say that, and before she could say anything, Brittany was speaking.
"I'm sorry!" She quickly apologized and then buried her head in her hands. "God, I'm so stupid!" She mumbled into her hands, shaking her head, before she looked at Santana with a face as red as a tomato. "I'm so sorry; I need to learn to think before I blurt out stuff to complete strangers."
Santana could see that Brittany was completely embarrassed by her comment and she looked like she wanted the plane to open up underneath her and suck her away. Santana thought she looked utterly adorable, which seemed to the be word of the day to describe Brittany, so she decided to spare her any more embarrassment and change the subject, even if the subject of them dating would have been one conversation that she would have liked to have had.
"Hey! Don't call yourself that, you're not stupid, and it was an innocent comment, but I think if we don't start the movie soon, we won't get through it before we get to New York." Santana said with a reassuring smile.
"Okay." Brittany said with a small smile. She noticed the obvious change in conversation, and she was thankful, because she thought that while they were watching the movie, she had less of a chance of saying something embarrassing.
Santana plugged the ear buds into her iPad, gave the left side to Brittany, and put the right one in her own ear before she started the movie.
The next two hours flew by for the two women as they watched the movie, making passing comments about what was happening, and they found that they had similar opinions about the characters and the storyline.
When the movie ended, it wasn't surprising to the two women that they were both tearing up.
"Damn tearjerkers." Santana joked as she wiped a lone tear away from her eye.
Brittany let out a quiet chuckle and wiped her own tears away. "I know, I cry every time, even though I know how it's going to end."
"Yeah, me too."
"You know what other movies do that to me?" Brittany asked.
"What?"
"'Dumbo'. That scene where he goes to visit his mother in jail, and she sings 'Baby Mine' while rocking him in her trunk, and the pound scene in 'Lady and the Tramp' where they show all the sad dogs without homes…yeah I'm a mess for a few minutes after both of those scenes."
Santana chuckled. "Really? Huh, I haven't seen them, so I can't say one way or the other about those scenes."
Brittany just looked at Santana as if she had two heads. "Wait a minute, are you telling me that you've never seen 'Dumbo' and 'Lady and the Tramp?' Seriously, you're not kidding with me?"
Santana shook her head. "No, I guess my parents never got around to buying me those ones when I was a kid."
"Oh my god, what a deprived life you've led."
Santana let out an amused laugh at the seriousness of Brittany's comment. "What?"
"I can't believe you haven't seen those movies. It's almost like a childhood requirement to see them. You have to make me a promise. Sometime in the near future, you have to go rent or buy those movies and watch them."
Brittany's passion for these two movies was not only amusing to Santana, but completely endearing, and she found that there was no way that she could deny the request, so she gave in with a wide smile on her face. "Okay, I promise."
"Good!" Brittany cheered. "Trust me, you won't be disappointed."
"I'm sure." Santana responded with a chuckle, before an audible chime was heard throughout the cabin and interrupted their conversation.
"Ladies and Gentleman, this is the Captain, currently we are about forty-five miles out from our destination, where the local time in New York City is 12:15am, and a current temperature of sixty degrees. We should be landing in about fifteen minutes."
Then the flight attendant gave her announcement, "Ladies and Gentlemen, in preparation for landing, and as we start our descent, please make sure your seat backs and tray tables are in their full and upright position. Make sure your seat belt is securely fastened and all carry-on luggage is stowed underneath the seat in front of you or in the overhead bins, and please turn off all electronic devices. Thank you."
With this, Brittany and Santana did as they were instructed and started to put their things away. Santana stopped when she pulled the ear buds out of her iPad.
"Do you want to keep these?" She asked, offering them to Brittany, knowing that she didn't have a set of her own.
"Oh no!" Brittany said quickly. "That's sweet of you, but I'll just buy a pair in the store tomorrow. Thanks though."
"Okay." Santana said before she bent over to put her things away.
When she leaned up, she noticed that Brittany had a nervous look her face, and she guessed that their impending landing was what had her so flustered. She looked down at Brittany's hands and saw that they were griping the armrests again, so Santana decided to help calm her by lifting Brittany's hand by her wrist from the armrest that was between them and then she moved it up so there was nothing between them. She then linked her fingers with Brittany's and placed both of their hands on the seat between them.
Brittany just turned her head and gave a smile that said a wordless, "Thank you!" With that, Santana could tell that she had done her job right, because Brittany was visibly calmer. They were silent for the remainder of the flight.
After they disembarked the plane, they made their way to Baggage Claim together, and the whole way there, Santana was trying to come up with a way to spend more time with Brittany without coming off as a woman with a crush. She was coming up with a blank until she had a stroke of genius after they collected their bags from the carousel.
"Hey, Brittany," Santana started, and she realized that this was the first time that she had addressed her by her name. "I was wondering; where are you staying while you're here?"
"The Marriott in Times Square."
Santana's heart nearly jumped in her chest with that answer.
"My friend that I told you about earlier offered to let me stay with her," Brittany continued, "actually, she's more like my sister, but I knew it would've been crowded with her, me, and her roommate, so I just said that I would stay at a hotel, and she suggested the Marriot. She's part of the 'Evita' cast, and she said that that hotel is next to her theater and it would be the perfect place to stay since it would only be a few blocks up from where my audition is."
"Oh, that's good. Actually, as coincidence would have it, I'm staying at that hotel too."
"Really?!" Brittany asked happily. She too was pleased with the coincidence.
"Yeah, so I was thinking, since we're staying at the same hotel, would you like to ride with me there?" Santana offered, silently hoping that Brittany would accept.
"Sure! I'd like to share a cab with you." Brittany answered cheerfully.
Truthfully, money was a little tight for Brittany, since her job at the pet store didn't pay a lot and she only worked at the dance school when one of the regular teachers was out. She made enough to pay her bills and put some into savings, but after that, she didn't have a lot of extra money to play with. She was using some of her savings to pay for this trip, so having someone to share a cab with would be very helpful. Moreover, she also enjoyed her time with her new friend so she wouldn't mind spending more time with her.
"Actually, I have a car reserved, so no cab, we're riding in style." Santana said with a smile as she led Brittany towards ground transportation.
Brittany just followed and then it dawned on her. She didn't know the other woman's name. She remembered introducing herself on the plane, but when it was the other woman's turn, they were interrupted by an announcement, and then they got so distracted by other things that the topic never came up again. She was almost embarrassed to ask, but she figured that she had better do it before she got in the car with her.
"Umm, I'm a little embarrassed to ask, since we pretty much talked the whole way here, but I never did catch your name." Brittany asked sheepishly.
Santana knew this was coming, because if Brittany didn't ask, she was sure that the sign that she could see the car driver holding in the distance would have been a dead giveaway, so she just introduced herself.
"Santana. Santana Lopez."
Brittany just giggled, she actually thought she was kidding and referring to their conversation from earlier. "Okay, I know you look like her, but seriously, what's your real name."
Santana just laughed because she thought Brittany was "just too damn cute," and since they had arrived at the driver, she decided to let him confirm it for her.
"Miss Lopez. Glad to see that you arrived. I'm Jim and I'll be driving you to your hotel tonight. May I take your bags?"
Santana glanced at Brittany for a spilt second to see her confused reaction before she responded. "Yes. Thanks Jim. Um, this is my friend Brittany, and she'll be riding with me to the hotel as well."
"Good evening Miss. Can I take your bag?" He addressed a still confused Brittany.
It took a second for Brittany to respond, but she just looked at Santana and when she nodded, she gave Jim her bag without saying anything to him.
Jim walked ahead of the women with their bags leading them to his waiting vehicle.
"Are you okay?" Santana asked Brittany because she could see that she was still trying to work it out in her head.
"Um, yeah." She answered and then she turned beet red. "I feel like such an idiot." She laughed nervously.
"Why?" Santana asked scrunching her eyebrows together. The last thing she wanted was for Brittany to feel uncomfortable.
"Well for starters, because I didn't recognize you right away. Your voice should have been my first clue, and then when I did sort-of recognize you, I just assumed you were someone else and asked you if you had one of your own movies to watch! Oh and I'm especially embarrassed about all that stuff I said to you about you being beautiful and asking yourself out on date." Brittany huffed out and then she put her face in her hands. "You must think I'm so stupid!"
With that explanation, Santana stopped in her tracks, and gently grabbed Brittany by her wrists to pull them away from her face so she could look at her when she said this. "Whoa, calm down Brittany. You are not stupid, and especially not for anything that you've said tonight, so please stop saying that, and really if you think about it, this is entirely my fault. I should have just introduced myself when you said something about me looking like myself, but…" She paused and sighed, "To be honest, I really enjoyed talking to you tonight, and you seemed to enjoy my company as well, and not because I'm 'Santana Lopez.' You just liked me for who I was, a nameless passenger that just happened to have a lot in common with you; and I was afraid that if I told you who I was, you'd react like everyone else does when they meet me for the first time, and you'd just see the celebrity."
"I wouldn't have done that." Brittany said looking down at her feet with a pout. "I would have been surprised that you were you, but I wouldn't have gone 'fangirl-crazy' on you."
Santana smiled at the adorable pout. "I know." She said and then lifted Brittany chin with her finger so she could look at her. "I know, I realized that after you told me that story about seeing me at that Starbucks, but lately, I haven't had a lot of luck at making new friends that like me for me, and not my celebrity status, and I just panicked. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. Can you forgive me?"
Brittany just gazed up at her. "I'm not upset. I just feel silly."
"Please don't. How about we semi-start over." Santana started with a wide smile and extended her hand. "Hi, I'm Santana Lopez, and you are?"
Brittany just smiled and took her hand. "Brittany Pierce and it's a pleasure to meet you Santana."
"It's a pleasure to meet you too Brittany."
They shook hands and just smiled at one another, holding onto each other's hands a little longer than necessary. Santana was sure that her smile muscles would be aching by then time she went to bed, because they were definitely getting an extensive workout.
"So…" Santana said, reluctantly breaking their handshake, "How's about we catch up to Jim and get out of here. I don't know about you, but it's late, and I have an early day tomorrow."
"Sounds good." Brittany said with an unbelieving look on her face as she followed her new friend towards the car.
-()-()-()-()-
Brittany and Santana's car pulled up to The Marriott Marquis in Times Square a little before two o'clock in the morning. Jim, got out of the car and opened the door behind him to let Santana out of the car first, and then he rounded the car to open the door for Brittany.
Santana stepped out of the vehicle, and stretched. To say that she was tired was a bit of an understatement. She had started her day early, and then, after an unexpected phone call, she rushed around like a crazy person to make a five and a half hour flight to New York cramped in Coach. The only thing keeping her awake at the moment was the adrenaline that Brittany was giving her. She wanted to spend as much time as she could with her, and she was not about to let a little thing such as sleepiness keep her from doing just that.
Jim unloaded their bags from the trunk and set them on the curb. Santana then reached into her purse and gave the driver a generous tip, thanking him before he bid her farewell and went back to his car.
"So, are you ready?" Santana asked Brittany as she grabbed her bags, waving off the doorman who looked like he was going to carry them inside for her. Had she had her hands full with something else, she would have let him, but her hands were free so she was capable of carrying her own bags.
"Yeah." Brittany said as she retrieved her own bag as well, and put her hand in her pocket. She pulled out a couple of twenty-dollar bills that she had put in there earlier, because she never traveled with all her money in her purse, just in case it was stolen.
"Hey, this is for the car." Brittany said as she tried to hand the money to Santana.
"No, no, you keep that. I was coming here anyways, whether you rode with me or not." Santana responded shaking her hand. She didn't want the money. Not because she took pity on Brittany because she knew that she didn't make a lot of money, but because she had been in her position when she was first starting out and she knew that money was tight for her.
Brittany sighed. "But I-" She started, but was cut off.
"Nope, I'm not taking it." Santana said with an airy tone and put her free hand in her pocket. "You keep that and use it for your move to New York when you land that part in your show."
Brittany just gave a shy smile. Santana's comment took her by surprise. "Okay, you win this one." She said giving in; she could tell that there was no arguing with Santana over the matter.
"Yes!" Santana cheered and gave an intentional over-the-top fist pump. "Now we're even!" She said in reference to their little competition that they had inadvertently started on the plane.
Brittany laughed. "Don't get used to it."
"Bring it." Santana said with an amused smile. Yes, she realized how silly their conversation was, and had it been with anyone else, she would have been embarrassed by it, but as she had noticed before, when it came to Brittany, things were always different, and in a good way.
As the two women approached the check-in desk, they were surprised that the two employees behind the desk were busy with other guests, considering the time. Brittany took in the view around her and marveled at how beautiful everything was. She could only imagine what the rest of the hotel looked like, and if the lobby was any indication, she was sure it would be the nicest hotel that she had ever stayed in.
Santana for her part, had been there before, but she was marveling at the beauty in front of her as well, and her vision never left Brittany. She could not fight the smile that etched on her face as she watched Brittany excitedly take in her new surroundings.
"It's so beautiful, isn't it Santana?" Brittany said whispering in awe, still looking around the room.
"Yeah." Santana agreed with her, but she was not referring to the room.
When Brittany's eyes wondered back toward her, Santana had enough situational awareness to avert her eyes at the last second and look down at the marble floor. She was sure that being caught staring would have caused an awkward moment and certain embarrassment.
"Oh, the floor is beautiful too!" Brittany chirped as she looked to see what Santana found so interesting that she would be staring at it.
"It is." Santana said, this time referring to the same thing as Brittany.
"So, I was wondering, and if you're uncomfortable and don't want to, I completely understand, but I was wondering if I could have your phone number." Brittany asked, seemingly out of the blue to Santana, and she snapped her head up to look at her.
"I just figured, since we're both going to be in town for a couple of days, maybe we could hang out, you know, if you're not too busy."
"Yes!" Santana said a little quicker and louder than she intended, and then she cleared her throat. She hoped that her slight outburst was not as noticeable as she thought it was. "Yes, I'd love to hang out with you." She said, calmer this time.
"Great!" Brittany said and reached into her purse to retrieve her phone.
Santana followed suit and after their numbers were exchanged, Brittany bounced a little on the balls of her feet. "This trip is going to be so much fun! Even if I don't get my part, I'm sure this is going to be a weekend that I'll never forget."
"Why?" Santana asked. She hoped this comment was not Brittany's version of a delayed reaction to who she was, and now that she had her number, was going to go "fangirl-crazy" on her.
"Because, I get to stay at this fancy hotel, I get to audition for a real Broadway show, and I get to spend some time with one of the nicest people that I know."
"Oh, yeah, I forgot that you said you had a friend that lives here. I'm sure you guys will have fun." Santana said, giving an internal sigh of relief. She had to stop doubting how sweet Brittany was.
"Rachel is nice, but I wasn't talking about her this time."
Santana scrunched her eyebrows together, "Then who-"
"I was talking about you, Silly!"
"Me?" Santana said shooting her eyebrows from their scrunched position to one that looked impossibly high.
"Yes, you!" Brittany laughed. "Didn't we already cover this on the plane?"
Santana felt a rush of heat to her cheeks. "Yeah, but I already told you, I'm not that nice."
"Yeah and I already told you I was right." Brittany playfully shot back. "Do we need to go through it again?"
Santana gave a shy chuckle, but before she got the chance to answer, one of the hotel employees was drawing their attention, letting them know that it was their turn.
"You go." Santana said, offering Brittany the chance to check-in first. She needed a minute to compose herself, because the heat that was burning behind her cheeks was spreading down her neck, and she hoped to God that it wasn't visible.
"Thanks." Brittany chirped and then took her confirmation paperwork out of her purse and approached the desk.
Santana's gaze followed Brittany over to the desk and let it rest on her back. She was lost in thought over why she was getting so worked up over a simple comment about her being nice when her internal ramblings were interrupted by the sound of Brittany's voice.
"What do you mean you can't find it? I booked this room a week ago. See, here is the confirmation number." She asked the desk clerk pointing at the paper she had laid on the desk. Santana didn't think that she sounded mad, but she certainly wasn't as happy as she was a few moments ago, and that didn't sit right with her.
"I'm sorry, but for some reason, I can't find your reservation." The man behind the desk said flatly.
"Can you please make me a new one?" Brittany asked with a frustrated sigh.
"I'm sorry Miss, but we don't have any more rooms in your category."
When Santana heard that, she knew things were not going well, and decided to go see if she could help the situation.
"What's going on Britt?"
"Oh, they can't find my reservation." Brittany sighed.
Santana picked up the paperwork that Brittany had given the clerk and read it. "She's in the right hotel, and it says right here that she has a room booked for three nights, what's the problem?" She asked the hotel clerk.
"I don't have a standard guest room left to give her. We are completely booked with weddings and conventions, but I can book her in a suite."
"A suite! How much more is that going to cost?" Brittany groaned. Her savings and credit card were already taking a hit, and she could barely afford the room that she thought she had booked.
"Nothing, Britt, this is a mistake on their end, not yours." Santana said gently, and placed her hand on her arm to help settle her.
Santana could tell that the desk clerk was indifferent to Brittany's situation, and she didn't like it. "I guess if you don't have what she reserved, you're just going to have to upgrade her."
"All I have left is the Presidential Suite and a Deluxe Suite, and I can't upgrade her to those suites."
This angered Santana. "Why not?" She practically growled at the man.
"That's not our policy. I can see if I can book her in another hotel."
"This is absurd!" Santana declared, clearly irritated with the situation. "You mean to tell me, that someone who works for this hotel made a mistake by losing her reservation and then instead of doing the right thing and upgrading her, you're just going to send her to another hotel in the middle of the night? Please tell me you're not serious right now!" Santana spat in disbelief, she honestly had never heard of something so ridiculous.
"I'm sorry Miss, but I can't upgrade her for free."
"This is ridiculous-" Santana started to go off and gripped her hands into fists, but she decided to save it for the manager. "Forget it; just let me talk to the manager." She snapped. She was pissed off and she was done talking with this asshole.
"I am the manager." The man said and pointed to his name tag that said, "John Keck, Manager"
Santana just stared at the tag for a few seconds, and then looked at Brittany standing next to her and how upset she seemed, so she decided to spare her anymore grief.
"You know what; I'm going to take this up with someone else later. If it wasn't so late, and we both didn't have appointments to be at in a few hours, I would cancel my reservation and we'd both leave, but since it's after two o'clock in the morning, just add her to my reservation so we both can get some sleep."
"What?" Brittany said surprised. "No, Santana, I can't let you do that."
Santana offered her a small smile. "It's fine Bitt. I have more than enough room for the both of us and I won't let you leave here in the middle of the night in search of somewhere to stay."
"But-"
"No, it's settled. If you want, we can both leave tomorrow, but it's too damn late for anyone to go anywhere at this point."
"Okay." Brittany said in a small, but grateful voice. "Thank you."
Santana's smile faded as she turned towards the unhelpful manager. "Okay, just do it so we can go." She huffed. She had lost all patience for the man.
"Can I see your ID and credit card?" John requested, seemingly unfazed by what just happened.
Santana sighed, she was just ready to go to her room and go to bed. At this point, and if she was lucky, she was going to get about three hours of sleep before her audition, so she gave him the items that he asked for and let him check them in without any snide remarks.
"Here you go Miss Lopez. Two room keys, one for you, and one for Miss Pierce." John said as he handed the keys as well as a welcome folder to her. "You're suite number and floor is written on the left hand corner of your folder. Is there anything else I can do for you ladies tonight?"
"Yeah, quit being an asshole." Santana thought, but she wasn't in the mood to deal with him anymore.
"No, we've got it." She responded flatly and turned her attention to Brittany. "Come on, Britt, let's go get some sleep."
"Okay." She said following her.
While they were alone in the elevator on their way up to the forty-fifth floor, Santana glanced over at Brittany and noticed that she was looking at her with a small smile on her face.
"What?" She asked with a nervous chuckle.
"Nothing." Brittany said, evasive.
"Come on, what's on your mind?" Santana urged. She wanted to know what had Brittany looking at her like that.
"It's nothing really, I was just thinking about what just happened. That was a very kind thing you did back there for me."
"Maybe you bring out the best in me."
"I don't know about that, but I do know that you have officially become the nicest person that I know."
"Stop it!" Santana said with an embarrassed laugh and turned her head. "I don't think that that is possible."
"No, I won't stop saying it. It's true. I don't do well with confrontation and I'm so thankful that you helped me out tonight."
"I couldn't very well let you leave here in the middle of the night, and I don't know, I kinda feel like we've connected or something, almost like we were meant to meet."
"Yeah, I know what you mean." Brittany agreed. She too felt a connection with Santana. "It's almost like we were meant to become instant friends." She offered with a smile.
"I guess so." Santana responded with a forced smile and she felt her heart dip into her stomach from that comment.
She wanted to be more than 'just friends' with Brittany, but she still wasn't sure that anything more than a friendship was possible between them, and if a romance wasn't in the cards, she still wanted to have Brittany in her life, so if friendship was the best she could get, then she would take it wholeheartedly.
By the time Santana and Brittany entered their suite, both women were so exhausted from their long and busy day of travel that they nearly leapt for joy at the sight of a room that offered them the possibility of sleep. The only thing keeping them from doing so was the fact that they were so tired that they had no energy left to exert.
Brittany yawned as she looked around the living room area of suite. She was so tired, that she didn't even notice how nice the room looked. All she wanted to do was curl up on the couch and go to sleep. "I'm so tired." She sighed.
"Me too." Santana yawned in agreement as she peeked in the bedroom and noticed that there was only a king bed. "So, I guess I'll take the couch tonight and then-"
"Santana, no!" Brittany quickly cut her off. "There's no way I'm taking the bed while you sleep on the couch. That is completely out of the question."
"But-"
"No!"
"Come one Britt, it's late, stop arguing with me, and just take the bed." Santana practically whined. She wasn't sure why she was still insisting on Brittany sleeping on the bed, because somewhere deep down inside of her she knew that it wasn't going to fly.
Brittany signed and shook her head. She decided to change tactics. She walked up to Santana and hugged her, wrapping her arms around her neck.
Santana stiffened at first because she wasn't expecting Brittany to embrace her so suddenly, but she quickly returned the welcomed embrace by wrapping her arms around Brittany's waist. She took note as to how well they fit together, with her face nuzzled into the crook of the taller woman's neck. Brittany's scent was light and sweet and it took everything Santana had in her not to let her lips make contact with the creamy skin.
When Brittany pulled back after almost a whole minute, she let her hands rest on Santana's arms. Santana almost frowned from the loss of complete body contact, but she pulled it back into a small smile, and just took comfort in the fact that they were still embracing, even if it wasn't as close as before.
"Not that I'm complaining, but what was that for?" Santana asked softly. She was afraid if she asked in her normal voice it would scare Brittany out of her arms, and she really didn't want that to happen.
"Because, you're sweet." Brittany said with a shy smile. "But I'm still not letting you sleep on that couch."
Santana gave a tired chuckle and gave up; she knew she had lost. "Fine, you win. Take the couch." She actually would have preferred for both of them to sleep in the king sized bed, and she really meant sleep, but she didn't know how to voice that without it coming off as creepy.
"Thank you." Brittany said and then gave her a quick hug before she broke all physical contact. "So what time is your meeting tomorrow?"
"8am."
Brittany balked, "Eight o'clock in the morning! It's almost three!"
"I know; I hope I don't blow it."
"You never said what kind of meeting it is, is there something I can do to help you prepare?"
Santana just gave a grateful smile. "No, there's nothing you can do. It's a final reading for a new mini-series."
"Oh!" Brittany said with surprise, she was not expecting that answer, even though she knew Santana was an actress. "Why did you book a flight that got you in so late if your audition was so early?"
"Because I didn't know I had an audition today until yesterday morning."
"Huh? Did they forget to tell you?"
"I guess. I don't know why they waited to the last minute, but it doesn't matter now. I'm here, and I'm glad, because if they hadn't lost their minds and rushed me here, I may never have met you."
Brittany blushed. "I was going to say that I'm sorry they did that to you, but when you put it like that, I'm not sorry anymore."
"Yeah me either." Santana said shyly. "Anyways, what time is your audition?"
"Not 'til eleven o'clock."
"Okay. I'll try not to wake you in the morning; you need to get as much sleep as you can. I don't know when I'll be back, but I'll text you and let you know when I know."
"Yeah, and I'll text you too and let you know my schedule. Maybe if you aren't too busy, we can get dinner together?" Brittany asked, hopeful.
"I'd like that." Santana eagerly answered. She was really looking forward to it now.
Brittany smiled, and then looked at her watch. "Oh, you need to get ready for bed! No more talking tonight. I'm going to change out here and then when you're done with the bathroom, I'll go wash off my make-up and brush my teeth."
"Okay, thanks Britt. Good luck tomorrow."
"Thanks. I'm sure you don't need it, but good luck to you as well."
Santana returned the sweet smile that Brittany was giving her, and then she reluctantly went into the bedroom while Brittany made do with the couch.
-()-()-()-()-
A/N: That's the end of chapter one! Thank you so much for reading; I really hope everyone likes the story so far. If you have the chance, please let me know what you thought of the first chapter.