Clockwork | Brittana

Chapter 19

Santana really had forgotten the last time she had spent more than five minutes in this room. The dark walls seemed foreign and the decor almost spartan. The few personal artifacts on her dresser or the walls were put up by Quinn because she never got around to it.

"I can tell you never spend any time in here," Brittany mused as she looked around unabashed. She picked up a picture frame of Santana and Quinn in matching jackets, she assumed they were from their sorority.

"Told you," Santana chuckled. She watched Brittany move around the room, but really all she was noticing was the way the blonde looked in her clothes.

She didn't know a tee shirt and cotton pants could be so flattering, but Brittany proved her wrong. It might have been something to do with the word Lopez written in bold print across the back of Brittany's borrowed shirt. She hadn't planned on giving Brittany her old robotics team jersey, but when she saw it she had asked if she could wear it. Santana couldn't say no.

The lamp on the nightstand spread a warm light over the bedroom and caught Brittany's hair in just the right. Santana thought she looked rather stunning.

"You know," Santana started as she pulled the comforter down on the bed and sat down, "for as much as we go on about how life sucks for me because I'm pretty, I never asked you if you've ever been played that card too."

Brittany glanced over her shoulder with a sly smirk, "Was that you paying me a compliment?"

Santana blushed, tucking her legs under herself, "Brittany you're beautiful, I can't be the first to notice."

"No, you're not," Brittany laughed quietly and turned back to the dresser, she picked up what might have been a family photo. She wasn't sure who was family and who was step-people. "And to answer your question. Yeah, I've had my fair share of blonde jokes thrown at me."

"I'm sorry," Santana sympathized quietly and pulled the covers around herself.

"It's fine," Brittany shrugged, "I got used to it forever ago. Growing up with such a bad case of dyslexia, the blonde jokes were kind of unavoidable because everyone thought that I couldn't even read."

Santana's heart clenched at the thought, "Britt..."

When Brittany met her eyes, Santana was surprised at the light she found there.

"Santana, really," she smiled softly, moving towards the bed and settling down next to the brunette, "it was a long time ago."

"How," Santana wasn't sure she understood, "do you let go of things like that?"

Brittany gave her a half shrug and a small smile, "There's always more important things to worry about."

In that moment, Santana would have given anything to have the wisdom Brittany seemed to live by. She couldn't even fathom being able to let go of all the weight on her heart. She wasn't sure she would know what to do with herself if she was that free.

"You're so..." she whispered, "I... I wish I was more like you."

Brittany smiled to lighten the mood, but she knew Santana was being serious and she was touched by it.

"You're pretty awesome yourself," she fell back onto the pillows and stretched out next to her.

Santana watched Brittany's back arch, she saw the splash of blonde hair against the dark sheets, the sliver of pale skin between her shirt and the cotton fabric of her pants. Slowly, she lowered herself so she was laying next to Brittany, propped up on one elbow, and looking down at the best thing that's ever happened to her.