Brittana- Invisible String

Chapter 34

Santana looked at Brittany, her courage temporarily halted by Brittany's response. What on earth could Brittany need to tell her, that she hadn't already. For a second, she considered that Brittany was going to say the words that Santana wanted to say to her, but she quickly disregarded that thought. Whatever it was, Santana came to the conclusion that it couldn't be as important as what she needed to say, and knowing that her revelation would probably lead to a deep conversation that lasted the rest of the night, she decided to let Brittany go first. She sighed to regain her composure, her tone jittery and hands nervous.

"O...okay Brit, well why don't you go first?"

Of course, Brittany could see right through Santana, so she held out her hand and placed it on top of Santana's, to stop the fumbling she was doing.

"Babe...you seem nervous about something, is everything okay?"

Santana swallowed thickly, pulling herself together and forcing a smile.

"I'm fine. I'm fine Brit, honestly. Just say what you wanted to say"

Santana was trying desperately to hide the impatience inside her. She just wanted Brittany to hurry up and let it out, so she could then tell Brittany about her feelings. Brittany studied Santana's face, in an attempt to read her, her expression uncertain.

"Okay well...if you're sure" she said, and Santana nodded firmly.

Whatever Brittany said, wasn't going to make Santana change her mind about telling her. She had to say it.

"Well...a few weeks ago, I got a call from Chris, you know my old boss? He told me that Aladdin is going to be doing a worldwide tour next year, and that they were looking for a Choreographer. He essentially offered me the job on the spot but said I'd need to speak to the tour director. Anyway...I had a conversation with him this morning and he said if I want it, the job's officially mine...so I decided to accept it."

Santana's heart dropped; her face expressionless apart from the slight furrow of her brow. Of all the things she thought Brittany was going to say, this wasn't it. Since Brittany had decided to leave New York and return to Lima, she'd just taken it as a given that she would stay here. The image she had conjured up of her, Brittany and Mila being a family in Lima, was shattered before her eyes.

Sensing Santana's lack of reaction, Brittany reached out for Santana's hand again, the gentle squeeze bringing Santana out of her thoughts.

"It's only a year San, it's not forever, and we can FaceTime and call and message every single day, like we used to do when I lived in New York. You and I have this long-distance thing down to a fine art by now, and yeah I know we're gonna have different time zones to factor in this time but...we'll make it work; we always do"

Santana swallowed harshly, to rid herself of the lump in her throat, determined for her next words not to come out as a mere croak that would give her away completely. She felt guilty for her silence, and the way it was causing Brittany to go into some frantic spiel. This was an amazing opportunity for Brittany, and it was her life. It was the chance for her to go back to her dream job, without having to return to the harsh situation she was faced with in New York. She couldn't be selfish about it and expect Brittany to stay in Lima forever again. She had kept a 9-month pregnancy a secret just so that Brittany would go on and chase her dreams in the first place, who was she to stand in the way now? The reality was, is that this time, it felt even harder.

Maybe it was because of what she was about to tell Brittany, and she knew Brittany's revelation could change everything, or maybe it was because it had all come so out of the blue, but either way; it hurt.