It's been one month, two weeks, and three days since she's been alone with Brittany, not that she's still counting or anything, but the aching in her chest has become unbearable now, and she knows she has to confront the things that scare her the most.

She finds Brittany in the gym after school, practicing some dance moves, luckily she is alone which means she can finally talk to her. She takes a deep breath before walking over to her with her head raised high, looking like the most confident badass cheerleader in school, when inside she was probably the most fragile.

Brittany smiles when she sees her approaching, "Hey San... Did we have Cheerios practice today? Oh god did I miss practice? Is coach Sylvester kicking me off the team? Did she send you to tell me?" Santana didn't know how Brittany's mind always seemed to escalate into the weirdest of thoughts, but she still remembered how to explain things to her, "No, Britt. We didn't have practice today. You're not off the cheerios... I just, you know, came to see you." She said in a softer tone trying to hide the fact she missed her best friend, even though it shouldn't be something she should be ashamed of.

Brittany seemed surprised, as far as she knew Santana was never really interested in staying at school for longer than what was required, but she was happy that her best friend wanted to see her. Santana's face remained in a frown as she crossed her arms once again, "So where's wheels, did he get a flat tire? Or maybe he fell down the stairs again." She said chuckling to herself, mostly because she kinda wished that Artie did fall down the stairs, but she stopped when she saw the sad look on Brittany's face.

"San... why do you have to be mean to him? He's really sweet. He tells me I'm pretty and he holds my hand and walks me to my classes, and sometimes he takes me to Breadstix and we order spaghetti and I roll the meatball towards him... why do you hate him so much?" Santana was overcome with a mixture of anger and sadness as she just pictured them having the greatest relationship, doing all the things she refused to do with her. "I don't hate him. I just think you can do a lot better. I mean he probably can't even drive you to Breadstix. I bet his mom drops you guys off on your dates." Brittany's silence only reassured her, which made her feel even more guilty for saying anything.

Brittany can tell that the subject of her love life isn't exactly something Santana is thrilled about, but she thought that her best friend would at least be happy for her, happy that she has someone who treats her well, "Artie is really nice and I think... I love him." The words pierce right into her soul. How could she love him? how could she even want to be around that loser? Without even processing her thoughts, she just blurts it out, "You can't love him." It sounds more like a demand as it leaves her lips. She stays silent after that.

Brittany's smile fades as she looks down at her shoes, "Why can't I love him, San?" Santana looks down at the floor, unable to even stare at Brittany. Why couldn't Brittany love Artie? Artie seemed to treat her better than half the guys she's been with. She should be happy for her. She should be grateful that if she can't make Brittany happy then at least someone could, but all she could feel was jealousy, "...because he isn't me." She manages to say in a whisper.

Brittany is now staring at her, those blue eyes gleaming as if she is about to burst into tears at any moment. She walks closer to Santana, grabbing her hands and intertwining their fingers, they always fit so perfectly together, "...just tell me you love me." Brittany had never once told Santana to do anything, nothing as serious as this. Her hand squeezed hers so tightly as if by some chance she would flee.

Santana looked up at her. She could see how much Brittany loved her. How she wanted to be with her and not Artie, and it made her feel whole again, as if the pieces of her heart were finally being put back together. She opens her mouth to speak. She wants to tell Brittany how she wanted to hold her close and never let go. How she wants to wipe her tears away and sing any Melissa Etheridge song in her collection. She wants to give her sweet lady kisses up and down her neck and just breathe in her scent. She wants to do all these things but all she did was say four words, four words that Brittany didn't want to hear, "I don't love you." It was harsh and it was cruel, their hands still together as the blonde began to break. The tears rolled down her face as she slowly let go. All the hope she had for them, all the longing and all the love began to drift from her. She slowly untangled her hand from Santana's and wiped away some of her tears as she walked towards the door.

After the echo of the door being shut faded, Santana found herself alone again. Her hands were empty and still longing for Brittany's. All she could do was whisper a few words that were just a little too late now, "...I'm in love with you.