Brittany marched around her apartment looking for the same pair of shoes she wore every day. Every single morning she struggled to find them, and every morning she found them just in time so she wouldn't be late for her job. It was part of that same routine that she went through every single day and that same one she had been going by for three years. For three years she had been living in the rundown studio apartment in the Upper East Side of New York City.

She didn't live alone. She could never live alone; it was that one condition that had prevented her from moving out of her parent's home for so many years. She was more than thankful when she met Elliott, the man that had fallen in love with her. He was the man that would take care of her, most likely for the rest of her life. He was more than just a decent guy. He had everything that a girl dreamed about; a great personality, the qualities of a perfect gentleman, and goals that could lead them into making a successful family and she could live comfortable. But she knew she could never love him.

Her hands were full as she walked out of the elevator; her binder of important papers was tucked under her arm, her large coffee clutched in her hand, and her other arm wrapped tightly around stack of encyclopedias and newspapers. She looked down at her watch, trying to think how much time she had before she had to get to her next class.

She had turned around the corner, her eyes down and not paying attention to where she was going. The next moment she was on the ground and her hands were empty. Papers flew everywhere and her coffee spilled next to her. Instead of grumbling and throwing a fit, she got up silently and collected her papers.

"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying atten-"

She looked up at the boy in front of her with calm eyes and a blank expression. She had gotten to that point where she didn't care.

"It's no problem. My coffee was stale anyways." She gave him a genuine smile and returned to collecting her papers. A normal college guy would have walked away, glad to have gotten away from an awkward situation. But instead he knelt down next to her and began straightening her papers and gathering them for her.

"That isn't necessary. I know you have other places to be, I know I do." She stood up with her disorganized binder, knowing she would have to go through it later. He stood up with her and held her books in his hand.

"It is, I'm sorry. Where's your dorm? I can carry these if you'd like. It would be a pain if you bumped into another clumsy kid and dropped everything." He smiled at her with that smile that she would grow to enjoy, and she nodded and gestured for him to follow.

She reached her thumb to her finger to twirl the ring that was always there, but was surprised to find it empty. She stopped short and looked up at the boy.

"My ring…" She set down her papers, stepped back a few feet and began searching. He did the same and knelt down beside her on the ground. He found it lying a few feet away and admired it in his hand before returning it to her. It was a simple ring, with the wire knotted but not completely tied.

"Here." He handed it to her with a smile and nodded at it, "It's very pretty. Where did you get it?"

She hesitated for a moment before responding, "A friend." She pushed the ring back over her finger and sighed in relief when it was back in place. She twirled it with her thumb, just like she always did when she thought of the friend that had given it to her, and let the boy, who she later found out was named Elliott, carry her books back to her dorm. Just like a perfect gentleman.

Brittany raced around her apartment, searching for her shoes. She grew so frustrated every morning over them, but she always found them. She grabbed them with a loud grumble as she spotted them underneath the sofa. She slipped them over her feet it swift movements and straightened out her pant legs and jacket.

Elliott had already left for work earlier that morning and, as always, he had left her a made lunch and a note saying a few simple words.

Have a nice day!

I'll be home early to make dinner

Love you

-Elliott

She smiled at the message, similar to the ones that she got every day, and packed the lunch neatly in her bag and swinging it over her shoulder. She made her way to leave, turning off the lights and making sure the oven was off, like she did every morning. She paused for a moment and looked out the window. The view wasn't horrible; she could see part of Central Park and a big chunk of the city.

Her thumb moved across her fingers and stopped the twirl the ring that was always there. She leaned her shoulder against the window and gave herself a moment to think. Her eyes drifted closed and she let her thoughts wander like old times. A few minutes late to work wouldn't hurt.

Her eyes shot open when she heard a soft knock on the door. It was 7am on a Thursday morning, who would be here? Her eyebrows furrowed and a confused look spread across her face. She set down her bag and made her way to the door. Her thoughts had left and her mind was back into the routine.

She grumbled when she realized that whoever was at the door was about to make her even more late to work.

But as she opened the door, every thought vanished from her mind. Her shoulders dropped and her mouth hung open in a combination of shock and complete confusion. She moved her lips to try to form the words that she knew she had to say, but nothing came out.

A few moments later a soft whisper tumbling over her lips.

"San…" She stepped forward cautiously and looked pleadingly at the girl standing in the doorway. The girl remained silent for a moment, but a smile spread across her lips, that same smile Brittany had known from years ago, and she knew instantly that it was her.

"It's me, B. I'm finally here." She smiled broadly and reached out her hand as she took a step forward. The ring on her finger glistened in the only remaining light in the room. Brittany took her hand cautiously, her thumb moving over Santana's ring like she did with her own, and whispered the words that they had said to each other that night.

"A knot that is not quite tied yet, but has all intentions of being tied."