Falling Slowly

As the morning rush finally dies down, I take a moment to finally breathe. Saturdays are always the busiest at the Lima mall, especially in the food court. Sometimes I think "why aren't you people at work?" but then I quickly realize that it's the weekend and there isn't really much else to do in this boring town.

As I finish wiping down the counter top in anticipation for my lunch break, my movements are stalled once I hear her voice.

Brittany... my favorite customer.

If there were angels walking around Earth in human clothing, she would be one of them. Brittany is the epitome of perfection. She's just... breathtaking.

How do I know this... from experience.

I remember the first time she walked up to my counter during her lunch break exactly two months ago. I remember hearing the faint "hi" leaving her lips, spoken so softly that I almost missed it. Even with that small whispered word, her voice was so angelic and literally like music to my ears. As soon as my eyes connected with her bright crystal blue orbs, all of the wind that was safely stored in my lungs disappeared without a trace.

"H-hi..." I clumsily stutter out as I take in her gorgeous blonde hair, well-defined cheekbones, and dazzling white teeth. "Welcome to Starbucks, may I take your order?"

I see a tiny smile tug at the corner of her lips before she responds. "Could I get a Grande Caramel Frappuccino, please?"

"Sure thing, Brittany..." I respond back, sounding a little more like my usual self.

"How did you know my name?" Brittany questions. "Are you like psychotic or something?"

My eyes immediately bulge out of their sockets as I'm taken aback by her statement.

"What?! No... I'm not like a crazy stalker or anything," I try to plead my case. "I was just reading your name tag."

Brittany takes a second to look down at her red Chick-fil-a polo shirt and the name tag that promptly displays "Brittany" on it with a smiley face next to it.

"Oh, right... I forgot about that," she responds with a chuckle. "I wasn't trying to imply that you were crazy or anything; I just thought maybe you were like a mind reader or something. I've only been working here for like a week so I'm still getting used to everyone knowing my name."

As I think about her explanation, her earlier statement finally starts to make sense. "Oh, you meant psychic?"

"Yeah... why, what did I say?"

"Psychotic..."

"Oh, my bad!" Brittany exclaims with an apologetic look on her face. "Sometimes I mix up words..."

As I hear the words leave her mouth, I see the faintest pout grace Brittany's lips. I guess this is a common occurrence that other people usually make into a bigger deal than it really is.

"No biggie, it happens..." I state sincerely. The mega-watt smile that appears on her face next is one of the best things I've ever witnessed.

As we exchange soft smiles, our private moment is interrupted by my esteemed colleague.

"Hey Satan!" Mercedes yells from behind me. "Could you maybe get your flirt on later... we've got a line forming."

As Snix is about to make a special appearance on Mercedes' behalf for trying to embarrass the hell out of me, a light chuckle from the mesmerizing blonde breaks me away from the Hulk-like rage that was building up.

"Shut up, Wheezy!" I yell in her direction before looking back at Brittany. "You'll have to excuse her... she gets really cranky when she doesn't have caffeine in her system," I try to explain and hopefully re-direct our conversation away from the flirting comment. "I guess she has a point though. If you wanna just wait over there, your drink should be ready shortly."

"Oh wait, how much do I owe you?" Brittany asks.

"Don't worry about it," I simply reply.

"Really?" Brittany asks in disbelief.

"Really... consider it as a welcome to the food court gang gift."

"Wow, thanks..." Brittany responds bashfully. "Could you at least tell me your name since you don't have on a fancy name tag like myself?"

"It's Santana..."

"Santana... I like it," she says as she reaches over the counter to shake my hand. "It's nice to officially meet you. Maybe you'll come visit me on your break?"

The hopefulness in Brittany's voice almost makes me melt.

"Yeah... sure thing, Britt." I didn't even realize the nickname that I had given this girl I've known for all of 5 minutes, but she didn't seem to mind.

"Okay, see ya later then," Brittany replies. "And thanks again, San!"

I smile in return as she walks over to the side, allowing the next customer to step up. As I make my way through the line of people that had formed while I was lost in Brittany's eyes, sure enough, when my break time came, I went straight to Chick-fil-a to see her.

Err… I meant to get a snack. Yeah, right… who am I kidding?

Since that day of our first meeting, Brittany and I developed a sort of routine.

During the first week, we started out slowly, visiting each other during our allotted 15 minute breaks. Brittany always ordered the same caramel frap while I ordered a medium Lemonade with waffle fries and ranch dressing. During the second week, Brittany and I started taking our 30 minute lunch breaks together so that we could actually sit down and have an uninterrupted conversation. Little by little, we started to learn so much about each other and became instant friends.

I learned that Brittany worked at the mall every Monday and Wednesday night while I worked every Tuesday and Thursday night. We both worked mornings on the weekends together... cue the smiley face. I also learned all about her cat Lord Tubbington and his smoking addiction. It sounded a little odd at first, but the way Brittany talks about him is endearing, so I really didn't mind.

I learned that Brittany was a Senior at McKinley High, while I was one at Carmel High. We both were on our school's cheerleading teams and respective Glee clubs. I found it weird that I hadn't ran into Brittany before… I would've definitely remembered those stunning blue eyes. However, she then explained to me that her family had just moved to Lima about a month ago and McKinley hadn't competed against Carmel since she joined either of the teams.

I guess that makes sense.

I learned that Brittany loved to dance and was hoping to attend Julliard once she graduated from high school. I, myself, love to sing and hope to pursue it after graduation. I had contemplated on studying at UCLA or NYU, but I haven't made a decision yet. But hey, if Brittany's going to possibly be in New York as well, then maybe…

No… it's way too early to even be thinking like that.

Getting to know Brittany was the best part of coming to work, even at the ass crack of dawn on a Saturday or Sunday morning when I should be wrapped up in my warm blankets. She's unlike anyone I've ever met before. Sure… sometimes she says things that are completely off the wall, but she's just so adorable that I don't even really notice how strange her statements probably sound to other people, I feel like I've known her my entire life.

At first, I thought these feelings I was beginning to have for her were purely friendship with a hint of a crush on the side. But, the more time I spend with her and allow myself to get swept away in her awesomeness, the more I realize… I'm falling for her.

It's no secret to my closest friends or family that I dig the ladies. Since I came out last year, I feel like this giant weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I used to be a total bitch and care so much about what other people thought of me and what they might say behind my back if they knew the real me. But then, on one particular day during Junior year, all of that changed. Mercedes had found me crying in the girl's locker room, but she didn't pry to figure out why I was crying. We really didn't know each other that well outside of sharing a few classes and being in Glee club together, but for whatever reason, I had always been a bitch to her whenever we made contact. She could've easily capitalized on my very vulnerable state, especially with all of the hell I'd given her in the past.

Instead… she embraced me and allowed me to cry on her shoulder for the next few minutes. Once I stopped sobbing like a pansy, I whispered out a barely audible "I'm gay". I was expecting Mercedes to flip out and possibly push me off of her, but she didn't. Instead, she responded with an "okay, so what?" and then proceeded to tell me to "stop crying like a little bitch". I tilted my head back slightly to look at her with a bemused expression before the laughter escaped my lips. Mercedes then took it a step further and told me that I was awesome, but it was really hard to see when I was such a bitch all of the time. She then said that if the people I considered to be my real friends couldn't handle it, then fuck them.

I took her advice and finally started being honest with myself and everyone else that was closest to me. From that day on, Mercedes became my best friend and really the only friend I needed after the others disappointed me. But then Brittany came and I felt like I could actually have another friend.

Well… that was the case until I started falling for her. Whoopsies.

Anyways…

After the third week, Brittany and I exchanged numbers and randomly texted each other during class or while one of us was working and the other wasn't. Whenever we did work together, we would steal shy, subtle glances at each other from across the way where our respective places of employment were set up. It was moments like these were I felt that maybe— just maybe — Brittany might feel something for me too. We never directly asked each other about our sexual preferences, but in one way or another, I figured out that we were both single.

I've thought many times over the past few weeks about asking her to hang out outside of work, but I always chickened out. I guess the fear of her saying "no" or her thinking it would be weird paralyzed me from following through with these plans. It doesn't help either when Mercedes constantly teases me about Brittany. She's lucky that she's my best friend or else I would've punched her in the throat by now.

About a month ago, a new music store opened up adjacent to the food court. Will, the owner of the store, seemed like a pretty cool guy. To attract more customers in, he would often give an impromptu performance right outside of his store. He has a really nice voice and his guitar playing skills weren't too shabby. As he drew more attention in, he came to some sort of agreement with the owners of the mall, which allowed him to set up a makeshift stage right in the center of food court. It was very entertaining for not only the customers shopping, but for the employees that worked in the mall as well. And it wasn't just Will that would sing either. All of his employees were very talented and took turns showing off their skills as well.

One of his employees, Sam, caught Mercedes' eye. He had bleach blonde, Bieber-type hair, an athletic build, and the biggest lips I've ever seen. Mercedes was immediately smitten with him, especially after she heard him sing. Fulfilling my duties as her best friend, I took it upon myself to tease the hell out of her and then get Sam's number for her. After that, they became an instant couple and we got a lot more visits from him. Sam turned out to be a pretty cool guy, so I didn't mind that he was dating my best friend. He even talked to his boss about letting me and Cedes join in on the "Food Court Concert" that we so aptly named.

After we got the okay from Will, performing a song during our breaks became a daily thing. I still did my lunch breaks with Brittany, but every once in a while she would personally request for me to sing a song because she enjoyed the sound of my voice. I've heard people praise my voice before, but coming from her made me feel incredible. I've also asked her to sing on a few occasions after catching her singing softly to herself when she thought no one else was around, but she declined. She said that she wouldn't want to embarrass herself cuz her voice isn't as strong as mine or Mercedes' or Sam's or Will's. From what I've heard, she has a very sweet and delicate voice – again, angel-like — but if she didn't feel comfortable singing in front of people, I wasn't going to force her.

I've thought about singing a song specifically for her to sort of break the ice and tell her how I feel, but once again, I chickened out. Mercedes even offered to help me out with the whole Brittany situation, saying that would drop some subtle hints and do a little recon to see if I even have a chance with this amazing girl. I appreciated the offer, but I said no. Even if she was able to ascertain whether or not Brittany actually liked me in a more than friends way, I was still way too scared to do anything about it.

I just need a little more time to build up my confidence.

Back to present day…

As I look up from the counter top to find exactly where Brittany's voice is coming from, I am shocked to see her standing on the makeshift stage.

"H-hello everybody…" Brittany cutely stumbles over her words. "I hope that you've all been enjoying your meals and/or your shopping experience."

As she receives a few head nods from the crowd, she continues.

"I d-don't usually do this, but I thought it was t-time for me to stop being so afraid," she pauses and looks directly at me. With a nervous smile, she proceeds. "Anyways, here goes nothin'."

As I see Sam suddenly appear on stage behind Brittany, strumming his guitar, I feel slightly frazzled by the events that are taking place in front of me

All I knew this morning when I woke
Is I know something now, know something now I didn't before

I'm completely at a loss for words cuz right now, Brittany is singing! This is the first time I've actually heard her singing out loud, let alone in front of so many people. Her voice is beautiful… so beautiful that I don't even mind the grumbling in my stomach since we were actually supposed to be eating lunch at the moment.

And all I've seen since eighteen hours ago
Is brown eyes and that dimple in your smile
In the back of my mind making me feel right

The way that Brittany shyly looks at me and from the slight changes she's made in the lyrics, I can't help but think that she's specifically singing to me. Maybe there was more meaning to her use of the word afraid that didn't solely refer to her stage fright. Maybe she was afraid just like I was.

I just wanna know you better, know you better, know you better now

"She's gonna need a little help with this next part," Mercedes says while handing me a microphone.

Where the hell did that come from?

I just wanna know you better, know you better, know you better now

With a pointed look and a stiff shove from Mercedes, I finally take the hint and start moving my lips to harmonize with Brittany.

I just wanna know you better, know you better, know you better now

As I make my way from around the counter and towards the stage, my eyes lock with Brittany's a shy smile quickly flashes upon her face.

I just wanna know you, know you, know you…

As I finally make it up onto the stage and stand right in front of Brittany, my heart is beating a million miles per minute.

'Cause all I know is we said, "Hello."
And your eyes look like coming home
All I know is a simple name
Everything has changed

There is so much truth in those words. The moment I met Brittany, my whole perspective on my life and my future changed.

All I know is you held the door
You'll be mine and I'll be yours
All I know since yesterday is…

Everything has changed

I have changed for the better, simply by just knowing this incredible woman standing right in front of me. This is my chance to convey how important she has become to me in this short amount of time.

And all my walls stood tall painted blue
And I'll take them down, take them down and open up the door for you

I see her eyes start to slightly water as she closes them and sings her lines.

And all I feel in my stomach is butterflies
The beautiful kind, making up for lost time

Taking flight, making me feel right

Brittany slowly opens her eyes back up and looks deep into mine. She appears to have a new found resolve and determination.

I just wanna know you better, know you better, know you better now
I just wanna know you better, know you better, know you better now
I just wanna know you better, know you better, know you better now
I just wanna know you, know you, know you

As we make it through the chorus, I feel somewhat confident and reach out to hold Brittany's free hand. The hitch that appears in her voice by our sudden contact isn't lost on me.

Come back and tell me why
I'm feeling like I've missed you all this time (oh, oh, oh)
And meet me there tonight
And let me know that it's not all in my mind

As Brittany gently retracts her hand from my grasp, I'm saddened by the loss of contact. Maybe I took it too far? As soon as that thought enters my mind, it quickly dissipates as Brittany raises her hand and softly stokes my cheek, causing me to involuntarily close my eyes and lose myself in this moment.

I just wanna know you better, know you better, know you better now
I just wanna know you, know you, know you…

I just listen to Brittany's angelic voice until I know I have to sing again. I then slowly open my eyes and sing the chorus with her again as she lowers her hand.

All I know is we said, "Hello."
So dust off your highest hopes
All I know is pouring rain and everything has changed
All I know is a new found grace
All my days I'll know your face
All I know since yesterday is…

Brittany then grabs my hand and squeezes it tightly as we sing the last line of the song, looking so deep into my eyes.

Everything has changed

As the crowd erupts after our duet, we both smile and wave before exiting the stage. As Brittany drags me towards the carousel – whilst still holding my hand, might I add — we finally reach a more secluded spot to finally talk about what just happened. Once we sit down on one of the benches, we both open our mouths to say something, but quickly stop when we see the other do the exact same thing. We share a brief giggle.

"That was… you're amazing Britt," I state sincerely. "I've spent far too much time thinking that instead of just saying that to you since we've met."

Brittany has an earnest look mixed with genuine surprise on her face. I guess no one's ever told her how amazing she was before.

"I've spent so much time being a coward and being too afraid to tell you how much I care about you, and then you go and do that…" I say as I point towards the now vacant stage. "You're way too good for me. You're sweet, you're funny, you're smart, you're beautiful…" I aimlessly list as Brittany just sits there, shaking her head in disbelief. "I mean, seriously… you're just perfect."

"I'm really not…" Brittany starts out. I open my mouth to cut her off and tell her that she's wrong, but she holds up her hand to tell me to give her a second to finish. I oblige. "I'm far from perfect… but just hearing all of those wonderful things that you just said about me makes me feel perfect."

Now my eyes are getting a little glossy.

"And if anyone's too good for me… it's you," she continues. "You make me feel smart and beautiful, just by being you. I know I say a lot of things that probably don't make sense sometimes, but you've never once called me stupid or just written me off like everyone else usually does," Brittany says as she wipes an stray tear from her eye.

The fact that anyone would ever call Brittany stupid or voluntarily miss out on a chance to be in the presence of this amazing woman is beyond me. It makes me angry, yet it also makes me feel special to know those other people's wasted opportunities are now my gain.

"Go out with me," I accidentally blurt out. So uncool, Lopez! After I hear a light chuckle emit from Brittany's mouth, I take a deep breath to calm my nerves before opening my mouth again. "What I meant to say is… will you go out with me?"

Instead of saying "yes" or "no" or even a "maybe", Brittany looks down and tangles her fingers with mine before slowly leaning forward and closing the gap between our lips. For 2 months, I've imagined this moment so many times in my head, but never actually thought it would happen. I was content on just having Brittany in my life, even if it was just as a friend, but I don't think I have to worry about that anymore. Compared to the real thing, my imagination sucks balls!

As Brittany gently massages her lips against mine, I can't help but cradle her cheek with my free hand and draw her closer, thus deepening our kiss. I don't get too crazy now cuz we're in a public place and technically, we're still at work. However, I kiss her deep enough to let her know that I truly meant every word that I said. As we break apart for air, a lazy smile forms on my face.

"Not that that wasn't a way better answer than I expected…" I start off with my eyes still closed, "I think I still need verbal confirmation… just to be sure," I finish, finally opening my eyes and meeting Brittany's crystal blues staring right back at me.

She leans in again and delicately connects our lips, smiling into our kiss. "Yes…" she breathlessly responds. The corners of my mouth immediately tug upwards as I can't believe that I finally get to go on a date with the girl of my dreams.

As my eyes remain close and my forehead rests against Brittany's, a loud clearing of the throat breaks us out of our little bubble.

"Ahem… sorry to break you love birds up, but your break is just about up Satan," Mercedes interrupts. I finally look up and see her and Sam standing in front of the bench we were sitting on. "I figured you'd rather have me come get you instead of the boss man that takes his job entirely too serious."

Mercedes and I share a laugh before I reluctantly pull away from Brittany and give Cedes a slight head nod in understanding.

"We'll give you two a minute to say goodbye," Mercedes states as she shoots me a wink.

"Awesome duet, guys!" Sam exclaims as he's being pulled away by his girlfriend.

Brittany and I both stand up and began walking towards Chick-fil-a, still holding hands by the way.

"So… I hope this isn't too soon, but do you have any plans after work?" I hesitantly ask.

"Actually, I do…" Brittany responds. My smile falters a little, knowing that I'll have to wait to have my date with Brittany. She then lifts up my chin and looks into my eyes. "My plans are with you, silly…"

The bright smile that was on my face re-emerges as I begin to think of what to do on first official date.

"Oh, okay… you had me worried for a second," I sheepishly reply. "Is there anything in particular that you wanna do on our first date?"

"Question … haven't all of the times we shared lunch together been dates?" Brittany inquires.

"I guess you could call our lunch meetings dates," I reply. I mean, whenever we do eat, usually only one of us pays and the other pays the next time. Or whenever we visit each other, we usually comp the other's drink or snack. Plus, we've been slowly getting to know each other over these past 2 months.

Have me and Britt been dating all of this time?

"Does that mean we've been dating for 2 months?" I ask, echoing my previous thoughts.

"I guess it does," Brittany responds. "So, does that mean we're like girlfriends then?"

My mouth suddenly goes dry from Brittany's question. I mean, of course I want Brittany to be my girlfriend, but I didn't want to rush her into anything.

"Umm… do you want to be my girlfriend?"

"That depends…" Brittany retorts, taking a step closer to me. "Do you want me to be your girlfriend?"

"Very much so…" I state honestly.

"Good… then I'm your girlfriend then," she proudly states, "… and you're mine."

Once, again… that goofy, lazy smile appears across my face. This is by far the Best. Date. Ever!

"Okay… since we're officially girlfriends now and tonight will technically be like our 10th date, what do you wanna do?"

If the mischievous smirk that graced Brittany's features wasn't a clear indicator of the trouble I was in, then her words definitely did the trick.

"Honestly… I really just want to be alone with you," she whispers seductively into my ear.

Yep… there go my ovaries!

"I t-think that c-can be arranged," I stutter out, just like the first day I met her. "I gotta get back to my post."

"Okay then… I can't wait to see you outside of work," Brittany says softly as she pecks me on the cheek.

How she can go from that incredibly sexy tone to this pure innocent one is beyond me. I'm not questioning it though… just gives me something to look forward to.

As I finally make it back over to Starbucks and duck behind the counter, I look up to find Brittany smiling at me from across the way. I smile back and start counting down the hours until I get to spend some actual quality time with my girlfriend.

To think… the day before I met Brittany, I almost quit my job. Thank Baby Jesus that I didn't!

Whether it would've been at the food court or maybe during one of our cheerleading meets or sing-offs, I truly believe that meeting Brittany was inevitable. We were meant to meet so that we could become friends and so that I could slowly start to fall head-over-heels in love with her. I'll eventually tell her, but for now… I'm just gonna enjoy being able to look up and see her bright blue eyes staring back at mine.

Author's Note:

What up guys?! Yes, I know… this isn't an update for Recipe or You and Me, but I just can seem to bring myself to write the final chapter for those stories. I don't want it to be over so I am craftily distracting you all with these one-shots . Eventually I will end the madness and finally finish those stories, but until then, I hope you guys have still been enjoying my other work. I just thought of this cute idea yesterday and decided to roll with it. Initially, I was gonna use the song "Falling Slowly" (hence the title) but I've had this other song stuck in my head and thought it went perfectly with Brittana. Again, thanks to all of you guys for your love and support… it really means a lot!

-Kris :p

PS – I dedicate this story to an awesome girl named Beth (aka Purple-Ketchup) that I met on here when I first started writing fan fics. I know you've been going through a rough time as of late, but hopefully this story made you smile

Songs Used:

Everything Has Changed by Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran

Disclaimer:

I do NOT own Glee, Starbucks, Chick-fil-a, or Fox (just in case any of you were wondering).