Chapter Text
“Hey, is there any chance you could change these $10s into dollar bills for me?” were the first words Santana paid any real attention to in her shift that morning.
Well, more so the person they were coming from and not the actual words, which she found herself having to embarrassingly ask the beautiful blonde in front of her to repeat in a voice that shook way too much for her liking. She had spent all morning and all day yesterday dealing with bratty little kids with too much of their parents money and no concept of what too much even was. Then in walks this girl and the soda she had had to clean up all over the cash register after a child had thrown a tantrum had all been worth it if it meant working near this goddess of a human being.
“Hi- hello?” she saw a hand pass in front of her face, almost slapping her with the money it held, “are you okay, you’re pretty far away there, don’t worry I totally understand! Sometimes my manager is talking and I just end up looking at her mouth and wondering how so many words can come out of such a tiny person and whether she’s actually so full of words sometimes that that’s why she looks so angry and scrunchy.”
Santana snapped to as she watched the girl in front of her lose her smile in the midst of her rambling.
“Oh my god! I’m so sorry!” she was shaking her head in embarrassment, “I’m not usually like this. I’m so sorry I’m being so rude to you! You wanted to change some money over?”
“Hi!” the girl chirped “welcome back” she responded with a smirk that Santana did not mind seeing at all on that face. “And yes, that would be great if you could, we’re running really low at the bar”.
“Of course, all $1 bills?” she asked opening up and reaching into the register, working her slightly shaking hand around the ones that were sticky from earlier and moving to the more crisp ones at the bottom.
“Yes, thank you! You’re a life saver! My boss sent me out without any information about where to get the money and it’s only my second day. I’m a bit overwhelmed with it all…” she trailed off flushing a little at the end. Santana thought it was the most adorable thing she had ever seen, and adorable didn’t cross her mind or her vocabulary often.
“Oh. Well no worries about the money thing if she sends you out again, we get a lot of kids paying in cash, so we usually have some to spare. I hope it gets a little less overwhelming for you, new jobs can be hard”.
“Thank you. There’s a lot of new in my life at once right now so that means a lot. And,” she said with a small smile, gathering up the money Santana had counted out for her, “if it means I get to come and speak to a pretty girl every time I’m sent out then I don’t mind doing it way more often.” she finished with a wink, spun around and wandered away leaving Santana as the blushing one now, frozen in place until a greasy pre-teen banged on the counter calling her ‘Lady’ and demanding her attention.
Well, her work days were certainly starting to look up if that was going to become a common encounter. She was definitely okay with that.
“Rachel, you will never guess what happened to me today!” Santana shouted across the apartment as she walked through the door and dropped her keys into the bowl on the table just inside.
“If this is another story about you getting written up for threatening a child with physical violence then I don’t want to know.” was the response she got from the kitchen she was making her way toward.
“Ha ha, very funny” her usual sarcasm followed, “No, well, I mean, maybe that too. But…” she tossed her bag on the counter and took a seat on one of the stools surrounding the island the split the living room from the kitchen, “I maybe kind of met someone…” she finished, getting a little more shy toward the end of the sentence.
“What? Really?” Rachel looked up from whatever it was she was cooking, “Are you sure?”
“Wait, what is that supposed to mean?” Santana quipped a little annoyed by whatever Rachel was insinuating.
“Oh, nothing, no I didn’t mean anything by it. It’s just that, well-“
“What Rachel?!” Santana and Rachel may have come a long way since their warring days in high school, but Santana could still make her quiver a little when she brought out the old HBIC voice that was usually only reserved for douchey guys with wandering hands and parents that took it all a little too far at work.
“I mean, you’re just a little oblivious sometimes, and well, your definition of flirting, I know you want to think you’re some kind of lady-killer type but, sometimes I think I have more game than you, and we both know that’s saying something.”
“Okay,” Santana paused and held up her hand toward Rachel in defence, “I’m gonna stop you right there Rach. Sure I’ve had my mishaps, like the girl I assumed was flirting with me at the restaurant who turned out to be a homophobic asshole, but I have apologised again and again for how long it took you to get spaghetti out of your sweater. And if anything I did you a favour, cause that cat inspired clothing choice was not one of your better decisions. But come on, I’m not that terrible. AND anyway! This girl was totally flirting, there were winks, it was a blushing, boob sweat worthy situation”. She huffed out the last of her speech and gave Rachel a pointed look, ushering her response.
“Alright, I trust you. Continue, on with the story that doesn’t trash my fashion sense, I am too tired to argue today.” Rachel waved her on.
“Are you okay?” Santana was about to launch into her story, but Rachel letting her win the battle with a cheap shot at the cat sweater was an unusual outcome, most times arguments went on until Rachel was worried about harming her voice or Santana just walked out mid sentence. They weren’t usually serious, if their high school friends could see them now they’d be so confused at what their relationship had become. They mostly just kept each other on their toes, and had a very sibling-like relationship, they both had a lot of opinions and enjoyed trying to one-up each other. They cared though, they’d lived through enough difficult times together now, before and after they got over themselves enough to call each other friends. So of course Santana would pause her story to check in, she wasn’t a monster.
“Yeah, yeah. Class was just really hard today” she looked as though she was going to stop there, but Santana made sure to nod for her to carry on, she sighed, turning away from the stovetop, “The people I told you about last week in my dance class, they just have a lot to say about me and my looks and my body and my rhythm, basically everything. They seem to enjoy making me feel awful about myself. I’m choosing to take it as a compliment though, deciding they must be too threatened by me and my talent and this is their way of trying to knock me out of their way. I’m trying to tell myself that anyway…” Her food had all but been abandoned as her focus shifted to what she had been trying to deal with lately.
“Those fucking jerks. Rach, whatever they’re saying you know it’s not true right. You’re right, you are the most talented one there. And I promise whenever, if you ever want someone to come in and give them a taste of their own medicine, I will happily dropkick any child out of my way and make sure Snixx pays them a kindly visit”. Santana smiled at her, slightly menacingly, but with all the love she had.
“Thank you Santana, that kind of violence for once is somewhat appreciated.” Rachel softly smiled back. “Now, continue with the story of your meet-cute, I would like to hear the end of this before I both cook and eat my dinner, I do have plans you know.” she teased.
“Sure you do.” Santana responded with an eyeroll, “But anyway, long story short, she was beautiful, she flirted, she was blonde and tall and funny and I was a stuttering mess and I’m either going to have to marry her or leave the country so I never have to see her again because she’s too perfect. And that’s all I have to say on the matter”. She stopped, feeling a little embarrassed with how completely uncool she was sounding. Rachel was just smiling widely at her. It was unnerving.
“Aww, Santana” Rachel was amused and Santana was not okay with that, “That’s so sweet, kind of dramatic, but I’ve never heard you talk about anyone like that. Are you going to see her again?”
“Okay, shut up. And maybe, she works nearby, she came in to get change and said she hopes she gets sent out more often if it means she gets to see me so like that I totally can’t deal with that but also I really hope she does…. Gosh I sound like a cheesy teenager. I’m ending this conversation now. What are you making for dinner, it smells good and I’m feeling lazy tonight.”
“You’re always lazy when it comes to food, but sure, I suppose there’s enough to share.”