Meeting in the Middle | Brittana
Attempting to keep the streak going from last year’s offering for Brittana’s Anniversary! Here we have the first chapter of a new short story I’ve been working on. Trying to get back in the swing of things so sorry for the cliches (but not really). Enjoy!
      When her plane lands early on a Wednesday morning, Brittany can’t help but feel disappointed in herself. She had no one to blame but herself, it was her fault and she had to live with it. Usually trips home came with feelings of excitement, but all she feels as she stares out of the window as the plane slows to a stop is anything but excitement. She couldn’t believe she was back in the same small town she hoped she’d never have to come back to. Sure, short visits during the holidays were okay but this was different.
This wasn’t just a short visit.
Brittany rested her hand on the brace wrapped around her knee and breathed in deeply. It was sore, but that was probably due to such a cramped cabin and barely any leg space. She had an appointment already organized to get it properly checked out but that wans’t until Monday and the pain pills she had taken before she left Los Angeles were probably wearing off now. Plus the guy in front of her just had to have his seat all the way back too so that didn’t really help either. Brittany did a little stretch before pulling out her phone to switch off Airplane Mode.
      Two texts from her mom came through first telling Brittany that she and her dad couldn’t wait to see her and that they’d be waiting at the gate. Brittany quickly typed back a response saying she had just landed then slipped her phone in her back pocket in time to grab her carryon bag from the overhead compartment.
      As Brittany walks to Luggage Claim A, her attention is grabbed by the unmistakable squeal of happiness that could only come from one person in the whole world. She looks up in time to see her mom with the biggest smile on her face on her way over with arms wide, ready for a hug.
      “Welcome home, hun!” Whitney exclaimed then wrapped Brittany in a tight hug.
      “Thanks, mom.” Brittany sighed as she felt herself start to crumble in the embrace. She swallowed the lump in her throat that had been camping out since she began her journey home late last night, “Where’s dad?”
      Whitney pulled away and squinted as she looked back at the way she came, “He was right behind me, I swear. Pierce!” Just then the luggage belt began to move and suitcases started to tumble down. Whitney patted Brittany’s shoulder and gestured to move closer to the luggage claim, “He probably got distracted by the souvenir shop, you know how much he loves those things.”
      Brittany just chuckled as she kept an eye out for her suitcase, “They have the coolest stuff.”
      “Brittany gets it.” Pierce stated as he poked at his wife’s side, sending her a wink, before giving Brittany a big hug, “Long time no see! You’ve gotten so tall!”
      “Dad..I stopped growing a long time ago.” Brittany shook her head at her dad’s humor and smiled at her parents, “Thanks for picking me up.”
      “Of course, dear.” Whitney replied with a softened smile, “We’re happy to help and we’re glad you’re back home.”
      “Yeah, me too.” Brittany lied, that same feeling of disappointment creeping back again.
      After retrieving Brittany’s luggage, Whitney and Pierce drove Brittany to the apartment they had scoped out upon Brittany’s arrival. Brittany had been hard at work before she left LA organizing a place to live when she got back to Ohio, not really wanting to go back to her parents’ house as it was already a low blow for her having to return to her hometown under the certain circumstances.
      The recently remodeled apartment building was situated in the more built up part of town which somewhat reminded Brittany of where she lived in LA. Nothing in Lima could really compare to the fast pace lifestyle she had become so accustomed to, but it was still a nice try. She was close to a couple diners, a corner store, and Quinn’s café was just a couple blocks back.
      “You’re #303.” Pierce said as he led the way. He dug in his pocket for the key and said to Brittany over his shoulder, “I think you’ve already got a visitor.”
      As he pushed open the door, Brittany was greeted by a familiar meow.
      “Tubbs!” Brittany squealed as she reached down to lift up the fluffiest cat in the Lima, “You’re so skinny, have you been dieting?”
      Lord Tubbington just purred and nuzzled happily in Brittany’s arms.
      “So your first appointment is on Monday,” Whitney reminded Brittany as they brought up the last of Brittany’s belongings, “I’ve put the business card on the fridge just there and you’ll have your car by then but if you’re more comfortable with your dad taking you then-“
      “I should be okay.” Brittany interrupted, not wanting to be a burden on anyone or seem incapable because of the dumb brace.
      Pierce just frowned and set a hand on Brittany’s shoulder, “We’re happy to help you, Britt.”
      “Thanks.” Brittany answered shortly then cleared her throat as she looked around at the boxes and suitcases, “Well, I should probably get to work unpacking.”
      Whitney and Pierce looked to each other then back at Brittany and nodded, offering small smiles. They each hugged and kissed their daughter before saying their goodbyes. Once they had gone, Brittany took a seat on the second-hand couch and took a deep breath, soaking in the silence. LT soon joined her and nestled into her side.
Brittany looked around her new place; cute kitchenette right when you walked in that opened into the living room, to the right led to a small balcony that looked out on to the city park, and to the left was the bathroom then Brittany’s room. It was a lovely place, tiny, but enough for Brittany and Tubbs. Plus, less space meant less to clean!
Brittany scratched behind his ear and stared out the window of her small living room, “Home sweet home, huh Tubbs?”
LT just blinked blankly at her.
Brittany just smirked and gave him a gentle pat, “Let’s unpack.”
      It’s not until the next day after two trips to the corner store for a much needed grocery shop and basic necessities that Brittany finally gets the time to give Quinn a call. They had grown up together and remained close friends even after Brittany had moved to LA. Quinn always looked out for Brittany in high school and was a great tutor when Brittany began to struggle. Brittany was also there for Quinn, even when Beth came along during Quinn’s second year of college and the Fabrays didn’t want anything to do with her. The Pierce’s treated Quinn and Beth like family and Brittany got the sister and niece she’d always wanted.
      “Brittany!” A high pitched squeak answered down the line after two rings.
      Brittany couldn’t help but smile at the little blonde’s excitement, “Hey Beth, how are you?”
      “I’m good, when are you comin’ to visit? I miss you, it’s been forever since I saw you.” Beth asked sounding a little breathless, no doubt running around.
      “It has been a long time, huh? Don’t worry, I’ll be by soon,” Brittany answered, as she began to put away the last few bags of stuff she bought earlier, “Is your mom around?”
      “Yup, I’ll go get her!”
      Several muttered voices and lots of stomping later, Brittany faintly heard the voice of her best friend, “Thank you, baby. Now go get cleaned up, we’re leaving soon. Britt?”
      “Hey Q,” Brittany answered, “You busy?”
      “Of course not, I’ve only been waiting for your call since you’ve landed!” Quinn teased, “How are you? Settling in?”
      “Yeah, you know.” Brittany sighed as she looked around the small apartment, most of the boxes had been broken down already but the place was still a mess, “I’m getting there.”
      “That’s good. We’ve got to catch up soon; Beth has been so excited since I told her you were moving back.”
      “Me too.” Brittany lied.
      “You don’t have to lie.” Quinn laughed, always able to see right through her, “I know how much it sucks that you’ve had to come back. You loved LA.”
      “Yeah, I did..”
      “Well, you love us more. Anyway, how’s the knee?”
      “Hurts.” Brittany frowned, looking down at the brace. She took a deep breath, felt the tears begin to well in her eyes, “I really messed up, Q.”
      “Brittany..don’t-“ Suddenly Quinn’s cut off by the sound of Beth crying, “Shit. I’m coming, honey! This kid, I swear. Can I call you back?”
      Brittany wipes the tears and takes a deep breath in attempt to make her voice sound even, “Yeah, of course.”
      When Quinn does manage to call back it’s only for a couple minutes; they’re on the way to Beth’s ballet rehearsal but she does manage to set up a day for her and Brittany to catch up and that makes Brittany feel a little better.
      When Monday rolls around, Brittany feels anxious. It’s her first appointment and she knows she’ll have to attend physical therapy, but she’s never liked going to the doctor’s. Maybe it’s the fear that she might never get to dance again or maybe she just hates the smell; either way, she feels antsy as she says her goodbyes to LT and heads for the lift.
      As she’s locking the door, she hears a couple voices down the hall. She’s surprised because for the past few days she thought she was the only one who lived on her floor it had been that quiet. Brittany was just about to peek around the corner when she realized the conversation she had been overhearing was actually an argument.
      “You’re never around, Dani!” The first woman snapped, “You don’t make an effort, like at all!”
      “Seriously? That’s your excuse?” The second woman replies, Dani.
She’s angry, Brittany can tell by the sound of her voice, but not as angry as the other person. They sound like they’re getting closer and for some reason Brittany is frozen at her front door. She knows she’ll have to walk past them, but she doesn’t want to feel like she’s intruding on this private conversation yet she already has and now she feels awkward.
“It’s not an excuse. It’s true! Tonight was really important to me and yet again you’ve made me feel stupid for waiting around for you.” The first woman says and Brittany cringes at the mention of a word she hates, “What’s the point anymore?”
“You know my schedule is tight, I can’t just stop what I’m doing for small gigs like that.”
The woman laughs but it’s not because she finds the other funny, it’s pure sarcasm, “Wow. Sorry I’m not big and important like you.”
“Come on, that’s not what I meant.”
“So what am I supposed to do then? Just wait around until it’s convenient for you? How is that fair? This relationship is so fucking one sided and I’m sick of it!”
Brittany straightens at the word relationship and realizes that they must be dating then catches how invested she is in their conversation and shakes her head at how wrong she is for listening. She finally builds up the courage to head for the lifts, but just as she turns, she drops her keys and they noisily fall to the floor. She grits her teeth and quickly scoops them up hoping she could turn invisible, but sadly she doesn’t go unnoticed.
When Brittany stands, she finds stormy, dark brown eyes narrowed in her direction.
Granted, they’re stormy, dark brown eyes that belong to a beautiful Latina with long, dark, wavy hair swept over her shoulder. The woman’s lips are full and look super soft but she purses them at Brittany and her furrows her brows.
Brittany blinks out of staring, suddenly feeling flushed, and offers a nervous smile, “Uh..hi.”
The Latina just rolls her eyes and looks back at the blue-haired woman in front of her, “I think you should probably go home.”
Brittany takes that as her cue as well and hurries to the lift, the argument continuing behind her but at a much lower tone. Once safe behind the doors, she scolds herself for being so nosey. She couldn’t believe how long she let herself listen to some strangers’ conversation like that, but she was thankful that the Latina didn’t go off on her too.
Easily making it the highlight of the day, Brittany headed to her appointment with the image of the very angry yet very attractive woman in her mind.
      “Well Miss Pierce, your x-rays are in and I have good news and bad news.” Dr. Andrews commented as he secured them to the board, “Good news is nothing’s broken.”
      Brittany let out a sigh of relief and nodded, “That’s good.”
      “It is.” Dr. Andrews replied and swiveled in his chair to look at Brittany, “Bad news is you’ve torn your meniscus pretty good.”
Brittany felt her shoulders slump, but she wasn’t really surprised. She’s been injured before, so much so that she had gotten pretty good at self diagnosing, but it’s not the first time she’s had trouble with her knee.
“You can’t see the tear on here, these were just used to rule out any breaks,” Dr. Andrews continued then looked to Brittany, “Have you had problems with this knee in the past?”
Brittany nodded, a feeling a little guilty, “A few years back I had a similar injury. It’s usually fine but sometimes it acts up if I don’t warm up really well first.”
Dr. Andrews noted that on his clipboard, “Did you get it checked out?”
“Kind of?” Brittany mumbled then shook her head, “I didn’t really have the money at the time to go to an actual doctor.”
“I see,” He said and pushed his wire-framed glasses up the bridge of his nose before offering a kind smile, “I can understand that. Well, with this being your second tear to the same knee you’re going to have to be extremely careful. We don’t want this to get worse. At this stage you won’t need surgery, but that can change depending on you and how you take care of yourself. That means no strenuous activities, no jogging, and definitely no dancing.”
      “Right.” Brittany answered as she stared down at her twiddling fingers feeling like her whole world just ended, “That’ll be hard.”
“Small price to pay.” Dr. Andrews shrugged, “It could be a lot worse, but you’re very lucky it isn’t.”
“Dancing is just all I have going for me,” Brittany sighed as she shook her head, “I wasn’t good in school, Doc, dancing is it for me and if I can’t do that then what am I supposed to do? It’s all I’ve got; I don’t have a backup plan.”
      “I’m sorry, Miss Pierce.” Dr. Andrews said, not really knowing what to say, then added, “Hey, this is only temporary. You’ll get to dance again and that’s something you should be happy about. It may not be as soon as you’d like, but it will happen.” Brittany looked to him and gave a thankful smile, “Maybe take this time to see what else you’re good at, huh? I’ll write up a prescription for the pain and the swelling. I’ll give you the business card of the physical therapist I recommend as well. She really is amazing and I’m not just saying that because she’s my wife.”
      Brittany chuckled at that and waited as he tore off the papers she needed to take to reception, “Thanks a lot, Doc.”
      “No problem.” He smiled and handed her the papers, “I’ll see you in a few weeks. Good luck, Miss Pierce!”
      It was a low blow for Brittany, not being able to dance, but she knew Dr. Andrews was right when he called her lucky. She really was and deep down, underneath the guilt and disappointment of being so clumsy and complacent, Brittany knew there wasn’t anything that was going to keep her from dancing. Other than a torn meniscus, but like the doc said, that’s only temporary.
      She went straight to the chemist to file her prescription since she was beginning to run low on her other pain medication. Thankfully it wasn’t too busy and she was able to be in and out in no time. With the poking and prodding done at her appointment, her knee had been pretty sore and she couldn’t wait to get home and rest.
      When Brittany gets back to her apartment building, she had almost forgotten the embarrassing moment when she got caught listening in on her neighbor’s conversation. Lucky for her, she’s instantly reminded as the lift doors open and a familiar blue-haired woman looks up at her. The woman looks like she has been crying and Brittany offers a small smile as they pass each other. She wonders what happened and if the Latina with the sultry yet very intimidating voice is okay. Then she remembers she probably wouldn’t be so interested if she was minding her own business in the first place.
      Brittany returns to her home and instantly turns on the kettle before changing out of her brace and jeans.
      “Ready for some dinner, Tubbs?” Brittany calls out as she returns to the kitchen in comfy, baggy sweats and her hair up in a messy bun, “Why am I asking? Of course you are.”
      She reaches in the pantry for the can and the bag of treats, but quickly notices LT is nowhere in sight. Weird considering he moves the fastest at the sound of the bag of treats, Brittany calls out for him again. Thinking he’s possibly in a deep kitty nap, she goes on to fill his food bowl anyway then makes herself a cup of tea.
She spends the night filling out career tests and scrolling through endless job ads that don’t grab her attention. She hadn’t been too great at school, if anything writing was her second favorite thing to do besides dancing but what job revolved around that? Â
She doesn’t notice she’s fallen asleep until she feels a familiar warmth scoot in next to her. LT pats and prods at Brittany’s thigh until he’s comfortable and Brittany laughs at how content he looks, “And where have you been?” It’s not until a few minutes later that she realizes her reeks of smoke. “I can’t believe you.” Brittany squints at him, “I thought you quit.”
LT just purrs and nuzzles into her hand.
The next time she awakes it’s because it has started to storm and she’s left the balcony door open. She’s sleepy and a bit groggy as she limps over to the door. It’s dark aside from the street lights illuminating the sidewalks below and the slight chill in the air makes Brittany shiver a little as she edges up the screen, but something makes her pause at the handle: a voice.
With the steady rainfall and the gentle sound of their voice, Brittany felt so relaxed and at ease like being sung a lullaby. The words were sung with a mix of such longing and serenity, each note filled with so much emotion. Brittany leaned against the glass, afraid to make a sound and the singing to stop. She was mesmerized, as if trapped by some siren and she couldn’t turn away.
Only trouble is, gee wiz,
I’m dreamin’ my life away
A loud crack of thunder broke Brittany’s trance as lightning rippled across the sky. Brittany waited for the singing to continue, but it never did. With that, she slid the door shut and went to get ready for bed, humming the lyrics at the same slow melodious pace as the mysterious voice from the balcony.
      Brittany plans to see Quinn and Beth early one afternoon for an ice cream date, an old tradition Quinn and Brittany carried with them through their many years of friendship. Brittany heads out and makes her way to the lift. Surprisingly she doesn’t have to wait and enters the lift then presses the ground floor but someone yells out at her.
      “Hold the lift!”
      Brittany quickly reaches her hand out to stop the doors from closing just in time for a familiar neighbor to squeeze through the doors.
“Thanks.” The Latina says, a little breathlessly. She’s clad in a tight, knee-length, black skirt and a white button up tucked into the hem, the sleeves rolled up to her elbows; very professional looking. Dark sunglasses sit atop her head, and a she’s trying to readjust the strap of her bag and straighten papers against her side.
      “Fuck off.” The woman curses as her phone chimes multiple times and Brittany can guess that she’s off to a rough morning. A couple pens clatter to the floor but Brittany can see she doesn’t have another hand to pick them up, so she bends down instead. She offers them back to the Latina with a small smile as the woman finally gets the papers organized, “Thanks.”
      “That’s okay.” Brittany replies, noting the softness of the woman’s voice. Surprisingly she has a different setting other than pissed off, who knew?
After the rustling of papers subsides, Brittany becomes hyper aware of the silence and attempts to fill it somehow, “Nice pens.” She instantly feels like kicking herself because what the hell? She can feel her cheeks pink and the tips of her ears go red. She looks for a hole to crawl into but no luck.
      To her surprise, the woman makes this noise that’s a cross between a giggle and a snort and it’s the cutest thing Brittany’s ever heard.
      “Thanks.” The woman says, “I design them for a living.”
      Astonished, Brittany looks to her wide-eyed, “Really?”
      “No.” The Latina smirks, “Not really.”
      “Right.” Brittany says, hoping the woman didn’t catch on to how gullible she is.
Once again the lift goes quiet and for the first time Brittany takes note of just how slow the thing moves when she’s trapped in a confined space with an attractive woman.
      Thankfully the doors open 5 seconds later and the woman quickly hurries out, but not before tossing her long waves over her shoulder, “See you later.”
      Brittany just nods, too star struck to say anything in return.
Beth was her usual rambunctious self as she dragged Brittany to the display window and pointed out her favorite flavors. It was a perfect afternoon for ice cream and the three find an empty table outside in the sun.
Quinn tucks a napkin in Beth’s collar and looks to Brittany, “How’s the new place? I’m still waiting on my invite by the way.”
Brittany just smiled, “It’s coming together. Still working on making it feel like home, but LT has adjusted perfectly although I still haven’t figured out where he sneaks off to. Oh, and have I told you about my embarrassing encounter with one of my neighbors who happens to be absolutely gorgeous?”
Quinn raised her brows in interest.
Brittany nodded as if to confirm it, “I know, so scandalous.”
“Do tell.” Quinn urged then motioned to Beth, “Leave out the special details please, she’s still young.”
“It wasn’t like that.” Brittany laughed and went on to tell her about the run in with the Latina and her blue-haired lady friend. The story had Quinn feeling embarrassed for Brittany and she wasn’t even there, “Well hopefully it’s the last time I’ll ever see her so it’s fine.”
Quinn just shook her head, “So how’s the job hunt going?”
      “Not good. I’m not really qualified in anything.” Brittany confessed, taking a swipe at her rainbow sorbet, “According to this career test I’ve taken, I should be a taxi driver.”
      “What?” Quinn was shocked, “Those things aren’t accurate. Remember the one I took in high school? Apparently I’m supposed to be a guidance counselor.”
      “That would be a good fit.” Brittany replied, “You love drama and people would tell you all the gossip.”
      “I don’t think that’s how it works.” Quinn laughed and looked to Beth with ice cream all over her face, “Tasty?”
      Beth just nodded happily.
      “You could work at Lucy Q’s with me if you wanted?” Quinn suggested, “I could always use some help and with Beth starting school soon it’ll be hard to pull off the opening shift.”
      “I don’t know, Q, I’m not great at making coffee..or drinking it.”
      “That’s alright, I can teach you or maybe I’ll just have you waitress?” Quinn offered, “It’s not too hard and it’ll be fun for you. Short shifts so you’re not on your feet too much.”
      Brittany thought about the possibilities, “I do like meeting new people.”
      “So is that a yes?”
      “We’ll talk about pay.” Brittany joked and reached over to shake Quinn’s hand, “You’ve got yourself a new employee.”
      Early mornings become part of Brittany’s routine as she starts working at Lucy Q’s. She doesn’t mind too much because it’s short days and she still gets to have a life after. Why that’s important considering all she does after work is go home to her cat and watch reruns of Dancing with the Stars, she’ll never know.
Coincidentally, running into the Latina in the lift becomes a part of Brittany’s routine as well. Some days she’s a frazzled mess like the first time, others she looks as if she hadn’t slept in days, but Brittany admires that somehow the woman still manages to dress stylishly every time. Always form fitting skirts or dresses, or tight jeans and crop tops with a combination of jackets and sweaters. Brittany notices she’s almost always wearing some sort of heeled shoe, whether it be high heels or boots, there’s always that tell-tale sound of clicking anywhere she steps like she commands attention. The Latina doesn’t usually say much other than the usual pleasantries which Brittany always initiates then glues her eyes to her phone.
      It’s not until one Saturday morning that Brittany’s on her way to work that she runs into the woman in the lift and gets a different response. Brittany offers her usual smile and greets her, “Good morning!”
      Today the woman cringes and lowers the sunglasses over her weary eyes, “Why are you always so damn chipper?”
      Brittany just shrugs, noting the woman must’ve had a late night judging by the frizzy hair and lack of makeup which she usually has applied flawlessly, and lowers her voice, “I’ve always been an early riser I guess.”
      The woman scrunches her nose in disgust and leans heavily against the wall of the lift as the doors open, “Sounds exhausting.”
      Once again, Brittany doesn’t get to say much as the woman saunters off without another word. She’s just a few steps in front of her, but even from this distance Brittany could see that the woman was gifted. With that ass, it was honestly perfect. Brittany found herself staring and quickly focused on checking her mailbox before she could get caught. Inside were the usual, junk mail, bills, weird subscriptions for the last tenant, and a letter that was clearly in the wrong box.
      Brittany stared at the unit number and frowned, “Who confuses #303 and #305?” She just shrugged, closed her mailbox door, and slipped the letter into the right box.
      The first time Brittany sees the Latina outside of the apartment building, she’s so surprised she snaps a crayon in half.
      Brittany’s at Lucy Q’s and Beth’s by for a visit. Quinn’s cleaning up to take her home and Brittany’s kneeled next to Beth, helping her color in a butterfly when the bells near the entrance chime. To her disbelief, it’s the woman and her blue-haired lady friend.
      Brittany snaps a crayon in half and Beth looks at her in shock, “Hey!”
      “Sorry, Princess, I’ll tape it back!” Brittany quickly apologizes and kisses the top of her head before heading over to Quinn.
      “It’s not the same!” Brittany hears Beth pout but she’s already rounding the counter.
      “Sorry Britt, I’ll be out of here in a sec. I’m just looking for my keys.” Quinn begins and she shuffles through the menus on the counter, but Brittany continues to eye the couple as the pick a seat near the windows in the corner.
      “She’s here.” Brittany says as if Quinn would automatically know who she was referring to.
      Quinn looks up in a frantic, “That bitch from Ecolab? I swear she’s doing the most to shut me down.” Then she scans the floor; Beth, older couple near the entrance, a group of younger ladies by the window, and the Latina. Quinn smiles and continues to look for her keys, “Oh, hottie in the corner?”
      “She’s my neighbor.” Brittany comments and begins to help Quinn look for her keys, kind of, “Not the blue one, the other.”
      “I didn’t even notice the blue one.” Quinn teased, “You should probably see if they want any coffee. They down it like it’s water here.”
      “Right.” Brittany just about built up the courage to walk over when one of the other waitresses beats her to the table, “Damnit, Tina. She ruins everything.”
      Quinn finally finds her keys, “Here we go! I’m just going to check one more thing and we’ll go. Can you keep an eye on Beth?”
      Brittany just nodded and walked around the counter to continue to help Beth color, somewhat crushed that Tina took her girl. Her table, she meant her table.
      “If you’re going to break more crayons, you can’t color with me.” Beth informed her as Brittany kneeled.
      “I won’t break anymore.” Brittany promised, ruffling the little girl’s short hair, “Looks very pretty, you’re doing a great job.”
      “Thanks, Brittany!” Beth grinned and happily scribbled across the page.
      Brittany sat there for a few more minutes, switching from helping Beth color to sneaking a peek at the couple in the corner. She noted that the Latina looked a little happier than their first encounter and it didn’t seem like they were arguing which was nice. She didn’t know much about either of them, but Brittany genuinely felt content seeing them enjoying the afternoon. Well, she felt content seeing the Latina enjoy the afternoon.
      “Alright Britt,” Quinn called as she rounded the corner, “We’re heading off. Ready to go, baby?”
      Beth nodded and began to clean up her crayons.
      “Don’t worry about locking up or anything,” Quinn reminded Brittany as she helped Beth into her jacket, “Tina and Jessie will do that, just focus on the floor.”
      “No problem.” Brittany nodded and said her goodbyes to the two.
      With them gone, Brittany focused on her work. Restocking behind the bar and clearing any dirty tables was easy work, but the bending down began to irritate her knee so she moved to organize the magazine and newspaper table. She was so busy straightening up that she didn’t realize someone had come up beside her.
      “Nice organization skills.” The Latina commented, Brittany didn’t realize she was being funny until she looked up and saw the woman smirking.
      “One of many perks.” Brittany replied casually then pointed to the magazines, “Did you need one?”
      “Yeah.” The woman said and leaned across for the Entertainment magazine before looking back at Brittany, “Does this screw up your symmetry?”
      “Symmetry isn’t really my thing,” Brittany answered with a shrug, “Doing things straight was never a strongpoint of mine.”
      The Latina snorted as she brought her hand up to cover her mouth, hiding her smile.
Brittany just tilted her head in confusion, “What?”
      “Nothing.” The woman assured her then said, “Symmetry is a bit overrated, isn’t it?”
      With that, the Latina returned to her table in the corner of the room leaving Brittany to return to her work but she couldn’t help but feel a particular set of stormy, dark brown eyes belonging to a very attractive woman with long, dark, wavy hair on her moments later.
A subtle look over her shoulder only confirms it.
Song used was: All I Have to Do is Dream (Cover) by Lauren O’Connell
