Callie flopped on her brand new couch next to Mark and let out a tired sigh. Callie and Mark had been moving Callie into her new apartment the entire day. Callie kicked off her shoes and rested her feet on her coffee table. "Stupid break ups...stupid having to start over." muttered Callie. She had lived with Mark for six months before finally finding the right apartment. She was finally ready to move on with her life and leave her failed relationship with Arizona behind. Mark had been instrumental in helping her move on. He had allowed her to move into his apartment. They had sex like rabbits and most of all he was a really good friend to her.
Mark finished hanging the last picture and walked over to the couch having a seat next to Callie. His eyes scanned the room looking at all of the empty boxes scattered everywhere. He leaned his head back against the cream colored suede couch. "The next time you ask me to help you move...remind me of this day..." Mark groaned and his eyes fluttered closed. "I can't believe you need so much stuff."
Callie laughed and said "Yeah...like I will really do that." She leaned her head in on his shoulder and said "I am still going to reward you for all of your hard work. I don't see why you are complaining. I promised you dinner and a massage. What more could you ask for?" Callie tried to stifle a snicker.
Mark opened one eye when Callie rested her head on his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her and groaned. "I think my muscles are actually sore from all of the lifting that I did today. Torres you really know how to show a guy a bad time. I am going to have to drag myself all the way home tonight." Mark didn't know how he felt about Callie not living with him anymore. The truth be told the six months they had been living together was enjoyable. It was nice having one of his best friends as his roommate and his sex buddy.
"Sloan you don't have to lay it on so thick." said Callie laughing. She moved and straddled his lap. "A deal is a deal. I promised you a lot of hot and very dirty sex if you helped me move and I intend to keep my promise down to the very last sordid detail. Including that thing you like me to do with the whip cream and the handcuffs..." Callie reached for a small box that was sitting on the other end of the couch. She reached into the box and pulled out a pair of furry pink handcuffs. Callie let them dangle from her finger.
Mark perked up more seeing the handcuffs. "You had me at very dirty sex." He grinned like a fool looking at the handcuffs. "Lock me up baby." said Mark with a lecherous grin. He slapped her on the butt playfully and his grin widened.
Callie laughed and climbed off of his lap. "First of all, we are both sweaty from moving all of that stuff. I need a shower and so do you. Second...I also promised you dinner...and since neither of us has eaten since breakfast I think we should grab some dinner. And then I will have the rest of the night to thank you properly." Callie walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower as she undressed.
Mark smirked deviously and stripped off all of his clothes and followed her into the shower. "Oh excuse me I didn't know you would be here." Mark's eyes scanned over her nude form appreciatively. Yes, he would definitely miss seeing her naked every day.
Callie was in the process of washing her hair when Mark slid into the shower behind her. Callie laughed and asked "Do you make it a habit of wandering into strange women's' showers?" She chuckled at the way he was watching her wash her hair.
Mark pressed her up against the wall of the shower and grinned. "Only the ones that I have sex with on a regular basis. Who am I going to have sex with now that you've moved out?" Mark kissed her neck and ran his hands over her curves. There was just something about Callie that drove him absolutely crazy. She was a beautiful curvaceous woman that was confident and amazing at her job. And yet at the same time she had a vulnerability about her that made him want to take care of her.
"I am sure Little Grey would be more than happy to oblige all of your horny needs." said Callie making a face at Mark. That was one of the reasons she was moving out of his apartment. Mark was seeing Lexie off and on and it just made things weird. Living with him for six months had made Callie fall for him and fall for him hard. Callie had gotten over Arizona but Mark was still sorting out his feelings for Lexie. For four months Callie hadn't bothered looking for an apartment. But two months ago things had changed. Mark asked Callie to accompany him to a four day medical conference in Oahu where he was the keynote speaker. They spent their days at the conference but their nights were romantic dinners and exploring everything Hawaii had to offer. If Callie had been unsure of her feelings up until that point she certainly figured them out then. Callie was head over heels in love with Mark Sloan but she knew that he wasn't looking for a long-term relationship...at least not with her. Mark loved her but as a friend…just friends and nothing more...and that...well that hurt.
Mark's face soured a little when she brought up Lexie. He frowned and said "You know how to deflate a situation." Mark meant that literally. He looked down at his deflated member and moved away from Callie so that he could actually shower. He couldn't believe she had brought up Lexie in that moment but then again Callie had been bringing up Lexie a lot in the strangest of moments. Mark tried to pretend that he didn't know what was going on but he knew that Callie was jealous of his on again/off again relationship with Lexie.
"What?" asked Callie innocently. "With me not living there anymore I am sure you can have Lexie stay over at your place. I won't be holding back your relationship. I am sure that she can make you really happy." said Callie. She rinsed off and stepped out of the shower not waiting for him to say anything. She wrapped a towel around her and walked out of the bathroom closing the door behind him. She groaned to herself leaning against the outside of the bathroom door. She couldn't believe that she had actually said that to him. Callie shook her head and listened hearing the shower still running. She was glad that he hadn't decided to follow her because she definitely felt like an idiot. She dried off and started getting dressed.
Mark stood there stunned for a minute and watched her walk out of the shower. He wanted to go after her because she seemed upset but at the same time he didn't know what to say to her. For right now the shower seemed like the safest place to be. He wished that he had brought his clothes into the bathroom because he needed his cell phone. This was definitely one of those moments where you phone a friend to help you get the right answer. Mark stayed in the shower for 30 minutes before finally stepping out. He knew that he couldn't hide in there any longer. He dried off and walked into her bedroom with a towel around his waist. He walked over to her bed and grabbed the overnight bag he had brought with him for the night. Mark got dressed and then walked out of the bedroom. The lights were dimmed and candles flickered from strategic locations in the living room. Soft music filled the apartment. Mark walked toward the kitchen and spotted Callie standing at the stove. She was wearing a thigh length, magenta colored, night gown.
Callie was in the kitchen cooking dinner. She was trying to forget all about what she said in the shower. She heard Mark's quiet footsteps against the hardwood floors. "Dinner will be done in about ten minutes." said Callie working on the stir fry meal.
Mark said "Okay…" He started to clear away some of the empty boxes from their day of unpacking. He busied himself with that trying to figure out what to say to Callie if anything.
After awhile Callie said "Mark could you grab the bottle of wine from the refrigerator." Callie carried their plates to breakfast bar in her kitchen. She had a seat.
Mark picked up two glasses and walked over with the bottle of wine. He poured a glass for both of them and then had a seat next to Callie. Mark started eating dinner and said "This is really good Cal." He looked at her trying to gauge her mood.
Callie had decided to leave the situation alone. She was Mark's friend and they had a great relationship and even better sex. She didn't want to screw it up. "Thanks…I figured we could eat in tonight instead of going to a restaurant."
Mark nodded slightly and the two of them fell into silence again. As they ate in silence the two of them polished off the bottle of wine easily.
Callie stood up and said "Do you want some more wine?" Callie picked out another bottle of wine and opened it. She definitely needed more to drink. She needed a lot more to drink. Callie cleared their dishes and loaded them into her dishwasher. She grabbed their glasses and walked into the living room with the bottle of wine.
"More wine sounds like a good idea to me." said Mark. He followed her into the living room and sat down on the couch putting his feet up on the coffee table.
Callie sat next to him and refilled their glasses. She started drinking and closed her eyes for a minute. She curled her legs under her body
Mark said "You look beautiful you know." He reached over and lightly brushed his hand over her bare shoulder. He swept her spaghetti strap from her shoulder and lightly kissed her shoulder. "You smell good too." said Mark his lips pressed against the nape of her neck.
Callie finished off her glass of wine. The wine was definitely going to her head. "Just one more glass of wine….okay?" Callie leaned forward and refilled her glass of wine.
Mark quirked an eyebrow at Callie. She was the one that had drank the majority of the first bottle of wine. He reached over and took the glass from her. "I think that maybe we should talk about what you said in the shower. You know that…you are really important to me and you are great in bed but…"
Callie cut him off by kissing him. She moved back pulling her night gown over her head and tossing it over her shoulder. She moved back in kissing him again. The last thing Callie wanted to hear was how she was a great friend but not girlfriend material. She was sick and tired of getting turned down and broke up with and cheated on. She was tired of being the friend. She wanted someone to be madly in love with her and right now she wanted that person to be Mark because she was madly in love with him.
Mark's brain told him that he needed to talk to Callie but the lower half of his body was currently draining every last drop of blood his body had to spare. Mark stripped off his clothes and moved on top of Callie. He stopped and asked "here…on the couch?"
Callie laughed and said "We might as well break it in."
A couple of hours later Mark lay on the couch nude his arm hanging off the side of it. Callie's body covered his as they laid there exhausted.
Mark's hand lightly rubbed Callie's back. He closed his eyes tiredly until he felt Callie's hot tears falling on his bare chest. "Cal?" asked Mark worriedly. He looked down trying to see her face. He moved her hair so that he could see her.
Callie got up and said "It is late…we should go to bed for the night." Callie picked up her discarded night gown and pulled it back on. She grabbed Mark's boxers and tossed them at him. She tripped over the empty whip cream can and walked to her bedroom.
Mark pulled on his boxers and followed her. Mark grabbed her pulling her body against his but it was obvious that it wasn't in a sexual way. His eyes were full of concern for her. "Callie…what is going on….?" asked Mark. "Why are you crying Cal...talk to me please..." whispered Mark in a heartfelt voice. His eyes searched Callie's glassy eyes. His thumbs rested on her cheeks and gently flicked away a few tears.
Callie laughed and said "I am just being silly. There is nothing for the two of us to talk about. Let's just go to bed for the night...please." Callie wriggled out of his arms and walked into the bedroom. She climbed into her new bed and stretched out with a fake yawn when she saw Mark walk into the bedroom.
Mark eyed her suspiciously and climbed into the bed with her. Mark rested with his hands behind his head. He stared up at the ceiling in the darkness trying to figure out what to say to Callie. "I know that there is something going on between us Callie. You've been upset a lot lately...upset with me. Our friendship means a lot to me so if I've done something... you are one of only two friends of mine." Mark looked at Callie. Her back was turned to him so he couldn't see her face.
There was that word friend again. It wasn't that she didn't want to be friends with Mark because of course she did. She thought that Mark was an amazing friend that she could count on when she was in a bad place. And more than that they always managed to have a good time together whether it was having sex or drinking beer watching whatever game was on television. She tried to think of him as only a friend but try as she might she just couldn't manage it. She had fallen for him, but she was too good of a friend to tell him that. Callie laid in the dark silently. She figured if she laid there long enough Mark would give up or go to sleep.
Mark laid there for what seemed like forever to him but was really about 30 minutes. Mark pulled himself out of the bed and walked around to Callie's side of the bed and sat next to her. "I know that you aren't asleep. You do this cute humming thing when you finally fall asleep." said Mark. He brushed her hair away from her face. "I am not just going to let this go...so you are going to have to talk to me eventually. I want know what is going on with you. You haven't exactly been yourself lately."
Callie held back a sigh. She sat up in the bed realizing that Mark wasn't going to let sleeping dogs lie. "I like you Mark." said Callie leaning against the headboard looking at Mark in the dimly lit bedroom.
"I like you too Callie…I am not sure what that has to do with anything." said Mark just as confused as he was before she started talking. "We are great friends…other than Derek you are my only friend…you know that…" said Mark.
Callie groaned and said "I don't want to just be your friend! I am tired of just being your friend and your sex buddy. I am falling in love with you Mark and I hate watching you date Lexie…that is why I moved out… that is why I rejected your offer to live with you for longer. I couldn't stand seeing you leave out for dates with Lexie…it broke my heart a little more each time. We could be really good together…but you want to be with Little Grey and I get that…and as your friend I should be happy for you…but right now all I feel is…incredibly jealous…"
Mark sat there stunned staring at Callie. He hadn't picked up on any of that. He just thought she didn't like Lexie. He sighed and asked "Why didn't you just tell me that?"
Callie felt her heartbreak hearing the sigh coming from him. "Because of that sigh…you don't want me I get it…and I know that I will get over you at some point…but right now it is really hard and it really hurts. And it isn't anything you did wrong…it is just me and my stupid emotions."
"Your emotions aren't stupid Cal…I love you. I think we both know that. But…no I can't say that I am in love with you because…I don't know. I never let my mind go there because I never thought you'd be interested in any sort of real relationship with me. I thought you were the one that wanted to keep things casual…? I thought it was obvious how I felt about you…I let you live in my apartment for six months…every night that we were both home we shared my bed…hell I took you to Hawaii!" said Mark. "But you kept me at a distance…so I thought…that was what you wanted."
Callie's face dropped and she felt even worse. She blinked trying to ward off the tears that were threatening to fall from her eyes. She said "I kept distance between the two of us because I was trying to protect myself from getting hurt. Not that you would hurt me on purpose but I saw the way you were still hung up on Lexie…I didn't want to put myself in the position of having my heart broken again. Arizona leaving me…broke my heart and killed my confidence…I was just trying to protect myself from another…failure. I am tired of being a failure Mark."
"I've never known you to give up…you could have competed from my love you know gauntlet style." said Mark jokingly. His blue orbs sparkling as he took Callie into his arms.
"Compete?" asked Callie shaking her head. "How can I compete…? She is younger than I am…she is pretty, perky…you wanted to start a life with her Mark…how can I compete with that…and win?"
"You are right…she is younger than you…but that isn't necessarily a good thing. She and I are in very different places in life right now. I want to settle down and I want a family...Sloane coming into my life showed me just what I have missed out on in life. And you are gorgeous Callie…so incredibly sexy…and perky…well you know I've always been a fan of your breasts." Mark looked down at her chest and had to remind himself to turn his attention back to her face.
Callie smiled listening to him describe her attributes in comparison to Lexie. She laughed and said "Okay…maybe I am hot…" "But…if she wanted to start a life with you…would you want to be with her Mark?" asked Callie seriously.
"Well, that question is irrelevant because she doesn't want a family with me or possibly at all. But even if she wanted to…I could never go there again with her. Some things just aren't meant to be…and Lexie and I are one of those things. But that doesn't mean that I don't care about her because I do and I like spending time with her." said Mark. "I took you to Hawaii because I love you and I was hoping that it would change things between us…but when it didn't…I gave up hope."
Callie was stunned and said "Mark…I fell in love with you on that trip. It was there that I realized that you are the only man I want…the only person I want. But I was so scared that you wouldn't reciprocate…that is why I couldn't bring myself to…pursue you. You are my best friend. The last thing I want to do is screw things up by upsetting you." Callie settled into his arms. "So…."
Mark said "So…if we are going to try this out…then I won't see Lexie anymore…no picking up chicks…and we can see where this goes…?"
Callie said "No picking up chicks or guys for me either…and we will figure out if what we feel for one another is real…" But Callie already knew that it was real she just wondered if they could make it last.
"Then that is what we will do…" said Mark. "Tomorrow I'll tell Lexie that I can't see her anymore. I don't think that she will mind much she has been seeing Alex off and of lately. So is this a secret or…?" asked Mark.
Callie laughed and said "Like anything could ever be kept secret in that hospital. Besides…people already know that we've been having random romps in the on-call rooms."
Mark laughed and said "You do have a point there." Mark kissed her wondering just what he was getting himself into right now. He knew he was putting it all on the line. If he screwed up his relationship with Callie their friendship would be over. "So does this mean that I have to take you out on dates?" asked Mark teasingly.
Callie laughed. She grabbed a pillow and slapped him with it. "Yes…you have to take me on dates. That is the whole relationship thing you know." Callie yawned tiredly. She felt at ease and the exhaustion from all of the emotion started setting in.
"I will make sure that I take you out somewhere nice then…how about tomorrow night…me and you. I'll take you somewhere special." said Mark. Mark just held Callie in his arms. He chuckled quietly seeing her falling asleep on him. He scooted into the bed more sliding her over and wrapping his arms around her more. Mark closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Callie woke up the next morning with a nasty headache. She had put back way too much wine the previous night. She rolled over looking for Mark and realized that he wasn't in bed with her. Callie got worried that he had left before she could wake up.
Mark walked into the room carrying two bottles of water and aspirin. "Good morning…" said Mark with a smile. "I figured that both of us could use this right now." said Mark handing Callie a bottle of water.
Callie laughed softly and nodded. "Oh yeah…even the sunlight hurts right now." Callie nodded her head toward the sun splashed bedroom wall across from them. Callie opened the water and drank some of it. She felt dehydrated at the moment.
Mark opened the bottle of aspirin and shook a few pills into her hand. Mark popped a couple and washed the pills down with some water. Mark said "My head is killing me and I didn't drink nearly as much as you did last night."
Callie chuckled embarrassed. "I was trying not to think about anything last night…getting wasted seemed like the best way to handle that…I am tired and hungry."
Mark laughed and said "I didn't know why you were drinking like that. You are hot when you are wasted though. Yeah, I am hungry too…which is whythere is a frozen pizza in the oven."
"Oooh you treat me so good." said Callie laughing. She couldn't think of anything better than snuggling in bed with Mark eating pizza.
Mark laughed and got up from the bed and went into the kitchen. He got the pizza from the oven and cut it up. He brought it into the bedroom and climbed into the bed with Mark. "Breakfast in bed." said Mark winking at her.
Callie laughed and said "You won't hear any complaints from me." Callie relaxed eating the pizza. Callie turned on the television and turned to the early morning news. "Best breakfast in bed…ever."
"So I was thinking tonight you and I could have a romantic dinner at my house as our first date night." said Mark eating a slice of pizza. He looked over at Callie to gauge her response to his idea.
Callie smiled at him and said "Mark, I think that would be good…especially if I am not the one that has to cook dinner."
"No you aren't cooking." said Mark laughing. "I am not cooking either. I know a great place that delivers Italian food. We will get dinner from them."
After breakfast Mark got out of the bed and grabbed a hot shower. He got dressed and said "I've got some errands to run but I will see you at 8:00 tonight…at my place for dinner."
Callie smiled and said "Okay…that sounds like a plan to me." Callie leaned up and kissed him on the lips. "I will see you tonight."
Mark smirked at her and picked up his car keys and wallet.
"Wait…" said Callie. She got out of the bed and walked over to her purse. She searched it and pulled out a key. She tossed it to Mark. "I figured you should have one in case of emergencies like I have a key to your place."
Mark looked at the key and smirked. He walked over and kissed her passionately and then lightly slapped her on the butt. "I'll see you tonight Torres." said Mark leaving.