A/N1:
This is an AU story of Callie and Arizona-something which has never been written before. At least, I have not read something like this. Callie is around 30 and Arizona is around 19. Callie is from Canada and Arizona is from Europe, Callie is a professor, and Arizona is a high-school graduate. And Arizona's character is loosely based on someone I know, so she would be very different. I don't know if they will find their path together. But, I want to try. I'm super excited to explore this journey.
And the whole story will be written from Callie's point of view… now enjoyyy… the most sizzling couple of the world is back!
I always hate plane rides as I am so afraid of them. When the plane bumps or falls into air turbulence, I start feeling like I am dying or something like that. I am flying back to Canada from Italy after a conference and it's a long flight. While settling myself in the seat, I look around. No, I don't see any acquaintances. I like to talk in journeys and when I cannot talk, I feel more suffocated. I'm sitting at the aisle seat and there is an old passenger at the window seat. The middle seat is still empty. I just hope that there should be somebody, whom I can talk to pass this long 12 hours flight to Calgary. I impatiently look around.
"Excuse me?"
I look up and see a very young girl is standing just near me with her big backpack. I look at her with a questioning look.
"I think, that middle seat is mine."
Oh! God, now I have to pass this long plane ride with this school kid? She looks like 14 or 15. I feel more disgusted, though I stand up so that she can take her seat. Now, I'm kind of pissed off. I am never good with kids. I simply don't understand them and nowadays kids are so immature. Anyways, I cannot choose my co-passenger. There should be a system though, so that we can choose with whom we can sit in the flight. But, I have to stop thinking anything now as the plane has started moving, now it is toeing slowly and soon the engine will start. I quietly swallow and look around again just to relax myself. I turn to my left and see that the girl is sitting in a relax way. I feel awkward. If this school kid can be so relax, I also should be. I try to relax my body; however, right then, the engines start with a booming sound and all my resolutions to be strong go out of the window. Well, the window is closed, but they would go if the window would have been opened.
I can literally feel that the lower of my stomach gets emptied as the plane starts going up leaving the ground. I don't know how long I have been like this, till I hear the girl suggests in the most flat tone, "you can open your eyes now." Okay, I even don't know that my eyes are closed. Embarrassingly I open my eyes.
"It was not like I was afraid." I try to behave adult.
"You can leave my hand too," she again says flat.
Now I look down and discover I am clutching her left hand with my right and it is a quite tight grip. I am busted.
"I'm sorry."
She even does not reply. She quietly brings out her headphone and plays something from her mobile.
This is the first time, I actually notice the girl. She has a pale skin, blonde hair and has a typical nerdy look on her face.
I cannot sit like this without talking to anybody. It's been an hour- I have finished the snacks also provided in the aircraft. I decide to talk to her- well talk to that kid.
I clear my throat, "umm…so, are you going to Canada?" This is a good starter.
She looks at me and for the first time I see a pair of baby blue eyes. I have seen blue eyes, but I don't know- this pair seems to be different. "I guess, this plane is going to Canada."
I see her busting me again in a flat tone accompanying the most flat face without any expression.
"Yeah! it is." What can I say now? My good starter has fallen on the floor.
"I guess, you are going to Canada too?" This is the first time, I see a little smile is playing in the corner of her lips.
"I am." I laugh at the ease of the conversation.
"So, which grade are you in? Grade 9? I guess, grade 8." I try to talk to her.
"I'm 19 years old. I have finished my high school and am about to start my undergraduate." Now this kid, well no more a kid, seems to be little offended. Have I told that how bad I'm talking to kids?
She looks at me with dissatisfaction. I try to balm, "well, I would be happy if somebody would have told me that I don't look like 30, rather I look like 25." I give my best smile. Anybody is almost bound to melt in my smile. At least, so far people have melted, both males and females!
"You look like 30 and certainly not like 25," she nods wisely.
What kind of girl she is! I feel like changing my seat. Nobody tells this on anyone's face.
Then she adds, "the way you don't like to look older, I don't like to look younger." Then she smiles popping both her dimples. And I don't know, I just feel like my world has stopped there. She has the most amazing smile. Does she even know it? I take a huge gulp from my juice to moist my dry throats.
"I will turn 19 this November though, I like telling that I'm 19."
"What's your name?"
"Arizona." She still is looking at her mobile, as if trying to figure out something.
"Arizona? Quite unique." I try to joke a little, "so, are you named after the state in the USA?"
She gives me a hard glare and I realize that I am kaput again. Okay, I have to play little cool, if I plan to pass this 12 hours smoothly.
"Okay, sorry… so, Ari…zo..na… what? What is your surname?"
"You don't need my surname." Arizona replies in an unexciting voice.
"Yes, I don't need, but people usually say their surnames, don't they?" I try to argue as I find it weird that she is not willing to tell her surname. This is in my nature. If somebody says "no" to me, I become interested to get in. Bad habit though!
"I don't." she starts fixing the loop of her headphone completely ignoring my presence.
"Like, I can tell my last name to you." I try to sound interesting.
"I even don't need to know your first name." she says while putting her headphones back and closes her eyes.
Now, this is insulting. A 19 years old cannot talk to me like this. My students are older than her.
I plug out the headphones from her ears. "I'm Callie…Callie Torres."
Arizona laughs at me as if I am a kid and younger than her, "Nice meeting you Callie," and again puts back those earphones.
Such a stubborn girl. This is the reason that I don't do well with these young people. They are so immature. Well, this kid sitting beside me is too mature- unnecessarily mature than her age. It is better that I sleep for a while instead of making myself a complete fool in front of her.
I wake up at the sound of the food cart. Oh, boy! I am really hungry now. I look at the watch- Oh, I have slept almost for two hours. 8 hours more to go.
"Ma'am, which one do you want? Chicken or vegetable?" The airhostess asks me with her best smile. Such a great job they do- they will give this same smile to the worst passenger of the plane too.
"Do you have lamb?"
"Yes." Then she passes me my food tray while asking the same question to Arizona.
I start digging my food, while I hear that the airhostess repeats her question. Not hearing any reply from my co-passenger, I run to my right.
This is first time, I see that the confidence of the girl falls a little low. She looks at me, "which one would be good?"
Great, now she needs my help. "Maybe, lamb?"
"I like mashed potato."
In between, impatiently, the airhostess again asks her choice.
"They don't have mashed potato." Then turning to the airhostess, I request her to give her lamb roast just like me.
"So, you like mashed potato?" I start talking while putting a spoonful of rice in my mouth.
"Yes, I can live on mashed potato."
I laugh on my own thinking about her love for mashed potato.
So, once the food trays are taken back, I start looking around just to find a way to pass time. Suddenly, I notice that the boy sitting to the next aisle seat has been looking at our direction from time to time. After observing him for few minutes, I get it.
"Well, if you are interested, you can go on a date on the aircraft!" I quietly inform Arizona, who is busy in playing some silly game on the screen.
"Pardon me?" She asks still not looking at me, as she is too busy in chasing a ball in the game.
"Look at the boy." I almost poke her ribs with my arm pointing towards the boy with my eyes.
Very unenthusiastically, she turns her face to look at the boy. The young boy immediately waves her.
"See?" I play like a winner.
"I'm not interested." She resumes her game.
"Oh! So, do you have someone back home?" I laugh my typical all knowing smile.
Now, she puts down the screen and for the first time, she turns towards me moving her whole body. Right away, I start feeling awkward. There is something in this girl, which makes me feeling different making my confident self down.
"Confession time!" She goes on, "I'm a lesbian…like lesbianic lesbian… I was never into a relationship and I never had any physical relationship with anybody." She flashes this information without taking any pause.
"Lesbian?" I just state. I have never seen people flashing information about their being straight or gay like this.
"Don't you see, what I'm wearing?"
"What are you wearing?" Then I notice that she is wearing skinny jeans with flannel shirt. "So?" What is the relationship between her dress and her being lesbian? I'm still pretty flashed.
"Golden lesbians wear skinny pants and flannel shirt." She informs me making a wise face.
Before I can process the information, I notice that the old man who is sitting right beside her is looking at both of us with flashed eyes. Not only him, I can feel few other pairs of staring eyes from the surrounding. The conversation was quite loud, I guess.
By this time, she also looks around and her baby face becomes more baby-like. Suddenly, I flash a smile and hold her hand, "lesbians are hot, you know…especially baby lesbians." She seems to be relaxed a bit. But instantly asks, "are you trying to flirt with me?"
I jump out of my seat. "What?"
"Just to let you know that I don't date people who are more than 6 years older than me." Arizona goes back to her usual flat self. Is she little rude too? And I even don't want to date her. I mean, she is so young. What will I do with her? Well, this question brings naughty thoughts in me. I can do things! Ugh! I'm really trapped in the plane now.
A/N 2: so, you can see that Arizona's character is very unlikely and different. At times, she would be bitter, flat, awkward, but there will be perkiness somewhere down the line, the softer and loving side of her will come up slowly. I want to know what you think about the first chapter, especially Arizona's character and the way Callie is.
And most importantly, at this point updates will be super slow, as I'm terrific busy in July, August and September. Maybe, I would do once in a month till September. After that I'll be on roll and will go for once in a week.