They'd been together 5 months when Amelia realized she was in love. There was no grand gesture that led her to this conclusion, she just simply looked across at Arizona who was sitting on the other end of the couch reading a book and realized that she never wanted to be with anyone else. Amelia was a goddamn superhero neurosurgeon, but she was too afraid to say those three little words out loud.
She settled for whispering them when she was sure Arizona was asleep. Whenever she was awake long enough to hear her girlfriend's breathing even out and hear her snoring softly, Amelia would whisper "I love you" and hope one day she'd be brave enough to say it loudly and proudly while they were both actually conscious.
They'd been together 5 months when Arizona woke up to find Amelia and Sofia cooking pancakes together, singing along to the radio and sliding across the kitchen floor in their socks. She'd laughed at how silly her girlfriend was, and how easily her daughter had conned Amelia into making her pancakes, but watching them together she realized the two people she loved the most in the world, were right there in front of her.
After all the pancakes were finished and Callie had picked up Sofia, Arizona convinced Amelia to come back to bed with her and when Amelia finally dozed off some time later, Arizona whispered "I love you" so quietly that she could barely hear herself.
They'd been together 8 months when they lay cuddling in bed after a particularly gruelling day at the hospital. Amelia felt completely safe and relaxed in Arizona's arms and she started to drift off to sleep, when three little words pulled her straight back to consciousness.
"I love you," Arizona had whispered, thinking Amelia was asleep. When the brunette's eyes shot back open, she panicked. The panic must have been evident on her face because Amelia began to laugh softly.
"How long have you been waiting until I was asleep to tell me you love me?" Amelia asked.
"About 3 months," came Arizona's sheepish reply.
"I've been doing the same thing for the past 3 months too," Amelia told her, causing them both to laugh.
"I guess we are perfect for each other then," Arizona mused and Amelia agreed.
Just before they both dozed off again, Arizona looked at her girlfriend and told her "I love you", loud and proud.
She'd never get used to the butterflies she got when Amelia kissed her and replied, "I love you too."