SPAIN
Arizona removed the shower-cap from her head, humming tunelessly.
The steam in the bathroom smelt humid and citrus-y, entirely more favourable than her day spent in paediatrics after a gastro break-out.
She appraised her eyebrows in the mirror with her index finger before contemplating the length of her hair. Running her tongue over the front of her teeth, Arizona wondered for the third consecutive month whether rubbing lemon on teeth did indeed have a whitening effect. Because the good lord knew, she warn't giving up coffee for not nobody not no-how.
"Hmmm."
For the third consecutive month, Arizona decided it was, frankly, too much effort and wandered into the bedroom, drying her body with the towel. She could faintly hear Callie talking on the phone in the kitchen as she prepared their dinner. Arizona grinned as she pulled on a pair of track pants. She could smell spag bol.
Pulling on a T-shirt, Arizona let her hair out of the hair clip and opened the bedroom door.
Callie stood behind the breakfast counter, stirring sauce with one hand, while talking on the phone with the other. Her hair was casually pulled back in a pony-tail. Her eyes brightened and lips curled as she spotted Arizona.
"Yo lo sé, Dad, lo supe ayer. She called me."
Arizona beamed in response. Callie's sister had been offered a well-paid job in New York. Also – was it just her? – but Spanglish was totally, unutterably hot. Especially when it was her girlfriend speaking it. Her eyebrow quirked wryly. It was the one 'bi' about Callie that Arizona didn't have an issue with.
Callie had turned back to the cooking.
"No she didn't tell me either. ¿Sabes algo de Jason?"
Callie hugged the phone between her shoulder and her ear as she reached down to open a small tub of tomato puree and subsequently poured it into the mix.
Arizona walked around the counter and came to peer into the saucepan, lifting her nose and smelling the garlic-infused tomato aroma. She subconsciously licked her lower lip.
Callie snorted amusedly, took the phone back in her hand and continued to stir.
"¿Como? Yeah, I'm just cocinando la cena ahora. And Arizona says hi."
She had spoken the last sentence in English and Arizona drew her attention away from the food to Callie's all-too-innocent expression covering a blank face. Arizona's eyes sparkled, mischievous smirk in place, and she stepped closer into her girlfriend sliding her hand onto the small of her back.
"Dad says hi back," relayed Callie. Arizona acknowledged this with slight nod of her head, her eyes not leaving Callie's.
"He also says – Yes! Thank you, Dad! – that YOU should be cooking dinner for ME."
Callie glared at Arizona accusingly.
Arizona rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, I'll cook it all the way from that Chinese on 23rd."
Callie's eyes narrowed, one eyebrow raised, before turning her attention back to her father on the phone.
Standing so close to Callie as she continued in Spanish on the phone, Arizona could smell her perfume through the bolognese. Intoxicated, she leant forward slightly and pressed a kiss to the clavicle peeping out from the low-cut fitted top Callie was wearing, before resting her chin on her girlfriend's shoulder and turning her head to gaze at her lips.
Callie was smiling softly. She lifted the lid to the pasta saucepan and put it on the counter top before picking up the wooden spoon to scoop a single shell out of the water to taste. She paused as she chewed, then nodded her head and Arizona took a step back.
"Dad, I have to go now. The food is ready. Vale. I love you. Semana proxima I'll call you. Bye."
She hung up the phone as Arizona fetched the strainer from the cupboard and placed it in the sink.
"We've been together for a while now. Do you think your Dad has got used to me yet?"
Callie pandered and pecked Arizona on the cheek as she walked past to collect the boiling pasta.
"He simply loves you," she gushed.
"Yeah, yeah."
Callie poured the pan contents into the strainer.
Arizona's eyes ran the length of her girlfriend's body.
"It's totally hot that you speak Spanish."
Callie sighed.
"It's totally hot that you have blonde hair."
Arizona bit her bottom lip and drummed her fingers on the counter top. Callie replaced the pot on the cooker and returned to the sink to shake out any remaining water from the strained pasta.
"No, seriously, Cal. How many countries speak Spanish? Like a whole heap of South America and, well, Spain speaks Spanish. It should be called Spain-ish. We could go there and you could do the talking and then no-one would bother us as being arrogant, only-English-speaking tourists! It'd be so great!"
Callie raised her eyebrows as she poured the pasta back into the pot on the cooker.
"So you are dating me purely to get an insider's access to Spain and the majority of South America?"
Arizona pulled two bowls out of the cupboard and chose to ignore the comment.
"Let's go to Spain and speak Spain-ish, Callie," she whined and as an afterthought added, "or have you been there already?"
Callie grinned as she began to ladle out the freshly cooked pasta into each bowl.
"Ha. Like that would stop you. Yes, actually. But I was pretty young and it kind of rained the whole time."
"So!" Arizona enthused, "we should go!"
"Tell me when."
"Maybe in March?"
"No, idiot, how much sauce do you want?"
"Oh."
Callie spooned the bolognese over the spaghetti and handed the bowl to Arizona who kissed her for a second too long by way of thank you before whispering, "Sun, sand, surf and pizza. Think about it."
"That's Italy. Pizza is Italian."
Arizona shrugged and thought. "Well, young men killing bulls, then."
Callie stopped spooning sauce and looked at her wryly. "Stick with the beach talk."
"I'll wear a bikini 24 7?"
Callie paused and appraised her girlfriend before returning the saucepan back to the cooker.
Arizona held her breath.
Maybe she should have put on shorts, not track pants.
When Callie turned back to pick up her dinner her eyes were amused.
"That might just do it."
Arizona didn't bother to tell Callie that the bikini clause was automatically applied to her as well. She was already thinking quotes.