"Hey, Robbins!" Karev calls as he, Owen, Derek, and Mark all pile into an elevator. Surprised, Arizona looks up from her phone and smiles, walking over to him.
"What's up?" she asks, getting into the lift with them and pressing the button to the lobby.
"Wanna get dinner with us?" Mark butts in, nudging her arm playfully. Derek stifles a laugh at the expression he's met with, Arizona raising a very pitying eyebrow.
"Um.. No," she says, attempting not to come off too rudely. "But thanks for the offer." Her colleagues, though kind and good-hearted, easily reverted to the maturity of frat boys, laughing and joking like teenagers. In a group, they could be relentless, always shooting back with stupid comments, a scene the blonde was not in the mood for tonight.
"C'mon, Robbins! Just a quick bite, what else do you have to do?" Derek says, nudging the other arm. "It'll be fun!"
Someone else said "yeah, it will" under their breath, causing the others to laugh and grin stupidly.
Arizona rolled her eyes, a reluctant smile playing on her lips. It couldn't hurt, right? Sometimes a bunch of mindless guys is the company you need after a long day, and she really didn't have anything else planned.
"Fine," she sighed as the elevator hit the ground floor. "But you're buying." She smirked, winking at them. As she turned, they all brought their index fingers to their noses faster than lightning, laughing as Karev reached his last.
"Shut up," he grumbled as they all pointed at him. He took out his wallet and unfolded it, squinting and pulling out bills. "Eh, I can swing it."
The ride over is smooth, Arizona landing shotgun after calling it immediately as her foot hit the pavement. It's pretty hilarious seeing Mark, Derek, and Karev all snuggled up in the back seat as Owen drives as slowly as possible to prolong their journey. They all sing to the top of their lungs as Don't Stop Believing comes on the radio, and Arizona smiles at the turnout of this impromptu outing, actually not regretting it… Not yet anyway.
They arrive at a popular pizzeria, one Arizona has heard a lot about but has yet to try. Because she's new to town, she's still making her rounds on the local take out places, often opting for Chinese because it's fast and familiar. As they are seated, Mark, Derek, and Karev all automatically slide into the same side of a booth, Arizona and Owen taking the opposite.
"Aw, you boys like sitting together, hm?" Arizona says, smirking playfully at them. "You look great."
Mark and Derek lean into each other, grinning widely while Karev shifts uncomfortably at this comment, sliding away from them ever-so-slightly. Arizona and Owen both laugh, everyone drawing their attention to their menu.
"What's good here?" Arizona asks as she scans over the dishes.
"Everything!" Mark says, and exasperated look on his face as he tries to make a decision.
"Really, everything," Owen nods in agreement, also unsure of what to choose.
After a few moments, a woman walks up to the table. "Hello, everyone. My name's Callie, I'll be taking care of you tonight. Can I get you started with some drinks?" She flashes a dazzling smile, causing all of the men to sit up a little straighter.
"Can we get a pitcher of Sam Adam?" Mark orders, leaning forward and raising a somewhat suggestive eyebrow.
"Sure," Callie chimes, looking around at the rest of them. "Anything else?"
"Just water for me, please," Owen adds, waving his hand awkwardly, turning red.
Arizona tries to conceal her amusement at the men's desperation, turning to Callie and smiling.
"Same," she grins.
After a moment, Callie gives a thumbs up and says, "Sure, I'll be right back."
The men all nod, looking much too sincere and interested, and as she turns away, they all sigh.
"Dude," Karev says under his breath.
"I know," Derek responds, following Callie with his eyes.
"She's beautiful," Mark chimes, grinning widely.
Arizona snorts. Seeing grown men act like they've never been kissed is hilarious to her, as they continue to exchange expressions of excitement and attraction.
"So how're you liking Seattle?" Owen asks, turning to look at the blonde.
"It's nice, I really haven't had time to explore much, but it's nice." Truth is, she hasn't explored at all. She goes to work, goes home, goes to work, goes home, often staying in on weekends and weeknights. Honestly, she's slightly intimidated by the big rainy city, unsure of where to begin her explorations; maybe tonight she'd get some pointers.
"Oh, you have to check out the ferry-"
"Ookay," Callie unintentionally interrupts Derek's sentence, placing the pitcher on the table and distributing glasses and waters. "So, what can I get for you?" She smiles at them, pulling out a pad of paper and a purple pen.
They all stammer and look down at their menu, each one pulling a "move" as they say their one sentence order. Arizona feels like she's in a game show: Who Can Get The Girl First With One Mundane Sentence. When all the men are done looking like fools, Arizona smoothly orders, thanking Callie and flashing her dimples.
As Callie walks away after taking their menus, she momentarily catches Arizona's gaze, brown eyes meeting blue. She looks for a split second, smirks ever-so-slightly, and continues on.
Interesting. Arizona thinks, as none of her colleagues notice this tiny exchange and have begun talking about some upcoming movie.
After a lull in conversation, Arizona looks at Derek.
"What were you saying about the ferry?"
"Oh! Yes! The ferry is amazing, the water is crystal clear, and it is just incredible. You should definitely take a ride," he smiles widely, his eyes unfocused as he pictures the sun against the water and the wind against his cheeks.
"This one's a romantic," Mark rolls his eyes, jabbing a sarcastic thumb in his direction.
"There are also awesome farmer's markets with fresh produce and flower booths, it's really cool. People sell all sorts of really cool stuff," Karev continues, taking a sip of beer. The others are slightly taken aback, as they did not expect the younger man to know about flower booths and produce, but they all nod along, as Seattle is known for its fresh markets.
The conversation continues, going around the table with suggestions and tips, everyone putting in their two cents. Arizona is actually grateful, as she finds herself feeling very welcome by this group, suspecting that individually they could all be much more down to earth than they let on.
Finally, Callie returns with their food, sliding each of them their plates. Clapping her hands together once everyone is situated, she asks, "Is there anything else I can get anyone?"
A chorus of "no, thank yous" and "no, we're good" comes from the men, each one obviously trying to come up with an excuse to talk to her.
Arizona, making a decision, turns her head to gaze at Callie, and finds she's already looking back. "May I have a fork and knife, please?" she smiles, turning on her charm, her eyes dancing. What's the worst that can happen?
"Of course," Callie says, her voice taking a different tone. "I'll be right back with that." She flips the tray in her hands and tucks it under her arm, a last minute smile playing on her lips once more as she passes Arizona. Again, this all goes unnoticed by the men, who have all started eating, exchanging words and moans of appreciation. Arizona can't help the smile that creeps onto her features. Boys are so oblivious.
She returns after no time at all, holding out the rolled up silverware to the other woman. As Arizona takes it, the Latina's hand lingers ever-so-slightly, allowing the blonde's fingers to graze hers.
"Let me know if you need anything else," Callie smiles, looking around the table, her eyes falling on Arizona last.
"Will do," Mark says, smirking and making the lamest handgun gesture Arizona has ever seen.
She takes her leave, Owen chiming in with an awkward "bye" and a small smile. Arizona is unsure of how any of her table mates have ever landed a girl… Ever. Maybe their game is super off tonight, or maybe it actually works at bars when everyone is intoxicated, but she can't help but pity their efforts, as they'd never work in this case anyway.
They all continue their meal, exchanging comments about their co-workers and catching Arizona up on previous happenings. Derek admits he is trying to, as Mark puts it, "make moves" on a girl named Meredith, but she's not the romantic type, making Derek's ferry-boat efforts moot. Mark offers him some crude advice, straying to the furthest degree from romance, causing Owen to nearly choke on his water. This earns a laugh from everyone, Karev adding on to the red-head's embarrassment by suggesting other such vulgarities.
The blonde at the table rolls her eyes slightly at the men's seemingly incessant need for down-and-dirty sex. She isn't going to pretend the act is not ever on her mind, but she truly does not understand the male need to talk about it all the time. She appreciated the acts for her and only one other's knowledge, intimacy and privacy were incredibly sexy to her.
She is lost in thought when Callie returns, asking if anyone would like anything else. Mark orders some kind of chocolate cake, and Owen requests another glass of water.
"Robbins?" Karev calls, trying to catch Arizona's attention. The blonde looks up in surprise, not noticing she hasn't responded.
"Sorry!" she exclaims, refocusing on the scene before her. Their plates have been cleared, and they are all looking expectantly at her, Callie's dark eyes tracing over her features. "Um, nothing for me, thank you." She waves her hand slightly, blinking slowly at the Latina before her, a spark in her eye.
"Are you sure?" Callie asks, raising a thin eyebrow.
Arizona nods, smirking, flashing her dimples again.
"Alright, then," the waitress responds. "I will be right back." She leans across Arizona to pick up Owen's glass, dragging it a little too slowly across the table. She glances at the other woman as she picks it up, close enough for Arizona to smell her perfume. All the men are transfixed, not noticing that her gaze is obviously not meant for them. Callie flicks her dark hair over her shoulder, tantalizingly so, causing Arizona to lose grip on her game for just a second and stare back in awe.
As she walks away, Arizona silently curses herself for dropping it, and Mark says, "Okay, first one to get her number wins."
"You're on!" Derek exclaims, holding out his hand to shake on it.
"What about Meredith!?" Owen asks, pushing his outstretched hand away from across the table.
"But… But-" the other man stammers, motioning with both hands now.
"Yeah, yeah! Take Shephard out of the running!" Karev eggs, nudging Derek's arm and laughing. Derek is very well known for his looks, many of their colleagues calling him McDreamy behind his back. Arizona is relatively sure he knows of this nickname, but he does little to stop its use, shrugging when someone brings up how ridiculous it sounds.
Derek grunts and rolls his eyes, crossing his arms like a little boy being denied ice cream before dinner. "Fine," he grumbles.
"Great. Let's go," Mark says under his breath, bracing his arms against the table as Callie returns. Callie slides Owen his glass of water and Mark his cake, distributing checks as well.
"No rush on these," Callie smiles, handing out the little white slips. She goes clockwise around the table, Karev, Derek, Mark, Owen, and Arizona last. They all look at their totals, Karev secretly hoping Robbins has forgotten her condition for coming out. As Mark digs into his cake, the other men start to pull out their wallets.
Arizona turns hers over and sees neat purple numbers written across an otherwise blank slip. Smirking to herself, she holds in her wicked satisfaction and nonchalantly excuses herself to the restroom.
As she walks to the back of the room, the men gabbing about someone at work, she reaches the restroom sign and finds Callie leaning against the adjacent doorway to the kitchen. This image causes her heartbeat to quicken, her cheeks growing warm.
"Hey," Callie says casually, looking at her with soft brown eyes.
"Hi," comes Arizona's response as she rests back against the wall.
"Callie," the Latina says, extending her hand.
"I know," Arizona smiles, taking it softly and shaking it. "Arizona."
"Great group of friends you've got," Callie laughs, motioning to the table with her head. "They seem like great company."
"They are… Mostly," Arizona adds the last word with an eye roll, attempting to excuse their slightly obnoxious behavior.
"Well, let me know if you'd like some more exciting company at some point," the taller woman says, motioning to the folded receipt in Arizona's hand.
"Will do," the blonde responds, an irresistible smirk playing on her lips. Callie flashes one last dazzling grin then disappears into the kitchen.
Arizona makes her way back to the table after using the restroom and checking her appearance in the streaky mirror, reapplying her signature pink lip gloss. The men are all lining up at the front, paying for their meal and looking around, not discretely, for their server. The blonde rejoins them and overhears the large tip they are all leaving her, winking at Alex as he pays only for his own bill. He offers her a somewhat thankful smirk back, also leaving Callie a generous tip and signing his name messily across the bottom line.
When they are all done, Mark turns back to Arizona. "Robbins, did you pay?" he asks, looking up at the now-vacated spot at the register.
"I took care of it," she shrugs, looking behind her momentarily, catching a wink from Callie.
"What do you mean?" Derek presses.
Arizona sighs slightly, taking the paper with purple numbers across it out of her pocket and holding it up. "I win." She walks passed them and through the door with a devilishly confident grin on her lips, leaving them all gaping and, for once, speechless.