Chapter 2: The interview
"Thanks for doing this Teddy." Arizona said with a smile as she glanced at her friend in the rear view mirror. "Hey, no problem." Teddy said with a smile. "Besides, Webber said if I didn't, it was my ass." Teddy added with a laugh.
"He obviously hasn't noticed our growing friendship." Arizona said with a chuckle as she rounded the stadium and pulled into the parking lot. "Although, that place is worse than high school. Rumors fly around there like a damn soap opera." She said rolling her eyes.
That was true in every sense of the word. The building she worked in was a massive 35 story building housed in downtown LA. "ESPN headquarters" read across the marque in bright white and red letters. Their department had their own floor. It was primarily men, who she had come to find gossiped worse than the women. Or so it seemed. Every day it was a new revelation of, who was dating who, who slept with who, what the weekends brought. Even little things like cliques seemed to form there. It was definitely worse than high school.
Richard webber was a very strong man. Maybe not physically but mentally and he definitely let people know he was in charge. He demanded that kind of respect in the work place. He wasn't feared, but he was respected. So when he asked you to do something you did it. No questions asked. But he was obviously not up to date on the rumor mill.
Just two weeks ago rumors of Arizona and Teddy were flying around. Something about an alleged hook up that happened in the copy room. Both women took it in stride. They laughed it off because they knew for a fact, nothing happened. And of course, as soon as the rumor made its way around the office floor, another one was already brewing.
"So how long exactly do I have to hold this thing?" Teddy asked poking at the fluffy end of the boom mic. "The whole interview. It's not that bad, really. I've had to do it a few times." Arizona shrugged.
"Yea me too." Alex scoffed, rolling his eyes. He had been quiet letting the two women's talk as he played with his phone in the passenger seat.
"We are early, we have some side line passes." Arizona said as she pulled up to a parking spot and put her car in park. "We have a room where everything is going to be set up, so we can do that first." Arizona said as she opened her door to step outside.
The warm California breeze made its way through her soft golden hair and Arizona breathed in its smoggy odor. LA was home for her. It was a rough and tough in your face city sometimes, but she loved it. Everything about it. the atmosphere, the night life, the people. She could do with out the traffic, but that was a small price to pay for happiness.
"Let's do this people!" Arizona said clapping her hands together, as teddy, Alex, and herself ushered out their gear.
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"Ladies, we've got this!" Callie said her arms draped around Amelia and Addison. "We are down by six with ten seconds left." She said taking in a deep breath. "That's enough time for one play, but we have to run it perfectly. We are only four yards away. We can do this." She said encouragingly as she looked around at her teammates.
"Hands in everyone. I want to hear you get pumped!" She yelled as she clashed her helmet with Addison's. Soon her energy had spread over the entire team and everyone was bouncing and shouting in excitement.
Her job as team captain was not only to be a leader on the field, and off. It was also to keep her teammates focused,excited, and pumped. It was her job to make sure they worked together. It took trust, it took grit, and it took determination. She wouldn't have it any other way.
She was in this, whole heartedly. She never felt more alive then when she was on that field. The feel of the grass, as it hit her cleats,The smell of the freshly washed down stadium the Sundays before games, the feel of the football in her hands.
This was what she was supposed to be doing.
"Blue thirty-two, blue thirty-two, hike!" Callie yelled as sweat poured over her face. She could feel the rush of the adrenaline in her blood as soon as the football was placed into her hands. Amelia was wide open in the end-zone. All she had to do was make the perfect pass.
She didn't have time to think. There was a threat of being tackled from the left. She shuffled her feet twice lunging her body forward, and released the ball. It was sent spiraling just as the opposing team came crashing into her, knocking her flat on her back.
Her head bounced off the soft grass below her, and as her back hit, she felt the air being slightly dislodged from her lungs. Shit. She even loved this part of the game, she thought as she struggled for breath.
Everything went quiet except her ragged breathing in her ears, as she stared up at a perfectly blue sky. Everything felt completely slowed down as she worked her way up to her knees. She yanked off her helmet still slightly struggling for air as a whistle finally broke through her quiet endeavor.
Her eyes darted up looking for Amelia who was also on the ground. She was laying with the ball tucked under her arm sprawled out in the center of the end-zone. The refs on each side blew their whistles indicating the pass was complete for a touch down.
The crowd was going crazy, and that familiar rush of adrenaline was once again making itself known to Callie as she got to her feet. Amelia bounced up as several teammates went to surround her. High fives and butt slaps were issued all around as a big smile made its way across Callie's face. This was amazing.
The team kicked the winning field goal with two seconds left to spare. It was game over.
Callie, along with her teammates made their way to the locker room, two games and two wins. The high was euphoric. It was amazing, and she was on cloud nine. She couldn't imagine anything better. She almost had it all.
The only place Callie's life was lacking was her love life. It's not that the opportunity hadn't presented itself, it had several times. She had been on so many dates in the past year it made her dizzy. But she never found that connection. There was never any one who held her interest for longer than a few dates.
She hadn't gotten the reputation as a player after a while. "A different girl every weekend." Addison had joked. But it wasn't the case at all. She wanted someone, a special someone she just hadn't found that person yet.
So she looked, and she searched, and she just didn't find anyone she was interested in.
And then there was Arizona. Who after spending very little time with she couldn't stop thinking about her. She found her consuming a lot her thoughts on her down time. She wondered if the spark she felt was really there, or a figment of her imagination. She wondered if her eyes were really that piercing blue, or we mind playing tricks on her. Were her dimples really that deep, her smile that magical? No one could look nearly perfect.
She would be seeing her soon. All of her questions could be answered then. Her interview along with Addison and Amelia was taking place once they were showered and out of their smelly gear.
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"More lighting from the right side. If you don't add it, shadows are going to be cast on their faces." Alex said to one of the lighting technicians.
The crew had set up in a fairly well sized room. A tan couch was set up for the three teammates to sit on, and a white chair was brought in for Arizona to conduct her interview from.
People were busying themselves everywhere. Bodies were shuffling and moving around in preparation. For most on the crew this was their first "big story." They were actually covering something people were interested in. Not just a small piece that aired for thirty seconds. They had paid their dues and they had worked hard for it. Everyone wanted this to move smoothly.
"Ok people, let's run a sound check and lighting check!" Arizona said as she stepped onto the set. Teddy held her boom mike over the center of the small area they had set up for the interview. "Sound ready." Teddy said clicking on her mic and plugging up her headphones. "Lighting ready." Tom the light man said with a thumbs up.
They ran through some pretend sequences a few times before they all agreed they were ready to go.
Arizona touched up her pink lip gloss and smoothed over her hair once more. Today, she was not only conducting one of the biggest interviews to date, but she was seeing Calliope. Her heart fluttered in her chest at the thought.
During her few late nights at the office this week doing her research for the interview, she had been taken even more with the stunning Latina.
Callie had graduated top 3% in bio science from UCLA. "Not only is she beautiful, but smart too." Arizona thought as she recalled all the information she had collected. She also found out she was some kind of heiress to her fathers hotel business. "She didn't act like a snooty rich heiress. Then again I hardly spent anytime with her." Arizona's thoughts continued.
She was ripped from her thoughts by laughter. An intoxicating laugh that sent a shiver through her entire being. When her eyes cast up, she locked them with those beautiful brown eyes she had thought about multiple times over the past week. If eyes were really windows to the soul, Callie's soul was bright, and breathtakingly stunning.
She was followed in by Addison, and Amelia but Arizona couldn't take her eyes off of the raven haired beauty. Callie's eyes were piercing right through her. Like she was reading her. "Hello ladies." Arizona finally said snapping herself out of this strange trance she was under. They all waved and said hello, except Callie. She was still staring and smiling. A bright smile that the sun must envy, It made the room so bright.
Arizona noticed Callie's gaze was set on her, tracing her movements, and she could feel a slight blush making its way up her neck. She nodded at Amelia and Addison who had taken their seats on each side of Callie, and then her gaze met those chocolate brown eyes again. And she smiled.
"How are you ladies doing?" Arizona asked as she got comfortable in her chair. She straightened out the light pink dress she was wearing making sure it covered up more leg then it currently was.
"Good." The three women said almost in unison. They were all dressed in a very similar fashion. Team t-shirts in black blue and grey. Each had a picture of their mascot across the front the only difference in the shirts was their numbers were placed just below the shark. And Jeans. Except Callie, she was wearing shorts. Jean shorts that showed off her amazingly toned legs.
"Ok, this interview is going to be fun. Nothing to deep." Arizona said clearing her throat. She realized that the entire time she had been eyeing Callie, Callie had been eying her too. Brown eyes traveled up the length of her legs until their eyes met.
Arizona was used to being checked out, it happened to her a lot, actually. Usually she would find it appalling, she felt like a piece of meet, she hated it. But not with Callie. Callie looked at her differently, she couldn't place her finger on the difference, but it was definitely different, and she liked it.
Each woman nodded, and smiled, and waited. "Ok so when you're ready just let me know." Arizona said with her beaming smile.
"Ready when you are." Addison said looking down across her other two teammates who nodded in agreement. "Let the interview begin." She said holding up two thumbs.
"Hello, and welcome to sports round up with Arizona Robbins." Arizona said smiling into the camera. "Today we are joined by three members of the Los Angeles sharks women's professional football team." She continued on, as her blue eyes sparkled with the light being cast on her. "Please welcome, Amelia Shepherd, Callie Torres, and Addison Montgomery." Arizona said shifting her gaze from the camera, to the three women sitting in front of her.
They all smiled and waved to the camera before once again giving Arizona their attention. "So why don't you tell us who is who, and we'll go from there." Arizona said, her smile still in tact.
"I'm Amelia Shepherd, running back for the LA Sharks." Amelia said first.
"I'm Callie Torres, quarterback for the LA sharks." Callie said with a smile.
"I'm Addison Montgomery wide receiver for the LA Sharks." Addison finished up.
"How did you all meet? I know you were friends before this team was formed." Arizona asked. They recounted that fateful day of their literal run in at the UCLA campus and laughed at their memories. Arizona was entranced with their friendship. They all seemed so close and had created easy banter in recollection.
"And where is everyone from?" Arizona asked tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear.
"I'm from Boston. My parents both still live there, along with my brother, his wife and their two kids." Addison said smiling. "Hey Chris, hi Libby!" She said waving and giving her niece and nephew a shout out.
"My family is from Washington. Hey everyone." Amelia said waving. She didn't want to go into much more than that. Her relationship with her family wasn't great. She had always been a handful. Always in trouble, and that caused strain.
"My family is actually from Miami. They all still live there. I miss them like crazy!" Callie said animatedly. "¡hola mamá y papá , hola aria ! te amo." She said blowing a kiss toward the screen.
Arizona was smitten, yes that's the word. And the way that Spanish rolled off Callie's tongue, nearly knocked her off her game. Luckily she was a professional and she reigned herself in quickly.
"The league is very new, and seems to have a bright future ahead of it. How does it make you feel?" Arizona asked gazing at each individual woman.
"We are all just so excited." Callie finally said realizing the other two women weren't talking. "We worked so hard to get here, it sometimes doesn't feel real that this is actually happening." Callie said with a laugh as the women nodded and mumbled in agreement with her. "I think we are just enjoying the ride, it's been beyond amazing. We feel very very grateful." Callie finished up and they waited for the next question.
"Tell me what it's like to be able to do this with your friends. What was it like to take this journey together?" Arizona asked, genuinely intrigued.
"Amazing, hard at times, but so worth it." Addison said perking up. "The journey was never an easy one. There was so much push back against us. But we fought. We persevered. It was stressful at times, but we never gave up." She finished as the other women smiled and nodded in agreement.
"Everyone in this league fought a hard battle. We've all worked very hard to get where we are. And we have been lucky enough to go on this journey together, and stick together." Amelia jumped in.
"You all seem very close." Arizona stated as she watched their interactions.
"We are." They said in perfect unison, causing all four women to erupt into laughter.
The interview continued on smoothly. They covered everything from bits and pieces of their childhood to their rolls in the league. It was by far the easiest interview Arizona ever took part of, and she was loving every second of it.
"I think we got everything ladies." She said with a smile. "I'll do my closing statements, but you're free to go." Arizona continued on with a deep breath.
"This was Arizona Robbins with sports round up, thank you for joining us! Join us next week for a new episode." She said smiling into the camera.
"Cut!" Alex yelled. The camera clicked off the boom mic was set down, and the lights were dimmed.
"Thank you everyone that was amazing." Arizona said with a small clap.
Bodies were once again moving in rapid succession. They were tearing down the small set, the lights, and moving the furniture back into place. It wasn't long before the room looked exactly like it had before the interview had taken place.
"Take that straight to hang in the editing bay." Arizona said as Alex handed off the film to one of the crew members. "Yes boss lady." He said saluting her and causing Arizona to laugh.
She had started to make small talk with teddy and Alex when movement caught her eye off in the corner. Familiar black locks were leaned quietly up against the wall. Olive arms were draped over that sharks shirt and she couldn't help the smile that formed on her face as she diverted her attention to that source.
"Calliope." She breathes out in a smile.
"Arizona." Callie answered with her own smile.
"You did amazing during the interview. The camera loved you." Arizona said finding herself flirting with the relative stranger. She didn't care, she was taken back by her. She was a sight, and it wasn't a lie.
"Not as much as it loved you. It's not fair, really. How is anyone supposed to look good next to you?" Callie flirted back. She pressed herself off the wall and started making small strides toward the beautiful blonde.
"Oh please, you're stunning, Calliope." Arizona said as her blue eyes danced across olive skin. She couldn't get enough of her. Everything about Callie was perfect. Was this who she's been looking for? How did her soul feel so alive around this woman she hardly knew?
"Why do you insist on calling me calliope? Callie asked with a laugh.
"It's a beautiful name. Very fitting." Arizona said with that dimpled smile. The smile that almost caused Callie's knees to go weak.
"Look, the girls and I are going to our favorite pub for some food and drinks. I don't know what you and your team are doing, but you're more than welcome to join us." Callie said feeling brave. She couldn't understand this connection she felt with Arizona, but the air buzzed with electricity between them. She knew it wasn't her imagination. Even Addison said something about it.
"I wish We could, but we have to start editing this right away if it's going to be done for next Sunday." Arizona said regrettably. She wanted nothing more then to hang out with the woman standing in front of her.
"Ok, totally understand." Callie said with a forced smile. She felt dejected. Damn. Maybe she was imagining it.
"However, I'm free on Tuesday. Maybe we can do something then... Maybe with your friends, or maybe something without them. Give me a call." Arizona said quickly. She pulled out her business card and jotted down her cell phone number and slid it over to a nearly stunned Callie. "I hope I hear from you soon." She finished with that magic smile. Her blue eyes were shiny with delight, and her smile was bright in the dim room.
"Could this be more than friendship?" Callie thought as the blonde winked at her and once again walked away.
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A/N: omg! I'm sorry this update took so long! I had a very crazy/busy holiday weekend.
I hope it was worth the wait. I know the cheese factor is kind of high, but with the actual current state of their relationship on the show, this is kind of cathartic to write lol! (Dramatic much?)
I promise updates won't take this long next time. Again, I hope it was worth the wait, and not TOO cheesy.
A/N 2: so could it be more then friendship? Will bigger sparks fly? Your comments keep me going people! Let's hear it! :)
Xoxo