Hey guys, thanks for the reviews, it means a lot :). So here's another chapter. I haven't re-read it (I was in a lazy mood) so I apologize in advance if there're any mistakes...

ps : I haven't seen "Valentine" (I hate horror movies) . I used this one just to give a nod to Jessica Capshaw, who plays in it ^^. So, sorry if it's not the same plot AT ALL (and it probably isn't)


Chapter III

ARIZONA

After the party, I don't hear from Addison for a little while. I see her at school now and then, but she only says 'Hi', or worse, barely nods and smiles. Her behaviour hurt me at first. After what we had been through at Mark's, after being this close to her, I thought I had earned the right to receive more than a simple 'Hi' from her. However, after observing her for a few days, I quickly noticed I was not the only one with that treatment. Charlotte and Naomi, her best friends, were also let behind, and Mark were apparently dead to her. Total ignorance. One day at lunch, as I'm revising for my first test in Maths, I can't help being distracted by her presence a few meters from me. She sitting there, all alone at a table, her back hunched, her stare blank, looking tired. She looks like the shell of herself. I cast a glance at the usual table where all her friends are sitting. They're all laughing and talking gaily. Only Naomi is having a quick concerned look at Addison from time to time, but she doesn't do anything about it either. Fuck Maths. In a swift motion, I close my book, take up my tray and approach her slowly. When I get at her sides, I softly lay my tray next to hers, waiting for a reaction. She looks up at me, obviously surprised, and my heart skips a beat as she smiles at me, looking happy that I'm here. Relieved, I sit down without a word and smile bacl at her shyly. None of us dares to say something for a few seconds, but I eventually breaks the silence, a bit hesitant :

"I'm sorry, maybe you'd rather be alone, I'll leave…"

I start standing up but she prevents me from doing it, her hand on my arm.

"No, please stay. I'm glad you came."

So I sit down, again. I can feel she's about to say something but doesn't what where to starts, so I wait patiently :

"I…I know I haven't been very nice to you so past few days. I mean, you've so great to me at the party and now all I seem to know how to do is to avoid you, as I do with all the others. Because, I swear Arizona, it's- it's not against you. It's just… I feel… My life is a mess those days, with Mark, my family… I know I shouldn't do that, but I just stay alone, moping all day. I don't do it intentionally, and I'm really sorry if I hurt you or anything, I didn't want to..."

Now that I'm so close, I can notice dark circles under her eyes, the weariness in her voice, the pain reflecting in each and every word she utters. And suddenly I feel guilty to have been so blind at the beginning, to have taken this so personally.

"It's okay." I respond, understanding. "I'm sorry for you and Mark… and your parents… can I do something ?"

She chuckles lightly. "If you have the remedy to heal broken hearts, just tell me."

An idea pops in my head.

"Not the remedy, no, but something to cheer you up a little, maybe." I smile and she frowns, curious.

"You don't have to accept, but I'm alone at home with my brother Daniel this week, so maybe you could come at my place, we'll watch a movie or something. I'll cook for you. You could spend the night also, if you want, to… you know… get some fresh air…"

She seems surprised. She doesn't say anything, she just smiles, looking incredulous. I start to panic, thinking maybe It was too much. After all, I've known her for two weeks, I mean maybe it's too soon to invite her to stay the night, is it ? Is there like a rule, that says when you can start invite friends for dinner, or to watch a movie or something ? Shut up Arizona, you're rambling in your head again…

I shake my head, coming back to reality, and then she tells me :

"You're an angel or something ?"

"Huh?"

"I don't know, I mean every time I feel bad, you come with your smile and your little dimples, and you just… make it all better, without even knowing it."

"Oh." I answer, taken aback.

She then smiles, a real smile this time, revealing her teeth ; her beautiful, white teeth…

"I'd love to come to yours. Tonight, would it be ok?"

"To-tonight's great. Tonight's…awesome ! Come around 7 o'clock, I you want."

The bell rings, cutting short our conservation. Since my test is in 5minutes, I hurry a little and leave her here in the cafeteria, a smile on my face. The dimpled smile.

"See you tonight !"

Addison Montgomery noticed my dimples, I realise on my way. Yay !

ADDISON

I slam the door closed as I come home after school, hoping to get the attention of anybody that might be here. With my father working away, my mother always busy attending diners and brunches, and my brother who's half of the time in his frat house, I quite often find myself alone at home all day and evening, sometimes a few days in a row. Today seems to be a exception though, since as soon as a come in, my mother appears in the entrance hall.

"Addison Kathleen Montgomery, how many times will I have to tell you not to shut that door !"

Without even looking at her, I start walking up the stairs. Blasé, I ask :

"You here tonight ?"

"Darling, you do know that Thursday night is Bridge Night at the club !"

Riiiight. Bridge Night, of course. How silly you are, Addison, I think, laughing half-heartedly.

"Your brother won't be home either. You should invite a friend, it will keep you busy."

"No, actually, I'll be staying at a friend's tonight." I snap at her, and she turns over immediately, apparently intrigued.

"Really? At Naomi's, or Charlotte's ?"

"No, she's a new friend, Arizona. You don't know her."

"For Christ's sake ! Arizona ! What a curious name !" She cries out, between laughter and dread.

I roll my eyes at her as I continue my ascension, but she doesn't let it go yet :

"She must be very nice, though. I'd like to see her."

"I don't think you'd like her." I tell her, once I've reached the first floor.

"And why is that ?" I hear from afar as I close my bedroom door. I answer her in my head :

Because she's beautiful, honest and she cares about others. She's everything you're not.

It's 7 :10 pm when I arrive outside her house, my bag dangling from my arm. I walk down the path leading to what I would call a typical suburban American house. By the window, I can make out blond hair in the living room. I guess I'm at the right place. I know at the door and she opens the door almost immediately, a huge smile on her face. At least one person is happy to see me. She invites me in, taking off my jacket and grabbing my bag, as I enter the lounge. The decoration is sober yet cosy, and family pictures are scattered everywhere. On the wall in front of me stands a traditional family portrait. The Robbins, a blond and blue-eyed family. The two parents, a boy and a girl. The perfect family.

"I know it's a lot smaller than you house, but we like it here." She tells me as I scan the room.

"No, it's perfect. It's just… your family seems so… happy."

I can sense she doesn't quite know how to respond to that, probably because of my own familial situation, but the silence is broken when a tall blond guy comes into the room.

"Hey, I'm Dan, Arizona's brother." He says, shaking my hand and smiling. The family resemblance is striking. The same ton of the voice, the same gestures, the same dimpled smile…

"Hi, I'm Addison, nice to meet you." Our eyes lock for a few seconds, but he averts his gaze quickly towards Arizona :

"So I'll leave you too then, I'm going to Mathew's. I'll probably be home late. There's pizza in the fridge if you want."

He's about to go, and he turns over one last time :

"Have fun !"

As I hear the door being shut, I smile and say :

"He's cute…"

She frozes and her smile fades for a second, before I add :

"You look like him a lot." I see her blush at my comment. Am I flirting with her ?

"Oh erm… thanks."

I sit on the couch, making myself at home.

"I'd like to say the same to you, but I've never seen your brother." She answers, sitting down next to me.

"I won't let him meet you. He's a jerk, like I said."

My brother is handsome. Very handsome, in fact. I know that. And for some reasons I don't quite comprehend, I want to be the only Montgomery she might be interested in. I put my hand on her thigh and squeeze briefly, as I add :

"Anyway, you'd be too good for him."

She looks at me weirdly, her face serious. It's rare to see her that serious. She's almost always smiling. My eyes land on hers, and I notice how blue they are. I mean, I have blue eyes myself, but hers are… very blue. She's really beautiful. Well, I've always thought she was pretty, because she is, obviously, but… wait, you're talking about Arizona, Addison. A girl. Since when do I find a girl "really beautiful" ?

Before I can go too far in my own internal monologue, her voice comes breaking the palpable tension :

"Pizza ?"

ARIZONA

I leave Addison and head towards the kitchen, to heat up some slices of pizza in the microwave. This night's gonna be… weird. Or tense, more than weird. Well, tense from my point of view, of course… Addison likes guys. Men. But it might get tense for her as well if I don't control myself a bit more. Example : I'm sure she noticed my crestfallen face when she mentioned my brother was cute. He is, cute. But nothing would be more heart-wrenching than to see Addison going out with my brother after Mark's fiasco. He sure would be nice to her. But it's painful enough to see her with a guy, I can't even begin to imagine what it would do to me if she went out with my very own brother. Anyway, was I dreaming or did she indirectly say that I was cute ? I must have become red as a beetroot… I'm imagining things. It was totally innocent. She likes boys. BOYS !

"So, that pizza ?"

I'm startled and I turn over quickly, finding Addison really close to me. So close I can smell her perfume. I take a step back, not wanting to tempt the Devil.

"One minute left."

She steps a bit closer while looking at the kitchen around her. She rests her elbows on the countertop, facing me. She asks playfully :

"So, what movie are you gonna make me see ?"

"You can choose whatever you want, your desire will be mine."

A smirk appears on her face and she raises an eyebrow :

"Oh really?"

She comes closer, O-so-slowly, the smile on her face wider and wider as I feel my heart pounding heavily in my chest. I try to swallow the lump in my throat, and she stops a few centimetres away from me :

"We'll see what you've got…"

And with that, she turns on her heels and walk away towards the living room. I can't help but sigh with relief.

When I come back with slices of hot pizza in a plate, I see her hand me a dvd, smiling. Valentine. Super… She probably notice that I'm not really enthusiast because her smile fades away.

"What, you don't like this movie ?"

"Well…I've never seen it. It's from Daniel's collection, but I have to say horror movies are not really my thing…"

"Oh ! Come on, please ! At least it will really make me think of something else."

She uses her charms on me. As soon as I see her big supplicant eyes, I know I won't resist very long.

"You said, I quote : "Your desire will be mine". And if you're scared tonight, I'll be right by your side."

Oh God. I had almost forgotten she'd be spending the night here too. Almost forgotten I'd share my bed with her…

"Alright." I finally say. "But it's really because it's you."

This sentence, almost cliché, could not have been truer right now.

ADDISON

My eyes don't leave the screen, while my hand manoeuvres between my mouth and the plate . It's been maybe 20minutes since it started but I'm already really engrossed in the movie. I like horror movies. For the adrenaline maybe, but more than scaring me, they usually make me laugh. The classics at least, I'm not talking about the creepy ones from Japan. No, I'm talking about the good old American turkeys, where the blonde cheerleader is always the first to die, and where the nerdy guy, not handsome but clever, ends up alive.

I turn my head briefly towards Arizona, who is prostrate on the couch next to me, her eyes wide open. Maybe five minutes later, when the blonde gets killed, I feel Arizona startle beside me and muffle a shriek. I can't help but laugh. Poor Arizona, if we actually were in that movie, I'm pretty sure she'll be the first one on the killer's list. But who knows, I am the cheerleader, after all… When the killer comes back unexpectedly a few minutes later, I feel her take my hand, squeezing as tight as she can. It's a miracle if my hand still gets enough blood supply.

"Arizona, you okay?"

"I'm okay…I'm…fine." She answers in a low voice, her ton betraying her. My hand stays in her firm grip.

"Fuck's sake!" she cries out only a moment after that, cringing and closing her eyes as one of the heroes gets his head cut off.

I pull her close on my side and slide an arm around her. She lays her head on my shoulder, our fingers intertwined. Little by little, I feel her breathing slow down, but her pulse rate remains fast. Soon enough, I'm not paying too much attention to the movie and focus my attention on Arizona, my thumb stroking the back of her hand lightly. If only it could always be so simple, so tender. With my parents that are never home and the shitty situation with mark, just to be nestled against somebody who cares about me is enough to warm my heart. I feel her move from my shoulder before she lays her head on my lap. My free hand finds her hair, as I stroke her golden locks gently and feel her relax even more. We spend the rest of the movie like this, indulging in that new found proximity.

As the closing credits appear on screen, I ask with sarcasm :

"So, you liked it, didn't you ?"

"It was awful… the second half of the movie was nicer, though." She answers with a smile, looking at me, still on my lap. I smile back at her, and say :

"Yep. Definitely."

ARIZONA

As another character dies suddenly under the knife of the killer, I can't repress the cry that comes out of my mouth. I grab her hand, so as to make sure I'm not alone on that couch. How can somebody like horror movies ? The film started, like, thirty minutes ago and it's still too much. Fortunately, Addison is kind enough to let me crush her hand to a pulp without saying anything. After asking me if I was okay, she pulls me towards her and I sigh as I lay my head on her shoulder. I close my eyes for a moment, inhaling her sweet scent, feeling lulled by the gentle strokes of her thumb on my hand. I relax as minutes pass, focusing on her instead of the movie, and when I feel my nape getting stiffer, I change our position and make my head rest directly on her lap. Her hand finds its way into my hair, grazing my scalp slowly, divinely. My eyes close on their own accord, as I revel in the sensation of this impromptu massage. I swear if the screaming had not been so persistent throughout the movie, I could have fallen asleep right there.

The film over, I look up at her as we share our impressions on the movie. She keeps on doing stuffs in my hair, smiling at me. She seems so happy compared to the past week, it almost feels like a miracle.

It's getting really dark outside and inside, but we stay there in the dimness for a few minutes, not daring to move, enjoying the silence and the shared complicity. In my wildest dreams, I would put my hand on the back of her neck and pull her towards me until ours lips meet again, but I'm not that brave, so I just sit up and switch the light on. I laugh as I see her blink from that sudden new found luminosity, and as ours eyes get used to it, I take her hand and pull her out of the couch.

"So, what are your plans now, you know… to cheer me up ?" she asks as we bring our plates back to the kitchen.

I take a quick glance at the wall clock. 22:03.

"Well, it's getting late. I propose we continue in my bedroom." I reply casually, without really thinking. However, I see her look at me with a Machiavellian smile and I suddenly understand my innuendo…

"You're getting really bold, Miss Robbins…" she says with a wink as she walks past me towards the stairs.

"Don't that I am that easy…"

I can't stop blushing and smiling as I watch her disappear upstairs.

ADDISON

I push her bedroom door open and I'm not really surprised to find a warm and cosy room, mainly pink and white. In the middle stands a double bed, looking really comfy and almost fluffy. Without a second thought, I jump on it, landing on my stomach, my head against the quilt. I hear her enter behind me, as she starts laughing, probably mocking my position. I take a look over my shoulder, barely lifting my head. She closes the door, staring at me and grinning, her eyes rolling.

"Come here, instead of judging me!" I say jokingly, patting the quilt beside me.

She throws herself on the bed too, and we lay side by side, turning around so that we can lay on our back. I put my arms behind my head, my eyes riveted towards the ceiling.

"I like it here."

"Thanks."

"It's… warm. It feels good."

"You're welcome here whenever you want." She says, her hand poking my thigh lightly.

"You're sweet." I turn towards her, laying on my side, and she does the same. Our eyes scrutinize each other for a while, while we sent the other shy smiles, now and then. It's so nice to be able to stay silent with somebody without feeling awkward. It's rare, actually, especially after knowing somebody for such a short amount of time. It's something I really cherish with Arizona. This sheer simplicity, this connection beyond words. With Mark, we never did this, just enjoying the fact of being together in silence. Either he was joking, or talking about his 'bros', or about football, and I would talk about high school… or either we were kissing –the kisses leading inevitably to sex, most of the time. I realise my relation with Mark is superficial. I mean was. Fuck, why did I have to think about Mark and ruin the moment ?

"Addie ? Are you okay ?"

"Yeah, yeah… I… I was just thinking about Mark. Don't know why. But bad thoughts…"

With her hand, she tucks a lock back behind my ear, and then that same hand lingers on my cheek for a moment. My own hand lands on hers, and we stays like that for a while, without saying anything. Because sometimes, words aren't really necessary…