"So, what's your favourite flavour of gum?" Callie asked, eyeing the blonde across the table as she contemplated her answer. Arizona propped her hand underneath her chin and leaned on her arm, deciding upon the best.
"Blueberry, definitely. I love the colour, and the flavour. I love all sweet things." She said with a grin.
"Wow, knowing you, who would have guessed that you have a sweet tooth?" Callie replied sarcastically and laughed, the blonde joining in grudgingly after attempting to keep a frown but failing.
"Ugh, whatever. What's yours?" She shot back.
"Cinnamon. The really hot stuff. I like it spicy, fiery and hardcore." Callie answered without a second's hesitation, licking her lips. I bet you do, Arizona couldn't help but think longingly, biting her lip and trying not to feel sexually aroused by the very sexy woman across from her.
"Well, you know, I've heard that a person's preferred type of chewing gum can say a lot about them." Arizona said in a sexy, quiet tone, unconsciously leaning towards her date over the table. In fact, both women were doing so without noticing, so much so that when the waitress arrived at their table, she had to clear her throat very loudly to get their attention. Arizona tore her eyes away from Callie with a smirk on her face as the brunette scrambled to regain control of herself.
"What can I get you tonight?" The waitress asked tiredly, looking at them expectantly. She'd already had a painfully long shift, having to serve a really obnoxious family and a pervy old guy, and now she had to deal with a couple of lovesick chicks. Great. She thought sarcastically.
"I'll have the with Italian sauce on the chicken breast and salad with white wine, thanks." Arizona said with a bright grin, handing her menu to the attendant.
"That sounds great. I'll think I'll have the same, thank you, but can I get red wine instead of white please?" The Latina said, following the blonde's actions. The waitress told them that their meals would be there shortly and to have a pleasant evening before exiting to the kitchens. "So who told you that?" Callie wanted to know, resuming their previous conversation.
"Well, actually, I made it up, but I think in your case, it's highly appropriate." Arizona said in her best matter of fact tone. Callie rolled her eyes and grinned at how cute the blonde could be. "This is a really nice place." Arizona said, gesturing around at the restaurant they were seated in. It was an old business, run by an Italian family full of amazing cooks. The whole building had an aura of comfort and was highly interesting to look at, the interior walls having been painted by local artists back in the 1990's. They were filled with huge, beautiful olive trees with lovely rays of sunshine filtering through the leaves, but the more you looked at them, the more depth you could see and there was always something new to discover in the quaint building. Callie had been going here since she was a teenager, it having a very special place in her heart.
"I love it here." She agreed, enjoying watching Arizona experience it all. "But being here with you makes it even better." The words tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop them, and she glanced at her date to see the blonde watching her with a humongous smile on her face.
"I am the awesomest of company aren't I?" She joked, and leaned across the table to softly brush her lips against Callie's. She was about to meet them properly when she heard someone coughing and pulled back abruptly to see their waitress standing by the table, arms laden with delicious food, watching them with a pissed off expression. After they got their meals and thanked her, the woman walked away again. Arizona muttered resentfully, "She always ruins it right when we're about to get to the good part.".
Callie chuckled. "You poor thing. Would you like me to fix that for you?" She asked in a fake sympathetic tone. Arizona feigned a pout.
"Well, you know what they say about kissing things better."
"Oh, well, that's highly logical. We can't argue with that." Callie agreed, and leaned across the table, her lips finding Arizona's waiting ones. After they pulled back again, Arizona grinned.
"It worked. See, I feel better already!" She giggled.
"Great. Who needs a medical degree? I'll just kiss all my patients better and then I will never have to practice medicine."
Arizona's laughter was abruptly cut off. "I'm the only one who gets to kiss you." She growled. It was then Callie's turn to laugh.
"Well, okayyy." She said, drawing out the last word. "If you insist."
"I do." Arizona nodded. Callie's hand took hers, and the Latina lifted it up to kiss the back of it before letting their entwined hands rest on the table.
"Well, that's that then." She said, and picked up her fork, beginning to eat. A comfortable silence stole across the pair as they ate, both enjoying the amazing cuisine.
"Wow!" Arizona gasped after a few bites, setting down her fork to have a sip of her drink. "This food is amazing!" She exclaimed, and Callie couldn't help but grin at her childishly cute enthusiasm. "I can see why you love this place so much."
"Yeah, it's been one of my favourites for a really long time, I love being here."
"I bet it's a great place to bring chicks, too." Arizona joked.
"You're actually the first date I've brought here." Callie admitted quietly, taking another bite of her meal. The blonde stopped eating for a second and met her eyes.
"You're really something, aren't you?" She whispered, none of her previous teasing left in her tone.
"Of course." Callie said, chuckling. Arizona rolled her eyes.
"Hey, I was trying to be all romantic and have a sincere moment with you and you ruined it. So immature!" She scoffed.
"Oh come on, you love it!" Callie said with a playful bump of her knee against her date's, still laughing at her.
"You're lucky you're pretty." Arizona shot back sarcastically. Callie grinned.
"You think I'm pretty?"
"Kind of missing the main point of my statement." She replied. "But yes, for your information, I find you to be absolutely stunning."
"Well, you aren't so bad yourself." The brunette smiled, squeezing Arizona's hand. "And by that I mean you're kind of amazing."
The rest of their meal was filled with light banter and stolen glances across the table, as any good first date is, but the whole time both women felt something more than they ever had with another person. They couldn't exactly explain it or put it into words, but let's just say, it felt like they'd been a couple for months at least, when in reality, they weren't even technically called one yet. So much so that, after they finished and exited the restaurant, Callie drove past the turnoff to their campus, instead sticking to the highway for a couple more miles out of town.
"You know what's funny?" Arizona asked as they sped past the dark scenery.
"What?"
"Well, it was me who asked you out, and I've been a bad date because I made you plan it all even though it was my idea." She said, frowning.
"For starters, I volunteered to plan it, so I'm happy to, and secondly, it's not like there's a rulebook for this kind of thing anyway. Trust me, I've tried finding it." Callie added with a laugh.
"Where are we going anyway?" Arizona asked, looking out the window and trying to discern their location.
"You'll see!" Callie told her with a mischievous grin.
"As long as you promise me that you're not dragging me out to the woods only to pull out an axe and chop me into a million pieces before burying me in the backyard of some farmer's cabin."
"I promise not to do that. It's way too messy, plus the amount of effort it would require and evidence that would leave is astonishing. If I wanted you dead, there's many way more original ways to do it." Callie replied with a smirk, placing her hand on Arizona's knee across the gearstick. "You just have to wait and see, it's a surprise." She said when she saw the blonde about to question her further.
Arizona crinkled her nose and turned in her seat to face the brunette who was looking out the windshield, paying close attention to her driving because a light rainfall had begun.
"I'm glad you dropped your bracelet in the hall that day, Calliope." She told Callie.
"Hm. Yeah, me too. I've had a great time with you, Arizona." The Latina responded, turning to meet Arizona's eyes and shoot her a quick smile being returning her attention to the road. Arizona grinned. "Alas; the final part of our journey is here." Callie said mysteriously as they left the outskirts of town and stopped at a clearing, unbuckling her seatbelt before dashing around the car to open the blonde's door for her.
"And who says chivalry is dead?" Arizona laughed, standing back as Callie dashed around her vehicle like a whirlwind, pulling things out of the back seats and arranging the roof so that it came completely off, as well as lowering the seats so that there was a flat area big enough for two adults to lie down on. Arizona stood watching with a curious expression until the brunette approached her with something in her hands.
Callie grinned as she tugged the beanie onto the blonde's head and positioned it carefully. "I didn't want you to get cold out here." She explained in response to the blonde's questioning look, giving Arizona's head a quick pat when she was finished putting it on. "Also... I thought it'd look cute on you." She admitted sheepishly.
"Well does it?" Arizona teased flourishing her arms dramatically like a model. Callie nodded enthusiastically.
"Definitely. Now, as well as incredibly hot, you look snuggly. Cute works on you." She smiled approvingly, then took Arizona's hand, leading her back towards the now transformed vehicle. "One of the reasons I love having a Jeep Wrangler- you can take off the roof. And it makes a great spot for star gazing. Which happens to be the next thing on our agenda."
With that, she gestured for Arizona to get in, and after helping her up, jumped into the Jeep in a swift manoeuvre. After they had settled with a big, fluffy blanket, they looked up towards the sky. Arizona gasped.
" I didn't even notice it, but it's so beautiful here. The view is so clear!" She exclaimed. Callie nodded in agreement.
"So beautiful." She whispered, but not looking up at the sky, her gaze locked on Arizona's face. The blonde turned to her and blushed when she realised what Callie meant. They were both lying on their backs, and Arizona shifted onto her side so that she was facing her date instead of the stars. Their eyes met and once again, they were each locked in the other's gaze. Callie slowly leaned forward and placed her lips upon the blondes, their fingers interlacing almost automatically. Callie couldn't help but deepen the kiss as soon as she felt Arizona's soft skin on her lips, opening her mouth to grant the blonde's waiting tongue access. She noticed afterwards that even kissing Arizona was so much better than anything she'd ever experienced. It was like Arizona knew exactly what she wanted and did it without thinking. As their tongues battled for control, the blonde's free hand roamed around Callie's body and settled on her lower back, pulling them closer to each other, both wanting as much contact and closeness as possible. Callie moaned when she felt Arizona's foot graze hers, and Arizona smiled into the kiss. She was enjoying the reactions she could get out of Callie. All too soon they were forced to part for air, both dizzy and panting, not to mention crazily turned on. Arizona felt like she could spontaneously combust from the way Callie made her body feel.
"Holy crap." She muttered, and Callie laughed breathlessly.
"I know." The Latina agreed, tightening her arms around Arizona.
After that they both looked back towards the sky, but Callie didn't let go of Arizona, still holding her close as she told her date all about the constellations they were looking at.
"Wow, you know a lot about this stuff." Arizona observed. Callie shrugged.
"My dad sent me to a school in junior high where astronomy was part of the main curriculum." She explained.
"It's really amazing to think about it all. I mean, look at that." She said, pointing at the moon. "Humans have been there. It's so small from here, imagine how Earth would look from it." Arizona continued.
"It spins me out to think of how tiny we are in comparison." Callie murmured, absentmindedly stroking the blonde's arm.
"I know! I mean, we're one of what, nearly seven billion people on this planet, which seems so big to us, yet when you think about how small it is in the scheme of things, the solar system for example, we're basically nothing." Arizona sighed. "What a downer."
"Another way to look at it is that we have this chance to be apart of such an amazing universe. And we shouldn't let a second go to waste. Life is short, so why not enjoy it?" Callie mused.
Arizona thought about it for a second then smiled. "That sounds like a great philosophy, Calliope." She said, settling her head on the curve of the brunette's shoulder. Callie felt so comfortable there with Arizona, and couldn't help but smile at how Arizona fit perfectly in her arms. Her body was being invaded by the scent of the blonde, wafting deliciously out of her hair and into Callie's nostrils, intoxicating her mind.
After they decided to head back to campus because the temperature was rapidly decreasing beyond comfortable, Callie drove to the parking lot of Arizona's building and walked her to her door.
"How did you know what room I'm in?" Arizona asked, stopping outside and looking at Callie with an expression that was half amused and half surprised.
"Well, you're not the only one who has their sources." Callie winked, and leaned down to place a final kiss (for that night, she hoped she wouldn't be giving Arizona her final kiss for a very long time) on the plump lips before her. Arizona wrapped her arms around Callie's shoulders, and Callie's fingers worked their way through Arizona's hair, pulling her face closer. This type of kiss was more chaste than the others that evening, but there was a ferociousness to it from Arizona that Callie particularly enjoyed. She was really pissed when Arizona's door was pulled open to reveal none other than Lexie Grey, and they pulled away from each other rather swiftly.
"Hey I thought I heard-" Lexie began but cut off abruptly when she looked up and noticed the moment she'd broken into. "Oh my god. I'm so sorry!" She exclaimed, and quickly stepped back into the room, pulling the door shut behind her.
Arizona chuckled at her new roommate. "That's Lexie." She explained when she saw the way Callie was gazing after the brunette with a bewildered expression. "This was the only room available because I applied so late in the year, but she's actually pretty great. Aside from ruining our kiss just then." She added, scowling.
"Ok then." Callie said, chuckling at both her date's her crazy roommate and her overwhelming cuteness when she scowled.
"Well, thank you, Calliope. I had an amazing time tonight. Best first date ever!" Arizona gushed.
"I agree, I had a great time." The brunette replied, unable to stop herself from leaning down to place a soft kiss on Arizona's lips again. The type that made the blonde lean in to deepen it, but before she could, Callie pulled back with a mischievous grin. Giving the blonde's hand a squeeze, she took a couple of steps back. "Night, Robbins!" She called, and turned to stride away down the hall, trying to do her best sexy walk because she knew Arizona was still watching her. She paused as she was about to get into her car and shot Arizona a suggestive smile with a wink.
Arizona groaned and entered the apartment, sinking onto the couch. She felt as if every nerve in her body had been lit on fire. She definitely needed a couple of seconds to recollect herself, because Callie not trying to be hot was sexy enough, but when she really turned it on... Well let's just say that sort of thing is enough to scramble anyone's mind. As Arizona attempted to calm down, Lexie came back into the room and began to talk. "I'm sorry about what happened just then. I thought I heard voices outside and I wasn't sure if it was you back or not." She explained, feeling very sheepish, especially because Arizona had buried her face in her hands. What she didn't realise was that the blonde was trying to tone down the raging hormones Callie had just stirred in her. She's just so damn hot! Arizona thought. When she realised Lexie was looking at her worriedly, she pulled her hands down and tried to smile convincingly. "It's fine, don't worry about it!" She said. Lexie hesitated for a second, and then shrugged and sat down on the couch beside Arizona.
"So, do I even need to ask how your big date went?" Lexie grinned. Arizona sighed.
"It was perfect. SHE is perfect."
As Callie entered her apartment, she immediately made her way to her bed, throwing her purse and keys onto the designated key dish as she went. She didn't even bother to change, just fell down onto her bed. She could still feel the way the blonde's smooth skin felt against her lips, the way her fingers felt when they linked themselves between Callie's, and how, when she smiled, the world stopped around her. Callie started thinking about their next date, wondering how soon would be acceptable to ask out Arizona, or if she should just let the blonde come to her. But she stopped and shook her head at herself. She couldn't let herself do this again. Not this relationship crap. She'd done it all before, and look what happened- her heart was broken. Time and time again. She really couldn't afford to have another thing like that happen again, especially not in her final year. She needed to work her ass off if she was going to make it. She couldn't waste her time on another fling.
But even though she was telling herself all this, she couldn't help but feel a sense of hope.
Reluctant hope.
And longing. That was definitely present.
And that was it- she knew that she wanted a real relationship with this girl. Not a shallow thing where it's just them messing around. Don't get me wrong, Callie definitely wanted to mess around with Arizona. But she didn't want that to be all it was.
