Arizona was in the dugout, re-tying her laces as the rest of her team prepared for that day's practice. Despite her efforts to focus on the game, her mind couldn't help but wander to a certain girl. One with beautiful, expressive eyes, and the softest lips she'd ever had the honor of kissing.
The blonde was not privy to the fact that she and Callie were now the talk of the school. Someone had seen their intimate exchange at the library the other day and wasted no time telling every person they knew. Not that Arizona wasn't used to being gossiped about all the time, she was just worried about how Callie was taking it. The brunette purposely tried to stay low, and then Arizona had come along and screw that tactic up.
Before she was able to ponder any further, Arizona felt someone bump her shoulder, "Hello, Ms. Talk of the Town, you know that no one will shut up about you, right?"
Arizona huffed at her best friend and fellow teammate's words, "I'm well aware of that, Teddy. Thank you for reminding me."
"No need to be mean," Teddy laughed, walking after the other blonde as she went to the pitcher's mound, "I, myself, am still trying to wrap my head around the situation. I mean...why did you kiss her again?"
Arizona panicked for a moment, unsure how to express her feelings for Callie. She wasn't quite sure what she felt for the brunette yet. The idea of having a real and genuine crush on a girl was a foreign concept to the blonde. For the first time in her high school career, she was actually interested in having a relationship with someone that wasn't just for sex.
And Calliope Torres was so much more than just sex to her. She was brilliant and caring, and unbelievably stunning. Arizona wanted to know everything and anything about her. She wanted to spend time with Callie that didn't involve studying or a sloppy make out session, even though the thought of kissing the brunette again made Arizona break out in chills.
The blonde couldn't simply explain that to Teddy...or anyone really. She was never good with words or expressing her feelings and Arizona prayed to God that wouldn't screw her over later on.
"Why does it matter? I kiss girls all the time, it's not like it's a surprise," Arizona muttered, doing the best to brush off Teddy's comment, hoping she wouldn't ask again.
When Arizona saw Teddy purse her lips in thought and then finally walk away, she released a breath. It felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She had almost no time to relax before the coach came out and instructed them to start the game.
It had only been a few minutes into practice and Arizona was already falling apart. She wasn't focused and her throwing was off, both of these things her coach continued to berate her about. Her head wasn't in the game at all but rather still in the library with Calliope.
The blonde attempted to pitch again, but it was once more a faulty throw.
"Arizona, you're on the bench. Next time bring your A-game to practice with you," Arizona blushed in shame at her coach's words, but still dragged herself over to the dugout. While sitting down she saw Teddy throw her a "what the hell?" look and she merely shrugged in defeat.
She was one hundred percent off her calibre today and could do nothing about. There was no use in trying to sort it out in her head, Arizona just wasn't able to wrap her mind around her new feelings. She had little reasoning for her actions in library and that threw her off more than anything.
Looking out into the distance, Arizona felt her heart skip when she spotted Callie sitting under an oak tree. The same one she was under the first time Arizona spoke with her. The blonde briefly wondered if she was there everyday and never noticed.
Arizona pondered the idea of going over there to speak with her about what happened in the library or instead acting like the kiss didn't occur. She thought about the worst scenarios of talking with Callie, which would be her refusing to be Arizona's tutor any longer or telling Arizona to go away and never speak with her again. There was same probability of this happening if Arizona didn't talk to Callie right then. So screw it, the blonde thought, better to face your problems now rather than later.
Deciding not to sit in the dugout any longer, Arizona got up, and began making the trek to Callie.
Callie was working furiously on her homework, using the large amount of it to her advantage. She was trying her very best not to think about Arizona Robbins and the world stopping kiss they shared. All day she heard people talking about the private moment between them and Callie was being stared at far more than she was comfortable with. She couldn't escape from the gossip, except for right then. But even with no one around Callie's thought's were tormenting her.
Finishing up her calculus homework, Callie slouched back against the trunk of the tree, her eyes wandering to the softball field. She was surprised when she didn't see the number fifteen pitching, Callie wasn't able to stop herself from asking Arizona's whereabouts. Was she okay? Did she get hurt?
Callie's rapid fire questioning was halted when she spotted the subject of her thoughts coming her way. The brunette panicked, her eyes widening, as she quickly patted down her hair and straightened out her clothing. Her actions seemed silly, but they were involuntary...or that's what Callie told herself.
She didn't know where to look, so she grabbed her chemistry textbook and flipped to a random page to pretend she was studying. Callie was just in time, as Arizona arrived only moments later.
"Calliope?" Arizona said, her dimples showing prominently as she smiled. She seemed so confident other than the nervous wringing of her fingers.
"Arizona, hi," Callie replied, cringing at the breathlessness of her voice. She didn't want to hint any of her inner turmoil or feelings to Arizona, but she was already failing. The brunette tried to calm her racing heart but it was no use, she felt her pulse beating rapidly and hoped that her face wasn't flushed from the rise in blood pressure.
"Can we talk about what happened yesterday?" The blonde questioned and Callie held in a groan, it was the last thing she wanted to talk about at the moment. She could only handle so much drama for one day and the whispers and looks in the hallway were more than enough.
Callie conceded though, moving her backpack out of the way, and gesturing to the now open spot beside her, "Uh, yeah, sure, sit down."
"Listen," The blonde began, shakily, unsure how to state her emotions. She didn't want to push Calliope away or make her uncomfortable. So maybe apologizing would be the best choice? That way she wouldn't make the situation worse, "I'm really sorry about kissing you. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable or start any unnecessary gossip. That wasn't my intention at all...I guess in the moment I wasn't thinking straight. So, I'm sorry."
"Oh," Callie couldn't stop the sadness from swelling in her chest. What did she expect? For Arizona to profess her undying love to her? Of course Arizona would regret their kiss. Callie was a nobody, a loser, certainly not enough for someone like Arizona, "It's okay, don't worry about it."
"Great," Arizona stated, relieved that Callie had taken her apology sincerely. But she also thought she could see some sadness in Callie's expressive eyes. Perhaps her mind was just tricking her into thinking Callie wanted something more from her, "Can we still be study buddies?"
The brunette tried to resist Arizona's pleading eyes, but found herself giving in. Callie still wanted to spend time with the blonde because as much as she denied it, seeing Arizona is what made her day. So Callie conceded, "Yeah, of course."
"So, I'll see you in the library after school tomorrow?" Arizona asked, confirming that their studying schedule would remain the same.
"I'll be there," Despite the painful tightening in Callie's chest, she managed a small smile.
Arizona grinned back ten times as bright, and hopped up from the ground, "See ya tomorrow then, Calliope."
The next day went by slowly for Callie, even more so than usual. All she could think about was the encounter she had with Arizona by the softball field. Did the blonde really feel like the kiss was a mistake? Did Callie really not mean anything to her? The brunette felt stupid, angry that she thought for even a second she could be special to the other girl.
As Callie walked the halls, she tried her best to keep her head down, since people were still whispering about her. She'd never been the center of attention like this, not even when it got out that her and Erica Hahn had gotten drunk at a party one night and made out in front of everyone.
Most of the talk centered around the fact that Arizona was popular, and how no one could understand why she would get involved with someone as quiet and reserved as Callie. It didn't really bother the brunette that they thought that, she understood, she was a nobody. What hurt was the fact that Arizona regretted the kiss. Callie willed herself to put the girl as far out of her mind as possible as she made her way to the rest of her classes.
The final bell rang and instead of being the first to leave the class, Callie was the last, lagging behind. She didn't care about getting to the library on time today.
To her surprise, Arizona was already there when she arrived, waiting for her in their usual spot. The blonde's face immediately brightened when she saw Callie, a gesture the brunette couldn't help but blush at.
"Hey, Calliope, how are you?" Arizona asked, her grin stunning enough to bring the strongest to their knees. Her beautiful blue eyes seemed to sparkle even more that day, leaving Callie speechless for a few seconds. The brunette was able to compose herself though and snap out of the daze the other girl had put her in.
"We should probably get started, I don't have a lot of time today," Callie lied, coming off cold and distant. It wasn't her original intention to act that way, but she did anyway.
The girls wordlessly took out their books, not exchanging any glances or making eye contact. They remained silent until Callie began to quiz Arizona on the formulas she needed to know for her test the next day.
The brunette did her best to detach herself for the situation, she didn't want to get lost in the other girl's eyes, it was too easy to. If that happened her feelings would get the better of her. Callie instead kept her eyes on the flashcards in her hands, never looking up.
A few minutes into their session Arizona sighed, knowing that the brunette's obvious annoyance towards her was due to their encounter by the softball field yesterday. It made her sad not to see Callie's beautiful, timide smile. It was something that never failed in making butterflies erupt in her stomach and warmth run through her veins.
Arizona's heart always began to beat faster whenever she was the cause of a smile or a blush that rose to Callie's face. The brunette's smile was unlike anything else. Her grin reached all the way up to her eyes, and her already enticing irises were made even more beautiful.
After about a half hour of Callie barely even looking at her and speaking strictly about chemistry, Arizona decided screw it. She was going to make a move. She was desperate for a reaction from Callie, even a glance at this point would make her jump out of her seat.
Arizona started out by shifting closer to the other girl, her body moving as near to Callie as possible until her butt was practically hanging off the side of her chair. She felt slightly hopeful when Callie squirmed around in her seat, undoubted feeling the heat emanating from the blonde's body.
Their shoulders brushed and Callie's hands flexed around her flashcards, her tongue darting out to lick her suddenly dry lips. Arizona tracked the movement with her eyes intently, heat settling low in her stomach.
Arizona took Callie's reactions as a confidence boost and moved her head in closer, her lips almost grazing the other girl's ear.
Callie could feel Arizona's on breath on her skin and her warm body pressing into her side. The feelings sent chill after chill down her spine and she began to have trouble controlling herself. It was a familiar yet unfamiliar feeling to be so deeply attracted to someone. To have her breathing become labored and her body sensitive. For that fire to burn inside of her. Callie wanted to run, far and fast, but something about Arizona was so alluring that it kept her from doing so.
The blonde paused for a second, thinking of her next actions. She could repeat what had happened last time they were in this library or gain some self control. It was oh so tempting to kiss Callie's raspberry colored lips again, to feel the softness of them against their own, but she couldn't do that. She had to respect Callie's silent wishes and not take advantage of their mutual attraction.
Arizona took a deep breath before speaking in a low tone, "Can you teach me how to do this formula again?"
Her mouth lingered only for a moment longer by Callie's ear until she slowly moved away to look the other girl in the eyes for the first time that day.
Callie gulped, seeing something akin to lust brewing in the blonde's eyes. Her normal sky blue irises were closer to navy and her pupils were slightly dilated. Callie was barely able to get out her words without choking, "Uh, yeah."
She pulled herself away from Arizona's mesmerizing eyes and went on to write the formula in her notebook.
Midway through the problem, she felt Arizona take her hand to stop her from continuing. The action made Callie's heart stutter for a moment.
The blonde caught her gaze when she finally looked up, Arizona's delicate features looking flirtatious yet soothing, "Do you wanna come to my house on Friday after school? You know…to study."
The question was abrupt and came out of nowhere, but Arizona couldn't get the idea of wanting to spend time with Callie outside of school out of her head. She wanted to get to know her better more than anything, it was a feeling Arizona couldn't quite understand, but still embraced.
Callie, herself, was unable to stop the smile that spread across her face, her cold demeanor dropping almost instantly. Her heart fluttered - for what must've been the millionth time that day - at the thought of Arizona wanting to spend time with her that wasn't just them studying. Maybe the blonde really was interested in her?
Arizona was silently rejoicing at the brunette's reaction. She was so happy that, yet again, she was the cause of Callie's stunning smile. It was a feeling that would never get old.
Callie tried her very best to calm her racing heart before answering, "Yes, I'd like that a lot."
Arizona grinned at her answer, her face glowing with happiness. She was so excited to spend time with the girl who had her so awestruck. Maybe she would finally learn who Calliope Torres was, not the girl from school, but the one from the real world.