"You son of a bitch Mark! You son of a bitch!"
"Aw c'mon Cal, it's not that big a deal!" Mark tried to smile charmingly as he reached for her hand, sighing in frustration as his fiancé snatched it away
"Not that big of a deal?" Callie hissed. "You slept with her Mark. That IS a big deal, a huge frickin' deal!"
"Crap! It was a one night stand, not an affair! She was a fan, said she like my athletic body, only seemed fair to let her see it all!" he shrugged. "Besides, we're not married yet Cal, and I promise, once we are, well….things will be different!"
She gave a bitter laugh and rolled her eyes. "No Mark" she said several minutes later
"No? No what?"
Callie took a deep breath. "No, I don't believe you. I don't think things will be different, they won't get any better, I don't believe you can change. And, and I don't think you are ready to get married yet"
Marks eyes flew open and his hands tightened on the steering wheel. She saw the pulse in his neck jump, his face paled. "Callie, don't do this!" he pleaded. "I LOVE you, I do! You mean, everything to me. I can change, for you I WILL change. Callie. Please. I love you!"
"I know you do. And, I love you to. But, it doesn't feel the same any more. You and me, it doesn't feel….right!"
"Right? Callie, you were screaming my name last night, I make you feel better than just right, right? And I make you laugh? I'd do anything for you…in or out of the bedroom!"
Callie chuckled and nodded. "Yeah Mark, I know. And you and me, the sex? No complaints! Best ever! And yeah, you do make me laugh, and I know you are always there for me. But, it, it's starting to feel like, well like I'm sleeping with my best friend ya know! We have mind blowing sex, then sit and play video games! We don't wanna hold each others hand, we play wrestle! We don't whisper sweet nothings in each others ear, we talk baseball scores or tennis rivals. And we don't have eyes just for each other, we are always…."
"Checking out the ladies!" Mark muttered softly
Callie closed her eyes, before slowly nodding. "You noticed huh?"
"I noticed. You said Erica was your first, and last. But, I'd have to be blind not to notice you check out some of the same ladies that catch MY eye!"
"I haven't cheated on you Mark. I'D never do that. Never. But, I. I'm so confused! I love you, and when we got engaged, I was SO happy, so convinced that I had met the one who I would spend the rest of my life with, have children with, and grow old with!"
"Me to!" Mark smiled. "And we still can Callie. We can still get married! We love each other right? The spark we had when we got together, it'll come back, the sex will always be good, and I won't mind if you wanna play with a lady or two, uhm…maybe bring them home to share ya know! Ours would be a perfect marriage, an open marriage. They'd never be a dull moment!"
Callie laughed and shook her head. "That's true. But it isn't what I want, or deserve. And you deserve more to, so much more. Mark, I, I know that you know I'm right. I, love you, but…but I'm not in love with you, not anymore! You're my friend. My BEST friend. And I'd like it if you were always in my life, as I can't imagine my life without Mark Sloan in it, I just don't think," she sighed, "I don't think we should be married. We have no right to be married"
She watched as his jaw clenched and unclenched, as he ran his hand through his hair before slamming it back down on the steering wheel making her jump. "Dammit Torres, why d'you have to be so great? And why do you have to be right?"
"Cos I'm awesome!" she chuckled reaching out to rest her hand on his shoulder as he turned watery blue eyes to look at her briefly
He pursed his lips and then gave a slow smirk. "Well, hmm. Whadda ya say to one last weekend of mad passionate and crazy sex huh, our last hurrah kinda deal? I mean, the villa is booked, we're half way there, and neither of us have a better offer?"
"You're crazy you know that?" she laughed
"But that wasn't a no?" he grinned and wiggled his eyebrows
Callie shook her head and grinned back. "You're right. It wasn't!"
"Yes!" Mark yelled, slightly putting his foot down on the gas.
"Mark, slow down huh?"
"Don't worry Cal, this baby handles like a dream, so sensitive to my touch, just like you. Your body, your hot, smokin', sexy, amazing body, handles like this sports car, and I know how to get your engine to burn for me baby!"
Callie swallowed and squirmed in her seat. "Mark!" she moaned
He put his foot down a little more and licked his lips. "All that power you have Cal, coiled inside you, that energy, that fire! And, and I know how to tap into it, how to get you to respond to my touch. Mine!"
"Mark, God!" she gasped, then gave a small laugh. How did he do this to her, how did he turn her on so much? Maybe she was wrong, maybe they should be married? But marriage wasn't sex alone, it was…"MARK!" she screamed as she felt the car start to slide
"SHIT!" he screamed as he wrestled with the wheel fighting for control. "Oil on the road!" he yelled as he almost got it straight, but too late as they approached another sharp bend. She was looking at him when it happened , she reached out for him as she felt the car lift up, saw the world start to tip…..
Callie gasped as she shot up from her bed, her heart thumping in her chest. "Mark!" she breathed out as she brought her hand up to press on her chest in a futile attempt to slow her racing heart. She turned to look at the framed photo on her bedside, it was taken the day they both won their last Wimbledon singles title. Mark was standing behind her, his arms wrapped tightly around her as his head rested on her shoulder. They were both laughing, she remembered Mark had said something particularly rude just as Teddy had snapped the shot. "Oh Mark, God! I miss you! I miss you so damn much!"
She flopped back on the bed, but sleep wouldn't come. Deciding to go for an early morning run she pulled herself out of bed, grimacing slightly at the slight twinge in her back, standing to wait for it to pass before grabbing her running gear and starting her warm up stretches. Briefly she plotted her route before going to grab her keys, hesitating as she looked at her phone. Without even thinking, she sent off a quick text. Know it's early but am heading out for run to clear my head. You up to joining me?
Arizona was pacing her lounge when she heard her phone chime. Glancing at her watch she hesitated before picking it up and reading the message, a huge smile spread across her face as she sent back her quick reply: Where do I meet you?
[xx]
"Ah I needed that!" Arizona groaned as she flopped down on the grass in front of Callies house
"Me to!" Callie sighed as she dropped down next to her. "Always find running clears the mind!"
Arizona squinted slightly as she looked sideways at her friend. "Uhm, you know, I am a good listener. I mean, I know we haven't been friends for long, I mean, not long at all, uh. and uh, I know I didn't know Mark but…"
Callie turned to look at her
"Hm. Anyway" Arizona gave a small nod. "I just want you to know, you can trust me, ok. If you ever need to talk. About Mark. Or not. Or anything. I'm here, I'm a good listener!"
Callie gave a small smile. "Thanks" she whispered. "And uh, so you know. I am not a bad listener myself!"
"Huh?"
"C'mon blondie! Yesterday, at practice? It was all you could do to hold the racquet. You seemed to have the weight of the world on your shoulders"
"Yeah, sorry" Arizona whispered. "Just uh, family stuff ya know"
"Not really!" Callie chuckled. "Haven't spoken to my family for, oooh, six years? No, seven. Soon as I turned 18 I cut myself free, and stopped being their cash cow!"
"Ouch!"
"Yeah!" Callie chuckled. "I LOVE tennis, I do. But it wasn't what I wanted to be, to do! But my dad, well, he saw me win a few junior tournaments and had my whole future, and his set out! I barely graduated high school cos he had me travelling the circuit as soon as he legally could. And I did as I was told cos I loved my dad! AND, I foolishly believed him when he said my winnings were gonna help me to get to college! Turns out, he was a better salesman than I took him for! My money, my winnings? Paid for him and mom to have three luxury holidays while I finished off school! Paid for mi sister Aria to go to college and the two luxury cars they both drove to go visit her in! It also bought my sister her horse and paid for it's stables, but there wasn't any money in my account for me to retire and follow my own dream when I wanted to go to college! Well, a couple of thousand dollars, but I had earned more than that, way more. I should have had over a million, more than enough to pay for my dream! "
"Which was?"
"To be a doctor!" Callie gave an embarrassed smile
Arizona laughed. "Weird! Me to! That's why I'm a late starter on the circuit. I managed to finish pre-med at college, but uh, well, money ran out, college will be there in a few years when I have to retire, so playing the circuit to pay for my future! You know, it's never too late right? You MUST have enough money by now?" she chuckled
"Ha ha!" Callie playfully slapped her arm. "I do, thanks. But no, it's too late to go back to college now, that ship has sailed!"
"So, what will you do, when you retire?"
Callie sat up a fraction, leaning back on her elbows. "Settle down, you know, find the one for me. Then kids, hopefully! Do a bit of coaching on the side. I dunno! Or maybe just take off and spent years travelling the wold! Then come back and well, have kids!" she chuckled
"Kids huh?! Hmmmm"
"You don't want kids?"
Arizona took a deep breath before replying quietly. "I'm gay, so uh, kids? Takes some commitment and some planning ya know! I'm single with NO chance of meeting the one, if she exists! And I'm not sure I'm exactly mother material!"
Callie laughed. "Mother material? What does that mean?"
Arizona chewed her bottom lip before scrabbling quickly to her feet. "I uh, I better get going, still got to run back to my place before grabbing my kit. See you later at the courts!" And before Callie could reply she was sprinting away to the gate of Callies home and disappearing from sight
Callie shook her head a fraction before whispering to herself. "That went well!"