Disclaimer: I do not own some characters, dialogues, or scenes. They belong to Shonda Rhimes, Grey's Anatomy, and ABC.
Finishing off my birthday weekend with an update for you guys. I am truly grateful for the wonderful responses I have been receiving. The well wishes, too. You're an amazing bunch. THANK YOU!
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One of those days. That's exactly what Callie Torres was having.
After having slept through her alarm, she knew from the moment she woke up, that today would be one of those days. Rushing to get ready for work had caused her to struggle to get her hair and makeup just right. She even walked out of her penthouse and down to her office in her house slippers. When her father saw her, he scolded her about punctuality and image. To top it all off, after coming back from her lunch break and having just sat down at her desk, her coffee tipped over, spilling all over important documents as well as her skirt. Is there anything else that can go wrong today?
Luckily, she managed to pull herself together and get all of her work done. If there was one thing going for her today, it's that all of her goals for the work day were easily accomplished. Callie set high standards. That's one of the things that made her an excellent business woman. She was effective and successful because she believed in herself and in the family business. Callie may have been spoiled rotten as a child, but as an adult she learned the value of a dollar. Carlos Torres, could scold her all he wanted about her private life, however, he could never say a bad thing about her work ethic.
When she laid in bed that night, thinking about the kind of day she had, the tears began to flow. She couldn't help but wish she had someone to share all of her mishaps with and for them to provide her with comfort. The truth was, she felt lonely. From the outside it looked like Callie had everything going right. Her career was locked down. TORRES Enterprise remained at the top. Property was being bought left and right. Hotels were being built in many states and countries. Most of the companies she personally invested in were thriving. Financially, she was beyond set for life.
When it came to friends, Callie had very few. After realizing that her 'so-called friends' clung to her because of her wealthy status or because of who she knew, Callie learned to remove such manipulators out of her life. That left her with less people to lean on.
While wallowing in sadness, Callie's phone rang. She quickly wiped her face and cleared her throat before answering, "hello?"
"Life is good, Torres. Life. Is. Good."
Ironically, it was her best friend. The only friend she could truly count on. A person who never used her and always offered his shoulder to lean on. He was commonly known as a womanizer, but not with her. He always respected her boundaries. Friends and nothing more.
"Mark." Callie cried into the phone.
"What's up, Cal? Why does it sound like you're crying?"
Callie opened up and told Mark about her trying day and emotional evening.
"Maybe if you weren't so scared of getting burned, you'd feel great, too." Mark tensely retorted.
"You know I used to walk tall. I used to walk tall. Then, came George. He took off at least an inch. Then, Erica went and left me. That shaved off a few more. I got shorter. All that humiliation, it makes you shorter. So… yeah, I am scared of getting hurt. Because, one more personal disaster right now would cut me off at the knees."
Mark couldn't stand to hear Callie be so pessimistic. He loved Callie. There was nothing in this world he wouldn't do for her. She was all he had. Unfortunately, he was almost 3000 miles away from her, completing his residency. It was time for Callie to move forward. He couldn't be there for her physically. That's why, he needed to get into her head by giving her a little push with his words. "Walk tall."
Callie was puzzled by Mark's words. "What?" She asked.
Mark ended the call with some wise words of wisdom for Callie. "All you can do is be brave enough to get out there. You fought, you loved, you lost. Walk tall, Torres."
When Callie heard the phone call suddenly end, she realized that she was left to ruminate on Mark's parting words. Was she ready to move on?
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It was Friday night and Callie was still in an emotional funk. There was no desire to teach this last class, which was the reason why she was actually showing up to the studio with one minute to spare. Thank goodness Aria will be back this weekend.
Walking in to the studio, she took a quick survey of the room. She had to do a double take because standing over in a corner of the room, chatting with Ricardo and a few others was none other than Arizona. The blonde who never texted Callie to confirm whether she was going to attend class or not. Guess she decided to come after all.
When Arizona caught sight of Callie, she sent a smile her way. Callie sent a short wave back, but quickly turned to address the class.
She instructed the class to line up. Pairing up the beginner's with those who were more advanced.
Arizona was paired up with Ricardo. Very thankful that it wasn't Joel. She didn't feel like causing a scene.
The pair took their place and waited for the music to start. They put their hands in position and began dancing. After getting comfortable with each other, they began to converse. They spoke about their careers. Ricardo mentioned working on Wall Street up until a few years ago, when he decided to quit and start his own company. Arizona revealed that she too owned a business. She went on to tell him about her designs and creations, leaving him in awe.
When Ricardo tried to move the conversation on and Arizona did not respond, he quickly realized that her focus was elsewhere. He turned his head to see where her attention had shifted to. It was an 'aha' moment for him.
"She's pretty special, you know?"
Arizona was suddenly shaken out of her thoughts. "Huh, what did you say?"
"Callie… she's pretty special. A phenomenal woman." Ricardo remarked, as he nodded his head towards the woman Arizona was staring at. "Callie is one of the best people I know. I've tried to pursue her before, but clearly that turned out well for me." The tall Latino man said jokingly and then chuckled. "She's been put through a lot. First by George, then Erica. It's why she approaches everything with caution now." He waited until Arizona was looking at him before continuing, "the person she ends up with would be so lucky to love her and more importantly, be loved by her."
Just as he finished his little speech, Callie instructed the class to switch partners. As Ricardo moved on to the next person, Arizona was left completely flabbergasted. What did he mean by that?
For the remainder of the class, Arizona continued to improve her skills, while shuffling from partner to partner. There was never any interaction with Callie other than a few times when their eyes would meet, but then Callie would quickly look away. Arizona could tell that something was off with the brunette today. Since it was the last class Callie would be teaching, Arizona was expecting some kind of one-on-one. It never happened.
When class ended, Arizona decided to go thank Callie for the invitation to the classes, as well as the time she personally took to teach her. When she approached Callie, the glum woman appeared as if she was on the verge of tears. Upon looking closer, her eyes were slightly swollen, almost as if she had been crying earlier in the day. Arizona didn't say anything in regards to that. She was just going to try to cheer the woman up. "You've been so helpful and so kind to me. I truly don't know how to thank you enough…"
Of course, as Arizona was trying to thank Callie, Ricardo overheard and put his two cents in. "Yo se como… vamos a celebrar! Arizona already agreed to put her new skills to use tonight. Vamos, Callie?" (I know how, let's celebrate! Let's go, Callie). Ricardo beamed as he put his arm around Arizona's shoulder.
Callie looked at the conniving pair. Ricardo showing off his pearly whites and Arizona with her eyes a little wide, eyebrows raised, and lip slightly sticking out. If it was another day, maybe Callie would consider going, but she simply did not have the energy to go out tonight. "I'm sorry, but I am utterly exhausted. Thank you for the invite, I'm sure everyone will have a great time."
"C'mon, Callie. Just go for a little while. We'll have fun, if not, I promise we will let you leave." Ricardo supplicated.
Callie looked over at the blonde again. She realized that she had let her emotions get the best of her today. She felt awful. Who invites someone to their dance class and then ignores them the entire time? Seriously, who does that?
Deciding that she needed to make up for being such a crappy person, she accepted the invite to go out dancing. "Okay, fine. Where are we going?" Ricardo and Arizona high fived each other.
They hashed out the details of where and at what time they were meeting up. A quick goodbye was said, since they'd be seeing each other again, later on that night.
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Hours later, Arizona was surrounded by a group of people, in the VIP section of the lounge. Some were from dance class and others were friends of those from the class. They sat around talking and indulging in a few drinks for a bit. The music wasn't too loud, which allowed them to talk comfortably.
Arizona was pulled into a conversation with Madelyn, a tall, slender woman who was trying to hit on her. It was blatantly obvious to everyone including Callie, as Madelyn kept giving Arizona compliments. She was in the middle of telling Arizona about her recent handbag purchase. A gift from her parents after having to sit with them and their guests through a boring dinner.
So pretentious. Sooo not my thing, at all.
Arizona checked out of the conversation when she saw Callie over by the bar. The way the brunette was dressed almost had Arizona drooling. A black turtleneck, sleeveless dress that cut off at mid-thigh accentuated her curves. Brown, suede, high heeled boots that stopped at the knees covered her toned legs. DAMN! I need to get over there, now.
Arizona excused herself from the conversation with the showy woman and began making her way towards the bar. When she was halfway there, again, for the second time that day, Ricardo interrupted her. "I believe you are supposed to be showing off those new dance skills you learned. I just asked the DJ to switch over to merengue. Vamos!"
Arizona tried to cut him off but was unsuccessful. Ricardo had already pulled her onto the small dance floor. True to his word, the DJ began playing mix after mix of merengue songs. Arizona got shuffled around from person to person, putting all the steps and turns she learned with Callie to use.
When she got caught up dancing with Madelyn, who was so delighted to be dancing with her, Arizona noticed Callie walking into the restroom area. What she didn't know is that her talking to Madelyn earlier and now dancing with her, had Callie feeling slightly jealous. It's what caused Callie to run to the bathroom. Again, she excused herself from the woman and this time made her way over to Callie without any disruptions.
What she saw when she walked into the bathroom tore her heart. In front of her was Callie, hunched over the sink wiping the tears that had been falling. Calliope, you are too beautiful to be crying.
"Hey," she said, as she closed the door.
"Hey," Callie responded.
Arizona nervously asked, "Are you okay?"
Callie turned around to address Arizona. "You know… I'm fine."
"People talk… where we dance. They talk… a lot. So for the sake of being honest, I think I should tell you that I know things about you." Arizona gulped. "Because people talk." She emphasized.
"Oh…" Callie's face fell in disappointment. She breathed in deeply. "You mean…"
Arizona nodded in confirmation.
"Terrific." Callie lowered her head in annoyance. She leaned against the sink and crossed her arms.
"It is, actually." Arizona cheerfully stated, after seeing how shattered the brunette seemed.
"Uh-huh" Callie sarcastically denied.
Arizona eagerly continued, "…the talk. People really like you over there. They respect you and they're concerned and interested. They really like you. Some of them reaaaally like you." She exaggerated.
Callie nodded her head in disbelief.
"You just, you look upset and I thought that you should know that the talk is good and when you're not upset, when you're over being upset, there will be people lining up for you."
"Hahahaha" Callie laughed in denial. "…You want to give me some names?"
Really, Calliope? Hello, right in front of you. Arizona moved forward and grasped the side of the brunette's face. She gently turned Callie's head and placed a long, sweet kiss against her cheek.
"I think you will know." She stared at the stunned woman. When Callie finally realized what she meant, Arizona quickly let out a giggle. Yeah, me. She smiled big, displaying her dimples, as she walked backwards, turned around and walked out of the bathroom.
Callie smiled in wonder, as Arizona backed away. Did that really just happen? Her lips were so smooth and hot. She couldn't help but chuckle into the now empty room.
After the shock of what had just occurred settled in, Callie made herself presentable. She exited the bathroom and made her way back over to the group. Looking over, she saw the blonde woman by the bar finishing off her wine. Had Callie been there a minute earlier, she would have seen Arizona smirking at Ricardo, after he figured out that something between her and Callie, seemed to have happened in the bathroom.
After getting another glass of wine, Arizona made her way back over to the group. Sat at the table was Callie, appearing to be in good spirits now. Mission accomplished.
Realizing that it was getting late, the remaining friends decided to get up and dance to a few more songs before calling it a night. The DJ began to spin some Top 40 mixed with Urban Latin songs.
Not being much of a dancer, the blonde woman stuck to her basic moves. Letting the music guide her, she moved around mostly swaying, twirling, and shimmying. Losing her nerves or maybe it was liquid courage, she danced her way over to the brunette and placed her hands on Callie's curvy hips. Surprised by the invasion, Callie quickly turned around. When she noticed who it was, she stared deeply into smoldering blue eyes, instantly feeling a spark run through her body. Gathering enough courage, she turned around and backed into the blonde's space, but left a respectable amount of distance between the two.
A Shakira song began to play. Closing her eyes and getting lost in the music, Callie swayed her hips in time. The feeling of hot, heavy breaths hitting the back of her neck and the heat radiating between the two bodies urged Callie on. As the beat picked up, she began to roll her hips. Left, front, right, back, and repeat. It was becoming too much for Arizona to keep up with. She slowed down and just stood behind Callie, simply too mesmerized to stay in sync.
Arizona turned Callie to face her again, the blonde's eyes instantly going wide. "Calliope!" she whispered out loud by accident, while licking her lips. Droplets of sweat were running down the hot brunette's face, down her neck, and into her cleavage. Oh, what Arizona would have given to have been able to follow those drops with her tongue. She was ready to lose control. Lucky for her, or maybe not, the song ended.
After witnessing such a fiery moment between the two, Ricardo hated to put an end to it. "Hey, it's getting late. Most of us are thinking about heading out."
Not realizing how late it was Arizona began to panic. She needed to schedule an Uber to pick her up or else she would have to hail a taxi so late at night. "Excuse, I need to get to my phone and schedule an Uber."
"What?" Callie shrieked. "No, no, no!" Shaking her head, she told the blonde, "there is no way you are doing that. My driver will drop you off at your apartment."
"That's o…" Arizona was about to deny, but saw Ricardo shaking his head trying to tell her not to. But, it was too late, Callie already realized that she was going to deny. "No… Arizona. It's too late. I won't accept you going home on your own." Clearly, Arizona had no other choice but to accept.
While the women gathered their belongings from the coat check, Ricardo tried to get them a bottle of water after seeing Callie still flushed from dancing. When they met up at the front, he walked them out, making sure they got safely into Callie's car. He told the driver, "you be careful now. Precious cargo here." The driver chuckled and replied, "Oh… don't I know. I'd be out of a job and mostly dead if anything happened to Ms. Torres."
The car ride home was silent, but not awkward. Both women staring out their windows, watching the buildings pass by and observing people out late at night. After all, it was the city that never sleeps.
When they arrived at Arizona's apartment, Callie stepped out of the car and let Arizona out. "So, I really wanted to thank you for convincing me to go out tonight." Arizona didn't say anything. She just smiled back at Callie, showing off those precious dimples. "I had such a great time. Thank you, for everything." Callie stepped into Arizona's space and brought her in for a tight hug. Instantly, smelling her sweet perfume mixed with her sweat. As they stepped back, Arizona replied, "no, Calliope. It's been a daringly great two weeks for me and I can only thank you for that." Both women smiled at each other before parting ways.
Neither women truly grasping the magnitude of how they were slowly helping each other change their thoughts and ways.
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It was a typical humid day in Miami, Florida. Callie's hometown. She was sat at her desk, almost finished squaring some finances for a few hotels that were being built over in Europe. Being clear-cut on what needed to be done and how much needed to be spent allowed her to finish up quickly.
It was Monday now. After spending the weekend catching up with extended family members, she was grateful to be done with work early for the day. Taking advantage of the weather difference between Manhattan and Miami, she decided to relax poolside, before getting her much needed spa treatment later on.
With fresh coconut water in hand and a book in the other, Callie laid out on a pool chair in her childhood home. Rather than read, she got caught up in her own thoughts. Ever since Friday night, Callie was feeling something that she had not felt in such a long time. She felt hopeful. She just wanted something. Her life has been so uninteresting lately, change was highly welcomed. Thinking about the possibilities of what could be allowed her to put her past in the far back of her mind.
As she tanned her body, she daydreamed about a certain blonde. The thoughts of what they could be doing, had the blue-eyed blonde been sitting there next to her were endless.
Suddenly, Mark's words crept into her head. "Walk tall, Torres." Right there and right then, Callie made a decision.
Later that evening, after having finished taking a shower and feeling completely relaxed due to her spa treatment, Callie laid in her bed. She was in her childhood room. A room where, honestly, she found the most comfort in. Gathering the courage, she picked up her phone and scrolled through her contacts. She was going to do it… "Walk tall, Torres," she whispered to herself.
After placing the call she heard the person on the other line answer, "hello."
"Arizona… uh, hey. It's Callie."
"Calliope, hi!" Arizona cheerfully replied. Surprised to be receiving a phone call from Callie on Monday, so late in the evening.
"How are you?" asked the brunette, hating to make small talk. But, she was too nervous to quickly get to the reason for making the call.
Too bad for Callie, Arizona instantly answered, "I'm super, thanks for asking. Yourself?"
"I'm great today. Thanks." More nervous small talk… "Again, I have to say thanks for asking me to join the outing. I had a great time on Friday night." Even though they weren't able to see each other, both women blushed after thinking about what happened between them that night.
Callie took a deep breath and slowly released it. "I… I was wondering if you had any plans this Friday night."
Plans? Is she going to ask me out? Arizona took a quick second to think about her schedule, "um, as of right now, no."
This is it. Remembering Mark's other words from Thursday night, 'Be brave enough to get out there' Callie gathered the courage to ask, "I was wondering if you'd like to go out with me Friday night?" Callie closed her eyes tightly and anxiously waited for a response.
"I'd love to, Calliope." Arizona breathlessly replied.
Yes! Callie opened her eyes and did a little dance jingle, while laying down. "Okay… great..." She stared at a particular spot on the ceiling, trying to rack her brain. She only got as far as the idea of asking Arizona out, without having any kind of plan as to what to do. "So… I will be back from Miami on Friday morning. I will call you with the details before then."
"Okay. You just let me know."
"Well… I will let you go now. I'm sorry for calling so late. Have a good night, Arizona."
"No worries. Good night." As Arizona was about to hang up, she whispered, "Sweet dreams, Calliope."
Callie gulped. Nobody called her Calliope, except for her father. She absolutely hated it. However, the way Arizona said her name, it was just so, so sexy.
Callie got up from where she was laying and proceeded to get ready for bed. The sooner she fell asleep, the sooner she would get to see Arizona.
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