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Arizona stood in line at the coffee cart on the main floor of the hospital three days later. She hadn't seen much of Callie since their date because both their schedules had been crazy. A lot of her time since the date had been spent thinking about the brown haired beauty, the one that never seemed to vacate her mind. Arizona was definitely not complaining, because they were all good thoughts. Some of them were very, very good thoughts. She felt someone come up close behind her and knew who it was without having to turn around. It was exactly the person she was hoping she'd see.
"Good morning Dr. Robbins," she heard Callie whisper into her ear and then she felt a soft quick kiss on her neck just below.
"And what a good morning it is," Arizona said as she turned to face Callie who looked as lovely as ever.
"How are you?"
"I'm good, better now that you're here though."
Callie blushed a little at the sappy statement. She was never one for fluffy or overly romantic, until Arizona came along. Now she loved anything that came out of the blonde's mouth.
They made it to the front of the line and each ordered a cup of coffee. Callie paid for their cups, despite Arizona's protest.
"So do you have any plans tonight?" Callie asked.
"Not yet, why?"
"Well, I have this apartment that has a nice kitchen and I thought maybe I could make a nice meal for this blonde doctor I know. But I'm not sure if she's interested."
Arizona smiled and took Callie's hand in hers and entwined their fingers. "She's interested, she's definitely interested."
"Good," Callie said with a sparkling smile. "Can you let her know that I'm off work at 6 and she can come over anytime after that?"
"I will make sure to tell her," Arizona said and they both laughed a little.
"Perfect," Callie said. "I've got to go, but I'll see you tonight okay?"
Arizona nodded. "Yes, see you tonight."
Later that day Arizona was filling out some charts when one of the new pediatric nurses came strolling down the hallway right in her direction. The new nurse was friendly, almost too friendly. She had started a week before and since then found every excuse she had to talk to the surgeon.
"Dr. Robbins, how are you today?" the nurse said as she slid up beside her.
"I'm fine thanks, how are you?"
This was a conversation Arizona really didn't want to have but she didn't like to be rude so she went along with it. The nurse was cute; she had nice brown hair and green eyes. They were attribute's Arizona could certainly appreciate. But no one held a flame to Callie. Callie was a vision.
"I'm okay, been busy today so far."
"I know, it's been a bit hectic."
"Yeah. So listen…I was wondering if you were free to grab a drink tonight, or maybe some food? I mean we can do anything."
And there it is, Arizona thought. She had felt it coming, she knew by the way the nurse spoke and acted . It wasn't a nice feeling to have to turn someone down, but when you had a gorgeous Latina that you were totally infatuated by planning to make a home cooked meal that night for you, there was no other choice.
Arizona didn't want to hurt the poor girl; she had to find a way to let her down lightly, she just had to be straightforward and simple.
"I'm sorry, but I'm actually not available."
The nurse didn't seem phased by the answer, she still seemed like there was possibility.
"What about tomorrow night? I get off early."
Even though Arizona had only been seeing Callie for well, three days, she thought people around the hospital would already know about them because of how quickly gossip spread but apparently not that quickly.
"I apologize, I wasn't quite clear enough. I'm seeing someone right now," Arizona said, figuring that was the easiest thing to say.
"I didn't…I'm sorry. I didn't know. I mean had I known..."
Arizona put her hand on the nurse's arm to try and put her more at ease. "It's fine, it's new. But it's a thing, that could grow into a bigger thing and I'm committed."
"Right, well I'll um...I'll see you later Dr. Robbins."
That would maybe be a fun story to tell Callie that night over dinner. Dinner was something she was really looking forward to. Callie and her, alone in Callie's apartment. Maybe drinking some wine, and then getting cozy together on the couch, then slowly getting more and more cozy. Whoa, Arizona told herself. Stop thinking about going there, you've only been on one date. No matter how attractive Callie is, or how many times you've already thought about it, it's way to soon. Arizona felt a vibration in her pocket and pulled her cell phone out to check her messages.
How's your day going? I can't wait for tonight, I hope you like pasta. – C
It's going well, and me neither. I do like pasta, especially if it's as delicious as your soup was. – A
Trust me when I say, it's even better then my soup. See you tonight. – C
I trust you. - A
Arizona started watching the clock, counting down the time until she could leave the hospital and go prepare for her evening with Callie. Time seemed to be going so slowly and she hated it. It was like the world wanted to make her feel like she'd be waiting forever, and it was working. Eventually the day dwindled down and she could go home. She had never changed out of her scrubs so quickly, she was eager to say the least.
Once she got home, she quickly shed herself of her work clothes. She pulled open her closet doors and stood staring at what hung on the hangers before her. For fifteen minutes she stood in only her bra and underwear, having a silent debate with herself over what she was going to wear. A black dress that she could never remember wearing before caught her eye and she pulled it out and laid it across her bed. It was nice, with a zip up on the side. It wasn't too short, but it was just short enough. It would also show enough of her chest to grab someone's attention, specifically Callie's.
"This will have to do," Arizona said aloud. She pulled the dress on and zipped it up. Next she went into her bathroom to do her hair and makeup. She brushed through her already curly hair so it hung a bit looser down to her shoulders, then put a little bit of eye shadow and liner on. Lastly, she put on a thin coating of light red lipstick that went well with her skin tone. Even if was just dinner at Callie's, she wanted to look nice. Checking the time on her phone and then giving herself one last look over in the full-length mirror on her closet door, she grabbed her purse along with her jacket and keys and headed to Callie's.
Meanwhile, Callie was going frantic. She knew Arizona would probably show up soon and wasn't really ready. She put on black pants and a red button down blouse with the sleeves folded up to her elbows. She quickly put on a little makeup then went to finish making the meal. It was a fairly simple meal, one she had made many times before. It was an easy fettuccine alfredo that she always thought tasted very good. She had also gotten some chicken to grill, which would go on top and fresh parmesan cheese. Callie had just finished setting the table when there was a knock on the door.
She opened the door and her jaw almost dropped. Standing before her was Arizona wearing a dress that fit her perfectly. Callie ran her eyes up and down her figure and swallowed.
"Arizona, you look…wow."
"Hi Calliope, you look pretty wow yourself."
They stood in the doorway looking at each other with nothing but admiration and building sexual tension.
"Please, come inside," Callie finally said to break the silence. "Would you like a glass of wine?" she asked as they stood in the kitchen.
"Wine would be great, thanks."
"Red or white?" Callie asked as she took two wine glasses out of a cupboard.
"White, please."
"Here you go," Callie said as she poured the wine into Arizona's glass.
"Thank you, it smells great in here by the way."
"Not to brag, but my kitchen always smells good. I love to cook."
Arizona smiled and took a sip of her wine. "I believe that, your soup was pretty great evidence."
The pasta, sauce, and chicken were all finished cooking so she got both plates from the table and put them on the counter beside the stove. After plating the food and sprinkling some of the fresh cheese on top she put them back on the table.
"Shall we eat?" Callie asked.
Arizona nodded and followed her to the table. "Callie, this looks amazing."
"Thanks, but try it first and then let me know," Callie replied with a laugh.
Putting a forkful of the pasta into her mouth, a soft moan escaped her lips. It was delicious, and definitely better then the soup. Callie took a sip of her wine and watched as Arizona enjoyed her first bite of the meal. It seemed to be going over well. And the moan didn't go unnoticed.
"I don't think I'm a bad cook, but compared to this I'm terrible," Arizona said.
"Please, I don't believe that. I'm sure you're a great cook."
"Not as great as you, this is so tasty."
After taking a bite herself, Callie had to agree with Arizona. Even though she had made this dish many times before, this time it was especially good.
"You're right, I've outdone myself."
"See? When the chef herself thinks the meal is incredible, then it's most certainly incredible."
"You know," Callie said as she took another sip of her wine. "Flattery will get you everywhere."
"Really?" Arizona said. "And I'm not even trying yet, I was just being honest. I can't wait to see what happens once I'm making an effort."
The flirtation between them was effortless, it happened so naturally. The back and forth banter had them both laughing and blushing even after they had finished the meal. They sat at the table comfortably talking and drinking wine.
"Have you always wanted to be a doctor?" Arizona asked out of the blue.
"Honestly, yeah."
"Me too."
"I remember when I was ten, I got a really bad flu and had to go the emergency room. I had never been to the hospital before and I didn't want to go, but my parents made me. We sat there waiting for someone to come take me back to look at me, and I just watched all the people around me. Some of the people you knew were sick or injured but others looked like nothing was wrong at all. I thought that was interesting. I wanted to know why that was, what was wrong with them, and how they would get fixed. As I grew older, I found myself really liking science and biology class and how the body worked."
"Why bones though?"
"I broke my wrist when I was 13. I wasn't in a lot of pain, I didn't cry. I thought it was cool. I enjoyed going to the hospital to get a cast put on, I watched the doctor move around me and listened to him talk about what was going on under my skin with my bone. Ever since then I just had a fascination for them, and how they were what kept us in one piece."
Arizona listened with complete interest; she was hanging off of every word that came out of Callie's mouth.
"What about you," Callie said. "Why pediatrics?"
"My story isn't as long as yours. I was always good at science and biology and subjects like that, just like you were. I always wanted to help people, so I thought medicine would be worth going into. In university I just seemed to lean more towards the pediatrics side of medicine and surgery because of the issues that come along medically with children that don't with adults. I decided it would give me a broader spectrum to work on, and I just ended up liking it. And not to be big headed or anything, but I also ended up being good at it."
Arizona laughed a little bit. "I guess my story did end up being a little bit long."
"That's okay, it was a good story. And you are good at it, you're an incredible surgeon Arizona."
The blonde blushed, it seemed that was something Callie was making her do a lot recently. She was never good at accepting compliments but Callie was good at giving her them.
"Let's sit on the couch," Callie said. "All this wine is making me want to sit somewhere softer then my kitchen table chair."
"Do you want me to help clean up from dinner?"
"Nope, all I want you to do is come sit with me and look pretty. So you're already halfway there."
Callie had never been so open before with her admiration for someone, but she just liked Arizona so much, she enjoyed getting to voice those feelings in the form of compliments. She was saying them without even thinking twice, when normally with a partner she would over think it. Arizona seemed to like it, so there was no reason to stop.
Both women sat on the couch drinking more wine, which was helping to calm some of their nerves. Arizona was more nervous then Callie though. Even if Callie had told her their friendship would be fine and that being together like this was a good thing, she still had a fear in the back of her head that things would go wrong. So she was being cautiously optimistic. It had also been quite some time since she had been with someone like this and she didn't want to make a fool of herself.
"What are you thinking about?" Callie asked.
"You," Arizona said and smiled.
"Good things I hope?"
"Always."
Callie moved to sit closer to Arizona and brushed some of her blonde hair behind her ear. "You're so beautiful, did you know that?"
Arizona glanced down shyly; she wasn't sure what to say in response to that.
"Look at me," Callie said.
Reluctantly, Arizona looked up and met Callie's eyes. The way Callie was looking at her made the butterflies she always felt in stomach when she was with Callie go crazy.
"Can I kiss you?" Callie asked.
Arizona nodded and licked her lips, which Callie took as her moment to lean in and press her lips against Arizona's. It was a slow and soft kiss, they hadn't really taken time to be sensual with their previous kisses. This kiss was different. It was a kiss full of unsaid emotion and neither women could ever remember a time when they had been kissed this way.
The taste of Arizona was one Callie was becoming attached to, it was impossible not to. Callie cupped Arizona's cheek and parted her lips enough for Arizona to deepen the kiss. The blonde's tongue met Callie's and the kiss started moving from slow and sensual to faster and a little more frenzied. Arizona put her hands around the back of Callie's neck to bring them closer. Callie pulled away and Arizona was confused for a minute until she felt warm lips pressing kisses against her neck.
"Mm," Arizona moaned quietly as Callie continued to kiss her neck.
"Arizona," Callie said in between kisses. She worked her way up Arizona's neck and along her jaw line until her lips were against Arizona's again. "If we don't stop soon, I don't think I'll be able to stop."
"Don't stop," Arizona said in between kisses.
Callie kissed Arizona one last time before pulling away and moving so she was sitting a little farther away from her.
"What's wrong?" Arizona asked, panting a little.
"I…I don't want to rush this with you."
"Callie, it's okay. I want to kiss you."
"I want to kiss you too," Callie said and sighed. "But you make it hard to stop, and that's the problem. If I keep kissing you, I'll want to do more."
"Oh."
"I think we should take things slow in this department."
"I think you're right," Arizona said and sighed. "You're right."
Callie smiled and took Arizona's hand in hers and linked them together. "I really do like like kissing you though."
A smile appeared on Arizona's face as well. "I like kissing you too."
"God," Callie said. "How old are we? I feel like I'm 14 again."
"I know right? I haven't felt like this in I don't even know how long."
"You're something else, you know that Robbins?'
Arizona leaned back against the couch, still holding Callie's hand. "We're quite the pair."
Callie took in Arizona's soft features, her full pink lips which and her sparkling blue eyes. She traced Arizona's jawline up to her cheekbone with her eyes. Anyone who looked at Arizona would agree that she was attractive. She was fairly petite, but you could tell by looking at her arms and her legs that she was strong.
"Can I ask you a question?" Callie asked.
"Of course."
"Why do you like me?"
Upon hearing that question, Arizona at up straight again but never let go of Callie's hand. "Why are you asking me this?"
"I just…I don't know what you see in me."
Callie had always been a little self-conscious about her body; it was the only thing she ever doubted about herself. She didn't care if people thought she was cold or mean or unapproachable, but her body image always had her second-guessing. She was never what most people would consider skinny, and sometime's that bothered her. She was finding it hard to believe that someone as beautiful as Arizona wanted to be with her. She suddenly didn't feel good enough; she didn't feel like she deserved Arizona.
Arizona brought their joined hands to her lips and kissed Callie's. She hadn't seen Callie like this before, and it made her heart hurt a little bit to know that Callie was questioning whether or not she was worthy.
"You are kind, smart, talented, and strong minded. In the time I've known you, I've gotten to see how honest you can be once you let people in. I think you're beautifully brave and incredibly deserving of someone who appreciates all of those things. I appreciate them. You've earned the chance to be happy Callie."
"No one has ever said anything like to me before," Callie said as she let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding.
"I'm sorry if it was too much, but I meant every word."
"It wasn't too much, it was...really good. Thank you. Sorry for that little moment, I don't know what came over me."
Arizona shook her head. "You never need to apologize for being open with me, remember when I said I'd be your sounding board, be someone to talk to when you need someone to talk to? That offer still stands."
Callie looked right into Arizona's eyes and smiled. "You're something special Robbins, you know that?"
"I do actually," Arizona said laughing a little.
"And you're totally modest."
"I try my best."
Neither had realized the time until Callie's watch beeped out of the blue.
"Oh wow, it's pretty late."
"I wish I could stay longer, but I've got an early shift tomorrow."
"Me too," Callie said as she stood and collected their wine glasses.
Arizona followed her into the kitchen then leaned against the fridge as Callie put the empty glasses in the sink.
"Will you have lunch with me tomorrow?" Arizona asked.
Callie leaned against the countertop and nodded. "I would love too."
"Okay," Arizona said as she made her way towards the apartment door. "Then I guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow."
"I suppose you will," Callie said with a smirk on her face but didn't move from her position against the countertop.
"Aren't you going to come say goodbye?"
Callie walked over to Arizona slowly then backed her right up against the door. She leaned in close enough so that their lips were almost touching but didn't close the gap. Instead she moved her lips to Arizona's ear.
"Goodbye," Callie whispered then placed a kiss on Arizona's cheek. She took a step back to see Arizona looking flustered with rosy cheeks.
Arizona swallowed then moved to open the door. With one last smile and then a shake of her head she walked into the hallway and closed Callie's apartment door behind her. She leaned against the wall for a moment to think about what had just happened. Callie was going to be the death of her; she could feel it.
