AN: Are you guys still reading? Please let me know.
I'm going to L.A tomorrow. And I'm taking my girlfriend with me. I'm very excited by the fact that Eliza wanted to join me on my trip out of town, and that she actually wanted to come along even though I've got to work. It's only two small meetings, but still. I tried not to get my hopes up on Eliza accepting my L.A. proposal because she could not want to. She could've thought us being apart to be a good idea, you know... to see if we would actually miss each other. It's really a no brainer in my opinion, though. I would miss her like crazy. I would miss her to the point where it would hurt in my stomach and tear at my heart. And that's why I wanted her to come with me. Merely because I couldn't stand the idea of not being with her and not seeing her if I needed to. You know, it's just... it's like when people tell you that you can't have a specific thing, it just makes you want it that much more. And that's how I'd be feeling if Eliza hadn't said yes to my suggestion. I would've wanted to be with her so much it would break my heart, because I knew I couldn't. And I know, I know... it's a first world problem. But being in love makes you irrational. The heart wants what it wants. And my heart wants Eliza with me whenever it's possible. On that note, I'm very excited to spend some time away with my girlfriend. Also, I'm excited by attending these meetings that will make mine and Amelia's future brighter work-vice.
We need help, though. The business has grown, meaning we need extra hands if we want to keep on expanding and keep on going. And with this speed, we need to add two sets of hands to our little family. One set of hands to work the shed when Amelia or myself are out doing PR or other work related stuff. And another pair of hands to help Alex make the ice-creams in the office-kitchen. That's why we're here now. In the bright kitchen, sat around a round table in the corner while interviewing the prospective candidates. It's Alex's day off today, but he trusts us to pick the right one as his assistant in the kitchen. We know what we want. That's the beauty of me and my best friend's relationship. We don't just hire people because we're desperate. We hire people because they're qualified and seem to fit into our mix. So we take this pretty damn serious. The staff we wind up hiring will after all be a part of us, so it's important to pick the right ones.
This interview has been dragged out a little too long, though. She's kind and clearly a decent human, and she seems capable of selling ice-creams. Her people skills need a little work, though. Amelia looks at me, giving me a discrete eye roll, clearly thinking the same as I do. She's pretty, I guess, which could be a good thing considering that she needs to be a public and known face in the Zoo.
"Thank you, Miss Blake," Amelia ends the interview, the redhead taking a deep breath and folding her hands in front of her on the table.
"Thank you for your time, Miss Shepherd, Miss Robbins," she responds politely. I give her a sincere smile, standing and outstretching my hand.
"We'll let you know later today. Just have one more candidate," I shake her hand. "Thank you for coming."
Penny Blake exists the room and we fall back in our seats, a heavy sigh leaving both of our bodies. What a day! Amelia is the one to break the silence.
"So, she's not the one."
"Definitely not," I chuckle. "Just too... hmm, boring? I don't know. Something about her just oozed-"
"Incompetence," Amelia scoffs almost like she's appalled.
"Amy!" I exclaim, surprised to her blunt statement. "You don't know her."
"I know enough," she shrugs.
"You can be quite the bitch, you know that, right?" I laugh. I love my best friend, I really do. Sometimes she just needs to filter herself. At least no one was around to witness.
"Not everyone can be a unicorn walking on rainbows, Arizona. It's just, it's inhumanly impossible."
I hit her friendly on the leg under the table. "Shut up! Who's next?"
"We've met with Olivia, Izzie and Mindy," Amelia lists off, going through the names on the applications sprawled out on the table.
"Penny, her name is Penny, Amelia. Not Mindy," I correct her with a sigh. She did it completely on purpose."Whatever. Pretty Penny is out, too. Last one is... Alexandra. God, I hope she's good. I can't take any more of this crap."
"Wow. Why so grumpy?" I snort, looking at the clock hanging above the door. 5 minutes and last interview begins. 60 minutes and I'll be home. Or, I'll be in Eliza's apartment. It feels like home, though."I just... I need a vacation. I'm so tired."
"I know. Me, too."
"But you're at least going to L.A tomorrow."
"That's not a vacation, Shepherd. And you know it," I raise an eyebrow.
"You're dragging your girlfriend with you, so don't tell me it's not a vacation."
"Then please… be my guest and do it yourself. I'll be happy not to go. Go and get your vacation while attending meetings regarding our future. While talking the pants off of suited men and come up with a plan for the shop in the mall," I shrug, knowing very well that Amelia really doesn't want to do any of the things I just pointed out… except from the vacation part of it.
"Yeah, yeah. Point taken. I'll stay here and boss around while you make us famous out in the big, big world," she shrugs, sending me a sideway smile.
"Then we'll have to find someone you can boss around, won't we?" I smirk.
"At your service," a voice interrupts our little back and forth. We both look in the direction of the door, a slender and brown haired woman approaching us. "Hi, I'm Lexie," she informs us, stretching out her hands. We both shake her hand, impressed by her confident approach. I like this one...An hour later we have done it. We have made our choice. We've called all the candidates back and thanked for their interest in our ice-creams. So, now we've welcomed and hired two perfectly capable human beings. And I couldn't be happier about our choice of new additions to the ice-cream family. We settled on Alexandra. Well, she prefers being addressed to as Lexie. She nailed the interview like she hadn't been doing anything else her entire life. She's memorized all of our special flavours, ingredient by ingredient. She even managed to lose me at her speed of speech. Seriously, she's like superfast. And that doesn't say a little coming from me. She actually applied for the job as the ice-cream maker, but we convinced her to be the face behind the counter. Promising her that she'll get plenty of opportunities to learn to make the ice-creams. As Alex's assistant, we hired a pretty face as well. Actually a bit too pretty, if you ask me. His eyes are like icy blue and he looks like a 12-year-old. He's not, though. Jackson's got a wife and a baby at home, so I'm completely comfortable with him being a sensible and reliable man. He's qualified as well, him having worked at one of Ben & Jerry's factories for a handful of years now. He just needed the change, and to be a bigger part of a small company. We bought it, we bought his speech. We bought him, regardless of his good looks. So to say that we're pleased would be the understatement of the century. We are doing pretty damn great these days. And tomorrow I'm flying out to negotiate with the big boys. It's awesome is what it is. But right now I can't use any more of my evening down here. I need to get out of this place and up to my girlfriend.
Looking at my phone, I find that Eliza's been thinking of me. It warms me every time I know she's been thinking of me, and it always leaves a goofy grin on my face.
Just letting you know that there's pierogis and lots and lots of kisses waiting for you. E xI quickly fire a text back as I step out of the rooms making out my office, hitting the button of Eliza's apartment number.
Have I told you how much I love you today? A xA shrieking sound pierces through the Seattle night, startling me a little.
"No, but why don't you?" Eliza's voice chuckles from the caller system.
"Buzz me in and I'll show you instead," I sass back at my girlfriend. I'm so hyped on life right now. I'm so profoundly happy, I don't think anything could bring me down. Not even the three-hour flight that awaits us tomorrow. I hate flying but as long as I've got Eliza with me, I'll be just fine. She knows I don't like flying, she just doesn't know that I'm terrified. Well, I'll tell her later. Not now, though. Now I want to have a nice evening with my girlfriend and her amazing pierogis.
Eliza buzzes me in without hesitation, and I bounce the few steps until I'm at her doorstep. The sight that greets me is one of the most beautiful I've ever seen. Her hair is completely straight, the length reaching her mid-back. She's got a bunch of it tucked behind her one ear, leaving a perfect good spot to kiss upon. I waste no time placing my lips on her soft cheek only to move my lips onto the wonder that is my girlfriend's gorgeous mouth. Eliza's hands keep me in place by the hips, her tongue dipping into the heath of my mouth.
"Mmmmh," I let out a long, soft moan as my hands come to fondle at the back of her neck, my nails scraping the skin I find.
"Someone's happy," Eliza chuckles against my lips.
I press her lips a bit harder against mine before I pull back, the giant smile on my face also giving away my happiness. "I am."
"You found someone to hire?"
"We did. It's gonna be awesome, Eliza," I smile triumphantly. "It's gonna be so good. I'll be able to do my job and not get home way past my bedtime. I'll be able to focus on the expanding and the publicity while not worrying about the shed in the Zoo. Amelia and Lexie will hold down the fort. And Alex and Jackson will make awesome ice-creams. It's all gonna turn out perfectly," I exclaim all the while Eliza's thumbs stroke my hipbones on either side of me. "And I'll be able to use a lot more of my time on my girlfriend," I smirk.
"As long as you don't forget why you started this in the first place," Eliza quips in, her eyes soft and her voice so full of love.
"What do you mean?" I ask confused.
"Come in and I'll tell you," she smiles, gesturing for me to step into her home. I don't hesitate, following my girlfriend into her apartment as her hands come to wrap around me from behind. She shuts the door with her naked foot, her chin resting on my shoulder. "Don't get mad, okay?"
"Why would I get mad?"
"I would just hate to see you become sad or all stressed because you don't get to sell your ice-cream anymore. Because you won't be able to chat with your costumers and do what you dreamed of doing. Start a business and show the world how awesome mixing flavours can be."
There's just no mean bone in that gorgeous woman's body. Seriously, she's just pure goodness. I can't believe how good this woman is. How much she cares for me and my feelings, my dreams. It's just a lot to take right now. And frankly, I don't know how I can possibly give her the answer that she deserves. I take a chance, though.
"If I do forget, will you please remind me?" my voice is soft, almost a whisper. Turning my head, I catch the eyes of my girlfriend. The look in those beautiful orbs almost kills me… with love."Arizona, I'll do my very best," she promises, her words covered in honesty and loyalty. I swear, sometimes I wonder why I've done to deserve Eliza? I wonder why I could have possibly done right to earn the love of my girlfriend. I try not to think of it, though, because it always leaves me with a throbbing migraine.
"I love you," I tell her, the only three words coming to my mind and forming on my lips. "I love you so much, Eliza."
"And I love you," she grins, leaning in to kiss me. My hand comes to rest at the back of her neck, gently dragging her lips closer to me. "And I'll always remember how you look when you follow your dream."
Closing the distance between us, I kiss her softly, just needing the gentle touch and the poignant love that's radiating from both of our bodies, both of our souls. "And how do you know that look?" I chuckle, turning in her arms.
"It's easy. You wore the look the first time I saw you, the first time you handed me an ice-cream," she smiles, pure affection in both eyes and voice. "White chocolate infused with lemon and pl-"
"Plain vanilla," I cut in, smirking.
"Precisely," she pokes my nose, squinting her eyes amusingly. "The look you wore… the look you still wear where work's concerned… the look of pride, dedication and passion. I could never forget that look."
"What's so special about that look?" I ask, running my fingers through her smooth hair.
"I fell in love with you wearing that look."
My heart melts, my soul soars and my mind goes places it really shouldn't. Not now, that is. It pictures a future that's so far out there, I can't let Eliza in on my craziness. And again my mind asks, what the hell I've done to be standing here, in the arms of this unique woman while she showers me with her love.
"And I just think I fell in love with you a little bit more," I reveal, grapping her ass and pulling her up and flushed against me. Eliza's legs immediately curl around my midsection, her arms around my neck. "Kiss me."
"Oh, so bossy!" Eliza rolls her eyes.
"You know it," I smirk as Eliza obeys and gives me my desired kiss. When we break, I can't help the goofy grin adorned to my face. I'm just so happy! "How's dinner coming along?"
"It's ready. You were the only thing missing."
It's official. I'm a goner, I'm a sucker and I'm at Eliza's mercy whatsoever. And it doesn't even hurt to admit. I'll gladly admit and confess my love for this great human being any second now. To be this woman's girlfriend might possibly be my biggest achievement, the ice-cream business a second close.
"Eliza, we're leaving. Now!" I shout in the direction of the opened window of my girlfriend's apartment. I can see her fussing around, quite possibly packing… again. Yeah, she's been packing and re-packing and then re-re-packing. It's so not necessary seeing that we're only going to be gone for five days. I really don't know what she could want to take along other than a couple of pants, shirts and… if I'm lucky… some sexy lingerie. How she continues to be packing at this time is beyond me, really.
I honk and watch through the window how it causes my girlfriend to jump in her tracks. Leaning out of the window, she calls. "Yeah, yeah, I'm coming."
"It's now, Eliza. The plane won't wait for you to finish packing your knickknacks or whatever you're taking with you," I scoff, leaning against the car.
"Remember that you love me," Eliza shrugs.
"Yeah, you're lucky like that."
"I am," she grins which makes my stomach flip. She knows what her grins does to me, she's playing me… and she's freaking doing a perfectly good job at it. Damn it.
"Honeyyyyy," I sigh. "Come. On!"
"Comin'," she lowers her tone, quite seductively, as she locks the window and disappears out of my sight.
If she doesn't kill me anytime soon, I don't know what will. Oh well, maybe my rising fear of flying will. But I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. At least I've got my girlfriend with me, should I throw some kind of childish tantrum. If she'll get that hot butt of hers out and into my car, that is. I round the front of the car, sliding into the driver's seat and firing up the engine. I turn my head in the direction of Eliza's apartment building, and my breath catches in my throat… just a little. I squeeze the wheel, my palms suddenly sweating. Eliza saunters towards the car, wearing some drop dead gorgeous heels, a tiny mini skirt and a check patterned shirt that hugs in all the right places. Inviting my girlfriend along surely is the best decision I've made in a long time.
AN2: Thank you for reading. Don't forget to leave a review!