A/N - You know, it really warms my heart when I see all your lovely comments. Thanks so much for reading and spending the time to let me know your thoughts on where the story is going. I've actually had an idea of something I want to include into the story. Just in the middle of deciding how to do it now. Anyway, thanks again and here's the next instalment :)
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Chapter 32
A couple of days later, the couple were starting their quest in finding a house for themselves, having already set the ball in motion to have both their apartments put on the market the day before. After getting Sofia back off to school, Callie and Arizona drove to meet their realtor at the first of their viewings, up in Westchester. Before they'd even arrived at the 4 bedroomed home, they'd agreed the 35 minute commute was probably more of a commute than they were hoping for.
The thing was, the majority of places for sale around the Manhattan area were apartments and they really wanted a detached home with a garden for Sofia to play in and a garage for the cars. They viewed the property anyway and although it was a beautiful house, they wanted to keep their options open for somewhere a bit more local to work and their daughter's school.
After viewing a couple more houses, they eventually headed to Riverdale which was located in the Bronx. As soon as the Latina had mentioned the Bronx, Arizona had been more than a little reluctant at the thought of setting up home in that part of New York. Callie had rolled her eyes at the stereotypical jargon her wife had reeled off. The blonde had stated how the Bronx had a bad reputation for crime and what if it wasn't safe...for them aswell as their daughter. Callie was quick to defend the borough however, telling the blonde that no matter where they ended up living, there were good and bad parts to every location.
When they arrived at the house on Independence Avenue, Arizona had been rendered speechless at how beautiful the property was. It stood alone, surrounded by trees from all areas. "Wow."
Callie grinned as she watched the blonde drink in the house. "Told ya. Come on, let's go check it out."
Leaving the car, they made their way over to their realtor, Lesley. The young woman smiled as the couple approached. "Thought I'd leave the best til last this morning" she told them.
"I've been trying to tell her in the car that the Bronx isn't as bad as people make out."
"Oh yes, absolutely. Don't get me wrong, there are some parts to the Bronx that you really don't want to go near but Riverdale is the safest place in the Bronx and actually the 15th safest place in all of New York."
"Huh" Arizona said. "15th...so there's 14 other areas that are safer..."
Callie rolled her eyes as she looked at her realtor for help in selling the place to her wife.
Lesley laughed. "Most resident's here have families or they're retired. There's a very low crime rate and the schools are exceptional."
"Oh, were not looking to move Sofia from her school. She's been moved around so much over the last 2 or 3 years so we'd like her to finally be settled and she's loves it at Rudolf Steiner."
"Yea" Callie agreed. "Plus, it's only a 10 minute commute from here which is perfect."
Lesley nodded. "Excellent. Well, shall we.." she asked, gesturing towards the house.
Bringing an arm up, Callie snaked it around the blondes shoulders, squeezing her close as they followed their realtor to the property. Walking up the couple of steps, they took in the large porch area, a swing seat already hanging on the far right. "This is beautiful..." Callie said.
"It really is. The current owners have renovated the whole place in recent years, giving the place a real modern stamp, you know? Just to the side of the house here is a detached, 2 car garage. Beyond that is half an acre of land. Rolling lawn, vegetable beds, a pool and a tree house which I'm sure your daughter would love to explore."
Opening the front door, the first thing that met their eyes was the large spiralling staircase straight ahead of them. "So as you can see we have a living area off to the right which rolls into an open plan dining area further on. To our left is the spacious kitchen area. It was renovated only last year and as you'll see, is a real eye catcher." The sound of a phone ringing interrupted the realtor. Lesley looked at the screen before holding it up. "Sorry, I need to take this. Why don't you ladies look around and I'll rejoin you in a few moments."
As they watched the other woman head out through the front door, Callie and Arizona headed into the living area first. The space was huge and as Lesley had said, the dining area was accessible through an alcove on the far side of the room. "I think this room's bigger than my whole apartment."
"Uh huh.." Callie said with a small laugh. "Its amazing, don't you think? It's the exact kind of place I pictured us living in."
Arizona nodded as she looked around, slowly making her way toward the dining room. "Yea. It's pretty amazing, ill give you that. That leaflet she gave us said there was 5 bedrooms, didn't she? We wouldn't even need to build your dad a little place on the side with that amount of room upstairs."
Callie followed her through the house. "Yea, although let's be honest, there's more than enough land around the whole house to build anything we wanted in time."
They came to a stop at the French doors, looking out at the spacious back gardens. "I don't know about you but I've got an urge to strip off and jump in that pool right about now."
Arizona quirked an eyebrow as she looked to her wife. "I've got no objections about you stripping off, but I'm not so sure Lesley would feel the same way."
Callie laughed as she took her eyes from the view outside and looked at her wife. "What do you think?"
Arizona waited a few moments, gathering her thoughts before replying. "Well, Calliope; I have to admit... I've got excited little butterflies in my stomach about the place."
Callie's smile widened on her face. "Yea?"
The blonde nodded. "I mean, we haven't seen upstairs yet but honestly, I kind of love it."
Moving in, Callie linked her arms around Arizona's waist. "I kind of love it too."
"Can we afford it?"
An almost sarcastic puff of air left Callie's mouth. "Ofcourse we can. We're selling both our flats and dad's already said he wanted to give us something towards it. I refused initially but you know how stubborn that man can be so yea, we can more than afford it. We're world class surgeons, remember?"
The blonde grinned. "We are. The very best in our fields." She leant in, placing a soft kiss on the lips in front.
Pulling back, Callie smiled brightly. "I can really picture us living here." She looked out of the french doors again. "Sofia doing laps in the pool while you and I relax on loungers, sipping on our sangria's." The blonde laughed at the image the Latina painted. "You know how you love sangria's."
Arizona bit her bottom lip. "I do. I also remember a time when I thought I loved sangrias more than the idea of becoming a mother." Callie pursed her lips but her eyes danced with amusement. "How things change, huh?" Leaning in again, their lips met once more until the clearing of a throat behind them broke the moment.
Pulling back, Callie looked over her shoulder. "Sorry..." she said to the woman on the other side of the room.
"Oh, don't apologise, it's nice to see 2 people so in love and ready for a fresh start."
Callie laughed. "This is definitely the best fresh start we've ever had...and there's been a few." She looked back at the blonde and winked.
"Yea, but this one's gona be the one that sticks."
Lesley smiled back at the pair before continuing with the rest of the tour.
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"Oh, here he comes..." Callie said, spotting Benji walking towards them. After viewing the house in Riverdale, they had said their goodbyes to Lesley, telling her they wanted the night to weigh up their options so far. Seeing as it was just before 1, they decided to grab a quick bite to eat and share their thoughts on the houses they'd viewed that morning.
Just before their food arrived, Benji had text Callie saying he had big news and needed to talk to her ASAP. She sent a reply saying she and Arizona were having lunch and if he was around, he could come and meet them.
"Ladies.." he said, pulling the spare chair from under the table before sitting down. He looked over at Callie, reaching his hand out, covering the one she had on the table. "I'm so sorry about your mom, Cal."
The Latina smiled sadly. "Thanks. Still hasn't quite sank in that she's not here anymore."
"No, I can only imagine. I'm just so glad you have Arizona and Sofia with you..." he looked at the blonde and smiled.
"Yea, I honestly don't know what I'd have done without her." She glanced at her wife. "She's been my rock."
The blonde sent her a little wink before finishing off the last of her salad.
"So have you ladies found yourself a new home yet?"
The couple looked at one another before Callie responded. "We think we have. We just got back from Riverdale. There was this beautiful, detached home on Independence avenue."
Benji's eyes went wide. "Riverdale is amazing. I have relatives over there. It's quiet, friendly and I actually think you guys would fit in amazingly there. Hefty price tag I imagine."
The Latina nodded. "Yea, but we can afford it. The minute we pulled up outside it, I think we both fell in love."
Arizona nodded. "Yea. I'll admit I felt a bit worried about viewing somewhere in the Bronx but..."
Benji waved her away. "Don't let the reputation put you off. I've lived in New York my whole life and sure, there's places you should keep away from but to be honest, I'd say Brooklyn is more dangerous. If you were to live in Riverdale, you're miles away from any trouble. I know from my uncle, that place is a close knit community. People look out for one another. You'd be a great addition to the place."
"Yea, when we got back in the car I googled the area and you're right, it has a great reputation" Arizona replied. "Im just wondering whether we should bite the bullet and put an offer in right now..."
Callie looked at her, surprised by her wife's statement. "You are?"
Arizona nodded, biting her top lip between her teeth as she tried to suppress a grin. "The whole house is perfect. Nothing needs done. We could literally move right in and everything would be in place."
The Latina did a little bop in her seat as she reached out to squeeze her wife's hand. "Are we really gona do this?"
"I think we should..."
Benji sat watching the pair, smiling as they embraced opposite him. "Speaking of moving..." he started, waiting until both women looked toward him. "I asked Robbie to move in with me."
Callie put a hand to her chest as she looked back at her friend, surprised. "I can't believe you've finally met someone who you feel strongly enough for that you're wanting to live with them. What happened to my commitment shy friend?"
Benji laughed, holding up both hands. "He finally met someone who made him want to settle down." He looked at the blonde and smiled. "Just like you said, Arizona. He came into my life out of no where and I've never been happier. We woke up this morning and...you know..." he said, wiggling his eyebrows at the women. "Anyway, afterwards...he said he had to get up and head home to pick up some stuff before he went to work. I hadn't been planning it or anything. It just kind of...came out of my mouth." He laughed as he shook his head. "I think I was just as surprised as he was. It's what I want though and he was quick to say yes."
"Oh Benji, this is amazing news" Arizona replied. "I'm so happy for you. You guys looked so good together at the wedding."
"Thanks" he beamed. "So looks like we're both going to be starting a new chapter in our lives. You guys buying a home together...again and I'm moving in with someone, for the first time in my life. This calls for some sort of celebration, don't you think?!"
"Whoa, slow down" Callie replied. "We haven't even put an offer in yet. Chances are someone else has swooped in already while we've been sat here discussing how much we love the house."
"Well what are you waiting for.." Benji said, flapping his hand towards Arizona. "Ring them now. Let them know you're interested."
Scrambling to get her cell, Arizona finally grasped the device and made quick work of typing in Lesley's number from the pamphlet. As the call started to ring, she looked at her wife. "Were definitely sure on this, yea?"
Callie reached out her hand and squeezed at the blondes knee. "I'm absolutely sure, if you are?"
As the call connected and Lesley answered, Arizona smiled back at her wife before she replied. "Ugh hey, Lesley? It's Arizona Robbins. Yea, hi. So, I know we only left you like an hour or so ago but...we'd like to make an offer on the house on Independence Avenue."
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