AN: Thanks for all of the reviews from the last chapter. I'm glad you all seemed to like the date. I hope I can continue to keep producing enjoyable chapters, I've hit a bit of a block but I'm working through it and I definitely will not abandon this. From this point on there may be some time jumping in answer to one of your reviews. In answer to another review, I am absolutely open to constructive criticism, it has made me a better writer but if you don't find the story enjoyable or the characters then maybe this isn't the fanfiction for you. I love Amelia's character, both on the show and as part of my fanfiction and I don't plan on removing her or changing her. Mark isn't exactly my cup of tea so I understand the not liking certain characters. I am also open to suggestions but that does not mean I will use them, but I do listen. I can write to my heart's content but if no one reads it then it really doesn't matter so I absolutely value your opinions and comments. As a side note and topic change, previous to this chapter I have always been at least two chapters ahead, I have twelve written but am not happy with it and haven't even started thirteen. I will be traveling this week so I though I'd post this chapter for you, I'm not sure how much writing I will get done over the next week or two. Until next time :) Let me know what you think!
Chapter Eleven
Arizona
An hour after dinner, Arizona and Callie were entering the banquet center. Mark and Addie had done a great job decorating. Arizona gasped as she looked around the room. Candles were lit and a bouquet of fresh flowers sat in the center of a high top table where different colored tiny confetti hearts were scattered, surrounding the vase of flowers. From the ceiling hung bigger hearts with writing on them that she couldn't make out in the dim lighting. "What's all this?"
"Well, we need a bit of atmosphere to go with our date tonight. Did you bring the shampoo bottle?" Callie asked.
"I did." Arizona replied, holding it up.
"Well a little birdy told me that you're more of a white wine girl so I sweet talked Addie into giving me her conditioner bottle too. She said she needs a new cover now anyway." Callie said as she pulled out two red solo cups and poured a glass of white for Arizona and red for herself. Arizona took a big gulp and moaned at the flavor, the red had been good but white wine she had missed.
Arizona watched Callie closely as she walked over to the counter where there was something that looked like cd's stacked. She enjoyed the view as she sipped her wine from a few feet away. She was observing Callie and found her skin tight yoga pants that ended mid calf and loose tank top with the sides open to her waistline, revealing a sports bra to be very sexy but out of place with the ambiance she was feeling. Her own black tank top and loose sweatpant shorts felt out of place as well and she wondered what Callie was up to. As she watched Callie approaching her she realized music was now playing, Spanish sounding music.
"What are we doing, Callie?" Arizona asked as Callie took the wine from her and sat it down next to hers. She didn't answer, she just grabbed Arizona by the hand and led her to the middle of the room where she had set up a makeshift dance floor.
"I am going to teach you how to Salsa." Callie said with a breathtaking smile.
"Callie, I'm serious, I have two left feet and I don't know how."
"Well, it's time you learn how to put that cute little booty of yours to work." Callie said with a wink that made Arizona's throat dry. She wanted to say no, she really did not want to dance but it was Callie and she would do anything she asked.
"Ok, I'll let you teach me." Arizona relented. Although she was skeptical about her own skills she was very anxious to see the Latina dance. Just the idea of what she could do with her hips had Arizona feeling overheated.
Callie went through an explanation and laid out numbers on the floor. Then she clapped out the rhythm of the steps she was going to take. Arizona convinced her to show her the moves several times, first slowly and then in rhythm to a faster song and Arizona couldn't take her eyes off of her. She would agree to just about anything to see Callie move like that again. Arizona enjoyed the feeling of strong fingers digging into her hips as Callie turned her attention back to Arizona's lesson and was showing the blonde how to move her hips. She may have pretended to be worse than she was just to feel the hands back on her once again but instead she was turned suddenly with Callie's chest against her back.
"Let go, just listen to the music. You can't salsa if you're thinking too much, you have to feel the rhythm, listen to the lyrics, let your body speak for you." Callie whispered seductively. Arizona couldn't form an intellectual thought if she wanted to as she felt Callie pull her body flush against hers. She grabbed Arizona's hands and placed them behind her on Callie's hips before Callie placed her own on Arizona's. She counted out the rhythm she had taught Arizona and then whispered in her ear, "Now move with me" before she started moving their hips in sync.
Arizona's body was on fire. She had never felt anything more seductive or sexy than she did now with their hips moving together, hers being forced to cooperate by the Latina's own glorious hips that were pressed against her backside. This woman was definitely the definition of everything Arizona found sexy. She kept her hands planted firmly on the hips behind her, feeling them move under her fingers and against her body. This was the best foreplay she could ever hope for only she knew it wasn't going to lead to sex and she let out a frustrated sigh at that realization.
"You're doing great." Callie encouraged, thinking Arizona was frustrated with her sudden falter. Callie smiled because the blonde could move much better than she had expected or Arizona let her believe.
"You're a great teacher." Arizona whispered, trying desperately not to think of the woman currently pressed against her naked.
"Ok, I think you're ready."
"Ready for what?" Arizona suddenly asked, snapping out of the very dirty image she had just had of Callie.
"Ready to show me what you've got. Come on, go through the moves one time and then we will just have some fun." Callie smiled at Arizona's clear dismay at the loss of contact.
"Fine." Arizona huffed. She felt silly dancing while the Latina watched her. She made adjustments and danced with her on occasion or even placed her hands on her hips or shoulders to correct her posture. By the end of an hour, Arizona was able to do a very slow salsa without music and Callie was beaming.
"Wow, not bad. You said you couldn't dance but let me tell you, you can move those hips." Callie said with a flirty smile.
"This is much more fun than I thought it would be." Arizona confessed.
"Ok, enough with formal dancing, let's just have some fun." Callie said as she replaced the salsa music with a pop cd.
"I love this song." Arizona smiled and joined Callie in dancing. Before she knew it, the awkwardness she was feeling earlier was gone and the two of them were pulling out their best and their dorkiest dance moves and laughing. They danced to every upbeat song that played and Arizona's face literally hurt from laughing and smiling so much. Being with Callie this way was more fun than she had in a long time and it felt so easy.
"Let's take a break." Callie said as a slow song began to play but Arizona grabbed her hand and pulled her closer.
"I want to dance with you, closely, slowly." Arizona said as she pulled Callie in and placed her arms on her shoulders, securing her own arms around Callie's waist.
"Oh, ok, but I'm all sweaty." Callie said, feeling a little self conscious.
"Maybe I like you all sweaty and out of breath." Arizona flirted. The two of them leaned in for a gentle kiss and held each other close as they danced. When the song ended, they both went over and grabbed water instead of wine, Arizona completely draining her bottle.
"Another perfect night, Callie, this was amazing, thank you." Arizona said, her dimples popping.
"It really was. I thought you would hate the idea of dance lessons and resist a bit harder."
"Well, I considered it but then I decided just to go with it and I'm glad I did. You're a great dancer, Callie."
"I'm also a great kisser, I've been told."
"Oh?" Arizona asked coyly, "Well maybe you should kiss me so I can tell you if it's true or not."
Callie smiled and pulled Arizona to her. She grabbed one of her braids and tugged to bring her head closer to her before she leaned down and placed her lips on Arizona's. Arizona opened her mouth to allow Callie access and felt pleasure shoot through her body as she tasted her. Her lips tasted like salt from their sweaty dance session but her mouth had the bittersweet taste of red wine mixed with what Arizona could only describe as something completely Callie. They pulled apart and smiled at each other, their foreheads pressed together.
"It's getting late. I guess I probably should clean all this up." Callie said, being the first to break apart as she kissed Arizona's forehead. Arizona was lost in her thoughts as Callie started blowing candles out. She had never felt so loved and cared for by anyone the way that she did by Callie in the short time she had known her. She was brought out of her thoughts as Callie reached up and pulled the hearts with writing on them down and handed them, along with the flowers, to Arizona. Feeling a little self conscious she said, "Read these later."
Arizona smiled widely as she smelled the flowers before she sat them down and helped Callie clean up the banquet hall. It took them less than ten minutes to have everything cleaned and put back in its place. Callie carried the box of candles with the cd player, cd's, the number cards for the salsa lessons, and the bottles of disguised wine while Arizona carried the big hearts with the mysterious writing and the vase of flowers Callie had somehow come by for her.
"How did you manage the flowers?" Arizona asked as the two walked back to the barracks.
"I have my ways."
"Hmmm…"
"Give me a goodnight kiss before we go in there." Callie said, suddenly stopping not far from the door to the barracks. Arizona leaned in and granted her wish planting a kiss on Callie's lips that she hoped would convey all the feelings she had at the moment. They smiled at each other as they separated. Despite the two fantastic days with Callie, Arizona was feeling a bit sad as they entered the barracks. Callie would go to her bunk and Arizona would go to hers. There would be no sleepovers or cuddling or morning wakeup sex for a very long time. It was August fifth and the mission trip didn't end until February first. Callie would leave to go back to Seattle Grace and Arizona would return to Malawi on February fifteenth for at least another six months, more likely a year. Suddenly the high that she had been riding for the past three weeks came crashing down around her and she lay awake long into the night staring at a sleeping Callie across the room.
She placed her hands under her pillow and felt and heard the rustling of paper. She smiled slightly as she remembered the hearts that Callie had been insecure about. She looked over at Callie one last time and was sure she was sleeping. She pulled out the little book light she kept clipped to her pillow and flipped it on as she looked at the first of the six hearts and read it with a giant smile plastered to her face as she saw the neat penmanship of Calliope Torres for the first time.
Your happiness is contagious
She read the next three in quick succession, anxious to see what the Latin beauty had to say about her now that she had an idea of what these hearts were about.
You make me feel sexy
You make me want to be a better person because of your selflessness
You are making a difference in the world and it's a better place for having you in it.
Arizona couldn't hold back the tears anymore as she read Callie's words. She was so sweet and thoughtful and Arizona was overcome with emotion at the thought of Callie writing these. She had two left in her hands and she read the first one slowly.
I love how passionate you are about your kids. The magic and miracles speech you gave on the first day is what made me realize that I had to get to know you. Even if I could only ever be your friend.
She took a deep breath before she read the last one and immediately lost any resolve she had as the floodgates opened.
Maybe it's too soon to say this but I can't imagine my life without you
Arizona clutched the paper hearts to her chest and cried herself to sleep as the worry of what would happen in six short months overwhelmed her.
The next two weeks were both busy and uneventful for the two women who found time to steal lunch hours together three times a week if neither were in emergency surgeries and often sat together at supper. They didn't get another date because Arizona, as well as some of the other attendings, had been asked to split Saturdays to go into the villages and help vaccinate children and tend to some patients with minor conditions that couldn't make the hike to the hospital. Arizona had gone both of the Saturdays since it had been implemented because they had needed her for the influx of kids. She would go again this Saturday and then she would be on an every other Saturday schedule like the rest of the attendings.
To occupy her time on Saturdays while Arizona was working in the villages, Callie had joined some of the other girls in creating a men vs women pool tournament. Arizona was sad that she had to miss watching Callie play but Callie had assured her that she would be a distraction anyway and she was happy Arizona was getting to help out in the villages. She did worry that Arizona was working too hard though and that had been the only cause of a slight argument over the last two weeks. They had been living in a period of bliss, despite Arizona's concerns that she had yet to voice.
Though it was still months away, their impending separation was weighing heavily on Arizona's mind. She had started a different kind of little black book that was actually red because that, she had learned was Callie's favorite color. And inside the little red book, she had written everything she had learned about Callie since they had started talking weeks ago. She wanted to be able to remember the way her skin looked in the sunlight or the way that she hummed quietly to herself when she thought no one could hear. Callie didn't know about this book and Arizona felt a bit embarrassed about it but she knew she would be glad she had it once she returned to Malawi.
It was Sunday morning and Arizona was soaking up the quietness before her soccer game as she sat in her bunk and leafed through the red notebook. So far she had learned red was Callie's favorite color, she loved Italian food, she was born in Miami and lived there until she left for College at Boston University then returned to Miami to attend Miller School of Medicine. She had also learned on Friday at their most recent lunch date, that aside from playing pool and dancing, she was pretty good at cooking, with Italian and Cuban foods being her favorite to make. She likes trashy romance novels and a good mystery book and she had been an avid swimmer for most of her life. Thinking of her powerful thighs and her muscular shoulders, Arizona could see that Callie probably had spent a lot of time swimming. She had also revealed that she liked horror movies especially slashers much to Arizona's terror and baking shows which she could get on board with.
Deciding that she was going to use some of this knowledge, she dug out her laptop that she hadn't used the entire time she had been in Afghanistan and her credit card and downloaded a few old slasher movies for the date she was about to ask Callie out on.
"Yo, Battleship, you need to change for the game, you're going to be late." Arizona looked up to see Teddy shouting at her from the entrance to the barracks.
"Be there in five!" Arizona shouted as she jumped down from the bunk. She changed into her soccer shirt and grabbed her shin guards, socks, and shoes. She didn't have cleats and the shin guards she was using were used ones Teddy had found her but they worked. She raced to the field just as the game was about to start. Being that she was late, they started the second string of forwards so she sat on the grass and stretched out between Teddy and Eliza.
Arizona scanned the crowd across the field for her favorite head of dark hair and smiled as she saw Callie sitting on the ground with her brother and Nick on one side and Mark and Addie on the other. It looked as though Callie was in deep discussion with her brother and Nick and Arizona suddenly felt uneasy about the three of them being chummy. Arizona turned to Teddy, "Do you think they're talking about me?"
"Oh definitely." Teddy replied as she looked up and saw Tim blatantly pointing at Arizona as he threw his head back in laughter.
"I'll kill them." Arizona replied, narrowing her eyes at Tim and Nick.
"Save it for the field, Ari." Eliza said, placing a hand on Arizona's thigh.
"I really don't like nicknames. Please, just call me Arizona." Arizona replied. She shifted uncomfortably under Eliza's hand. She didn't want to be rude but her hand was lingering longer than was really appropriate. Just as Arizona reached out to remove it, Eliza removed it on her own.
"Go Karev!" Eliza yelled. Arizona and Teddy shared a look before turning their attention to the field. Arizona didn't dare look in Callie's direction. She knew she was being a chicken but she was just hoping that none of them had been paying attention to what was going on across the field at that moment. Or at the very least, their vision was blocked from that little display since they were sitting in the grass.
Eliza jumped up as Karev scored a goal. Lexie scored right after him, Henry having assisted in both goals. The second string really wasn't too bad. Arizona stood as it was nearing their time to enter the field and took the opportunity to whisper to Teddy, "Any chance Callie didn't see that? I've been too scared to look."
Teddy looked across the field and saw five glares being sent their way, "I'm pretty sure they all saw it, Riz."
"Umm...I'm thinking maybe people shouldn't call me Riz anymore. Callie really doesn't like it and it's not helping me in these sorts of situations. I'm changing, evolving." Arizona replied. She decided to muster up some courage and chanced a glance at Callie. She smiled a big dimpled smile and waved, she sighed in relief when Callie smiled and waved back.
"I think she might kill Eliza." Teddy whispered causing Arizona to look back at Callie and see her death glare fixed on Eliza.
"Well at least Karev and Lexie could take her place." Arizona giggled, "But I kind of don't want my girlfriend in prison, she's too pretty for prison."
"GIRLFRIEND!" Teddy shouted, loud enough for those surrounding them to hear. But Arizona didn't have a chance to respond. The whistle blew marking their time to take the field. 'Girlfriend? Where had that come from?' But Arizona thought about it and realized that was exactly what she wanted. She hadn't had a girlfriend since Joanne nor had she wanted one. She and Callie hadn't even defined their dating terms. She didn't know if they were exclusive or if they were free to date other people. Not that there was much opportunity for that but still, Arizona knew without a doubt that she did not want Callie seeing anyone else and she had no intentions of doing so herself. It seemed they would have a lot to talk about on this little date of theirs if Callie agreed to it that is.
Arizona's mind wasn't in the game. She couldn't focus, her mind was on Callie and all the things she wanted to talk to her about. Now that they had started to get to know each other, Arizona found herself thirsty to know everything Calliope Torres related and Arizona had aced every subject she had ever set out to learn. Teddy seemed distracted as well and Eliza seemed frustrated with the pair. Despite Alex and Lexie's earlier two goals, their team suffered their first loss since Arizona had joined the team. Normally she hated to lose but she was now just glad that the game was over so she could shower and spend the afternoon with Callie.
"What the hell was that, Ari?" Eliza huffed as they joined the rest of the team on the sidelines.
"What was what?" Arizona asked, startled from her thoughts to find the brunette towering over her with hands on her hips.
"You were distracted, you weren't even in the game."
"I'm sorry, Eliza. I don't like to lose either, it's just an off day." Arizona replied with a shrug before she followed Teddy across the field.
"Hey, babe." Arizona said, leaning down to kiss Callie on the lips as she approached the group. It was uncharacteristic of Arizona to use a pet name or for such an open display of affection that Callie gave her a questioning look. She could feel her brother and Nick's eyes on her face as well but she didn't break eye contact with Callie.
"Not that I'm complaining but what was that for?" Callie asked.
"Nothing, just felt like it." Arizona replied with a smile. Her smile faded though as Callie scowled looking over Arizona's shoulder a second before Arizona heard the voice.
"Ari, can we talk? You just walked away, I wasn't finished." Eliza asked from somewhere behind Arizona.
"Ari?" Callie whispered with an arched eyebrow before Arizona turned around to face Eliza.
"Arizona." She corrected, then added. "I need to shower and then I have plans with Callie or I will once I ask her so it will have to be another time, Eliza."
"Well, I have to shower too. We can talk on the way." Eliza responded and crossed her arms. 'Crap, should have seen that one coming'.
"Ok, I'll catch up, I just need to talk to Callie for a moment." Arizona responded as she was already tugging Callie's hand so they could talk away from the group. Callie followed Arizona a few steps before they stopped and Arizona turned and faced her.
"I've really missed you. We haven't had time to talk much since Thursday just that quick lunch on Friday. I was wondering if you would like to have a date tonight? My mom sent me a care package with popcorn and boxes of movie theater candy and well, I can't take you to the movies but I thought we could have a movie night. You know cuddle up on my bunk or yours with my laptop and headphones." Arizona rambled.
"I think it's adorable that you missed me and that you're rambling. I would love to have a movie night with you." Callie smiled brightly.
"Ok, I'm going to go shower and get in comfy clothes and then I am ready for our movie marathon." Arizona smiled.
"Give me an hour. I promised Mark, Nick, and Tim a game of pool." Callie said. She kissed Arizona on the cheek sweetly and whispered in her ear, "And whatever Eliza wants to talk about, I want to hear all about."
Arizona took a deep breath and headed toward Eliza so they could talk as they walked back to the barracks together. She turned one last time and looked over her shoulder at Callie who had a smile on her face but a coolness to her eyes that wasn't there moments ago. She realized Callie probably did not like Eliza too much, maybe she was even a bit jealous, she needed to tread lightly even if the thought of a jealous Callie was a turn on. Oh who was she kidding, everything Callie did turned her on and lately that was all she could think about.
"What is up with you today?" Eliza's voice pulled her from her thoughts and she turned back around to face her.
"What do you mean?"
"Soccer. Just like now, you're here but your head is somewhere else. We could have won. We should have won."
"I'm sorry we lost, Eliza. I don't like to lose either but sometimes it happens."
"I'm worried about you." Eliza stated. Arizona had no choice but to stop mid stride as a hand wrapped around her wrist. She turned to face Eliza.
"I'm fine and there's no need for you to worry."
"I think there is."
"Why?"
"What if someone off base finds out about you and Callie?"
"Why would they? We are professional at the hospital and I trust that my coworkers can be as well."Arizona replied, now holding her temper in. She didn't know what to think of Eliza's statement. She didn't know if she should take it as a threat or a warning or just a concerned friend. But they weren't friends, not really. They worked well together and along with Teddy they made a great team playing soccer together but that was the extent of it. Arizona made a point of being friendly to everyone, maybe even flirtatious which came by naturally for her but she definitely did not classify Eliza as a friend.
"I've just heard talk. Some people aren't as happy and open about your relationship with Callie as you might think."
"The relationship I have with Callie is no one else's concern. We are friends." Arizona said, trying to downplay how very much they were not just friends. She hoped Eliza would just leave it alone if she didn't add fuel to the fire. But the truth was, this line of conversation was making her very nervous.
"You called her your girlfriend."
"Ok, Eliza, I'm only going to say this once so please listen to me. I don't owe you an explanation and my relationship with Callie, it's off limits for you. I called her my girlfriend because I want her to be but she's not, not yet anyway. We aren't friends, you and I, so touching me, giving me nicknames, trying to talk to me like this, not going to happen again."
"But we could be. Friends, I mean. Friends like you and Callie are." Eliza said with a wink. And that wink was trouble, Arizona suddenly knew with absolute certainty. Not in the same way Callie's winks were trouble though her heart rate did increase and her palms became a tad sweaty with the nervousness she felt. But it was because she was sure Eliza had a crush on her and wasn't about to let it go. And for once Arizona didn't find it flattering or endearing, it made her blood run cold. She wasn't sure what she had with Callie yet or what their future would hold, but she did know with absolute certainty that she did not want anything or anyone to get in the way of her figuring it out.
"No, Eliza, we can't." Arizona replied. She pulled away from Eliza's grasp and walked away.
Arizona took an extra long shower since Callie was playing pool with the guys. She tried not to let her mind worry too much about what was going to happen come February or about Eliza or about what her brother and Nick's loud mouths were probably revealing to Callie about her at this very moment. All of that was out of her control. So she let the not quite hot water wash away as much of the stress that she could let go of before she turned the water off. Twenty minutes later she was dressed in cotton shorts and a Johns Hopkins T-shirt and heading to the entertainment center to watch a little pool.
"Hey there, Phoenix." Nick shouted, spotting her first. He ran over and scooped her up, spinning her once before placing her back on the ground. As he did, he whispered in her ear, "Your girl is kicking our asses."
Arizona looked up with a smile as her eyes met with Callie's, "You showing these boys how it's done?"
"She cheats." Tim replied before Callie could answer.
"Ha! It's not cheating if you are too busy checking out my ass and my boobs to be able to concentrate long enough to take a shot." Callie fired back. She loved this playful banter. Though, it was a different kind of banter with her father and his friends, she had always been one to be witty and joke with them, earning her points in the men's club that she was never truly allowed to be part of.
"You're checking out my girlfriend's ass and boobs?" Arizona shouted, her irritation from this morning coming to the surface. And suddenly the playful banter stopped. Tim recognized this as Arizona pissed and not partaking in playful banter. Nick also recognized it as he and Tim shared a look.
"They are good boobs." Mark commented, not realizing Arizona's comment had been more than playful banter, "Besides, Torres was on my team so it worked in our favor."
"Good boobs?" Arizona asked in a cool tone, her eyes narrowed at the man who was bent over the pool table lining up his next shot.
"I mean yea, you've seen them...well...ummm maybe you haven't like I have but when you do…" Mark just kept talking, eyes still focused on the pool table, Arizona's eyes glaring with a deadly look, arms folded across her chest.
Callie ignored Mark as she watched Arizona carefully. She too had realized that this was not Arizona's usual body language. Her shoulders were squared and her spine was straight so she could stand at her full height which was still a good four or five inches shorter than everyone else in the room. Her jaw was clenched, her blue eyes narrowed, fists clenched at her sides. Despite all this, Callie smiled and the only response that came to mind was. "Girlfriend?"
"Come on, Mark, I think pool time is over." Tim said as he placed an arm over Mark's shoulder and led him out of the building. He wasn't sure if he was protecting Mark or his sister but he knew he needed to get distance between them. Nick followed and finally Callie and Arizona were alone.
"I thought you were only going to be an hour." Arizona said, she had been in an awful mood all day and she just couldn't help letting this get to her.
"I lost track of time. I'm sorry."
"Mark has seen your boobs."
"I'm sorry about Mark too. He doesn't think before he speaks."
"Ugh, he pisses me off." Arizona sighed, not intending for that to be spoken aloud.
"Hey, what's going on? I mean you seem off today."
"Are we girlfriends?" Arizona suddenly asked.
"What?" Callie asked. She knew now that Arizona liked to do this when there was something bothering her. She was too afraid to address the real issue so she found something that annoyed her to poke at until they got to the real issue.
"Do you want to be?"
"I said before that we didn't know each other well enough. But now I know your favorite color and that you like to cook. And when you're concentrating your tongue sticks out a little bit. And when you're looking at me like you are now you think I'm crazy but in an adorable way that you find endearing even if I'm scaring you a little bit."
"You didn't answer the question."
"Well, I know all these things now and you know things about me. I know we have so much more to learn but I don't want anyone else to learn those things about you. Ok great, now I do sound crazy." Arizona rambled. "But Eliza is interested in me and people are staring at your boobs and your butt and I don't want them to. We are hot, really hot. And we can't help it if other people want to be with us."
"Are you saying you want to date other people?"
"Callie, you're not listening, didn't you hear what I said?"
"I heard you ramble and say that Eliza is interested in you."
"But I don't want her to be. I only want you to be. And I want to be the only one that can stare at your boobs and your butt."
"So you want to be exclusive?"
"Yes." Arizona smiled, glad Callie had finally understood her.
"Girlfriends?" Callie asked.
"If you want to. But I'll settle for exclusively dating you if you're more comfortable with that for now."
"I'm good with girlfriends." Callie smiled, she grabbed Arizona by her shirt, pulling her toward her and closing the distance between them. "You really are a dork."
"Well this dork just so happened to research slasher movies and I bought some and downloaded them on my laptop for us to watch. What do you say we go pop some popcorn and then settle in for a movie marathon. I might even let you cop a feel." Arizona winked.
"I'm pretty sure that phrase is not one you want to use if you're letting me do it." Callie laughed as she kissed her on the mouth. "Come on, let's go make popcorn so I definitely can cop a feel."
"I'm sorry I was crazy."
"It's ok, you can be the crazy one in the relationship today, tomorrow, I'll be the crazy one." Callie replied with a smile. Arizona kissed her again, hard then pulled away suddenly and held a lock of Callie's hair in her hand as she traced her finger over Callie's jaw line with the index finger of her other hand.
"I'm giving you fair warning that I rented movies called Friday the 13th and Slumber Party Massacre and Sleepaway Camp and The House on Sorority Row so there will be shrieking and cuddling and possibly even some crying. You're just going to have to deal."
"Arizona, if you're that scared we really don't have to watch them."
"No, I want to but if I have nightmares I'm getting in your bunk and I don't care what rumors start flying."
"I think I can live with that."
Arizona met Callie's lips with urgency and wasted no time with pleasantries as she forced her tongue into her mouth. She let her hands roam over the perfect curve of a round bottom that her brother, Nick, and Mark had been ogling all morning. She felt Callie's hands in her hair and smiled into the kiss. Her earlier irritation was beginning to melt away and though her sexual frustration was back full force, she felt her tension begin to ebb as the calming presence of Callie washed over her. She smiled up at her and connected their hands, "Movie time."
The two made their way to Arizona's cubby and fished out all the candy her mom and sent along with two bags of popcorn. Callie went to the mess hall and popped the popcorn while Arizona climbed up into Callie's bunk and set up her laptop and the bed for prime movie watching and cuddling. Callie returned with two bags of popcorn and watched in amusement as Arizona, true to her word, dumped a box of chocolate into hers. Callie just shook her head and smiled. 'I guess they did need two bags of popcorn after all' Callie thought to herself.
"You're sure about this? Because we could order a fuzzy little disney movie or a romcom or maybe there's a lesbian movie."
"All in good time. I am definitely going to make you watch Better than Chocolate after this but tonight is all about you and your weird obsession with slasher films."
"Ok, no turning back now." Callie warned. They each put an earbud in their ear and Callie leaned back, lifting her arm so Arizona could lean in and be close to her in case she was scared. Once Arizona was tucked safely under her arm, she pressed play on Friday the 13th. She decided they had to start with a classic.
Callie smiled to herself as Arizona sat under her arm, sitting straight up and shoveling popcorn and candy nervously and continuously into her mouth. She could feel the nerves pouring off her and she considered taking pity on her but she kind of liked how she gasped and covered her eyes or how her hand full of popcorn would falter halfway to her mouth leaving it slightly agape as something particularly suspenseful caught her full attention. Callie kept in contact with Arizona through the entire movie, their thighs smashed together, her hand rubbing up and down Arizona's back or twirling a finger around her curls while her hand rested on her shoulder. She was enjoying this date immensely, it felt almost normal.
"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, I can't look. Not Kevin Bacon." Arizona fretted in the most adorable look of terror Callie had ever seen. Suddenly Arizona threw her hands up over her face with her fingers semi parted so she could peek through.
"You're going to miss it." Callie laughed.
"Please tell me the killer dies at the end of this or I am going to be too scared to sleep tonight."
"It's an 80's slasher film, it doesn't even look real." Callie argued.
Arizona watched the rest of the movie with her hands this way and at the end when the killer jumps out of the water and grabs the girl from the boat, she shrieked and threw herself into Callie's chest. Callie laughed loudly at this, earning her a steely glare and pout from the blonde who was practically in her lap. "Callie, the killer didn't die!"
"Arizona there are like twenty more Friday the 13th movies, of course he didn't die, although technically she did because it was Jason's mom and not Jason for the first movie anyway."
"What?" Arizona asked, her face pale and a look of shock plastered on it. Callie couldn't help herself as she laughed out loud.
"You seriously didn't know, did you?"
"I'm more of a princess and fairy tales kind of girl. What got you into slasher movies anyway?"
"In hindsight, maybe I should have known I was attracted to women. It kind of started with Miguel, we liked to watch them and we had fun mocking the bad acting and props and making fun of the stupidity of the girls. And he enjoyed all the 80's nudity which I have to admit, I enjoyed much more than I let on back then."
"So, which girl in that movie did it for you?"
"Alice. Didn't you find Alice hot? Callie asked, wiggling her eyebrows. They were getting ready to start the second film and she was trying to gauge how much Arizona really paid attention.
"What? Alice? No, no way. Annie, now Annie was hot in that 80's hair kind of way."
"You like brunettes huh?"
"Ummm yea." Arizona replied as though that wasn't obvious. True, her little black book didn't discriminate in the hair department but if she had to choose, darker hair and features were much more her type.
"Good to know." Callie smiled. She leaned in for a kiss and Arizona complied, smiling in return.
"Who is your favorite actress?" Arizona asked.
"Have you seen that new medical show? Nurse Nightingale?"
"Nope, Malawi remember?"
"Oh yea. Well, there's a nurse on the show played by Jessica Capshaw, she's my new favorite actress. Total badass in the show and hot."
"Hmmm should I be jealous of this actress?" Arizona asked, narrowing her eyes.
"Probably." Callie laughed. "But you actually look a lot like her so I guess maybe you should be flattered instead."
"Well I like that broadway star, Sara Ramirez. Oh and Jennifer Beals, hot but too skinny. No, Sara Ramirez with her curves, yum." Arizona said with a smile and a far off look on her face.
"Hey." Callie said, pinching the blonde in the side and making her giggle.
"Hey, it's been a loooong time." Arizona said and then immediately regretted her words. This was dangerous territory. Last time they had discussed past indiscretions it had led to Callie being upset with her. But Callie just laughed and said, "Tell me about it."
"How long has it been for you?" Arizona suddenly asked although she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to know the answer to this.
"Let's see, it's been what, oh my god, five weeks today since we arrived and I hadn't had sex for six weeks before that so eleven weeks, almost three months. Ugh that's the longest I've gone in a long time."
"Eleven weeks weeks? Try eight months." Arizona replied.
"Yikes."
"Yep." Arizona said. The air suddenly felt awkward. They were very close in a very small bed, she could feel Callie's body pressed against hers and though she was warm from the body heat and blankets, goosebumps spread over her bare flesh.
"Maybe we shouldn't talk about this. I mean we are cuddled up in a bed and there's forbidden fruit and you look all sexy and it's been a long time for both of us." Callie said in a ramble of her own, voicing Arizona's exact thoughts. Arizona smiled and said, "Agreed."
"Ok, so which film next?" Callie asked as it finished loading.
"Slumber party massacre." Arizona replied with a dimpled smile.
"You picked this one because you think you will get to see boobs." Callie rolled her eyes.
"Am I wrong?" Arizona asked.
"No." Callie replied trying to look annoyed but Arizona kissed her neck and said, "No matter who's boobs I have or will see, yours are my favorite."
"Do you plan on seeing many other boobs?"
"Only when I'm watching 80's slasher films with you."
At this, Callie smiled and the two cuddled in to start the movie. There was less jumping and shrieking with this film than with the first one. Callie got the distinct impression that Arizona was actually enjoying the movie. The abundance of women in skimpy clothing or just completely nude probably helped with that, Callie realized with a smirk.
"What are you smirking at?" Arizona asked as the credits began to roll.
"You just seemed to not be as scared with this movie."
"It wasn't as scary." Arizona simply replied.
"So you're not going to sneak into my bunk in the middle of the night?" Callie teased.
"Nope." Arizona replied.
"Hmmm...we'll see about that."
"Do you doubt me?" Arizona asked.
"Of course not dear." Callie laughed.
"Well I definitely will not need to climb into bed with you."
"Ok."
"Come on, it's supper time then we can watch another movie before bed." Arizona replied as she climbed to the ladder. Callie grabbed her foot and stopped her.
"You sure you don't want me to go first?" Callie teased earning her a glare and a defiant look from Arizona as she climbed down and started for the door, not waiting for Callie. Callie quickly hopped down and ran to catch up with the blonde. She grabbed her wrist and Arizona stopped and turned.
"Are you done teasing me?" Arizona asked.
"Yes." Callie smiled and the two walked to the mess hall together.
Arizona lay in bed that night with her eyes wide open and her hand wrapped around a razor under her pillow. It wasn't the best weapon to defend herself with but she was not going to be one of those stupid completely unarmed, helpless girls from the movies. It was after one in the morning and despite having laid in bed for the past two hours trying desperately to get some sleep, she had yet to get even a minute. Every time she closed her eyes she pictured a masked killer with a giant butcher knife. She looked over at Callie's bunk and was instantly irritated at the brunette for being so beautiful as she slept peacefully. She wanted more than anything to curl up in bed with her and feel safe in her arms so she could sleep but Callie had challenged her and now there was no way she could climb into her bunk and give her the satisfaction of being right.
Sleep wasn't her only problem. She seriously had to pee and there was no way she was going into the latrines by herself. This may not be camping but it was too close for her comfort when images of machetes and masked killers were still very vivid in her brain. Deciding on a plan, Arizona slowly climbed from her bunk and walked around to the side of the middle bunk where Amelia was sleeping. She shook her lightly, knowing she was also a light sleeper. Amelia looked at her questioningly and Arizona placed a finger over her own lips and motioned for Amelia to follow her. Much to Arizona's relief, she immediately did.
"What's going on?" Amelia whispered.
"I have to pee."
"What are we in seventh grade? You can't pee alone? I was sleeping."
"I watched stupid, stupid slasher movies with Callie and now I can't sleep and I'm afraid to pee by myself ok."
"Oh, Arizona, you know better. Remember when Nick challenged you to watch Scream and you unhooked the telephone so no one could call you for weeks?"
"I had a cell phone. My parents are in the dark ages with the house phone anyway. They weren't too happy about that, my dad missed an important business call that weekend." Arizona replied with a furrowed brow.
"Go pee. I'll stand guard." Amelia conceded as she followed Arizona to the latrines.
"Here take this, just in case." Arizona replied, handing her the razor from beneath her waistband.
"And what am I supposed to do with this? Shave a psycho killer while he has a butcher knife?" Amelia deadpanned.
"Just take it." Arizona rolled her eyes and slammed the door to the stall. She peed as quickly as possible. Amelia stood outside the door, picking her nails, the razor tucked in the waistband of her own pajama shorts.
"Hey, if a killer was coming for us, you would be an easy target." Arizona scolded as she snatched the razor from the waistband of Amelia's pants. "Do you need to pee?"
"I might as well since I'm awake." Amelia replied as she entered the stall Arizona had just vacated. Arizona washed her hands and looked around nervously while she waited for Amelia to finish. It was then that she heard something. Freezing as she turned off the sink, she snuck back over to the toilet to warn Amelia not to flush but it was too late. Amelia came out of the stall and made a beeline for the sink as Arizona stood frozen, a razor held out in front of her by a shaky hand.
"See no one murdered us while we peed." Amelia said as she washed her hands.
"Shhhh." Arizona replied as she pointed a shaky finger at the entrance to the latrines where a shadow could be seen on the wall. Amelia followed Arizona's line of sight and her smile faded. The two women looked around frantically for a better weapon or a place to hide.
"This way." Amelia whispered, pulling the two of them into one of the shower stalls.
"Oh my God, a shower, Amelia, really? We are just as stupid as the girls in the film." Arizona cried. Amelia would have laughed at the irony of it if she wasn't also terrified. The shadow hadn't just been of a person or at least that's not what scared her, what scared her was the knifelike looking object in the shadow's hand.
"I have no weapon. Give me the razor." Amelia panicked, trying to wrestle the razor from Arizona.
"Just a minute ago you were teasing me about it and now you want me to give you the only weapon." Arizona whispered.
"Yea, well of the two of us I think I am more likely to actually use the razor effectively so I think I should have it and you should stand behind me." Amelia replied hurriedly as she heard footsteps getting closer.
"Ok." Arizona whispered. She handed over the razor and clung to the back of Amelia's nightshirt. As the door opened, Arizona closed her eyes and took a deep breath, preparing herself to run or fight. Amelia held the razor in front of her but unlike Arizona's, her hand was steady.
"Get ready." Amelia said quietly. Suddenly a masked face peeked around the corner, the glint of a knife reflecting in the raised right hand.
Arizona let out a blood curdling scream and Amelia attacked. The masked figure fought Amelia off easily and was now holding the razor and laughing.
"Run, Arizona, I'll hold him off." Amelia shouted as she lunged at the figure again only to be pushed aside by the masked figure. Arizona considered running but instead helped her friend up and shouted defiantly, "I'm not afraid of you."
The masked figure let out a roar of laughter again, not the maniacal laughter that Arizona would expect from a slasher psycho killer but a warm laughter that she had heard a million times before. Her eyes narrowed as she advanced on the figure and reached for their mask with narrowed eyes.
"You're dead meat." Arizona said with gritted teeth and an icy glare.