The next day and Arizona had to rise early for work. She was on the six till six shift today and despite having to get up at an ungodly hour she was still floating from the night before. She showered quietly so not to awake her parents and made her way back into her bedroom to get dressed. She glanced at her phone, wondering if it was too early to message the brunette who would no doubt be asleep on the other side of the fence. She knew she probably wouldn't have time to message her later when she was at work so decided it was worth the risk. She typed out a quick message, read it... read it again, read it once more then hit send with a smile. Hopefully Callie would appreciate her words when she woke up. With the important things done, Arizona quickly dressed and left for her shift at the hospital.
-oOo-
Callie woke up to the sound of her alarm and groaned. She had been having a quite graphic dream about the blonde next door and her body was humming with excitement, something that felt foreign to her. Suddenly she wondered what she was doing. Arizona was her best friend and she herself was damaged goods, not just physically but emotionally and mentally too. With a deeper groan she swung her feet off the bed and slowly sat up, little things were getting more and more difficult the further into this pregnancy she got.
Grabbing her phone, she silenced the alarm and noticed that she had an unread message from the woman in question. With a heavy heart she opened the message to read it.
'Good morning pretty lady. I hope you slept as well as I did. I'm starting work soon but will be home by six, I'll meet you out back when I get home. Can't wait to see you. Have an amazing day'
Callie's fingers rose to her face where she felt a beaming smile on her face, how could it be wrong if it felt this good? How could it be wrong if Arizona brought her this much happiness, didn't she deserve to be happy after the shitty hand that she had been dealt? Deciding that she would talk to Arizona later about her concerns, she typed up a message of her own.
'Good morning to you too, I slept amazingly well. Have a great shift and I will see you tonight xx'
Sending the message, she rose from the bed and made her way to the shower to get ready for another day at med school.
-oOo-
The day went by in a blur for Callie, after several lectures she made her way home and greeted her mother who had just beaten her home after being away for a business meeting.
"Hey Mama" Callie greeted her mother with a smile as she made her way to the fridge for a can of Pepsi Max to try and cool her down from the heat outside.
"Hello Darling, did you have a good day?" Lucia asked as she unpacked her laptop and some files onto the dining room table.
"Yeah it was good" Callie offered.
"How was your night, you didn't say much before you went to bed" Lucia asked with interest as she sat down in one of the dining room chairs.
"Actually something happened and I don't know how I feel about it, have you got a few minutes to talk it over with me?" Callie asked with her heart in her mouth.
"Of course Mija, I have all the time in the world for you and Aria... so what happened that's gotten you so confused?" Lucia rose from the table and approached her daughter in the kitchen, laying a soothing hand over the younger hand resting on the kitchen counter.
"First of all you have to promise not to say anything, not to dad, not to Aria and definitely not to Arizona or the Robbins" Callie said very seriously, so seriously that it caused a frown line to appear between Lucia's eyebrows. For her to be asked to keep a secret from Arizona must mean it was something extremely serious. She hoped with all her heart it had nothing to do with Earl. If he had been in touch with her little girl again she would personally skin him alive.
"You have my word, now what's troubling you sweetheart" Lucia finally replied which had just caused the nerves fluttering within Callie to intensify.
"Its about Arizona" Callie started feeling like her tongue was too thick for her mouth. "Last night something happened and although I'm really happy about it I am also absolutely terrified"
"Ok, well do you want to explain to me what happened?" Lucia asked, relaxing slightly knowing that it had nothing to do with her daughters ex husband.
"We umm... well we kissed, a few times" Callie stuttered out, her cheeks flushing red with embarrassment.
Lucia tried her hardest to contain her excitement, but her face broke into a huge smile at the news. "That's fantastic Mija, I always knew one day you would come home and tell me you'd fallen for the girl next door. You and Arizona have always had this unique bond"
"But that's the problem, what if I'm not good enough for her... I'm literally covered in scars, physically and emotionally. What if I'm inept at being able to love after what HE put me through" Callie frowned.
"Oh sweet girl, you're not inept. Sure you have your baggage but Arizona knows all about it before going into this and if there is anyone you are safe with its Arizona. That girl worships the ground you walk on, she always has. You don't need to be scared to fall in love with her. I mean its understandable why your feeling anxious or nervous about this... but this is a good thing, it's a fantastic thing" Lucia beamed.
"What if it doesn't work out though, what if it gets weird between us and we end up not even being able to be friends" Callie questioned with a dull thud to her heart.
"Darling, after everything you and Arizona have been through over the past few years, there is nothing that can tear you apart. I understand why you're feeling like this, but you need to put the concerns to the back of your mind and just go for it. The worst that will happen is it doesn't work out and you and Arizona go back to being friends"
"I just don't get how she can find this attractive, I mean I'm literally covered in scars, I'm heavily pregnant, I'm emotionally and mentally traumatised by my last relationship and as if that wasn't bad enough I have so much on my plate what with school and about to be a mother, do I even have time for a relationship?" Callie asked sadly.
"Is that what you want? Do you want a relationship with her?" Lucia asked carefully.
"I have wanted to be in a relationship with Arizona ever since I can remember, but then she brought home Jo so I kept quiet"
"Well then sweetheart, now is your time. If this is something you really want you will find the time. Arizona knows how things are for you, she will be careful with you and she will be understanding of your school commitments and your commitments as a mother. I mean she's been there for every scan you have had, every milestone so far... trust me sweetheart, she's a keeper" Lucia smiled reassuringly.
"So you would approve if we were to start dating?" Callie asked nervously despite suspecting the answer.
"I would very much approve, and so would your father, he looks at Arizona like a third daughter anyway, we both do"
"Thanks Mama, you've really helped"
"So tell me, was the kiss good?" Lucia asked teasingly.
"MAMA, I'm not telling you details about that!" Callie blushed furiously.
"You don't need to, the colour of your cheeks say it all" Lucia laughed heartily.
"Stop!" Callie whined.
"Ok, ok" Lucia held her hands up in defeat "Just know that I am really happy for you, this is exactly the kind of relationship you deserve and I know that Arizona will treat you with respect and dignity"
"She already does Mama"
-oOo-
It was a little after six when Arizona popped her head over the fence and spotted her favourite person sitting in her usual chair typing away on her laptop, instead of calling a greeting she took a moment to really watch the Latina. She looked peaceful, content as her brow furrowed slightly as she worked on what Arizona assumed to be an assignment.
She couldn't stop the smile from gracing her face as she studied the brunette, she really was breathtakingly stunning. Finally feeling a bit like a creep she decided to announce her presence.
"Evening Calliope" Arizona's grin grew wider when Callies head whipped up and a giant smile spread across her face.
"Hey you, how was your day?" Callie asked as she glanced back at her screen, saved the document and shut the laptop lid.
"It was long... I kinda couldn't wait to get home and see you" Arizona admitted shyly.
"Aww did you miss me?" Callie asked teasingly.
"Always... anyway how was your day?"
"Interesting" Callie said and left it at that as she thought back to her conversation with her mother.
"That's all I'm getting, interesting?" Arizona scoffed incredulously.
"I told mama about us" Callie said nervously, hoping that Arizona wouldn't be mad that she had dished the dirt to her mother of all people.
"Oh yeah? Should I be worried?" Arizona asked picking up instantly on Callie's nervousness.
"No. She was fine. More than fine actually. I just needed to talk to her about my doubts..." Callie trailed off as she saw Arizona's face fall at her words.
"You have doubts about us?" Arizona asked sadly.
"Yes and no... I don't have doubts about you... you're amazing Arizona. But I do have doubts about getting into a relationship. You know how much I have been through and although I know you would never hurt me intentionally... I am scared about what is happening between us... it terrifies me actually. I can't go through it all again. I won't go through it all again. And I just keep going round and round in circles in my head. One second I feel like I'm floating on cloud nine because I'm so happy and the next second I'm running through scenarios of everything that could go wrong. And if it does go wrong I don't want to lose you..."
"Calliope breathe" Arizona interrupted with a small smile on her face. "I get what your saying. I have waited for most of my life for this to happen. I think I have been in love with you since... well I cant remember when it started it was so long ago... the point is, I have waited a lifetime for it to be our moment, I'm in no rush. You have school and a baby on the way, plus your still healing. We can take this thing as slowly as you need. I will never put pressure on you to do anything you don't want to do. And if this thing somehow doesn't work out, nothing will change between us, you are and always will be my best friend"
"Thats pretty much what mama said" Callie admitted.
"She's a wise woman that Lucia" Arizona smirked playfully, her grin widening when Callie laughed softly at her antics.
"So where do we go from here?" Callie asked once she had calmed.
"Well, I would like to take you out on a proper date... one where we both know it's a date before we go on it. I'd like to woo you too, you deserve to know what it feels like to be treated right by your partner. So that's the game plan"
"Woo me? What are we, eighty?" Callie joked.
"Yes woo you. A lady like you needs to be wooed" Arizona grinned.
"what does that make us, I mean, what am I to you?" Callie asked with her heart in her mouth.
"You can be whatever you want to be Cal, there is plenty of time for labels. But one day I'd like you to be my girlfriend. One day my fiancé and one day my wife. I'm in this for the long haul. You are the strongest most beautiful woman I have ever met and I feel so honoured that you're even allowing me the time of day" Arizona smiled bashfully.
"You see a future with me?" Callie asked, her voice laced with wonder and amazement.
"Calliope if only you knew. I see everything with you. I can see little brothers or sisters for little miss, I see our grandkids coming to visit us in a retirement village, I see everything with you. All I need you to do is trust in me. Trust in us. I will never let you down and I will never hurt you or let anyone hurt you again"
"I do trust you I'm just really scared Arizona. I'm not good at the whole relationship thing. And as for intimacy, I'm not ready and I'm not sure I will ever be ready to be intimate with anyone again. The scars Earl left aren't just on my body, they're in my mind and soul too"
"Cal slow down. We have been on one date and kissed enough times for me to count on one hand. Do I want to be intimate with you? Of course! But that will come in time. One day you will feel confident enough to give your body to me and until that day comes, I can wait. I will wait. Not just because I care but because I love you and I want whatever happens between us to be a hundred percent consensual."
"How did I get so lucky?" Callie mused aloud.
"It's karma... you've been through a rough patch and now it's your turn to go through a good patch. It's time to allow yourself to be happy because you deserve to be happy"
"it's just going to take some getting used to"
"It will and you will. Just watch, this time in a year you'll be jumping my bones and loving every minute of it" Arizona winked as Callie turned a deep shade of red.
"You're very confident about that" Callie finally managed to get out.
"Of course I am, no one can resist a piece of this ass" the blonde teased, smirking when Callie rolled her eyes in amusement "so am I allowed to give you a kiss hello or would you rather wait till we have been on a few more dates, whatever your most comfortable with"
"To be honest, I've been thinking about kissing you all day. I think I have actually missed your lips" Callie admitted shyly.
Arizona raised her hands to cup Callie's face lovingly. Leaning forward she rubbed the tip of her nose affectionately against the tan nose before leaning a bit further and planting a soft kiss against Callie's lips. When she began to pull away she felt Callie's hand snake up to her neck pulling her deeper into another kiss, one which took Arizona's breath away.
When they pulled apart both women were smiling and basking in the moment of being so close.
"Where did that come from?" Arizona asked eventually as she opened her eyes and being met with the beautiful sight of a megawatt smile.
"Like I said, I've been thinking about kissing you all day" Callie admitted, a slight blush reaching her cheeks.
"Don't be embarrassed Cal, its ok to want to kiss me, its ok to think about kissing me. I know I have been thinking about it since the last moment you kissed me. Infact I was pretty useless at work today because all I did was think about kissing you" Arizona smiled affectionately at the brunette whose eyes were twinkling at the knowledge that she had been on Arizona's mind all day.