The first thing she felt, before she even opened her eyes, was one hand on her bare stomach. That strong hand anchoring her throughout the night. It stopped her walking out of the office when her head was all over the place. It made her take a second to breathe. It forced her to talk about something so painful and personal that she had never spoken to anyone else about it. That hand that shook with nerves during dinner with her parents because the person whose hand it was just wanted to impress them. The hand that her father had first shook at the start of the evening and then refused at the end. Instead he pulled her in for a hug.
It was the same hand that held hers after she ran into her ex-girlfriend and led her home. The hand on her stomach had the peeled away her clothing one piece at a time and then moved lower. All night it seemed to be bringing her to the height of release before easing her down again. It skimmed over pale flesh, leaving goose bumps in its wake.
That hand, Calliope's hand, made her feel loved. It made her feel like there was nobody else on the entire planet.
Arizona felt the sun through the crack in the curtains and rolled on her side to mirror her sleeping girlfriend.
"Morning." She whispered against bruised lips when she noticed the Latina stirring.
"Hey, how was your birthday?" Callie asked, her voice still deliciously husky from sleep.
"Best one for a long time." The blonde answered sincerely.
"Careful, you're gonna have somebody's eye out with those dimples."
Arizona giggled. She couldn't remember the last time she had done that, before meeting this woman. Callie loved to hear it. Her lover's laugh when she was unguarded and just let herself go, it never failed to make her smile. Callie leant forwards kissed her. Then Arizona kissed her back a little harder.
Before things got any hotter they were interrupted by the brunette's phone.
"Who the hell is phoning at this time?" The surgeon whined.
"Darling it's almost eleven o' clock." She replied as she reached over for her phone.
"What?" Arizona shot up but immediately regretted it. "Ow my head." She retreated and lay back down.
"Can you just hold on a sec?" Callie asked whoever was calling before turning to her partner. "I'll go take care of this and then get us some coffee. Okay, booze hound?" She ran out the room before the blonde could co-ordinate herself to deliver a punch to the arm.
Arizona then realised how Callie's face had dropped when she looked at the phone. Her tone to the caller had been less than warm. She couldn't help but listen out for the one sided conversation that was taking place on the other side of the door.
"No! I told you it was a secret."
The blonde's ears pricked up.
"You promised that you wouldn't let this out. I said that we had to be discrete."
Seriously, what was going on? This didn't sound like her Calliope.
"I've got to go. I said I would get rid of you and make her coffee. We'll talk later when I see you."
With that she hung up. Arizona heard her girlfriend prepare the coffee and tried to act natural when she walked back in. Both mugs were settled down to cool. The bed dipped as Callie got back under the covers. She moved her body into the blonde's back and caused a gasp to escape pink lips.
"What's wrong?"
"Did you just go make coffee naked?" She hadn't meant to get distracted but the goddess's body was always her kryptonite.
"Well, I know you love your coffee and you love me naked so..." Instead of finishing her sentence, she began ghosting her lips across Arizona's neck.
The surgeon told herself to forget the conversation. Trust, she had to trust Callie.
"Who was on the phone?" She couldn't stop herself.
"Oh, it was about the summer retreat for the kids, it's becoming a huge headache really." She was lying.
"I'm sure you'll sort it out." Please don't be doing this. That's what she begged, not that anyone could hear her.
"I will and it will be worth it." Arizona's heart stopped momentarily when she felt the smile on Callie's lips against her shoulder. "First of all though, I need to help you with your headache."
Suddenly, the blonde was on her back and the Latina was on top of her. When she looked up at her girlfriend, she saw love and admiration in the dark brown eyes above. Trust. Her Calliope would never do anything to hurt her. If Arizona Robbins believed in anything, it was that fact.
"I love you." The brunette whispered before kissing her.
"I love you too."
"So, doctor, any cures for a small hangover you can suggest?" Callie played as she again began kissing Arizona's neck.
"You don't drink."
"No, but my girlfriend does and apparently trying to keep up with her own parent's intake puts her in quite a state." She moved down to the surgeon's collarbone.
"Hey, they're like... heavy weights." The all too familiar light headedness of being under her lover's spell was taking over.
"I know," Callie raised her head to look into blue eyes. "How can they can drink that much? I mean even you're Mom. She's all sweet and charming, butter wouldn't melt but I swear she had two bottles to herself."
Arizona giggled. "We're naked and you're talking about my Mom and Dad."
"Sorry." She placed one lingering kiss at the valley between the blonde's breasts and then moved back to eye level. "Coffee should be cool enough now, that'll help your head."
"So will what you were doing."
"Well the sooner you drink your drink, the sooner I can get back to it."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XX
"Hey Cal." Jonathon walked into her office at The Acorn. "Can you go over this budget for The Avenue again?"
"Ugh really?" She moaned from where she was lying on the sofa.
"Yeah sorry." He finally took a second to take in his friend's appearance. "Hot doc warn you out?"
"Shut up." Callie was exhausted.
"Oh, you're not bored are you? I mean it makes sense, a different woman every week to the same one for two months."
"Jonathon!"
"Okay, but you know there is a supply of willing volunteers out that door." He said as he left.
As soon as the door shut it was opened again.
"Jonathon."
"Nope."
The Latina shot up when she heard Arizona's voice.
"Hey darling." But her greeting was met with cold eyes. The surgeon had heard Jonathon's comments. "What's up?"
"How many woman have you slept with?"
"That doesn't really matter." If she hadn't of been so tired, Callie would have connected this conversation with the one she had just had.
"Yes it does." The blonde replied flatly.
"No, it's not important."
"How can you say that? Of course it does. If I'm just the next in a long line?"
"Arizona?" The brunette tried to be patient. She knew her girlfriend was still struggling with Jasmine's infidelity, even if she wouldn't admit it.
"How long's the line before me?"
"I can't tell you that."
"Yes you can."
"No really I can't"
"You don't know? How can you not know? What kind of person doesn't know how many people they've screwed?"
Callie shook her head. "Where is this coming from?" She was rapidly losing her temper. Callie wondered what kind of person Arizona thought she was.
"I heard..."
"You heard a private conversation between me and Jonathon."
"You really had a different one every week?" Quick mental calculations told the surgeon that that was a lot. A lot of woman. A lot of times. A lot of experience.
"Okay, I don't have to defend the life I lived before you were in it."
"I just want a number. Some idea of what I'm competing with."
"What? You aren't competing."
"Well what if he was right? What if..."
"What if what Arizona?"
"If you do get bored, if you are bored of me, if you are used to all these different women throwing themselves at you, then you might..."
"Might what?" When Arizona looked to the ground, she walked closer to her. "If you're gonna accuse me of it then at least say it."
"Cheat." It was hushed, whispered. She really didn't want to believe it but Callie had been acting suspiciously for a while. Disappearing when her phone rang and being secretive.
"Go to hell. You can just go to hell. I love you. How can you think I'm capable of that?" She pushed past and out of the door.
The blonde just stood still. She wasn't sure what had happened. Her mind had gone into over drive and ended up somewhere irrational. She watched as her girlfriend walked out the room.