Chapter three
The room is filled with the soft twinkling of a classical cd that hadn't seen the outside world since its purchasing, the sounds travelling through the rooms on a wave of air filled with the scent of garlic and paprika, weaving its way around the small groups of people dotted about the house. Some stand chatting about work; others are trying to distance themselves from the stress of it all, just glad for the feeling of normalcy that tonight has brought. The familiarity of laughter, of smiles, nights spent in the polite company of people you no longer had to compete with, a feeling of security allowing for the mood, a feeling of safety and certainty exuding from each happy face, the melodious clinking of crystal on crystal acting as background to the toasts and praise lavished around the room, now everything was back to normal.
She stood there shaking her head, her below shoulder length curls dancing in a sway that was enough to bring any man… or woman, to their knees. There was something about Callie, something about the way her hair hung loose, framing her face perfectly, those dark, muddy brown orbs at times to intense they could make you feel like falling just by looking into them, then there was her smile. She has this smile that could light up the darkest of rooms, filling the entire expanse until even those corners hidden away would shine. She didn't just smile, she radiated perfection, oozed sensuality from every pore and when she lowered her eyebrows, lids sating in a way that showed how amazingly turned on she was, dear god she was intoxicating. She stared across the room, eyes wide and full of a sorrow she had yet to let go of, it had been days, days of walking around feeling like at any given moment she would explode and those tears that almost blurred her vision would fall freely down her soft features.
She took a sharp intake of breath, her eyes not shifting, focused on the sight across the room, the vision in black with a smile so bright it would challenge any stars shine and win. Bringing her glass to her mouth, she tiled it, the dark liquid teasing over her lips and tongue before sliding in a warm trail down her throat. Her side was flanked by her knight in expensive Armani who, rather than reaching out reassuringly and comforting her the way friends do in these situations, deciding that stating the obvious was the path to go down.
'You're staring again…' he explained, sliding his hands into his pockets and glancing over to where he knew Callies eyes would be fixed, on the blonde with the loose carefree curls, and the million watt smile he could tell was clearly fake.
Callie gripped her glass with both hands, finding something to hold on to for fear of striking the man beside her, 'I'm not…' she breathed in frustration still not shifting her gaze, instead licking her lips slightly as she watch Arizona's hips sway to the gentle breeze of music.
'You want to go back to my place and do it in the shower, Teddy's in surgery tonight…' his voice calm, and collected like he was asking her if she enjoyed her lunch. She blocked out his inane comment, not even giving him the satisfaction of rising to it, but a part of her wanted to scream, somewhere inside of her a voice screamed for her to let go, it would be easy, effortless to raise her hands and beat against his chest, pounding away until every ounce of anger had been released, every scream has shook its self from inside of her and ever tear had escaped her, falling down her cheeks in black streaks of betrayal. Instead, she rolls her eyes and raises a hand in an attempt to pause the stream of verbal annoyance itching to leave his mouth.
'I'm not in the mood for your jokes right now okay…' she shot him a look, involving the typical narrowing of her eyebrows as a warning not to continue any further, she was on a delicate precipice and the slightest nudge would send her toppling. Shooting a glance back across the room, she noticed the blondes, aqua eyes light up as she giggled to a joke she had been made privy to, leaning into the woman opposite her ever slightly, one hand clutching a half empty glass of champagne, the other clenched at her side nervously as she watched in sadness as the raven haired beauty headed for the exit a pang of hurt painted on her face. She debated, as her face fell, whether to run after her, catch her up, grab her by the arms and ask her what the hell they were doing, but she knew that would only make this harder than it already was and she owed Callie a clean break, regardless of how much she missed her.
So she brought her glass to her lips once more, as the sweet fluid filled her mouth, she allowed her gaze to fall back to the woman in front of her, returning herself to the conversation , physically despite mentally having left moments ago. If she had have followed Callie, out of those huge maple doors and out into the night, she would have been met with a sight that could have possibly changed her entire game plan. She would have seen a small figure curled up at the bottom on the pathway, knees pulled to her chest as her body wracked with sobs. She would have seen the obscure view of the woman's tear stained face, covered by the sticky masses of her raven curls as she fought to catch her breath momentarily, long enough for her to stand up and make her way to her apartment.
If she would have stepped into the night, and stared for a while at the woman she once thought could be the future, she would have noticed the sliver glinting in the moonlight as the skilled fingers of the orthopaedic surgeon twisted the chain around her digits, the small pendant crushed into the palm of her hand, a sheer desperation for having it near. She would have noticed the white of her knuckles as she gripped the only existing thing that remained a symbol that there had ever been a time when they had been in each other lives. She would have seen this sight, this desperate plea for an end to her heartache and she would have given it to her, she would have taken her in her arms, kissing her desperately as whispered assertions and promises that everything would be alright, once they got home. But they both knew it was much more difficult than that, much more difficult than either of them estimated.
Instead the music continued to surround Arizona, and the bubbly liquid that her glass was crying out for more of had begun to have its effects on her, as she giggled lightly and grasped her glass, she wished she had followed Callie out of the door, outside seemed a lot less claustrophobic, she sighed and excused herself, placing her empty glass on a nearby table she made her way outside. Stopping at the porch her eyes travel down the pathway, watching as the shaking silhouette gets to her feet and with one deep breath, her shoulders rising and falling in a breath she had spent a while searching for, she turns on her heels and walks away. Taking a step at a time she debates following her, catching her up letting her fingers find Callies arm as she begs and pleads, apologises for the hurt she's feeling and asks one last time if it's something they can just brush over, but her feet have another plan, they turn her in the opposite direction, and guide her home.
It's cold against her wrist, she clutches it tightly, so hard that it leaves a mark against the palm of her hand; it's dark and angry against the soft, pallid smoothness of her skin. She closes her eyes and tightens the ball her fist has fallen into, despite the pain that shoots through her hand. She needed this tonight, needed something to hold onto… something that reminded her to be strong, that good things will happen it just takes time and as she lifts her head, turning back and taking a glance at the woman leaving in the other direction, she wonders if maybe, just maybe time would find a place for them.
I hope you guys like this one… I'm floating about in the unknown x