It's You, It'll Always Be You
Chapter 3
[Flashback]
Arizona leaned back against her door immediately after shutting it. Where did that just come from? Sure, she'd been bold and daring in the past when it came to women because she was hot, and she knew it. But with Callie Torres, she'd been just flat out ballsy. "Don't be afraid to use this"? What was I thinking? And that kiss on the cheek? Oh my God, I probably scared her off…
"Arizona," her roommate groaned. "Can you please stop pacing and go to bed now, please? I love you and all, but it's almost three in the morning and I still have to work tomorrow morning."
"I'm so sorry for waking you," Arizona responded apologetically. "I'll just go get ready and I'm off to bed. Good night!"
"G'night," was her grumbled answer.
Arizona quickly got ready for bed and laid there in bed staring up at the ceiling. The events of the night ran through her head and she smiled despite herself as she thought of Callie. That radiant smile, those flowing curls, those dreamy eyes, those wonderful curves… Arizona's smile widened thinking about Callie's body and was amazed at how one woman could affect her so much after knowing her for only one night.
There was something about Callie Torres that Arizona couldn't quite put her finger on. All she knew was that Callie was nothing like any of the other girls from Arizona's past. Never before has anyone gotten her so riled up after just meeting them. The feeling was exhilarating, but at the same time, frightening because Arizona knew that if she wasn't careful, she could fall for the beautiful Latina and have her heart completely smashed into a million pieces if she let her guard down.
She swore off relationships and getting involved with women once she started med school and so far, she had been quite successful at it. Yes, she hooked up with someone every once in a while, but she made sure to specify that it was just sex and that she wasn't looking for anything more than that. She didn't want someone to drag her down when she was going after her dream of becoming a doctor and making a difference in people's lives. She'd broken a couple hearts of those that wanted more from her, but she adamantly stuck to her no getting attached rule.
Yet here she was, lying in bed after a long night, thinking about a certain brunette who swept her off her feet and stole her heart. Hold on, did I seriously just think that? She stole my heart? After one night? Non-sense. Arizona Robbins is not that easy. However, Arizona couldn't shake off the thought looming in the back of her head that she should make an exception to her rule and let Callie have a chance at her heart. She shook her head to stop the mental battle and finally drift off to sleep.
The next morning, Arizona woke up and immediately checked her phone to see if she had any messages or missed calls from Callie. She slumped back down when she saw that she had no new notifications and almost fell back asleep when her phone buzzed in her hand. Although a little disappointed to see that it was only Teddy calling her, she decided to answer anyways. "Hello?" she croaked out.
Teddy chuckled, "Well hello there. Late night?"
Arizona could practically see Teddy's smirk that she was sure was on her face. "Umm…a little, yeah. Calliope and I didn't end up getting home until nearly three in the morning?"
"Calliope? Arizona, are you trying to ask for a death sentence here? No one is allowed to call her Calliope. Some arrogant guy tried making fun of her for it the first month and she had him begging for mercy in a matter of minutes. She's totally hardcore. It's pretty hot, don't you think?"
Arizona knew that Teddy was trying to elicit a reaction from her, but she chose to proceed cautiously. She really didn't want to have this conversation right now over the phone after she'd just woken up. "Sure, I suppose," she replied, making sure to keep her voice as neutral as possible. "Hey, want to come over and talk more here, or go out to grab something to eat? I know you're itching for some details about last night and I'd rather not talk about it over the phone."
"Arizona Robbins!" Teddy mock gasped. "Are you actually willingly asking me to hang out?"
"Well, I was, but if you're just going to make jokes about it, I can always take back the offer."
"No, no! No need for that, I can assure you. Why the sudden change of heart?"
"Hmm, I'm not sure really. Just in a good mood, I guess."
"Mmm, I bet you are. After a whole night with Callie Torres," Teddy teased.
Arizona rolled her eyes. "Oh shut up, Teddy. Just get over here."
"Don't be afraid to use this." Arizona's words had been running through Callie's head all night. The next morning, she woke up groggy from having a restless night. Why can't I get her out of my head? She's just another girl, right? I mean I have tons of friends. But then…why did everything about her drive me nuts? A good kind of nuts. I loved everything about her; her golden hair, her dimpled smile, her sapphire eyes, her infectious laugh, her soft touch… Get it together Callie! She mumbled some curses to herself as she rolled out of bed.
She took a long, hot shower to wake herself up. The hot water helped sooth her sore muscles still a little stiff from sleep and ease her racing thoughts. She was washing her face when she reached the spot where Arizona had kissed her last night. Callie let her fingers linger there for a bit, bringing her mind back to last night when Arizona brushed her lips against that very spot.
Callie angrily shook her head and quickly finished her shower. Wrapped in only her towel, she retreated back to her room and automatically picked up her phone to call the only person she felt she could trust with the thoughts dancing around in her brain; well, other than the person who made her brain be in this frenzy in the first place, of course. Huh, I trust her now? Of course you do, stupid. No one has made you feel that comfortable around them in forever that you'd just start blabbing about your life the way you did last night. Face it, Callie. Arizona Robbins… "Hello?"
"Hey, Addie."
"Morning, Callie. What's up?"
"Umm…want to go grab some lunch or something?"
"Yeah sure. Any particular reason?"
"I, uh, want to talk to you about something."
"Something like, hmm, let's see… A particular blondie that we met last night by chance?" Addison teased.
Callie was silent for a moment. "How about you just get here and we'll talk. Okay?"
"I'll be there soon."
Teddy came over shortly after Arizona dressed and they left to go have lunch at a small, local diner. "So how did things go after Addison and I left you guys?"
Arizona blushed after thinking about Callie again. "Well, we talked. A lot actually. I don't think I've ever met someone as intriguing as her. I don't think I've ever just talked to someone for so long and not run out of things to talk about. She's...miraculous. Breathtakingly stunning. I just, I couldn't stop looking at her and-"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on there, cowgirl. Aren't we taking it a little fast here?"
"I can't help it, Teddy! This girl, she… She makes me forget all my rules. She makes me forget why I've been holding back from people all these years. She makes me forget about all the pain from my past. She makes me feel important. She makes me feel like I'm the only person in her eyes. She makes me happy."
"All after one night?"
"All after I laid eyes on her."
"I'm freaking out, Addison," Callie said, pacing around her room. "I'm freaking out because this girl… She makes me feel something. Something I absolutely cannot feel!"
"Callie, calm down alright? It's not really that big of a deal."
"Addison! We are talking about a girl.As in G-I-R-L. Ugh, my dad will so kill me."
"Callie, you can't live your life always doing what your father wants. You'll never be happy if you keep trying to please him your whole life. You have to do what's best for you. What makes you happy."
Callie let out a defeated sigh. "Oh Addie, I wish it were that simple…"
[Present Time]
"Caitlin," Arizona stammered. "Umm… What's up?"
"What's up? What's up! I've been worried about you! It's eleven o'clock, Arizona! I've been wondering where you were for six hours. You don't leave a note, you don't call, you don't answer my phone calls; what the Hell, Arizona? And then you come home all giggly and all over some woman?"
"Hey, calm down a second, Caitlin. I'm sorry for not calling or leaving a note. I really didn't anticipate being out for this long and I accidentally left my phone. I'm sorry. I just lost track of time. I'm sorry, really," Arizona pleaded with a fuming Caitlin.
Sensing the tension between the two and the angry glare in Caitlin's green eyes, Callie decided to excuse herself. "Umm… I'm sorry for keeping her out, Caitlin. I'm really sorry. I'll just be on my way now though. I'm sorry again. It was nice meeting you. I'll, uhh, catch you around, Arizona."
Momentarily stunned, Arizona stood frozen for a couple of seconds before going after Callie. "Calliope, wait!"
"Arizona, go back to her. I don't want to cause any more problems for you tonight."
"Caitlin can wait," Arizona responded, shocking even herself. "Umm… What I mean is, let me walk you out at least?"
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine."
"Okay." They decided to take the elevator and allowed a comfortable silence to fill the air. They stood closely next to each other, but not close enough to actually be touching the other. They kept up the quiet until they were outside Arizona's apartment complex. Callie stepped outside first and slowly turned around to face Arizona. With Callie standing one step lower, the two were actually standing eye-to-eye. Callie's breath hitched when she met Arizona's gaze and saw the adoration and love in her, once again, sparkling blue eyes. She cleared her throat to pull herself together before finally speaking. "I really did have an amazing time today, Arizona. Thank you for taking care of me," she said with a genuine smile on her face.
Arizona cracked a small smile before pulling Callie into a tight hug. "Thank you for coming to me. I missed you so much, Calliope."
"God, I missed you too, Arizona," Callie whispered into her hair. "More than you could ever imagine," she added so quietly she didn't even know if Arizona even heard her.
Arizona nearly melted at Callie's words, but she reluctantly pulled herself out of Callie's warm embrace and felt the absence almost immediately. "I should get back to Caitlin. She's probably really pissed and wanting some answers," she paused. "Will I see you again before you leave?"
"Of course. I'll call you, if that's okay. I would love to see you again. When I'm with you…it's like I can forget everything bad that's happening in my life and for a rare moment, I feel…good; happy. Feelings that don't come by very often these days."
"Calliope… You can't say those kinds of things to me. You know that I'm involved with someone. And I have been for a while now."
"I know that, Arizona. I know. I'm sorry. I just, when I'm with you. I feel safe. And today, I felt safe. Like nothing could hurt me. And I missed-"
"I'm sorry, Calliope. I have to go." And with that, she quickly brushed her lips against Callie's cheek before turning around and back into the building. She rushed up the stairs and practically ran back into her apartment. She leaned back against her door and let out a breath she wasn't even aware she was holding. She slowly opened her eyes to see a very angry Caitlin staring back at her with her arms crossed across her chest.
"You have about ten seconds to start explaining, and explaining fast, Arizona Robbins. I will absolutely not tolerate it if you're cheating on me."
"Caitlin, it's not-"
"Oh, and don't even bother lying. Because the only thing I hate more than a cheater is a liar. So don't even try doing either."
"Caitlin." Arizona said sternly, waiting for Caitlin to stop her ranting before she continued. "I'm not cheating on you, okay? That was Callie. She's an old friend from medical school. She's in town because her dad is sick. I spent time with her today because she showed up at my door in tears. In tears, Caitlin." Arizona's anger started rising. "So no, you do not have the right to accuse me of cheating." She huffed and headed towards her bedroom.
As Arizona walked past Caitlin, Caitlin grabbed her arm and looked up at her with a pleading look. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I was out of line. And you're right. I shouldn't have accused you of cheating. You've been nothing but great and you don't deserve that. I was just so scared and feared the worst when I didn't hear from you. Please forgive me?"
Arizona wanted to stay angry at Caitlin for her accusations, but part of her didn't blame Caitlin. Callie was beautiful and would make anyone insecure if she came home late with their significant other. She looked down into Caitlin's eyes and saw that she was sincere in her apology. "Of course I forgive you. Come on, let's just go to bed, okay? We've had a pretty long day and I have work tomorrow. So let's just put this behind us, alright?" Caitlin nodded and Arizona reached out her hand for her to take.
Caitlin wrapped her arm around Arizona's shoulders and pulled her in close. She smelled good, but her scent didn't intoxicate Arizona and dizzy her the way that Callie's did. Her arm was comforting, but nothing compared to the safety and warmth she felt in Callie's arms. "I love you," Caitlin whispered in her ear.
"Love you, too," Even saying those words to her felt wrong to her. Snap out of it, Arizona, she berated herself. Calliope has been back for a day and I'm already questioning everything. She's only going to be here until her dad gets better, Arizona. Then she'll be going back to California and leaving you behind, again. Caitlin, she loves you. Focus on her. She looked over at Caitlin nestled in her arms and smiled down at her. Caitlin is amazing in every single way, she thought. But she's still no Calliope. And she never will be. She frowned at those last thoughts and willed herself to go to sleep so she wouldn't have to think about the gorgeous woman who still held her heart in her hands.
Thank you again for those of you who reviewed and alerted both my story and me, which was super flattering btw. =]
I promise that the next flashback part will answer some of the questions that I know you guys have about Callie and Arizona's past in medical school.
But let me know what you think of this installment. Even if it's encouraging me to update soon. I love knowing that you guys love my imagination turned into words.
You're the best. 3
Points if you recognize the movie reference!