Chapter 10
May 2013
Arizona made her way through the small throng gathered outside the newly renovated Torres Towers, a gleaming pair of skyscrapers in the heart of the West End. Spying a familiar face, Arizona smiled and waved and pushed through to the front row.
"Hey! I didn't know you were coming!" Arizona said with a grin.
"I didn't know you were coming," Mark replied. "But man, it's good to see you, Robbins!" he continued, pulling her into a warm hug.
"The years have been kind to you, Mark. You've become even more handsome with age," Arizona said congenially, placing her hands on his upper arms and giving him a once over.
As she pulled back, she noticed a young woman staring at them with a cocked eyebrow.
"Oh! Hi, I'm Arizona. Arizona Robbins," Arizona said, offering her hand. When she received a firm handshake with a cold smile from the other woman, Arizona laughed. "And I'm here with Callie," she added pointedly.
"OH! You're that woman. I've definitely heard a lot about you. I'm Lexie."
Arizona grimaced. "God, that doesn't sound good. They refer to me as that woman?" Arizona asked, glancing at Mark for confirmation.
Lexie sheepishly glanced to her husband. "Not anymore," Lexie replied honestly. "I've only known Callie for a short time, but I've never seen her happier."
Arizona's eyes flitted quickly to the left. The thought that Callie was finally happy again and she could easily break her heart – again – was not something she wanted to think too hard about. Lexie sought her husband's gaze and whispered, "Did I say something wrong?"
He shook his head quickly. "You'll learn that these two women are meant for each other and are also the most hard-headed people in the world and can't get their shit together," he said, loudly enough for Arizona to hear.
"Mark," Arizona warned. She was about to chastise him, when she heard an unmistakable "ZONA!" from across the crowd.
Glancing to the left, Arizona found the source of the voice in a very wriggly toddler. A young girl was struggling to keep Sofia in her arms, and was definitely losing the battle. Chuckling, Arizona made her way over to the pair.
"Hi," she chirped.
"Hello…" the exhausted teenager responded.
"Zona!" Sofia squealed again, kicking her babysitter in the kidney with her eagerness to be released.
"Ouch," Arizona grimaced. "I'm Arizona, I'm Sofia's…aunt? It's complicated. But I can take her off your hands if you want."
"Mia. And I don't think Ms. Torres would be thrilled if I handed her daughter off to a stranger," the young girl replied.
"True, but clearly Little Miss knows me."
Still unsure, Mia looked to Sofia. "Pwease?" the toddler asked, her brown eyes widening and her lip jutting out.
"Okay, but I'm staying right here."
As Mia passed over Sofia to Arizona, the toddler wrapped her arms around the blonde's neck, giving her a sloppy kiss on the cheek. Moments later, Mark and Lexie joined them, greeting Sofia exuberantly.
"Zona, this is Uncle Mawk and his Wexie," Sofia said. Even at her young age, her mom had taught her the importance of a proper introduction.
"Zona and I go way back, bug," Mark explained. "She knew your mom and me in college 10 years ago!"
The little girl furrowed her brow. She couldn't quite understand what that meant, but she did know 10 years was a long time. "10 years?" she asked. "How come I only just know you?"
Arizona opened her mouth to answer when she heard a commotion on the platform in front of the hotel. The hotelier rang a bell to get the small crowd's attention and Arizona sighed in relief. Saved by the bell. Literally.
"To cut the ceremonial ribbon, please welcome to the stage the owner of Torres Towers and the CEO of Torres Hotels, Ms. Callie Torres!"
Callie stepped up on the platform from her position on the pavement below, giving a small wave to the crowd. She strode over to the center of the stage, her legs accentuated by the tight pencil skirt and stiletto heels she wore. Arizona was grateful for the small child in her arms, keeping her thoughts PG.
"Look it's mommy!" Arizona said, picking up Sofia's arm to wave back.
"Thank you all for coming out," Callie started. "Torres Towers has been a huge project for Torres Hotels and I can say that I have put a lot of effort and time – and money," she said with a laugh, "into it. One building will be entirely a luxury hotel with all the amenities seen in Torres Hotels around the world. The other building is a mixed-income condominium and my hope is that it will offer low-income families an affordable option while still providing comfort and amenities, which is hard to find in London."
Nodding her head to indicate that she had finished her description, Callie was handed the comically giant scissors. Callie giggled as she cuts the ribbon, giddy with the feeling of success. She had built this project from start to finish, working tirelessly for several years.
"I now declare Torres Towers officially open!"
o0o0o0o
"Torres, it truly looks fantastic," Mark said as Callie joined them to marvel at the luxurious buildings.
"Seriously, Callie, you did a great job," Lexie added.
Callie grinned at them as she took Sofia out of Arizona's arms. "You guys want the grand tour?"
Mark glanced to Lexie, who looked up at him expectantly. "I promised Lex we'd see Les Mis while we're here, and we have tickets for tonight. But we'll be back tomorrow." He leaned in to hug his friend. "Don't screw this up, Torres."
"Screw what up?" Callie whispered furiously.
Stepping back, Mark winked. "See you guys tomorrow!"
"I'd still be up for a tour," Arizona said with a grin as she waved to Mark's and Lexie's retreating forms.
"Mia," Callie said, finally addressing the young girl, "I'll pay you double to watch Sofia for the evening?"
"Yes, please!" Mia said, her braces glistening. 200 pounds would go along way to buying the car she had her eye on. "I'll just take her over to my house and bring her back at 8?"
Callie glanced to Arizona, chuckling at her raised eyebrow. "Let's say 9."
o0o0o0o
"It's seriously beautiful, Callie. I can't believe you did all of this, essentially on your own," Arizona remarked as they returned to the lobby of the hotel.
"I had some help," Callie said with a shrug.
Shaking her head at Callie's humility, Arizona glanced around the lobby. "So what's down that hallway?"
"Oh! That's the best part," Callie said with a grin. She grabbed Arizona's hand and pulled her down the hallway.
"Through these doors we have the shared kitchen for our restaurant down here," Callie explained as she pushed open the saloon doors.
"Shared? I think you have enough money to have a kitchen of your own," Arizona said with a chuckle.
"Well," Callie drawled, stepping out of the kitchen and to the last door on the hallway. She held her keycard flush against the panel next to the door and turned the handle when she heard a beep. "The kitchen is shared with volunteers for the attached homeless shelter!"
"Oh wow, Calliope, it looks amazing in here!"
Callie couldn't keep the grin off her face. "It's perfect, because any food not used by the restaurant goes directly to the shelter. Plus, all the profit from the hotel goes into the shelter," Callie said nonchalantly.
"All the profit?"
"Yeah, Torres Hotels makes enough; we don't need the money. We're also starting a trial program here to train certain eligible people who come to the shelter to work in the kitchen or in housekeeping."
"Callie…" Arizona opened her mouth, only to close it again when she couldn't quite form the right words to express her amazement.
"There's one last thing I have to show you," Callie said with a grin.
"How can there possibly be more?" Arizona asked in wonder.
"Well, this isn't quite as impressive," Callie said, her hand on the knob of the last unopened in that hallway. Pushing open the heavy wooden door, Callie explained, "this last room is my office."
"Oh, it's beautiful! You decorated so well. It's nice that you'll have somewhere that feels homey when you're here."
Arizona's smile faded when she saw the sheepish look on Callie's face.
"I was going to tell you soon, I promise," Callie began.
"Tell me what?"
"I couldn't find a suitable manager for Torres Towers. It's a complicated property because of both the condo and hotel, so I decided to do it. I'm moving here."
For the second time in just a few minutes, Arizona was almost entirely speechless. "But…what about the rest of Torres Hotels?"
Callie shrugged. "I have some very qualified people running the US office, and I'll still be CEO, just from here."
When Arizona still looked skeptical, Callie sighed. "Your being here is just a bonus. This is the exact kind of project I have always wanted to run, and I want to make sure it is done right. It just makes sense for me to manage the property."
Arizona nodded thoughtfully, taking in Callie's words. "So I'm, um, a bonus?"
Callie shook her head quickly. "I'm not presuming anything. I know there are still things we need to discuss. I just thought maybe since we're finally on the same continent again, and hopefully permanently, we could try again. Take it slow. Get to know each other again."
Arizona mulled over Callie's words, in complete disbelief that the two were being given another chance. But at the back of her mind, she couldn't shake the fact that she wouldn't just be getting to know the new Callie, but also her daughter. Callie had her own family, and Arizona was still unsure of what she wanted her place to be in that family. There was a large part of her brain telling her to turn Callie down, but as she looked up at Callie, she just couldn't say no to those beautifully beseeching eyes.
"I'd really like that," she said slowly, letting the revelation fall softly from her lips and smiling to match Callie's brilliant grin.
"If you're free tonight, I'd love to take you to dinner. Mia has Sofia until 9, and I know of a great Indian place just down the road."
May 2003
"Arizona Robbins, summa cum laude," the Dean of Students announced. Arizona stepped on stage and walked briskly toward the dean. She heard a loud whoop behind her and turned to see Mark Sloan grinning at her. A few people behind him, she saw Callie smiling proudly and clapping enthusiastically. She would have loved for her parents to be here, but it was a long trip for them to make and they were still dealing with the aftermath of Tim's death. Seeing her friends' – and yes, even her ex's – proud expressions certainly eased the pain.
As the ceremony finished, she looked around for Teddy, hoping they could celebrate. She finally spotted her across the arena, surrounded by a gaggle of people all chatting animatedly. Sighing, Arizona turned and walked to the back of the arena. She didn't want to intrude on her friend's family gathering, so she decided to spend the evening in her apartment. She supposed she could get started on her packing. How pathetic, she thought.
"My family's not here either," came a voice behind her. Whipping around, Arizona saw Callie leaning against the back row of chairs, a shy smile on her face.
"I'm sorry," Arizona replied.
"No, don't be. I wasn't expecting them to come. Dad's in Dubai with the new launch and my mom…well, she is dependent on him and doesn't like to go anywhere without him," Callie said with a slight eye roll.
"Yeah, mine are…"
"…in England," they finished at the same time.
"I figured," Callie said with a laugh. Pushing herself off the back of the chair, she closed the gap between the two of them. "Look," she began with a sigh, "what do you say we celebrate together? Nothing fancy. Just a celebratory drink between two friends who have no one else to celebrate with?"
"I…uh, yeah, right? I mean, why not? What else am I gonna do?"
"That's the spirit!" Callie said sarcastically, before brushing past Arizona and towards the door. Arizona practically had to trot to catch up.
"So, what did you have in mind?" Arizona asked, falling in step with Callie.
"Hmmm," Callie murmured with a smile. "I really want greasy food and beer and maybe some tequila. Last night of college, so we have to act like college kids while we still can, right?"
"That sounds absolutely perfect," Arizona said with a wide grin.
o0o0o0o
"Wait!" Arizona cried, throwing one hand up perilously close to Callie's drink. "We have to make a toast," she continued. Her words fell slowly from her lips, the alcohol making her speech seem foreign to her tongue.
"Arizonaaaa," Callie whined. "We've been making toasts all night."
"Yeah, to like, college and stuff," Arizona explained as if it was obvious. "But not to anything important."
Callie laughed and shook her head in disbelief. She realized suddenly that even while dating she'd never seen this side of Arizona: the carefree, silly, tipsy Arizona. How had they gone through so much and yet there was still so much to learn about each other? The idea that there was more to learn about Arizona that Callie could and would never know was too much for Callie to handle. She took a sip of her drink and plastered a smile on her face.
"So college and stuff isn't important?"
"You know what I mean, Calliope. I want to make a toast…to us."
Callie gulped. "To us?"
"Yeah," Arizona breathed. She clinked her beer against Callie's rum and coke. "To us." Arizona met Callie's gaze and blushed before quickly averting her eyes and focusing on her beer.
When Callie didn't say anything, Arizona found the silence overwhelming. "It's just that, well…I guess it wasn't our time, you know? But that doesn't mean…I'm not saying this right," Arizona said with a heavy sigh.
"No…no, I get it. You don't have to do this," Callie implored.
"I'm just saying that…this?" Arizona said, pointing between the two of them. "This was important to me. And I'm…I'm not gonna forget it."
"I'm…" Callie bit down on her lip, trying to stifle the sob at the back of her throat. She blinked back her tears, cursing the alcohol for exacerbating her emotions.
"To us," Callie concluded.
May 2013
Callie and Arizona strolled lazily through London, their arms hanging at their sides and their fingers loosely intertwined. The sun had finally disappeared behind the horizon, so their walk to Arizona's flat was only illuminated by the gentle flicker from the street lamps.
"I really enjoyed tonight," Arizona said honestly. "It was nice hearing about all of your accomplishments in the last ten years."
"I agree. And realizing that some things never change," Callie said, playfully nudging Arizona's hip with her own.
"Yeah, I can't believe you're still watching American's Next Top Model. I can't believe that show is even still on the air!"
"Hey, I remember you enjoying it!"
"What can I say? Some of those girls were super hot." When Callie pouted, Arizona grinned. "Definitely not hotter than you. That would be impossible."
"That's more like it."
Arizona came to a stop and stepped in front of Callie, grabbing her free hand. "This is me," she said, nodding toward the building next to them. "I'd invite you up, but we're taking it slowly, I've had three glasses of wine, and you look incredible. I don't think I could do slow if you came up."
Callie groaned, realizing she had little resolve herself. "Probably a good idea. Plus, I should make sure Mia is still alive after an entire day with Sofia."
Arizona nodded, and stepped back. Before she had a chance to turn to enter her building, Callie pulled her back in. "Just because we're going slow, doesn't mean we don't get a goodnight kiss."
Arizona laughed, releasing a short puff of air, as Callie pulled her even closer. Their noses rubbed together and Callie's lips fleetingly brushed over Arizona's. Pulling back only slightly, Arizona looked Callie in the eyes. "Can I ask you something that's been plaguing me all day?"
Fearing the worst, Callie furrowed her brow. "What is it?" she asked breathlessly.
"You are aware that Torres Towers literally means Towers Towers, yes?"
Callie released a low groan. "Shut up and kiss me, Arizona."