Sorry about the delay! This chapter is a filler chapter while I try to get Callie to man up and tell Arizona she likes her.
"Okay, this—" Christina Yang waved her hand at Callie, "—has got to stop."
Callie, breathing heavily, stood in the doorway, pulling her ear buds out and frowned. "What?"
"This." Christina cast around for a description, "This…up in the morning wearing too tight clothes to go for a run and then come back smelling of sweat. It's unappetizing and it's making me feel unhealthy that I'm not doing it."
"You could join me you know," Callie moved to the kitchen sink, filling a glass of water for herself.
"I've got more self dignity than running around Seattle half naked."
"How is that different from drunk dancing on a table cradling tequila screaming, 'I don't need men when I have you?'"
"Because it's true," Christina began eating cereal out of the box.
"For the love of—" Callie snatched the cereal away from Christina, she pulled out a bowl and a spoon, "—can you at least eat like a normal person?" She yanked out a carton of milk from the fridge and nearly threw it on the counter.
"Whoa! I thought all of this running would take you to a happy place," Christina reached over for the milk, "all of those endorphins making you happy and stuff."
Callie stalked out of the room and into her bathroom, shredding her clothes along the way. Before she slammed the door, she heard Christina yell out, "Your sweat tainted my cereal!"
Callie massaged shampoo into her scalp, relishing the rush of warm water down her body Nine days. Nine days since Lexie informed her that Arizona was gay. Nine days since she chickened out on her way to the peds ward. Nine days since she drunkenly informed Mark that she didn't need a relationship, she was celebrating celibacy and taking up running instead.
"I don't think I've seen anything so pathetic since—"
"Finish that sentence and I'll make sure you'll never have offspring," Callie snapped, not in any mood for Mark's comments. She flung herself onto the couch, "and besides, I just had a six hour surgery and my feet hurt!"
"Here," Mark put his lunch aside and sat down on the opposite end of the couch, pulling Callie's feet up into his lap. He pulled her shoes off and began squeezing her feet and using the palm of his hand to knead the sole of her foot.
"Oh…Mark…" Callie groaned.
"Sex sounds, Torres," Mark winked. "Might want to tone it down or word might get around we're—"
"Nope," Callie sighed. "Not happening."
"The sex sounds or us?"
"Shut up and keep doing that," Callie sighed.
"So," Mark kept talking, "Arkansas—"
"You're doing that to piss me off, aren't you?" Callie pulled a pillow from behind her neck to hug over her face. Her muffled voice stated, "You know her actual name, Mark."
"Fine, Arizona," Mark rolled his eyes, pressing his thumbs into Callie's arch, "why are you acting so strange and running?"
Callie didn't respond at once. She knew that Mark would be asking this question sooner than later and now that he had, she didn't have a response ready. "Because…" she paused and pulled the pillow off her head.
Mark looked at her expectantly.
"I'm scared it'll be like Erica if we do end up together."
"What, she leaves you in the parking lot?" Mark felt a surge of protectiveness overcome him for his best friend. "If you break her face, I promise I won't fix it."
Callie let out a bitter laugh, "I mean, the whole process again."
"Look," Mark squeezed her feet reassuringly, "First times suck. They're hard. But think of this as… a new first time. Except you no longer have to freak out about sex."
"I just…don't want to do something stupid again," Callie mumbled, throwing an arm up over her face. "I don't want—"
"On the bright side, you can't get married in Vegas."
"Wow, really, Mark?" Callie threw her hands above her head, "Thanks so much. So reassuring."
Mark continued seriously, ignoring Callie's slight temper flare, "But in all seriousness, if you keep chicken shitting out, you're never going to know if she's it or not. You'll just keep wondering."
"But how…"
"Hey, Blondie, would you like to go on a date with me?" Mark shrugged his shoulders, "Easy. You can memorize and repeat, right?"
"Calliope!"
Callie tried hard not to choke on her coffee and turned to a smiling Arizona, "Heh-hey," she took in Arizona's loose braids and smile before being absorbed into her beautiful blue eyes.
"Tim is coming over tonight to help install my TV and sound system, I'm ordering in pizza and stuff, are you on call tonight or free?"
"Um…I'm–," Callie said.
"Would you like to join us? Rebecca'll be there as well."
"Um…" Callie couldn't help but glance down at Arizona's clothed breasts for a split second, quickly pulling her eyes back up to Arizona's face she smiled, "I'd be happy to, can I bring anything? Wine?"
Arizona thought for a moment before shaking her head, her blonde curls bouncing, "Nope. Except, I don't think I have your number." She suddenly reached into Callie's lab coat pocket, making Callie jump.
"Whoa! Wha-what are you doing?" Callie shivered at the slight brush of Arizona's hand against her thigh.
"Helping myself to your phone number," Arizona gave a cheeky grin before unlocking Callie's phone and entering her own number.
Callie collected her nerves only to nearly lose them again when she glanced back at Arizona who was biting her lower lip, staring back at Callie. "What?" Callie asked.
Arizona grinned and then looked back down at Callie's phone. "Nothing," she typed something quickly before handing the phone back to a stunned Callie. "There we go, I'll see you around eight?"
"Uh…" Callie couldn't process any information.
"Eight it is then," Arizona frowned and looked down at her phone after it 'dinged' loudly. She smiled for a moment before quickly typing and then looked back up at Callie. "I'll text you my address later today."
"Uhm…okay."
Arizona gave another smile before whipping around and leaving.
"What went on just there?" Lexie appeared behind Callie, holding a stack of charts with a crumpled brown bag on top.
"She asked me to dinner at her place."
"Ooooo! Like—"
"With her brother and her brother's girlfriend."
"Oh," Lexie wrinkled her nose in slight disgust, "well, I guess that's a start." She set the charts down on the nurses' station before saying, "You got these to bribe information out of me, didn't you?"
"You still have some left?" Callie rolled her eyes. She had bought a bulk pound of peanut butter cups to suborn Lexipedia but then had no use for them. And rather eat them all herself, she let Lexie have them anyway.
"A few," Lexie popped one in her mouth. "But seriously," she spoke through her bite, "She's single."
"Go away, Little Grey," Callie snapped. She felt her phone buzz and saw she had a new text message from "ArizonaisAmazing."
"Okay, okay!" Rebecca threw her head back and laughed. "Never have I ever!"
Everyone groaned and shook their heads vehemently. Callie remembered the last drinking game she ever played ending with her throwing her phone across the room yelling, "Transform, you piece of shit!" She couldn't remember the actual event, but Mark had videoed it and Callie still hadn't been able to find it on his hard drive to erase.
Tim scratched his head, resting his arm around Rebecca, who sat at his feet. Callie and Arizona sat on opposite ends of the couch across from them. Arizona scrunched her nose in thought before grinning and racing into the kitchen.
"Callie!" Tim spoke up, breaking Callie's thoughts, "Thanks for coming! Shrimpy and Rebecca wouldn't have been able to help set the TV."
"Wow, Tim." Arizona reappeared holding a stack of shot glasses and a bottle of tequila in the other hand. "Shrimpy? You're an ass."
"We really doing this?" Callie couldn't help but feel a little nervous.
"If we get too wasted," Arizona knelt down in front of the coffee table separating herself and Callie from Tim and Rebecca, "you're staying here."
Rebecca, pleased with her suggestion, began pouring shots.
A few rounds later, Callie felt her body become warm from the alcohol. Her limbs felt a little limp, but her mind was still functioning. Arizona on the other hand, was laughing hysterically at her own story she was trying to tell. Rebecca had announced: "Never have I ever been in handcuffs" and Arizona was trying to explain how it had been Tim's fault that she had been cuffed at age nine while they were living on a military base in Texas. Callie hadn't taken a shot either and had hoped they wouldn't ask for her reason of why she had been cuffed.
"Callie!" Rebecca obviously was a talkative drunk.
"No," Callie mumbled.
"Are you a lesbian?"
Callie felt couch pillows adjust as Arizona shifted in her seat, pulling her knees up under her chin, locking her arms around her legs. Callie turned to look at her and locked eyes with Arizona. She felt the pit of her stomach drop when Arizona gave no movement, no hint, no reaction, no "I'mattractedtoyou" visual hints.
"Rebecca…" Tim had only had one shot from the game so he still had a level head; he rubbed Rebecca's back. "Callie—"
Rebecca tried to stand up, "That's usually my cue that I'm talking too much, it's time to go." She turned to Tim, holding her hand out with surprising steadiness. "Arizona, thank you for a lovely time."
Callie stood up as well, "I really should leave too."
"Do you want me to drive you?" Tim looked at a slightly unsteady Callie. Callie didn't notice the pursed lips and slight headshake from Arizona.
"You're more than welcome to stay here," Arizona stood as well, "Tim, she lives in the opposite direction of you."
"I'll just stay," Callie thanked Tim.
Not gonna lie, I'm slightly annoyed with Callie not making a move. Tsk. Tsk...