I accidentally and very embarrassingly just posted chapter 13 of Ground Rules by mistake! Thank you to vale Calzona, maling and TakeOffMyGuazePaws for pointing it out to me! :D you guys just saved me the further embarrassment of waking up in the morning to a load of people thinking I'm an idiot!ha
A/N: Okay, I don't even know where to begin with my apology for what has possibly been the longest delay in the history of fanfiction! But I am very sorry. Truth be told I got very lazy and just got preoccupied with the real world...I owe this chapter mostly to Ozlawstudent and rainbow4imagination who simply refused to let me forget about it!:) THANK YOU! I've missed writing SO much but do feel I could be a little rusty, this chapter is mostly just a plot progresser. I promise to try REALLY hard to not let it go so long again!
I stood outside the coffee shop for longer than was necessary, just staring at the bright red lettering above the door that read, 'Insomnia', I couldn't seem to force my mind into any form of coherent thinking, it felt like a lifetime since I had last seen Henry, obviously this wasn't the case, but I wasn't entirely sure what I wanted to say to him. I had thought about it before falling asleep last night, to no avail, even in the shower this morning, where I normally do my greatest thinking, I had allowed my mind to drift off to Arizona instead and how sick to my stomach I felt about hiding this from her.
Using this thought as an incentive, I moved forward and cautiously entered the quaint shop. A strong aroma of coffee hit my senses, the immediate effect was calming and for a split second I had forgotten why I was here, that is until I heard the sound of a chair scraping against the wooden floor. I froze to the spot, afraid to turn in the direction of the disturbance. The shop was quiet with a maximum of about four people, including the two staff members occupying the area, making it easy to guess who had caused the stir, but it wasn't until I heard my name did I move my attention from the bright orange wall at the back of the room.
Standing in the front corner of the shop, next to a table slightly hidden by a large ficus plant, stood Henry, dressed in kahki chinos and a light blue button up shirt, his hair had been cut since the last time I'd seen him and his skin had a light tan glow. My feet moved of their own accord and I walked straight into his welcoming embrace as though on auto-pilot.
"Wow, Cal, you look great." He complimented with his usual charm, pulling away and giving me the once over.
"You too. Nice tan." I responded shyly. By nature I was always an overconfident person, rarely arrogant, but even as a child I thought highly of myself, held myself on a pedestal so to speak, but I always withdrew myself around Henry and I could never understand why; he wasn't intimidating by any means, not as successful in his career as I am and out of us both, I am confident I am the more attractive, but he just has this way of making me feel uncertain about myself. It is completely the opposite of how I feel when I'm with Arizona.
"Thanks, I recently got back from St. Barts." Drawn back to the conversation by the sound of his voice, I studied him closely, I definitely didn't feel as strongly for him as I had been expecting to, I had prepared myself for a repeat of Macy's, but this was a whole new experience, I looked at him and felt a slight pang of pain and need but overall, I felt as though I was sitting with a stranger as he droned on and on about what I should do 'if I were to ever find time in my busy schedule to visit' the vacation destination. So caught up was he in his own ramblings, he barely seemed to notice or care that my attention had long since disappeared. Out of the corner of my eye I had caught a glimpse of a woman holding a tourist pamphlet and made a mental note to pick one up and surprise Arizona with a day out. There she was again, creeping into my every thought; when this happened, which it did more frequently every day, I found I missed her, like, really missed her, I wanted nothing more than to be wrapped up in her embrace and consume myself in everything that was uniquely, her.
"Callie, Cal-" I flew back to reality when two large fingers clicked in front of my face. This was a habit of Henry's whenever he felt my day dreaming had gone too far, normally I never minded it, but this time I found it beyond irritating.
"What?" I hissed.
"You went somewhere else just there. Everything ok?" He seemed unfazed by my previous tone and looked genuinely concerned.
"No, I'm sorry, I'm fine, what were you saying?"
His expression became more serious while the atmosphere around him seemed to change to one of excitement as he began to speak. "It's not important, enough small talk Callie, we both know why we're here."
"You're right." I conceded, drawing in a breath, readying to continue, but I wasn't allowed the opportunity.
"I'm in love with you Callie, I thought I wasn't, that my feelings were just… I don't know… but now, here, seeing you, I finally know what I want. You."
"Henry. You're getting married." I responded so quickly and disgustedly that I surprised even myself. I could see his features freeze, he had never actually disclosed his relationship status with me and he was no doubt curious to who had told me but he seemed to shake it off, choosing to continue instead, with his declaration of love, after all, we did have some mutual friends of friends that I could have heard it from.
"I want to be with you Callie. I haven't stopped thinking about you since I found out you were in the city, and I've tried not to but I can't help it, and now seeing you I just- I love you Callie." I was hearing him loud and clear, hearing him recite the words I had wished he would say so many times before. When I had imagined this moment I always thought it would feel so much different. Instead of feeling elated and overcome with love, I felt guilty and sad, the only face that filled my mind was one with the most magical, dimpled smile I had ever seen and bright blue eyes. I cringed at the words that came from his mouth, I felt as though I was in some way betraying Arizona by even entertaining this conversation.
Holding my hand up to silence him, I finally found the use of speech.
"Henry," I sighed at the hopeful look in his eyes, "just-… go get married."
With that, I rose from my chair and swiftly exited the coffee shop. The chilly air hit my face and I clumsily pull my phone from my pocket, dialling a number I was surprised I remembered by heart.
"Hello?" came a sad voice from the end of the line.
"Arizona, can I see you, please?"