It was the fifth time Callie yawned within the last hour, and she pressed her forehead against the cool glass of the passenger side window to close her eyes for a few moments, before tilting her head enough to see Arizona out of the corner of her eye.

She was reaching into her lap to grab a few Peanut M&Ms, which Callie had noticed in the last few days was somewhat of a staple for her to buy whenever they stopped at convenience stores or for gas.

Turning her head a bit more, just enough to somewhat face the blonde, she couldn't resist the small grin that was desperate to take over, "Candy for breakfast?"

Arizona didn't take her eyes off the road before she tossed back, "I also bought a banana."

A small chuckle escaped her, "Right," before she yawned again, and this time closed her eyes, "Is there ever going to be a day when we're not up so early?" she asked, her voice coming out as a sleepy groan.

The blonde made a sound that was somewhat of a "tsk" that Callie could easily let herself find annoying, if she wanted. But they had made an agreement, a deal to be civil, and it was far, far easier to keep up than Callie ever would have guessed it would be.

Because, she supposed, that maybe there was a chance that she didn't find Arizona to be actually annoying when she wasn't trying to force herself to be annoyed.

Arizona cleared her throat before dipping back into her bag of candy, "Besides, it's all part of the plan. So you can just suck it up," she added on, and Callie could tell from her tone that she was teasing.

She hated that she enjoyed it so much, but she would be lying if she said that she didn't enjoy Arizona teasing or being a bit snarky, as she'd said yesterday. She did like it. A lot.

Rolling her eyes at herself, she turned back to be able to look out the window, watching them blow by trees so quickly they turned into blurs under the blue sky. Things between them had been going well – despite the fact that they'd spent hours at that park yesterday and she hadn't been able to bring herself on any other rollercoasters after that first one.

When she'd nearly thrown up after they'd gotten off, she'd known that the front she put up and the fact that she didn't want Arizona to see how much of a wimp she could turn into at something stupid couldn't hold up.

Despite that, she had actually had a pretty, well, good time. The blonde had been fairly accommodating about that, even though Callie knew she had every right to act out with attitude the way Callie had towards her.

And she'd both hated and enjoyed the way Arizona had looked at her after with a little bit of sympathy and a little bit of amusement, which had made her smile so that those dimples appeared in her cheeks. Mostly, she hated how much she'd enjoyed it.

Shaking her head as if that would work to clear her thoughts, she leaned down a bit to pick up the box of cheerios that she'd purchased at the gas station when they had left the hotel. As she opened the bag inside the box, she tipped it so that the top was resting on her thigh, as she reached in for a handful.

Her eyes slid towards the Peanut M&Ms again, and she shook her head before clearing her throat, "If you want actual breakfast food, you can have some cereal. If you want," she tacked on again before cringing at herself, and telling herself to just shut up.

Dark eyes were focused on the way the corners of Arizona's mouth turned up into a small smile, and she pushed down that weird fluttering in her stomach. It wasn't – it just wasn't natural to get that feeling from just a small smile like that, she was positive.

Then her attention snapped to the way the blonde's somehow elegant hand slid over the console, toward the open box of cheerios resting on Callie's lap, without taking her eyes off of the road. Her eyes widened when she realized at this rate, Arizona's fingertips would be about to brush over her thigh at any moment on their quest.

And in response, she quickly reached down and pushed the cereal box up to meet Arizona's hand, so that no contact was made and Arizona was none the wiser, as Callie's heart was beating a little faster, but she was positive that it was only pounding in her own ears.

Crisis averted.

It was her first instinct to do things like that. To turn away from Arizona and under all circumstances avoid touching her. Like when the blonde had offered her hand yesterday, it was her first instinct to take a step back from it. It was that feeling in her stomach, the one that had been there since knowing the blonde a year ago, and had somehow just gotten worse.

Well, it was almost her first instinct, because her actual first instinct was to just go with it. But the instinct to deflect was very quick on that feeling's heels.

It was for her own good, really. Her own peace of mind.

She hadn't really thought that her reactions to the blonde actually affected her own feelings – after all, she went out of her way to avoid Arizona. By touch, by talking, almost everything. So, generally speaking, she had kind of thought that maybe Arizona really didn't think about her at all.

But clearly, after that night a couple of days ago, her own actions towards Arizona had real consequences on the blonde. And it was never her intention to hurt Arizona's feelings.

However, they were stuck here, together. Whether she wanted to like it or not, and Arizona had given her an out yesterday. The proposition to forget the past and just be… friend-ish type things, and she would be an idiot not to take it.

A vacation from real life. Which, in her mind, meant doing her damndest to push away those uncomfortable feelings. Ignoring them, and not acting out on them. Like, not flinching away or making comments that formed so easily on her tongue. And she was both relieved and slightly alarmed that it was easier – much easier – than she thought it would be to let go and just be around the blonde.

She'd known Arizona before. Well, the little things that she had picked up, like any other observational neighbor would have, right? Like about the tea she drank every morning, and how she wore her butterfly tank top most weekends. Or how she crinkled her forehead when she was reading intently. Which was just stuff she learned by being a neighbor – well, also by being in classes with her. Anyone could know those things.

All right, so she didn't think Elise knew those things. She tilted her head to the side as she inwardly corrected herself; an observant neighbor and/or classmate. Which she was. And, if really pressed, she was sure she could rustle up the same information about Alex.

… Well, maybe not.

Just stop making this worse for yourself.

Good. Right. Moving on.

Anyway, she knew a handful of things about Arizona from before. But in the last couple of days, she had quickly been learning that there was so much more to know. And it was almost alarming that her mind was kind of like a sponge; ready to soak in all of the knowledge.

She was trying not to read too much into it – this was a vacation. And, damn it, she had vowed to just leave behind all of her weird crap, and just be. Be friends-ish. Be herself. Be –

The car suddenly jerked to a quick stop, pulling her from her thoughts as panic whipped through her, and she glanced around wildly to see why. Only to realize that the road they were on was completely empty, which calmed her slightly but her heart was still pounding, "Christ, Robbins. You really have to stop doing that if you want me to continue to trust you with my life in a vehicle."

Dark eyes narrowed as she turned to see the dimple-revealing smirk on Arizona's face. So clearly guilty, but also somehow – maddeningly – innocent as she shrugged, "Sorry, but I kept saying your name but you didn't answer me."

The glare only deepened on her features and she found herself scowling, "You know, tapping me on the arm or something works just fine, too."

Arizona just rolled her eyes at her, as if Callie's – rightful – attitude rolled off of her shoulders, "We were perfectly safe. And I just wanted to know if you thought about what I said yesterday, about making any stops you might have in mind," she explained, as she resumed driving; the roads around them still clear.

Before she could say anything, her cell phone started vibrating in her lap, and she hardly managed to bite back a groan. Honestly, she didn't even have to really look to know who it was calling her.

But, she looked down anyway, only to be greeted with her phone reflecting that it was indeed Mom calling. Biting down hard on her lip, Callie deliberated for a few moments. But only a few, before she declined the call, blowing out a deep breath.

Last night, after going back to the hotel, she'd answered one of her mother's many attempts at calling her. And it came as literally no surprise that she had simply been on the receiving end of her mom's tirade about Aria going to Mexico and why can't that girl grow up, for goodness sake she is getting married in two weeks; she should be getting ready for her future, not gallivanting to Tijuana with her friends and Calliope, these plans have been made for months in preparation for the next few weeks; Aria wouldn't have gotten it into her head that she could go to Mexico if you hadn't canceled.

Which, naturally, had led into and why exactly are you not going to be here on time? You know this disrupts all of the plans! Who is this friend of yours, anyway, the one with the emergency? What exactly is this emergency? Why can't anyone else assist her?

The interrogation alone, where she could barely get a word in edgewise, lasted for several minutes and had done a fabulous job recalling her headache.

Glancing at Arizona out of the corner of her eye, she thought about how she didn't know what to tell her mom about her. It wasn't like she exactly wanted to tell her that she was driving with the woman that she kissed before, who was also the same woman who had totaled her car.

Instead, she'd told her the relative truth – the girl's name was Arizona, and she was her neighbor. Then she'd flat out lied, and said that Arizona was going through a tough time with some very private family problems, but she was also driving to California, so it just made sense.

Needless to say, the excuse hadn't really pacified her mother. Quite the opposite reaction, and she'd been sent into a deeper panic.

So… Callie had gone into avoidance mode. It was the best way to handle things with her mom until she calmed down, which could be days from now. Or possibly not until the actual wedding went down without a hitch. She had a while, at least.

With a sigh, she placed her phone into the cup holder and looked out the window again; it seemed like they were passing an inordinate amount of corn, and she shook her head before looking at Arizona again, "Where are we stopping today, anyway? We're going to be in Indiana soon, right?"

Blue eyes slid toward her for just a moment and Arizona looked somewhat amused before she rolled her eyes, "You could just look at the map, you know. That is why I showed it to you in the first place."

Callie narrowed her eyes right back, exasperated, "I did, last night. But there was nothing really informative on there about today. Hence why I have asked."

Arizona's gaze was back on the road, her amused expression fading, "Oh. Well, there was nothing informative about today because today was really just a driving day."

"Wait, seriously?" her words slipped out before she could think about them, and she could hear her own surprise. But she couldn't help it; she was genuinely surprised that the girl who had directed them through an amusement park with a planned out route had no plan for the day.

Arizona tapped her fingers against the wheel, before throwing her another look, "I thought you would be happy with a day of just driving through."

The implied finish to her statement, that it would give them less time together, made her wince. Even though the rest of the day yesterday had gone without a hitch, she had been sure that mentions to her adverseness to this trip would come up. But she didn't know how to explain that even though she disliked rollercoasters, she'd still somehow had a good time yesterday, without sounding stupid or strange.

So she simply rolled her eyes, "I'm just surprised that you, of all people, are giving up an extra state full of places to see."

But, whatever. It wasn't a big deal, and she guessed that Arizona was right – it was, technically, what she wanted, right? A shorter trip?

Before she could give any thought to the matter, Arizona expelled a long sigh, "I mean, it's Indiana. What possible great things are there in Indiana?" she paused, but it was clear that her question was rhetorical, as her eyes stayed firmly on the road ahead, and she took in another deep breath, "It's one of the most discriminatory states in terms of sexuality, did you know that? Not to mention, it has the highest amount of meth labs. It's actually been rated the most boring state," she rattled off, her face set into a frown.

And all Callie could do was stare, because what? She found herself chuckling before she even realized it, but couldn't stop, because of her their interactions, this was the most incredibly bizarre one, "I honestly didn't even know someone could be so bitter towards a state."

Arizona threw her an incredulous look that was mixed with a scowl and was somehow just weirdly cute – um, funny. Weirdly funny, she corrected herself, before shaking her head, just as the blonde muttered, "There's just nothing here."

Silence reigned in the car once more – only slightly interrupted by the soft sounds from the radio – as Callie leaned her head back. Indiana. Indiana…

That was when it hit her, and the idea started to grow in her mind like a seed, as she reached for her phone to quickly do some research. And, yeah, she really kind of wanted to do this. It was only a couple of minutes later that she tapped her hand on her thigh – being nervous wasn't really something she did often, but when it did happen, it seemed to happen a lot around Arizona.

But she shouldn't be nervous because, fuck, this was her road trip, too, right? Arizona had said that. Besides, she'd stuck through the first couple of stops with – okay, she couldn't exactly say without complaint, but she'd done it.

Besides, they were… friend-ish, uh, things now.

Lightly, she tapped her fingers against the console, before she cleared her throat to get Arizona's attention, "So, were you serious about having this be my road trip, too?"

There was a curious arch in Arizona's eyebrow as she slowed down on the straight deserted road they were on so she could look at Callie again, speaking slowly, "I wouldn't have said it if I wasn't. Why?"

Her lips pulled up into a smile, and for the first time so far, she was actually excited about a destination on this trip, and she clicked the final confirmation booking on her phone, "Well, then, I have found us something to do in the so-called wasteland that is Indiana."

By then, the car had practically slowed to a crawl and Arizona turned her full attention to her, incredulousness written all over her face, "Seriously?"

God, there was that feeling that made her stomach flip-flop when Arizona gave her one of those intense looks, and Callie cleared her throat, twice, as she looked out her window, "Yeah… I thought you wanted me to be all interested or whatever in this trip?"

"I do," Arizona confirmed, "I'm just surprised, is all," she was speaking slowly and Callie could see out of the corner of her eye the way she was staring at her still, as if somehow trying to figure her out.

Which, good luck, because around Arizona, Callie had enough trouble with that herself.

Shaking her head of that, she unbuckled her seatbelt, "Well, we need to switch seats, then. I have the directions on my phone to get there. And besides, you've driven everywhere so far. You should, uh, that is, you deserve to take a break."

Jesus, this was ridiculous. She wasn't ever stumbling over her words with anyone else, no matter how new their friend-ish-ship was.

Yeah, that's definitely why you're at a loss for words with her. Your friendship status. Right.

She coughed to cut off her own thoughts, focusing back on Arizona, who was biting her lip, as the car sat stopped in the road. Her fingertips were running lightly up and down the steering wheel as if she was deliberating whether or not to actually let Callie drive.

And that thought was confirmed when Arizona tentatively "hmm'd" before proposing, "How about you just plug the directions into my phone? I can drive the rest of the way. I don't need a break."

Dark eyes narrowed in offense, "You're doubting my ability to drive?!"

Arizona's cheeks colored lightly with a blush, "I – well, I'm just particular about my car, that's all."

Arms crossed, Callie just gave her a dry stare, "I know that feeling." With a sigh, she quirked an eyebrow, "Look, I got my license as early as I could; I've been driving for over seven years, and between the two of us in this car right now, only one of us has a spotless driving record. That much I know for a fact."

Though it was something she'd thrown at Arizona several times – and many of those times were spiteful because of her car – but she didn't even actually feel mad about it this time, her words coming out as pure teasing.

She could see that Arizona was shocked by that more than anything, by the wide set of those blue eyes, before she recovered, her mouth quirking into a little grin, "Not even a speeding ticket on record?"

And Callie answered truthfully, "Not a single one. Now, switch."

By the time she was in the driver's seat and buckled in, less than a minute later, she felt a nice warm feeling settle in her stomach. Mostly because she really did love to drive, and despite the fact that she was driving a Prius, it had been a while. She waited until Arizona was buckled in before she started down the road once more.

It wasn't for a few more minutes before Arizona finally questioned, "Wait, so where are we going?"

Given the fact that all of their stops had been surprises to her – especially after that damn rollercoaster, she was ridiculously satisfied to throw the blonde a smirk, "You'll see when we get there."

By the time she had parked to check in at the Indy Racing Experience, she could see the way Arizona's incredulous expression from earlier had come back, but was even more serious. But she was really fucking excited, as she took the keys out of the ignition and looked at Arizona, who was still looking at their surroundings.

"We're at… NASCAR?" she asked, and if the eyebrows furrowed low on her forehead told Callie anything, it was that the blonde was ridiculously confused, "Are we going to see a race or something?"

She was itching to get out of the car already, but then she did a double take at Arizona's words, "It's – no. It's not NASCAR; it's IndyCar," her smile turned mysterious, "And we're not here to see a race, no. Just come on."

Hopping out of the car, she waited for Arizona to follow. And she did, even though she was clearly suspicious. She was suspicious all the way up until they went to the check in point, and that was when Callie felt the blonde freeze next to her, "Are we supposed to actually go racing?"

Callie figured her smile said it all, especially at the way the blonde balked. Arizona stared at her, mouth hanging open for a few moments before she seemed to shake herself out of it, "Well, have fun. I think I'll wait back in the car, this time."

She stared at Arizona in disbelief, "We have the chance to drive a fucking indy car! And you want to wait in the car? Are you crazy?"

Arizona threw her hands in the air, giving her a matching look, "You waited in the car on the first day!"

"Uh, yeah, at a chocolate world. Which, fine, you made your own candy bar – I get it. Sounds… fun," she settled on, lifting her eyebrow, "But this? How can you pass it up?"

She honestly couldn't even fathom it.

Before Arizona said whatever retort was clearly on her mind, she paused and tilted her head, her expression speculative, "Why do you care if I go in or not? I mean, you can do whatever you want, Callie. I'll just wait."

"I don't," the words were rushed and they spilled out of her mouth quickly, before she could even put thought into them. But damn it, she could feel her cheeks flush, much like they had yesterday. Much like they did every time Arizona even nearly implied that Callie liked her in some way.

It was instinctive, and it made her feel jumpy, and her heart beat just a bit faster.

Clearing her throat, she shoved her hands into the pockets in her jeans, narrowing her eyes from the bright sun, "I just mean… it's an experience. That you probably won't have the chance to do again. And – fine, I sat out of the first stop. But that made you pissed," she actually cringed at the memory of waking up with Arizona ready to jump down her throat, eyes glittering with anger.

Arizona looked entirely too amused for Callie's comfort – the same way she had looked yesterday when Callie had gone through the same kind of denial – as she asked, "Would you be pissed if I didn't go in there?" she nodded her head toward the check-in a few feet away.

She sighed and deliberated saying it for a few seconds, "Maybe. I mean I went on a fucking rollercoaster with you," and a wicked smile climbed onto her face, throwing Arizona's words back at her, "Is the big bad Arizona Robbins afraid of a little car?"

The blonde crossed her arms, "Unlike someone, I can admit that yes, I am a little weary of getting into a car that goes several hundred miles per hour."

Callie scoffed, "Please, you'd go like a hundred thirty, tops." At least, that was what she'd read on the website.

When Arizona said nothing for a few more moments, Callie was working her way up to just saying whatever, it was fine. Because she didn't want to be, like, weirdly caring whether Arizona decided to do this or not.

But Arizona beat her to it, "I guess… you did go on the rollercoaster. Besides, you're right. It's an experience I probably won't ever get again. And this trip is supposed to be about exploring, right?"

Her excitement was building again, because this was so fucking cool, and she found herself nodding, "Yeah, right."

Before she could take another step, Arizona's voice stopped her, "But you owe me dinner for trying this."

Eyebrows drawing together, because how did that logic even work, she turned to look at the blonde, hating that she could already feel herself smiling. For no reason, really, other than the way Arizona was looking at her, all… playfully.

"Fine, but I get to choose the place," she stipulated, before walking to the check-in.

As soon as Callie signed the waiver handed to her after showing proof of ID, she handed it back to the workers to turn to see Arizona looking a bit puzzled. The blonde still hadn't moved to sign the papers, and she looked up to catch Callie's eye, "This whole thing… Callie, I don't think I could afford this, even if I wanted to. There's a lot. I mean – we are literally driving these actual race car things around the legitimate track. This has to cost hundreds."

Callie was already shaking her head, impatient to get going, as she gestured for Arizona to keep writing, "No, it's fine. I already paid, on my phone before we came."

She moved to scan the area, and was able to hear the sounds coming from the track, before looking back to see Arizona staring at her dubiously, "You paid? But – how much was it?"

Upwards of a thousand. Each. But she couldn't say that, and she reached up to scratch at the back of her neck for a moment, "It wasn't that bad. I – I had a groupon." Arizona looked suspicious, so before she could question her more, she shook her head, her voice coming out a little gruffly, "Get signing, we have stuff to do."

They were taken in, told what the day would entail and given instructions on what to do. And even though she was listening, she was also practically vibrating with excitement, and completely, unexpectedly, grateful for this trip for the chance to do this.

With a side glance towards Arizona, who had pulled her bottom lip between her teeth as she took it all in, she realized that she might be kind of grateful for the trip for… other things, too.

You know, the chance at a friendship type thing. Get over the animosity.

Sure. Tell yourself that's it.

Anyway, as they were lead towards the actual area, she even found herself laughing as Arizona elbowed her lightly, "At least on rollercoasters, we don't need fireproof suits!"

Still chuckling as they pulled them on over their clothes and pit teams assigned to them worked on their IndyCars, Callie rolled her eyes, "You're going to be fine. If not, I will hold myself personally responsible, if that makes you feel better."

Arizona looked so strangely good in the jumpsuit, as she held the helmet in both of her hands, "Actually, it does. Yes."

She lifted her eyebrow, "Yeah? Any last words?"

The way Arizona looked at her all mischievously gave her stomach the strangest feeling, "No words, but it is my last wish that you will drive my Prius, for the rest of time."

She winced, before throwing back, "Well, then, I think we both sincerely hope that you are going to live." Callie looked up to see their guide waving them over, and her smile stole over her again, "I think it's time… what?" the grin dropped when she noted the look Arizona was giving her.

That intensely thoughtful look.

But Arizona just shrugged, "It's just… it's strange to see you all smiley and excited. Really good kind of strange, though."

Fuck, there was that blushing thing again. Callie inwardly groaned as she rocked from foot to foot, "Uh, right. Let's go." And she could feel Arizona's amused gaze on her back as they walked towards the cars, so she took a deep breath and turned to face her, her grin returning, "Don't have too much of a good time, Robbins. Control yourself; I can't be seen driving a Prius for the rest of my days."

It was over too soon – a little sooner for Callie, who went full throttle speed to complete her laps. But, damn, she had been so right to want to come here, and she could still feel her exhilaration running through her veins as she watched Arizona complete her final lap after she'd been helped out of her car.

Still breathing a bit heavily herself, she made her way over to where Arizona had climbed out of the car, and she didn't question why it mattered to her so much what Arizona thought about it all. She really already knew.

By the time she made her way over, Arizona's helmet had been pulled off, leaving soft blonde locks to fall over her shoulders in tousled waves that looked mussed from the helmet. She suspected her hair looked much the same, except worse because Arizona still looked really good.

And she was unzipping the fire suit that trapped in the heat, shrugging it off until it fell down around her waist just as she made it to her and was able to see the slight smile gracing her face, dimples peeking out, as she challenged, "Admit you had a good time. Admit it."

She watched Arizona, whose chest was heaving a bit from the drive, and her eyes were drawn to the way her chest was moving, her tank top revealing flushed skin before she caught herself and forced her eyes quickly back to her face.

Blue eyes closed as Arizona sighed but she couldn't hide that smile, "Fine! Fine. I had a good time."

"I knew it!" she called, triumphantly, and she found herself grinning widely at the blonde, even though she tried to tamp it down because it had only been a few days, and it was so easy to look at Arizona's dimpled smile and just want to smile right back at her for, like, hours.

Especially when she saw sides to the blonde that she hadn't seen before, which… okay, it was kind of her fault. But one of those things she was enjoying was the way Arizona rolled her eyes, giving her a sardonic look as she started sauntering away, leaving Callie watching as she went.

You couldn't just ignore a walk like that. At least, she couldn't. Damn it.

Then she threw Callie a look over her shoulder that made her cheeks flush and her stomach pull together tightly, as Arizona called, "You still owe me dinner."

She shook her head, doing her best to clear her thoughts as she jogged to catch up with her, "Why do I still owe you dinner?" she griped, just because she knew it would be amusing to hear Arizona contest why she still owed her, "You had fun."

"A deal is a deal, Callie. Keep your promises like the civilized person you were going to try to be," Arizona told her firmly, and she really couldn't say why that entertained her so much.

"I don't mean to rush you or anything, but I really think that I might be starving," Arizona commented as Callie drove.

She knew that they would be coming really close to the restaurant she had looked up and chosen any second now. They'd driven a couple of towns out of Indianapolis and checked into their hotel before heading out for dinner – which Callie was also surprising Arizona by not telling her where they were going.

Callie rolled her eyes, "Oh, relax. We're going to be there in like…" she trailed off, as she saw the chosen parking lot up ahead, and pulled in, "Now. We're going to be there now."

As soon as she parked, and looked at Arizona, she found herself on the receiving end of a strange, questioning look. She could feel herself flush – she'd forgotten that not blushing was a perk she'd benefitted from when she'd avoided the blonde – but she simply faced forward as Arizona scrutinized her, before asking, "You really chose to go to a karaoke bar for dinner?"

She cleared her throat because – jesus – she'd not really known how simple it was for those baby blues to just look right through her, and shrugged, "They serve food, too."

"That's not the point," Arizona insisted, though Callie could hear that she was grinning, "I'm just surprised that this is something you would choose, is all."

After unbuckling her seatbelt, she lifted an eyebrow, "Because I'm a recluse?" she teased, enjoying the way blue eyes rolled as she got out of the car, closely followed by Arizona.

"It just doesn't seem like your… scene," Arizona settled on before she shrugged.

Callie arched her eyebrow at her, as she held open the door to the restaurant, "And what does my scene seem like to you?"

Arizona wore a little smirk as the hostess lead to a table somewhat in the center of the room, in front of the slight dais where the current patrons were performing, and before she left them, she made sure to tap the pinfold at the center of the table that proclaimed that night to be Music Trivia Extravaganza! night.

As soon as they were looking over their menus, Arizona spoke loudly so Callie could hear her over the music, "Your scene seems more like a jazz bar than a karaoke bar. You know. Like, smoky, smooth… laid back," she finished with a shrug, her eyes lit in amusement.

An amusement that Callie couldn't help but take part in, and she found herself grinning back, even as she grimaced first, "I can honestly tell you that I have never been to a jazz bar – and I don't intend to."

Arizona simply shrugged at her, still smiling, "Well, it fit the depiction of you as all brooding and whatnot. You in a karaoke bar? With your aversion to parties, it's just hard to wrap my mind around. You seem to always complain about the noise."

Dark eyes rolled, before they both placed their orders with the waitress and she looked back at Arizona, "I don't have an aversion to noise. I have an aversion to the loud noise coming into my apartment several times a month, along with the yelling. At a karaoke bar – or any bar, really – that's a good time and place. Not at home."

Arizona just gave her a look, "The parties don't even interrupt your class schedule – because we have the same one. And you don't have a job – neither does Elise!"

"That's not the point," she insisted, even though she couldn't even drudge up her actual annoyance. Which she actually did had towards these parties. But at the moment, she couldn't bring herself to really care, and just thinking about Elise – especially in terms of Arizona and her parties, made her laugh.

Because, god, Elise might have thought she had some stuff to deal with when it came to Arizona – which Callie could right now acknowledge was true – but if she herself was here, she would be miserable. And she would probably be baffled that Callie actually brought the blonde with her to a karaoke bar.

It just made her laugh a bit harder, and she looked across the table to meet Arizona's confused look, but she was still sporting an amused smile.

Shaking her head, she attempted to explain, "It's just… Elise –"

She abruptly cut off as soon as her phone rang, vibrating in her pocket. And she already had a bad feeling before she pulled it out of her pocket. Mom, again. Her thumb hesitated for a moment before she rejected the call again. At the very least because it would be rude to answer while sitting in the restaurant with Arizona.

Who had her head tilted as she gestured toward the phone after a moment's hesitation, "What's up with that?"

As she shut her phone off and slipped it back into her pocket, she lifted an eyebrow, "What?"

Arizona still looked somewhat amused, a small smile playing on her lips, "That. The phone thing. You've rejected like four calls today." Biting her lip, her amusement seemed to fall away a bit as she asked, "Is it Elise? Are you still mad at her, for this whole thing?"

Now she understood the hesitation in her asking, and she shook her head, "No, I'm not avoiding Elise. And while I'm still…" she grit her teeth in annoyance, "Not happy that she lied to get me here, I'm not mad about it." She looked up and pressed her hand to her stomach because it felt unreasonably full of butterflies for the simple admission she was about to make, "I – I had a really good time today."

Fuck, it wasn't like she was proclaiming to have deep seated feelings for Arizona or anything like it. Calm down.

And she only felt a calmer as she saw the soft smile that took over the blonde's features – which so didn't help for her peace of mind. Arizona nodded, "I did, too. Surprisingly," she tacked on.

Which made Callie smirk in victory, "It was a great idea."

Arizona shook her head, "Be quiet." Then she cleared her throat, only hesitating for a moment before she asked, "So, if it wasn't Elise, then who was it?"

Callie's smirk fell a bit into a scowl, and she cleared her throat, "My mom." But she didn't elaborate. She might have been more in a friendly place with Arizona now, but that definitely didn't mean Arizona wanted to hear about her family stuff.

And she didn't know if she wanted to tell her. Or if she wanted to share with her too much, which was somehow worse.

Apparently, Arizona could read her better than Callie would have thought, as she dropped the questions all together about her mom, before asking, "You know, I probably should have asked this before, but where exactly are you headed to in California?"

Callie almost rolled her eyes at herself, because how had this not come up before? "Santa Barbara. You?"

"Berkeley. My parents live there," Arizona informed her, tilting her head slightly. Asking her the question about why she was going to Santa Barbara without really asking.

And for whatever reason, Callie felt compelled to answer, somewhat, "My family's summer house is in Santa Barbara."

The two glasses of wine they had ordered were delivered as two people stood on the stage and started an absolutely horrendously sounding duet, which caught both of their attention.

She enjoyed the way Arizona grimaced, "So, you like this?"

Dark eyes rolled at her, "It's fun," she defended.

"Sure. Fun," Arizona seemed to muse for a second before standing, "I have to go to the bathroom."

Callie watched her walk away, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she wondered if Arizona was always that abrupt when announcing her needs for the restroom. She had done the same thing at the diner.

Maybe it was a quirk, and she turned back to watch the couple on the stage. For some reason, she found this entertaining. She had gone to a karaoke bar right off of her college campus every weekend with her friends in undergrad, and she'd since continued to bring Elise with her every so often this past year.

She rarely sang, herself, though. It was slightly better singing karaoke on a stage than actually making a speech in a classroom, given that up on that stage, you were just one of the masses singing badly.

It was only a few moments later that Arizona returned, with a small, mischievous smile on her lips that Callie didn't trust one bit, as she observed, "That was quick."

The blonde just shrugged and took a sip of her wine, "I, uh, didn't have to go that badly?"

Callie didn't have to wonder long, because as soon as the couple on stage was done, the host called out, "Next up, we have Callie! Where are you, Callie? Come on up!"

She felt her face burn as she whipped her head to Arizona, who was giving her the biggest grin, "This is for the insults to my Prius," was all she said, before she gestured to the stage, which drew the host's attention to them.

And she groaned as he made his way off the platform, hopping down and walking towards them, microphone in hand. When he approached, she steeled herself and took it from him, despite the fact that she was shaking from the idea of the performance.

Clearing her throat, she refused to let her voice waiver as she lifted the microphone, "Um, also welcome the musical stylings of Arizona."

As soon as the crowd was clapping – because they were of course looking forward to another awful duet – she lowered the microphone and leaned in enough to whisper, "If you're trying to take me down, I'm taking you with me."

Wide blue eyes were on her, as Arizona shook her head, "Absolutely not!"

It was a little late to refuse, though, as everyone was looking at them with rapt attention, and she lifted an eyebrow, "And you think I need to loosen up and have some fun? Live a little," she tossed back some of Arizona's own words, secretly loving the way Arizona responded to the challenge.

Because her thought process was reflected on her face. She could see how Arizona went from nervous, to considering, the way she took in the crowd around them, then the way she took in a deep breath, and slowly stood up as if to face Callie's challenge head on.

It kind of sent a thrill through her, which, Callie didn't even want to think about.

And it wasn't until they were making their way up to the stage that she actually realized she had just practically man-handled Arizona into singing a duet. With her.

What the hell had she been thinking?

She supposed this entire trip really was going to be a bunch of new experiences that she'd never really imagined herself in before.

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