All in all, the past twenty-four hours had been exhausting for Arizona, and it was the night before the semester began: she would much rather be spending her time double checking her agenda for the first few weeks, or even trying to take advantage of the early evening and try to rest.
What she didn't want to be doing was reprimand one of her teammates and sorority sisters. But it had been something that she'd learned to do.
She folded her hands over each other and simply lifted her eyebrow at Lucy, who sat across from her in the sitting room in the sorority house, with her arms folded across her chest, and sat so low in her chair, Arizona thought it was a miracle she didn't fall right out onto the floor.
"Lucy, look at me, not at your feet. I told you last year – nearly at this exact time last year – that you needed to take on more responsibility if you wanted to really have a bid for president next year. Do you think that's going to happen now?" She asked, and managed to keep her voice even, despite the fact that she was pissed.
The only sign of which was the shreds of paper she'd evenly ripped up into squares, before balling them up and tossing them into the waste basket nearby.
The slightly younger blonde dragged her gaze to her, "I know you're mad, Arizona, but –"
She cut her off, tapping her pen against the top of the table they were at, "No, no buts. Lucy, I understand that you wanted to have fun last night. We were in New York City, we won our competition, and it was all exciting. But we were in a city that we're not familiar with, and we all agreed that we would stick together –"
Now Lucy sat up straight, and interrupted her, "I did stick together!"
"Taking a group of our youngest team members, who were all underage, and leaving the club without telling anyone – even if they wanted to go – to go to some party in a sketchy building, doesn't count as sticking together! I know that they were going to drink, most likely get drunk, while we were all out. But it's one thing for that to happen when it's all of us together, and another thing entirely for it to happen when they're surrounded by creepy older men," she managed to keep her voice, though strained, low, even as the muscles in her neck tensed.
But she couldn't help it. The bus ride back to the city early in the morning had been dreadful for everyone based on hangovers alone. The tension that had been caused because of Lucy the night before was what had made it unbearable.
And despite their victorious homecoming early in the day that had relieved the majority of the squad, she'd had to wait nearly all day to sit down with Lucy over everything.
"Arizona, I might have taken the girls to the party. But they all made the decision to drink themselves, and I wasn't really thinking clearly myself. Neither was anyone, except for maybe you –"
Closing her eyes tightly, she clenched her jaw, and the muscle jumped, "I don't want to hear it. I was thinking clearly because I purposefully went out knowing that I had to be responsible. And the other girls are being held accountable for their actions, as well. But guess what? The other girls aren't trying to become the next president of the sorority, and aren't possibly going to be captain of the squad next year. You're the one who wanted that. You're the one who told me last night though your actions that you don't have what it takes to be the leader that the girls need."
They were in a staring stand-still, and she could only stand to listen to another snap of an argument from Lucy before she slammed her hands on the table, "Listen! You're lucky you're not on probation. If this happened while on a sorority trip, you would be. As it is, it was a cheer trip. Which, fortunately for you, means that your only punishment is that your candidacy for captain next year is revoked. You should be grateful this is it."
She leveled the girl with a glare, because she could see the words that Lucy wanted to say. That she was being unfair. That she was a bitch. That she thought too highly of herself. That she took herself too seriously.
But for as many responsibility flaws that Lucy held, she wasn't an idiot. So she kept her mouth shut, and simply stood from her chair and stormed out of the room.
God, she already had a headache.
Reaching up, she rubbed at her temples, not surprised when April stepped in just a few seconds later, and her voice was a little quiet, "Don't you think you were a little… harsh? I mean, we both know Lucy didn't mean to put anyone in harm's way."
Blue eyes rolled, mostly due to the pain in her head, "She didn't mean to, but she did. She's lucky, April."
Much like she didn't mean to snap at April, but she did.
As she started down the hallway, April walking beside her, she shook her head, "I'm sorry for being short with you. Lucy's stunt just got me riled up."
April was quiet for a few moments before she reached out to touch Arizona's arm, "But is it just Lucy? It's almost been a year since –"
Standing up straight, and cutting off April with just a look, she shook her head, "It's just Lucy. Okay?"
Even though she could tell April didn't believe her, she bit her lip and nodded, "Okay. I'll talk to you later?"
She managed a small smile, before starting up the stairs at a brisk pace, intending to get to some Advil in her room as soon as possible. She was nearly at her door when her phone rang, and she quickly pulled it out, brow furrowing for only a moment at the unknown number before she remembered. Remembered that she'd given her phone number to Callie on that card she'd written.
Ridiculous nerves riddled in her stomach now, and for a split second, she nearly didn't answer.
Then her thumb made the decision for her, and she picked up the call, "Uh, hello?"
There was a beat of silence, before she got a response, "Hey. Arizona?"
"Yeah. I mean, yes, this is Arizona," she rolled her eyes at herself and blamed her headache, as she opened the door, closing it quickly behind her.
A low chuckle nearly made her stumble – it was such a lovely sound, and Arizona didn't know how to describe it any other way, "Good. This is Callie. You, um, left your number on the card? With the flowers. Which – they were absolutely beautiful. Thank you so much."
The tension in her shoulders seemed to leak out just a bit, and she bit her lip, "I'm glad. I really did want to see the musical, but I couldn't. Which you know," she added, cringing at herself.
"Yeah, it's okay. I understand," they were quiet for a few moments and Arizona wondered what she was allowed to say and what she wasn't, before Callie spoke again, "You have a nice voice." Then she hesitated, "Wait, was that weird?"
God. Somehow, this had been exactly what she had expected, and she giggled, "No, it was fine." She cleared her throat, "You have a nice voice, too. Miss Broadway star."
The way Callie laughed seemed… familiar, but familiar in a way that just tickled the edges of her mind. Like a little pull, but not much. She thought it must be because of the way she'd imagined Callie sounding for the last few months.
Callie continued on, "How was your competition? How was your night? What did you do for your big night in the city? Sorry if I'm talking too much."
Arizona just found herself with a small smile, as she sat on the edge of her bed, "No, you're not." She thought of the lectures she'd given throughout the day, and the speeches, and the meeting with Lucy, and her voice was nearly a whisper when she confessed, "It's actually nice to hear someone else's voice. Your voice," she corrected herself, before she realized she'd left many questions unanswered, "Um, the competition went well. Very well, we came in first. The night…"
She trailed off, and thought back to her actual night. And the unbelievable coincidence of the woman who looked stunning and stunningly unassuming, in an utterly charming way. But it had only been a very brief moment in the night of chaos that had ensued, "There was… a lot," she blew out a breath, "A lot of drama and craziness. But what about your night? Your big night!"
The enthusiasm she put into her tone wasn't even forced, and that was surprising to her.
Callie seemed to pick up on it, "My night was amazing," she absolutely gushed, and Arizona found herself swept away by the sound of it, "It – the reviews are amazing, and everything went exactly like it was a dream." She was quiet for a few moments before her voice came again, this time low, nearly whispering in Arizona's ear, "I was kind of terrified, and I got your flowers at the perfect time. They," she hesitated, and for some reason, Arizona imagined her biting her lip, "They meant the world to me. And even if calling you was awkward, I really wanted you to know that."
The quiet sincerity there was somehow the final thing that made the tension completely fall from her shoulders, and she sank onto her mattress, a soft smile on her face, "I'm glad. I wanted you to have a really good night. And it sounds like you did."
Callie's voice was kind of like smoky magic, she decided, when the other girl hummed for a moment, "I really did." She hesitated for a moment before asking, "Can I say something strange?"
And Arizona found her smile growing even larger, "I would be surprised if you didn't."
"I kind of thought this would be weirder. I mean, it is weird. A little. But… it's also not. For me, anyway," she added hastily, as if it was an afterthought.
The blonde laid there, resting her hand over her stomach as she bit her lip and thought about everything for a moment. All things considered, she thought maybe it would be a little more awkward or weird.
Somehow, talking to Callie felt like talking to someone she already knew. Then again, she supposed she did, "It's not just you."
"Good," came Callie's response, rushed out in a relieved breath that made Arizona grin. It seemed so much like Callie – which was so strange to her still, that she associated things with Callie.
Arizona wasn't exactly a phone person. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been on the phone with someone for more than twenty minutes, tops.
But she did know that she fell asleep that night after talking to Callie for over two hours. And her headache disappeared without Advil.
Hey! Are you already in class? I just wanted to say good luck for your first day. – Callie
Oh, Callie. It has nothing to do with luck.
You're right, you're right. Well you said last night that you were stressed about this last semester, so I was just letting you know that I know it'll go well.
And how do you know that?
Because you're Arizona Robbins! You're Wonder Woman, clearly. You've managed to be head cheerleader, president of your sorority, and you're in mock-trial for this long. You just have one more semester left. Home stretch!
Hmm, Callie Torres, I've done my fair share of cheerleading, and you seem to have become my own cheerleader. I'm not sure, but I think I like it.
That's why I'm here!
I can't stand this professor. I received a B on a paper last year from him that deserved an A, simply because I disagreed with his opinion.
Wait, are you telling me that you're in class right now?
… maybe. He hasn't even passed out the syllabus yet, though.
Arizona! I thought you were little miss goody-goody in class! You shouldn't be texting.
Aren't you the one who is in rehearsal?
It's just an extra dance rehearsal, and we're on a break! Besides, it's not like I'm learning anything new; we've already been performing the routine on stage. Yours is new material.
Don't remind me.
And yet you're texting!
I wouldn't do it if it wasn't this class with this professor! I've never even texted before in a class, so you should consider yourself honored.
Well, in that case, I am honored. But also wondering how I became a bad influence on you.
Please, as if you've ever been a bad influence on anyone. Here come the syllabi.
Maybe he downgraded your grade because his is the only class you would ever text in.
You hold on right there; I know what I'm talking about. But for the sake of argument, I will pay attention.
Good, because I have to get back to rehearsal. Can I call you later?
Callie, you don't have to keep asking. You've called at eleven for the last four days; if I didn't want to answer, I wouldn't.
I just wanted to make sure, jeez.
Okay weirdo.
Arizona was walking shoulder to shoulder with April, after their last classes of the day, lips pulled into a frown, and all she could do was replay the last few hours. Mock-trial had just had their second meeting of the semester, and it had been less than satisfactory.
She couldn't believe she'd been taken off of head chair for this case; it was the first case of the semester and they had to start off strong in the first debate. It was the fact that there was a new professor running it, she was positive.
And the fact that their new professor seemed not to like her very much. Correction: she seemed to have made pre-conceived notions of her that she disliked.
She bit her lip, and was in that Arizona-land, nearly jumping when April nudged her shoulder, "Are you all right?"
Her first instinct was just to say that she was fine. In fact, her mouth had already opened to say that, but then she caught that actual concern in April's eye, and just managed to bite back a sigh, "I'm – no. I was taken off of the head of this case in mock-trial."
A few seconds went by before April asked, "I know that's not ideal, but… there have been plenty of cases where you're not the lead. Isn't that one of the points of mock-trial? Everyone who has made it onto the team is smart and gets their own chance to be the lead?"
Hands falling to her hips, unintentionally in a thinking pose, Arizona nodded, "Yes, and there are plenty of times where I'm completely fine not being the leader of the group –" when April laughed at that, she shot her a quick look, which April only lifted her eyebrow at, and Arizona conceded, "Okay, so we both know I like to have the control sometimes."
All of the control. All of the time.
Shaking her head at herself, she continued, "But… I haven't not been the lead on the very first case of the semester in any year. And now? When it's my last semester, and I'm applying to law schools?"
"Arizona, come on. You'll be fine, and when it's your turn for your case, you know you'll come in first," April told her, and the way she said it, Arizona knew that her friend felt as though she was saying something that was obvious.
And Arizona knew that to April she was over-reacting. But there was a reason she was where and who she was, and it wasn't by sitting back and not reacting to being unseated as the unofficial queen of mock-trial. It wasn't how she'd become president of their sorority, or captain of cheerleading, or maintained her grade point average.
So she just hummed in response, while she brainstormed ideas in which she could push herself even further.
Even though she knew April didn't completely buy her answers, she let it go, and was quiet for a moment before she asked tentatively, "Who have you been on the phone with all of the time?"
She couldn't help that it was her first instinct to freeze, her eyes darting to her friend, "I'm not on my phone all of the time. In fact, out of the array of girls that we both know – yourself included – I would say that I'm on my phone the very least out of everyone."
It was true. She didn't maintain social media, which halved her phone time, easily. The majority of her texts were regarding matters with the squad, sorority, or school – her responsibilities…
"Arizona, my room is right next to your room. And you've been on the phone every night when I'm going to bed; I can hear you!" April looked so affronted that she would even try to lie about this, and Arizona could feel her face flush.
God, she could not tell April that she was talking to Callie; April would have her committed. And it even went that one further step of, she didn't mind if maybe only April knew, but she absolutely did not want word to get around about her friendship to the other girls.
She chose her words carefully, "It's just a friend, April. No one to work yourself up over."
"A friend that you talk to for hours late every night?" her incredulousness was clear in her tone.
She did roll her eyes then, "Yes, a friend," because Callie was a friend.
She was a friend that Arizona found easier to talk to than anyone that she had here, even April. Because… it was just nice that Callie wasn't here, didn't know her in any sort of capacity other than Arizona Robbins, person.
And it would be a lie if she said that she hadn't come to enjoy that Callie called every night at eleven – like clockwork, she'd teased her a few days ago. Callie was nothing if not consistent, and Arizona was nothing if not reliant on consistency.
Which reminded her about the inconsistency that she was currently experiencing in her mock-trial class, and dampened her mood once more.
Before April could say anything more questioning about Callie and their phone calls, she shook her head, "I have to head to the library. Even if I'm not the lead chair on this case, I still have to pull my weight."
She'd had more than enough research done to "just pull her weight" since mid-winter break. Before April could point that out to her, she bumped their shoulders in a goodbye gesture, before she veered off towards the library.
It was easy to pretend that she didn't hear her exasperated friend call out after her, "It's only the beginning of the semester and you're already trying to burn yourself out!"
Sometimes stretching herself too thin had to happen for the greater good.
After her conversation with April two days ago, Arizona didn't feel in the mood to talk to anyone, particularly. Because her already precious few spare hours between classes and practices and meetings, she now had to use to better whatever flaws she could possibly find in her mock-trial case layouts.
It was in times like these that she was very grateful that she didn't have anyone else particularly close to her, who would push her to talk. Her girls in the sorority, her squad, and her mock-trial team, they all knew her enough to know that she needed time to throw herself into her cause. And weren't close enough to try to make it stop.
It was perfect.
As she closed the door to her room, locking it behind her with one hand while the other tousled her hair with the towel to slightly dry it, she noticed her phone lighting up, notifying her that there was a missed call.
Her eyes flickered to the clock, noting that it was past eleven. And she was fairly certain that Callie was the only person who would have called her this late.
Knotting her towel at her chest, she tapped her phone on to check; and sure enough, she was right. There was also a test message that read: Hey! It's been a few days since I've heard from you. Just wanted to make sure you aren't in the hospital from a sky split gone wrong or something.
Then a second text: No, but seriously, are you okay?
Of course she did. Because that was Callie. Someone who sent a letter to a complete stranger just to wish her good karma, or whatever it was that Callie believed in.
A sardonic smile on her face, she tossed her phone back down as she threw on one of her cheerleading tank tops from freshman year, and a pair of shorts that had a faded UPenn emblem across the back. Then she dropped herself back onto her bed much like her phone, with a sigh.
No, she wasn't in the mood to talk. Not really, not to anyone. Because her brain couldn't shut off and it was driving her crazy, and when this kind of mood happened, it was all she could do to try to shut it off enough to just relax and sleep for a few hours.
But… it was Callie. And she'd basically ignored her for days. Okay, not ignored, but… brushed off. The same way she had been with people here. Unlike the people here, she got the idea that Callie knew she didn't want to talk, but was still trying anyway.
And much like throughout the entirety of their strange relationship, that was the thing about Callie that she found the most intriguing; she constantly reached out and inquired even if it was weird or awkward.
Even though she was sighing as she did it, her thumb already pressed onto her screen to call Callie back; her call was answered on the second ring, even though her voice was slower than usual and a little huskier, "You're alive?"
She pressed a hand to her forehead and shook her head, trying to stop the smile that tugged up her lips at Callie's hopeful voice, "No, this is my ghost."
"Oh, well, you're kind of a lame ghost. You don't even come to haunt me, you just answer the phone and tell me you're a ghost?" Callie implored, and sounded actually offended on her behalf.
It brought out a soft giggle from her, for the first time in a few days, and she felt relaxed as she stretched out on her bed, "I was trying to show you some courtesy." From what she could hear on the other end, it sounded like a lamp switching on, and it was only then that she put the dots together, "Wait, did I wake you up?"
The muffled yawn already gave her the truth before Callie answered, "Um, no. No, I was awake."
"Right, just resting your eyes, I'm sure," she teased before biting her lip and looking down, "I'm sorry… you should go back to sleep."
The shuffling she heard on the other end sounded as though Callie was really getting up, "I can't now. I need to hear the haps, Arizona." Her tone became serious after a few seconds went by, "Are you okay? I mean, we obviously don't have to talk every day like we had been, and I don't – I don't have many friends, I know, so if I'm being annoying, you can tell me. But I just – I wanted to know if you were okay."
At the tone of Callie's voice – somehow uncertain, hopeful, and bashful all in one rambling sentence – Arizona felt like a weight was simultaneously released from her chest but also pressing down on her, and she squeezed her eyes closed.
"I'm okay," she confirmed quickly, vehemently, because she was, "Things have just been crazy. And you're not annoying me; I like talking to you often, too."
"Well, then, I'm glad," came the light response, but after a few heavy moments of silence went by, Callie sighed, "Because we're friends, I think you might have picked up on the fact that I'm not always the most tactful person."
Once again, without meaning to, Callie made her chuckle, "Yes, I believe I've noticed that."
The other woman let out a relieved sigh, as if it had been a worry, "Good. So… it won't be a surprise when I tell you that I feel like you're not really okay."
Lifting her other hand that wasn't on the phone up, she pinched the bridge of her nose and made a face, before releasing a breath. Her annoying thoughts, fueled by annoying emotions, kept sitting with her, even when she tried to push them away, and the sigh she let out wasn't nearly as relieving as Callie's was, because the stress of the past few days was still sitting on her shoulders, "You might be right. But… I really don't want to talk about it, if you don't mind."
It did make her feel somewhat relieved that Callie didn't sound angry or upset with her, just answering simply, "Okay. Do you want to go?"
She liked that Callie just seemed to get it and easily give her this way out. She even opened her mouth to say yes, but it didn't come out. It was more surprise than anything when she realized she wanted to keep talking, "I – I don't think so. Maybe we can just talk? For a little bit? Don't get out of bed," she ordered, before realizing how demanding she actually sounded.
It just seemed to make Callie chuckle softly into the phone, "Uh, okay?" and then Arizona heard the light switch back off. "Are you in bed, too?"
As swiftly as she could, while still holding the phone to her ear, Arizona crawled up her bed – reaching just a bit to switch off her light – before shimmying under the covers, "Mhmm." And she willed herself to relax, even as she yawned, "I've barely been sleeping for the last few days. I haven't been able to get my brain to just shut off," she admitted quietly, and was unsure where the words even came from.
Callie's returning yawn sounded in her ear, and the sound of it was so oddly close, it made her melt a bit into her pillow, "I've been told I have a relaxing voice," the other girl teased, making Arizona chuckle just a bit.
She agreed, but she clicked her tongue against her teeth, "Yeah, it's all right."
"Can I ask you a weird question?" was Callie's response, which made her shake her head slightly.
"I don't know why you bother asking when you know my answer is always yes," she grinned in spite of herself, and found that she missed Callie's weird questions in the last few days, before prompting, "So?"
A few seconds went by before she got her answer, "Well, I was wondering… what do you look like?" And Arizona could hear some muffled sound coming from the background, like she was shifting and moving around.
Biting the inside of her cheek, she rolled onto her back herself, like hearing Callie doing so made her feel like she should, "What do you look like?"
She enjoyed hearing the sound of Callie's soft, breathy laugh in her ear, and the somehow already familiar sound of it made her stomach feel warm. The other girl answered, "I asked you first!"
With a sigh, she settled her hand on her stomach, smoothing out her tank top, as she stared contemplatively at the ceiling. A slow dimpled smile slid over her face, "Guess."
"Guess?" Callie asked, and Arizona couldn't tell what she was feeling based on her voice. For a second she thought that she might be exasperated, but then she heard a quiet laugh again, "I love guessing games. Just so I can be right," she added on.
Arizona's eyes slid closed, a soft smile still on her lips, "Mhmm, sure. Get on with it."
A quiet hum came from her phone and buzzed softly in her ear as the other girl contemplated for a moment, "Well. You're a cheerleader, so I bet you have a really nice, fit body."
Now her eyes opened again, and she felt herself flush, even as she looked down at herself. She enjoyed her body; she prided herself on working hard to have a nice body. And she typically wasn't uncomfortable receiving compliments on it, but the way Callie said it, like she was so sure but then hesitated was just… oddly sweet.
Then she realized Callie was waiting on a confirmation, and she cleared her throat, "You're correct. Very astute of you," she tacked on, teasing.
Arizona felt like she could feel the other girl grinning against the phone, "I told you, I'm good at guessing. Hmm," the line went quiet again, and she listened to Callie breathe for a few seconds before she said, "I don't know exactly what else to say. When I think of sorority girls, I picture blonde hair, blue eyes. And I know that's super stereotypical of me to say."
Biting the inside of her cheek – because she didn't want Callie to guess her so easily; she wanted the little game to continue – she was about to confirm when Callie continued, "But when I picture you on mock-trial, I imagine you with… I don't know. Red hair? And glasses."
Releasing her breath, she smirked, "Well, which one are you going to go with? One of them is right."
"Uh. I'm going with blonde hair and blue eyes," Callie's voice was low in her ear, and Arizona frowned slightly. Damn. It was too easy for her.
"I'll tell you if you were right after you tell me what you look like," Arizona proposed, and listened to Callie groan, which made her grin come back again.
To her credit, the other girl just huffed out a breath, "Fine. But you only get three guesses, and I'll say yes or no. It's only fair; I guessed you in two," and by the way she sounded, Arizona imagined her smiling, like she was teasing.
Which was kind of weird in it's own right, because she didn't even know what the teasing smile looked like.
Shaking her head, she got back to business, "Those conditions are acceptable. Though, I will have you know that I don't particularly like to guess." No, she didn't like guessing. She liked deducing based on facts that she could decipher, but she could play along.
"Get on with it," Callie prodded, and the lilt to her voice told Arizona that she was mocking her from earlier.
Without dignifying a response, Arizona ran her tongue over her teeth and closed her eyes again, this time in concentration. Honestly, she didn't know what to picture. Broadway performers could all look different, and she has no clue what kind of stereotypes to rely on, even if they were inaccurate, the way Callie had had to guess her.
Turning to lay on her side, with the phone wedged between her ear and the pillow, she knew she could say one thing, "I mean, you said in some of our letters that you did a lot of dancing and whatnot for your musical. So… I bet you have a beautiful body, too."
A few seconds went by before Callie responded quietly, "It's not bad."
Arizona rolled her eyes from where she was, as if the other girl could see her, "Don't even. I know it." Now she bit on the tip of her tongue as she thought. Wondered, really. But the possibilities were endless. Huffing in annoyance, she kicked down her blanket a little bit, so that she could curl one leg up under it, and had the other above the comforter, "I don't know! You could have dark hair, and dark eyes. You could have dark hair and green eyes. You could be a redhead with glasses!"
Now she heard Callie laughing quietly into the phone, "You know, I didn't really figure you for someone who was really impatient."
She shook her head, which really just served to push her into nuzzling her pillow, even as a small smirk played on her lips, "I'm not. Not usually. I just don't like guessing things like this. I want to know the facts, and I'm one hundred percent behind doing research to get facts, even if that takes a while. But there's no way I can – hmm."
The blonde cut herself off, biting her lip, as the idea came to her swiftly. It seemed Callie realized it though, because Arizona could heard the suspicion in her tone, "Why do you sound like that?"
Arizona was already contemplating whether or not she should do this using her laptop or just do it on her phone, "You know… you were recently in a successful play. I bet there are pictures." Why hadn't she thought of this before?
"Arizona! Don't cheat!" Callie asserted, and for a moment, the dominance in her tone made Arizona falter; it wasn't something Arizona was used to hearing in the last few weeks.
It was kind of… interesting.
Narrowing her eyes, she lay back down onto the bed, though her fingers were tapping against the sheets, "It's not cheating, Callie. It's research."
Once more, she was positive she heard an expression in Callie's face – the faceless face she had in Arizona's mind – though this time she could tell it was a pout. It was a few seconds that went by before Callie let out a timid breath, "Are we… do you think we'll meet? Like in person?"
At the question, she bit her bottom lip, and she thought about what it would be like to meet Callie in person. What it would be like to really hang out with her, be with her. The thought was very strange, but also exciting. It was one thing to be able to feel like she could really be herself with the stranger in the letters, then the long-distance friend that she talked to.
It was another thing entirely to be able to be herself – really herself – with someone in person. Especially Callie, who knew her, but was also missing a lot of the puzzle pieces.
She found herself nodding into the dark, and she swallowed hard, "I think we will. I mean, I would like to. It would be weird," she added in a whisper.
"Strange," Callie agreed, in somewhat of a conspirators whisper, "But I would like to, too. And besides, I don't think we have any choice in the matter."
As much as she wanted to roll her eyes – and she did – Arizona also found herself smiling, lightly shaking her head, "Oh yeah? Is it fate?"
"You know it is, Arizona," came the reply, with conviction, before the tone lightened, "So how about we promise that we won't do any research on each other before then. Before we meet for real. It'll be like a game."
God, she hated not knowing the facts, "A stupid game," she muttered under her breath, knowing that the other woman would hear her. But she sighed, "Fine. Let the record reflect that Arizona Robbins isn't a cheat."
"Record is reflected," Callie's laughing voice came from her phone, and made her stomach turn again. She just liked hearing her low voice seem so happy. "You can still have some guesses, you know," Callie reminded her.
Blue eyes closed in the darkness, and she knew her voice just sounded tired, "I don't know, Callie." She slid her hand against her stomach again, as a comfortable silence fell between them, the only sound coming from both of their soft breathing. As she lay there in the darkness, she let her eyes close naturally, sleepily, and her voice was quiet, "I bet you're beautiful, no matter what the details are."
The words left her lips before she could even really think about them, even though she knew they were true. Callie was one of the only people she'd met in her life who she felt was genuinely just caring, and regardless of what the actual details were, a personality like that just meant a beautiful outside to match.
But she was met with silence, which made sleepy eyes open – pointlessly, as she knew she wouldn't actually see her friend – and she readjusted her phone against her ear, whispering, "Callie? Are you still there?"
Another second went by before she heard a hesitant intake of breath, "Yeah, I'm still here." There was a little bit of movement that she heard, Callie readjusting in bed probably, before she said, "You're sweet."
"Is that a yes?" she joked, waiting for the quiet, somewhat breathy laughter she knew Callie would provide.
And she wasn't disappointed, "I don't know. I guess." They let a few seconds go by before Callie sighed, "Dark hair and dark eyes."
Which woke Arizona up, just a little bit, as she turned her face into her pillow, her ear – which was now ridiculously hot after being pressed to her phone for so long – letting out a sigh as she tried to picture her. It was still difficult; imagination wasn't one of her strong suits. Creativity in terms of… figuring out a case for class or for a routine, yes. But not like this.
Still, it was something to latch onto, think of.
She rolled back over onto her back and picked up the phone again, clearing her throat, "All right."
"All right?" Callie asked, and Arizona was sure that there was amusement there. "I took mercy on you. You owe me," she reminded her.
Even as she shook her head, she brought her hand up to her hair, which was still damp and curling from her shower before they'd been talking, "Blonde hair and blue eyes."
The exuberance in the brunette's voice was catchy, making her grin – albeit a tired grin, "I knew it! Don't ask me how, but I knew it."
"Okay, Callie," she nearly hummed, while her eyes closed again of their own accord, and she rolled back onto her side, somehow getting comfortable with the phone wedged between her ear and the pillow.
Or maybe she was just that sleepy.
And she knew the other woman was, too, because her breaths were already evening out in her ear, and her words were slightly slurred with her impending slumber when she asked, "When do you think we'll meet?"
Arizona relaxed into her bed, pulling up the blankets, and wrapping her arm around herself again. She imagined somewhat faceless dark haired, dark eyed Callie laying the same way in her own bed, and her sleepy answer came without much thought, but truthfully, "Soon."
It was the last thing she remembered before she woke up the next day, with her phone imprinted onto the side of her face.
Thank you so much for reading! Please let me know any thoughts you have, I love reading them! And especially thanks to everyone who does leave me feedback, you guys are awesome.
Also, to answer a few questions - Arizona did not know who Callie was last chapter (still doesn't), and of course they will meet!