"Aren't you running a little late?" Cristina's voice from the doorway of her bedroom made Callie's already rushed movements even more frantic, dark eyes darting around the room for – there it was. Her second boot.
Quickly, she hopped around on one foot to pull on the first one that had been in her hands, over to where the second shoe lay discarded on the ground, just barely peeking out from under her jacket that had fallen off of its hook. She absolutely could not be late for her train – with the time schedule, she was hardly going to make it on time to arrive at Arizona's graduation ceremony as it was.
She huffed out a breath as she rolled her eyes at her roommate, "Thanks for the input. I should have just enough time," though the last part was muttered mostly for her own benefit.
As long as she left the apartment within the next couple of minutes, she would make it on time to Penn Station and catch the train. She pulled on the second boot, pulling it up quickly, as Cristina stood in the doorway, hands wrapped around a cereal box, "Hey, I'm just looking out for the good of you and blondie. It wouldn't do your relationship well to miss this. And who knows how you'll survive without my relationship advice for the next few months."
"Don't you still have to pack for that summer program at Stanford?" she threw over her shoulder absently, as she fidgeted for a moment before her eyes landed – ah – on the small gift bag that she'd gotten for Arizona.
Cristina shrugged, "Yeah, but I'm not leaving for a few days. I have time."
Callie knew that Cristina had been ridiculously excited, as excited as Cristina really expressed anyway, for this prestigious med-school summer that she'd be doing over the summer at Stanford in California. She'd be back in time to start actual med school back at the end of the summer. And as much as Callie was happy for her, she was also not entirely looking forward to having the apartment to herself for a few months.
She'd gotten used to more than simply co-existing with Cristina in the last months, "If you say so."
Okay, Callie was pretty sure she had everything. She didn't need much, unlike her last trip to visit Arizona for the dance. This time, she was just going for the day, considering Arizona had to move off of campus after the ceremony was done.
When she'd turned back around, gift bag in hand, Cristina had disappeared from her doorway, just as the front door to the apartment was pounded on. Considering she'd just heard the tv turn on, she knew that Cristina wouldn't be answering it, even though she was pretty sure it would either be either Meredith or Owen.
"She's in the living roo–" she was already saying, as she put her apartment keys into her jacket pocket. But as she hurried down the hallway and pulled the door open, she was proven wrong, coming face to face with Addison. Whose eyes were rimmed red and Callie could see the tear streaks down her cheeks.
Her eyebrows winged up in surprise, concern weighing down her stomach, "Addison? What – are you okay?"
Then dark eyes squeezed closed, because of course she wasn't okay. She was suddenly having flashbacks to the first time she'd had a real conversation with the redhead, back in the bar of the restaurant she'd worked it. It felt so far away now, now that so many things had changed, not only between them, but her life in general.
She could remember the way her co-star, because that was what Addison had been to her at the time, looked at that bar even now. She'd looked sad, run-down, upset. But she hadn't looked like this.
Callie had never been particularly good dealing with other people's emotions in general. It was something she attributed partly to the fact that her own parents had usually been distant to hers and that her "awkward phase" when she was younger lasted… well, until she'd reached adulthood.
Arizona seemed to be the only person with whom she didn't struggle to comfort, and even then she knew that she could ramble and not know exactly what to say. But right now, when it came to this – to Addison – because she was so unused to seeing the redhead so upset, she was kind of at a loss.
Her first instinct was to place the gift bag onto the ground and step forward, pulling Addison toward her for a hug. Again, something that wasn't really commonplace in their friendship, but she was worried, and Addison kind of fell against her, which didn't really allay her worries at all.
Gently, she patted her back, stroking lightly, feeling her friend shake slightly against her. Addison allowed the comfort for just a few more moments, before Callie could feel her take in a deep breath before pulling back. And when she did, her face was composed again. It was almost frightening, really, the way her friend could do this, could pull it all together to keep things in.
Maybe that was a pattern in people that Callie enjoyed having in her life.
Still, her eyes searched over Addison's face, laden with worry, as she tentatively asked, "Addison, what's –"
But the redhead interrupted her, and bent down to grab the gift bag that Callie had put down on her way to comfort her, "Come on, we have to leave now or we're going to be late."
Now just… utterly baffled, she watched in confusion as Addison held the bag in her hand and turned on her heel, walking out of the apartment as suddenly as she'd appeared. After a few moments, she shook her head lightly, shaking herself out of her slight daze, throwing Cristina a quick look over her shoulder to tell her she was leaving.
Only to be met with her roommate's quietly disturbed yet amused look, "Fucking theatre kids are so strange. You chose that life, Torres."
Brown eyes rolled at her, "Shut up," but… well, maybe she had a point, "I'm heading out."
She hardly saw Cristina's salute of acknowledgement before she hurried to follow Addison, who was already well down the hallway, heading toward the stairs. Running to catch up, she slid her hand along the railing as the redhead powered ahead of her, "Addison, can you just – what's going on?"
The redhead didn't slow until they were out on the sidewalk, "Today is the big day. Arizona's graduation, meaning she's coming to live actually in the same place; you aren't going to be late because of me."
Eyebrows furrowed in confusion – because this explained literally nothing – she remained where she stood on the sidewalk, conflicting feelings rising in her stomach, "I – if I want to catch the train, I have to run there… now," she hedged, biting her lip.
Because she couldn't miss Arizona's graduation ceremony. She absolutely couldn't, not when things were going so well for them, and Arizona was her girlfriend, and she knew without a doubt how crazy she'd been going in the past few weeks.
She hadn't actually seen Arizona since the morning after the dance. Early in the morning, because her girlfriend had been on a plane to California for her cheerleading finals. And in the two weeks since, finals for her classes had come up, not to mention her planning and making accommodations for her summer.
Suffice to say, the blonde had been extremely busy. And Callie herself had been more exhausted than normal. After talking with Richard and getting Arizona's graduation off, as well as the two shows on the Saturday of the dance, Callie had been more than dedicated to Altered Affection.
It wasn't even that Richard had made it into a big deal that she was missing a few shows over the course of months that the show had been going on, because there was a reason she had a very talented and capable understudy. But it mattered to her, and she didn't want it to appear that she was slacking off just as it was in the works to move their show actually to Broadway. As a result, she'd been pushing herself to be at her best during every show, as well as the bonus classes and lessons that were given throughout the week.
And because of both of their schedules, they'd both been extremely tired throughout the last couple of weeks. Today wasn't just something that Arizona was looking forward to – and Callie knew that the blonde had been looking forward to it for years, rightfully so.
It was something that Callie was looking forward to, too. And not just because she was excited to see Arizona in general, but to see her up on the stage, delivering the speech that she had positively stressed about writing… it was going to be amazing, she could already tell.
She couldn't and wouldn't miss that.
But. She also knew that Addison had come to her apartment in actual tears for a reason, even if she was being typically evasive about the issue.
Before her head could explode, she brushed a quick hand through her hair, and she knew her conflict must have showed on her face, because Addison gestured over her shoulder towards a car parked across the street, "Meaning, get in. It's a long ride," before she started to cross.
Still confused, Callie followed her slowly, "Is this your car? I didn't even know you had a car," she mumbled, glancing around to check for cars before nearly tripping over her own feet in her haste to get to the vehicle.
Just as Addison turned the key in the ignition, Callie's mind seemed to catch up to the events, and she quickly reached her hand out to stop the motion, "Wait. You're actually coming to see Arizona's graduation?"
The look Addison gave her, the slightly snide side glance, was so familiar to her it was almost enough to make Callie forget the weird interaction from upstairs, "I thought that much was clear, Cal," she replied, dryly.
Dark eyes rolled, and she shook her head for a moment, biting on her bottom lip, "But – why didn't you tell me before that you wanted to come? What's –" going on, was about to slip out in desperation, but Addison cut her off before she could inquire about what the hell was happening.
"Blondie is my friend, too, I'd like to think. Besides, I texted her just to make sure I was allowed. It's all legitimate," she added in a clear attempt at humor.
Callie narrowed her eyes in thought, "You – since when do you and Arizona text?"
Her question was largely ignored, as Addison pulled into traffic, "So, anyway, I called Richard up, and considering I haven't missed a show to date, there was no issue."
"Okay…" she word slid through her lips slowly, "But when was this all planned?"
Addison took in a deep breath, and her clutch on the wheel tightened for just a moment, noticeably, before Callie could see her force herself to relax, her face still drawn tight, "Well, it wasn't so much of a plan, per-se, than a spontaneous idea."
Huffing out a breath, she ran her eyes up and down the redhead's face, taking in her features. The way her eyebrows were drawn low over blue eyes, focus on the road but another part of her mind that was completely elsewhere.
Callie had been her friend long enough to have a few guesses as to what was wrong – namely, her relationship(s) status, "Addison. The first few times we ever spoke, you told me flat out that you didn't really like me. And the first night we became friends at all, it was because…" she trailed off, knowing that Addison didn't really like being reminded of her relationship with Derek or even with Mark, unless it was a quip or something light. But they were friends and she wasn't going to pull punches when it came to this.
Not when Addison was probably the first person – aside from Arizona, who was a different case entirely – in her life who had so easily become an important person in her life, "It was because you were having problems in your relationship with Derek, and you needed someone. Maybe that night when we met at the restaurant you weren't trying to seek anyone out, and you definitely weren't trying to seek me out. But today you were. You've been here with me for the last few months, throughout all of the bumps in the road with Arizona. So, let me be here for you."
Her eyes trained on her friend as she watched Addison take in a deep breath. And she didn't add on the fact that Addison so clearly sought her out today because she needed their friendship, but Callie knew. She knew because they were driving in a car that Addison never drove, out to her girlfriend's graduation that Addison previously had no plans on attending.
She knew because Addison was such a dedicated performer, that in her last show, she had only missed one performance in the eight month run, and it had been because she was so sick, she could hardly speak. Yet, today, she had suddenly taken the day off and had come to see her.
And even though she wanted Addison to open up about whatever was bothering her, Callie was slightly surprised when her friend sighed, stating with a low voice, "I haven't told you this, really. But Derek and I have been together since we first met at Tisch."
When she paused, Callie thought about how no, Addison hadn't told her that. But considering the redhead was Broadway royalty and Derek had been one of the most promising young minds behind the scenes, it was fairly common knowledge in their circle. Without any prompting, Addison continued.
"So, we met when we were eighteen. That was seven years ago for us. And, well, getting engaged when we graduated just seemed… like the right thing to do. I thought I was happy. But when I found out he was cheating – you saw me that night," the redhead threw her a quick look from the corner of her eyes, shaking her head slightly as she concentrated on the road again.
Callie nodded slowly, thinking back, "Yeah. You didn't look, uh, the best," she settled on before cringing. Maybe this was why Addison so rarely opened up to her.
But the redhead just chortled a quick laugh, and rolled her eyes, "There's my Cal," she muttered affectionately, before sobering, "And yeah… I didn't look my best. But I didn't look my worst, either," she said in a low, contemplative voice that made Callie feel more like Addison was saying this for her own benefit, before she shrugged, "I mean, you find out your fiancé is cheating on you, and you think you'd be really torn up, right? More than I was."
Callie opened her mouth to disagree, but found herself kind of agreeing, maybe, in a quiet voice, "You can't really help the way you feel about things," but she knew that she and Arizona had been together for far less time – and were clearly not engaged – and if that had happened between them…
She'd be heartbroken.
Addison seemed to somehow read her mind, though, because without her stating it she just nodded, "Yeah, if you and Arizona broke up, you'd probably be more upset than I was. So. I don't know, this morning, I just couldn't take it anymore. I felt… like everything was backwards and wrong, and what was the point of being in this relationship when we both knew it was a lie? I mean, jesus, he saw me in a tabloid with Mark – kissing – and he didn't even react. It's, I mean, we – me and Derek – were over," she finished with a ridiculously uncommon stuttering over words.
Even though she'd kind of thought that this was coming, her eyes were still wide, and she knew her surprise was showing, "So… you and Derek are really done?"
She let out a sigh, and red hair shook back against the seat as she bounced her head back against it for a second, "Yep. We ended it today, and it was. Well, it was almost easier than I expected. But I guess that just shows that we've been done for a long time."
"Wow," and that was all she could form for a little bit because since before Christmas – almost six months ago – this whole back and forth in Addison's love life had been unresolved and something she seemed reluctant on resolving at all, "That's awful," she whispered and reached over to give her a quick, light pat on her shoulder in place of the hug she would give if they weren't in the car, "But I'm proud of you," she added, quietly.
And she was. Because she knew that it hadn't been easy for her.
Before the words – what about Mark – could slip out of her mouth, she bit her lip. She'd already pushed for this much, and she knew that when Addison was ready, she'd tell her the rest. Even though, she felt like she kind of really wanted to know. Because, well, Sloan had somehow become her friend, too.
As if Addison could read her mind, she merged onto the highway with a deep breath, "Then, I went to the theatre because I was going to meet up with Mark. But we ended up breaking things up instead." Then she frowned, this time more deeply than Callie had seen when discussing Derek, "I broke things off," she corrected in a low voice.
With a low release of breath, she turned in her seat to rub her hand down her friend's arm again, but before she could say or ask anything else, the redhead shook her head, "I like Mark. A lot, actually. Surprisingly," she bit off, in a humorless chuckle, "But I think it's… I should take care of being by myself for a little while."
Callie absorbed the words with a slow nod, before blowing out a breath between her teeth and waiting a few moments. When Addison was still quiet, she cleared her throat, "Thanks, for coming to me. You – our friendship has been one of the best things that has happened to me. And even though this sucks, I think you'll see that things will get a lot better from it."
Addison rolled her eyes and gave her a wry smile, even though her eyes were kind of sad and a little distant, "I can't help but think that there has to be more than feeling like this."
Licking her lips, she looked out the window for a moment, and could very distinctly remember feeling that way only a few months ago. When she felt lonely – correction, when she was alone. Before she'd found her lucky break with Altered Affection. Before Addison and Cristina had become her friends… and before she'd had Arizona.
But things had changed. They'd changed so drastically for her, and now she felt kind of, well, complete.
So she threw Addison a smile, and she hoped her friend could take comfort in it because she really wanted to offer it to her. And maybe she would be able to see that Callie really believed what she was saying when she confirmed, "There is."
They ended up arriving at the ceremony with nearly ten minutes to spare, and after spending nearly two hours singing along to Broadway hits from a collection of CDs that Addison kept stored in her glove compartment, she could say with almost certainty that her friend was feeling a lot better.
Which perhaps really did validate Cristina's claim that they were truly theatre geeks, and that they were strange, but hey. Whatever worked.
Within moments of texting Arizona to confirm their safe arrival, she received a response, telling her to meet Arizona behind the stage, where she was waiting to be called up to deliver her speech.
Addison assured her she would find some good seats before urging her to go, and that was all she really needed, because she was extremely excited to be able to see her girlfriend.
Quickly walking past the graduates in their caps and gowns, she felt slightly out of place as she made her way to where Arizona had directed her. But everyone seemed to be absorbed in their own excitement and no one gave her a second look.
When she rounded the corner, her breath actually caught in her throat, because… she didn't think it should be right for someone to look so incredible in the standard issue graduation cap and gown.
But Arizona did. Blonde hair was hanging loosely around her shoulders in curls, and she could just see the hint of the bottom of the sundress the blonde was wearing for the occasion. The square cap was nestled in Arizona's hands, and in the few moments she had to observe her girlfriend without her being aware of her gaze, she noted the way Arizona lightly bounced the edges of the cap back and forth, her fingers sliding over the edges.
She'd known that Arizona was nervous for this – she'd known that she'd been nervous for weeks. Especially when being on the phone with her and hearing her stress about the speech.
Then when Arizona turned, and somehow the sunlight reflected off of her hair in a way that made it just… glow, Callie swore she could see many of those nerves wash away as that gorgeous dimpled smile slid over her features.
This time, when her breath hitched for a moment, she was startled when the thought crashed into her head –
There was more to life, as she'd talked about with Addison in the car.
And this was it. This warm feeling settling comfortably in her chest, all around her heat, and she couldn't have held back her smile if she tried.
"Calliope," Arizona practically breathed out as she walked over to her, and it was instinct now to reach out for the blonde when she was close enough.
Her hands slid lightly over the gown, feeling the subtle curve of her waist under the gown, enjoying the feeling of Arizona under her hands. She leaned in when Arizona tilted her head up, and it was already such a perfectly natural move to dip down just enough, before her lips brushed against those soft pink ones.
Callie's mouth worked gently over Arizona's, brushing against her just enough to be able to enjoy the sensation of that mouth against hers. With a sigh, and she could feel a mirroring one that Arizona released, which made her stomach flip flop, she pulled back with a smile, before resting their foreheads together for just a moment.
It was surreal to think that within a couple of weeks, they would be living in the same place, and neither of them would have to wait weeks in between seeing each other like this. And thrilling.
When she pulled away enough to be able to see Arizona more clearly, she could see the way her fingers were practically digging into the edges of her cap, and she quirked an eyebrow, "Still nervous?"
Then blue eyes rolled at her, "A little," she granted with a slight grin.
Callie shook her head slightly, running her hands up to gently pull the cap from Arizona's grasp. She slid the gift bag from where it was hanging around her wrist, placing it on the ground next to them before gently putting the cap there, too.
Which left Arizona's soft, long fingers free for hers to intertwine with, and she did it easily, stroking her thumb over the back of her hand, "Arizona. I've seen you personally eviscerate the competition in a debate, watched by hundreds of people. And just two weeks ago, you won a national cheerleading competition. One speech? It's important, but you've already done so much in front of crowds like this."
Arizona took in a deep breath, and she felt her fingers flex against hers, "But it's not the same; in a debate or in cheerleading, it's – I have a goal. I'm working towards something, and it's like I get this tunnel vision. Today it's… different."
Understanding, Callie bit her lip for a moment, before nodding, "It's personal," she guessed. Because Arizona had refused to let her hear her speech, but after hitting so many roadblocks, she'd asked Callie's advice.
She repeated it now, bending down to brush a kiss to Arizona's jaw, "Be yourself, and they'll have to love you."
Blue eyes looked up at her while Arizona took in another deep breath, releasing it slowly, "It's more personal than I'm used to sharing," she admitted in a whisper.
And even though Callie was in the dark as to what was exactly in the speech in question, she knew more than anyone how nerve-wracking it could be for Arizona to show herself to people. Especially the amount of people there would be in the audience today.
"You're going to be amazing," she assured, and to be perfectly honest, she had no doubt. Because Arizona had never been anything short of amazing in the time she'd known her. Even when it was just through their letters.
She bit her lip for a second, before brown eyes dropped to glance at the gift bag she'd placed on the ground, before disentangling their hands reluctantly. Reaching down, she held Arizona's cap, tucking it under her arm, before hesitating for just a moment and giving her the bag, "I was going to give this to you after. But… maybe you should have it now."
Curious blue eyes looked up at her through her lashes, and Arizona shook her head for a moment, "You didn't have to get me anything."
Dark eyes rolled quickly before she brushed that sentiment away, "Don't be ridiculous. Today is a huge day for you, there was no way I was going to show up empty handed."
As she spoke, she gently pressed the small bag towards Arizona again, who took it slowly, fingers wrapping around the top. She didn't open it immediately, though, and Callie figured that Arizona really wasn't used to being handed many gifts for accomplishments like this – after all, her parents didn't seem the type to celebrate.
To start her out, she tugged on some of the tissue on the top, "Come on. Open it. Arizona, as your girlfriend, I had to get you something. It's not just my duty, but my honor," she added with a smile, and a quick kiss to the cheek.
It seemed to push Arizona into action, and she reached in, pulling out the small box. She enjoyed the way the blonde's eyebrow arched in question for just a moment, though she didn't voice her thoughts. And Callie felt the slight nerves in her stomach as Arizona lightly traced over the box before flipping it up.
Gift anxiety. She always had it when giving someone something, even if it was something small. But it seemed it was more present here with Arizona than with anyone else.
Arizona's eyebrows flew up on her forehead as she looked at the watch Callie had gotten in a week ago. But she still didn't say anything, and the nervous feeling in her stomach settled in as she rocked back on her heels, sucking her bottom lip between her teeth for a moment, before clearing her throat, "I know… well, it might seem random. But I noticed that you used to wear a watch, the first time we ever met, but then you said it broke. And not only that but –"
Cutting herself off from a ramble, she took in a deep breath and slowed her speaking to a normal person, as Arizona looked at her, blue eyes sparkling in what seemed like amusement and maybe something else, "I never told you this before, but my mom is a lawyer. She has her own practice, and she's always been very dedicated. Something she always made sure of was that she had a working watch on, because she said a part of what makes a good lawyer is to always be prompt and aware. So, I thought it would be something good for you. But if you don't like it –"
She found herself being cut off with a soft, smiling mouth pressed against hers. It was gone as soon as it was there, but it was effective, because any other words that she had were forgotten, as Arizona lightly ran her finger around the face of the watch.
"Don't be silly, Calliope. It's absolutely beautiful. And entirely too expensive," she murmured, throwing Callie a small look, which Callie took as Arizona telling her she shouldn't have spent so much.
But the fact was that for the first time since coming to New York, she was making enough money to have an actual savings account. For the first time in her life, she had savings because she was saving the money herself, rather than having an account set up by her parents.
And for the first time in her life, she had a woman who smiled like sunshine and looked at her like she could make the bad days better. So what if she dipped into some of her savings for this? It was worth it.
Reaching out, she took the watch from Arizona's grip and slid it out of its holder, taking Arizona's hand in hers and sliding the watch on her wrist, "No, don't you be silly. You deserve this, and I wanted to give it to you, because I –" love you, her inner voice added, making her falter for just a moment, cutting herself off.
Swallowing hard, she shook her head – Arizona was already nervous and she didn't have to add to it.
When imploring baby blues met her gaze, she blushed so deeply she was sure her cheeks might be stained red, and she felt Arizona's hand turn to gently squeeze her wrist as Callie adjusted the watch into place. Her voice was nearly a whisper as she asked, "Because you?"
Coughing lightly, she hummed for a moment, "Because I – I'm proud of you," she found herself saying, and it was true, so it didn't give her the feeling in her chest like a lie did.
Arizona's eyes narrowed slightly at her, the smart gaze running up and down her face and she opened her mouth, the action catching Callie's attention. But before anything could be said, a directing voice from near the edge of the stage called out that there was five minutes until the procedures started. Meaning Arizona would have to get into place extremely soon.
They both released slightly shaky breaths, and she realized belatedly that Arizona's graduation cap was still tucked under her arm, "You might need this," she whispered.
"Maybe," Arizona murmured in return, her voice teasing, but her eyes serious and focused on Callie's movements.
She brought her hands up, carefully adjusting the cap over Arizona's locks, securing it with a bobby pin that Arizona handed her, that she'd kept pinned on her gown. Lightly, as to not mess up the perfect curls she had, she ran her fingertips down the soft blonde locks, before she leaned in and pressed her lips to Arizona's cheek.
More like the corner of her lips, but still. It was soft, and reverent, and she intended to pull away, but then Arizona's hands reached out and cupped her jaw, the light touch making her shiver as the blonde tilted her head just a bit, so that their mouths slid against each other.
It was brief, but… it tasted like love, she thought, slightly dazed, and the thought seemed to knock her breath right out of her.
The words were on her tongue now, and she swallowed hard – because maybe this wasn't the right moment.
But then Arizona leaned back just enough and her voice was just a whisper that Callie could feel warmly against her mouth, "I love you."
She pulled back a few more inches to be able to see her face, dark eyes wide as her heart started to pound in her chest. Even though Arizona had been so quiet with them, she swore she could hear the declaration echo in her mind.
And right before her, pale cheeks flushed bright red, and blue eyes seemed to grow wider as if Arizona realized what she'd really said, "I'm – I'm sorry. I've never… said that to someone before. I've never felt it before, for anyone. But I love you, Calliope. And if you don't feel –"
Callie was dimly aware that she shook her head, because her chest felt so full, it was close to bursting, and she cut Arizona off with another gentle kiss. It was over quickly, because she pulled back enough to tell her back, "I love you, too. And – I have for a while, I think." She cleared her throat, but it didn't make her voice any less hoarse, as she continued, "You're my something more."
Arizona's forehead crinkled in slight confusion and the expression was absolutely adorable, and she shook her head rather than take even more of their precious time here to explain Addison's conversation in the car, "Never mind."
God, her smile was so big, she didn't think it was ever going to disappear. Not even when an older man appeared behind her, clearing his throat and making her jump, as he told them in a stern voice, "The ceremony is about to begin, Miss Robbins."
The flush on Arizona's face seemed to get even more pronounced, as she got a bit more nervous, and Callie took just another second to lean in for one more kiss – how could she resist? – before pulling back and taking one last look at her gorgeous girlfriend.
"You're going to be amazing," she told her, and Arizona took in a deep breath as she nodded, "And if you need something to concentrate on, try to find me in the audience."
She got a dimpled smile in response, "I think I just might."
Callie walked backwards for a few moments, exchanging a quick wave with the blonde, and her stomach was flip flopping with these warm, excited feelings as she searched the crowd, before quickly finding Addison sitting in the audience.
She made her way over as the introductory speech began, trying to hurry over and slouching down as to not draw much attention to herself. When she finally arrived at the empty seat, she lifted an eyebrow, whispering, "How did you manage a seat this close?"
Addison gave her an amused look, "I have many magical ways, Cal." Then she narrowed her eyes and ran them over Callie, "Did you and Arizona have sex behind the stage?"
Cheeks flushing furiously, she pulled back, nearly bumping into the person next to her, before leaning in and hissing, "No! Why would you even say that?"
The smirk on Addison's face was comforting – because it was just a sign that despite how this day was going for her, her best friend was going to be okay – even though it was maddening, "You look all flushed and smiling. Besides, you snuck back here like a kid who just got laid and is sneaking back home."
She rolled her eyes, "Well. You're wrong. I – she… she loves me," she breathed out, replaying the moment that Arizona had created between them in her head, a smile blossoming on her face, "I love her, too."
"No kidding," Addison's amused voice kind of broke the moment she was experiencing, but not all that much, because it was hard to break into this kind of happiness. "I would say I hate how sickeningly good you two are. But I kind of like it."
Callie was about to throw a grin back at her, but it was then that the speaker finished his welcome, with, "And now, our student speaker who has certainly made the most of her time at our prestigious university, please welcome Miss Arizona Robbins."
Brown eyes snapped up to the stage, and it was like the nervous woman she'd seen only minutes ago was gone. She only noticed the small traces of nerves with the way the blonde's hand lightly clenched, then released, as the other one shook the introductory speaker's hand, giving him what looked like an easy, dimpled smile.
Then Arizona stood up at the podium, and she looked ridiculously poised and beautiful, and she swore, she couldn't believe that this woman was her girlfriend because… wow.
The blonde's gaze ran over the crowd for a moment as she leaned in to the microphone, "Thank you, Dean Kellerman. Hello and welcome, everyone," Arizona's voice boomed into the microphone, and Callie decided that she somehow still managed for it to sound sweet. The way Arizona sounded on a typical day, and it seemed to wash over her as Arizona cleared her throat to speak again, "Today has been a day that not only have I worked towards for so many years, but everyone else here has as well. These last four years – my whole life, really – has been spent working towards accomplishments. What is the next goal I had, and how could I achieve it, and I think that is a sentiment that many of my fellow graduates understand very well. It's how we got to this point, to this graduation."
She licked her lips and paused for just a moment, and it was in that moment that Arizona's laser blue eyes found her in the crowd, landing on her and pinning her in the chair as she continued, "It's only been very recently that I've begun to really learn that goals and accomplishments aren't everything. They're important, without a doubt, but what matters the most are the people who are there for you to celebrate your accomplishments and support you. The motto of the University of Pennsylvania is leges sine moribus vanae – which translates in English to laws without morals are useless."
Callie hoped that the smile she knew was on her face was encouraging, because Arizona would take her gaze away, but then it always came back to land on her again. And god, she couldn't stop smiling if she tried.
"For much of my time here, I took that motto extremely literally, being a pre-law student," she line garnered a few laughs in the audience, and she could see Arizona flush from where she sat, "It's fairly straight forward in that respect. But what I've learned, what this university has taught us all, is that our motto has a much deeper meaning. We all came here focused on one goal – to achieve our degree. It has only been through actually having the experience of meeting the people here and the circumstances that life at the University of Pennsylvania has led us to that showed me the importance beyond the degree. That it's not only the accomplishments that you achieve that matter, but how you are using them."
Arizona took in a deep breath, and her shoulders drew up a little stiffer, and Callie knew that what was coming next was more personal than Arizona had shared with almost everyone at this school before, even before she said, "In a much more personal sense, we all govern ourselves by the set of laws that makes us feel most comfortable. In my own case, that meant keeping up my walls and not letting people come too close while I focused on the next goal I had to achieve. Without morals – without the people to push me when I needed to be pushed and learning to find my own happy medium – those laws by which I governed myself, were isolating. And it was only due to the right circumstances that I was brought to be where I am today, as a person who has grown."
It was the way Arizona said circumstances, with the way her eyes flickered right towards Callie, that made her realize she was the circumstance the blonde was talking about, and her heart seemed to swell with this love and this absolute pride.
"I don't know many of my fellow graduates here today. But I do know that we've all overcome aspects in our lives to be here today, and while we might be strangers, today we stand here as a unit. While we all govern ourselves by our own set of laws and morals, I can say with absolute certainty that the university, the staff, and the circumstances provided to us here, have all helped us grow and be who we are now. As we go forward in our lives, I know that I will hold on to everything I've learned here, and I'll always be thankful for the knowledge I've gathered. And I would be willing to bet that it's very much the same for my fellow graduates."
Arizona looked relieved to have finally said everything she said, and now, her gaze was trained just on Callie as she finished, with a somehow soft yet loud and clear, "Thank you for being here to witness the culmination of all of our growth."
She stepped back and Callie swore she was the first one to clap. In fact, she let out a little whistle, too, and she could see the way Arizona's cheeks flushed, and the somehow proud yet bashful smile that took over her face.
She couldn't help but think that last part was for her. And she was grateful to have been a part of Arizona's growth. More than that, she was grateful for the growth that she'd taken on.
And she couldn't wait for them to grow even more, together.
Well, faithful readers, this has been the last official chapter (though, an epilogue is on its way)! Please let me know what you think! Thank you so much for reading and for giving this story a chance.