Chapter 4 – A Bottle of Wine

Arizona sipped at her wine, letting it roll in her mouth, taking time to taste every intricate flavor before swallowing. "Mm, this is a great bottle, Calliope. We'll have to remember the label on this one." She took another sip and set her glass down.

"Definitely." Callie took a sip from her own glass and set it down on the coffee table. "So, tell me about your surgery this afternoon. I heard it went really well," Callie suggested. They each took a seat in their usual places, Arizona on the couch and Callie in the large chair opposite her.

The blonde sank into the familiarity of their conversation, relaying every detail of the surgery she had performed that afternoon. It wasn't a particularly exciting surgery, but you'd never know that the way that Callie was hanging on to every word she spoke. She quickly forgot why it was she had even been so worried about coming over in the first place. After finishing off her glass and setting it down on the table, she breathed a sigh of contentment and leaned back into the couch, letting the rolls of laughter from Callie's last comment filter off into a comfortable silence.

Callie leaned forward to fill Arizona's glass, and she couldn't help but notice how Arizona's blue eyes drifted towards her chest and darkened momentarily before she shifted her gaze away and blushed slightly. She bit her lip to stop herself from saying anything and sat back down with a renewed confidence. "It is good wine, isn't it?"

Arizona nodded as she took a large gulp from her glass. She spun the glass nervously through her fingers and kept her eyes trained on the swirling liquid.

Callie's heart ached for her best friend. She was just about 99% sure what was going on now, but she didn't want to push her little bird too far. "You know, Arizona, you're the best friend I've ever had," she started.

Arizona's eyes shifted up to meet Callie's questioningly. "You too, Calliope. You mean a lot to me."

"And you mean a lot to me." She shifted so she was leaning forward slightly. "I just want you to know that you can tell me anything. I promise I'm not going to judge you or freak out or leave you. I'm here through it all," she looked into Arizona's eyes intensely. "You know that, right?"

A chuckle erupted from Arizona's lips as she huffed and spun the glass nervously in her fingers again.

"I mean that, Arizona. There's absolutely nothing you could say that would make me think differently of you." She wasn't sure if she was pushing too far, but she could see that something was eating her Arizona away and she wanted to help; she needed to help. And if she was right, then this could be the breaking point towards admitting her own feelings, too.

"I know you think you mean that, but I've heard that before." A rogue tear fell down her cheek. She reached up to wipe it away quickly and immediately grasped her wine glass again.

Callie looked around her living room and took a deep breath before setting her wine glass down and walking over so she was kneeling in front of Arizona. She was definitely crossing a line. Please don't run away again, little bird. She took the wine glass from Arizona and set it down next to her own on the table then took Arizona's hands in her own. She gripped them tightly, trying to stop them from shaking. "I mean it, Arizona. You're amazing. You're talented, loving, kind, strong, beautiful, and honest to God the most incredible person I have ever met." Arizona's gaze shifted to stare into her eyes, searching for a sign that she apparently found because her shoulders relaxed and her hands stopped shaking. "And nothing you say will change my mind about that."

Arizona took a deep breath. When she looked into Callie's eyes she was surprised to find a glint of understanding, of knowing. It was as if she already knew everything within her that was begging to come out, and something inside her told her everything would be alright, that she could trust Callie. She closed her eyes, filled her lungs with air, and let the words flow from her mouth. "I'm gay." Her heart stopped beating. She immediately wished she had to the power to take words back, spin back the clock, reverse the flow of time, or just to vanish completely. She couldn't lose Callie.

Seconds, or maybe years, she couldn't tell, passed before Callie's voice registered in her brain. "Arizona… Arizona, honey, look at me." Honey? She forced her eyes open, terrified she would find the looks of disdain or disgust that haunted her every day. Instead, though, she found the same kind, loving, caring, incredible woman she had fallen in love with.

A hesitant smile flitted across Callie's lips as their eyes made contact. "Thank you for telling me," she whispered. She immediately pulled Arizona into the warmest hug the blonde had ever felt. Her muscles tensed in surprise before quickly faltering as she melted into Callie's arms where she finally broke down completely and cried; she cried for every person she had trusted and had turned their back on her, every woman who used her only to decide she wasn't enough because she wasn't a man, and in relief that the one woman who actually did matter was still here, holding her in her arms.

Callie moved to sit on the couch beside Arizona, still holding her in a strong embrace until the tears stopped and Arizona sat back, wiping her face with the sleeve of her sweater. Callie reached for the tissue box and offered it to her.

"Sorry, I don't know what came over me, I don't really ever cry like this," Arizona paused to blow her nose. "But you know that, I mean you've known me for what, three years now? You know I don't cry. Ever. I just, I don't know," she paused to take a breath and looked at Callie who had an amused glint in her eye. She smiled in response and set the box of tissues on her lap. "That felt really good."

Callie's smile grew as she leaned forward to hug her best friend again. She leaned back with a huge smile on her face, staring goofily at Arizona.

The blonde looked over both her shoulders then back to Callie with a raised eyebrow. "What?"

"I'm just really happy you told me." Callie dropped her hands into her lap and chuckled briefly to herself. She knew how much it meant for Arizona to finally come out to her, and she didn't know how to really truly tell her how much it meant to her that she trusted her that much.

"I am too," Arizona breathed.

Callie smiled and stood up to get a plate of their favorite cheese and crackers she always kept on hand.

"Don't get mad, but you're acting kind of like you already knew," Arizona stammered.

"Well, Mark said you were, but I wasn't really sure," Callie stated simply. "We've been talking about it the last few days, and I don't know, you're still you. You're more you now, really, if you think about it." Callie cocked her head and shrugged. "But you know Mark. Once he gets started with something, he doesn't really let it go."

"Let me guess… it all started with that scene at the bar?" Arizona guessed.

Callie nodded briefly. "Well, yeah, and then later that night, we were talking, and I dunno, I said some things and so now he has this theory… It's stupid, though." Arizona's heart sputtered over itself when she saw Callie's cheeks darken momentarily in embarrassment. She wanted to ask why, but before she could, Callie was continuing. "So tell me about the little ginger devil."

Arizona choked on the breath she was taking in and keeled over in laughter. "The what?"

Callie chuckled to herself and leaned over to grab her wine, proud of herself for getting her best friend to laugh again. "The raging ginger devil who attacked your lips last night. What's her deal?" She had a hard time masking the jealousy and anger rippling through her body.

"Kim, you mean," Arizona corrected. "Well, that's kind of a long story."

Callie leaned forward to grab Arizona's wine glass and handed it to her. "We've got plenty of wine and I'm working the night shift tomorrow so I don't have to be in until 2. Let it out, babe."

The use of yet another flirty nickname was not lost on the blonde, and she wondered again to herself if just maybe… She cut herself off and forced herself to put the thoughts of Callie aside as she pieced together the story of who Kim was, trying to make sure the wine hadn't fogged her memory as much as to miss any important details.

Callie dropped back to the couch and set the plate of snacks on the table. They sat in silence as they ate a cracker, Callie waiting, and Arizona thinking. She ran through the story over and over in her mind. "I just can't figure out where to start," she laughed.

"Well, for starters, is she your girlfriend?" Callie asked. It was the only question she really wanted an answer to.

"No, no no, absolutely not," Arizona choked. "She was, but that was a long time ago and a huge mistake."

Callie nodded thoughtfully. "How long ago?"

Arizona sipped her wine and narrowed her eyes, concentrating on the dates and memories flashing through her mind. "Well, we met during my first year at med school. She worked at the coffee shop where I practically lived until I realized brewing my own coffee would save me literally hundreds of dollars." Callie laughed, but waved at her to continue. "Shut up, it's true." She cleared her throat and began to recall the relationship. "I had just gotten to the point where I was comfortable with myself. I lost a lot of friends during my undergrad work when I came out to them. It sucked, but my family was there with me through it all, so when I got into John's Hopkins, I was really confident that I would make that my place where I was fully me, you know?"

Callie nodded, understanding more than Arizona knew. "So anyways, I asked her out. She was cute, she was spunky, and had flirted with me pretty openly for a few weeks. We started dating and it went really well… for almost three years, it went really well. We moved in together and were planning forever together, until one day, I walk in and there she is, sleeping with another woman in our bed." Her voice cracked and she looked away from Callie's eyes for the first time since she had started talking. "So I moved out and found my own place. She tried to talk to me, but cheating… there's just nothing that can be said for that. It hurt… a lot." She paused to take a deep breath, "I hadn't seen her since that night, and then out of nowhere she turns up here… in Seattle!" She threw her hands in the air, adding a physical exclamation point to her words. "I worked for years to forget about her, and then she came waltzing back into my life… and she kissed me completely out of nowhere!"

Callie's eyes had been growing wide through the entire story and now her heart was pounding. She ground her teeth together and tried to calm her breathing.

Arizona noticed the tense posture her best friend had taken and lowered her hands cautiously. "Calliope? Everything okay?"

Callie's body started shaking. "That woman… She cheated on you?" She spat.

Arizona nodded. "Yeah, but it was a long time ago," she said, her voice dropping.

"It doesn't matter. If that bitch shows her face again… tries to even come near you, she will regret it."

"Calliope, really, it's okay," Arizona said sweetly, taking her hands in her own.

"No, Arizona! It's not! You deserve better than that… You deserve the best! You're amazing and you're beautiful, I mean drop dead stunning, and you're loyal, you're strong, you're everything a woman should be and more. Can't you see that?" She took a minute to stare into Arizona's eyes, trying to find a way to show her what words couldn't express. "That bitch had no right to even come anywhere near you." She paused, struggling to make her point. "I just… I can't stand the thought of you hurting, Arizona. It tears me apart."

Tears built behind Arizona's eyes and threatened to spill out as her lips formed into a cautious smile.

Callie's eyes shot back and forth between Arizona's lips and her eyes, not sure which were more beautiful in that moment. "I am so sorry I hurt you by sleeping with Mark last night. I'll never forgive myself for that." Arizona opened her mouth to argue, but Callie continued talking before she could. "The truth is, Arizona, I've been running from something for a long time, and last night, I don't know, seeing you kiss another woman… It all just crashed into me. I was trying to just shove it all away, but I know now that I can't," Callie paused, filling her lungs with air. "I can't run away from you anymore."

Arizona's heart fell to her stomach, plummeting into a pit of swirling mayhem. She swallowed, trying to clear her throat to answer, but no words were forming in her brain. It was still running Callie's words through her mind repeatedly, trying to make sure that they were real.

Callie looked into Arizona's beautifully blue eyes; she could swim all day in those eyes and never drown. "Arizona, I don't want to run from you anymore. I just want you." She tried to stop her stomach from spinning. She had had an entirely different speech planned before she started talking. These were definitely not the words she had expected to say, but she knew that they were what she meant to say.

Arizona sat dumbfounded in front of the woman of her dreams who had just admitted feelings for her. The world around her was spinning and slowly tearing apart. "You do?" The weak voice that fell from her lips sounded distant and foreign, as if someone else had taken over her body and replaced it with someone who wasn't as strong or confident as she knew she was.

Callie nodded slowly and looked down at their joined hands, then back into Arizona's beautiful blue eyes. "Yeah, I do. I'm so sorry that it took me so long to figure it out. I never in a million years thought you would feel the same way about me, but I think maybe you do."

Arizona reached up and placed her hands on either side of Callie's face, searching her chocolate brown eyes. A weak smile flitted across her mouth. "Calliope, you have just made me the happiest woman in the world." Relief washed across Callie's face and she lifted her hands to gently pull Arizona's down between them.

They sat staring into each other's eyes and holding each other's hands trying to remember how to breathe. Both women stared at each other wearing matching goofy grins before Arizona let out a small chuckle. "God, is this really happening?"

Callie smiled even wider and bit the bottom of her lip. Arizona's eyes flashed down to those perfect, full lips she had imagined kissing more times than she liked to admit and breathed a quiet moan without realizing she had.

Callie's stomach spun at the gentle sound and before she had a moment to think it through, she leaned forward, placing her lips on Arizona's. It was quick, just a brush of contact. But in the few moments that they were connected, Arizona's heart had exploded. She was sure of it. There was no way that there was an actual organ beating in her chest cavity anymore; it had to be nothing more than a pile of gelatinous goo.

Their eyes flickered open and they pressed their foreheads together. They both let out small laughs as they leaned into each other in a strong embrace. Arizona nuzzled into Callie's shoulder, breathing in an intoxicating mixture of shampoo and perfume that was uniquely her Calliope. She knew in that instant, after just that small of a kiss that this woman was going to be the best thing to ever happen to her.

AN: I had such a hard time writing this chapter… but I really love how it came out. No pun intended. What did you think?

There is SO much more back story to Arizona than this, but it's a start. And now they can both be a bit more open and honest… no more hiding.

I'm kind of excited for a face off now between Kim and Callie… thoughts?

Also, I love that I have so many international readers! France? Canada? That's just crazy! Every single one of you though, no matter where you're from are absolutely amazing. I've never had such an incredible response to one of my stories before; it blows me away every time I get another review that people are actually reading my brain vomit. I love it :) So thank you!