Chapter 5 – Crossing The Line
It didn't take very long for Callie to decide her new favorite feeling was everything that happened when she kissed Arizona. The second their lips parted, she wanted that feeling again. The feeling that she was flying through some crazy universe where fireworks were going off constantly and yet the sky was a bright blue and the air was constantly crisp with a wonderful spring breeze blowing through her hair. It was a place she instantly knew she wanted to live in for the rest of her days. Because that universe brought with it a rush of sparks into her veins that coursed through her body and warmed her more than any other feeling in the entire world had ever done. But as soon as she sat back and stared into Arizona's eyes, a new wave of nerves raced through her causing her to lose her ability to breathe properly.
Arizona sat back, her stomach flipping on itself… she couldn't believe that the woman of her dreams had actually just kissed her. There had never been any indication that Callie was gay. She had always been adventurous, Arizona knew that. But something inside her told her this wasn't just another adventure for Callie. Something about her speech earlier really resonated with her, as if she had been letting every emotion tied up in her heart flow out of her. They were the most beautiful words she had ever heard, and they were about her. She took a deep breath and kept smiling; she couldn't get her cheeks to relax.
"Those dimples are going to be the death of me, you know that?" Callie said with a chuckle.
Arizona blushed, "I've been warned of that my entire life."
Callie laughed, not sure what else she was allowed to do. She wanted to kiss her again; she wanted to cross those lines that she had drawn for herself for so long, but they were engrained in her every thought. She had spent so long calculating each movement as to not cross some sort of invisible boundary that she couldn't seem to be able to break herself from it. "God, I don't know why I'm so nervous all of the sudden," she blurted.
"I KNOW!" Arizona exclaimed as she let out a huge breath of air. "I mean, I've known you for so long, and it feels so good to finally be out and I guess to just have everything out on the table, but I can't believe this is actually happening… and I don't know how to even process this, I mean you have been my best friend for years," she rambled, "but, only my best friend. Not that I've not wanted you to not be my best friend," her eyebrows creased trying to make sure she had the right series of negatives.
Everything Arizona had always done was adorable to Callie, but especially these rants. She loved how the blonde would just flit through her words, letting every single thought rolling through her brain just spew out of her mouth. The flutter in her heart at seeing how absolutely adorable Arizona was sent her mind into overdrive, and she decided to cross every line, break every rule, because this woman was worth it. She rolled her eyes playfully and leaned forward, letting their lips press together in their second of what she was sure was going to be a very, very long series of kisses, effectively cutting off Arizona's ramblings.
Arizona halted, still surprised at how overwhelmed she felt with every new touch from Callie. She didn't take long to melt into the kiss and deepen it, wanting to feel more of her and see where the kiss would take them.
Callie felt Arizona's lips adjust slightly and press into her own more forcefully. She reached up to trace her thumb along Arizona's jaw line, settling at the base of her ear after tucking a stray strand of hair aside. She separated only for an instant so they could catch their breath and turned her head, placing a new kiss on Arizona's lips.
They moved in sync so well it amazed them both. A curious passion overtook both women as they tangled their fingers in each other's hair. Arizona sat up briefly, trying to find a way to be closer to Callie.
Strong hands wrapped around Arizona's thighs, pulling her towards her. Arizona straddled Callie's hips and lowered herself so their bodies were barely touching. She breathed in sharply before a small moan escaped as Callie arched her back, pressing their torsos together. She kissed Callie again briefly on her lips then placed gentle kisses down her neck.
Callie's eyes fluttered open as she traced her fingers down Arizona's back, playing with the hem of her sweater before hooking her fingers in Arizona's belt loops to pull her closer.
Arizona giggled as she kissed along Callie's neck, settling at her pulse point. She let herself forget about the rules she had made for herself, instead she freed her body to do what it had always wanted; to just explore every inch of tan skin of her Calliope. Her teeth grazed her pulse point as she gently bit down and suckled, making Callie squirm underneath her. She smirked as she released her neck and kissed the spot gently before meeting Callie's eyes again.
The fire growing in the pit of her stomach exploded the second those dark blue eyes flickered to meet her own. A moan rippled through her body as she leaned forward, crashing her lips against Arizona's. She felt Arizona's mouth open slightly and her lower lip tickled with the trace of Arizona's tongue. She smiled to herself as she parted her lips, letting their tongues graze against each other in a dance that only fueled their passion for each other even more.
Arizona's cautious fingers traced Callie's sides, landing on those hips. The hips that had made her jealous every time they swayed in time with the clunky movements of whatever man she was dancing with; the hips that had teased her every day as the Latina walked away from her; the hips that were finally hers to explore and dance with. She had dreamed of the way their hips would move together, and her very core ached to make it a reality.
They separated to catch their breath, their lips hovering only centimeters apart. Their chests pressed into each other with every deep inhale. Callie wrapped her arms securely around Arizona's waist and brushed their lips together again in a soft whisper of a kiss. She pressed her forehead to Arizona's and closed her eyes.
"If I had known coming out to you would mean I got to kiss you like that," she whispered as she brushed her lips across Callie's, nipping at her deliciously full lower lip, "I would've said something a lot sooner."
Callie smirked and kissed Arizona again softly before nestling into her shoulder, placing gentle kisses along her neck and shoulder. "Why didn't you?"
"Hm?" It was difficult to think clearly with Callie even in the same room; it was nearly impossible when her warm full lips were ghosting across her neck.
"Why didn't you tell me you were gay?" Callie stilled her kisses, instead laying her head on Arizona's shoulder waiting for an answer.
Arizona took a deep breath, battling between wrapping her arms around Callie so she couldn't disappear or sitting back, distancing herself so that she could run away if she needed to. She felt Callie adjust so that she was nestled even closer and succumbed to the temptation to melt into the Latina once more. "I couldn't lose you," she answered simply.
"Who said you were going to lose me?" Callie teased.
"Well, who said I wouldn't? My whole life, I've lost friends by coming out. My parents and Tim are pretty much the only ones who haven't abandoned me once they knew." Arizona felt Callie's arms tighten around her and her heart fluttered again at the feeling of security surrounding her. "I was scared to lose you too," she whispered, "I still am."
Callie leaned back so she could look into Arizona's eyes. "You will never lose me, Arizona." She watched her eyes intently until she received a brief nod from the blonde. "I can't promise you where this is going or really even tell you what it is that we're doing, but I can promise you one thing," she brought her hands up to cup either side of her face, "I will always care about you, and that means I will always be here for you, no matter what."
A tear welled in the corner of her eye and fell down her cheek before she had the chance to wipe it away. She attempted a lopsided smile that fell weakly from her lips as she nodded hopelessly.
"Okay?" Callie asked as her heart broke watching Arizona crumble happily in her arms.
Arizona nodded again and leaned forward to hug Callie tightly. "Thank you, Calliope."
Callie smiled and tightened her grip on Arizona then pulled away and stood up. "Come on, I'm tired, and I'm sure you're exhausted too." She reached out to pull Arizona up off the couch.
The blonde hesitated and looked towards the bedroom, nerves shooting through her all over again.
Callie looked over her shoulder towards her bedroom door and huffed. "I promise I'll behave myself. I just really want to go to bed, and I don't want you to leave yet." Or at all, she added to herself.
Arizona narrowed her eyes, not sure if she really trusted Callie, or herself for that matter, to truly behave the entire night. After a make out session that intense, she wasn't sure she would be able to keep from finding out what else Callie could offer. She looked towards the door, trying to convince herself that it was really a better idea for her to go home. But that meant that she would spend yet another night alone, when she could spend it in the arms of her best friend that was quickly becoming so much more. She looked up to Callie and raised an eyebrow. "Do you really promise?"
Callie cocked her hip and breathed an exasperated sigh with her hand still outstretched inviting Arizona to take it. "I really don't want to, but I think it would be too soon. And honestly, I'm still processing a lot, and I really am exhausted. I didn't sleep at all last night."
Could it really be that it was just last night she watched Callie slip out of Mark's apartment and then cried herself straight through into the next morning? It felt like entire decades had passed since that night. Suddenly, exhaustion fell on top of her like a freight train, so she gave in. She reminded herself again that it was okay for her to allow herself some happiness. She reached out, taking Callie's soft hand and let her lead them towards her bedroom.
"Are you okay with wearing a pair of my sweats and a t-shirt?" Callie asked as she dug through her drawer, coming out with an old set of college sweatpants that were ripped at the knee and a softball t-shirt that looked like it might have even been from high school.
Arizona nodded as she accepted the pajamas. "They're perfect." She walked to the bathroom and changed, taking an extra minute to enjoy the smell of Callie on the worn clothes. They hung loosely from her toned limbs, but she didn't mind. In fact, the feeling of having something so uniquely Calliope surrounding her was one of the most comforting feelings she had ever felt. She quickly decided she never wanted to wear her own clothes to bed ever again.
She washed her face and wandered back into the bedroom where Callie was laying in a pair of grey shorts and a generic blue t-shirt, her eyes already drifting closed. She opened one eye when she heard the soft patter of Arizona's feet against the hardwood of her room and smiled when she saw how absolutely adorable the blonde looked in her favorite set of comfy pajamas. She pulled the sheet down in front of her and lifted her arm up, emptying a space in front of her. "Come on, I'm tired," she mumbled.
Arizona smiled and crossed the rest of the distance to the bed, sliding in with her back to Callie. Her strong arm wrapped around Arizona's stomach and pulled her back so their bodies were flush against each other. Arizona moved even closer and lifted her arm on top of Callie's so their fingers were entangled across her stomach and she shut her eyes, finally letting sleep wash over her. "Good night, Calliope," she whispered.
"Good night, Arizona," Callie sighed, already mostly asleep, her dreams floating in and for the first time trying to rival the beauty of her reality.
AN: Writer's block sucks. A lot. And that's all I'm going to say on the matter.
My birthday is on Thursday, and I'm turning 21, so I won't be doing much writing this weekend. I'll try to get another chapter up before then, though. :]
Thank you all again so much for reviewing and favoriting this story. Also, welcome to all the new followers! I hope all of you from all your crazy awesome countries around the world (I'm at 8 countries just from the reviews alone! O_O) enjoyed this chapter!
Nerves are easy to push aside when you're already exhausted and kind of just don't want to care anymore… but what about when they're at work? Will Arizona finally gather the courage to come out to her colleagues? What about Callie? What other questions do you guys have?