A/N: I had no intention to update as I was not ready, but there is one crazy reader… so, this chapter is for her… and please do not ask for another chapter next 7 days… ha ha

"You keep wondering if you're what I'm wanting

You don't even have to try

…

You don't have to try"

Chapter 28

"So, what do you want to do? Roll back? And pretending that we do not know each other?" I almost start yelling at her. At this point of time, knowing that what we both have gone through, I cannot imagine to start a new farce.

Arizona again shakes her head side to side and comes by my side. As she tries to touch me, "no, don't… don't try to come near to me," I resent her with nothing but uncontrollable anger.

"Will you just listen to me for a minute?" As I keep looking at the floor, she continues, "Callie, it's not that I don't want to be with you. I of course want."

"Then…what's the problem?" I snap at her.

"I just want all these hiatuses to come little down. Your family is not ready to accept this, right now. Give him some time to process." She says in a soft voice.

"Arizona, you don't have to think about how I'll deal with my dad. You talk about yourself." I end with throwing a glass against the wall in front of me. I need to do this to control the raising fume in me.

She stares at me with big eyes for next few seconds. She has surely not seen like this.

"Okay." She inhales a long breath and continues after few seconds, "I don't want to go to university labelled as your partner only. I want to discover my school life in my own way. And if I want to start staying with you right away, things will be too faster for me. The last thing I want is to be blamed by your family for destroying their political connection."

"Is this about you or about my family?"

"About me, primarily. I want to be part of your family, really. I never had a family of my own. I never had mom, dad and sisters showring love on me, the way your family does on you. Mr. Carlos is wanting only few months to settled his political ambition. Maybe, this will give him some time to process about you and me too."

Now I have started realizing how true she is. Once she notices my soften demeanor, she closes the distance quickly and almost hides herself in my body, melting down in me. She locks both her hands on my back. "aren't you going to hug me back?" She asks mildly.

I smile and return her hug by taking her completely in me. I always have loved how she fits in my arms, as if, we are born to be in each others' arms. Arizona delicately resumes, "I never want you to stay away from your family because of me. I have seen how close you are to them. You will never be happy, if you stay away from them. Sooner or later you would blame me. I want you and I want your family to accept me, accept us. And maybe, by this time, we'll get some time to know each other in a better way."

"But, do you realize that we have to do lots of pretending at school? And that's not gonna be easy. Rather coming out in the beginning would have been easier for me, specially in front of the university authority."

"But, don't you think that would be exciting- an affair between a hot professor and a naïve foreign student?" She grins popping both her dimples.

"It will be more exciting, when other people will know about this affair."

"We will pass through this phase with flying colors." She hums in my chest. I will believe in whatever she says. "So, do you always break glasses when you are angry?"

"I break whatever I have I front of me."

"Good, next time, I'll put things away when I make you angry."

"You better not make me angry." I kiss on the top of her head holding her tight in my embrace. I know that just now I have made our journey little more difficult agreeing with her. But, I see the truth in her points too. Maybe, this is better to take a difficult route!

After we have consented to do what dad is asking, we decide to stay with my family for one more week, as I need to find a place for Arizona. University residence is full by now and it's difficult to get a place near to campus when the term is about to begin. Then, dad steps in to help us. One of mom's friend's daughter is looking for a roomie to share. She doesn't need money- she just wants somebody stay with her in her big apartment. Unwillingly, I accept the offer, more because thinking that Arizona might find it easier to stay with someone who is close to my family.

"Your dad is a really a good person, Calliope." Arizona comments once I pull up in front of the apartment building where that friend's daughter lives.

"Yes, I hope so." I say cynically. I'm still not convinced with the idea of dad doing all these.

"Come on."

"Okay."

As we take the elevator up, I snake around her waist. She too leans on me, "do you think that I took a bad decision?" She asks insecurely.

"Yes, this was of course the worse decision in the history." I reply flat.

"Then why did you let me do that?"

"Because I saw a slight truth in your argument and moreover, maybe, I'll proper chance to date you and woo you." I say seductively trying to bite her ear leaning down on her but before I could do anything, the door of the elevator door opens.

"Be discreet, Dr. Torres." She starts walking ahead giving me a side smile.

"Don't dare to call me like this if we meet at university." I say her following her.

"This is the door."

"Yes, press the door bell."

we hear the door bell and still no one comes. "I guess, there is no one, let's go back to my apartment." I hold her wrist.

"Wait Callie! Let me press for one more time."

"Why do you have to live here?" I huff in frustration. "Okay, I'm going, you stay here." As I take one step towards the exit, the hear the door opens and someone says, "hey, I'm sorry."

I know this voice, but who is she? In confusion, I turn on my heel only to find a very wet woman standing at the door. I mean, she is literally wet- maybe she just has come out from the shower. There is still dripping drops of water on her towel wrapped body. I stand there as if I'm bombed down.

"Hi, Callie!" She says in a tone which makes my knees go weak. But, I keep looking at her from top to down and down to top. I know this woman, although I have not seen her after high school. There she is standing as a grown-up woman, all wet and of course sexy. "Have you forgotten me?" She again gives me the most seductive smile holding her towel around her chest. "Come inside." But, I only look at Arizona telling her through my eyes that we should not go inside.

"Dr. Torres, let's go in." Arizona comes in my rescue. Somehow, I nod and reply to the other woman standing holding the door frame, "hi! How are you?"

"I'm good." Zoie grins again stepping back from the door so that we can go inside. Yes, Zoie is her name. My first crush ever. Then she closes the door from back and says, "just give me five minutes. I'll change and please have a look around." She passes by us, but I clearly could feel how subtly she brushes my hand while passing. I need to tell Arizona that we should not be here, but by this time Arizona has started roaming around the house, exploring it.

I go near to some photo frames, where there are some photos of Zoie are framed. I notice that there is one from our school too. She was the opposite of Arizona. Zoie was what Arizona is never. I was drifted towards that fierce girl, who was so good at basketball, at study and at dating too. She dated all of them, boys…girls. In my mind, she still is that dynamic girl, full of wilderness, full of life and who, would put her heart in her sleeves. Zoie had that intense ability to make friends, breaking all the personal barriers of anyone. She was the one, who started flirting with me almost explicitly and I never knew where she used to start and where she used to stop. And today also, her wet body is still lingering in my mind. Unconsciously, there are reeling images of hers in my mind. So, when Arizona comments beside me, "the flat is great," I almost jump out of my thoughts.

"Are you okay? Why are you sweating?" Arizona scrunches both her eye-brows in confusion. She looks so adorable but I'm truly flustered. Arizona places her index finger on my arm drawing soothing patterns.

"Hey, guys, so…coffee or tea?" Zoie calls us from back. As I turn, there she is standing wearing a pair of loose pair of Capri and black tee shirt. Her long black hairs are coming down to her waist. She always had long hair. I always have liked her hair. O Gosh! Just now I realize that I fell in love for Arizona's long hair too. Zoie must have noticed how flustered I look right now, because she softly asks, "you didn't know that you were going to meet me, did you?" I see a glance of sincerity in her naughty eyes.

I shake my head in negative, but somehow get my voice back enough to say her, "that's okay, Zoie."

"Coffee?"

"Yeah…"

She brings three cups of coffee and starts mindless chatting. Zoie always had been an easy-going girl and I find that she hasn't changed that much over time. I look beside Arizona, who is amusingly looking at Zoie, who practically is a opposite version of Zoie.

"Uncle Torres told me that Arizona TA-ed you in France. Now she needs a place. I really need someone just to share the place. Why don't you go see the room?"

"Yes, we should."

"Please go straight and the second door is the room." She points towards a corridor. "I need get ready for my basketball match. Coach wouldn't let me skip even one day."

"You still play?" I'm surprised that she still plays. That always has been her first love.

"I mean, I don't have time. But I practice on weekends and play for the local first division women team." Zoie gives me a lopsided smile, "do you still like basketball players?"

I quickly look at Arizona. "Let's go to the room."

The moment I enter the room, I close the door and push Arizona against it and kiss the life out of her. And when she is out of breath, I slowly kiss her under one of your ears and slightly tug that earlobe while gradually sliding my hand down her abdomen. But, then she holds my sliding hand, "Callie, what happened?" Arizona asks breathlessly. Her question brings me back to myself. I was so flustered and lost that I just had to kiss her. I don't know if there was a feeling of guilt too, because meeting Zoie was undesirable to me. She was the first girl, who made me realize that I had a thing for girls. Moreover, I left her without resolving things between us.

"Callie…" Arizona calls me tenderly. I stare at her eyes and feel an urge to tell her about Zoie, but then it may ruin her mental piece. And Zoie seems to be fun to stay with. Moreover, if she stays with Zoie, I don't have to worry about her well being. So, I backtrack, "I just wanted to kiss you… you looked to adorable puppy that I had to kiss." I look around the room and mischievously smile trying hard to fade away the tension into my head, "moreover, we need to christen this room, as soon possible."

"You are such a dork, Professor!" She places a peck on my lips and escapes my grips running towards the attached balcony.

"I can see the whole Toronto from here." Arizona says excitedly.

"Yes, you can." Zoie replies peeking through the door and looks beside me as I'm standing just next to the door. I clearly see how her eyes revel a little longer on my eyes before she slowly walks towards the balcony to join Arizona.

From the door, I see my past and present are standing together, enjoying the view of Toronto. I see Zoie rubs Arizona's back gently and says, "I think, we can make good friends…" and Arizona stiffly distances herself from the touch but beams at the comment.

Good, this is the only thing I need right now. I pray internally not to mess up anything, more than they are! How come out of the whole world, Arizona has ended up rooming with my first crush at high school.

A/N: What do you think about Zoie? Any idea?