Aftermath, Chapter 6 – First Date.
I do not own any of these characters. They belong to Grey's Anatomy and Co.
Arizona, took note of how she and Lauren were dressed. Her casual attire combined with Lauren's low cut v-neck cashmere sweater and light form fitting chinos meant neither was dressed for being outdoors for extended periods of time. With this in mind, she made a mental list of nearby art galleries and casual fine dining venues that she liked or heard about. The first to surface in her mind was SOIL-an artist run gallery on 3rd. She hadn't been there since before she and Callie met and remembered how she used to love spending long afternoons wandering about the space. She'd seen some of the best work of her life there and purchased several pieces, which she reluctantly passed forward when moving in with Callie. The gallery space wasn't far from a popular new restaurant called Local360. She'd recently read a fantastic review of the chef and decided both SOIL and Local360 were perfect first date options.
"Do you like independent art and healthy food?"
"I do," Lauren said smiling, Southern drawl and all.
"Great," Arizona said and led the way to her car.
En route, Arizona took Lauren on a slow and easy windshield tour of Vashon Island. It was her favorite neighborhood in Seattle, hands down. V.I. was brimming with hipster novelty shops, independent coffee houses, refurbished turn of the century homes and gorgeous front yard gardens. It was also known for its genuine Queer friendly vibe. It seemed that same positive energy was alive and well at SOIL, also. The featured artist was a Queer identified woman named Judith Atlee. Both Lauren and Arizona immediately fell in love with her piece, The Giving. It was purposefully blurred with vertical streaks and featured a mix of soft colors and connected dots. If you stared intently, a shape emerged; one that looked a lot like a woman dancing.
"My mother would absolutely love this piece," Lauren said.
"Your mom likes indie art?" Arizona replied with a hint of surprise.
"All kinds of art, actually, but paintings mostly. I think I might buy this for her birthday next week and have it shipped. Do you mind? I don't think it will take too long."
"No, not at all," Arizona said smiling, "I think it's great that you'd give your mom a painting like this."
Lauren squeezed Arizona's forearm lightly and said, "I'll be right back," then walked away with her usual air of confidence."
Arizona couldn't take her eyes off Lauren. "Damn, she has the most sensual swag," she thought, then laughed inwardly because she didn't think she'd ever used the term swag before, let alone added sensual as an adverb. For the second time that day, Arizona took herself to task. Taking things slowly with Lauren was not going to be easy. Much of their connection was sexual, and denying that fact was impossible, never-mind ridiculous.
Lauren waited for the gentleman behind the counter to finish running her credit card. It was the first real moment she had to herself since meeting Arizona at the Conservatory earlier that afternoon. She took a quick overview of all that had transpired throughout the course of the day. Before leaving Ashville that morning, she would never had guessed that Arizona would move so quickly from a conversation about their affair to going out on a first date. She was a bit taken back. Things were moving forward, and quickly, and not because she was rushing, but because Arizona had opened the door. She decided she liked the feeling, but knew she needed to stay grounded in order to honor Arizona's request for a slow pace.
Arizona was grateful there were two stools at the bar where she and Lauren could wait for a table, especially considering the host said it could be at least an hour. She ordered a local red and was thrilled Lauren opted for the same. Their conversations always came easily and alcohol wasn't necessary, it was just a nice way to spend time. She liked that the physical closeness of their barstools allowed her the opportunity to really study Lauren's eyes. Several times now she'd noticed the color changed in different settings. In this moment, and in this light, her eyes were amber with flecks of green. She smiled, stared a little longer than necessary, and said nothing.
Lauren felt her breath hitch as she took in Arizona's gaze. She knew she was an attractive woman and was used to people looking at her a certain way, but something about the way Arizona just did, in that moment, moved her to her core. First-hand experience taught her how sexual a woman Arizona truly was. She had suspected early on that they'd connect extremely well on a sexual level and was far from wrong in her assessment. She preferred her sexual partners to have Arizona's self-assuredness and found she couldn't sustain an attraction to anyone whose touch was timid or shy. She returned Arizona's smile and held her gaze.
Arizona lightly ran the tip of her finger along the rim of her glass. "So, I really don't know that much about you, other than what I found on the Internet, and that was professional."
Lauren watched her finger trace the rim, sat up straight and focused. "Ask me anything."
"Yeah?" Arizona rasped.
"Sure, why not?" Lauren replied.
Arizona turned her entire body toward Lauren and said, "So, why craniofacial?"
"I had a family member with Apert Syndrome, so I grew up hearing a lot about it and saw first hand the affect it has on an individual. That's the easy answer, anyway. What about you? Why did you become a peds surgeon?"
Arizona respectfully stopped herself from pursuing the not-so-easy answer Lauren referred; instead, she replied, "My mom would tell you that I wanted to save kittens before I wanted to save newborns, but I don't remember it that way. I remember being given dolls as gifts and imagining that they had all sorts of illnesses and injuries. I'd draw on their skin where I thought their organs might be and dream up all sorts of ways of removing or repairing them. It was very telling, I guess, because in my childhood adults were always talking to me about growing up and becoming a doctor one day."
Lauren couldn't take her eyes off Arizona, nor could she stop herself from asking another question, "Did you grow up with a doctor in the family?"
"Hey now, Arizona teased, "How am I supposed to get to know you better if you ask follow up questions?" She then playfully leaning in and pressed her shoulder against Lauren's. "I love the topic though, so how about you answer and then I will?"
Lauren took a sip of wine and tilted her head acknowledging that she was guilty of asking questions rather than offering information. Her style had always been to gather information, especially in relationships. Her light-hearted nature put people at ease and saved her from having to share more than she wanted. Every now and then, however, someone would come along and do what Arizona just did and call her out. She felt a light airy sensation fill her head and realized that moment-by-moment she liked Arizona more and more. "My mom was a psychologist and focused on brain development. She placed a high value on education. Both of my parents did, actually. My dad was an engineer and extremely driven and medical school was a natural trajectory. Grades were extremely important growing up, and I was no stranger to hard work, so things just fell into place and here I am."
Arizona related to the image Lauren painted of her parents. She had suspected she and Lauren had similar upbringings. "Like you, I had parents who valued education and my father was also extremely driven. He was military so we move around a lot. I think this had a huge impact on the way I."
"I'm sorry to interrupt but your table is ready," the host said genuinely apologetic over breaking into their conversation. She'd tried waiting patiently for the right moment, but found the two so enthralled with each other that they were completely oblivious to anyone and everyone around them.
Dinner consisted of three fabulous courses; two cups of house roasted decaf and more back and forth about growing up with highly motivated parents. Each shared vivid memories of rookie mistakes made during their first year residencies, as well as success stories that helped shape their careers. Arizona spoke about Malawi and Lauren discussed her involvement in the HELP NOW project where she provided free facial reconstruction surgery to victims of domestic violence. Both women beamed as the other spoke and together they collectively mastered the art of eye sex. An outsider looking in would have bet money they were falling in love. Even their waitress was affected and smiled the entire time she served them.
On the drive from the restaurant to the hotel, Lauren remembered that she was in Seattle to consult on a case. Her focus the entire day had been on Arizona, not work. This was a good thing she thought and decided to wait until they were only a few blocks from the hotel before quietly asking, "Will I be seeing you at the hospital tomorrow?"
Arizona found a parking space near the entrance and put the transmission in park before responding, "Yes, I'm on the schedule. I don't know if I'll be as involved in this case as I was the Sims baby, but you never know. Right now she's entirely Dr. Avery's, though its not unusual for us to collaborate."
"Is there anything you need from me tomorrow that will make things easier for you?"
"I don't know, I mean, we're professionals right? We can focus on our work and keep this between us. If we do, I think we'll be fine."
Lauren agreed and appreciated the fact that when Arizona said, "this" she'd made a circular motion with her hand outlining something invisible between them. It seemed magical, somehow. It was as if she had waved an imaginary wand and solidified their bond. With aspiration and a slight rasp, she said, "This has been one of the best first dates I've been on Arizona Robbins. Thank you."
"Yeah, I'm so glad you came in early. It's really nice getting to know you and I had an amazing time," Arizona said, grateful for the shift in conversation. She didn't want to overthink working together again. She also didn't want to worry about Callie and how Callie might react if she were to see them together.
Lauren knew that the right thing to do in that moment was to say goodnight, but there was something else she needed to know. She bravely took a risk and asked, "Can we talk about one more thing?"
Arizona thought for a moment before answering. She didn't want to discuss her break-up and she didn't want to discuss her feelings beyond what she'd already shared. She decided that if Lauren asked her something she wasn't ready to talk about, she'd say so. "I'm all ears," she whispered.
Lauren removed her seatbelt, pulled one knee to her chest and sat sideways facing Arizona. In a voice that revealed a hint of vulnerability, she said, "Define slow."
Arizona, for the second time that day felt butterflies perform gymnastics in her stomach and a tingling sensation dance lightly upon her skin. She closed her eyes, inhaled deeply and ran her fingers through her hair. While exhaling, she realized that it really was up to her to decide. Lauren had been more than respectful of her situation and once again was willing to let her take the lead. Without second-guessing, she unlatched her own seat belt, leaned in, and kissed Lauren. She didn't take the liberty of lingering too long, but stayed long enough to enjoy the softness of Lauren's lips. After gently pulling away, she placed one hand on the side of Lauren's face and said, "How about we start here?"
Lauren nodded smiling. She pressed her lips together savoring every last trace of their kiss. Arizona had once again surprised her in an utterly delightful way. She placed her hand over Arizona's and said, "Well, I think that's a fantastic place to start."
"Me too," Arizona whispered.
Lauren reached for the handle, stole one more glance and said; "I'll see you tomorrow."
Arizona waited until she saw Lauren enter the hotel safely. The words, "I'll see you tomorrow," echoed softly in her mind. Lauren's cadence and inflection brought her back to that night in the elevator when, in a singular instant, their connection shifted from innocent flirtation to something more. Now, here they were, nearly three months later, navigating their attraction all over again; only this time they were doing so in the aftermath of an emotional storm that brought about incredible pain and transformation.