FIC: Tomorrow I'll Miss You (3/6)
Title: Tomorrow I'll Miss You (3/6)
Author: anna morgan
Pairing: Callie/Arizona
Rating: R
Summary: Slightly A/U. Starting with season five when Mr. Torres informed Callie she's going home. Well, Callie went home and Arizona followed. Between the complications of distance and hiding their love, the two try to make their relationship work.
Disclaimer: The author of this piece does not, in any way, profit from the story and that all creative rights to the characters belong to Shonda, their original creator.
a/n: back in action again :)
Previously:
July
August
September
I watched her from the reflection in mirror as I applied a fresh coat of pink passion across my lips. She’s been lying on the bed ever since we came back from our sunset dinner on the beach with a hand covering her eyes like she’s got a headache. I’ve tried not to badger her too much throughout our meal, but it was hard not to ignore the dark circles underneath her eyes.
If her exterior last month was enough to make anyone worry, then I’d hate to hear what people are saying now. She’s lost about another ten pounds since I’d last seen her five weeks ago. Her hair, which had been her pride in Seattle, was now pulled back into a stringy, messy bun. Unfortunately, dull and listless could illustrate her to a T and those are the nicer adjectives I could think of to describe her. You’d think this look would be from logging so many hours in the OR, but my heart says otherwise.
“So, I was thinking maybe we could drive into town tonight and maybe go get a coffee, walk down the board walk? Jen mentioned a new club opened a couple of weeks ago. We could try it out if you’re up for it.”
“Not tonight,” she dismisses me, not moving to look at me.
Sauntering across the room to her, I kneel next to the bed and let my fingertips take a walk up her leg hoping to entice her. She’s always loved to go dancing. It didn’t matter if it was in her living room, Joe’s, or some girl bar. She could make dancing with her in a living room more like foreplay and main event all mixed up into one.
“I’ll even dance with you.”
“Maybe tomorrow night.”
My hand falls as I slump to the floor, defeated. “My flight leaves the day after that.”
Going out tomorrow night would be mean less than 3 hours of sleep then five hours of flying in terror because I’ve never been able to sleep on any flight; Followed by a long shift at Seattle Grace starting a mere two hours after my flight touches down. No, tomorrow is definitely not an option. “Please Calliope?”
“Seriously Arizona, don’t use the Calliope thing on me tonight. I’m exhausted. I just worked three back to back shifts just to make it out here!”
“And I left sick children to fly across the country to be with you,” I quietly retort then take my irritated self out onto the deck.
“Damnit!” she yells and throws something across the room, causing a resounding thud to match.
I’ll give her until the count of ten to come out here, but if I get to ten we will be continuing this fight that’s been in the making since I got here. Probably even before her sister decided play private investigator or miles before Carlos Torres decided to eradicate her from the family tree.
“One…” I begin almost inaudibly.
I’m not oblivious to her to how tired she is or what we’ve both had to sacrifice to be together. It’s insane having to fly across the country to be with her. Sneaking off to a bed and breakfast like it’s love in the afternoon or something? It’s like being in the closet. And the worst part? I can’t even decide which was more draining for me. Being a human punch bag for her back Seattle or having to deal with this exhausted Callie in Miami.
“…Two.”
Her health is deteriorating more and more every time I see her. One can only imagine what’s going on in her head since she won’t let me in. I’m a doctor, a pediatric surgeon, and a superstar with a scalpel as she calls it. I’m not a mind reader though with my excellent bed side manner, you’d think I was. I can get a child to tell me what hurts or what frightens them with a smile, a game, or a friendly bear assistant. But with Callie it’s like staring at a brick wall sometimes.
“Three!”
She surprises me as she wraps her arms around me from the behind, tearing me away from my thoughts. The warmth of her body against mine causes me to melt as she lips make a trace up my neck until she reaches my ear.
“Please don’t be mad,” she says nibbling on my ear lobe. “I can make it all better.”
“Calliope…”
“There’s an orange grove a few miles from here. Blanket, bottle of wine, you and I under the stars?”
I pull away unable to listen to her anymore. It’s the inciting incident of the same argument that happened only hours before when we were trying to make plans for dinner. I wanted to go out; she wanted to stay in. We both know it’s because she’s worried sick that her sister or worse, her father would find out. The whole thing makes me worried sick about our future together.
“Please Calliope? They won’t be there. No one’s going to find out. The thing with Aria, it was a one off.”
“And what if it’s not?” she asks. “What if Aria finds out again or they check on me at St. Mary’s? God, I can’t lose you.”
Desperation doesn’t look good on anyone and especially not us. I could have anyone I wanted. I could be in Seattle with a house, two-car garage, and a warm body to come home to every night. But I chose the girl who lived moved over three thousand miles away. I chose the girl who despite it all makes me happy and I can’t lose her either.
“So how far is this grove?”
******
The sun is breaks over the horizon and I barely slept a wink. I’m not really the outdoors type and neither is she, but here we are. She got me out here underneath the stars, wrapped us in warm blankets, and held me until the night melted away. And as luck would have it, we fell asleep out here. But morning’s finally here which means some farmer is going to find us on this morning rounds through this grove.
Peaking my head out from underneath the mountain of blankets, I gazed around at my settings in satisfied bliss. Who would have known that this grassy knoll we laid claim to last night would be just as beautiful in the morning or that oranges glistening with dew would look just like diamonds in the early light. Morning doves harmoniously chirped as Calliope’s soft snores accompanied them. It was our own personal Eden far from constrains and expectations that bound us or rather her.
Still, one of us had to be an adult this morning before farmer discovered the tender sapphic camp set up in their orange grove. I tried to free myself from thralls of my blanket incarceration, but two arms promptly tighten around me. Someone’s not as asleep as they led me to believe.
“Don’t move yet,” she whispers.
“We have to go. Someone’s bound to drive by sooner or later.”
“And?”
“And,” I begin shifting around to face her. “I don’t want anything or anyone to ruin this perfect moment. Calliope, last night I... I don’t know. I just felt like I had you back for a moment.”
She kisses my nose as I slowly blink away any hasty tears that might have escaped during my admission.
“Okay, okay. Just a few more minutes then, k? I’m not exactly done here.” She says with a mischievous hint in her voice.
“Not done?”
Those two arms wrapped so tightly around me push me onto my back as Calliope submerges her beneath the sea of blankets. My jeans are immediately unbuttoned and the zipper is pulled down as I feel warm air on my center, breathing me to life in the cool Floridian morning.
“Callie…” I warn, sitting up on my elbows, but my words are lost as I feel her fingers loop around the waistband of my jeans and panties pull down.
You don’t have to see it to know where this is going as I sink back down into the blankets.
“Tell me,” Callie growls kissing the inside of my thigh. “ Tell me exactly what you want.”
As much as I want to be the adult in this situation, my body had other plans as a luscious moan rolls out of the back of my throat.
“I wanna know how hard,” she continues and gently bites down right where she’d previously been kissing. My hips raise up with desire, but she quickly to guides me back down.
“Or how soft…” she blows against the love bite now forming on my skin.
Chills run up my spine as I try to formulate a response for my ready girlfriend.
“I want!”
“Yes?”
In the distance I heard two car doors slam. A glance to my left spots to two field workers exiting their truck only a couple hundred yards away from me.
“Oh god…” I whispered.
Unfortunately, Calliope didn’t exactly hear the alarm in my voice as she continues to tease me.
“Callie! Stop! We’ve got to…oh my god…” I breathe out getting lost in the moment.
She laughs at my frustration and not hearing the men coming closer. I have to find some sort of medium to this and stop or else Calliope’s parents are going to find out really quick who’s been keeping their daughter occupied on the weekends.
“No really! Stop! We have to go!” I cry out trying to suppress a moan.
“Ah, come on Arizona!”
Reaching down, a grab a chunk of her hair and pull her up to the surface.
“Owww! Jesus Christ Arizona! What the hell -”
I turn her head to the approaching men, who are still thankful unaware of us.
“Shit!” Callie shouts.
In one swift motion, she jumps up and begins to gather up the blankets as I pull up my pants and make a mad dash for Callie’s t-bird.
“Arizona!” she yells at me in a hushed voice.
Doubling back, I trying to keep my pants up and help her pack our illicit picnic site. With blankets and empty wine bottles haphazardly tucked underneath our arms, we make it to her car. I slide into the drivers seat as she piles into the backseat with the mountains of blankets nearly devouring her.
“Drive!” she shouts tossing the car keys over the seat.
I don’t second-guess her as I jam the keys into the ignition and drive away before even being discovered. She remains in the backseat as I lose myself in the moment. I’m driving her classic car for the first time ever. In Seattle, I was lucky enough to sit in the passenger’s seat only after I’d cleaned off my shoes and discarded of any and all food, this included a lone pack of gum in my purse.
Quietness settles between us as we’re both forced to realize the reality of that situation. We could have been arrested for trespassing and whom in Miami could we have called for bail without her family finding out. It was another close one for the both of us. Her words from last night play in my head. She says she can’t lose me even though she let’s me go every month.
My eyes wander in the rearview mirror directly positioned on her. “It’s okay, Calliope,” I try, but my attempts to bring her back from her torturous thoughts are no use.
After a mile or to into the drive we reached the main road that ran along the coast. I pulled off into a deserted beach parking lot. Callie looks confused as I joined her in the backseat.
“Hey! We’re okay.”
“Arizona, we almost got caught! This is not okay. I’m going to lose you again and I can’t, okay? I can’t choose between you two again. I need my family that means I need you too. I won’t choose! I lo-”
I lean in and silence her with my lips, stopping anymore rambling from exiting that gorgeous mouth of hers. It never ceases to amaze me how hesitant Calliope is when I first kiss her. She’s on guard whether it be on a private beach, or an empty grove, or alone in the middle of nowhere. My tongue begins to dance with hers as my hands move behind her and under her shirt. She can’t help but moan into my mouth as I drag my fingernails in circles around her lower back. When I’m positive all those negative thoughts have vanished from her mind, I reel back and give her a seductive look.
“What the…? You can’t just stop! I -”
“I believe you have something to finish first before we get to you.”
*******
If a chai tea latte is just the right fix in this quaint donut-less town then midnight grove romps are in a close second. Calliope lovingly looks down at me as wait for our lattes to be made. I can’t help but snuggle into her side savoring the public moment we’re getting together. It reminds me Seattle when we’d wake up early and head down to the wharf to enjoy a slow morning together. How I wish I’d treasured moments like those. She may be a complete mess in the morning, but it just made me fall her even more.
We’re in such a strange situation with our relationship that I know I shouldn’t be complaining as much as I am, but can you blame a girl for wanting more? Flying across the country, camping out in groves; you wouldn’t do any of that unless you loved the person. Oh God! That’s it isn’t it? I love her. I’m not falling! I have fallen head, over heels in fact. And no matter the nightmarish situation we keep finding ourselves in, I’ll keep flying out here to see her. When we’re apart I’ll check my phone constantly for an email or a text from her. I look at my wallpaper on that tiny blackberry screen and imagine those gorgeous brown eyes staring right back at me. It’s love and I have to tell her.
“Calliope?”
“Hmm...” she mumbles relishing my body pressed so intimately against her.
“I think I’m in-”
“Callie?” a voice blurts out of nowhere.
Instantly, I feel her push me away and turn in the direction that voice came from.
“Mr. Soto! Mrs. Soto! What a surprise!” she pipes up. “What are you all doing out here?”
The woman accompanying him reaches out for Callie and kissing both sides of her face. “We were just wondering the same thing about you, mija!”
“Oh, you know… looking at properties,” she lies.
“Wonderful! You know Mariano and I were looking at a few farms yesterday. Absolutely lovely out here, don’t you think? Hmm… I didn’t know your father thinking about getting in the orange business.”
“He’s not…. I am,” Callie tries again, sounding worse than the last time.
“A doctor and now a business owner! You’re just the little entrepreneur aren’t you? Just like her father! We were just about to take a walk, would your friend and you like to join us?” Mrs. Soto asks looking in my direction.
“Oh… no. She’s not - I mean, we’re not.”
“Two chai teas to go!” the Barista calls out.
“Oh, that must be you. Look, tell your father and mother we said hello and we’ll see them later at the club for squash,” Mrs. Soto says.
“Right…” Callie mutters.
“Wonderful to see you, Callie. Order a muffin or something. You’re looking so frail,” Mrs. Soto says giving her a goodbye kiss on the cheek.
The two continue down the sidewalk, oblivious to the mess they’ve just caused behind us. Callie looks at me as I hand her a latte.
“So, who are they?” I ask, trying to break the tension.
“Friends of my parents. They… I….”
I try to take her hand, but she just pulls away. Her eyes haven’t left the Sotos who are well down the sidewalk by now. I want to tell her it’ll be okay again, but somehow I don’t think this time around it will be.
Author: anna morgan
Pairing: Callie/Arizona
Rating: R
Summary: Slightly A/U. Starting with season five when Mr. Torres informed Callie she's going home. Well, Callie went home and Arizona followed. Between the complications of distance and hiding their love, the two try to make their relationship work.
Disclaimer: The author of this piece does not, in any way, profit from the story and that all creative rights to the characters belong to Shonda, their original creator.
a/n: back in action again :)
Previously:
July
August
September
I watched her from the reflection in mirror as I applied a fresh coat of pink passion across my lips. She’s been lying on the bed ever since we came back from our sunset dinner on the beach with a hand covering her eyes like she’s got a headache. I’ve tried not to badger her too much throughout our meal, but it was hard not to ignore the dark circles underneath her eyes.
If her exterior last month was enough to make anyone worry, then I’d hate to hear what people are saying now. She’s lost about another ten pounds since I’d last seen her five weeks ago. Her hair, which had been her pride in Seattle, was now pulled back into a stringy, messy bun. Unfortunately, dull and listless could illustrate her to a T and those are the nicer adjectives I could think of to describe her. You’d think this look would be from logging so many hours in the OR, but my heart says otherwise.
“So, I was thinking maybe we could drive into town tonight and maybe go get a coffee, walk down the board walk? Jen mentioned a new club opened a couple of weeks ago. We could try it out if you’re up for it.”
“Not tonight,” she dismisses me, not moving to look at me.
Sauntering across the room to her, I kneel next to the bed and let my fingertips take a walk up her leg hoping to entice her. She’s always loved to go dancing. It didn’t matter if it was in her living room, Joe’s, or some girl bar. She could make dancing with her in a living room more like foreplay and main event all mixed up into one.
“I’ll even dance with you.”
“Maybe tomorrow night.”
My hand falls as I slump to the floor, defeated. “My flight leaves the day after that.”
Going out tomorrow night would be mean less than 3 hours of sleep then five hours of flying in terror because I’ve never been able to sleep on any flight; Followed by a long shift at Seattle Grace starting a mere two hours after my flight touches down. No, tomorrow is definitely not an option. “Please Calliope?”
“Seriously Arizona, don’t use the Calliope thing on me tonight. I’m exhausted. I just worked three back to back shifts just to make it out here!”
“And I left sick children to fly across the country to be with you,” I quietly retort then take my irritated self out onto the deck.
“Damnit!” she yells and throws something across the room, causing a resounding thud to match.
I’ll give her until the count of ten to come out here, but if I get to ten we will be continuing this fight that’s been in the making since I got here. Probably even before her sister decided play private investigator or miles before Carlos Torres decided to eradicate her from the family tree.
“One…” I begin almost inaudibly.
I’m not oblivious to her to how tired she is or what we’ve both had to sacrifice to be together. It’s insane having to fly across the country to be with her. Sneaking off to a bed and breakfast like it’s love in the afternoon or something? It’s like being in the closet. And the worst part? I can’t even decide which was more draining for me. Being a human punch bag for her back Seattle or having to deal with this exhausted Callie in Miami.
“…Two.”
Her health is deteriorating more and more every time I see her. One can only imagine what’s going on in her head since she won’t let me in. I’m a doctor, a pediatric surgeon, and a superstar with a scalpel as she calls it. I’m not a mind reader though with my excellent bed side manner, you’d think I was. I can get a child to tell me what hurts or what frightens them with a smile, a game, or a friendly bear assistant. But with Callie it’s like staring at a brick wall sometimes.
“Three!”
She surprises me as she wraps her arms around me from the behind, tearing me away from my thoughts. The warmth of her body against mine causes me to melt as she lips make a trace up my neck until she reaches my ear.
“Please don’t be mad,” she says nibbling on my ear lobe. “I can make it all better.”
“Calliope…”
“There’s an orange grove a few miles from here. Blanket, bottle of wine, you and I under the stars?”
I pull away unable to listen to her anymore. It’s the inciting incident of the same argument that happened only hours before when we were trying to make plans for dinner. I wanted to go out; she wanted to stay in. We both know it’s because she’s worried sick that her sister or worse, her father would find out. The whole thing makes me worried sick about our future together.
“Please Calliope? They won’t be there. No one’s going to find out. The thing with Aria, it was a one off.”
“And what if it’s not?” she asks. “What if Aria finds out again or they check on me at St. Mary’s? God, I can’t lose you.”
Desperation doesn’t look good on anyone and especially not us. I could have anyone I wanted. I could be in Seattle with a house, two-car garage, and a warm body to come home to every night. But I chose the girl who lived moved over three thousand miles away. I chose the girl who despite it all makes me happy and I can’t lose her either.
“So how far is this grove?”
******
The sun is breaks over the horizon and I barely slept a wink. I’m not really the outdoors type and neither is she, but here we are. She got me out here underneath the stars, wrapped us in warm blankets, and held me until the night melted away. And as luck would have it, we fell asleep out here. But morning’s finally here which means some farmer is going to find us on this morning rounds through this grove.
Peaking my head out from underneath the mountain of blankets, I gazed around at my settings in satisfied bliss. Who would have known that this grassy knoll we laid claim to last night would be just as beautiful in the morning or that oranges glistening with dew would look just like diamonds in the early light. Morning doves harmoniously chirped as Calliope’s soft snores accompanied them. It was our own personal Eden far from constrains and expectations that bound us or rather her.
Still, one of us had to be an adult this morning before farmer discovered the tender sapphic camp set up in their orange grove. I tried to free myself from thralls of my blanket incarceration, but two arms promptly tighten around me. Someone’s not as asleep as they led me to believe.
“Don’t move yet,” she whispers.
“We have to go. Someone’s bound to drive by sooner or later.”
“And?”
“And,” I begin shifting around to face her. “I don’t want anything or anyone to ruin this perfect moment. Calliope, last night I... I don’t know. I just felt like I had you back for a moment.”
She kisses my nose as I slowly blink away any hasty tears that might have escaped during my admission.
“Okay, okay. Just a few more minutes then, k? I’m not exactly done here.” She says with a mischievous hint in her voice.
“Not done?”
Those two arms wrapped so tightly around me push me onto my back as Calliope submerges her beneath the sea of blankets. My jeans are immediately unbuttoned and the zipper is pulled down as I feel warm air on my center, breathing me to life in the cool Floridian morning.
“Callie…” I warn, sitting up on my elbows, but my words are lost as I feel her fingers loop around the waistband of my jeans and panties pull down.
You don’t have to see it to know where this is going as I sink back down into the blankets.
“Tell me,” Callie growls kissing the inside of my thigh. “ Tell me exactly what you want.”
As much as I want to be the adult in this situation, my body had other plans as a luscious moan rolls out of the back of my throat.
“I wanna know how hard,” she continues and gently bites down right where she’d previously been kissing. My hips raise up with desire, but she quickly to guides me back down.
“Or how soft…” she blows against the love bite now forming on my skin.
Chills run up my spine as I try to formulate a response for my ready girlfriend.
“I want!”
“Yes?”
In the distance I heard two car doors slam. A glance to my left spots to two field workers exiting their truck only a couple hundred yards away from me.
“Oh god…” I whispered.
Unfortunately, Calliope didn’t exactly hear the alarm in my voice as she continues to tease me.
“Callie! Stop! We’ve got to…oh my god…” I breathe out getting lost in the moment.
She laughs at my frustration and not hearing the men coming closer. I have to find some sort of medium to this and stop or else Calliope’s parents are going to find out really quick who’s been keeping their daughter occupied on the weekends.
“No really! Stop! We have to go!” I cry out trying to suppress a moan.
“Ah, come on Arizona!”
Reaching down, a grab a chunk of her hair and pull her up to the surface.
“Owww! Jesus Christ Arizona! What the hell -”
I turn her head to the approaching men, who are still thankful unaware of us.
“Shit!” Callie shouts.
In one swift motion, she jumps up and begins to gather up the blankets as I pull up my pants and make a mad dash for Callie’s t-bird.
“Arizona!” she yells at me in a hushed voice.
Doubling back, I trying to keep my pants up and help her pack our illicit picnic site. With blankets and empty wine bottles haphazardly tucked underneath our arms, we make it to her car. I slide into the drivers seat as she piles into the backseat with the mountains of blankets nearly devouring her.
“Drive!” she shouts tossing the car keys over the seat.
I don’t second-guess her as I jam the keys into the ignition and drive away before even being discovered. She remains in the backseat as I lose myself in the moment. I’m driving her classic car for the first time ever. In Seattle, I was lucky enough to sit in the passenger’s seat only after I’d cleaned off my shoes and discarded of any and all food, this included a lone pack of gum in my purse.
Quietness settles between us as we’re both forced to realize the reality of that situation. We could have been arrested for trespassing and whom in Miami could we have called for bail without her family finding out. It was another close one for the both of us. Her words from last night play in my head. She says she can’t lose me even though she let’s me go every month.
My eyes wander in the rearview mirror directly positioned on her. “It’s okay, Calliope,” I try, but my attempts to bring her back from her torturous thoughts are no use.
After a mile or to into the drive we reached the main road that ran along the coast. I pulled off into a deserted beach parking lot. Callie looks confused as I joined her in the backseat.
“Hey! We’re okay.”
“Arizona, we almost got caught! This is not okay. I’m going to lose you again and I can’t, okay? I can’t choose between you two again. I need my family that means I need you too. I won’t choose! I lo-”
I lean in and silence her with my lips, stopping anymore rambling from exiting that gorgeous mouth of hers. It never ceases to amaze me how hesitant Calliope is when I first kiss her. She’s on guard whether it be on a private beach, or an empty grove, or alone in the middle of nowhere. My tongue begins to dance with hers as my hands move behind her and under her shirt. She can’t help but moan into my mouth as I drag my fingernails in circles around her lower back. When I’m positive all those negative thoughts have vanished from her mind, I reel back and give her a seductive look.
“What the…? You can’t just stop! I -”
“I believe you have something to finish first before we get to you.”
*******
If a chai tea latte is just the right fix in this quaint donut-less town then midnight grove romps are in a close second. Calliope lovingly looks down at me as wait for our lattes to be made. I can’t help but snuggle into her side savoring the public moment we’re getting together. It reminds me Seattle when we’d wake up early and head down to the wharf to enjoy a slow morning together. How I wish I’d treasured moments like those. She may be a complete mess in the morning, but it just made me fall her even more.
We’re in such a strange situation with our relationship that I know I shouldn’t be complaining as much as I am, but can you blame a girl for wanting more? Flying across the country, camping out in groves; you wouldn’t do any of that unless you loved the person. Oh God! That’s it isn’t it? I love her. I’m not falling! I have fallen head, over heels in fact. And no matter the nightmarish situation we keep finding ourselves in, I’ll keep flying out here to see her. When we’re apart I’ll check my phone constantly for an email or a text from her. I look at my wallpaper on that tiny blackberry screen and imagine those gorgeous brown eyes staring right back at me. It’s love and I have to tell her.
“Calliope?”
“Hmm...” she mumbles relishing my body pressed so intimately against her.
“I think I’m in-”
“Callie?” a voice blurts out of nowhere.
Instantly, I feel her push me away and turn in the direction that voice came from.
“Mr. Soto! Mrs. Soto! What a surprise!” she pipes up. “What are you all doing out here?”
The woman accompanying him reaches out for Callie and kissing both sides of her face. “We were just wondering the same thing about you, mija!”
“Oh, you know… looking at properties,” she lies.
“Wonderful! You know Mariano and I were looking at a few farms yesterday. Absolutely lovely out here, don’t you think? Hmm… I didn’t know your father thinking about getting in the orange business.”
“He’s not…. I am,” Callie tries again, sounding worse than the last time.
“A doctor and now a business owner! You’re just the little entrepreneur aren’t you? Just like her father! We were just about to take a walk, would your friend and you like to join us?” Mrs. Soto asks looking in my direction.
“Oh… no. She’s not - I mean, we’re not.”
“Two chai teas to go!” the Barista calls out.
“Oh, that must be you. Look, tell your father and mother we said hello and we’ll see them later at the club for squash,” Mrs. Soto says.
“Right…” Callie mutters.
“Wonderful to see you, Callie. Order a muffin or something. You’re looking so frail,” Mrs. Soto says giving her a goodbye kiss on the cheek.
The two continue down the sidewalk, oblivious to the mess they’ve just caused behind us. Callie looks at me as I hand her a latte.
“So, who are they?” I ask, trying to break the tension.
“Friends of my parents. They… I….”
I try to take her hand, but she just pulls away. Her eyes haven’t left the Sotos who are well down the sidewalk by now. I want to tell her it’ll be okay again, but somehow I don’t think this time around it will be.