I like it when you ramble
Hey everyone, this is the first of at least 2 parts (more if you guys want them) of this story. It takes place after the shooting and before the start of the season. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy!
Title: I like it when you ramble
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Cristina's innocent question send Arizona's mind into over-drive
Disclaimer: Everything in the story belongs to Shondaland, I just like to play with the pieces. I own nothing and any mistakes are my own.
“Damnit, crap, crap double crap.” Arizona groaned as she set the rest of her half spilt coffee on the side table, “this is the worst day ever.”
“Well hey there sunshine,” smirked Cristina as she sauntered out of her room.
“Yang!” Arizona yelped in surprise, “What are you doing here?”
“Um, unlike you, I actually live here.”
Cristina walked past the stunned blonde and flipped on the coffee maker grabbing two mugs from the cupboard. Handing one to Arizona she continued, “Or do you now? Live here, I mean.”
Arizona slid onto one of the bar stools and watched Cristina as she poured a gigantic bowl of cereal. “Umm…” she thought about it; she had been spending a ridiculous amount of time at Callie’s apartment since they had gotten back together two months ago-but technically no-she didn’t live there. “Not yet,” she replied in wonder, more to herself than to Cristina.
“Hmm, cool,” Cristina’s grunted response was monotone as she made her way back to her bedroom.
“Yeah, cool.” Arizona repeated, walking around the island countertop to where the coffee maker was still beeping, “thanks for the coffee by the way.”
Cristina raised her hand in response before retreating into her room and closing the door behind her.
“Well that was weird,” Arizona mused to herself as she opened up the refrigerator and placed the creamer in the door.
“What was weird? And why is there a huge puddle right inside the door?” Callie asked making her way into the kitchen wearing only Arizona’s worn out college sweatshirt and small pair of boxer shorts. Kissing the top of her girlfriend’s head and then her lips, Callie added, “And why are you standing there sopping wet just starring at me.”
Arizona smiled slightly and kissed Callie again before speaking, “Good morning, well not exactly ‘good’ I guess, which is why there is a huge puddle of my day old, re-heated but still gross hospital coffee inside the door, and also not good because I lost two patients before 9am. Two, Calliope, which is why I’m here and not still at work, because I left. I told the chief there was an emergency because I couldn’t handle another dying child before my lunch break. And when I walked home, it was raining. It wasn’t raining right before I left, nope just started pouring as soon as I opened the door and walked outside. Ugh, and I’m supposed to have three more surgeries today and I don’t want to do them, because I don’t want to lose anything else today. Oh, and then Cristina, Cristina Yang, who has barely left her bedroom, who refuses to go into an OR, and who has not truly smiled since Derek’s surgery, asked me about my personal life, our personal life Calliope!”
“Whoa, Arizona,” Callie pushed herself away from the counter and set the coffee mug she had been cradling throughout Arizona’s speech down behind her. “Baby, you need to breathe. Just take a deep breath and relax, I’m right here with you.” She took the blonde into her arms and kissed her temple.
Arizona sighed and snuggled deeper into Callie’s shoulder. “I love you,” she mumbled almost inaudibly, “So much.”
“Hey,” Callie said softly, pulling Arizona back a little so she could look at the tear-streaked face of her girlfriend, “I love you too. Always and forever,” she added wiping the fallen tears away with her thumbs.
Smiling through her tears Arizona laughed, “God I’m pathetic. And you should know…” Arizona took a breath before quickly spewing out her next sentence, “I was starring at you because even if it is 10 in the morning and your hair is a mess because you just woke up, I still find you the most beautiful person that I’ve ever laid eyes on.”
“Aww, thanks baby, and just so you know you are NOT pathetic. Not even close, you just had a really, really, bad morning.” Callie lifted Arizona’s head up and kissed her right behind her ear before whispering, “Now go turn on the shower and as soon as I clean up the coffee I’ll meet you in there.”
An hour later they were walking hand in hand down the street to their favorite café. “Can I ask you something?”
“Of course you can.”
“Before, when you got home, you said that Cristina asked you about our personal life; and you said that something was weird, what happened?”
“Oh that, that was nothing.”
Callie stopped walking, and before she realized it Arizona had stopped as well. She pulled on Callie’s hand to move again but Callie stood her ground. “Tell me what she said. Please.”
After a short pause Arizona reluctantly answered, “She asked if I lived there. Okay?”
“Lived where? The apartment?” Callie asked clearly not understanding the big deal.
“Well yea, where else Calliope.” Arizona responded rolling her piercing blue eyes.
“And that’s a bad thing? That she wanted to know if you lived there.”
“Not bad per say, just weird. Cristina Yang doesn’t leave the house any more, why should she be worried about me?”
“Well I highly doubt she was worried, she probably just…”
“You know what I mean Calliope.” Arizona interrupted. “We haven’t even talked about it, yet there is Yang, all non-committal and monotone asking me if I live with her. I just thought it was weird that’s all. Maybe it was just the fact that my morning sucked and I was looking to push that on someone else. Or maybe I am worried you know, that this, this ‘honeymoon’ period we are in is going to come to a crashing halt and our pretty pink bubble is just going to burst. Okay? Maybe I’m just scared.” Arizona dropped her hands to her side and looked anywhere but at Callie.
It was true; they hadn’t really talked about anything since getting back together. It all just kind of fell back into place; Arizona was back at the apartment every night, her things slowly showing up around the house: her book and reading glasses on the bedside table, her favorite coffee mug from Callie back in the cupboard, her gray and black flannel coat next to Callie’s black leather jacket on the rack by the door, and her CranApple juice was back in the fridge. Normal-everything had returned to normal. At least, that is what Callie thought anyway.
“Pretty pink bubble?” Callie looked horrified.
“That’s all you got out of that rant?” Arizona asked helplessly.
“No, sweetie, it’s not. We will talk about things,” Callie recovered after a few seconds. “We can talk it all out, and we can figure out where we are.”
The fact of the matter is that Callie was planning to ask Arizona to move in with her after Cristina married Owen next week. She knew that they still had a lot to talk about. A LOT. But she thought they were in a good place, sure she watched Arizona as she slept, but that was normal too right? She had missed her while they had been broken up and she just wanted to make sure it was all real; she truly didn’t mean any harm by it. Maybe that is what freaked Arizona out, she caught her one night-just starring-maybe that is what scared her. That had to be it! Maybe she took it the wrong way and thought that Callie was going to break up with her.
“Is this about me watching you sleep?” Callie asked confidently.
Arizona was taken back by the question, “I’m sorry, you, you what now?” She asked with curiosity dancing in her eyes.
“Oh, so not about that then?” Callie laughed to cover up the slightly uncomfortable situation, “Okay, well we can still talk about everything right? I mean I’m happy with you Ari, really happy; I thought you were happy too.”
“Of course I’m happy Calliope!” Arizona quickly responded trying to stop Callie from worrying herself sick, she took both of Callie’s hands in hers before continuing, “You make me the happiest girl in the world Calliope Torres and nothing is ever going to change that. I’m not scared that we are going to break up, I am just curious where we are headed and how fast we plan on getting there.”
Arizona paused to kiss Callie right there in the middle of sidewalk. Neither of them was too keen on public displays of affection but in this case Arizona was okay with breaking their no PDA rule-she was trying to prove a point after all.
“I want to spend the rest of my life with you Calliope, and I’m pretty sure you feel the same way. And we both know that we have a ton of things to discuss-apparently in the very near future for my sake. I just, I guess I just freaked out because I thought that once we got back together you would want to get married and start having kids right away. And although I meant what I said, I’m just not ready-not yet.”
Callie took in the sight of her adorably rambling girlfriend and smiled to herself.
“And now you think I’m crazy, awesome.” Arizona stopped, “why are you smiling?”
“You are not crazy my dear,” laughed Callie, “far from it, and I know crazy, I was crazy. Alex, he loves crazy, Owen he loves, recently, crazy and Mark, well Mark just loves Lexie. But I, Callie Torres, do NOT love crazy. I love you, the beautiful, talented, sweet, caring, and stunningly amazing woman standing right in front of me. Arizona Robbins, I love you, and you are not crazy.”
“Really?” Arizona smiled bashfully.
“Really,” Callie replied grabbing Arizona’s hand and continued walking to the café.
Thanks so much for reading, I'm currently writing the second part but if anyone has any suggestions or things they would like to see just let me know! I am always greatful for any input. Thanks again :)